Top Stories – Page 105 – The Mississippi Link

10-year-old boy shot in the head while playing video game; brother charged

Police said a 10-year-old boy was shot in the head last Monday night while playing a video game and his older brother has been charged in his death. Captain Bobby Stewart said Jerald Tucker Jr. died at 2:15 p.m. Wednesday, April 24, two days after being shot at his residence in the 2900 block of Park Avenue in Vicksburg.

Stewart said several other people were in the house when Jerald was shot just before 10 p.m., including his older brother, 20-year-old Willie Willis and another man, 21-year-old Joshua Ryan Coffee.

“Jerald was sitting on a coffee table playing a video game,“ Stewart said. [And] according to statements by witnesses, Coffee and Willis were handling a small caliber weapon in the living room where Jerald was…and the weapon discharged striking the child in the back of the head.” […]

FBI: Traces of Ricin found at Tupelo busines

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During the FBI’s ongoing investigation into letters containing ricin addressed to President Barack Obama, Senator Roger Wicker, and a Mississippi judicial official – Sadie Holland – evidence collected by the FBI from the former business, Tupelo Taekwondo Plus, located on Rankin Boulevard Ext. in Tupelo, Mississippi, tested positive for trace levels of ricin.

Because public safety is always the FBI’s first priority in any investigation, that location was immediately sealed off and appropriate public health authorities were notified. The FBI is now conducting further forensic examination for the purpose of identifying trace evidence, residues, and signatures of production that could provide evidence to support the investigation.

Ricin is a poison found naturally in castor beans. Ricin poisoning can occur when the substance enters the body through ingestion, inhalation, or injection. To date, the FBI is not aware of any illness as a result of exposure to these letters. […]

Smithsonian Magazine names Cleveland one of ‘best small towns to visit’

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Smithsonian Magazine has named Cleveland, Miss., one of America’s 20 Best Small Towns to Visit in 2013. Ranked No. 2, Cleveland joins municipalities like Gettysburg, Pa. (No. 1), St. Augustine, Fla. (No. 3), Baraboo, Wis. (No. 4) and Astoria, Ore. (No. 5).

“More than 21.3 million annual visitors to the state can attest to the artistic spirit, rich history and cultural uniqueness of small towns like Cleveland,” said Malcolm White, director of the Mississippi Development Authority’s Tourism Division. “What an honor for Cleveland to be recognized at the national level. From blues to fine arts, Cleveland showcases some of the best of our state’s heritage and talent.”

“We are very excited about this designation and appreciate the attention it is bringing to Cleveland and the surrounding area,” said Cheryl Line, Cleveland-Bolivar County Tourism Director. “We hope this recognition will bring more visitors to learn about the mystique of the Mississippi Delta.” […]

UMMC Pediatrician Hannah Gay named to Time Magazine’s Time 100

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TIME named HIV specialist Dr. Hannah Gay, UMMC associate professor of pediatrics, to the 2013 TIME 100, the magazine’s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

In caring for a newborn infected with HIV in 2010, Gay followed an atypical treatment regimen and functionally cured the baby. She and her colleagues, Dr. Deborah Persaud, Johns Hopkins Children’s Center virologist, and University of Massachusetts Medical School immunologist Dr. Katherine Luzuriaga, who were also named to the TIME 100 list, presented the child’s case report in March at a scientific meeting in Atlanta. The report is the world’s first to describe an HIV functional cure in an infant.

Gay said she is honored and wants the recognition to highlight the efforts of physicians and scientists worldwide working in HIV prevention, care and research. […]

Nissan awards $500,000 to Canton public schools for needy students

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A $500,000 education grant announced Thursday by Nissan will strengthen academic support programs for elementary students who are not making sufficient progress in their school curriculum.

The $500,000 grant will be used by the Canton Public School District to employ two new academic interventionists who will provide targeted instruction and support to students needing the most intensive academic assistance.

Canton Public School Superintendent Dwight Luckett Sr. said, “We are elated with Nissan’s generous donation and continued support of educational opportunities for students in our community. For the district to reach its full potential, we are committed to working even harder to continue meeting the challenges before us. We can accomplish our mission much faster when community and business leaders like Nissan partner with us to offer hope, opportunity and inspiration to our students.” […]

US man in ricin case: ‘I love my country’

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Charges were dropped Tuesday against the man accused of sending ricin-laced letters to President Barack Obama, Mississippi State Sen. Roger Wicker and a Mississippi judge Sadie Holland, while authorities searched at another man’s home in connection with the case.

The surprising move was announced in a brief document filed in federal court in Oxford hours after Paul Kevin Curtis was released from custody. The charges were dismissed without prejudice, which means they could be re-instated if prosecutors so choose.

Attorneys for Curtis have suggested he was framed, and an FBI agent testified in court this week that no evidence of ricin was found in searches of his home. At a news conference Tuesday, they declined to discuss whether they were told what new information the government had uncovered. […]

B.B. King Homecoming Festival set for July 3

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The B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center in Indianola said the annual homecoming festival in honor of their namesake and the legendary bluesman, B.B. King, is scheduled for July 3.

King, a Mississippi native, will be performing on Saturday, April 27, at a casino in Tunica. […]

Alcorn announces Medgar Wiley Evers memorial statue dedication

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Medgar Wiley Evers had big dreams when he arrived on the campus of Alcorn A&M College in the summer of 1948. It is likely that those dreams involved becoming an All-American football player, participating in campus activities, and ultimately earning a college degree. It is hard to imagine that his dreams were enormous enough to predict the phenomenal impact his life and legacy would have on the United States and the world.

Yet, half a century after his untimely demise, thousands of Americans will journey to Mississippi to commemorate one of the foremost leaders in American civil rights history. […]

UMMC and MDA to provide free dental clinic this weekend

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The School of Dentistry at the University of Mississippi Medical Center will all but close down later this month when all of its 140 students and many faculty and staff members swap the school’s classrooms and clinics for a chance to provide free services to thousands of Mississippians who are living in pain from untreated dental conditions.

The Mississippi Dental Association will host its second Mission of Mercy (MOM) Project, cosponsored by the School of Dentistry and other groups, April 26-27 at the Clyde Muse Center on the Pearl campus of Hinds Community College.

This year, the SOD, the School of Health Related Profession’s Dental Hygiene Programand the School of Pharmacy will play a much bigger role in the large-scale effort, offering fillings and extractions for adults and children with limited access to dental care. […]

UMMC hosts annual meeting of Society of Black Academic Surgeons

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More than 100 people are registered to attend the annual meeting of the Society of Black Academic Surgeons (SBAS), hosted this week, and for the first time, by the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) in Jackson.

The three-day event, set for Thursday through Saturday, will feature panel discussions and 30 original scientific presentations in classroom R-354 (upper amphitheatre) under the program heading “Advocacy, Access and Comparative Outcomes: Surgical Disparities in Health Care”.

Among the topics on tap are access to surgical care within the minority community, reducing health disparities and trends in obesity and diabetes. […]