Local Digest

By Staff
LIFE organization holding fund-raiser
Living Independence For Everyone has opened a satellite office in Meridian. LIFE is a non-profit organization that helps individuals with disabilities. They operate on donations and fund-raisers. On July 4, they will hold a raffle for a mink coat and an oak daybed. Tickets are $1. For information, call the local LIFE office at 485-7999 or visit them at 2440 North Hills St.
Jimmie Rodgers Museum temporarily closed
The Jimmie Rodgers Museum at Highland Park will be closed to visitors until March 15. However, group tours may be arranged by calling the Lauderdale County Tourism Bureau at 482-8001 or (888) 868-7720.
AARP offers free tax advice
Senior citizens have access to free tax advice every Tuesday and Friday until April 15. AARP volunteers will be available every Tuesday, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m., at the Meridian-Lauderdale County Public Library. Volunteers will also be available every Friday, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m., at the Highway 19 North Trustmark National Bank.
Nurses to hold convention in Meridian
The Mississippi Licensed Practical Nurses Association will hold its 31st annual state convention April 25-27 at the Howard Johnson Inn. Registration for the convention will be at 8 a.m. on April 25, and the convention will begin at 9 a.m. with three full days of professional workshops, business sessions and fellowship.
Eleven contact hours for continuing education are planned, 10 of which may be used to satisfy the semi-annual CE requirement for the IV Certified LPNs.
For more information, call Jim or Mae Blackledge, (601) 763-5151; Opal Ezell, (601) 833-1360 or Emily Garner, (662) 566-4611.
Homestead exemption deadline nears
The deadline to file for homestead exemption is March 30. The following criteria must be met to be eligible to receive homestead exemption tax benefits:
Be a legal resident of Mississippi;
Own and occupy the property as of Jan. 1, 2001;
Purchase Mississippi license plates for all vehicles owned; and
Comply with Mississippi income tax requirements.
To apply for homestead exemption visit the tax assessor's office at the Lauderdale County Courthouse. For information, call 482-9779.
NOTE: If there have been no changes made, and you do not qualify for any additional exemptions, there is no need to reapply.
Poetry contest deadline April 30
The International Library of Poetry has announced that $58,000 in prizes will be awarded this year in the International Open Poetry Contest. Poets from the Meridian area are welcome to enter. The entry is free and the deadline is April 30. To enter, send one original poem, any subject and any style, to: The International Library of Poetry, Suite 19910, 1 Poetry Plaza, Owings Mills, MD 21117. The poem should be 20 lines or less and the poet's name and address should appear on the top of the page. Entries may also be entered online at www.poetry.com.
Einbinder appearance canceled
Dr. Susan Einbinder, associate professor of Hebrew literature at the Cincinnati campus of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, will not visit Temple Beth Israel Friday as published in Saturday's Religion Page briefs. According to Ann Stewart of Temple Beth Israel, the conference was canceled.
Church of the Mediator hosts conference
The Rev. Marcus Losack, an Anglican priest from Ireland, will lead a three-day conference at Episcopal Church of the Mediator.
The session, called "Celtic Spirituality," is scheduled for March 23-25 at the church. Losack is executive director of a retreat and spirituality center focusing on study programs and pilgrimages in Celtic spirituality located in the Wicklow Mountains near Dublin. He and Michael Rodgers co-authored "A Celtic Pilgrimage."
The conference will begin at 7 p.m. Friday and will continue on Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Losack will conduct a discussion group on Sunday at 9:15 a.m. and will preach at the 10:30 a.m. service.
The conference fee is $45 and includes a continental breakfast and catfish luncheon on Saturday. The session is open to all denominations.
To register for the Celtic Spirituality Conference, send your name and address and a check payable to Church of the Mediator to: Church of the Mediator, P.O. Box 3400, Meridian, MS 39303.