By Randy Bell Clinton’s police chief says the city’s crime numbers approaching the midpoint of 2025 were “a little higher” than he would like to see. But Ford Hayman has zero tolerance for crime. “One is too many,” he told the Board of Aldermen at its meeting May 20, as he provided a snapshot of…

  As the Sahara dust plume travels across the Atlantic and moves into the southeastern United States, Mississippi Asthma & Allergy Clinic is advising residents to take precautions, particularly those with respiratory conditions. Each year, this mass of dry, dusty air originating from the Sahara Desert makes its way into the Gulf Coast region, carrying…

Youth interested in exploring dynamic forms of creativity and high schoolers focused on graphic design, interior design, gouache painting, ceramics or photography will find plenty to spark their imaginations at summer art camps hosted by the Department of Art at Mississippi College. The Young Artists Camp for rising second-to-sixth graders is scheduled from 8:30 to…

By Randy Bell Jeff Blackledge has touched a lot of lives during his forty years serving the Clinton Fire Department. And, on May 22, many of those friends and colleagues turned out at the Olde Towne Depot to wish Blackledge well as he prepares to retire as fire chief. “It is nice seeing all these…

Special to The Clinton Courier Clinton High School’s (CHS) culinary team has made three consecutive appearances in the annual National ProStart Invitational, the premier secondary school competition focused on restaurant management and culinary arts. This year, they found themselves ranked in the top five nationally. Nine students enrolled in Clinton’s culinary program represented the state…

Special to The Clinton Courier The Clinton Public School District’s (CPSD) Board of Trustees approved the appointment of John Wallace as Clinton’s new career and technical education (CTE) director. “Career and technical education has always been an intriguing field to me,” Wallace said. “My tenure in education has focused on the middle school ages, so…

Special to The Clinton Courier The Clinton Public School District (CPSD) will participate in the federally-funded Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) from June 2-27. Under the SFSP, nutritious meals are provided free of charge to children eighteen years of age and younger. “The Summer Food Service Program is one way that school districts can help…

By Randy Bell The final phase of choosing new City leaders awaits Clinton voters on June 3. The general election features only three contested races for positions on the Board of Aldermen, but voting will take place citywide. “All six precincts will be open, because of the alderman at large position being contested,” says City…

By Randy Bell Decorative lamp posts may soon illuminate a section of Clinton’s Pinehaven Drive. Work is underway to complete the underground infrastructure so a contractor can install the sixty-eight lights from Northside Drive to Arrow Drive, matching the lamp posts along the Clinton Parkway. “Their plan is to have them up the end of…

The serene post-Spring Commencement environment at Mississippi College will soon give way to the exciting sounds of youthful laughter, cheers and music as summer camp season takes over the Clinton campus. From the final day of May through the third week of July, thousands of middle school and high school students and their adult sponsors…

  The Clinton Ambassadors are excited to welcome Miss Melody Rawls as the new Assistant Director for the 2025–2026 school year. She joins founding director Mrs. Erin Linton on the leadership  team and steps into the role following Mrs. Alison Custer’s transition to Clinton High School’s growing choral program. Miss Rawls is a graduate of…

Faculty and staff in the Department of Art at Mississippi College are offering several fine art classes to help members of the community refine their creative talents. Nate Jarnagin, administrative assistant in the MC Department of Art and Gore Arts Complex coordinator, said the adults-only community art classes range from watercolor and acrylic painting to…

By Randy Bell      A plan to install Clinton’s first public charging stations for electric vehicles has been expanded to three additional locations.  Originally, the 240-volt Level 2 chargers were to go to the Clinton Visitor Center and Olde Towne Depot.  But the Board of Aldermen voted May 6 to execute an agreement which calls for…

  Mississippi’s 2025 Municipal General Election Day is less than one week away. The June 3 ballot features municipal offices across the state. Polls for the Municipal General Election will open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 7:00 p.m. Any voter in line at 7:00 p.m. is legally entitled to cast a ballot. To familiarize…

Dr. Tom Williams, a Mississippi College alum who served as professor and chair in the Department of Teacher Education and Leadership before taking the reins of the University’s energy conservation program, died Thursday, May 22, 2025. He was 79. A graduate of Mississippi State University, Williams received his master’s in education and his education specialist…

By Randy Bell      These are uncertain times for those depending on federal funding for their programs and projects.  But Gregg Harper, the former Mississippi congressman who’s been scraping up money on Capitol Hill and at the State Capitol for a multi-million-dollar pipeline aimed at maintaining the viability of Clinton’s sewage treatment system and promoting economic…

By Carole Kelly Advance planning, fine spring weather and a talented grill chef assured the success of a block party for residents of Oakleigh Gardens, a part of Clinton’s Oakhurst Subdivision.   Organizers Stacy Ainsworth and Suzanne Pegues, who started planning three weeks prior to the Saturday, April 26, event, agree that their purpose was…

  The first time Caroline Cook attended summer orientation at Mississippi College, she injured her knee, which required her to get stitches. That’s when the future nursing major from New Albany discovered how special the Christian University and its representatives are. “Every orientation leader checked on me and even drove me around on a golf…

Special to The Clinton Courier South Texas-born and Mississippi-rooted, Marcos, of Clinton, is a dynamic artist whose musical journey spans gritty rock anthems to soul-stirring Americana ballads. As the former frontman and songwriter for Sally Jayne, Marcos made waves on the rock circuit, releasing rock album Remember Me in 2010 —sharing stages with 3 Doors…

The Clinton Courier The Junior Auxiliary Crown Club of Clinton recently had their last service project of the school year. The group chose to make “Foster Comfort Bags” for children entering the foster system in Mississippi. Each club member brought a backpack/duffle/travel bag and items to fill the bag, such as toothpaste and a toothbrush,…

In 2025, Bitcoin (BTC) officially breaks through the key price of $110000, and the global market value climbs to $2.04 trillion, surpassing Amazon to become the world’s fifth largest asset. This achievement not only consolidates Bitcoin’s position in the international financial system, but also makes the “mining mechanism” around its underlying ecosystem once again an…

Students at the Clinton High School (CHS) Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center recently participated in a capstone project led by Law and Public Safety Instructor Al Kimbrell. The project, a complex concert crime and mass injury/casualty scenario, included students in law and public safety, health science, theater, broadcast journalism, EMT and culinary courses, who…

By Carole Kelly A guest appearance by a well-known Muppet brought smiles to members of the Clinton Study Club when Roland Roberts discussed the life of James Maury “Jim” Henson, American puppeteer. The presentation is the eighth in the club year’s “Mississippi celebrities” theme.   Roberts introduced the subject by sharing a history of puppetry,…