Kermit – Page 33 – The Mississippi Link

Video shows suspect killing police detective

Details continue to emerge into the shooting death of a Jackson police detective and the suspect he was questioning. Detective Eric Smith, 40, was killed in the line of duty early Thursday evening while questioning 23-year-old Jeremy Powell. Powell was being charged with April 1 murder of Christopher Alexander.

Alexander was found dead on Greenwood Avenue near Daniel Lake Boulevard early April 1. He had been stabbed to death.

The Associated Press (AP) said authorities have a video from the police interrogation room that shows Powell shot Smith to death before killing himself with the officer’s gun. […]

Former police officer gets 5 years for sex with 15-year-old

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A former Rolling Fork police officer who confessed to having sex with a 15-year-old South Delta High School student in 2011 will spend five years in prison.

Brian Richards of Anguilla was sentenced by Circuit Judge M. James Chaney to five years in prison followed by five years’ probation after pleading guilty to statutory rape.

Richards, 30, must register as a sex offender upon release.

Richards was assigned to provide security each morning at South Delta High School, where he met the girl, according to court records. […]

Miss. lawmakers OK partially state-funded pre-K

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Mississippi government would directly fund a limited preschool program for the first time under a bill on its way to Gov. Phil Bryant.

The House and Senate on Tuesday passed Senate Bill 2395, which would send money to regional groups of preschool providers. The House favored the measure 97-17, while the Senate voted for it 37-11.

The state would create a preschool program that could serve 1,325 4-year-olds in its first year, using a $3 million appropriation. Groups of preschool providers would have to apply for grants and would use private donations, federal money or other funds to match the state money. […]

Murder suspect shoots cop dead inside police station

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A murder suspect being interviewed at the Jackson police headquarters shot a detective Thursday and those who came to investigate the gunfire found both men dead, authorities said.

The suspect, who was not identified, was being questioned on the third floor of the building when the shooting happened, Police Chief Rebecca Coleman said.

Police did not release any details on the sequence of what happened but scheduled a news conference for later Thursday night.

The officer was identified as Eric Smith, a homicide detective. […]

The restoration of the historic Immanuel Church in Winona

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Although many of its original members are long gone, the bells of the Immanuel Church in Montgomery County still ring at least once a month. Situated on the corner of Fairground and Summit Streets in the heart of Winona, Immanuel stands as a monument to a rich and prominent past.

And with the acquisition of grant funds totaling more than $300,000, supporters of the historical structure are determined to keep it that way.

Erected in 1909, Immanuel Church – formerly Immanuel Episcopal Church – replaced an earlier wood frame structure that was built in 1876 by Major and Mrs. Frank Hawkins. The original church was located on Summit Street nearer to the downtown area and had a large chancel window depicting the ascension of Jesus into heaven. That same stained glass window now adorns the center of the rear wall of the present building which was constructed and donated to the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi by Captain and Mrs. James C. Purnell. […]

Governor withdraws Board of Health nomination

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Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant said he’s withdrawing his nomination of anti-abortion activist Terri Herring to the state Board of Health.

Bryant’s decision came Monday after The Associated Press questioned whether Bryant was fulfilling requirements of a state law that specifies the board’s 11 members must come from certain parts of the state.

Bryant spokesman Mick Bullock says the law is unclear, but the governor is withdrawing Herring’s nomination to “avoid any legal uncertainty.”
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Woman pleads guilty in husband's cooking oil death

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A Mississippi woman pleaded guilty to manslaughter Tuesday in the death of her husband, who died in 2006 after being doused with hot cooking oil.

Hancock County Circuit Court Clerk Karen Ruhr said Edna Mae Sanders, 52, is set for sentencing April 15 in the county’s Circuit Court. Manslaughter in Mississippi carries a possible sentence of up to 20 years in prison, though judges have discretion in sentencing and she’s likely to get credit for time served.

Prosecutors said Sanders poured the oil on Sherman Sanders, 53, while he was asleep at their house in Diamondhead in south Mississippi on July 27, 2006. He died several days later. […]

AstraZeneca to cut 2,300 jobs in business overhaul

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Struggling drug company AstraZeneca has outlined a major restructuring of its business, including some 2,300 job cuts worldwide as it overhauls its research operations.

The cuts came only three days after the company axed 1,600 research positions, bringing the total number of cuts to more than 11,000 in the past 13 months. The new chief executive, Pascal Soriot, described the cuts as part of the company’s “unambiguous commitment” to concentrate on priority projects in the pipeline.

“As we focus, accelerate and transform our business we know that our success will ultimately be measured by the quality of execution,” he said in a statement. […]

Attala schools getting added security measures

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The Attala County School will install video intercom systems and card reader access for teachers at Ethel High School and the Kosciusko-Attala Career Technical Center.

Schools Superintendent Bryan Weaver told the Star Herald that the security systems will cost $6,634.

At Ethel, Weaver said each staff member would have a card that they could open the front door on their own. He said the back entrance between the office and the library would be staff entrance and in cases of rainy weather, the student entrance. […]

Teen arrested in shooting of Lowndes County mail carrier

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A 17-year-old Columbus teen is being held on a $500,000 bond after he allegedly shot a mail carrier in the course of a robbery.

Arthur Lee “Slim” Whitfield appeared in court and was charged with aggravated assault and armed robbery for an alleged attack on Doug Aldridge

Aldridge was delivering mail at an apartment complex outside Columbus Thursday, March 21, when he was shot under the left armpit.

Whitfield was arrested at the same complex on March 22 and the weapon reportedly used in the shooting was also recovered at that location. […]