Category: Local News

NATCHEZ, Miss. – Adams County officials expressed sorrow and helplessness about this past weekend’s deadly shootouts at a Natchez grocery store and bar that resulted in three fatalities.

While meeting Monday, Adams County supervisors, Sheriff Travis Patten and others acknowledged the separate incidents of violence that have stirred up the community.

“It’s tragic. It needs to stop,” said Tim Houghton, who manages the county’s ambulance service. “Nobody can fix it except the people who are taking these actions.”

Two shooters are charged with murders that Sheriff Travis Patten noted are hard to prevent when people are determined to kill their targeted victims. “They made a conscious decision to be part of what they were a part of,” he said.

The separate killings Saturday and Sunday do not indicate that a rising homicidal crime wave is sweeping Natchez-Adams County, Patten said. “That’s not the community that we are,” he said. “It’s not Natchez.”

Houghton noted Adams County’s ambulance service – AMR – responded to 12 assaults in June, which is up from the monthly average of three. 

Prompted by the weekend shootings, county Supervisor Ricky Gray proposed the Board of Supervisors ban weapons from the Adams County administrative office building except for gunholders authorized to carry. However, with Mississippi law allowing people to freely carry guns in most public places, board attorney Scott Slover said he’ll research the legality of such a restriction. 

In response to Saturday’s predawn shootout at the bar on Lower Woodville Road, Supervisor Wes Middleton suggested county officials consider imposing a curfew to mandate when such nightspots must be closed. 

After the July 4 early-morning gunfight that erupted at JROC bar, Jaquavious Norman was arrested and charged with killing Michael Minor Jr. after Minor allegedly shot and killed Randolph Hannon in an argument over a dice game, according to the Adams County Sheriff’s Office incident report.

After the July 5 early-evening incident at Southside Market, Natchez police arrested store employee Jamien Myles and charged him with killing Kenerick Wimley during an altercation at the Seargent Prentiss Drive grocery. 

While three other people were injured in the two shootings, Patten noted more could’ve been – particularly at the busy grocery store. “I’m glad no innocent bystanders were hit,” he said.

Community leaders are speaking out following a deadly shooting Sunday evening at Southside Market that left one person dead and two others injured.

According to reporting by the Natchez Democrat, Natchez Police arrested Jamien Myles, 23, an employee of Southside Market, in connection with the incident. He has been charged with one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder.

Police said the shooting occurred around 7 p.m. Sunday at the grocery store on Seargent S. Prentiss Drive. One victim, Kenerick Wimley, 28, died after being transported to Merit Health Natchez. Two others, Keylan Wimley, 30, and Phillip Bradley, were airlifted to regional trauma centers for treatment. Their current conditions have not been publicly released.

According to the Natchez Democrat, Natchez Police Chief Lee Best said officers responding to the scene found one victim inside the store while learning two others had already been taken to the hospital by private vehicle. Investigators later located Myles inside the store and recovered a handgun.

Chief Best told the Natchez Democrat that investigators believe an altercation occurred inside the store before the shooting. He described the incident as “a senseless act that should never have happened” and said violence of this nature has lasting effects on victims, families and the broader community. Best also said investigators found no established connection between this incident and the double homicide that occurred on July 4 at JROC. He added that questions regarding any claim of self-defense would ultimately be determined through the judicial process.

In a statement posted to the City of Natchez Facebook page, Mayor Dan Gibson expressed sorrow over the violence and called for stronger action against violent crime.

“It’s been a sad evening tonight. My heart is heavy. Enough is enough,” the mayor wrote, adding that while thousands had gathered in Natchez over the holiday weekend without incident, acts of violence by a few continue to impact families and the community. He said community leaders must do everything possible to keep residents safe, called for the harshest penalties available for violent crime, and offered prayers for everyone affected.

Jamien Myles has been charged with murder and two counts of attempted murder. He is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

Yesterday was a day I shall never forget. Sitting with Marla on the first ever United Airlines jet to fly to our beautiful city was surreal – and together we shared prayers of gratitude for God’s favor that brought us to this moment. After landing and being greeted by hundreds of smiling well-wishers celebrating the arrival of the first plane, I watched Airport Director Carl Beasley and Adams County Administrator Mitzi Conn cut the ribbon. In that moment, surrounded by so many who carried this dream for years, I was overwhelmed with gratitude.

