News

Itta Bena mayor won’t run again

Itta Bena Mayor Walter Parker says he won’t run for another term.

Parker tells the Greenwood Commonwealth that it is time to do something else. The 49-year-old Parker was elected mayor in 2009. Parker works at Mississippi Valley State University.

The filing deadline for city elections is March 8. Party primaries will be held on May 7, and the general election is June 4. […]

Business

Ashley Furniture to add 60 jobs at Verona plant

Ashley Furniture Industries will hire 60 people at a new plant in Verona.

Gov. Phil Bryant made the announcement Tuesday during his State of the State speech, with Ashley CEO Todd Wanek attending.

Based in Arcadia, Wis., Ashley employs more than 3,000 people in the northeast Mississippi towns of Ecru and Ripley. […]

News

Men arrested for selling copper from Delta farms

Two local men have been charged with stealing copper from irrigation systems on farms in the Delta and trying to sell it in another state.

Felicia C. Adams, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Mississippi, and Daniel McMullen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Jackson Division, said that: Curtis Tigues, 29, of Inverness and Ernest Calvin, 31, of Belzoni were arrested on charges of conspiracy to commit interstate theft. Each man is charged in a one count indictment alleging conspiracy to possess, sell, and dispose of copper metal stolen from irrigation systems on farms in the Mississippi Delta and then sold in Arkansas.

Both appeared in U.S. District Court on the charges and were released on bond pending trial. […]

News

Man charged with killing pregnant girlfriend

A 50-year-old Jackson man has been charged with two counts of murder after he allegedly strangled his pregnant girlfriend killing her and her unborn child.

Ben Hawkins was arrested on Jan. 17 after police said he reportedly killed 31-year-old Darlene Day.

Jackson Police Officer Colendula Green said officers responded to a residence in the 2000 block of Teresa Drive on Jan. 11 in reference to an “unresponsive individual.” When officers arrived, they discovered Day in the home. She was pronounced dead at the scene. […]

News

Marking King day with service in Miss.

Volunteers marked the national holiday for slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. with service projects in Mississippi’s state capital, engaging in community cleanup work and donating items to a soup kitchen. Others marched in parades around the state.

Students from the Jackson Appreciation Club and Belhaven College said the day of service follows Dr. King’s teachings.
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Entertainment

Mississippi Film Office celebrates 40th anniversary

On Jan. 17, the Mississippi Film Office celebrated its 40th anniversary with a special birthday cake celebration in the rotunda of the Mississippi State Capitol. Governor Phil Bryant also signed a proclamation declaring Jan. 17 as “Mississippi Film Day.” 

The state boasts one of the five oldest film commissions in the world. […]

News

Searchers fail to find manatee at Kiln

Would-be rescuers have been unable to find a manatee that was spotted in the Jourdan River in the Kiln area.

A team from the Gulfport-based Institute for Marine and Mammal Studies searched for the marine mammal earlier this month.

The organization’s executive director, Moby Solangi, told The Sun Herald that the group will respond again if the manatee is seen. The manatee was spotted on Jan. 4. Solangi said pictures indicate the manatee was sick and in distress.

Solangi said an IMMS team searched Jourdan River canals throughout the day on Jan. 5. He said the manatee is out of habitat and should be in warmer waters in Florida this time of year. […]

News

Death row inmate files post-conviction petition

The Mississippi Supreme Court will consider a post-conviction petition from death row inmate Blayde Grayson.

The case is among dozens before the Supreme Court during its January-February term. The Supreme Court has not scheduled oral arguments in the case.

In a post-conviction petition, an inmate argues he has found new evidence – or a possible constitutional issue – that could persuade a court to order a new trial. […]