Sun Herald from Biloxi, Mississippi • A9

9AWEDNESDAY, JUNE 13, 2012www.sunherald.com Farmers get relief to fight cotton plant bug JACKSON The Envi- ronmental Protection Agency has approved an emergency exemp- tion that will help farm- ers in the Mississippi Delta control tarnished plant bugs in cotton. Agriculture Commis- sioner Cindy Hyde-Smith said the action will al- low cotton farmers to use Transform WG in Adams, Bolivar, Carroll, Claiborne, Coahoma, DeSoto, Holm- es, Humphreys, Issaquena, Jefferson, Leflore, Pano- la, Quitman, Sharkey, Sun- flower, Tallahatchie, Tate, Tunica, Warren, Washing- ton and Yazoo counties. Hyde-Smith said the tar- nished plant bug is one of the most damaging cot- ton pests. She said it has caused an estimated $81 million in combined in- put costs and yield loss- es in the Mississippi Del- ta in 2011. The state can ask the EPA for an exemption for a non-labeled use of a pes- ticide if significant crop losses are likely or labeled products are not available or effective.

Associated Press Vicksburg depot will open as museum VICKSBURG Vicks- long-awaited trans- portation museum will open Friday in the former depot of the Yazoo Mis- sissippi Valley Railroad. Lamar Roberts, the mu- seum director, said Fri- is in advance of the scheduled grand opening July 15. Roberts said admission fees will be reduced dur- ing the first month be- cause some of the muse- exhibits and items are still being set up. The museum will fea- ture models of 250 ships and boats, 175 cars dat- ing to the early 1900s and six airplanes, plus mod- el trains and original oil paintings of Civil War ships and river battles. Many of the items dis- played are on loan from personal collec- tion.

The Yazoo Mississip- pi Valley Railroad Depot was built in 1907 and reno- vated in 1977 and 2010-11. The Vicksburg Post Taxes going up in Jackson to support schools JACKSON Jackson resi- dents will soon pay more in taxes supporting the school district. When 81 percent of vot- ers in 2006 approved a $150 million bond issue to build more schools and improve others, that meant they were willing to have property taxes raised to pay that debt. But city leaders raise taxes according- ly, and the school district push it. Although the district done an analysis, Sherilyn Miller, the dis- chief financial offi- cer, said it likely will be be- tween 3 and 3.5 mills.

One mill is equal to $1 of tax on every $1,000 of a proper- assessed value. The Clarion-Ledger Pair pleads guilty to yard-sale scam ABERDEEN Two men have pleaded guilty to passing fake $100 bills at a yard sale in Tupelo last year. Terry Brown of Hunt- ingdon, and Antho- ny Jones of Birmingham, entered the pleas Monday in federal court in Aberdeen to passing coun- terfeit notes. Each faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. No sentenc- ing date has been set.

Brown and Jones were arrested in August on ac- cusations they purchased merchandise at sever- al yard sales and paid for it with fake U.S. curren- cy. They were indicted on four counts each later in August and were sched- uled to go on trial Monday. Associated Press MISSISSIPPI BRIEFS By KAREN NELSON OCEAN SPRINGS The Ocean Springs School Board has selected Bonita Coleman- Potter as its new superinten- dent. The board made the an- nouncement Tuesday night.

Coleman- Potter comes to Ocean Springs from Prince County Public Schools in Maryland, where she was deputy superintendent. originally from Mississippi, where she received her edu- cation, including a doctorate from Jackson State University. She also worked eight years with the Mississippi Depart- ment of Education. School Board President Sharon Walker confirmed the selection Tuesday night and said, are very excit- ed to have Coleman-Potter is set to begin work here July 1, re- placing Robert Hirsch, who will retire this month. Hirsch recently cut the ribbon on a new $50 million Ocean Springs High School.

The school district where Coleman-Potter now serves has a $1.6 billion budget, 123,000 students and 200 schools, Walker said. Ocean Springs names new schools superintendent Coleman-Potter.