Business

CertainTeed restarting production in Meridian

CertainTeed joined local and state officials Monday to announce the company is restarting its ceiling tile manufacturing operations in Meridian, in the same facility it purchased in 2005.

The project represents a $24 million company investment and will create 110 new jobs by 2016.

Production is expected to resume during the second quarter of 2014. Once operational, the facility will produce a range of ceiling tiles and acoustical wall panels used in commercial construction applications. […]

News

Man gets 2 years for lying about slashing tires

A Warren County man has been sentenced to two years in prison for lying under oath about slashing four sets of tires.

The Vicksburg Post reports that 43-year-old Johnny Wayne Nevels pleaded guilty last week to perjury and malicious mischief.

Nevels allegedly lied during a June 15 probation hearing when he denied slashing the tires. Court records show a woman testified that she saw him slash the tires, and his blood was found on one of them. […]

Education

Kid-Friendly fun in the ‘True South’

Mississippi is the perfect place to let your children explore and discover all the fun of the True South this spring and summer. It’s also the right location for a memorable and affordable family getaway.

“With beautiful weather from the hills to the Gulf Coast, Mississippi offers a diverse and fun-filled array of activities for children this spring and summer,” said Malcolm White, director of the Mississippi Development Authority’s Tourism Division. “Being centrally located between Memphis and New Orleans, Birmingham and Baton Rouge, and Atlanta and Dallas makes Mississippi a great choice for an affordable family vacation within easy driving distance of many major cities. Our kid-friendly attractions and events – like interactive museums and food festivals – are easy to access from most parts of the country.” […]

News

Child, 3, drowns in Jackson County swimming pool

The Sheriff’s Office in Jackson County is reporting the death of a 3-year-old child in a swimming pool.
 
The Sun Herald reports the death is believed to be the result of an accidental drowning Saturday, May 25, in a pool in the Gulf Park Estates area in the St. Andrews community.

The child’s name was being withheld pending further investigation and notification of family members.
[…]

News

Vicksburg toddler run over and killed by aunt

A 2-year-old girl died Sunday after being hit by a car at a family gathering.

Warren County Coroner Doug Huskey told the Vicksburg Post that Carmyia Buck was pronounced dead of abdominal trauma at River Region Medical Center.

Huskey says no autopsy has been ordered.

Police Chief Walter Armstrong says the child was struck by a car driven by her aunt, 27-year-old Ebonay Brown, just before 7 p.m. […]

News

Possible suspect arrested in murder of Clinton man

Clinton police have arrested a possible suspect in connection with the shooting death of a 21-year-old man.

The Clarion-Ledger reports that Mark Nichols’ body was discovered Saturday night on the side of a road in Clinton. Hinds County Coroner Sharon Grisham-Stewart said Nichols was killed by a single gunshot wound to his head.

Clinton’s interim police chief, Mike Warren, said investigators planned to question Tommy Bass, of Clinton, in connection with the case before determining whether to charge him in the killing. […]

Events

Mississippi offers free fishing weekend

The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks is offering a statewide free fishing weekend June 1-2.

It kicks off National Fishing and Boating Week, which celebrates the importance of recreational boating and fishing in enhancing quality of life and conserving the country’s natural resources.

The Vicksburg Post reports the department, the Mississippi Wildlife Federation and the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science will also host the 11th annual Katfishin’ Kids Fishing Rodeo on June 1. […]

News

Site of 1963 Woolworth’s Sit-In gets Freedom Trail Marker

On Tuesday, May 28, the newest marker on the Mississippi Freedom Trail was unveiled on East Capitol Street in downtown Jackson. The marker was erected at the site of the 1963 Woolworth’s store, where a historic sit-in by civil rights activists occurred.

Led by Tougaloo College students and faculty, the Woolworth’s sit-in on May 28, 1963, became one of the iconic moments of the Civil Rights movement.

A white mob threatened and attacked the activists and doused them with condiments over the course of several hours. Jackson Daily News photographer Fred Blackwell took images that, to this day, are synonymous with the movement and white resistance to it. […]

News

Ala. man guilty in Miss. slaying of 81-year-old woman

An Alabama man has been found guilty in the 2010 murder of an 81-year-old woman from Clinton, Miss.

Forty-one-year-old James Cobb Hutto was convicted of capital murder by a jury that deliberated Saturday for around two hours. He could face the death penalty.

Ethel Simpson’s body was found Sept. 17, 2010, near Edwards, Miss. She had died of blunt force trauma. […]