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Grease Fire At Local Restaurant Saturday - Chris Davis March 09, 2010

A grease fire sent workers scrambling Saturday at a Carthage business. Carthage firefighters say the fire caused about 75 percent smoke damaged and burned up a fryer at the Sonic on Hwy. 35 at about 1:15 Saturday afternoon. Fire crews say when they arrived smoke was coming from the front of the building and flames were coming from the cooking equipment, which they quickly extinguished. Besides smoke damage to the building, the only other property affected was the fryer.
Crews say Saturday evening’s call of a house fire on Allen Rd. ended up being a shorted electrical box at the Larry Vito residence. Crews say they responded to that call at 8:30. On Sunday at 3 p.m. a trash fire got out of control and sent Carthage firefighters to 288 Pickens Circle where they extinguished the blaze.

Cesus Testing In Leake County - Chris Davis March 09, 2010

Census workers are needed in Leake County and Wednesday is the day to be tested. Census officials tell Kicks98 News that the job includes good pay and mileage. Testing will be conducted at the Carthage-Leake County Library at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. tomorrow. Candidates are invited to walk in, with no appointment necessary. Census officials do remind potentials to bring two forms of identification.

Renovated Visitor Center Open in Kosciusko - Chris Davis March 09, 2010


The newly renovated Natchez Trace Visitor’s Center was unveiled Monday, with a focus to bring people into Kosciusko. Steve Zea, KADC president, said the Center could not operate without volunteers. Elsie McLemore has been volunteering at the Center for 25 years and was on hand for the ribbon cutting. She says her job is to tell people about Kosciusko and she enjoys meeting people from all over the world. One such person was on hand for the ribbon cutting. Robin Brooks of Seattle, a recent college graduate, is on a cross country solo bicycle tour. She told Kicks98 News Monday that the Kosciusko Visitor’s Center is one of the most beautiful she has seen. Thomas Pound, who serves on the Visitor’s Center board echoed that opinion, saying the building is a great first impression of the town. Another group of people who were thanked profusely were Greg Cooper, Tonya Threet and Steve Zea, all three from the KADC, who have “sweat equity” in the building, according to Mayor Jimmy Cockroft. The three have spent time putting in actual physical work on the facility.

Leake Deputies Make Drug Arrest - Chris Davis March 09, 2010

Leake County deputies made a drug arrest Saturday, seizing two marijuana pipes after a safety checkpoint on Hwy. 35 south. Sheriff Greg Waggoner says 29-year-old David Chipley of Sanders Lane in Carthage was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia after a search of his vehicle turned up two pipes with pot residue. One was in the glove compartment and another was in a wooden box. Waggoner says the deputies got permission for a consensual search after Chipley appeared to have taken drugs and was nervous when he approached the road block.

Festival Kick-off Soiree' Today - Chris Davis March 09, 2010

The 41st Annual Natchez Trace Festival will take place in downtown Kosciusko April 23 and 24. A kick-off event for the festival has been set for today at 4 p.m. at the Jordan Art Gallery on North Natchez St. Lisa Crosby, a Kosciusko native, is this year’s featured artist and official artwork for the festival, including t-shirts, will be revealed. Last year’s event saw thousands browsing the food and craft booths and the homecoming of bluesman Charlie Musselwhite. Breezynews is your source for information on the Natchez Trace Festival.

Norwood Pleads Guilty in Fondling - Chris Davis March 08, 2010

Quinon Norwood, Jr. will spend eight years in prison for a fondling incident last year. Norwood, who is in his mid 60s and is not to be confused with several others who bear the same name in the county, pleaded guilty to touching a child for lustful purposes and avoided a trial that was set for this month. The plea came Thursday, according to court records. The sentence was for 15 years, with seven suspended, and he will be required to register as a sex offender. The original charge was sexual battery of a child under 14 and would have carried a much stiffer sentence. Norwood will spend all eight years in prison and is not eligible for parole because of the nature of the offense. He was indicted in the recalled grand jury session last month. There are no details available about the case because it involved a minor and Kicks98 News does not release the names of victims of sex crimes.

Inmates to Stay in Leake Jail For Now - Chris Davis March 08, 2010

It appears that state inmates housed in the Leake County Regional Jail will not have to be returned after a financial shot in the arm last week. But Mississippi's corrections commissioner says he doesn't know what will happen to the state's inmate labor program after June 30. Department of Corrections Commissioner Chris Epps says he appreciates getting $16 million in a budget deal reached earlier this week to keep the program going through the current fiscal year. Under the Joint County-State Work Program, about 840 inmates provide free labor for 33 sheriff's departments. Last month, Epps had written them to say that the program would end after March 15 because the department could not afford to pay the daily housing fee of $20 per inmate. Leake County Sheriff Greg Waggoner says the county has a separate building that houses the work program inmates that would have had to close if the money had not come through. He adds that the inmates provided a valuable source of labor for the county and city and that sending them back would have resulted in a budget reduction of over $1 million.

