Lot’s good happening in Copiah County

BY JOE BUCK COATES, publisher
If you’ve kept up with what’s going on in our beloved county lately, about all you can do is smile at all the good news about and from the area.
Crystal Springs and Copiah Academy’s own Hunter Renfroe earned the Ferriss Trophy, which represents the award for being the top college baseball player in the state.  Renfroe was presented the award on Monday at the C Spire Ferriss Trophy banquet at the Mississippi Hall of Fame.  Without a doubt, Renfroe will one day take his place in that prestigious institution.  
Speaking of Copiah Academy, the just-graduated Class of 2013 went down as the most honored class in the history of the school, which dates back to humble beginnings in 1967.
At right, Wesson mayor Alton Shaw was named to the prestigious Top 40 Under 40 in Mississippi, which is sponsored by Mississippi Business Journal.
The economy seems to be picking up in the area.  A local builder says that he has a few houses and some commercial projects going on. As I make my advertising sales calls, the moms-and-pops are experiencing a slight uptick.  Here at the paper, we are fielding more phone calls each week from business owners who are wanting to place ads in the paper.  And, our weekly subscriber list is growing.
We officially found out this week that a new Piggly Wiggly will be opening soon in Hazlehurst.  The owner is from the Port Gibson area, and his family has been in the grocery business for around 60 years.
Current grocers in Copiah County, Hart’s in Hazlehurst and Kib’s Supermarket and Ramey’s Marketplace in Crystal Springs, are experiencing growth in their customer bases and in sales volume.
Copiah-Lincoln Community College announced the awarding of four Pitts Scholarships, which involve very stringent criteria for which high school students must qualify–one of whom is Brandon Nettles of Wesson.
And, among other good news, the Copiah County Courier-sponsored coach-pitch Buddy Ball team in Wesson has captured the Wesson Athletic Foundation championship for that division.