 

Wednesday’s restoration of commercial air service after more than thirty years was far more than one celebration happening at the airport. It was proof of what happens when people work together with persistence and refuse to give up. It’s quite a story. And today, I simply want to say thank you.

 

Every journey has a beginning, and ours began in 2021 with a simple question: Could Natchez once again have commercial air service? That question led us to Greenville, Mississippi, where dear friend and former Cleveland Mayor Billy Nowell connected us with now dear friend and Greenville Mayor Errick Simmons. Mayor Simmons hosted us along with then-Greenville Airport Director Samuel Washington. We toured the airport, shared lunch, and saw firsthand what commercial air service looked like for a city. We left believing that if they could do it, so could Natchez.

 

When we returned home, we began working with the existing leadership of the Natchez-Adams County Airport, including then-Airport Commission Chairman John McCullough and then-Airport Director Richard Nelson, as part of an already committed county-led team. Together, we focused on strengthening the foundation needed for commercial service and advancing Federal Aviation Administration grant projects that modernized our airfield and prepared it for the future.

 

Soon afterward, aviation consultant Jeremiah Gerald joined our effort. From that point forward, Jeremiah guided every phase of this journey – air service studies, federal grant applications, airline recruitment, industry conferences, and countless meetings over several years. His expertise and belief in Natchez were central to making this achievement possible.

 

In 2022, our vision took a giant step forward thanks to US Senator Roger Wicker. Through his leadership, Natchez became one of the first communities in the nation to receive a US Department of Transportation Small Community Air Service Development Grant. That funding changed everything and gave us the ability to compete for commercial air service.

 

I also must thank US Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith for her unwavering support and for announcing additional federal funding Wednesday to complete our new terminal. Throughout this process, she has been only a phone call or text message away. I also thank Congressman Bennie Thompson for his support throughout this process.

 

The support of Governor Tate Reeves has been tremendous. From the beginning, he supported our efforts and helped advance the resources needed for this project. I also thank Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann for his commitment to Natchez along with Speaker of the House Jason White. Our state legislative leaders were supportive as well, including Representatives Robert Johnson, Sam Mims and Angela Cockerham, and Senators Albert Butler and Gary Brumfield.

 

I also must thank Transportation Commissioner Charles Busby, MDOT Executive Director Brad White, and the team at the Mississippi Department of Transportation. Thank you also goes to Mr. Bill Cork and the Mississippi Development Authority team. Their belief in Natchez helped bring critical funding that made this project possible. Critical also was our team of lobbyists: former Congressman Gregg Harper and his partner Brett Bailey, and early-on, Manning McPhillips. I will never forget how Congressman Harper worked with Senator Wicker during a historic government shutdown to secure TSA approval at the last minute so we could meet our July 1 deadline.

 

Closer to home, this achievement would not have been possible without Airport Director Carl Beasley, whose decades of FAA experience brought unmatched expertise at exactly the right time. He was a Godsend. Thanks also to County Administrator Mitzi Conn, whose steady leadership helped move this project forward as part of a large team effort involving county, city, state, and federal partners. The nearly $7 million terminal, built primarily with grant funding and delivered in just 17 weeks, is a testament to what can be accomplished when everyone works together.

 

I am deeply grateful to Supervisor Angela Hutchins, President of the Adams County Board of Supervisors and every member of that board: Warren Gaines, Wes Middleton, Kevin Wilson, and Rickey Gray, for helping make our teamwork happen. Thanks also to our Natchez Board of Aldermen: Valencia Hall, Billie Joe Frazier, Sarah Carter Smith, Felicia Irving, Ben Davis, and Curtis Moroney who supported everything we did as a city to help. I must also mention the Natchez-Adams County Airport Advisory Board including Chairman Dante’ Weir, airport staff, and all others who made this possible. Special thanks to Thrash Commercial Contractors Inc., Waycaster Dungan Architecture and Engineering, Neel-Schaffer, Vasey Aviation, Brett Simon of BSJA, Visit Mississippi, and all professionals who helped transform this vision into a modern terminal in record time – and to David and Betty Paradise who allowed their 10,000 foot hangar to be used for the new terminal.