Newly Renovated Visitors Center Opens - Chris Davis March 08, 2010

This morning community leaders will gather to celebrate the refurbished Natchez Trace Visitor’s Center with a ribbon cutting set for 10 a.m. The building was closed in early January to under renovations in the way it looks and in its message. Greg Cooper, KADC vice-president, spoke with Kicks98 News as renovations were underway. He says the focus is now not so much the history of Kosciusko, but the city itself. He says the new look of the center will be geared toward attracting people to come into town and see what’s going on, with the historical aspect relegated to a room on the side of the main room. The center will now have WiFi connectivity and a computer for travelers’ convenience.

Photo: Taken as renovations began in January.

New Phi Theta Kappa Members at ECCC - Tara Tavares March 07, 2010

New members of East Central Community College’s Theta Xi Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for two-year colleges, were recognized during the annual spring induction ceremony held Sunday, Feb. 28, 2010, on the Decatur campus. Tapped for the prestigious organization were 113 students who met membership requirements, which include a 3.5 grade point average, earned as a full-time student along with an overall 3.5 GPA. Amy A. Walgamott, Phi Theta Kappa Coordinator for the Mississippi/Louisiana Region, provided opening remarks and congratulated inductees on their academic success. Retired ECCC faculty member Ovid S. Vickers was guest speaker and spoke with pride of the many graduates of the institution who continue to have successful careers in their chosen fields. “Can one attend East Central Community College and become a successful doctor, lawyer or whatever profession he or she chooses?” he asked the packed crowd in Huff Auditorium. “Yes you can,” Vickers replied, “and don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise. You students who are Phi Theta Kappa members will no doubt be successful in whatever field you choose. Congratulations on your achievement.” ECCC President Dr. Phil A. Sutphin and Dr. Lavinia Sparkman, vice president for instruction, also provided remarks and congratulated inductees. Theta Xi officers Kurt Simoneau (president) of Louin, Kyle Ethridge (vice president of scholarship) of Decatur, Jordan Gunn (vice president of fellowship) of Forest, Brandon Hughes (vice president of leadership) of Decatur, Abby McMillan (vice president of public relations) of Newton and Paul Sewell (vice president of service) of Leesburg, Ala., conducted the induction ceremony with supervision from Theta Xi advisers Kate Keenan Covich (speech instructor) and Curt Skipper (biology instructor).

ECCC Offers Spring Break Baseball Camp - Tara Tavares March 07, 2010

East Central Community College’s baseball staff is once again offering its Spring Break Camp by providing instruction at three different locations Thursday, March 18, 2010. Activities begin at 9 a.m. on the Forest and Neshoba Central high school baseball fields and at the Ivy Park complex in Louisville. The one-day camp is designed for ages six to 14, said Diamond Warrior head coach Neal Holliman whose staff and players will conduct the sessions, which conclude at 3 p.m. at each location. “Each camp will focus on all skills, including throwing, catching, hitting, pitching and base-running,” said Holliman. “We will work together to provide the individual camper with the best instruction possible.” Cost is $60 per camper and includes insurance, lunch and a camp T-shirt. For more information, contact Coach Holliman (601-635-2226) or assistant coach Michael Avalon (601-635-6374). The e-mail addresses are nholliman@eccc.edu and mavalon@eccc.edu

Morton Police Dept. Eyes Money Ruling - Chris Davis March 06, 2010

The 30-day deadline has passed for anyone to claim $672,439 in cash that Morton police had seized during a stop of an 18-wheeler in Interstate 20 on Jan. 21. Now the city can go to Scott County Circuit Court to ask for the money. The money was in a tractor-trailer that a police officer chased six miles on I-20 west before stopping it at the Scott/Rankin county line. If a judge decides the money is forfeited, Morton would get 80 percent of it, while 20 percent would go to Pelahatchie, whose police assisted in the bust. The Clarion-Ledger reports police have not identified the California woman who was driving the truck. They will not say whether she is in custody.

Branch Found Guilty of Zemuly Murder - Chris Davis March 06, 2010

A jury took just under four hours to convict William Austin Branch of murdering 19-year-old Jacob Simmons in April, 2009. The jury was out from about 4 p.m. Thursday, took a break for the evening and began deliberating again Friday morning, reaching a verdict shortly after 9 a.m. A life sentence was imposed shortly thereafter. The trial had been continued from the September session of Attala County Circuit Court and began Wednesday. Simmons body was found in a pasture off Hwy. 14 in the Zemuly community in southern Attala County. Sheriff’s investigators told Breezynews Simmons received one gunshot wound to the head. Branch pleaded not guilty to the crime in August.

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