http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/ms-news/ en-us Thu, 24 Jul 2008 18:03:08 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050666/posts Southern states execute two killers HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) -- Texas executed a man Wednesday who was convicted of killing a woman and her child, while Mississippi put to death a man who took part in the fatal beating of another man. Derrick Sonnier shook his head "no" when asked if he had any final statements. he was pronounced dead at 6:18 p.m., eight minutes after the lethal dose was administered. Sonnier was convicted of murdering Melody Flowers, 27, and her 2-year-old son, Patrick, in their Houston apartment in 1991. Flowers was raped, stabbed, strangled and beaten with a hammer until... CNN.COM http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050666/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 18:03:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050643/posts (CNN) — Support for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama extend to death row Wednesday. According to The Jackson Clarion Ledger, a Mississippi newspaper, death row inmate Dale Leo Bishop's final words before being executed Wednesday night included an appeal to Americans to vote for the Illinois senator. "For those who oppose the death penalty and want to see it end, our best bet is to vote for Barack Obama because his supporters have been working behind the scenes to end this practice," Bishop said, according to the paper. CNN http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050643/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 17:24:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050581/posts PARCHMAN - One of Marcus Gentry's killers is dead. "The Mississippi Department of Corrections today conducted the mandated execution of inmate Dale Leo Bishop," Commissioner Christopher Epps said Wednesday. "This evening closed the final phase of the Dale Leo Bishop case, which began on Dec. 10, 1998, with the kidnapping and murder of Marcus James Gentry." The death by lethal injection was carried out, he said, "with dignity and decorum." Bishop wore a goatee and a red prison jumpsuit with flip-flops to his execution by lethal injection at 6 p.m. He was pronounced dead at 6:14 p.m. A couple of... Daily Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050581/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:45:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049379/posts http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080722/NEWS/807220363/1001/news Link only per posting rules http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049379/posts#comment Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:17:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048838/posts TICKET CHOICE SEARCH With the nomination for the Republican solidifying mightily, Sen. John McCain has asked his senior advisers to begin pulling together short lists for Vice Presidential choices. At the top of list, according to one senior adviser: Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour. "There are others that need to be on that list, but you have to believe the Haley is a frontrunner," says the adviser, who knows both McCain and Barbour well. Barbour would be one name that puts many conservatives at a bit more ease, one of the criteria McCain understands he must meet, according to another adviser:... American Spectator http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048838/posts#comment Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:27:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043329/posts TOKYO (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) will switch gears and produce the Prius hybrid instead of the less fuel-efficient Highlander sport utility vehicle at its planned Mississippi factory, the Nikkei business daily reported on Thursday. The world's biggest automaker is also likely to suspend production at one of two assembly lines at its Indiana factory, where it builds the Tundra pickup and Sequoia SUV, by year-end for at least six months, the paper said. Citing company sources, it said the move was in response to falling demand for those models and would amount to a production cut of 50,000... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043329/posts#comment Thu, 10 Jul 2008 11:11:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2041476/posts WASHINGTON -- Mississippi, one of the nation's most conservative states, has not elected a Democratic senator in a quarter-century. It has voted for Republican presidential candidates in the last seven elections. But this year, there is a real chance that the state will send a Democrat to the Senate. Democrats are running strong Senate campaigns in states such as Mississippi, Alaska and North Carolina that Republicans have long taken for granted. ...The stakes for Obama in the Senate races are high. If he is elected president, the biggest obstacle to his goals could be in the Senate, where parliamentary rules... LA Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2041476/posts#comment Sun, 6 Jul 2008 16:14:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2041144/posts Navy Names New Amphibious Assault Ship Story Number: NNS080630-13 Release Date: 6/30/2008 4:12:00 PM From the Secretary of the Navy Public Affairs JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (NNS) -- The Navy's newest class of large-deck amphibious assault ship, LHA 6, will bear the name USS America, Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter announced June 27, while speaking at the USS America Carrier Veterans Association reunion in Jacksonville, Fla. This ship will inherit a proud tradition, explained Winter. From the American Revolution through the first Gulf War, three warships have sailed with the name America. "To serve in a ship named after our... United States Navy http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2041144/posts#comment Sat, 5 Jul 2008 16:57:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2040706/posts A new state law is now in effect requiring all restaurants in Mississippi to clearly display the specific country of origin of the catfish they serve. While supermarkets have previously been required to display “Country of Origin Labeling” for catfish, restaurants have been under no such mandate until House Bill 728 