 

Thank you also to Chandler Russ and Natchez, Inc. He helped tremendously in securing federal and state funding. A must mention is Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten, whose leadership ensured airport security operations were fully prepared. Working closely with TSA, his team has been invaluable. And we must not forget Aimee Guido, Lynsey Gilbert, Alexander Romei, Visit Mississippi and Visit Natchez for their promotion of this new service. Thanks also to Vidal

Blankenstein, Kit White and Michael Wilson who helped with promotion for the city, and also to local media outlets who ran many stories and are continuing to report on this great news for Natchez! Special thanks to my Executive Assistant Richard Burke – I don’t know what we would have done without him.

 

Finally, thank you to SkyWest Airlines and United Airlines for believing in Natchez. Your investment is more than a new route—it is a vote of confidence in our future! This service is already changing how we connect to the world. Residents can park steps from the terminal, check in at home, pass quickly through TSA, and connect through Houston to destinations across the globe, all on a single ticket. Now comes our responsibility. If we use it, support it, and believe in it, it will grow.

 

As I reflect on Wednesday, I am reminded that history is written by people who refuse to give up, partners who trust one another, and leaders who work together instead of apart.

 

In closing, I want to thank my wife and First Lady, Marla, who never doubted for a single moment that we would reach this day. Through every meeting, every setback, and every victory, her faith never wavered.

 

Yesterday, a plane landed—and we now have proof of what happens when we never give up. Because Natchez Deserves More.

 

To book your next flight, visit www.FlyNatchez.com.

NATCHEZ, Miss. – Local officials and residents are celebrating the arrival Wednesday of commercial airline service to Natchez-Adams County after three decades of being without, but the challenge ahead is to ensure it’s financially viable for the air carrier.

“It’s difficult to get the air service, but it’s even more difficult to keep it,” said Jeremiah Gerald, the consultant city and county officials hired to help lure United Express to the Natchez-Adams County Airport. “So we need to make sure that we’re filling those seats.”

United Airlines’ regional partner — SkyWest — will be operating the Natchez-to-Houston connection using 50-seat jets for the early afternoon, once-a-day flights to and from Hardy-Anders Field and George Bush Intercontinental Airport, a major United Airlines hub for connecting flights globally.

“If these guys are not making a profit here in Natchez, they do have the ability to move to another destination,” said Gerald, pointing to other small communities competing for airline service.

Natchez-Adams County officials have been aggressively wooing passenger air carriers since 2021. The Adams County-owned airport hasn’t had regular airline service since the mid-1990s.

United and Skywest Airlines last October agreed to come lured partly by $950,000 in government money. The risk-mitigation fund is “to offset any losses” the airlines could suffer financially serving Natchez and the surrounding area, Gerard said. The money includes a $750,000 grant awarded to Natchez-Adams County in 2022 by the Federal Aviation Administration and $200,000 in city-county funds.

Meeting early June with Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson and other local officials, Gerard highlighted the financial risks United-SkyWest are taking serving the community with a projected small profit margin.

“We have high fuel costs right now, so that’s going into this equation. It’s going to be a little more expensive to operate that airplane now. So we need to be filling those airplanes (with passengers) as much as possible.”

A Gulfport-based aviation and marketing specialist, Gerald works for the ASM Global Route Development consulting firm.

While air fares vary, a one-way ticket from Houston (IAH) to Natchez (HEZ) cost $249 on Tuesday booked from United’s website for the Wednesday flight. It’s to depart IAH at 11:55 am and arrive HEZ at 1:10 pm. Gibson has said he plans to be on that maiden flight for the ceremonial arrival at Hardy-Anders Field.

The SkyWest-operated, United Express-logoed Bombardier jets are to depart HEZ daily at 1:45 pm and arrive IAH at 3:05 pm. Next week’s July 7 flight to Houston has a $199 ticket price.

The new air service has been lauded as an economic “game changer” to bring more tourists and  businesses to Natchez. It also provides a travel convenience for area residents no longer having to make long drives to and from regional airports in New Orleans, Jackson and Baton Rouge.

Local use is a key to ensuring the new passenger air service’s financial success, Gerard said. “That’s what’s going to be what sustains the service in the short term,” he said.

In advance of the July 1 start of airline service for Natchez-Adams County, an aggressive marketing campaign has been underway with a $150,000 advertising budget to get passengers to fly.

