A hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. today to hear the case of ousted North Panola principal Vivian Burkley.

The North Panola School Board removed Burkley from her position at Green Hill Elementary School earlier this year amid allegations of misuse of school funds.

Speaking through a spokesman, Senatobia attorney Leigh Ann Darby said she and two other lawyers will represent Burkley in the hearing.

More than 50 witnesses could be called and the hearing could take place "over several days," the spokesman said, quoting Darby.

North Panola Superintendent Robert Massey said the hearing, which is open to the public, will be held in the North Panola High School library.

Citing the legal nature of the hearing, Massey said he was not allowed to discuss any details of the event.
  

Friends of David M. Bryan have begun a memorial scholarship to honor the late Panola County sheriff who lost his battle with cancer April 23.

Chancery Clerk Jim Pitcock, who was also a brother-in-law to the late Bryan, is serving as chairman of the committee.

Pitcock noted that Bryan had attended Northwest Community College, then Northwest Mississippi Junior College, on a scholarship and treasured the memories of his years there as well as the many life-long friends he made.

Pitcock went on to say that Bryan was the epitome of a public servant and will long be remembered for his dedication and loyalty to his community, state and nation.

"Many people have expressed an interest in establishing a memorial in David’s honor," Pitcock stated and added that plans are to help provide a worthy recipient with this annual scholarship.

Pitcock also noted that the Northwest Foundation would match funds donated to the cause and that the memorial donation is tax deductible.

Letters have been sent to law enforcement officials including officers, prosecutors and judges seeking assistance with the memorial scholarship.

Pitcock said the late sheriff’s immediate family would set criteria for scholarship applicants.

Pitcock can be reached during working hours at 563-6205 and memorial contributions can be mailed to: Jim Pitcock, Panola County Chancery Clerk, 151 Public Square, Batesville, MS 38606.
    

When the new mayor and board of aldermen held their first meeting in July, it not only signaled new leadership in Batesville’s city government, but in its police department as well.

That meeting featured a unanimous decision to promote department veteran Tony Jones from the rank of major to colonel. The promotion means Jones is now the number two cop in a department of more than 30 officers.

With the new title comes additional responsibility for Jones.

"Now I am having to handle more of the administrative duties like monitoring leave time and handling time cards," he said. "That is something I haven’t had to do in the past."

In addition to those new duties, Jones remains the supervisor for the BPD’s detective division – a post he has held since 1984.

"I have been with this department for 28 years," he said. "There have been a lot of changes to the department and to law enforcement in general since I first came aboard."

One of the biggest changes Jones was happy to see was an improvement to minimum standards in law enforcement. Since 1981, it has been required that all officers be certified by a training institution. Jones completed his certification training at the Police Academy in Pearl in 1978.

Jones was also the first officer for the Batesville Police Department to attend the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va. He completed his training there in 1984.

"For an old country boy like me to be able to receive the training I have, especially from the FBI Academy, was a real honor," he said. "I was a sergeant when I went in, and that was almost unheard of at the time since the academy was for more administrative personnel."

Jones said he feels like the knowledge he has gained through training and his on-the-job experience will be a huge asset to him in his new post.

"After being here all these years, and completing all the training I have, I like to think the people in the department will feel comfortable coming to me for advice," he said.

"I am here to work with them and to help make the officers of the Batesville Police Department the best they can be," Jones added.

Col. Jones said he and Chief Gerald Legge are constantly working to improve the department and make it a more pleasant place to work.

"We want our officers to want to come to work every day," he said. "But, at the same time, we still want to have the most professional department we can."

Jones said the success of the department will also depend on the new leadership of the city.

"All of us here at the department hope the new administration will show continued support of the police department," he said. "I think they are already working to make things better for the department as a whole.

"The City of Batesville has a good police department, and, if we continue to work together, it will get better," Jones added.