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  • Natchez railroad upgrades progressing toward completion

    NATCHEZ, Miss. – Bridge upgrades to ensure Natchez’ railroad connection remains viable are projected to be completed later this year paid mostly by federal funds.
    The city of Natchez, which received $10 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation three years ago, joined with Natchez Railway Inc. for the railroad rehabilitation project.
     “The whole concept was to save the rail, … to keep the rail service going,” said Natchez Alderman Joyce Arceneaux-Mathis.
    She and other city aldermen met with Natchez Railway officials Tuesday to get updated on work being done on the rail line that connects Natchez with Canadian National Railway tracks at Brookhaven 65 miles away.
    Natchez’ only rail line was threatened with abandonment a few years ago because its substandard bridges could not accommodate heavy train cars. However, with $10 million in federal funds combined with $3.3 million from Natchez Railway, five truss bridges and 25 timber bridges are being rehabilitated, according to the report presented to the Natchez Board of Aldermen and Mayor Darryl Grennell.
    An agreement between the city and railway company ensures the tracks will not be abandoned for 20 years.
    The main commodities hauled on the Natchez-to-Brookhaven railroad include forestry products, crude oil and empty train cars for a repair facility at Bude, according to Natchez Railway. Genesis Energy in Natchez is a large user of the railroad, an essential transportation link to the Natchez-Adams County port on the Mississippi River.
    The train bridges being refurbished between Natchez and Brookhaven include those crossing the Homochitto River, St. Catherine Creek and McCall Creek. The bridge work is expected to be completed this coming October.
    The $13.3 million project also includes equipping 28 railroad grade crossings with new signs, flashing lights and markings for highway drivers.

  • Natchez’ New Million Dollar Fire Truck

    By John Mott Coffey
    NATCHEZ, Miss. – City officials formally dedicated Natchez’ new $1 million fire truck Tuesday that replaces the 27-year-old model that didn’t comply with current fire-rating standards.

    In christening the new ladder-pumper truck, Natchez Mayor Darryl Grennell noted “how important it is to the city and what it can do” to ensure the city can adequately fight fires and restrain property insurance costs for Natchez homeowners. The vehicle is a combined ladder and water-pump truck, which the old fire truck is not.

    The Board of Aldermen last October ordered the purchase of the Louisiana-made, custom-built truck from Ferrara, a fire-truck maker based near Baton Rouge. With a price-tag of about $1 million, it was paid for with $750,000 the city borrowed from the Mississippi Development Authority and another $350,000 from Concordia Bank and Trust Co.

  • Board of Aldermen is seeking developers for old Broadway Street railroad depot

    By John Mott Coffey
    NATCHEZ, Miss. – The Natchez Board of Aldermen is seeking developers to complete the long-stalled renovation of the city’s old Broadway Street railroad depot and bring it back to life.

    Aldermen agreed Tuesday to publish a request for proposals from private entrepreneurs who want to refurbish the city-owned building for dining like it was much of the past 40 years. City plans call for the board deciding in December who’ll restore the 109-year-old former train station into a “food, beverage and entertainment venue.” Ideas included it offering outdoor dining for patrons to enjoy the view overlooking the Mississippi River as the centerpiece of an entertainment district in the city’s bluff area.

    While the depot’s exterior was renovated in 2016, it remains a vacant unfinished shell as the city board held up plans for completing the interior’s restoration. It was vacated in 2013 when a restaurant and a souvenir shop were evicted so the building could be renovated.
    About $900,000 was spent in city and federal funds to restore the exterior. The board halted hotelier Warren Reuther’s restoration of the building’s interior amid protests city officials didn’t seek proposals from others also wanting to lease it.

    Prospects wanting to lease the building have until November to submit plans as the board steps slowly to get the depot fully restored and in use. “I ask for your patience as we continue forward,” sad Alderman Dan Dillard.

    A committee will review the proposals and make a recommendation for aldermen to adopt in December.

  • Mississippi Sales Tax Holiday Includes School Supplies

    JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi will soon have its annual sales tax holiday but this year there’s more to celebrate.

    News outlets report school supplies are officially on the tax exemption list for the holiday, which is on July 26 and 27. All clothing, footwear and school supplies under $100 can be purchased minus the 7% state sales tax.

    Sen. Chuck Younger co-authored the bill that passed last year and said it’s long overdue.

    Younger says if there’s a tax-exempt holiday for firearms, then there should be one to help parents and teachers with school supplies.

    The Mississippi Department of Revenue website has a description of items that are eligible for the two-day tax break.

  • Sheriff: Foul Play Suspected In Death Of Ole Miss Student

    HARMONTOWN, Miss. (AP) — Authorities say foul play is suspected in the death of an Ole Miss student whose body was found over the weekend about 30 miles (48 kilometers) from campus.

    News outlets report deputies patrolling near Harmontown on Saturday found the body of 21-year-old Alexandria ‘Ally’ Kostial, of St. Louis, Missouri. WREG-TV reports a Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department news release says foul play was apparently involved in the woman’s death. It’s unclear what led authorities to come to the conclusion.

    The University of Mississippi said Kostial was working toward a bachelor’s degree in marketing. Kostial’s father, Keith Kostial, posted on Facebook that his daughter had been attending summer school and teaching fitness classes at the university. He says she graduated from Lindbergh High School in 2016.

  • Final Suspect Surrenders In Mississippi Fatal Burglary Case

    NATCHEZ, Miss. (AP) — The fourth and final suspect wanted in a Mississippi slaying and burglary has surrendered to authorities.

    News outlets report Justin Anderson surrendered to the Adams County Sheriff’s Department in Natchez, Mississippi, Monday night. He and three others are accused of killing Zaria Newton on Saturday when she returned home while they were burglarizing a home.

