Top Stories – Page 114 – The Mississippi Link

Dad charged in wreck that killed his 5 kids

A 34-year-old man has been charged with 6 counts of DUI manslaughter after crashing his vehicle into a creek killing his five children and a family friend.

Duane John was taken into custody Monday, Dec. 31, two days after the deadly wreck on County Road 107 just inside Neshoba County.

Neshoba County’s sheriff, Tommy Waddell, said John – who was also injured in the accident – was arrested after he was released from a local hospital on Monday.

His bond has been set at $150,000. […]

“Fiscal cliff” averted after deal clears House

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Congress has started its climb back up the “fiscal cliff.”

After House Republicans finally relented to the Senate’s “far from perfect” plan (as many members put it), the House Tuesday night passed the bill 257-167 with GOP and Democratic support.

The bill received 85 Republican votes, after GOP lawmakers huddled for hours Tuesday, wringing their hands over the lack of spending cuts in the bill. House leaders considered holding a vote on an amendment to add a $323 billion package of spending cuts, but the Democratic-led Senate said it wouldn’t accept an amended bill. Democrats, while also expressing concerns about the deal, largely supported the measure with just 16 voting against it.
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Man murdered over 2 cigarettes

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Police Chief Richard O’Bannon said a local man has yet to have his preliminary hearing after he allegedly shot and killed a man over two broken cigarettes.

O’Bannon said 20-year-old Mark Haney Jr. is being held without bond for the Dec. 15, 2012 murder of 26-year-old Lonnie Brooks.

O’Bannon said the altercation between Haney and Brooks began around 10:30 p.m. in the parking lot of the Royal Ridge Apartments on Gillespie Drive in Indianola. […]

Woman charges thousands on granny’s credit card

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Ocean Springs police are investigating thousands of dollars worth of fraudulent credit card transactions allegedly made by 27-year-old Jessica Richard of Ocean Springs.

The arrest stems after Richard’s aunt recently took over Richards’ 88-year-old grandmother’s finances and discovered the fraudulent charges.

“She found the grandmother’s credit card bills were through the roof,” Lt. Bruce Spearnock said. […]

Hail and farewell; a salute to those we lost in 2012

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The year 2012 was filled with highs and lows, shock and disbelief – as notable movers and shakers, politicians and hit makers departed this world, but not without leaving an indelible mark on the hearts and minds of many.

While the death of any individual is noteworthy, the following deaths are significant and stand as a testimony that greatness is achievable – even for the lowly and humble.

Listed below is a partial list of those we lost in 2012: […]

Suspect arrested in Friday’s drive-by shooting

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Sheriff’s deputies in Oktibbeha County have arrested a man wanted in connection with a shooting early Friday morning.

Officials said a search warrant executed on a residence on Blair Road led to the discovery of the suspect, 27-year-old Lorenzo Lamas Hunter.

Deputies believe Hunter allegedly shot into another man’s sport-utility vehicle early Friday morning on Blair Road in the Blackjack community, wounding the driver.
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Tornado hits Pearl River; Gov. declares state of emergency

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Mississippi’s governor Phil Bryant has declared a state of emergency for several counties hit hard after severe storms and a tornado moved through the state this week.

Emergency management personnel confirmed that a tornado did touch down in Pearl River County on Tuesday, Dec. 25, that destroyed approximately 15 homes sending at least eight people to the hospital, the Associated Press reported.

None of the injuries were life-threatening. […]

2 economic developers indicted for bribery and embezzlement

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Federal officials said two women have been indicted in connection with an embezzlement and bribery scheme related to grant funds and the construction of community housing projects in the Mississippi Delta.

Connie Lewis, 52, of Jackson, an employee of the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA), faces nine counts of accepting a total of over $250,000 in cash bribes from Jimmy Stokes, a general contractor in the Mississippi Delta, in return for her influence at the MDA in directing federal grant funds to Stokes Construction Company.
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Retired Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf dies at 78

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Retired Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, who topped an illustrious military career by commanding the U.S.-led international coalition that drove Saddam Hussein’s forces out of Kuwait in 1991 but kept a low public profile in controversies over the second Gulf War against Iraq, died Thursday.

He was 78.

Schwarzkopf died in Tampa, Fla., where he had lived in retirement, according to a U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. […]

Headlines of 2012 mixed with sorrows, joy and uncertainties

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By Ayesha K. Mustafaa

Interim Managing Editor

Near top of the year, pulling at the heart strings of most Americans was news of the sudden death of pop icon Whitney Houston Feb. 11. She left behind daughter Bobbi Kristina. The star was found face down in a water-filled bathtub with drug paraphernalia nearby. The coroner’s initial report stated that she died of accidental drowning.

Forensic toxicologist Bruce Goldberger said the details about her blood from the toxicology report indicated she was “acutely intoxicated from cocaine” at the time of her death and was a “repeated cocaine user.” Traces of prescription medications were in her system, and blood tests indicated that she smoked marijuana within two weeks before her death…. […]