News Briefs From Across The State
By Monica Land
Incident remains under investigation
A man who was found in a downtown Jackson hotel pool Friday night has died, WLBT reported.
According to Jackson Fire Department Chief Arson Investigator Greg Travis, the incident occurred just before 10 p.m. at the Marriott on Amite Street.
Authorities said 28-year-old Ben Johnson was pulled from the pool, but there is no indication as to how he fell in. Firefighters, AMR, and Jackson Police responded to the scene.
Johnson later died at Baptist Hospital. An autopsy was scheduled for this week.
1 dead, another stabbed in Yazoo City fight
A Yazoo City man is dead after catching his wife with another man. Authorities said a fight took place around 2 a.m. Saturday on Willie Brown Street near Lintonia Avenue.
The victim has been identified as 56-year-old Robert Lee Montson, 56, of Yazoo City. Police Chief Eric Snow says Montson kicked in the door of his sister-in-law's house and found his estranged wife with another man.
Snow said Montson had a knife and cut the man during an altercation. After he was stabbed, the man placed Montson in a choke hold until officers arrived and ordered to let go of Montson.
Barely breathing when he was released, paramedics were not able to revive Montson. His death is being investigated as a homicide, WLBT reported.
The stabbing victim was airlifted to UMC and is in stable condition, according to Snow. The incident remains under investigation.
County prepares for rubbish site change
Alcorn County has changed over from the landfill to the transfer station for household trash disposal. Waste Connections will now handle rubbish disposal at the transfer station.
The county is also moving some equipment from there to the landfill where it will be cleaned up and likely sold.
The county will continue to work on covering rubbish at the Proper Street landfill with dirt in preparation for closing the site. Officials say the landfill will be available for emergency use only, such as major storms.
Waste Connections has a 10-year contract with the county to operate the transfer station.
Some of the workers affected by the landfill closing will move to the county's sanitation operation.
MSU awarded $2M grant for juvenile justice project
Mississippi State University has received a $2 million research grant to study ways to provide juveniles in the state with substance-abuse prevention and treatment programs.
The study will be conducted at 12 sites in Mississippi.
Mississippi State is one of six universities and a health systems provider receiving grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse for the Juvenile Justice-Translational Research on Interventions for Adolescents in the Legal System.
MSU officials said the project has the potential to advance implementation science and to positively impact juvenile justice involved youth.