went into effect Tuesday. According to a statement recently released by Roger Barlow, president of the Jackson-based Catfish Institute, “This is possibly the most significant piece of legislation the Mississippi Catfish Industry, or for that matter, the entire U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish industry has ever had. “Since Mississippi is the... The Clarksdale Press Register http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2040706/posts#comment Fri, 4 Jul 2008 14:02:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2040365/posts Atlanta, GA (AHN) - High level of formaldehyde have been detected in trailers and mobile home occupied by victims of Hurricane Katrina, says a report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Formaldehyde, a preservative commonly used in construction materials, is carcinogenic and can cause breathing problems. The trailers were provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to hurricane victims in 2005. The agency no longer provides them, but the mobile homes are still in use.The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California was tasked by CDC to measure formaldehyde concentrations in trailers and emissions from specific... All Headline News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2040365/posts#comment Thu, 3 Jul 2008 18:39:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2039845/posts GULFPORT -- Notably mild-mannered Republican Sen. Thad Cochran shocked many earlier this year with comments about John McCain's volatile temper. He has since mended fences with the GOP presidential nominee. But as first reported at sunherald.com, Cochran told the Sun Herald he witnessed a confrontation between McCain and a Sandinista rebel decades ago in which McCain "got mad at the guy and he just reached over there and snatched him." --------------------------------------- "McCain was down at the end of the table and we were talking to the head of the guerilla group here at this end of the table and I... sunherald.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2039845/posts#comment Wed, 2 Jul 2008 18:49:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2039251/posts GULFPORT --A small group of youngsters in sailboats made it safely back to shore Monday after one of them capsized in the Mississippi Sound during an afternoon thunderstorm, authorities said. "The storm came up on them and they were trying to get everybody back when it happened," said Fire Chief Pat Sullivan. ------ SNIP ------ "The most heroic job, in my opinion, was the boy that brought his boat back in by himself," Clark said. "It was incredible. He looked to be 11 or 12 years old, out there battling against God and nature in a little-bitty sailboat." Sun Herald http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2039251/posts#comment Tue, 1 Jul 2008 16:53:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2039099/posts THE interim between the primaries and the parties’ nominating conventions is, according to ancient writ, a fertile period for presidential campaigns to talk about how they plan to expand the political map in the fall. This year is no different. Barack Obama’s strategists are suggesting that the first African-American presidential nominee of a major political party can parlay increased turnout among black voters into a string of victories in the South. Given that roughly half of all African-Americans live in the 11 former Confederate states, the idea seems intuitive enough. It’s also wrong. Prying Southern electoral votes away from the... The New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2039099/posts#comment Tue, 1 Jul 2008 12:23:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037463/posts LATIMER --A Biloxi teen is accused of impersonating a police officer when he tried to stop a Latimer resident on Allie Byrd Road, according to Jackson County Sheriff's Department reports. Brennon Foster Quade, 18, of Holly Hills Drive, was arrested about 11:45 p.m. Tuesday at the home of the victim's parents in the Latimer community. -----SNIP----- When Quade stopped, the victim's father said he dialed 911 and held a gun on Quade until sheriff's deputies got there. Sun Herald http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037463/posts#comment Fri, 27 Jun 2008 21:48:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037357/posts Judge Neal Biggers handed down Dickie Scruggs fate calling his conduct reprehensible. Dickie Scruggs will serve five years in federal prison and pay a $250K fine. Before sentencing, Scruggs told the judge, "I could not be more ashamed to be where I am today. I realized I was getting mixed up in it and I will go to my grave wondering why. I have disappointed everyone in my life - my wife, family and friends here to support me today. I deeply regret my conduct. It is a scar and a stain on my soul." Y'all Politics http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037357/posts#comment Fri, 27 Jun 2008 18:08:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037047/posts Appointed U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R), seeking to win the job on his own, remains in a pure toss-up with former Governor Ronnie Musgrove. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in Mississippi found Wicker attracts 48% of the vote, while Musgrove earns support from 47%. Last month, it was Musgrove with the single point lead, 47% to 46%. University of Virginia’s Larry Sabato has noted that this will be a “real political battle” which is “a rarity in a state that’s usually red as red can be.” Rasmussen Reports http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037047/posts#comment Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:34:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2036689/posts Des Moines, IA (AHN) - The marine dead zone resulting from the Midwest flooding is expected to expand to over 10,000 square miles, according to researchers from the Louisiana State University and the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium. The water in the dead zone, approximately the size of Massachusetts, does not have sufficient oxygen at depth to support marine life. Since 1990, the zone, located off the coasts of Louisiana and Texas, usually covers 6,000 square miles, varying according to the flow of the Mississippi River. Its low oxygen content is caused by the presence of large algae