The Associated Press
Here are some news and notes from around the state this morning:
- In Lexington, the Holmes County sheriff wants to ban pit bulls days after a family’s dogs killed a 3-year-old boy.
Christopher Malone’s mother found his body late Monday afternoon behind the family’s Holmes County home.
Two dogs were taken by animal control officers. The dogs are being housed at a local veterinarian’s office. Sheriff Willie March is seeking an order from a judge to have the dogs euthanized.
March tells WAPT TV there could be criminal charges in connection with the case.
Pit bulls have been banned in the town of Lexington, but no ban is in effect in the county where the attack took place. Because of that, March said he will propose to county leaders Monday that they ban pit bulls.
- In Picayune, the remainder of a $3.2 million loan approved for the city of Picayune after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 has been forgiven by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
After the storm, many businesses and services in Picayune shut down, causing the city to lose millions in tax dollars and spend millions in operating expenses. The FEMA loan was to replace some of those lost dollars.
The Picayune Item reports half of the loan was forgiven in 2010. The city was informed March 25 by FEMA that the remaining $1.6 million also was forgiven.
“This would have been quite a burden on the taxpayers to pay this back each year, said Mayor Ed Pinero. “We would have eaten into our cash reserve, now we won’t have to.”
- In Corinth, aldermen have disposed of the city’s gun carry ordinance.
The ordinance that was on the books for more than 20 years made it illegal to carry a gun in a public place.
An attorney general’s opinion was sought on the issue.
Corinth Police Department Chief of Detectives Ralph Dance tells WTVA TV it was determined that the city needed to follow Mississippi’s Open Carry Law that was passed last year.
Police say it will still be illegal to carry a gun in a police or sheriff’s department and when court is in session.
Guns will not be permitted where a “no guns allowed” sign is posted.
- In Hernando, aldermen have decided the city will retain ownership of problem-plagued Memorial Park cemetery while pursuing improved upkeep and oversight.
At Tuesday’s meeting, The Commercial Appeal reports aldermen were urged not to seek sale of Memorial Park, deeded to the city in the 1950s, but to improve operations.
Mayor Chip Johnson says that while the city will consider outsourcing cemetery management and grounds work.
On Alderman Andrew Miller’s motion, the board voted to accept the report of its cemetery committee. The panel spent weeks reviewing area cemetery operations following reports of irregularities at city-run Memorial Park, including claims of blight, misplaced bodies and exposed caskets.
