April 2013 – Page 2 – The Mississippi Link

Alcorn announces Medgar Wiley Evers memorial statue dedication

April 25, 2013 Kermit 0

Medgar Wiley Evers had big dreams when he arrived on the campus of Alcorn A&M College in the summer of 1948. It is likely that those dreams involved becoming an All-American football player, participating in campus activities, and ultimately earning a college degree. It is hard to imagine that his dreams were enormous enough to predict the phenomenal impact his life and legacy would have on the United States and the world.

Yet, half a century after his untimely demise, thousands of Americans will journey to Mississippi to commemorate one of the foremost leaders in American civil rights history. […]

UMMC and MDA to provide free dental clinic this weekend

April 25, 2013 Kermit 2

The School of Dentistry at the University of Mississippi Medical Center will all but close down later this month when all of its 140 students and many faculty and staff members swap the school’s classrooms and clinics for a chance to provide free services to thousands of Mississippians who are living in pain from untreated dental conditions.

The Mississippi Dental Association will host its second Mission of Mercy (MOM) Project, cosponsored by the School of Dentistry and other groups, April 26-27 at the Clyde Muse Center on the Pearl campus of Hinds Community College.

This year, the SOD, the School of Health Related Profession’s Dental Hygiene Programand the School of Pharmacy will play a much bigger role in the large-scale effort, offering fillings and extractions for adults and children with limited access to dental care. […]

UMMC hosts annual meeting of Society of Black Academic Surgeons

April 25, 2013 Kermit 0

More than 100 people are registered to attend the annual meeting of the Society of Black Academic Surgeons (SBAS), hosted this week, and for the first time, by the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) in Jackson.

The three-day event, set for Thursday through Saturday, will feature panel discussions and 30 original scientific presentations in classroom R-354 (upper amphitheatre) under the program heading “Advocacy, Access and Comparative Outcomes: Surgical Disparities in Health Care”.

Among the topics on tap are access to surgical care within the minority community, reducing health disparities and trends in obesity and diabetes. […]

Corporal punishment declining in Miss. schools

April 25, 2013 Kermit 0

A report finds Mississippi students were physically punished, typically with a wooden paddle, 39,000 times during the 2011-12 school year.

That punishment was meted in 99 of the state’s 151 school districts, according to the districts’ counts self-reported to the state Department of Education and obtained by The Clarion-Ledger through an open records request.

The numbers reflect a trend in decline. For example, in 2007-08, 58,343 instances of corporal punishment were reported, and that number has dropped almost every year. […]

News

MDOT commemorates fallen workers and promotes work zone safety

April 24, 2013 Kermit 0

A gust of wind kicks up a trail of dust as forty tons of metal on wheels speeds past. A car full of children waving their hands passes a flagman on the side of the road. A teenager heading to class looks down for a spilt second to check his phone, and then disaster strikes.

Every day, men and women face these dangers in work zones across Mississippi. Truthfully, a lot of road crews never see a fatality during their time on the job, but it happens more frequently than one might think. The month of April is when the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) joins other agencies and companies around the nation to raise awareness for work zone safety and to commemorate workers who have been fatally injured on the job.

Over the past couple weeks, MDOT has coordinated multiple events through the Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) Center and Traffic Engineering Safety Programs to raise awareness of the realistic dangers of work zones and promote safer driving habits. […]

2 women killed after stalled car hit by 18-wheeler

April 24, 2013 Kermit 0

Two women were killed after their stalled vehicle was hit by a truck. Angela Dame, 44, and Taetha Young, 19, both of Macon, died Thursday night, April 18, in the crash on U.S. 82 in Columbus, The Commercial Dispatch reports.

Antonio Gregory, also of Macon, was driving the Ford Crown Victoria when it stalled.

Authorities said Gregory exited the vehicle to check the engine when the car was rear-ended by an 18-wheeler driven by Timothy Lee Webb. […]

Female inmate captured after escaping Amite County jail

April 24, 2013 Kermit 0

A female escapee from the Amite County jail has been recaptured in Centreville, authorities said.

Sheriff Tom Wroten told The Enterprise-Journal that 20-year-old Kenita Harris of Crosby got through an exercise yard gate around 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 20.

Harris fled on foot, Wroten said, and flagged down cars for a ride into Centreville. He said authorities believe the lock on the yard gate was faulty. […]

Multicraft expands in Pelahatchie

April 24, 2013 Kermit 0

Officials from Multicraft International, manufacturer and supplier of automotive components for domestic automakers, have announced the company is expanding its operations in Pelahatchie to accommodate an increase in production. The project represents a company investment of $250,000 and will create 30 new jobs.

To support the expansion, the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) provided the company with assistance for modifications to its Pelahatchie facility.
[…]

1 inmate killed in southwestern Miss. prison fights

April 23, 2013 Kermit 0

A prison official says that one inmate has died and several were injured in fights at a prison in southwestern Mississippi that resulted in the facility being put on lockdown.

Wilkinson County Correctional facility spokeswoman Angela Smith says one inmate died after fights broke out Saturday morning at the Woodville prison. Smith says that there were multiple fights starting around 10 a.m. The fights were quelled by around noon.

Nine inmates were taken to area hospitals for injuries. The prison was put on lockdown for at least several hours. Smith says the public was never at risk. […]

New study suggests link between obesity and kidney disease in black men

April 23, 2013 Kermit 0

A study in Jackson-area African-Americans found a correlation between weight and chronic kidney disease in obese men but not in the same category of women.

“I kind of had a hunch about that,” said Dr. Marino Bruce, assistant professor of medicine and the study’s principal investigator. “So we designed a study that would pick up those differences if they existed.

“In a nutshell, the findings say we need to pay more attention to weight status in African-American men.” […]