blooms which feeds... All Headline News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2036689/posts#comment Thu, 26 Jun 2008 13:25:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2030091/posts Middle School Pregnancy Test by: Deborah Lambert, June 12, 2008 An irate father in Jackson, Mississippi is demanding that his daughter’s sixth grade teacher at the Chastain Middle School be fired, said pcblogspot.com. According to Curtis Lyons, the teacher handed out a survey asking students to select which one of their classmates was most likely to contract AIDS, get pregnant or die before they graduated. When she learned that her fellow students thought she would be the first one to get pregnant, his daughter—an honor student—was humiliated, said Lyons. “Where was the lesson in that?” asked Lyons, who said that... Campus Report http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2030091/posts#comment Thu, 12 Jun 2008 19:41:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2029487/posts Jack Lucas, who at 14 lied his way into military service during World War II and became the youngest Marine to receive the Medal of Honor, died Thursday in a Hattiesburg hospital. He was 80. Lucas had been battling cancer and died shortly after midnight after he requested doctors remove a dialysis machine, his wife, Ruby, told The Associated Press. Jacklyn "Jack" Lucas was just six days past his 17th birthday in February 1945 when his heroism at Iwo Jima earned him the nation's highest military honor. He'd used his body to shield three fellow squad members from two grenades,... Sun Herald http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2029487/posts#comment Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:21:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2028632/posts An official reaction to FEMA's no-ice policy came from U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor who referred to FEMA officials as a "bunch of buttheads." Last week, officials were told that FEMA had decided to only supply ice for use in medical emergencies and life-saving reasons. It's left local officials scrambling to figure out ways to make it available for the general public. During a meeting with Hancock County Board of Supervisors this morning Taylor said he intends to write to FEMA to register his objections to the new policy. He also urged Hancock County supervisors, as well as the city councils... Sun Herald http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2028632/posts#comment Tue, 10 Jun 2008 01:46:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2027183/posts Birmingham, Ala. (AP) -- Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood wrongly conspired with prominent trial attorney Richard "Dickie" Scruggs to skirt a court order in a case involving Hurricane Katrina insurance claims, a federal judge has ruled. Referring to Hood as a "so-called law enforcement officer," U.S. District Judge William Acker said the attorney general helped his "close confidant" Scruggs avoid handing over stolen insurance company documents that Scruggs wanted for lawsuits against State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. Acker did not recommend any criminal or civil action against Hood in the opinion, filed Thursday. But the judge cited Scruggs and... AP via SFGate http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2027183/posts#comment Fri, 6 Jun 2008 17:49:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2026796/posts MINNEAPOLIS -- Former Vice President Al Gore thinks Al Franken would be “a fantastic senator,” according to a letter sent to Democratic delegates. Gore’s endorsement of Franken's bid for the U.S. Senate comes days before Franken squares off against opponent Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer for the DFL endorsement at the state party convention in Rochester, Minn. One reason Gore endorses Franken is their shared goals of an effort to slow global warming. Fox 9 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2026796/posts#comment Fri, 6 Jun 2008 00:31:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2025876/posts Study Warns Global Warming Could Swamp Gulf Coast By SEAN REILLYWASHINGTON — A new government report offers a grim forecast of global warming's long-term impact on the Gulf Coast, warning that "a vast portion ... from Houston to Mobile, Ala., may be inundated in the future." The predicted flooding, resulting from rising sea levels and sinking land surfaces, would occur within the next 50 to 100 years, according to the report, released last month by the National Science and Technology Council, a federal advisory body. While the effects would fall outside the life spans of most adults today, they could... Newhouse News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2025876/posts#comment Wed, 4 Jun 2008 15:54:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2023740/posts Mississippi’s appointed U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R) finds himself in a very tight election battle to win the job on his own. University of Virginia’s Larry Sabato has noted that this will be a “real political battle” which is “a rarity in a state that’s usually red as red can be.” The first Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of the race finds a pure toss-up--former Governor Ronnie Musgrove (D) attracts 47% of the vote while Wicker earns 46%. Rasmussen Reports http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2023740/posts#comment Fri, 30 May 2008 22:34:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2023184/posts The US Minerals Management Service is proposing regulations to distribute qualified federal Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas revenues to four Gulf Coast states and their eligible coastal governmental subdivisions. The distributions will take place under the 2006 Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act, which established federal OCS revenue sharing for affected coastal states and communities, MMS said on May 27. The law authorized that 37.5% of all federal OCS revenue from new leases in the gulf, including bonus bids, rentals, and production royalties, would be shared with Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas and their coastal communities and counties (or,... Oil & Gas Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2023184/posts#comment Thu, 29 May 2008 21:10:24 GMT