Top Stories – Page 107 – The Mississippi Link

Debate on funding for private schools shapes up

The state House could be roiled by multiple debates in coming days over spending public money to send Mississippi students to private schools.
But prospects for such legislation remain murky in the Senate, where leaders have made no clear show of support for the concept.

The House Education Committee has passed two bills that could pay to send students to private schools. The first, House Bill 906, is a measure called Opportunity Scholarships, proposed by Republican Gov. Phil Bryant. The second, House Bill 1004, would provide vouchers using public money for the state’s 60,000-plus special education students in public schools to attend private schools. […]

Chicken Fried Steak recalled because of possible plastic contamination

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Two customers who complained of oral injuries after eating country fried steak has led to a recall in nearly 30 states by AdvancePierre Foods.

AdvancePierre Foods, an Enid, Okla. establishment, is recalling approximately 15,328 pounds of frozen, fully cooked country fried steak products because they may contain foreign materials – pieces of plastic, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) said. […]

Woman stabbed in grocery store parking lot

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Authorities are now saying what they believed to be an incident of road rage in the parking lot of a grocery store may have been the result of an ongoing dispute.

Police said a woman was slashed in the throat and neck multiple times outside a Kroger at Crosstown in Lee County on Saturday.

The woman, who was not identified, was taken to a local hospital and her injuries were not considered to be life-threatening. […]

Tornado strikes Hattiesburg; USM declares state of emergency

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A tornado ripped through historic Hattiesburg Sunday as part of a wave of severe storms that downed trees, damaged buildings and injured more than a dozen people.

The twister traveled down one of Hattiesburg’s main streets and mangled homes, commercial buildings and structures on the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi (USM). Emergency officials said at least 10 people were injured in surrounding Forrest County and three were hurt to the west in Marion County, but they weren’t aware of any deaths. […]

“FBI Alert” e-mail not from FBI, officials say

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Recently, some Mississippi residents have received an alarming e-mail, supposedly containing an “FBI Alert” about someone with whom they’ve communicated on line. This e-mail requests that recipients contact the “FBI secret service” by following a link provided in the e-mail.

Well, be warned! The e-mail is not from the FBI and if users click on the embedded link, they run the risk of infecting their computer with a malicious virus, FBI personnel said. […]

Christopher Epps sworn in as president of world’s largest correctional association

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By Lonnie Ross

Online Editor

Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner Christopher B. Epps was sworn in on Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, as the 102nd president of the American Correctional Association (ACA). He is a native of Tchula, Mississippi.

The ACA, founded in 1870 as the National Prison Association, is the oldest and largest international correctional association in the world. The organization has more than 20,000 members from 60 countries…. […]

W.K. Kellogg Foundation opens regional office in Jackson

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Demonstrates commitment to Mississippi’s and New Orleans’ vulnerable children

By Ayesha K. Mustafaa

Editor

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) held a reception Friday, Feb. 1, 2013, with the Mississippi Children’s Museum as the venue, where its officials came to town to launch the opening of the Foundation’s Jackson office, at Capital Towers, 125 S. Congress…. […]

Senate 28 race unsettled; run-off scheduled

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By Daphne Higgins

Contributing Writer

With 100 percent of the precincts reporting, two of the nine candidates in the race for the Senate District 28 seat will be returning to the polls on Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013, in a run-off election to declare a winner for the position left vacant by the death of Senator Alice Harden.

Unofficial results show that Marshand Crisler edged out opponents, Sollie B. Norwood and Tamara Grace Butler, by a close margin to lead the trio in the special election poll results Feb. 5, 2013…. […]

B.B. King Museum hosts Black History Month Musical Celebration

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In keeping with their mission to preserve the rich culture and music of the Mississippi Delta, The B.B. King Museum will host free musical programs every Thursday in February in honor of Black History Month.

On Feb. 7, the program will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will feature the music of: The Eastside High School Choir; The Greenwood High School Choir and the Restoration Ministries Academy.

Museum director, Dion Brown, said this month’s program is just a preview of what The B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center will offer to the public in 2013. […]

Mississippi university could get first black chief

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More than 50 years ago, the University of Southern Mississippi rejected a chance to admit a black man and end segregation in the state’s higher education system. Today, the school is likely to become the first of Mississippi’s historically white public universities to be led by a black man.

College Board officials said this month that they want Dr. Rodney Bennett, the University of Georgia’s vice president of student affairs, to become the next president of 16,000-student USM.

Bennett was chosen from among three finalists by the board that oversees all eight public universities. Assuming campus interviews go well, Bennett will likely be named to the post Thursday, Feb. 7. […]