tact the ty, when jumped Editor The When our past, with she and daughter yard on but we Mike started a we moved parties big and occasionally was Ross yellow way kindergarten Lisa to were only Rankin and school a three, had thing kept Coun- con- bus she but up of the mentally ill he first week of October in 1989 I took over the helm of The Winona Times newspaper in Winona and The Conservative newspaper in neighboring Carrollton. We had an office in each community, but one staff served both papers. Now, not certain on the rest of the exact dates, etc. going forward here but they are pretty close. One member of the staff was Lisa Arm- strong.
Lisa, I think, at the time was serving as receptionist, and perhaps handling the subscription list. Again, not certain, was a long time ago. Lisa quickly proved to be, without Publisher a doubt, the most valuable member of the staff. She could, and would, do the doctors thought it was likely a thrive like his father. any task asked of her and excelled at stress fracture.
They put him in a cast them all. She quickly became the and things only got worse. More tests Cougars won the 6A Championship office and, hon- showed it was not a stress fracture, in 2023 with a 33-4 record and this estly, my right hand woman, and but rather a mass between the bones year returned to the field to claim the along with her husband Mike, very that was cancerous. Eventually he 7A State Championship with a perfect good friends to my wife, Danny and would have his leg amputated below record of 34-0 last month. me.
summer yard party at our turn-of-the In those years we hosted a huge -century home in the hills of Carroll- Pacific, went back to college at Mis- season ranked Number 1 in the nation ton. Built in 1905 our house was situ- sissippi State and got a degree in edu- in the USA Today Sports Super 25. ated on a very large lot just steps cation and went to work in Winona away from the downtown of the tiny Public Schools where he coached came out. a long journey town. It was perfect for games like girls softball.
He and Lisa have two from a gold spray painted horseshoe, badminton, horseshoes, and of course girls and a boy. The girls played on it I wrote. to call the yard game of yard games, cro- his teams. quet. excelled in all things sport, even the Mike, being a fierce competitor, frivolous ones that involved knocking with his progress in defeating cancer, a colored wooden ball through a and with his new coaching career as fighter, and a winner in more ways metal wicket or hoop with a wood well, and this was well before the than one Mike Armstrong! mallet.
He especially liked the thrill, convenience of Facebook. though, of winning a match of horse- shoes his yard game of choice. And, he cherished the gold spray painted horseshoe glued to a piece of door facing that served as our travel- that carried her from our house to for Cody, he just got married on May ing trophy. parties every sum- We hosted those School. mer until we to find out Northwest Rankin High moved from Car- had hired Mike to take over the girls rollton to Rankin fast-pitch coaching position.
He also County and the taught geography and our daughter Reservoir in 1996. one year. Barnett got the geography award in his class Still miss those summers, but this ball team from a 17-12 record to 29-3 is about Mike and and the 5A State Championship. not the parties. shortly after we ing in Afghanistan, was severely i stunned when son, Cody, while serv- left there, Mike injured when his vehicle was struck started having pain by an improvised explosive device.
in his left leg and Cody would not only survive, but the knee. That did not slow the man down. released and Mike and the Northwest Mike, who worked for Georgia Rankin Lady Cougars finished the Northwest Rankin Elementary 25. Congratulations to them all! In 2007, it was a pleasant surprise In three years Mike took the soft- Then in 2012 his family was More recently, Lady Last week the final numbers were I messaged Mike after the rankings win that trophy back from Phil after His reply, practiced all winter to he beat me that one Always the competitor, always the Today Mike and Lisa are the proud grandparents of a little boy and little girl, from daughter Brandi and her husband. Daughter, Amber also teaches at Northwest Rankin.
And as PINION A competitor, a fighter, and a winner Page 4 Wednesday, June 5, 2024 UR IEW First step to help Tim Beeland ing Inc. (USPS 485-440) weekly on Wednesday from 311 The Scott County Times is published by Scott Publish- Smith Forest, MS 39074. Send changes of address to Scott Publishing P.O. Box 89, Forest, MS 39074 Out-of-county subscriptions are $45 annually. Local subscriptions are $35 annually.
ISSN Number 2831-7149 311 Smith St. P.O. Box 89 Forest, MS 39074 Phone: (601) 469-2561 Fax: (601) 469-2004 E-mail: Online: www.sctonline.net Julian Reed Mailroom Manager hen it comes to limiting the practice of hold- ing a mentally ill person in a jail even though he faces no criminal charges, the Mississippi heart was in the right place. House Bill 1640, which Gov. Tate Reeves signed into law last month, is designed to limit such action.
