News

Vicksburg woman sentenced in Girl Scout cookie caper

A woman charged with going door-to-door selling Girl Scout cookies with a fake order form has been ordered to live at a restitution center and complete a drug and alcohol counseling program.

Warren County authorities said 37-year-old Paula Kelly kept about $1,000 after taking fake orders from unsuspecting customers in February and March who thought they were buying cookies.

Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace said Kelly has no affiliation whatsoever with the Girl Scouts of America. […]

News

Lawyer wants delay in ex-Vicksburg mayor’s trial

A lawyer for former Vicksburg Mayor Paul Winfield has asked a federal judge to postpone his trial because negotiations are ongoing with prosecutors to resolve the case.

Winfield is charged in U.S. District Court in Jackson with seeking $10,000 in cash in exchange for a city contract. He has pleaded not guilty.

Attorney Terris Harris mentioned the negotiations in a motion to continue the Aug. 5 trial. […]

News

Teen charged with killing stepmother to stay in jail

A now 17-year-old Vicksburg teen has been denied bond in the shooting death of her stepmother three years ago.

Circuit Judge Isadore Patrick said Friday that Tyla Denise Vega would remain behind bars even after attorney Marshal Sanders said the court ordered mental evaluation on the teen had been completed.

Vega has remained in custody at the Warren County jail since December 2011 when her $75,000 bail was revoked by her bonding agent. […]

News

Most Miss. cities hold mayoral primaries Tuesday

Most Mississippi cities are electing mayors this year, and party primaries Tuesday will narrow the fields of candidates.

Some of the toughest primaries will be in Jackson, Vicksburg and Madison, where incumbents are seeking re-election, and in Clarksdale, where the seat is open because the current mayor chose not to run.

Primary runoffs are May 21 and the general election is June 4. New four-year terms begin July 1. […]

Top Stories

State auditor recovers $19k for Vicksburg

State Auditor Stacey Pickering presented a check for $19,416.10 to officials with the City of Vicksburg.  This recovery follows an investigation into embezzlement of public funds by former Assistant City Clerk, Katrina McCloud.  The amount recovered includes $18,842.53 in total funds embezzled and $573.57 in interest expense.
 
“In light of the recent headlines in Warren County, I am pleased that the Office of the State Auditor can provide some positive news to the City of Vicksburg,” said State Auditor Stacey Pickering.  “The money returned…should restore funds that the City can use for the betterment of its future.”  […]

Top Stories

Vicksburg mayor facing federal bribery charge

Vicksburg Mayor Paul Winfield was granted bond Thursday after being arraigned on a federal bribery charge that says he was caught in an FBI investigation while seeking a $10,000 bribe for a city contract.

The 39-year-old Democrat wore an orange jail jumpsuit and shackles during his arraignment in U.S. District Court in Jackson. Magistrate Judge Keith Ball ordered Winfield to be released on a $10,000 unsecured bond.

Winfield answered the judge’s questions in a strong, clear voice during the brief hearing but did not address the allegations against him. He did not enter a plea. […]

News

Barge carrying oil crashes on Mississippi River

A barge carrying 80,000 gallons of oil hit a railroad bridge in Vicksburg, on Sunday, spilling light crude into the Mississippi River and closing the waterway for eight miles in each direction, the Coast Guard said. A second barge was damaged.

Investigators did not know how much had spilled, but an oily sheen was reported as far as three miles downriver of Vicksburg after the 1:12 a.m. incident, said Lt. Ryan Gomez of the Coast Guard’s office in Memphis, Tenn. […]

Education

Vicksburg named top place to travel in 2013

Vicksburg has been named by AAA Southern Traveler and AAA Midwest Traveler as one of the top 13 places to visit in 2013. Other destinations named include Christchurch, New Zealand, the Dominican Republic, Ireland, Mexico, Orlando, Panama, San Francisco, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Las Vegas.

This year brings lots of excitement to Vicksburg with Civil War sesquicentennial commemoration events. Events start in April with Tapestry: The Pilgrimage to Vicksburg and the Vicksburg Heritage Fair and continue until July 4, the anniversary of the Siege of Vicksburg’s surrender, the Delta Business Journal reported.
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Health

MBN: Diet pills from China leads arrest in Vicksburg

Authorities say the arrest of a Texas man in Mississippi is related to a shipment of more than 100,000 diet pills from China.

Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics Director Marshall Fisher said in a news release the pills contain a substance banned in the United States. Fisher says the substance has been linked to heart attacks and strokes.
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