Allen, Snyder join IP Vicksburg

Casey Allen and Mark Snyder have joined International Paper as reliability engineers at the Vicksburg mill.

Allen has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Southern University in Baton Rouge.

Snyder has a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Tennessee.

International Paper operates a mill on Mississippi 3. It also has manufacturing operations in Europe, Asia and Africa. It distributes printing, packaging, graphic arts, maintenance and industrial products through more than 273 distribution branches located primarily in the United States.

PERS tells plans for election

The Public Employees’ Retirement System of Mississippi board of trustees has scheduled an election for a municipal employee representative. It is for a six-year term, which will begin Jan. 1, 2009.

Any employee of a PERS-covered municipal employer who has been a PERS member for at least 10 years may qualify for the election by filing petitions signed by at least 25 municipal employees who are also PERS members. Petitions will be mailed to municipalities July 14. Anyone who would like to qualify should contact his or her human resources or personnel office after that date to obtain a petition.

The deadline for receipt of petitions is 5 p.m. Aug. 13. Petitions received after the deadline will not be considered, even if they are postmarked prior to the deadline.

Ballots, biographical information and candidate statements will be mailed to PERS municipal employees by Sept. 15.

Members may vote by mailing completed ballots to PERS (no postage required), by telephone or via the Internet.

The voting deadline is 5 p.m. Oct. 15. Instructions for voting will come with the ballot.

If no candidate receives a majority, there will be a runoff between the two with the most votes.

The PERS Board administers the Retirement System for employees of the state, municipalities, counties, public schools, community colleges, institutions of higher learning and other public entities.

Pecan growers scheduled for meeting in Vicksburg

The 2008 Tri-State Pecan Trade Show and Convention will be July 24-25 at Vicksburg Convention Center.

Topics will include pecan irrigation, scab control and how to grow clover and other legumes under pecan trees.

Also, a session called Pecan Money, Labor, Equipment, Harvest & Sales – It’s Not What We Know, But What We Can Do will be offered.

This meeting will be sponsored by the Mississippi Pecan Growers Association, Pecan Producers of Louisiana and Arkansas Pecan Growers Association.

It is open to association members and nonmembers.

For information, call David Ingram, Mississippi State University’s Extension Service plant pathologist, at 601-857-2284.