Category: The Natchez Democrat

 

NATCHEZ — Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten reported a downed tree on Kingston Road just past St. Mark’s Church Thursday night at approximately midnight. The tree took down power lines and broke a power pole. Residents were without power in the early hours of the morning.

The exact number of residences without power was not available from Southwest Mississippi Electric Association. The server that runs its outage map was temporarily unavailable, said a notice on its website.

Entergy Mississippi reported six outages in Natchez beginning at about 10:48 p.m. Thursday, affecting approximately 168 residents. Entergy estimated most power in Natchez to be restored before 4 a.m.

The National Weather Service in Jackson forecasts showers and thunderstorms are likely on Friday, mainly before 10 a.m. Mostly cloudy skies, with a high near 81. The chance of precipitation on Friday is 60%. New rainfall amounts are predicted to be between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

The weather service forecast calls for showers and thunderstorms on Friday night.

The post Storm topples tree on Kingston Road, downs power lines; outages reported appeared first on Mississippi’s Best Community Newspaper.

This article was written by The Natchez Democrat. To view the original article on the Natchez Democrat’s site, Click Here

 

FERRIDAY, La. — Ferriday Police responded to a shooting on Thursday, May 9, where at least four people were injured.

One of those injured turned up at the hospital this morning (May 15) nearly a week after the incident with a gunshot wound.

Police Chief Sam King said it’s unclear how many people were involved and that no one has been charged as of Wednesday while the incident is still under investigation.

At approximately 11:50 p.m. on Thursday, police received a call about several shots being fired in the area of Montgomery St. in Ferriday, he said.

They later responded to Trinity Medical Center where three people were wounded in the gunfire, two adults and one juvenile, King said.

The fourth victim “arrived at the hospital at about 5 a.m. this morning with a pain in his leg that turned out to be a gunshot wound from this incident,” King said.

It is thought that the gunfire came from “groups of people having a disagreement who began shooting at each other,” he said, adding there were “significant injuries but nothing to cause death.” A car and a house on Montgomery Street were struck in the process.

“It’s another senseless act we’re dealing with,” he said. “We’re not sure and are still looking at how many were involved. We ask anyone who knows anything about this incident to reach out to us. We don’t have anyone charged at the moment as we’re still actively investigating it. I will say that it will bring some pretty serious charges to those who committed this act with several counts against those individuals.”

The post Shooting in Ferriday injures at least 4 people; One victim shows up at hospital days later appeared first on Mississippi’s Best Community Newspaper.

This article was written by The Natchez Democrat. To view the original article on the Natchez Democrat’s site, Click Here

 

Everything is on track for the 158th Annual Miss-Lou Memorial Day Parade, according to Laura Ann Jackson, who chairs the Committee for the Miss-Lou Memorial Day Parade.

She said the long-running event will be a memorable experience for local residents and visitors.

“This event is an important part of Natchez and Vidalia history,” Jackson said. “It’s part of our heritage. It’s our way of honoring our military service members, especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our country.”

The parade will take place on Monday, May 27.

It is known for having long lines of participants, sometimes in the hundreds,  marching from Vidalia, across the Natchez-Vidalia Bridge and to the Natchez National Cemetery at 41 Cemetery Road, where a ceremony is held. The site for the ceremony is on the west side of the cemetery overlooking the riverfront.

“This year, we’re going strong and we’re going to have special guests from out of town that include a church group from Chicago,” Jackson said.

Jackson noted this year’s guests will include filmmaker James Theres, the executive producer and director of the film, “The 30th of May” (2016).

Theres described the film as the “amazing, untold story of an African American Memorial Day tradition in the Deep South that dates back to the end of the Civil War.”

“I look forward to coming back to Natchez and participating in the 30th of May celebration, one of the longest-running, consecutive Memorial Day observances in the country,” said Theres. “It’s a tradition like no other dating back to the end of the civil war.”

Williams Terrell, publisher and editor of The Bluff City Post, has covered the parade for more than 30 years. He said it is an event that “you just have to see.”

“People come from everywhere,” he said. “Some come from Seattle, Washington, to walk over that bridge. That is something to see and experience.”

