Construction updates and political news is featured in this installment of yesterday’s papers from 2001, 2007, 1998, 1990 and 1972.

Nov. 11, 2001

Tollison switches to GOP

State Sen. Gray Tollison is removing the D from after his name and switching to an R.

He revealed his switch from Democrat to Republican shortly after winning election to represent District 9, which includes all of Lafayette and part of Tallahatchie and Yalobusha counties. The district is one that has elected a long line of Democrats to the position.

Nov. 12, 2007

Demolition almost done at courthouse

Six months into a massive renovation project at the historic Lafayette County Courthouse, the contractor estimated Friday the demolition stage is about 96 percent complete.

Officials also were briefed on some unexpected expenses, including the demolition of old footings found under the building.

“We dug under there and there was another building under it,” Bill Burnett said.

Estimates on that fix were not available.

Nov. 11, 1998

Oxford’s new middle school to be ‘unique’

Parents and teachers received an update Tuesday on Oxford’s new $5.1 million middle school and were told it would be one of the finest, and most unique, in the state.

The middle school will be one of few in the state to be constructed as a self-contained seventh and eighth grade school and will be adjacent to the existing school. When finished, the current school will be an intermediate school for fifth- and sixth-graders.

Last October, voters OK’d $8 million in bonds for the construction of the new school and improvements at others.

Nov. 9, 1990

LHS to get R.O.T.C. program

Lafayette High School students interested in a future in the military will have an opportunity to get an early start next year.

Lafayette School District Superintendent Jimmy Nelson told the school board Thursday that the Air Force had awarded the school a junior R.O.T.C. program that can begin in the 1992-92 academic year.

Oct. 30, 1972

Search for black gold continues at Tula

A drill bites hard earth in a 4,000-foot journey this week in Tula.

By Friday, drillers for Black and Black Oil Company of Illinois had made it the distance into hard rock in Lafayette County in search of oil/natural gas.

A drill bit is digging 24 hours a day and samples are taken when the company hits the mark.

After several days in one spot, Black and Black will take the drilling rig to another farm in the Tula vicinity to drill another hole.