OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — A college town in Mississippi temporarily closed a street Wednesday after a delivery truck dropped dozens of cases of beer.
The spill happened in Oxford, home of the University of Mississippi.
The Oxford Police Department posted photos on social media and asked drivers to avoid the area for a while.
“Please use another route,” the department posted on X. “And no, you cannot come help ‘clean up.’”
A man wanted on murder and armed robbery charges was taken into custody Wednesday after a 15-hour standoff with police at a Chicago restaurant just blocks from the Democratic National Convention, authorities said.
Joshua Zimmerman had been sought by the U.S. Marshals Service since his escape from a Mississippi courthouse in June. He was located Tuesday at the restaurant, according to Justin Smith, chief deputy with the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office in Mississippi.
After marshals learned that Zimmerman was in Chicago, an agency task force concluded that he was at a seafood restaurant, where investigators believed he was working.
“During the arrest attempt, Zimmerman retreated into the ceiling and barricaded himself,” the agency said in a statement. A Chicago police SWAT team was then called to the scene.
The restaurant is about a half-mile from the United Center, where the political convention is being held. The Marshals Service said there was “no connection or threat to the event or those attending.”
Without using Zimmerman’s name, the Chicago Police Department said a person was taken into custody about 7:20 a.m. and that the SWAT action that began about 4 p.m. Tuesday had ended.
The Marshals Service said Zimmerman escaped from the circuit court building in Hernando, Mississippi, where he was being held on attempted murder and armed robbery charges. He was also awaiting extradition to Houston, Texas, where he’s charged with murder, the Marshals Service said.
Smith told reporters that the sheriff’s department and other agencies have been investigating why Zimmerman was not wearing handcuffs and how he escaped. He said authorities want to bring him back to Mississippi.
“That’s why we’re excited to actually get a chance to sit down with Zimmerman and get some more facts,” Smith said.
According to court records in Harris County, Texas, Zimmerman is accused of fatally shooting a woman, Keyanna Mercer, at a Houston motel on Sept. 2, 2023.
The two were asked to leave the motel after multiple complaints of fighting, and when staff members checked the room to see if they had left, they found Mercer’s body with a gunshot wound to the head, police said.
Court records also show Zimmerman was arrested in Connecticut in 2022 on a felony sexual assault charge. He pleaded not guilty and was freed on a $200,000 bond, but a warrant was later issued for his re-arrest. Connecticut State Police did not immediately provide details on the case.
The Mississippi Public Service Commissioners are issuing a warning to all residents to be vigilant against scam callers impersonating Public Service Commission (PSC) employees. These fraudulent individuals are attempting to solicit sensitive personal information and payments by falsely claiming affiliation with the PSC.
On Monday, a concerned citizen reported receiving a phone call from someone pretending to be a PSC staff member. The scammer claimed that the resident would receive $200 as a reward for paying her electric bills on time but insisted on obtaining her credit card information to process the payment. The caller did not provide a name or mention any electric company but misleadingly referenced the PSC’s customer service number.
The PSC has taken swift action, reporting this incident to the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office. The agency emphasized that its employees will never request sensitive information or payment over the phone.
To protect yourself from these scams, remember the following:
Stay alert and safeguard your personal information from these malicious attempts.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — More than 17,000 AT&T workers in nine states across the Southeast are on strike after accusing the company of unfair labor practices during contract negotiations this summer.
The Communications Workers of America — the union representing the striking employees — said workers walked off the job Friday in response to AT&T’s failure to bargain in good faith. Workers have been attempting to reach a new contract since June. The labor organization said AT&T did not send representatives to the bargaining table who had authority to make decisions and that the company has reneged on agreements made in bargaining.
“Our union entered into negotiations in a good faith effort to reach a fair contract, but we have been met at the table by company representatives who were unable to explain their own bargaining proposals and did not seem to have the actual bargaining authority required by the legal obligation to bargain in good faith,” Richard Honeycutt, vice president of CWA District 3 in the Southeast, said in a statement.
The strike involves AT&T technicians, customer service representatives and others who install, maintain and support AT&T’s residential and business wireline telecommunications network. It involves workers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee
The union said it filed an unfair labor practice complaint with the National Labor Relations Board.
