2013 – Page 20 – The Mississippi Link

Philadelphia man convicted in DUI deaths of 6, including five children

OXFORD, Mississippi (AP) — A Philadelphia man will serve 75 years in prison after being convicted of six counts of DUI/manslaughter in the deaths of his five children and an adult family friend last year.

Prosecutors said Duane John Sr., 34, was sentenced Wednesday by Circuit Judge Marcus Gordon to 15 years on each count to run consecutively for a total 90 years. Fifteen years were suspended leaving 75 to serve… […]

Mississippians will pay among highest health premiums under federally-run program

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JACKSON, Mississippi (AP) — Mississippi is one of the poorest states in the nation, and its residents will pay some of the highest premiums under a federally run health insurance exchange.

The federal government released information Wednesday showing the estimated cost of a mid-range plan will be $448 a month in Mississippi. That compares to an average of $328 in 47 states and the District of Columbia… […]

Study: BP spill did wide damage to sea-floor life

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NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A Texas A&M researcher says the BP oil spill did at least moderate damage to the tiny animals that live on the sea floor for about 57 square miles around the Macondo well, with severe damage covering about nine square miles.

Paul Montagna (mon-TAN-yuh) says it could be a generation or more before the creatures recover… […]

Jim Hood joins in call for tough rules on e-cigarettes

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JACKSON, Mississippi (AP) — Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood has joined 39 other attorneys general in urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to regulate electronic cigarettes in the same way it regulates tobacco products.

Hood says in a news release Wednesday that the FDA should place restrictions on the advertising and ingredients of the popular, highly-addictive product, and prohibit its sale to minors… […]

Police: Monticello homeowner shoots, kills intruder

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News Briefs From Around The State
Police: Monticello homeowner shoots, kills intruder

MONTICELLO, Mississippi (AP) — Lawrence County authorities say a homeowner shot and killed an intruder… […]

Still no final decision in Hattiesburg mayor rematch

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HATTIESBURG, Mississippi (AP) — Early returns show independent Dave Ware taking a very slim lead over Democratic incumbent Johnny DuPree in a special election for Hattiesburg mayor with absentee votes still uncounted.

The Hattiesburg American said Ware led 6,848 votes to 6,816 for DuPree with all 14 precincts reporting late Tuesday night. It said the race remained undecided with 1,055 absentee ballots to be counted… […]

Raccoon disrupts Adams County Circuit courtroom

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NATCHEZ, Mississippi (AP) — The Adams County Circuit courtroom has seen a number of criminals pass through its doors across the years, but it was host to a different sort of masked bandit.

When courtroom staff showed up for work Monday, The Natchez Democrat reports they found the blinds in the courtroom and jury room had been damaged. While their first thought was that the damage was somehow caused by the weekend’s heavy storms, they soon found the real reason — a juvenile raccoon… […]

Man to plead guilty in Hattiesburg court to human trafficking

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HATTIESBURG, Mississippi (AP) — Court records say a man arrested as part of a kidnapping investigation will plead guilty to transporting a woman for prostitution.

Ruperto Moncillo Flores and Jacobo Feliciano-Francisco were arrested June 27 after a woman walked into a police department in Hattiesburg and said she’d been abducted in Panama City Beach, Fla… […]

Former Vicksburg mayor selling house on Facebook

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VICKSBURG, Mississippi (AP) — Former Vicksburg Mayor Paul Winfield is selling his home on Facebook.

The Vicksburg Post reports that the ad first Friday afternoon on his Facebook page and was forwarded to people who were on his “friends” list. It remained on his Facebook page Tuesday… […]

Census: No sign of economic rebound for many in U.S.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Even as the economy shows signs of improvement and poverty levels off, new U.S. census data suggests the gains are halting and uneven. Depending on education, race, income and even marriage, not all segments of the population are seeing an economic turnaround.

Poverty is on the rise in single-mother families. More people are falling into the lowest-income group. And after earlier signs of increased mobility, fewer people are moving as homeownership declined for a fifth straight year… […]