Statewide News – Page 33 – The Mississippi Link

Corporal punishment declining in Miss. schools

A report finds Mississippi students were physically punished, typically with a wooden paddle, 39,000 times during the 2011-12 school year.

That punishment was meted in 99 of the state’s 151 school districts, according to the districts’ counts self-reported to the state Department of Education and obtained by The Clarion-Ledger through an open records request.

The numbers reflect a trend in decline. For example, in 2007-08, 58,343 instances of corporal punishment were reported, and that number has dropped almost every year. […]

News

MDOT commemorates fallen workers and promotes work zone safety

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A gust of wind kicks up a trail of dust as forty tons of metal on wheels speeds past. A car full of children waving their hands passes a flagman on the side of the road. A teenager heading to class looks down for a spilt second to check his phone, and then disaster strikes.

Every day, men and women face these dangers in work zones across Mississippi. Truthfully, a lot of road crews never see a fatality during their time on the job, but it happens more frequently than one might think. The month of April is when the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) joins other agencies and companies around the nation to raise awareness for work zone safety and to commemorate workers who have been fatally injured on the job.

Over the past couple weeks, MDOT has coordinated multiple events through the Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) Center and Traffic Engineering Safety Programs to raise awareness of the realistic dangers of work zones and promote safer driving habits. […]

2 women killed after stalled car hit by 18-wheeler

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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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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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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.” […]