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Good afternoon, Mississippi editors.
The news editor is Brian Schwaner (1-504-523-3931). The AP photographer is Rogelio Solis. If you have contributions for or questions about the Mississippi report, call 1-601-948-5897. To report technical problems: 1-800-469-1362. AP stories, along with the photos that accompany them, can also be obtained from http://www.apexchange.com. Reruns are also available from the Service Desk (877-836-9477).
TOP STORIES
RACIAL DISPARITIES
JACKSON, Miss. — Black students in Mississippi are much more likely to be taught by rookie teachers, and black males are suspended at among the highest rates in the country. Those are among the findings of a U.S. Department of Education report on racial disparities in education. Neither finding is much of a surprise in Mississippi, where many districts with largely black student bodies scramble for teachers each year and where litigation has focused on harsh disciplinary practices in Jackson and Meridian. By Jeff Amy. UPCOMING: 500 words by 5 p.m. CT.
— With BC-School Suspensions.
BOWLING APPEAL
ABERDEEN, Miss. — A federal judge will hear arguments from a former Mississippi and Alabama prep football coach on a motion to set aside or reconsider his sentence to multiple guilty pleas that he transported boys across state lines for sex. U.S. District Judge Glen H. Davidson has scheduled the hearing for June 12 in Aberdeen, Miss. SENT: 355 words.
ROBBERY SLAYING RETRIAL
OXFORD, Miss. — Tevin James Benjamin, the youngest of four teenagers arrested in the 2008 slaying of Michael David Porter in Moss Point, has been acquitted of capital murder in a second trial on the charge. The trial had been moved from Jackson County to Lafayette County because of pretrial news coverage of the case. SENT: 409 words.
COLD CASE-PLEA
PERU, Ind. — A judge has rejected an agreement with prosecutors under which a Mississippi man was going to plead guilty to killing a northern Indiana woman more than 20 years ago. Timothy Jimerson, 54, of D'Iberville, Miss., faced a 30-year sentence if the judge had accepted the deal that called for him to plead guilty to a voluntary manslaughter charge in the 1992 strangulation death of 27-year-old Toni Spicer in her mobile home just north of the Miami-Howard county line. SENT: 411 words.
BILOXI ATTORNEY PLEA
GULFPORT, Miss. — A Biloxi attorney has pleaded guilty covering up evidence connected to a scheme to defraud two banks and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. The government says in a news release that it is seeking restitution on behalf of the victims in the amount of $7.7 million. SENT: 335 words.
BUSINESS
MISSISSIPPI SILICON
UNDATED — A competitor's effort to question an air pollution permit for a planned Tishomingo County silicon metal refinery has spilled into court. The $200 million Mississippi Silicon project, announced in late December, is supposed to create 200 jobs in Burnsville. By Jeff Amy. UPCOMING:
TRADE SECRETS LAWSUIT
JACKSON, Miss. — The Mississippi Supreme Court has declined a request from Eaton Corp. to take another look at its appeal of trade secrets lawsuit against a rival, Frisby Aerospace. Last November, the Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision, upheld a Hinds County judge's ruling that Eaton knew about and sanctioned secret actions that attorney Ed Peters took to influence former judge Bobby DeLaughter, the initial judge on the case. SENT: 354 words.
ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLES
INTERNATIONAL BALLET
JACKSON, Miss. — The USA International Ballet Competition invited 109 competitors from 21 countries to compete in Jackson this summer, and withdrawals have already whittled that number to 102 and 20 countries. That's not unexpected, as injuries, jobs, other commitments and money can play a role in whether dancers who applied are actually able to make the trip to Jackson and compete. By Sherry Lucas, The Clarion-Ledger. SENT: 599 words.
MISSISSIPPI NEWS IN BRIEF
TWO-HEADED CALF
NATCHEZ, Miss. — A two-headed calf that died shortly after being born on an Adams County cattle farm has been donated to the veterinary program at Alcorn State University. The unidentified cattle producer had kept the calf in a freezer since its death earlier this month. SENT: 12 words.
MISSISSIPPI-BOARD OF EDUCATION
JACKSON, Miss. — Vicksburg banker Hal Gage is resigning from Mississippi's state Board of Education after nearly 10 years. Gage, the chairman of River Hills Bank, said Friday that he's winding down his civic obligations to spend more time with his grandchildren. SENT: 130 words.
PARK-FIREARMS
HERNANDO, Miss. — DeSoto County supervisors will modify language on firearms contained in a proposed new ordinance on the use of city parks and greenways. The board will meet Monday on the proposal. SENT: 229 words.
GULF OIL SPILL-FRAUD
GULFPORT, Miss. — A 46-year-old Gautier man has been sentenced to prison for five months and ordered to repay $26,000 for oil spill recovery money he received by fraud. Vester Ray Bassham also was sentenced this week to five months of home confinement with electronic monitoring after his prison term is up. He will be on post-release supervision for three years. SENT: 123 words.
CONVENIENCE STORE STABBING
LUMBERTON, Miss. — A cash bond of $150,000 has been set for a man who allegedly stabbed a convenience store manager eight times. Lamont Williams, who made his initial appearance Thursday, is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. SENT: 97 words.
BACTERIA WARNING
WAVELAND, Miss. — The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality has issued a water contact advisory for the Waveland beach between Oak Boulevard and Favre Street. The beach is not closed but swimming in the area is more risky, as water may have high bacteria levels. SENT: 52 words.
TAX EVASION
GULFPORT, Miss. — A Gulfport man has pleaded guilty to income tax evasion by under-reporting his income by $68,448. Jeffrey Jerome Isabell will be sentenced June 2. SENT: 117 words.
GRINDLE APPEAL
JACKSON, Miss. — The Mississippi Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal from Brandon Grindle, who was found guilty of murder in 2011 in Marion County. Grindle was sentenced to life in prison for the shooting death of Charles Ray Brown Jr. SENT: 128 words.
COLUMBUS LANDFILL
COLUMBUS, Miss. — Two Columbus landfill cells will have their height limit raised pending approval from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality. SENT: 126 words.
MEMBER EXCHANGE
MAGNOLIA MONTESSORI SCHOOL
OXFORD, Miss. — The Plein Air Montessori School, now located in Taylor inside the Plein Air development, will move to Oxford at the end of May. The new location is actually a previous Montessori school location that was built in 2000 in front of the Twelve Oaks subdivision off College Hill Road. A new name is also forthcoming. By Jerra Scott, Oxford Eagle. SENT: 592 words.
SPORTS
GLF-CHAMPIONS TOUR
SAUCIER, Miss. — Fred Couples will be trying to win his second tournament in a row this week at the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic at Fallen Oak. Couples won the event in 2012 while Michael Allen won last year. By Sports Writer David Brandt. UPCOMING: 550 words, photos at 7 p.m. CT.
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The AP-Jackson, Miss.
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