    Copiah County Sheriff Harold Jones said authorities shot and killed suspect Shawan F. Allen Monday while responding to a reported carjacking. Jones said Allen shot a deputy who wasn’t seriously hurt and was wearing a bulletproof vest.

    Jatavious Q. Berry was arrested and charged with capital murder over the weekend. Adrian D. Smith was also arrested Monday at a Mississippi airport.

    It’s unclear if the suspects have attorneys who can comment.

  • National Park Service takeover of Natchez visitors center a year away from happening

    By John Mott Coffey
    NATCHEZ, Miss. – City aldermen Tuesday approved the paperwork needed for giving the Natchez Visitor Reception Center to the federal government after being told of the “urgency” to complete the transaction to ensure federal funds are available to maintain it.
    It’s been more than a year since the U.S. Congress authorized the National Park Service to take over the city-owned facility, and the state Legislature in March also approved of the transfer. However, more steps are needed for the NPS to actually own and run the center, said Natchez National Historical Park Superintendent Kathleen Bond.
    She told the Board of Aldermen Tuesday that the NPS is still waiting for city officials to send all the various documents needed to consummate the land transaction. The board later approved providing what the NPS requested for this.
    Upon receipt, it’ll still take a year or so for NPS officials to review what all’s needed to actually accept ownership of the building and land, Bond said. She noted the 22-year-old structure has about $1 million in deferred maintenance needs and expressed concerns federal funds for it could get nudged out by other new National Park Service properties. She pointed to the “urgency” of completing the Natchez visitors center transfer as soon as possible, or “it may not happen.”
    City board members acknowledged the need to push the process forward. “We all understand that federal funds can evaporate overnight,” said Alderman Dan Dillard.
    Mayor Darryl Grennell and the Board of Aldermen have struggled financially in recent years to maintain the tourism center. They’ve been wanting to donate it to state or federal governments, which have been sharing with the city the expenses of operating and maintaining the facility built in 1997 for Natchez.
    Located by the Mississippi River bridges, the center was constructed with about $8 million in mostly federal funds to be the hub of the city’s tourism sector. It’s only had piecemeal repairs in past years. A variety of repairs and upgrades are needed to refurbish for the 25,000-square-foot structure.
    About $45,000 has been earmarked by the Natchez Board of Aldermen the past two years for its repairs and maintenance, according to the city budget. Another $24,000 was appropriated for grounds maintenance.

  • Adams Country Residents: Millions in Unclaimed Property and Funds

    Did you know that the State of Mississippi is holding on to your unclaimed funds and property?

    Mississippi State Treasurer Lynn Fitch has a list posted on her website directing Mississippi Residents to unclaimed funds and property.

    The list for Adams County is 193 pages long. Click here for the list.

    If you wish to claim property you will need this form. Click here.

    If you have any questions please visit the State Treasurer’s website or call (601)359-3534.

    According to the website:

    The Office of the State Treasurer is responsible for the administration of the Unclaimed Property Act.

    The law requires that “holders” such as banks, credit unions, insurance companies, retail stores, utility companies, and business associations turn over to the Office of the State Treasurer any assets such as money, cash, checks or stocks that have been abandoned for which there has been no contact for a period of five years.

    The Unclaimed Property Division is charged with trying to locate the rightful owners of such assets.

  • Authorities: Deputy Hurt, Shooter Dead In Vidalia, Louisiana Standoff

    VIDALIA, La. (AP) — An armed robbery suspect was killed and a sheriff’s deputy was shot and wounded in a shootout Thursday in a Louisiana city near the Mississippi River, authorities said.

    Concordia Parish Officer Walter Mackel was shot when he knocked at an apartment door while investigating a holdup earlier in the day at the complex in Vidalia, KNOE-TV reported. The station said that a robot was used to find the suspect.

    According to a preliminary investigation, authorities encountered 21-year-old Kaleb Melton and gunfire was exchanged “during the course of the interaction,” according to a Louisiana State Police release. Melton was pronounced dead at the scene.

    Mackel was taken to University Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi, where officers from Pearl, Mississippi, were giving “positive updates” on his condition, the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post. State police described his injuries as “moderate to severe,” but said he was stable.

    Earlier Thursday, the sheriff’s office reported that its deputies and officers from Vidalia and Ferriday, Louisiana, and from Natchez and Adams County, Mississippi, were “working a standoff” at an apartment in the River Meadows Apartments in Vidalia.

    Neither Concordia Parish Sheriff Kenneth Hedrick nor spokesman Vernon Stevens responded immediately to an email requesting comment. Someone who answered the phone at the sheriff’s offices advised The Associated Press to call again Friday.

    Vidalia, the Concordia Parish seat, is about 75 miles (125 kilometers) north of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and across the Mississippi River from Natchez, Mississippi.

  • Sheriff: Alexandria Mom Charged In Girl’s Death Tried To Kill Herself

    ALEXANDRIA, La. (AP) — Authorities say a Louisiana woman accused of killing her 5-year-old daughter tried to kill herself and is now on life support.

    Citing a Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office statement, news outlets report Jasmine Victoria Anderson attempted to hang herself late last week and was hospitalized.

    Anderson had been in isolation since her July 23 arrest on a charge of second-degree murder for the death of Audrey Lynn Chelette. Sheriff William Earl Hilton says the hanging attempt happened just two minutes after she was checked on.

    Alexandria police said Anderson brought the dead child to a hospital this month and gave a changing story, sometimes pinning her daughter’s death on a car crash. Police said in a statement that Audrey’s neck injury wasn’t consistent with a crash.