June 2013 – Page 4 – The Mississippi Link

1 dead, 1 hurt in plane crash in east Mississippi

June 14, 2013 Kermit 0

Eleven years ago, Tommy Rose died in a plane crash at the National Championship Air Races in Reno, Nev.

On Wednesday, his son Tom Rose was an instructor when flying student Rodney Keith Usry crashed the single-engine plane both were aboard at a rural Mississippi airport.

Usry, a 57-year-old Hickory resident, died after the Cessna 172 clipped a power line as he tried to land at James H. Easom Field in Newton about 9:30 a.m., said FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen. The plane slammed into the ground upside down in a wooded area on a hill off the end of the runway, said Mississippi Highway Patrol spokesman Warren Strain. […]

PSC issues $420,000 fine for telemarketing

June 14, 2013 Kermit Comments Off

Mississippi regulators have ordered a company named Tailbone Security to pay $420,000 for violating the state’s ban on unwanted telemarketing.

Commissioners voted 3-0 Tuesday, June 4 to impose the penalty against Tailbone, which is based in Boynton Beach, Fla.

It’s the latest in a series of large fines that the Public Service Commission has issued for companies that violate the state’s prohibition on calling people who have registered their phone numbers to get telemarketers to stop calling. […]

News

Vicksburg YMCA to become sports complex

June 14, 2013 Kermit 0

A church group has purchased the old YMCA on Halls Ferry Road and plans to convert it into a youth sports complex.

Greater Grove Street Missionary Baptist Church bought the 13,000-square-foot main building and its surrounding 6.7 acres earlier this month for $150,000, the Rev. Casey Fisher told The Vicksburg Post.

Fisher says the complex – which will be called the Education, Exercise and Empowerment Center – is planned as a multipurpose, sports-and-leisure venue and will be open for public use. […]

America’s leaders and celebrities to participate in Evers statue dedication

June 13, 2013 Kermit 0

A spectacular line-up of dignitaries, civil rights veterans and award winning entertainers will participate in the Medgar Wiley Evers Memorial dedication and the Medgar Evers Torch of Justice Awards Luncheon, Thursday June 13, at Alcorn State University in Lorman.

These national ceremonies will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the assassination of civil rights icon Medgar Wiley Evers, a beloved alumnus of Alcorn State. […]

Widow works to preserve Evers’ civil-rights legacy

June 13, 2013 Kermit 0

Myrlie Evers-Williams acknowledges it would be easy to remain mired in bitterness and anger, 50 years after a sniper’s bullet made her a widow.

Instead, she’s determined to celebrate the legacy of her first husband, Medgar Evers – a civil rights figure often overshadowed by peers such as the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.

Events including a black-tie gala are being held this week to remember Evers, the first Mississippi field secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. He was 37 when he was assassinated on June 12, 1963. […]

King Earns Southern Miss 2012-2013 Staff Council Service Award

June 13, 2013 Kermit Comments Off

Sharon King, administrative assistant in The University of Southern Mississippi’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, was named recipient of the Staff Council Service Award June 4 during the organization’s annual recognition luncheon.

King, a 2003 graduate of the university, began her career at Southern Miss in 2005 as administrative assistant to the development officer for the College of Science and Technology. She joined the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry in 2007, where her duties include responsibility for tracking budget expenditures, inventory control, and graduate student records, among others.
“I’m thrilled,” King said. “It’s truly an honor to be chosen for this award.” […]

Inmate stabbed to death at Parchman

June 12, 2013 Kermit 0

An inmate serving 14 years for several convictions including simple assault on a police officer was stabbed to death allegedly by a fellow inmate Tuesday afternoon at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman.

Inmate Kelvin Bowen, 35, was pronounced dead at the prison’s hospital at 1:04 p.m.

Officials with the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) said Bowen was on his way to see a case manager when he was attacked with a sharp instrument in the hallway of Building 29, a maximum security unit, at the facility. […]

NCAA accepts self-imposed sanctions, praises MSU’s cooperation

June 12, 2013 Kermit 0

The NCAA Committee on Infractions has accepted the self-imposed sanctions levied by Mississippi State University in a case that centered on the actions of a former MSU booster, a former MSU assistant football coach, and a current MSU student-athlete.

The violations were investigated by the NCAA enforcement staff with the full cooperation of the MSU Athletics Department compliance staff. The committee cited MSU for its efforts to fully investigate and uncover the violations. The violations center on the actions of a disassociated former MSU booster and the failure of the former assistant coach to report actions by that former booster to MSU compliance officials. […]

Mayor, police chief still feuding in Gloster

June 12, 2013 Kermit 0

The court case is over and the town elections are done, but Mayor Billy Johnson and Police Chief Danny Meaux continue to be at odds.

At the town’s board meeting this past week, Johnson criticized Meaux for rarely showing up to work since a judge ordered him reinstated as chief in March.

In turn, Meaux claimed the mayor has a grudge against him because Meaux arrested his son last year. […]

Tupelo man indicted in poisoned letters case

June 12, 2013 Kermit 0

A U.S. grand jury has indicted a man suspected of sending poison-laced letters to President Barack Obama and other officials, according to an indictment made public earlier this month.

The 5-count indictment charges 41-year-old James Everett Dutschke with developing, producing and stockpiling the poison ricin, threatening the president and others and attempting to impede the investigation.

If convicted on the charges, he could face life in prison and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines. […]