SALTILLO – The Saltillo Police Department doesn’t currently have a designated investigator, but when the city’s new Board of Aldermen meets for the first time in July, it should already have a list of candidates. The current board voted unanimously to begin advertising the vacant investigator position in the department so there will be a list of applicants when the new board takes office. The position was vacated in July 2011 when then-Investigator Mark Haygood retired. Since Haygood’s retirement, Alderman Scott Knight said he, along with Alderwoman Jewell Webb and Police Chief Steve Brooks, went through the application and interview process to replace Haygood. “The hiring committee was thinking one way and the chief another so he suggested we hold off on the process and everything would be fine,” Knight said. “He said we had been rocking along fine without one so we agreed to leave it alone.” In April the board denied a request by the police department to send Mark Roberts to investigator classes at the North Mississippi Law Enforcement Academy. Board members agreed they weren’t going to pay to train an investigator since they had not been through the official hiring process for an investigator and other officers already had qualified. Assistant Chief Prentiss Brown said Roberts had been appointed as the department’s investigator by Brooks. Roberts told the board he was advised by his attorney not to act as the department’s investigator without going through the proper courses and certification process. Since the current board will change in July, it voted to begin accepting applications to start the hiring process for the next board. The applications will remain sealed and when the new board members take office they, along with the police chief, can begin the interviews. The police department currently has one case that must be presented to the grand jury before the hiring process can be completed and Brooks and Brown will act as investigators in the interim. jb.clark@journalinc.com

TUPELO – Around Memorial Day and Labor Day every year, two of Tupelo’s largest and oldest automobile dealerships partner for “Autofest” at the Tupelo Furniture Market. The two dealerships – Tupelo Auto Sales and Dossett Big 4 – empty their lots and take hundreds of new and pre-owned cars, trucks and SUVs to the market’s vast parking lot for potential customers to look at, test drive and, hopefully, buy. “This is geared for the public – everything’s outside, they can test-drive anything they want, they’re not stuck in an office or showroom. It’s a totally different atmosphere and a lot more relaxed,” said Rudy Dossett Jr. The biannual event has been going on for about 30 years, and the dealers are wrapping up this year’s first Autofest this weekend. “We’re hoping and expecting a good weekend,” said Hoyt Sheffield, the owner of Tupelo Auto Sales – a Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep dealership. U.S. auto sales are back on track as the economy recovers. Reuters said May sales are expected to rise about 8 percent and the annual sales pace should be about 15 million. J.D. Power said truck sales account for more than 11 percent of overall industry sales this month. Sheffield said sales overall are stronger, but it’s been a “strange” month. “I’ve been in this car business for 57 years, and I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said. “We started out strong, but it tapered off – I think the weather had a lot to do with it. But it’s picked back up, and it looks like it will be a very good weekend.” Around midday on Friday, Sheffield passed on a set of keys to a customer who was the proud owner of a new Ram truck. “Trucks and Jeep Wranglers – they’ve been the top sellers for us so far,” Sheffield said. Adjacent to Tupelo Auto Sales is Dossett Big 4, which sells Buick, Cadillac, GMC and Honda. Dossett said pre-owned cars continue to sell well, and new vehicle sales have been boosted by incentives. “The floodgates have opened up,” he said, citing a rebate value as much as much as $9,250. Zero-percent financing also is available to qualified buyers. “Pretty much if you want something, they’re giving you plenty of options,” Dossett said of the automakers. Autofest is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. today and 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Monday’s final day of the Autofest will start a 9 a.m. and will be open “until,” Dossett said.