The Associated Press
Here are some news and notes from around Mississippi:
— In McComb, a Mississippi couple have been arrested after police say they discovered them living with their two children and the children’s grandmother in a rental truck that had been reported stolen.
Detective Shannon Sullivan told the Enterprise-Journal that 28-year-old Darnell Varnado and 29-year-old Shantay Varnado of McComb were arrested on one count each of possessing stolen property. They remained in the Pike County jail Thursday. Shantay Varnado’s bond was set at $10,000 and Darnell Varnado was held without bond.
Authorities say the state Department of Human Services found a temporary residence for the children and the grandmother after the Varnados were arrested Monday.
Police say that four adults and a newborn baby were also living in the truck until they found housing in June in nearby Monticello.
Police say the truck was nearly two months overdue and the rental company had reported it stolen.
— In Corinth, a teenager has been charged with murder in a fatal shooting Wednesday night in the northeast Mississippi city.
Police Capt. Ralph Dance says the 17-year-old youth is expected to be arraigned today in city court.
Dance says the teenager is charged in the shooting death of 19-year-old Anthony Beene of Baldwyn.
Dance says the body of Beene was found on the front porch of a home to which he ran after being shot multiple times.
Beene’s body has been taken to Jackson for autopsy. Dance says the case remains under investigation.
— In Okolona, an Okolona firefighter who died in the line of duty more than 30 years will be honored for his sacrifice.
Fire Chief Terry Tucker says Archie Carouthers will be honored when a monument is unveiled at the Okolona Fire Department on Saturday.
Tucker tells WTVA-TV in Tupelo (http://bit.ly/1tJloXS ) Carouthers was helping to douse flames at the Hilltop Shopping Center on U.S. Highway 45 North when he was struck on the head by falling timbers.
Tucker says members of the fire department have worked to raise money to erect the monument.
Tucker says the monument will also bear the names of others who may lose their lives in the future although he hopes that never happens.
— In Canton, a man accused of stealing merchandise from a holiday shopper in 2013 has been convicted of robbery and witness tampering.
District Attorney Michael Guest says in a news release that Trevioun Lamont Briggs was convicted Thursday by a Madison County jury. Briggs will be sentenced in September.
Guest says Briggs attacked a shopper in a parking lot at the Northpark Mall in Ridgeland on Dec. 14, 2013 and took about $400 in merchandise.
Police officers got copies of the receipts of the items purchased and were notified several hours later when a man came to the mall attempting to return the stolen items for cash.
Guest says while in jail, recorded telephone conversations revealed Briggs asking his girlfriend to provide him an alibi for the time of the robbery.
— In Oxford, the city will spend $1 million to rid some areas of brown, sandy water.
Public Works Director Bart Robinson tells The Oxford Eagle (http://bit.ly/1mM3phe ) the city has experienced brown water occurrences as far back as 1942 with a peak in 1999.
However, the problem still remains a daily one in some areas.
The brown water is caused by iron and manganese metallic elements. They are normally colorless. However, once they become exposed to certain chemicals, they oxidize and yield brown or rusty-colored water.
Robinson says the city has started to isolate portions of the water system to help engineers discover where the brown water is coming from.
The city will spend about $1 million in 2015 to replace older, unlined cast iron water mains.
