Statewide News – Page 17 – The Mississippi Link

Green Circle locating wood pellet operations to George County

Officials from Green Circle Bio Energy said the company is locating an energy wood pellet manufacturing facility in the George County Industrial Park. The project represents a company investment of $115 million and will create 126 jobs with the potential of up to 141.

The majority of the project’s jobs will be at the George County facility with the remainder being at the Port of Pascagoula. Additional temporary jobs will also be created during plant construction.

The facility is expected to be operational by spring 2015 and will produce wood pellets for shipment from the Port of Pascagoula to European markets to be sold to electric generating facilities as a renewable alternative to coal. Initially, the plant will have the capacity to produce 500,000 tons of wood pellets per year. […]

Man out on bond for teen’s murder now faces drug charges

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WLBT reported that a man already facing a murder charge for killing a 15-year-old boy has now been arrested for drugs.

Jackson Police said Cedric Ratliff, 26, had almost half a pound of marijuana in his possession at a residence in the 1400 block of Cox Street.

The drugs have a street value of about $1,000. One thousand dollars in cash was also recovered from the residence, WLBT said. […]

Former asylum patients’ resting place unearthed on UMMC campus

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Mable Daniels’ great-grandmother was a patient in the State Insane Asylum about a century ago when she was laid to rest on the asylum grounds – before her family, who hails from Vaiden, knew she had died.

“Things were done different back then,” said Daniels, of Forest.

Apparently so; Daniels wonders if her ancestor’s remains could lie in one of the five dozen wooden coffins uncovered over the last several months beneath the former site of the vanished asylum – the campus of the University of Mississippi Medical Center. […]

Late Miss. cotton planting amplifies bug threat

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Farmers are finally catching up on cotton planting, but experts are worried that the late start could expose the crop to more insects than if wet weather hadn’t delayed planting.

Mississippi farmers had intended to plant corn on many acres in hopes of cashing in on high prices. But winter and spring rains left many fields waterlogged, making it hard for tractors to plant as early as required for corn.

Cotton and soybeans can be planted later, and farmers’ plans for cotton ballooned to 340,000 acres from what had been projected to be a historic low of about 200,000. Mississippi farmers planted 580,000 acres of cotton in 2012. […]

Macon minister gets new trial in statutory rape of 13-year-old

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A new trial has been ordered for a now 78-year-old minister serving 20 years for the statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl.

R.C. Hibbler was convicted in 2005 for having sex with a girl who came over to his house to play with his twin daughters.

Prosecutors previously filed an appeal to reinstate the statutory rape conviction after the State Court of Appeals last fall ordered a new trial in the case. The Supreme Court denied that motion last week. […]

Jones and Totten to be honored at Legends Reception

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Former Mississippi Valley State quarterback Willie Totten and the late defensive lineman David “Deacon” Jones will be two of five former HBCU standouts to be honored Thursday, Aug. 31 at 6 p.m. at the MEAC/SWAC Legends Reception in Orlando, hosted by ESPN.

The Legends Award was established in 2009 to pay tribute to extraordinary alumni who have used their respective MEAC and SWAC university education to bring excellence to their professional achievements and/or community service endeavors whether local, statewide, nationally or globally.
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Entergy Donates $50k to Washington County

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On June 11, Entergy celebrated 90 years in business with a luncheon held in Greenville, one of the Mississippi communities where Entergy got its start. At the event, Entergy Mississippi President Haley Fisackerly saluted outgoing board member Billy Percy for his 14 years of service on the Entergy board.

Fisackerly mentioned to the audience that Percy’s father had also served on the board when the company was known as Mississippi Power & Light and that out of 90 years in business, the Percys had collectively served 42 years on the board.
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Man dies in fall from bait boat near Horn Island

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Authorities are investigating the death of a Pascagoula man who fell off a commercial bait boat south of Horn Island.

Melissa Scallan, spokeswoman for the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, says 44-year-old Jeffery “Chickenwing” Lee was one of 12 people on a 45-foot commercial boat from CC’s Live Bait of Pascagoula.

Company employees had taken the boat to Horn Island on Thursday for an Independence Day celebration. Lee had worked for the company as a deck hand for about a year. […]

Anti-drug initiative loses funding

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Washington County has lost funding for its community anti-drug program that has operated for 25 years.

Audine Hayes, executive director of the Anti-Drug Community Partnership RADAR Center, tells the Delta Democrat Times that the Mississippi Department of Mental Health chose to close it down by the end of summer due to budget cuts.

Hayes said the RADAR Center began as a 12-person task force comprised of Hayes, law enforcement officials, business professionals and school administrators who chose to take a proactive approach in changing the lives of youth in the Delta. That 12-person group eventually expanded to more than 150. […]

It’s time for authentic festivals and fairs in ‘The True South’

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One of the great traditions of summer in the True South is to attend an outdoor festival or fair for a taste of the diverse cultural heritage displayed across Mississippi.

Many of these are annual events that draw locals and visitors alike to enjoy long-standing traditions.

“Throughout the summer, there are so many unique festivals and fairs taking place in communities across Mississippi that showcase the authentic sights and sounds of our state’s Southern culture.” said Malcolm White, director of the Mississippi Development Authority’s Tourism Division.“ Now is a great time to plan a trip and experience the True South’s most interesting events of the summer.” […]