“CWA’s claims of unfair labor practices are not grounded in fact. We have been engaged in substantive bargaining since Day One and are eager to reach an agreement that benefits our hard-working employees,” the company said in emailed statement. AT&T said it reached three separate agreements this year covering more than 13,000 employees.
The labor union on Monday also accused AT&T of “sending undertrained managers and contractors to perform highly technical work” during the strike. AT&T said it has “various business continuity measures in place to avoid disruptions to operations and will continue to provide our customers with the great service they expect.”
NEW YORK (AP) — Check your freezer. Perdue Foods is recalling more than 167,000 pounds of frozen chicken nuggets and tenders after some customers reported finding metal wire embedded in the products.
According to Perdue and the U.S. Agriculture Department’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, the recall covers select lots of three products: Perdue Breaded Chicken Tenders, Butcher Box Organic Chicken Breast Nuggets and Perdue Simply Smart Organics Breaded Chicken Breast Nuggets.
FSIS and Perdue determined that some 167,171 pounds (75,827 kilograms) of these products may be contaminated with a foreign material after receiving an unspecified number of customer complaints. In a Friday announcement, Maryland-based Perdue said that the material was “identified in a limited number of consumer packages.”
The company later “determined the material to be a very thin strand of metal wire that was inadvertently introduced into the manufacturing process,” Jeff Shaw, Perdue’s senior vice president of food safety and quality, said in a prepared statement. Shaw added that Perdue decided to recall all impacted packages “out of an abundance of caution.”
There are no confirmed injuries or adverse reactions tied to eating these products to date, according to FSIS and Perdue. Still, FSIS is concerned that the products may be in consumers’ freezers.
The now-recalled tenders and nuggets can be identified by product codes listed on both Perdue and FSIS’s online notices. All three impacted products have a best if used by date of March 23, 2025, and establishment number “P-33944” on the back of the package. They were sold at retailers nationwide.
Darrell Dixon’s father was just 25 when he had a major heart attack in the rural Mississippi Delta. By his early 40s, a series of additional attacks had left his heart muscle too weak to pump enough blood to his body. He died in 2013 at the age of 49.
“It was a big jolt for our family,” Dixon, 36, recalled. “For myself, personally, it also got me thinking about heredity. I just wondered whether I was next.”
The death spurred Dixon to get involved in an unusual and ambitious new health study.
Public health experts from some of the nation’s leading research institutions have deployed a massive medical trailer to rural parts of the South to test and survey thousands of local residents. The goal: to understand why the rates of heart and lung disease are dramatically higher there than in other parts of the U.S.
“This rural health disadvantage, it doesn’t matter whether you’re white or Black, it hurts you,” said Dr. Vasan Ramachandran, a leader of the project who used to oversee the Framingham Heart Study — the nation’s longest-running study of heart disease. “No race is spared, although people of color fare worse.”
The researchers aim to test the heart and lung function of roughly 4,600 residents of 10 counties and parishes in Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana and Mississippi while collecting information about their environments, health history and lifestyles. They are also giving participants a fitness tracker and plan to survey them repeatedly for years to check for any major medical events.
Ramachandran, now dean of the University of Texas School of Public Health in San Antonio, said rural populations in the U.S. rarely receive such personal, long-term attention from epidemiologists. More than a dozen institutions are helping with the study, including Johns Hopkins University, the University of California, Berkeley, and Duke University.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Missouri woman has been arrested on charges she orchestrated a scheme to defraud Elvis Presley’s family by trying to auction off his Graceland mansion and property before a judge halted the mysterious foreclosure sale, the Justice Department said Friday.
Lisa Jeanine Findley, 53, of Kimberling City, Missouri, falsely claimed Presley’s daughter borrowed $3.8 million from a bogus private lender and pledged Graceland as collateral for the loan. She fabricated loan documents, tried extort Presley’s family out of $2.85 million to settle the matter, and published a fraudulent foreclosure notice in a Memphis newspaper announcing that Graceland would be auctioned off to the highest bidder, prosecutors said.