This year, Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten and the Rev. Louis Banks, pastor of Union Baptist Church, Vidalia, will serve as grand marshals.

Banks is also a member of the American Legion Post 590 in Vidalia, said Jackson.

 The ceremony

The ceremony at the cemetery will start at 11 a.m. and will last for one hour. Jackson will serve as the master of ceremonies.

The program will feature retired Army Sgt. Linda McClure of Alexandria as the guest speaker. She will be introduced by her husband, retired Army Lt. Col. Jeff McClure.

The Natchez High School AF JROTC will present the colors, followed by Nolan Cubie, who will lead the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. Charlotte Taylor, the assistant director of the Mississippi National Cemetery Complex at Natchez, will give the Welcome.

The program will include solo performances by Mayor Dan Gibson and 2019 Cathedral High School graduate Damira McGruder.

Jackson said McGruder is a pre-med biology student at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, where she plans to graduate this year.

 A Memorial Day Band musical solo will be presented by Caymond Riley of the Elnora Riley Group in Vidalia.

 “The late Ms. Elnora Riley had been part of this program since I was a child,” said Jackson. “She was a member of the Women’s Relief Corps.”

 “Taps” will be performed by Master Sgt. Wilbert Washington, director of the AF JROTC. Taylor will give the Closing Remarks.

 Parade route

Jackson outlined the parade route as follows:

The lineup will begin at 8 a.m. at Zion Baptist Church at 601 Magnolia Street in Vidalia. At 9 a.m., the parade will start at the foot of the Louisiana side of the bridge.

t will proceed across the bridge to the Natchez Visitor Center at 640 S. Canal St., where the  participants will stop for a 30-minute break.

Shuttles will be available at the Visitor Center and cemetery.

From the Visitor Center, the participants will proceed north on Canal to Franklin Street. At Franklin, they will move along to Pearl Street and from Pearl to Oak Street.

From Oak, they will proceed to Maple Street and then travel north to Cemetery Road.

Committee members working with Jackson to organize the procession include Douglas McCallister, Dorothy Sanders, Renard Chatman and Nathaniel Williams.

 For more information, call Laura Ann Jackson at 601-446-9052.

The post Plans on track for 158th Annual Miss-Lou Memorial Day Parade appeared first on Mississippi’s Best Community Newspaper.

This article was written by The Natchez Democrat. To view the original article on the Natchez Democrat’s site, Click Here

 

VIDALIA, La. — The Concordia Parish Police Jury passed resolutions in support of grant opportunities for a region-wide bicycle trail and street safety study benefiting multiple northeast Louisiana parishes.

Louisiana District 21 Rep. C. Travis Johnson III, D-Ferriday, addressed the police jury on Monday to ask for its support of the two grant opportunities for up to $1 million each.

The first is the Delta Agricultural Research and Sustainability District’s application for a “Safe Streets and Roads for All” grant created by the 2022 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Johnson’s Delta Agricultural Research and Sustainability District was created with House Bill 647 to help impoverished areas of northeast Louisiana as a region obtain federal grants that would otherwise go to larger cities, he said.

The Sustainability District aims to help with an array of economic development programs —from agricultural research to infrastructure improvements.

“I created this district because I think that this region should go after these grants from a regional aspect,” Johnson said. “Concordia Parish is one small town and the bigger grants go to New Orleans, Baton Rouge — bigger areas with greater impact.”

Local and state leaders representing Concordia, Tensas, East Carroll and Madison parishes are a part of the commission, he said. The first grant up to $1 million would fund a region-wide transportation safety study that would identify ways to decrease traffic fatalities.

“This would give us a ‘gold star’ with the federal transportation secretary so that every grant application we submit going forward, they would pay attention to it,” Johnson said.

The second resolution supports an application from the Delta Bike Trail Commission created in 2021 to fund a feasibility study for construction of a new bicycle trail, Johnson said.

“My goal is to have bike trail built from the Vidalia Riverfront RV park all the way up to Lake Providence,” he said. “The feasibility study will say where it can and can’t go.”

In addition to providing recreational opportunities, Johnson said the trail would enhance tourism in the area to promote economic growth.

