from staff reports
A lot of Meridianites have strong opinions on the smoking ordinance that was passed by the Meridian City Council Tuesday, and many of those Meridianites have been awaiting news on whether Mayor Cheri Barry will veto the ordinance.
Before Tuesday's meeting Barry said she was inclined to go with what the council passes, but that she wanted to see exactly what the ordinance says before making a decision.
But Barry was out of town at the U.S. Conference of Mayors on Tuesday.
After Tuesday's meeting Meridian Chief Administrative Officer Mark McDonald said Barry would not be able to read the ordinance passed until she returned to Meridian.
On Friday Barry said she couldn't veto it if she wanted to and that she does not have veto power in the case of the smoking ordinance because it has already been signed into law by someone else.
When Barry left town she said she appointed Council President Bobby Smith as acting mayor in her absence. She was gone Tuesday when the ordinance was passed by the council, and she was gone Wednesday when Smith signed it as acting mayor.
Smith, however, was not entirely sure that Barry truly lacks veto power. When asked Friday when the ordinance would go into effect, Smith said, "30 days from when I signed it, unless the mayor vetoes it."
Smith, who introduced the ordinance to the council's agenda, said he is "just proud that we finally passed it and I'm proud that we have a mayor who won't veto it."
If there is no veto the ordinance, which bans smoking in all public enclosed areas and some outdoor areas, goes into effect Friday, Feb. 19.
Calls to City Attorney Bill Ready, made this week pertaining to the smoking ordinance, were not returned.
Local News
Barry: No veto power on smoking ban
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Local law enforcement officials honored
State Rep. Greg Snowden said he remembered as a child looking up to those "men in blue."
He said police officers in uniform were larger than life, riding in their patrol cars and carrying guns to protect and serve the population. Today, he said he is still in great admiration of the men and women who put their lives on the line every day so that citizens can feel safe. -
MPD probes vehicle crash
Evidence of a mother's desperate attempt to save her children from harm were spread all over a car lot — and could be seen on her as well in the form of bruises, cuts and scrapes.
Tuesday night, a vehicle with three children inside crashed through a plate glass showroom floor window damaging four new cars and totaling the vehicle the children were in. -
Skeleton found in residence
Members of the forensics team of the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) were called to a dilapidated home in Chunky to probe the discovery of a skeleton.
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Police search for robbery suspects
Two men who reportedly robbed a woman at gunpoint in the parking lot of a local bank are still being sought.
Mike Vick, public information officer with the Meridian Police Department, said the two men approached a woman about 8 p.m. Tuesday at the ATM of Regions Bank on North Hills Street. Vick said one of the suspects was armed with a handgun and after taking an undetermined amount of cash and the victim's car keys, the two suspects fled on foot. -
City cuts payment to Watkins
The Meridian City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to cut their monthly payment to David Watkins, project developer of Meridian's new police station, by $9,999 until work resumes on the project.
The order, made during the Meridian City Council meeting Tuesday morning, included a mutual agreement between the councilmen and Watkins to reduce the project developer's monthly consultant fee of $10,000 to $1, effective Tuesday. -
Crews work on gasoline pipeline
If you hear a loud, booming sound early today, between 4 a.m.-10 a.m., there is no cause for alarm.
Workers with Plantation Pipeline will be performing maintenance work on their 30-foot gasoline pipeline in the Meridian area to accommodate the widening of Highway 493. The location of the work activity will be at Highway 493 North and Oak Hill Baptist Church, just inside the city limits. -
Team Spirit
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High Honor
The flowers and balloons Crestwood Elementary School Principal Kimberly Kendrick received at school Monday were not an early Valentines' Day gift.
Kendrick has been named Meridian Public School District's 2012 Administrator of the Year – an announcement that both surprised and wowed the 17-year veteran educator when made by MPSD Superintendent Dr. Alvin Taylor. -
Master Dance Class
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Digital system promises better communication
Hopefully in the near future you won't hear someone in the emergency services ask over the radio, "Can you hear me now?"
A digital communications system, one which is being pushed by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC), is a few months away and, in some cases, is already in the testing phase in Lauderdale County. - More Local News Headlines
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Skip the Coffee Cup and Inhale Your Caffeine Fix