Previously, people going through a civil commitment process for mental-health treatment could be put in jail if county officials decided there was no other place to hold them. Today website reported that people in the commitment The new law restricts this practice. The Mississippi process can only be put in jail without charges if they are and can only be held behind bars for a maximum of 48 hours. A judge must approve requests to hold such people in a jail. Further, the new law the mental health professional who recommends commitment to docu- ment why less-restrictive treatment is not an option.
And before paperwork can be filed to initiate the com- mitment process, a staffer with a local community mental health center must assess the condi- cials who handle civil commitments and from groups The bill Reeves signed won praise from county offi- representing sheriffs and supervisors. The state Depart- ment of Mental Health also praised the bill, as a spokesman said it would put people first by connecting a person who needs mental health services with a men- tal health professional as a first step in the process. Indeed, there is reason to hope that the new law means fewer mentally ill people will be put in jail, and that the average number of days such people spend behind bars without charges will be reduced. Too many people have been treated unfairly. Missis- sippi Today and ProPublica previously reported that over a recent four-year period, about two-thirds of peo- ple jailed during the commitment process were held for more than the 48 hours allowed under the new law.
Also, since 2006, at least 17 people, including nine suicides, have died after being held in a jail as part of a civil commitment process. One goal must be to elim- inate that sad statistic. putting mentally ill people in jail for fun. They But important to remember that county officials made the decision because they feared the people awaiting commitment were a danger, either to them- selves or others. effect of the new law may be limited until the state One chancery clerk told Mississippi Today that the expands its mental health services: because got a diversion program mean you have anywhere to divert them That puts another demand on the Legislature to make sure the state has enough space outside of jails to hold mentally ill people during the commitment process.
This may mean expanding existing facilities or building an additional one. Otherwise, it probably be long before county officials make a conscious decision to violate the new law by keeping someone in jail without charges longer than 48 hours. It might be hard to criticize that decision. What if a patient was threatening to kill himself or others? Is that someone you let out of jail? almost as if officials have to encourage a patient to commit a crime, because then be allowed to keep him behind bars. Looking at the issue realistically, the new bill sets reasonable restrictions on the confinement of people awaiting commitment.
But that is only the first step. The state needs an accurate count of mental-illness jail cases to assess the size of the problem, and then must determine if it needs more facilities not jail cells to hold them. Tim Beeland Editor and Publisher UBLISHER ORNER The Scott County Times makes every effort to print on schedule. Occasionally, unforeseen mechanical issues arise. On these days, distribution will occur using our online e-edition.
Copyright 2024 Emmerich Newspapers, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Trump verdict: Partisan hyperbole for all THER IEWS York state court trial of former Presi- The 34 guilty verdicts in the New dent Donald Trump on felony charges of falsifying business records of alleged payments to an adult film actress as part of a scheme to influence the 2016 election has opened the floodgates on a river of partisan political hyperbole from both sides of the aisle. tors who spent their careers defending Republicans, even former prosecu- the American jury trial system, are Syndicated now decrying the Trump verdict as the result of a trial that evolved out of a of the judicial system by Democrats.
sionately that the Trump verdicts will presidential election, the largest vote GOP voices also say the verdict virtu- sway the outcome of the 2024 presi- total in U.S. history. It was the highest ally guarantees victory in dential election. With the stark divi- voter turnout as a percentage of the November as voters reject felony sion of the country over the 2024 voting-eligible population in 120 convictions. Democrats, even some who defended former and Trump, some in these increasing- Clinton during the of the possibility of public unrest ris- President Bill ly hysterical rants are talking in terms Monica Lewinsky ing to violence up to and including episode, defend civil war.
the New York state judicial system, some basic facts about the behavior the narrow legal of the American electorate. The most theory that raised basic relevant point is that in the last crimes to presidential election in 2020 between felonies, and reject Biden and Trump, one-third of eligi- the notion that the ble U.S. voters did not vote yes, convictions in any electabil- high. enhance ity in November. Partisans on both sides argue pas- 159,633,396 Americans voted in the election between President Joe Biden years at 66.7%.
Those breathless reactions ignore and that voter turnout was at a historic The Census reported that in 2020, Continued on page 3 Sid Salter Columnist.