To accommodate airline employees, transportation security officers and passengers, an existing airplane hanger has been converted into a terminal at a cost of nearly $7 million. The old airport terminal – an antebellum-style structure built in 1959 –  is functionally obsolete.

The airport had commercial passenger planes landing here between the early 1950s and late 1980s and again briefly in the mid-1990s, according to the airport’s historical records.

Ever since my childhood I have loved the Fourth of July. From my earliest memories, my dad, a WWII veteran and my mom, a flag-waving product of those dark days when America saved the world, instilled in my brothers and me a great love for country. In the years since, that love has only grown.

This year, July Fourth promises to be something truly memorable. Our nation celebrates an extraordinary milestone – 250 years of American independence. And in Natchez, we plan to celebrate this milestone in true Natchez style!

Reflecting upon the courage of those who founded this great nation, and those who have fought from our earliest days to the present for freedom and equality, it is important that we celebrate the freedoms and opportunities that have come at so heavy a price. And in Natchez, we will be celebrating in a way that is fitting for one of America’s earliest and most historic cities.

I want to personally invite everyone—from lifelong residents to first-time visitors—to join us for the Natchez Big 250 Fest, a two-day celebration that showcases the very best of our community. This isn’t simply another Fourth of July weekend. It is an opportunity to come together as neighbors, families, veterans, and visitors to celebrate both our nation’s birthday and everything that makes Natchez such a remarkable place to live.

The weekend festivities kick off next Friday, as one of our community’s favorite traditions—Live at Five—joins forces with the City of Natchez, Visit Natchez, Miss-Lou Fireworks, and Natchez Parks & Recreation to present an unforgettable evening on the Bluff.

Beginning at 4:00 p.m. Friday, July 3, everyone is invited to gather at Memorial Park for our patriotic second-line parade which will begin at 4:30 going down Main Street to the Bandstand on The Bluff. Led by the energetic Epic Funk Brass Band, families are encouraged to decorate their golf carts, bicycles, tricycles, wagons, and strollers, wave their American flags, and become part of the celebration.

The parade’s Grand Marshal will be Captain Jack Kerwin, who recently celebrated his 100th birthday. Cpn’ Jack is a member of America’s Greatest Generation, having served our nation with distinction during World War II, and later again during the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Few people have devoted a century of life to service as he has. I hope our community will line the streets to honor this remarkable American hero with the gratitude he so richly deserves.

After the parade, the celebration continues at the Bandstand with our Family Festival featuring children’s activities, bubbles, cornhole, yard games, and plenty of opportunities for families to

enjoy time together. The music begins at 5 p.m. with the Epic Funk Brass Band, followed by the incredible Mira.Got.Soul at 6 p.m.

The celebration continues on Saturday, July 4, with another full afternoon and evening of family fun along the Bluff. Beginning at 4:30 p.m., the Family Festival returns with children’s activities and fun for all ages. Live music begins at 5 p.m. with Cha Cha Boo, followed by The Remedy featuring Tema Larry at 6 p.m. The evening concludes with the spectacular Miss-Lou Fireworks Grand Finale at 9:30 p.m., illuminating the Mississippi River in a breathtaking tribute to 250 years of American freedom.

What makes this weekend so meaningful isn’t simply the schedule of events. It’s the people. It’s the volunteers who devote countless hours to making these celebrations possible. It’s the musicians who share their talents. It’s the first responders who work to keep everyone safe. It’s the local businesses, civic organizations, churches, sponsors, and community partners who continually invest in making Natchez a place where families create lasting memories.

Most importantly, it’s you. Every smiling face in the crowd, every child waving an American flag, every veteran receiving a heartfelt thank you, and every family gathered together reminds us that community is built one relationship at a time.

As your mayor, I can think of no better place to celebrate America’s 250th birthday than Natchez – the oldest city on the highest bluff of the mightiest river. So bring your lawn chairs. Bring your family. Bring your friends. Most of all, bring your pride in America and your love for Natchez. This Fourth of July weekend will be a historic opportunity to celebrate not only our nation’s remarkable past but also our city’s promising future.

I look forward to seeing you on the Bluff! Happy Independence Day, and may God continue to bless the United States of America and the City of Natchez. Because Natchez, America, Deserves More.