Area News
One jailed, another sent to hospital after bike chase
From Staff Reports __________ An attempt to avoid a roadblock last week led to one person being arrested and a second hospitalized. Perry County deputies were conducting a driver’s license checkpoint on Clay Hill Road and Gracie Hinton Road on Jan. 31, when a motorcycle with two riders failed to stop. Sheriff Mitch Nobles said…
Read MoreLocal school bus driver arrested
New Augusta man charged with lustful touching of a child By RUSSELL TURNER Dispatch Editor __________ A Perry County school bus driver was arrested this week and charged with inappropriate touching of a young student who was a passenger on his bus. James Richard Mitchell, 69, of New Augusta, was arrested Monday and charged with touching of…
Read MoreVice serves up delicous bread and treats, along with a slice of history
By ANNETTE HARVISON Dispatch Staff __________ There’s not much like the taste and texture of a freshly baked loaf of homemade bread. It’s a kitchen art that has declined over the years. Fleischman’s yeast and Sunbeam bread cut the need to knead at home. The slow rise of homemade bread took a fast decline, but there…
Read MoreGoodin among new state reps feeling squeezed by House Speaker Philip Gunn
Local lawmaker says Gunn is trying to force him and others to choose between retirement benefits he’s earned or service as elected official Staff Reports __________ A dispute between four freshmen state legislators and powerful Speaker of the House Philip Gunn over whether they can hold the political office and draw their state retirements from…
Read MoreCounty’s pharmacists have long history at forefront of community healthcare
By ANNETTE HARVISON Dispatch Staff __________ It’s flu season and that time of year when the weather can’t seem to make up its mind. Many of us find ourselves in the doctor’s office looking for relief from colds, and when we leave the doctor’s office, the next stop is the pharmacy. Local pharmacists are often a…
Read MoreID sought for human remains found in county
Staff Reports __________ Forensic experts and law enforcement officials are working to determine how a human skull ended up in a wooded area in the Little Creek Community and who the skull belonged to. Perry Co. Sherriff Mitch Nobles said his office is investigating the discovery of a partial human skull off Progress Road in…
Read MorePerry and Greene counties are at ground zero in wave of gang-related violence
From Staff and Contributed Reports __________ Greene and Perry counties have been on the front lines of an apparent turf battle between rival gangs that has resulted in multiple deaths and injuries across the state in recent weeks. Five state inmates and a 13-year-old boy have been killed since just before Christmas and multiple other…
Read MoreSheriff vows crackdown as gang violence erupts across area and in state prisons
Six arrested as part of investigation into shootings By RUSSELL TURNER Dispatch Editor __________ Vowing a tough crackdown on gang activity, Perry County Sheriff Mitch Nobles announced six arrests New Year’s Day as his department worked to get ahead of a rash of gang-related shootings. None of the six local men jailed as part of the…
Read MoreDeBar tabbed as Senate Education Chairman
From Staff Reports __________ Local educators may not get everything they want out of state government over the next four years, but they won’t have to go very far to bend the ears of the state leaders making the decisions. State Senator Dennis DeBar (R-Leakesville) was announced last week as the new chairman of the…
Read MoreSpecial election set for Town of Richton’s alderman’s position
Staff Reports __________ Mayor Michael W. Ruffin and the Richton Board of Aldermen announced last week they have set Feb. 18 as the date for a special election to fill a vacant seat on the town’s governing body. Board members made the decision at their meeting on Jan. 7. The election is being held to…
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