News

Miss. inmate challenges death sentence

Mississippi death row inmate Ricky Chase continues to argue he is mentally incapacitated and shouldn’t be put to death for a 1990 killing.

A Copiah County judge ruled against him in 2010, but the case is headed back to the state Supreme Court.

Chase’s appeal is one of two death penalty cases scheduled for oral arguments during the court’s November-December term.
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News

Trial date set in Greenwood murder-for-hire case

A Greenwood doctor and one other man are set to stand trial April 22 in a murder-for-hire plot that prosecutors say unsuccessfully targeted a local attorney.

The Greenwood Commonwealth reports that the trial date was set this month in Leflore County during a preliminary hearing for Dr. Arnold Smith and Cordarious Robinson.
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Business

Another inmate charged in deadly Mississippi prison riot

Another inmate has been charged with participating in a deadly prison riot in Mississippi.

One guard was killed and 20 people were injured in the May 20 riot at the privately-run Adams County Correctional Facility in Natchez, which holds illegal immigrants convicted of crimes in the U.S.

Pedro Gonzalez De Los Reyes has been charged and a complaint filed by an FBI agent says he assaulted a guard.
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News

K-9 “Deputy Liberty” introduced by Liberty Bank and Hinds County Sheriff

The Mississippi Link Newswire
Liberty Bank and the Hinds County Sheriff’s Department are co-sponsoring a swearing in ceremony for the “newest deputy” Thursday, Nov. 29, at 11:30 a.m., adding another crime-fighting component to Hinds County.

The newest addition to aid the deputies is a K-9 named “Deputy Liberty.” As a Hinds County employee, Deputy Liberty has the same benefits of all full time employees. His addition was made possible by generous support from Liberty Bank…. […]

News

It’s the season to “Make-A-Difference”

The Mississippi Link Newswire

On Saturday, Dec. 1, Miss Jackson State University 2012-2013, Sarah Brown, is requesting volunteers for her upcoming initiative, Tiger Make-A-Difference Day. Brown arranged for volunteers to participate in one of three community service projects that will happen simultaneously.

“This event will present an opportunity for alumni, students and community members to show unity by serving at different community service projects in the area,” Brown said. “It also really illustrates JSU President Carolyn Meyers’ theme of One Jackson State University.”…. […]

News

Tougaloo College to hold memorial service for Mississippi Civil Rights veteran Lawrence Guyot

The Mississippi Link Newswire

A memorial service will be held for Mississippi civil rights veteran Lawrence Guyot Monday, Dec. 10, in the historic Woodworth Chapel on the campus of Tougaloo College. Guyot was a Tougaloo graduate, who died Nov. 23, 2012 in Mount Ranier, Md.

Guyot was a leader in the Mississippi movement and worked alongside luminaries like Medgar Evers and Fannie Lou Hamer. He was beaten and jailed for his beliefs and activism but still worked tirelessly and at great personal risk for voter registration of those denied these rights…. […]

Health

December 1 World AIDS Day focusing on disease’s effect on global landscape

By Ayesha K. Mustafaa
Interim Managing Editor

The biggest day of the year dedicated to the awareness of the effect of HIV/AIDS on the global landscape is Saturday, Dec. 1.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “About 500,000 people get HIV each year and young people between the ages of 13 and 24 represent a quarter of these new HIV infections or 26 percent.” […]

News

Sardis woman going to prison for forgery

A Panola County Circuit Jury took less than 15 minutes to convict a Sardis woman of forging a court document, Attorney General Jim Hood said.

Samantha Johnson, 40, a former Secretary for a Batesville law office used her position to compose a fictitious Chancery Court divorce document by forging signatures, including a Deputy Clerk’s and presenting the document to an unsuspecting client as if the document had been approved and filed, when in fact it had not.
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News

Board votes not to install cameras on Lamar buses

The Lamar County School Board has voted 3-2 not to hire a Phoenix firm to install cameras on school buses to catch drivers who are passing the stopped buses.

Board member Mike Pruitt, who voted no, told The Hattiesburg American he wasn’t against installing the cameras, but objected to the way the firm intended to make its money.
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Local Sports

Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame picks 2013 class

The Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame announced its class of 2013, which includes Bill Buckner, Jimmie Giles, Gerald Glass, Earnest Larry “Doc” Harrington, Langston Rogers and Michael Rubenstein.

Buckner was a quarterback at Delta State while Giles played tight end for Alcorn State before a 13-year NFL career that included four Pro Bowl appearances. […]