News – Page 470 – The Mississippi Link

Teen arrested in shooting of Lowndes County mail carrier

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. […]

Man charged with shooting girlfriend in the face after breakup

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A 25-year-old Corinth man is being held on a $350,000 bond after authorities said he allegedly shot his girlfriend in the face after they broke up. Demarlen O’Bryan Davis is being charged with possession of a weapon by a convicted felon and homicide in the death of 22-year-old Karson Stewart.

Captain Ralph Dance, an investigator with the Corinth Police Department, said Davis was taken into custody shortly after the incident on March 26.

Dance said several 911 calls brought police to an unoccupied residence in the 600 block of Martin Luther King Drive. […]

Mississippi jobless rate jumps sharply in January

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Mississippi’s unemployment jumped to 9.3 percent in January, wiping out almost a year’s worth of job gains.

The state’s unemployment rate was 8.6 percent in December and 10 percent rate in January 2012.

The number of people who reported having a job fell even as the state’s labor force shrank. Mississippi reported 141,000 unemployed people in December, up from 123,000 in December and 135,000 in January 2012. […]

Medgar Evers’ exhibit coming to Dept. of Archives and History

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In observance of the 50th anniversary of his death, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) will commemorate the life of civil rights leader Medgar Evers with exhibits and programs.

Evers was the Mississippi field secretary for the NAACP from 1954 until his assassination in the driveway of his family’s home in Jackson on June 11, 1963.

On May 1, a History Is Lunch lecture by Myrlie Evers-Williams, former director of the NAACP and Medgar Evers’s widow, will open the exhibit “This is Home”: Medgar Evers, Mississippi, and the Movement.

Evers-Williams is now a distinguished scholar-in-residence at Alcorn State University in Lorman, Miss. […]

Jackson-based company sold to Texas equipment firm

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Daily Equipment Company (DEC) in Jackson has been sold to Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America Inc. in Houston, Texas, officials said.

The announcement came in a joint news release from the companies. The terms of the sale were not disclosed.

DEC is headquartered in Jackson, and has other full-service branches throughout in Biloxi and in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport and Lake Charles in Louisiana. […]

Hancock County man admits to Katrina fraud

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A Hancock County man could be facing up to five years in jail for fraudulently applying for Hurricane Katrina relief funds.

Anthony L. Bryan, 50, plead guilty to making false statements to the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) for grant money associated with the after-effects of Hurricane Katrina. […]

Cemetery owner pleads guilty to state charges

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Cemetery owner Wayne Hight of Booneville has been sentenced to four years in prison for failing to properly fund pre-need burial trusts.

The Daily Corinthian reported that Hight was also ordered to pay restitution of more than $500,000.

Assistant District Attorney Richard Bowen said the 74-year-old Hight pleaded guilty in Alcorn County Circuit Court to two counts of misapplying or converting pre-need funds at Oaklawn Memorial Park and two counts of the same charge at Forrest Memorial Park. […]

State auditor returns $92k to Tishomingo County

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The Tishomingo County Board of Supervisors received a $92,000 check this week from state auditor Stacey Pickering following an investigation into a former chancery clerk’s misappropriation of funds

The Auditor’s Office found that former chancery clerk Hayden Ables used his position as Chancery Clerk to obtain personal benefit for services he did not perform. […]

Judge approves Howard $1.3M lawsuit settlement

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A federal judge has given final approval to a settlement by Howard Industries, a Laurel-based electric transformer company, to pay $1.3 million and hire at least 70 workers to end a class action lawsuit.

The lawsuit was filed by four black women who accused the company of discrimination for allegedly hiring only Hispanic workers.

U.S. District Judge Keith Starrett signed the order, finding the settlement “fair, reasonable and adequate.” […]

Senate passes latest plan for education changes

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In their latest plan to improve Mississippi public schools, state senators are offering a compromise on requirements to become a teacher and doing away with a proposal to make it easier for the state to take over troubled schools.

The Senate voted 28-23 last Tuesday to approve its version of House Bill 890.

It includes the latest Senate version of charter schools, an increase in standards to enter teacher preparation and a call to flunk third graders who can’t read. […]