Graceland opened as a museum and tourist attraction in 1982 and draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. A large Presley-themed entertainment complex across the street from the museum is owned by Elvis Presley Enterprises.
“Ms. Findley allegedly took advantage of the very public and tragic occurrences in the Presley family as an opportunity to prey on the name and financial status of the heirs to the Graceland estate, attempting to steal what rightfully belongs to the Presley family for her personal gain,” said Eric Shen, inspector in charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Criminal Investigations Group.
An attorney for Findley, who used multiple aliases, was not listed in court documents and a telephone number was not immediately available in public records. An email seeking comment sent to an address prosecutors say Findley had used in the scheme was not immediately returned.
Ole Miss icons Eli Manning and Savante’ Stringfellow were officially inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2024.
Eli Manning, who played for the Ole Miss Rebels from 2000 to 2003, left an indelible mark on the football program and beyond. Manning, a New Orleans native, rewrote the record books at Ole Miss, setting or tying 47 single-game, season, and career records. His illustrious college career culminated in winning the Maxwell Award, given to the best all-around player in college football, during his senior year.
Manning’s achievements include a school-record 10,119 career passing yards and 81 career touchdown passes. His 829 completions and 1,363 passing attempts also set new standards at Ole Miss, ranking fourth in SEC history at the time. Known for his precision, Manning recorded the lowest interception percentage in school history at 2.57% and tied the Ole Miss career record with a 60.8% completion rate.
Manning’s senior season in 2003 was particularly historic. He threw for 3,600 yards and 29 touchdowns, earning numerous accolades, including the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and SEC Offensive Player of the Year honors. His leadership helped guide the Rebels to a 10-3 record,
After being selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers and subsequently traded to the New York Giants, Manning’s professional career flourished. Over 16 seasons with the Giants, he earned four Pro Bowl selections and led the team to two Super Bowl victories, being named Super Bowl MVP in both. His accomplishments on and off the field were recognized with the 2020 Bart Starr Award, honoring his character and leadership.
Savante’ Stringfellow, one of the most decorated athletes in Ole Miss track & field history, also earned his place in the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. Stringfellow’s dominance in the long jump brought national and international acclaim to Ole Miss.
Stringfellow was the first Rebel to win three NCAA titles, claiming the 2000 outdoor long jump championship and sweeping the 2001 indoor and outdoor titles. His six All-America honors set a new standard at Ole Miss, and his achievements on the track included an SEC Outdoor long jump championship and two Penn Relays titles.
Stringfellow’s talent extended beyond collegiate competition. He represented the United States in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney and earned a silver medal in the long jump at the 2001 World Championships. His career-best jump of 8.52 meters (27 feet, 11.50 inches) ranks 10th in U.S. history, and his indoor and outdoor long jump records at Ole Miss still stand.
Inducted into the Ole Miss Sports Hall of Fame in 2007, Stringfellow’s legacy is further solidified with his inclusion in the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, recognizing his contributions to both Ole Miss and the broader world of track and field.
The induction of Eli Manning and Savante’ Stringfellow into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame celebrates the excellence of two athletes who have not only set records but also inspired future generations through their dedication, talent, and leadership. Their storied careers at Ole Miss and beyond continue to serve as a source of pride for the Rebel community and the state of Mississippi.
VENTURA, Calif. (AP) — A 73-year-old man has been charged in the strangulation deaths of three Southern California women in 1977 after cold case detectives obtained a DNA match, authorities said Thursday, adding they believe there could be more victims.
Warren Luther Alexander of Diamondhead, Mississippi, made his first court appearance Thursday but arraignment on three counts of first-degree murder was postponed to Aug. 21, the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office said. He remained jailed without bail.
Alexander’s case was assigned to the county public defender’s office. A telephone message was left at the office seeking comment on the case.
Alexander was extradited to California on Aug. 6 from Surry County, North Carolina, where he is awaiting prosecution for a 1992 cold case killing, the office said.
All the California victims were killed by “ligature strangulations,” District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said at a news conference. All were sex workers in Ventura County, northwest of Los Angeles, and frequented an area known for sex trafficking, he said.
