News Briefs From Across The State
One woman charged in all 22 counts
A federal grand jury has indicted 12 people in Mississippi for their alleged roles in student loan fraud scheme.
U.S. Attorney John Dowdy said that the dozen people are charged in a 22-count federal indictment issued Nov. 8. The charges include mail fraud, financial aid fraud and conspiracy.
The defendants’ ages range from 21 to 41.
One woman, Stephanie R. Brewer, also known as Stephanie R. Williams, is charged in all 22 counts.
Prosecutors say the defendants filed fraudulent admission and loan applications when they never intended to attend courses. Brewer allegedly got $800 from each fraudulent student. More than $52,000 in student loan and grants were disbursed.
Sentencing set in Mississippi gun case
A man is scheduled for sentencing in January for his role in a scheme to purchase a gun for a convicted felon.
The federal indictment in Mississippi says Ralphial Magell Shumpert arranged for the purchase of a .45 caliber pistol because he was “into it” with some other people. A woman who was not indicted bought the gun at a pawn shop in Verona and it ended up in the hands of Garrett Birmingham, a convicted felon.
Shumpert pleaded guilty in September. He is scheduled for sentencing Jan. 31 in U.S. District Court in Oxford.
Birmingham also has pleaded guilty in the case, but his sentencing date has not been set.
911 service has a new home in Alcorn County
Alcorn County’s 911 emergency service operations have moved to the Alcorn County Justice Center.
The Daily Corinthian reported the service, formally known as Alcorn County Communications, took its first call on Dec. 13.
The service was set up 20 years ago.
Hattiesburg fire forces ambulance service to move
Managers and employees of a Hattiesburg ambulance service spent alot of their time moving supplies and equipment from their offices after a fire at Triple-A Ambulance Service badly damaged the building.
Triple-A’s chief executive, Wade Sprull said ambulance service won’t be disrupted. Authorities said the fire may have been ignited by an electrical source. No injuries were reported.
City hall project discussed in Picayune
Picayune officials will ask for bids on a new city hall.
The Picayune Item reported that the mayor and city council heard a proposal for a $2.1 million new city hall complex. Hattiesburg architect Kevin P. Lewis told officials the project could be constructed without new taxes.
Mayor Ed Pinero Jr. and the council decided to receive bids and then make a decision on whether to continue with the project.
The plan proposes a 9,500 square-foot addition that would complement the old City Hall’s unique Georgian architecture. The old City Hall was constructed in 1939. The current flat-roofed, 1950s style annex, which does not match the architecture of the old City Hall, would be torn down.
Hernando and Brandon Named “Best Places to Live”
Hernando and Brandon were listed among the top 100 places to live in Money Magazine’s recent “America’s Best Small Towns” rankings. With an estimated population of 12,800 people, Hernando was ranked number 79, and Brandon, with an estimated population of 24,200 people, was ranked number 89 on the list.
Some of Hernando’s assets that were taken into consideration in the rankings are its historic downtown square, the county courthouse and Baptist Memorial Hospital, which ranks as one of the best health-care providers in the South.
The magazine mentioned Brandon’s historical society, with the community’s homes dating back to the 1860s, as well as its reasonably priced homes and its school system, as reasons the town ranks as one of the top 100 small towns in the country in which to live.
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