2013 – Page 57 – The Mississippi Link

2 women killed after stalled car hit by 18-wheeler

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

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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

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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.
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1 inmate killed in southwestern Miss. prison fights

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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

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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.” […]

American Railcar Industries expanding operations into Brookhaven

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Governor Phil Bryant, local officials and officials from American Railcar Industries (ARI) announced this month that the company is expanding its presence in southwest Mississippi by locating a railcar maintenance facility in Brookhaven in Lincoln County.

The company has had operations in Bude since 1974.

The new Brookhaven facility, which will complement the activities of the Bude location, represents a company investment of $7 million and will create 30 new jobs.
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Ricin Letters Case: Attorney says scant evidence links Curtis to letters

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Federal authorities have produced scant evidence linking a Mississippi man to the mailing of ricin-laced letters to the president and a senator, his attorney says.

Christi McCoy said after a court hearing Friday that the government has offered no evidence to prove her client, Paul Kevin Curtis, had possession of any ricin or the seed from which it is extracted – castor beans. An FBI agent testified during the hearing that he could not say if investigators had found ricin at Curtis’ home, and McCoy said the evidence linking the 45-year-old to the crime so far has hinged on his writings posted online.

He is adamant that he did not do this, and she said she has seen nothing to prove him wrong. […]

Free oral cancer screening set for Monday and Tuesday

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Mississippi has one of the highest smoking rates in the nation, with 26 percent of its residents lighting up regularly. But even non-smokers should be aware of the warning signs for oral cancer.

For that reason, physicians and dentists at the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Oral Oncology Clinic urge everyone to take advantage of the free oral screenings to be on Monday, April 22, and Tuesday, April 23, as part of Oral, Head & Neck Cancer Awareness Week.

The oral-screening event will be held at the clinic’s location in the Thad C. Cochran Jackson Medical Mall Thad C. Cochran Center from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. People interested in signing up for a screening are asked to call 601-815-1181. […]

Children’s book festival honors authors and others with awards

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Jon Scieszka sees himself simply as an author supplying the material needed by teachers and librarians “who go to work every day” to inspire their students and other young people to read.

“My job’s easy,” Scieszka said. “I just sit in my office and write, but they’re the ones in the trenches motivating kids to want to be readers.”

Scieszka is the author of the acclaimed The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! and The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales. He was on The University of Southern Mississippi’s Hattiesburg campus this week to receive the top honor given at the annual Fay B. Kaigler Children’s Book Festival, the Southern Miss Medallion. […]

President Nabors recruits Dr. Charlie Barnett to MDCC

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Mississippi Delta Community College recently welcomed Dr. Charlie Barnett as its new Assistant to the President, the Delta Business Journal said.

Dr. Barnett has a rich, qualified history in community college leadership. Most recently, he served as the Dean of Instruction for Northeast Mississippi Community College in Booneville, MS from the summer of 2007 until his recent retirement in December 2012. Barnett previously served Itawamba Community College as the Tech Prep Coordinator (2005-2007) and Northwest Mississippi Community College as a Mathematics Instructor (1988-2004).

“I am very excited to have Dr. Barnett on board at MDCC,” said Dr. Larry Nabors. “He is an experienced college administrator who is very student oriented and he will be a real asset to Mississippi Delta. He is already hard at work on improving our recruiting efforts and our freshman orientation experience.” […]