Biz Buzz

These were taken from the exit ramp of Highway 78 East at Blue Springs. The first one is a picture of as much of the building as I could fit in one shot without getting run over by traffic. The rest are incremental shots from south to north (left to right/parallel to the highway). Click on any picture for a bigger version.

I like the little awnings. Very cute. The stucco-like finish is nice as well. Click on the picture for a bigger version.

Hate to be the bearer of bad news:

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Crude-oil futures closed at an all-time high near $126 a barrel Friday, with strong demand for diesel fuel and concerns about global crude supplies prompting a weekly gain of over 8%.

“There is this overwhelming reluctance to admit that we’re simply in a new paradigm for prices and short of a wholesale collapse of the global economy, prices just aren’t going to pull back to a $75 level for oil,” said Neal Ryan, a manager at Ryan Oil & Gas Partners. Read the full story.

And as promised, we looked into how the local trucking industry is being affected by high diesel prices. Check out Sunday’s Business & Money section for the complete story.

If you have direct deposit, your tax return was processed by April 15 and the last two digits of your Social Security number are between 21 – 75, your stimulus payment should be deposited no later than today.

For those of you with a SSN ending in 00 – 20, you should have had yours last Friday if you met the qualifications listed above.

Next week marks the last round (SSN 76-99) of payments for direct deposit and the start of mailed-out checks (SSN 00-09).

Check the status of your stimulus payment by calling 1-866-234-2924 or use the IRS’ online status updater.

Still have questions? Read our previous coverage.

From MDOT:

JACKSON, MISS., Friday, May 9, 2008- The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) would like to announce a railroad blitz scheduled to take place on Wednesday, May 14, from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. in Tupelo.

Hundreds of motorists in Lee County will receive safety brochures as part of the event. The Tupelo blitz will take place on Elizabeth, Spring and Green Streets near the railroad tracks.

The Railroad Blitzes are a partnership between MDOT Rails Enforcement Officers and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, in conjunction with Mississippi Operation Lifesaver, Inc. (MSOL).

Continue reading ‘Railroad safety blitz planned’

Southern Ice Cafe (picture of storefront), a restaurant and gelato shop in the shopping center anchored by Bed, Bath & Beyond, is now open.

The restaurant soft opened Wednesday, only to be shut down by the tornado yesterday. The restaurant made it through without any major damage and is back open for business today. A grand opening date hasn’t been set yet.

The owners and employees are still working out the kinks, so be patient with them. Co-owner Bob Schwartz said so far the gelato and the soups have been the big sellers.

Hours are Monday-Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

Read our original story about the restaurant coming to town.

Of the 17 communities we survey in Northeast Mississippi, New Albany has the cheapest gas ($3.45 at Pilot).

Fulton has the second-best deal, with regular at $3.47. Then, there are a bunch of communities that have regular for $3.49 (Corinth, Pontotoc, Ripley and Sherman).

It’s $3.49 for members at Sam’s Club and $3.53 (without discounts) at Kroger in Tupelo.

Most expensive gas: West Point ($3.63)

For more gas prices, read Sunday’s Business & Money section.

Had a call from a reader about whether the flea market was still happening this weekend in light of the damage at the Tupelo Furniture Market. TFM said everything is scheduled as planned. Get your sugar gliders while the getting’s good.

Here’s what the new mall sign looks like after today’s storm (photo by DJ’s Bobby Pepper):

Here’s the picture we published from Friday’s drive-by of it:

For more pictures of the storm damage in Tupelo, go to the Journal’s 9-to-5 blog.

The Mall at Barnes Crossing won’t open until 2 p.m. because of storm damage in the area. And, contrary to other media reports, no structural damage as been reported at the mall.

Mall employees should show up for work at 2 p.m., according to Mall at Barnes Crossing General Manager Jeff Snyder.

For complete storm coverage, go to the Journal’s 9-to-5 blog.