The feasibility study would allow the commission to apply for funds from the Recreational Trails Program for Louisiana, a state administered Federal-aid grant program funded by the National Recreational Trails Fund Act, he said.

The police jury passed both resolutions unanimously on Monday.

In other matters, the police jury approved two measures that would allow E&P Consultants to facilitate the sale of adjudicated properties in the parish and list those properties on a multi-parish website, louisianalandsolutions.com, for public information.

Wesley Johnson of E&P Consulting presented a business proposal to the police jury during its April meeting.

Land auctions would be conducted in-person at the courthouse while the consulting group would facilitate that process and any public notice requirements.

The consultant’s fees are paid by the person interested in the property.

In other business, Police Jury Secretary and Treasurer Ariella Carter informed the board and the public that the next meeting that would traditionally take place on the fourth Monday of the month will instead be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 28, at the Concordia Parish Courthouse, 4001 Carter St., Room 2, because of Memorial Day.

The post Police Jury supports region-wide bike trail, safety study appeared first on Mississippi’s Best Community Newspaper.

This article was written by The Natchez Democrat. To view the original article on the Natchez Democrat’s site, Click Here

 

VIDALIA, La. — Both judges serving Louisiana Seventh Judicial District are gathering support for a program that would help local addicts, mental health patients and victims who lack transportation to other parishes.

Northeast Louisiana Substance Abuse, or NELSA, is a 501(c)3 organization that provides an array of resources to courts and individuals from individual or group counseling services for mental health patients or battery victims to drug screenings and treatment plans for moderate to severe addicts.

The program also provides anger management and batterers intervention, moral recognition and cognitive behavior therapies and more.

However, its closest office is in Catahoula Parish.

“Basically, they do a lot of things we believe we need to be doing,” Judge Kathy A. Johnson, Division A told the Concordia Parish Police Jury on Monday. “We’ve been trying to send people here over there, but so many people here don’t have the transportation. … We talked with the sheriff (David Hedrick) and he’s willing to let them use one of his portable buildings out there to meet their clients.”

No specific money amount was requested of the police jury, however, Johnson asked them to consider using funds from a national settlement of opioid lawsuits “to help local people who just can’t get to Catahoula.”

In 2021, four major drug industry companies including Johnson & Johnson, AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson agreed with the majority of U.S. states to a $26 billion deal that would settle lawsuits over the national opioid crisis.

Concordia Parish is slated to receive approximately $900,000, or 0.33 percent of the $325 million in Louisiana’s share of the national settlement. The state expects $18 million each year for the next 18 years.

Mississippi plans to give 70% to the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Center for Addiction Medicine, 15% to counties and municipalities, and 15% to the state.

Judge John Reeves, Division B, said as he and Johnson both near retirement, “We want to pass on the baton (to new judges) in a very positive way.”

NELSA has had “a lot of success” in judicial drug court, he said.

“Everyone here has someone in their family who has been affected by drugs,” he said. “We’re asking you to please consider this very seriously because we take it very seriously. We send people to rehab every week. This helps us do it faster, easier and makes the whole process work better.”

Johnson said she has seen men break down in court crying to be placed in a program such as this.

“When they get to that point where they’re crying from their heart and want to go, we send them,” Reeves said.

Those who don’t finish the program successfully and break their probation would go back to jail while those who do finish turn their lives around, he said.

Kelly Lumas, social worker and certified addiction counselor who has worked with NELSA in Catahoula Parish since January, said she has seen “a world of difference” made in the lives of the Catahoula Parish community in the short time the program has been there.

“I’ve seen it make a difference for people that have struggled — seven-time felony offenders,” she said. Juveniles who grew up in a home were drugs are all they know “have this opportunity that they’ve never had before … to not be a stigma to fall into what they grew up in.”

No actions were taken on the matter during Monday’s meeting.

The post Judges seek support for local drug treatment office appeared first on Mississippi’s Best Community Newspaper.

This article was written by The Natchez Democrat. To view the original article on the Natchez Democrat’s site, Click Here

 

NATCHEZ — A Sicily Island, Louisiana, woman lost her life on Sunday evening after a traffic accident on U.S. 61 in Wilkinson County.