Kimberly Fritz, 18, was found dead in the city of Port Hueneme on May 29, 1977. Velvet Sanchez, 31, was found dead on Sept. 8 that year in the city of Oxnard, followed by Lorraine Rodriguez, 21, on Dec. 27 in an unincorporated area.
“While believing these three crimes were indeed connected, leads ran cold and detectives were unable to identify who was responsible for these horrific murders,” Nasarenko said.
A 2006 query of the database had failed to find a match.
North Carolina news media reported that Alexander was arrested in the Cobb case in March 2022. That case had yet to proceed to trial, said Joey Buttitta, spokesperson for Ventura County prosecutors.
Alexander lived in Oxnard in the late 1950s and ‘60s, attending elementary, middle and high schools, and returned in the 1970s, Nasarenko said.
From the 1970s into the early 1990s Alexander was a long-haul, cross-country truck driver, Nasarenko said.
“We believe there may be additional victims both locally and other states,” he said. “This is an ongoing investigation, and we will continue to pursue all leads that become available. This is not in any way closed.”
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Flooding left squishy, stinky messes in hundreds of homes in Mississippi’s capital city in 2020 — a recurring problem when heavy rains push the Pearl River over its banks.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it intends to make a final recommendation by the end of this year on flood-control plans for the Pearl River Basin in the Jackson area, after decades of discussion among local, state and federal officials.
The biggest point of contention is whether to develop a new lake near Jackson. It would would be south of, and smaller than, a reservoir built outside the city more than 60 years ago.
While Jackson-area residents and business owners are pushing for flood mitigation, people are also expressing concern about the potential environmental impact in areas downstream in both Mississippi and Louisiana.
The corps is wrapping up a public comment period on a report it released in June, which included several flood-control proposals such as elevating, flood-proofing or buying out some homes in the Jackson area; development of a new lake; or the addition of levees.
“We’re just sitting ducks waiting for the next flood to happen,” said Thompson, who has lived in the same neighborhood for more than 20 years.
The Jackson area also experienced significant floods in 1961, 1979, 1982 and 1983, with some impact along the Pearl River downstream.
During a public hearing in Slidell, Louisiana, Gerald Morris said he has lived in Slidell since 1977 and experienced floods in 1979 and 1983. He said he has a bachelor’s degree in geological engineering, a master’s degree in geophysics and doctoral degree in earth sciences.
“If you can show that your various options that you’re looking at as far as dredging and all would reduce the amount of water coming down into the flood plain of the Pearl River, then it might be acceptable,” Morris said. “But until you can do that, then I am violently opposed to any sort of increase in the amount of water coming down from Mississippi into the Louisiana coast.”
Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker is among the Mississippi officials who have pushed for federal funding to improve flood control in the Jackson area.
Four members of Louisiana’s congressional delegation sent a letter Monday to Michael Connor, assistant secretary of the Army for civil works, about how flood-control proposals for central Mississippi could impact their state.
“In Southeast Louisiana, our unique landscape, created in part by the Pearl River system, is essential to our way of life, culture, and economy,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Rep. Troy Carter and Sens. Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy said in the letter.
“Before this project is allowed to move forward, we need to know that it will not decrease the water flow downriver, impact our coastal restoration efforts, or result in additional flooding in areas downriver from the proposed project,” the Louisiana officials wrote.
A governing board in central Mississippi, the Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District, has advocated the development of a new 1,700-acre (688-hectare) lake along the Pearl River by Jackson. This proposal is called the “One Lake” project because it is an alteration of a proposal years ago to create two new lakes.
The Corps of Engineers’ report said construction of “One Lake” would cost between $1 billion and $2.1 billion, and the expense would be too high for the amount of flood protection the lake would provide.
The engineers’ report had alternatives that would cost less, including a scaled-back proposal for a new lake that would not encompass environmentally sensitive areas.
Greg Divinity, a pastor in Jackson, said officials have been talking about improving flood-control measures since he was a junior in high school.
“Now, my grandbabies are juniors in high school,” Divinity said during the Jackson hearing as he urged the Corps of Engineers to move forward with a plan. “If we continue to kick the can down the road, my grandchildren’s grandchildren will be juniors in high school and will still be kicking this can down the road.”