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Mon day, Jan ua r y 23, 2012 • 50¢
Rep. Giffords resigning this week
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Ever y day Si nCE 1883
Hood knew of pardons, attorney says Budget writers seek to cut By The Associated Press
Former Penn State coach Joe Paterno
Joe Paterno: ‘You can’t take away what he did for Penn State’
suit seeking to overturn some of Barbour’s reprieves. Fortner also reportedly wants the lawsuit Jim dismissed. Hood “This entire conflict has been created by the attorney general’s office, not the governor’s office,” Fortner said. “Now (a judge) is being asked to clean up his mess.” Along with his motions,
JACKSON — The state Attorney General’s Office was involved in getting pardons approved by former Gov. Haley Barbour but has hidden its involvement in the process, according to an attorney for four of the former inmate trusties who received pardons. Tom Fortner, a former Hinds County public defender, has asked a Hinds County Circuit Court judge to disqualify Attorney General Jim Hood from a law-
Fortner provided evidence that Assistant Attorney General David Scott, assigned to represent the Mississippi Department of Corrections, gave legal advice regarding how to publish pardon notifications for the former trusties and then agreed to the responsibility of running the notifications himself. Fortner claims that Scott exchanged text messages with Daryl Neely, Barbour’s policy adviser. He says the messages show Neely asked See Pardons, Page A7.
health department funding By The Associated Press JACKSON — Legislative budget writers want to slash the state general fund appropriation for the state Department of Health to $20.7 million — the lowest level it has seen since 1990, when it received $20.3 million. That recommendation comes at a time when the state ranks first in the nation for adult obesity, teen birth rate and infant
See Health, Page A7.
Brutal rape tops cases for grand jury to hear
KEEPING OPTIONS OPEN
By The Associated Press STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Anguished by an unthinkable scandal that shook a university and tarnished the proud football program, many in the Penn State community rallied around a common cause. They mourned coach Joe Paterno’s dismissal and questioned the Obituary motives and tactics of school leaders who pushed out the Hall of Famer in November in the wake of child sex abuse charges against a retired assistant coach. Alumni, fans and students already racked by emotions were jolted by a much greater loss when Paterno died Sunday of lung cancer at age 85 — and the grieving process again could be complicated following two tense months that often had the Paterno family and the school at odds. “I feel like from the inside looking out that most people forget that he donated his whole life to the program. ... And everything that he donated to that school, people tend to look over that,” defensive end Jack Crawford, who just completed his senior season with the Nittany Lions, said Sunday from Senior Bowl practice in Mobile, Ala. “It was tough to swallow. It was harder to swallow when he first got fired. It was a sad moment for the whole Penn State family.” A family seemingly torn Nov. 5 after retired defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky was charged with the first of dozens of counts of abuse allegations. Sandusky has maintained his innocence and is awaiting trial. Paterno testified before a state grand jury investigating
mortality; second for hypertension; and third for diabetes and cancer death, according to the 2012 Public Health Report Card the department and the Mississippi State Medical Association released last week. In addition, last year, 28,943 new sexually transmitted disease cases were reported in Mississippi, including 550 from the virus that causes AIDS.
By Pamela Hitchins phitchins@vicksburgpost.com
On B1
Brenden Neville•The Vicksburg Post
A gutted and dilapidated former Carr Central on Cherry Street
Carr owners still hoping for housing By John Surratt jsurratt@vicksburgpost.com Thirty-three years after it was last used as a school, the former Carr Central building sits, empty except for vagrants and vandals, amid hopes it still will be saved. “We’re interviewing prospective developers and checking their backgrounds,” said David Brewer, the agent in charge of the estate of his late father, who had owned the Cherry Street building since 2007. “We’re keeping our options open. We haven’t reached a decision on anyone yet.” The hope is to transform the 88-year-old building into affordable housing. The building was gutted soon after its purchase by Webber Brewer — its doors and windows removed,
A view from inside opening the building’s interior to the elements. Several walls on the building’s second and third floors are covered with graffiti, and debris and leaves
from nearby trees litter the floors. Sections of the roof are missing. A plan to develop Carr Central into a 62-unit complex for seniors using
affordable housing tax credits was presented in April by a group called Rose of Vicksburg and rejected by See Carr, Page A7.
A brutal rape that spurred Vicksburg police investigators to go doorto-door seeking clues, and a shooting and robbery that resulted in a capital murder charge are among the criminal cases Warren County grand jurors convening this week are expected to review. Charged with the Oct. 26 rape, beating and burglary of a disabled woman in her Drummond Street home was Eddie Lee Harris, 28, 1203 North St. His cousin, Charles Harris, 20, of the same address, was charged with burglary in the case. “We anticipate presenting the evidence against both defendants to the grand jury and asking for indictments against them,” said District Attorney Ricky Smith. If indicted, tried and convicted, Eddie Lee Harris faces life plus 25 years in prison. And though charged only with burglary, Charles Harris “potentially faces life plus 25 years, if a jury believed he was an accessory and knew the woman was in the home,” said the DA. Eddie Lee Harris has been held without bond in the Warren County Jail since his arrest Dec. 15 on unrelated auto burglary charges. He became a suspect in the rape case that day, police Chief Walter Armstrong has said. Bond was set at $50,000 for Charles Harris, but he remains in an unidentified jail outside of Warren County, Sheriff Martin Pace said. Rondell Galvin, 20, 209 Overlook Drive, is accused of capital murder and robbery in the July 15 death of William Jones, 20, 280
See Paterno, Page A7.
ONLINE
www.vicksburgpost.com VOLUME 130 NUMBER 23 2 SECTIONS
See Jury, Page A7.
WEATHER
DEATH
Tonight: • Bernice Nelson cloudy, lows in the 40s A7 Tuesday: chance of thunderstorms, highs in the 60s Mississippi River:
24.1 feet Rose: 0.4 foot Flood stage: 43 feet
A7
TODAY IN HISTORY
1845: Congress decides all national elections will be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. 1932: New York Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt announces his candidacy for the Democratic presi-
dential nomination. 1937: 17 people go on trial in Moscow during Josef Stalin’s “Great Purge.” 1962: Jackie Robinson is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
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