Mississippi Highway Patrol Troop M of Brookhaven reported Monday morning that Robin McCastle, 39, of Ferriday was driving a 2013 Acura TL northbound on U.S. 61 at about 6:36 p.m. on Sunday when the Acura left the roadway and collided with a tree north of Sligo Street.

A passenger in the car, Patricia Williamson, 68, of Sicily Island, died from injuries sustained in the crash. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

No information was provided as to injuries of other people in the car.

Cpl. Craig James, public affairs officer of MHP Troop M, said the crash remains under investigation.

The post Sicily Island woman died from injuried in Sunday crash appeared first on Mississippi’s Best Community Newspaper.

This article was written by The Natchez Democrat. To view the original article on the Natchez Democrat’s site, Click Here

 

NATCHEZ — Ardenland, which has brought numerous events to Natchez over the years, has brought a Spring Carnival to Natchez, which begins today at 5 p.m.

Ardenland officials said this year is the second for the Spring Carnival and promises fun for all ages.

The Spring Carnival promises “an array of thrilling rides, delightful games, and mouth-watering fair foods, all on the Natchez Bluff,” said Karyn Lewis, Ardenland’s marketing director.

Hours for the Spring Carnival are today and Friday from 5 to 10 p.m., Saturday from 1 to 11 p.m., and Sunday from 1 to 8 p.m.

The carnival, located on Broadway across from Smoot’s Grocery and Blues Lounge, will have free entry today and on Sunday. Entry on Friday and Saturday will cost $10 for anyone older than 5 years of age. Children must be accompanied by their parents or a guardian.

Cash and credit card payments will be accepted at the entrance. All bags are subject to inspection upon entry.

Ride tickets are $1 each and are available in bundles of 12 for $10. A $25 tickets grants access to five hours of non-stop rides during designated Ride-A-Rama hours.

“We are thrilled to welcome everyone back to the Natchez Spring Carnival for another year of excitement and family-friendly entertainment,” said Arden Barnet, founder of Ardenland. “With a wide variety of rides, games, and food, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. We can’t wait to create lasting memories with our community against the backdrop of the beautiful Natchez Bluff.”

 

The post Ardenland brings Natchez Spring Carnival back to Bluff appeared first on Mississippi’s Best Community Newspaper.

This article was written by The Natchez Democrat. To view the original article on the Natchez Democrat’s site, Click Here

 

NATCHEZ — District 4 Supervisor Ricky Gray wants more information about the Natchez Police Department inmate who died last week in the Concordia Parish Correctional Facility.

Blarrington Ashley, 53, of Natchez, was indicted by a grand jury for shoplifting more than $1,000. The City of Natchez contracts with Concordia Parish to hold its inmates, as does Adams County, since Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten closed the jail to the majority of its inmates in August 2023 due to safety concerns for inmates and jail staffers.

Since that time, two Natchez inmates have died while in custody at the Concordia Parish Correctional Facility. On Oct. 6, 2023, a Natchez Police Department inmate was killed after he was assaulted by another inmate in the Concordia Parish Correctional Facility.

Brandy Spears, spokesperson for the Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office, said on April 29 no information would be released about Ashley’s death until autopsy reports were received and an investigation into his death was complete.

Gray asked Patten at the Adams County Board of Supervisors meeting on Monday morning if he would be notified when that investigation was complete.

“We are going to request that information,” Patten said.

Contacted on Monday, Spears said she had been out of her office for several days and would check on the status of the investigation on Tuesday.

Also on Monday, Debbie Germany, who is heading up a committee sanctioned by the Board of Supervisors to explore options for a new jail for Adams County, told the supervisors they were invited to tour the Copiah County jail facility on Tuesday. She said a group was meeting at the Adams County Sheriff’s Office at 9 a.m. to travel to Copiah County. She estimated the tour would last about an hour.

“It’s (Copiah County Jail) a newer jail and it’s smaller than what we are talking about, but along the same concept,” Germany said.

She said a tour of another facility would be planned in a week or two.

Germany also inquired from County Attorney Scott Slover as to where the agreement to accept a donation of land in the north part of the county from a private business to use to locate a new jail or law enforcement complex stood.

