Parking is an issue for some

Parking downtown is sometimes a hit or miss situation.

While full parking spots can be a sign of prosperity, they can also mean there is a lack of spaces.

A survey was recently given to downtown merchants by the Cleveland Police Department to see what they think of the parking situation downtown.

Twenty surveys were returned.

Of those 20, only five merchants said there was a problem, while 15 found nothing wrong with the current parking available.

In an earlier Cleveland Board of Aldermen meeting, two merchants discussed a possible time limit set forth for parking.

Of the 20 responses to the survey, five said there should be a time limit enforced while 15 said no.

Medical professionals provide services to youth

North Sunflower Medical Clinic is bringing back medical practices of an older generation by going to the patient, instead of the patient coming in for services. 

The screen team, that travels by car, is a group of nurse practitioners, nurses and assistants that make their way to head start centers and schools in the community to screen children for hearing, vision, lead poisoning, hemoglobin/ iron levels, ear/nose/throat disorders, heart conditions, asthma and allergies, hernias, developmental disorders, dental hygiene and nutrition. 

“The immunization record is checked through our access to the Mississippi State Department of Health’s website and we will provide the Head Start center or school with each child’s vaccine record,” said Brooks Rizzo, director of the team. “If the child needs vaccines to catch up on immunizations, we let the parent or guardian know with a letter and will provide the vaccines on site if the guardian wishes. The family nurse practitioner will also answer any questions the child may have about their bodies and growing up.”

A typical day in the life of the screen team begins with a 9 a.m. arrival at the school. 

“We have four stations we set up: one triage station, where the nurse assistant gets the child’s vital signs; a nurse practitioner station, where I will do a physical and developmental exam; a nurse’s station, where she will check hemoglobin, lead level and administer the flu shot; and the eye station, where the eye doctor and his assistant examine and screen the child for eye disorders,” Rizzo explained. 

St. Holmes to play at Airport Grocery, Friday April 12

This week, rockstar Derek St. Holmes, longtime singer and guitarist for Ted Nugent’s band, returns to the Delta to perform at Airport Grocery on Friday night at 9:00 p.m., April 12. St. Holmes will perform again Saturday night, April 13, 8:00 p.m. at Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale as a part of the annual Juke Joint Festival.  

Over the last few years, St. Holmes has visited Cleveland several times. He performed at OctoberFest this past October and last spring Bolivar Countians saw St. Holmes make an impromptu performance one night at Po Monkey’s. This Friday night, local musicians, Scott Coopwood, Barry Bays, and Haley Bennett will be performing with St. Holmes at Airport Grocery and Ground Zero Blues Club. St. Holmes, will play for one hour at Airport, beginning at 9:00 p.m., and Miles Flatt will perform after St. Holmes.

St. Holmes’ rock career is very impressive.

In 1974, rocker Ted Nugent met St. Holmes when his band opened for Nugent’s old band, the Amboy Dukes. The Amboy Dukes had already recorded several albums and were a staple of the Midwest rock scene at the time. 

When the Amboy Dukes broke up, Nugent contacted St. Holmes about auditioning for his new band. Nugent was looking for a lead singer who could give his band the sound that would catapult the group to stardom.  

St. Holmes was hired and the band of Ted Nugent, St. Holmes, former Amboy Dukes bassist Rob Grange and Cliff Davies was launched and started immediately touring the world. The group later changed its name to The Ted Nugent Band. 

Students must score higher on tests

Senate Bill 2188 may reach Gov. Phil Bryant’s office as early as Monday.

“This provision is a component of the Governor’s larger education reform agenda,” said Leslie Griffin, dean of the college of education and human services at Delta State University. “It is designed to increase the quality of those teaching in Mississippi’s schools by requiring a higher entrance standard for teacher education programs than currently exists.”

Bryant’s commitment to education reform brought about this piece of legislation.

“The governor is to strengthen our schools and provide the best education for students,” said Griffin. “For the past several years, momentum has been growing at the national/federal level to reform teacher preparation as a means to address the need for broader educational reform at the P-12 level.”

Griffin said numerous reports and studies that have been released nationally indicate that higher standards need to be in place for programs that prepare the nation’s teachers.

The provisions of the bill related to increasing the bar for entry into a teacher education program will affect all institutions in the state of Mississippi that currently prepare teachers, both public and private, according to Griffin.

“Each teacher preparation program annually submits to a process and performance review process to ensure that its rigor and quality meets state guidelines,” she explained. “Oversight for this process rests with the Mississippi Department of Education. Ensuring that each program enforces these entry requirements is one aspect of this review.”

Griffin said the Praxis 1 Pre-Professional Skills Tests that all hopeful teachers must take, measures basic skills in reading, writing and mathematics and are a product of Educational Testing Services.