PONTOTOC - The Tanglefoot Trail Rails-To-Trails project is anticipated to be open to the public late this summer. Until construction is complete and the trail inspected and formally opened, the trail remains posted against all public use or access. The full 44-mile trail will remain under the jurisdiction of the contractor, Glasgow Construction until that time. As with any developing project, the still-under-construction trail contains many hazards that could injure persons or damage property. For public safety, the GM&O Rails-to-Trails Recreational District asks all residents and potential users not to use the Tanglefoot Trail for any purpose until it is officially opened.

STARKVILLE — Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant and Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker lead a list of speakers for the American Legion's Boys State on the campus of Mississippi State University this month. Bryant and Wicker are scheduled to speak on May 29, the fourth day of the annual event that teaches rising seniors about state and local government and the electoral process. Boys State will meet May 26-June 1 on the Starkville campus. Other speakers during the week are Starkville Mayor Parker Wiseman; U.S. Rep. Gregg Harper, R-Miss.; State Rep. George Flaggs, D-Vicksburg; Agriculture Commissioner Cindy Hyde-Smith; State Treasurer Lynn Fitch; U.S. Rep. Alan Nunnelee, R-Miss.; Attorney General Jim Hood; Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann; State Rep. Toby Barker, R-Hattiesburg; and Lt. John Poulos of the Mississippi Highway Patrol.

Voter ID has become a contentious issue throughout the nation. Most Republicans see it as a necessary means of combating voter fraud. Most Democrats say it unfairly targets minorities and other Democratic-leaning constituencies and is designed to discourage them from voting. It was debated for nearly 20 years and never got through the legislative process in Mississippi, a state with a history of race-based voter discrimination that makes the topic especially volatile. But in 2011 Mississippi voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot initiative that made producing a government-issued photo ID at the polls the constitutional law of the state – pending U.S. Justice Department approval. Nineteen months later, that decision is still pending. Whatever one’s perspective on voter ID, this delay – now nearly two full election cycles – is unreasonable. As the front page story in today’s paper notes, Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann submitted the required guidelines of how the state planned to administer the law in January 2012. The state should have had an answer, one way or the other, by now. On March 21 of this year, the Justice Department made a sweeping request for all correspondence related to voter ID between and among legislators, elected officials, state employees and the public. State officials understandably wanted a clearer delineation of the time frame, and presumably breadth, of what was desired. The secretary of state’s and attorney general’s offices say they’re working on collecting the information the Justice Department wants, and when they get it, the DOJ will have 60 days to respond. Of course a response doesn’t necessarily mean a definitive decision. The Justice Department’s role is required by the Voting Rights Act. It’s supposed to determine if there is any discriminatory intent or effect in any election-related laws passed by Mississippi and other states with histories of discrimination that come under the federal law’s “pre-clearance” provision. All indications are that Mississippi officials have done what they are supposed to do and are due a more expeditious response. If the law is deemed in violation of the Voting Rights Act, the state and the citizens who approved it need to know that so that a decision can be made on any appeal. If it’s cleared, the state needs to get on with implementation. The reasonable period for a decision one way or the other has long since elapsed.