Slover said he had sent an agreement to attorneys who represent the private business, but said he had not heard a response.

Germany told the board a survey of the property and two studies would be necessary before it could be used as a jail. She said those things would cost approximately $50,000.

She said Bert Carson of Sustainability Partners, which has shown interest in building the owning a county jail here and leasing it, said the cost of the survey and studies could be worked into the cost of building the facility.

“That cost could be put in the total cost of the facility, if we use them,” Germany said.

The post County supervisor seeks more info on inmate death appeared first on Mississippi’s Best Community Newspaper.

This article was written by The Natchez Democrat. To view the original article on the Natchez Democrat’s site, Click Here

 

NATCHEZ — U.S. Marshals, with assistance from the Adams County Sheriff’s Office and the Natchez Police Department, captured a fugitive wanted in Texas who was hiding  in a home on Martin’s Lane in Natchez on Tuesday morning after a two-hour standoff.

Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten said his office was contacted at approximately 7:30 a.m. by the U.S. Marshal Service requesting assistance in apprehending Eric Harris, who was wanted out of Coryell County, Texas, on a family violence assault by occlusion charge. Texas law has an enhancement for family violence assault by choking or impeding breathing.

When U.S. Marshals and Adams County Sheriff’s Deputies attempted to make contact with those in the residence, they encountered two pit bulldogs. Marshals then contacted the Natchez Police Department and requested assistance from its animal control officers.

“Family members in the home complied and animal control helped bring the dogs to safety before deputies and marshals engaged the suspect,” Patten said.

For two hours, the Marshals tried to talk with the suspect to get him to surrender, but the suspect refused, the sheriff said.

After trying to talk with the suspect failed, Marshals then used drone technology to locate where the suspect was hiding in the residence.

“They were not sure whether he was deceased or alive, but a window of opportunity opened up to engage the suspect and the Marshals took that opportunity,” Patten said.

He said they were able to make contact with the suspect and make an arrest without further incident. Adams County Sheriff’s Deputies transported Harris to the Adams County Jail, where he awaits extradition back to Texas.

“The marshals, deputies, police, and animal control did an excellent job with this barricaded suspect,” Patten said. “We have seen so many officers killed this month when dealing with a barricaded suspect. I’m glad everyone involved utilized their training and experience to bring this apprehension to a peaceful solution with no one getting hurt.”

The post U.S. Marshals apprehend Texas fugitive after two hour standoff at Natchez home appeared first on Mississippi’s Best Community Newspaper.

This article was written by The Natchez Democrat. To view the original article on the Natchez Democrat’s site, Click Here

 

NATCHEZ — The City of Natchez Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on May 16 to gather input from citizens on a request for a special exception to re-establish the use of the building at 806 N. Union St. as a children’s home.

The building served as an orphanage from its founding in 1816 until it stopped housing children in 2009, when the focus shifted from housing children at the Natchez Children’s Home to placing them in foster homes.

The building is now owned by New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, which at one time planned to use the facility as a school. The church has requested the special exception through its attorney, Charles F. Stewart Sr. of The Cochran Law Firm located in the Jackson area.

Bishop Stanley Searcy said as a representative of the church, he requested the hearing “just to see what is going on. It has always been a children’s home. Since before the Civil War, it has been a children’s home. We have Dr. (Tina) Bruce there just waiting to find out what’s going on.”

While the building is listed for sale by Brittney West Patten of BW Realty, Bruce leased the building from the church and used it as a crisis stabilization unit for troubled children beginning in January 2023. However, neighbors questioned whether the business operated by Dr. Bruce went through the proper approval process.

Frankie Legaux, city planner, said Bruce never applied for a special exception to operate her facility, and it closed.

“The former children’s home is located in an R-3 Historic District and what Dr. Bruce was operating there is not allowed in that zoning district,” Legaux said.

The Planning Commission meeting begins at 5:15 p.m. on May 16 at the Council Chambers, 115 S. Pearl St., across from City Hall.

The post Hearing on former Children’s Home set for May 16 Planning Commission meeting appeared first on Mississippi’s Best Community Newspaper.

This article was written by The Natchez Democrat. To view the original article on the Natchez Democrat’s site, Click Here