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Limits proposed for gubernatorial pardons By Emily Wagster Pettus The Associated Press
Miss America
5 more bodies discovered
other reprieves to more than 200 people, including many convicted of violent crimes. He said 189 had served their time, and pardons offer a chance for redemption. “We believe in forgiveness of sin. We believe in second chances,” Barbour said last Friday, explaining his decisions. The new governor, Republi-
JACKSON — Some Mississippi lawmakers want to limit the governor’s pardon powers, a discussion prompted by Republican Haley Barbour’s actions as he left office last Tuesday. Barbour granted pardons or
Wisconsin woman used family struggles as contest platform
can Phil Bryant, said last week he has no intention of pardoning anyone. He’s also changing a trusty program that allows a few inmates to cook, clean or do other odd jobs at the Governor’s Mansion. Trusties are chosen by the state Department of Corrections, and they’re traditionally pardoned or given some other
relief, such as suspended sentence, when a governor leaves office. Barbour pardoned the 10 trusties who worked during eight years at the mansion — five each term. Eight were convicted of murder, one of manslaughter and See Pardons, Page A7.
Haley Barbour
Politics, time blamed for shortage on zoning board
IN THE SPIRIT
B4 WEATHER Tonight: partly cloudy, chance of rain, lows in the lower to mid-30s Wednesday: sunny, highs in the lower 50s
By John Surratt jsurratt@vicksburgpost.
Mississippi River:
24.3 feet Fell: 1.5 foot Flood stage: 43 feet
A7
DEATHS • Gerald C. Baker • Riley C. Harper • Lloyd T. Spicer Jr. • Georgia Wilson
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TODAY IN HISTORY 1929: The cartoon character Popeye the Sailor makes his debut in the “Thimble Theatre” comic strip. 1945: Soviet and Polish forces liberate Warsaw during World War II; Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, credited with saving tens of thousands of Jews, disappears in Hungary while in Soviet custody. 1977: Convicted murderer Gary Gilmore, 36, is shot by a firing squad at Utah State Prison in the first U.S. execution in a decade.
INDEX Business................................A5 Classifieds............................. B6 Comics...................................A6 Puzzles................................... B5 Dear Abby............................ B5 Editorial.................................A4 People/TV............................. B4
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Brenden Neville•The Vicksburg Post
After working to clean the Waters Youth Foundation Boys’ Shelter on Sherman Avenue, volunteers hold hands in prayer. They are, from left, Mychal Winters, Daniel Jennings, Sylvester Walker and Isla Thomas, 15, the daughter of Wade Thomas and Ria Judge.
King remembered with service, prayer By Danny Barrett Jr. dbarrett@vicksburgpost.com Household chores became labors of love Monday for local volunteers celebrating the spirit of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Five who represent local schools in the America Reads Mississippi literacy program wiped countertops and dusted baseboards at Waters Youth Foundation Boys’ Shelter in Vicksburg. The job ended in prayer. “We do five service projects a year and this one was to honor Dr. King,” said volunteer Sharunda Flagg, a regular volunteer who represents Sherman Avenue and Bowmar Elementary schools in the AmeriCorps literacy program for five national service days — the King holiday, Read Across America Day in March, National Global Youth Day in April, National AmeriCorps week in May and Make a Difference Day in October. The volunteer “clean team” consisted of Flagg, Marita Smith, who works at Vicksburg Intermediate; Mychal Winters, who works at Dana Road Elementary; Ria
Alma and John Smith, both 81 and married for 56 years, sing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” at the closing of the 26th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration Monday evening at the Vicksburg Municipal Auditorium. They have attended every year for 32 years. Judge, assistant principal at Sherman Avenue; and volunteer director Lillian Porter. A squeaky-clean kitchen and fresh-scented study room for the six boys who live in the facility was a godsend for activities coordinator Daniel Jennings. “It’s those things we sometimes just don’t have a chance to do,” he
said of the shelter, staffed by two to three people by day. It’s definitely in the spirit of the holiday today.” A reading room affords boys time to meet the written word between such outings as fishing and horseback riding. See MLK, Page A7.
When the Vicksburg Board of Zoning Appeals failed last week to have a quorum for a hearing on a high-profile special exception, its lack of action Tommie pointed to a two-year-old Rawlings problem with keeping the board full. ‘This is the type The board, appointed of board where by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen and you can anger required by city ordisome people.’ nance to have seven members, has not had Tommie more than five members Rawlings in nearly three years. Zoning board Politics, city officials chairman say, is one reason why finding people willing to serve is a challenge. “We have some high-profile issues,” board chairman Tommie Rawlings said. “This is the type of board where you can anger some people. I’ve had people come up to me and say, ‘You guys are tough. You’re taking care of business. I don’t know if I can do that.’” North Alderman Michael Mayfield said he approached someone about a zoning board spot “and they told me they didn’t want any part of it. They didn’t want the politics.” The zoning board was established by city ordinance to review and decide issues involving rezoning, construction variances and special exceptions to ensure compatibility with the city’s comprehensive plan. The seven are volunteers and serve without pay. Their decisions can make or break a business or development or affect the life of one or hundreds of residents. To hear and act on zoning issues, at least four board members must attend meetings, and four votes are required to approve a zoning change. When the board had seven people, members said, four to six regularly attended. With only five members, the board has failed to have a quorum six times in the past two years, according to city planning department records. Some zoning requests have been denied because a four-member board failed to reach a unanimous vote. In
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See Zoning, Page A7.
Wikipedia going dark for day in protest of ‘censorship’ legislation By The Associated Press Wikipedia will black out the English language version of its website Wednesday to protest anti-piracy legislation under consideration in Congress, the foundation behind the popular commu-
nity-based online encyclopedia said in a statement Monday night. The website will go dark for 24 hours in an unprecedented move that brings added muscle to a growing base of critics of the legislation. Wikipedia is considered
one of the Internet’s most popular websites, with millions of visitors daily. “If passed, this legislation will harm the free and open Internet and bring about new tools for censorship of international websites inside the United States,” the Wikime-
dia foundation said. The Stop Online Piracy Act in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Protect Intellectual Property Act under consideration in the Senate are designed to crack down on sales of pirated U.S. products overseas.
Supporters include the film and music industry, which often sees its products sold illegally. They say the legislation is needed to protect intellectual property and jobs. See Wikipedia, Page A7.