November 2012 – Page 2 – The Mississippi Link

Mississippi Blues Trail honored by Southeast Tourism Society

November 28, 2012 Kermit 0

The Mississippi Blues Trail was recently presented an award by the Southeast Tourism Society at the society’s Annual Fall Conference in Virginia Beach, Va.

The Mississippi Blues Trail received a “Tourism for Tomorrow” award, which recognizes the accomplishments of a destination, company or organization in the realm of sustainable tourism with a project that promotes tourism development while safeguarding local culture and/or protecting the environment.
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South-central zone hunt killed 87 gators

November 28, 2012 Kermit 0

When state wildlife officials decided to expand alligator hunting this year – not once but twice – local officers got a tiny bit worried.

At first, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks (MDWFP) said the hunt could take place on public waterways across two-thirds of the state, including all of southwest Mississippi.
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Sentencing set for man convicted of FEMA fraud

November 28, 2012 Kermit 0

A Dec. 5 sentencing date has been set for an Okolona man who pleaded guilty to FEMA fraud. Ronnie G. Beard pleaded guilty in the case in July in U.S. District Court in Aberdeen.

Beard was indicted in December 2011 on two counts that he lied and embezzled money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
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Tylertown man sentenced on federal drug charges

November 27, 2012 Kermit 0

Tony Ervin, also known as ‘Ti“, 36, of Tylertown, has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Keith Starrett to serve 74 months in federal prison followed by four years of supervised release for possession with intent to distribute cocaine base (“crack”).

Ervin was also ordered to pay $11,700 in restitution, and a $2,000 fine. He agreed to forfeit real property, a Cadillac Escalade, two firearms, and multiple rounds of ammunition.
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Jackson man loses appeal in double homicide

November 27, 2012 Kermit 0

The state Court of Appeals has upheld the conviction of Jamal Johnson for the killing two men in a south Jackson apartment in 2009.

Jamal Johnson was convicted of two counts of capital murder in the deaths of Quintyn Wilson and Fred Smith. Johnson was sentenced to two life sentences in 2011 in Hinds County.
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Ole Miss police says FBI looking into in vandalism

November 26, 2012 Kermit 0

Police at the University of Mississippi say they have turned over to the FBI information regarding vandalism apparently aimed at an African-American freshman.

“We are presenting everything we have about this case to them,” University Police Chief Calvin Sellers said in The Oxford Eagle “They will investigate to see if this is a hate crime or civil rights violations.”
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Appeal to be heard in case of teen who killed father

November 26, 2012 Kermit 0

The Mississippi Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments tomorrow, Nov. 27, in an appeal from a Biloxi man convicted of killing his father.

Dante Evans was 16 when he was convicted in Harrison County of murder in the April 13, 2007, shooting death of his father, 40-year-old Darold Lee Evans. Dante Evans was sentenced to life in prison in 2009.
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Mississippi author Ellen Douglas dies at 91

November 26, 2012 Kermit 0

Ellen Douglas, a Mississippi native whose novel “Apostles of Light” was a 1973 National Book Award nominee, died Wednesday, Nov. 7 in Jackson. She was 91.

Douglas, who cited fellow Mississippi native William Faulkner as a literary influence, was the pen name of Josephine Ayres Haxton; she said she took a pseudonym to guard the privacy of her family. Douglas’ Mississippi-set work dealt candidly with race relations, families and the role of women. […]

Ingalls to add 5,000 jobs over the next 2 years

November 26, 2012 Kermit 0

Ingalls Shipbuilding President Irwin F. Edenzon said the company will hire more than 5,000 workers over the next two years.

Edenzon made the announcement at a recent career fair that drew more than 1,200 students from six counties. He said Ingalls will be hiring 1,200 people through the end of the year and another 4,000 next year. Most of those are craftsman positions.
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Mississippi Blues Trail honors Otis Spann and Little Johnnie Jones

November 21, 2012 Kermit 0

Otis Spann and Little Johnnie Jones were the latest musicians honored with a marker on Mississippi Blues Trail. The marker unveiling was at 547 South Roach Street in Jackson.

Otis Spann and Little Johnnie Jones, two of the acknowledged masters of Chicago blues piano, were cousins who lived in Jackson in the 1930s and ’40s. On the vibrant post-World War II Chicago scene they both played with blues king Muddy Waters and other luminaries and were hailed for their stellar work both as accompanists and as featured recording artists. Spann and his family lived on this block of Roach Street.
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