TUE SDAY, mA rch 16, 2010 • 50¢
SpOrTS
City to help pay for study on bike trail along 61S
WAY UP IN BOVINA
mAkINg hIS WISh
By Steve Sanoski ssanoski@vicksburgpost.com
WC’s Andres Aguirre meeting idol today B1
WEAThEr Tonight: Partly cloudy; low near 48 Wednesday: Partly cloudy; high near 69 Mississippi River:
24.9 feet Rose: 0.3 foot Flood stage: 43 feet
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DEAThS • Edwin Hazel Holman • John P. Mathews • Willie Mae Ming Shields • William David Vantrease Jr.
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TODAY IN hISTOrY 1802: President Thomas Jefferson signs a measure authorizing the establishment of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. 1850: Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel “The Scarlet Letter” is first published. 1915: The Federal Trade Commission begins operations. 1935: Adolf Hitler decides to break the military terms set by the Treaty of Versailles by ordering the rearming of Germany. 1968: During the Vietnam War, the My Lai (mee ly) Massacre of Vietnamese civilians is carried out by U.S. Army troops; estimates of the death toll vary between 347 and 504. 1978: Italian politician Aldo Moro is kidnapped by left-wing urban guerrillas, who later murdered him. 1985: Terry Anderson, chief Middle East correspondent for The Associated Press, is abducted in Beirut; he was released in December 1991.
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ONLINE www.vicksburgpost.com VOLUME 128 NUMBER 75 2 SECTIONS
merediTh spencer•The Vicksburg PosT
Workers were high up on Culkin Water District’s new water tower off U.S. 80 in Bovina this morning. Assembly of the 300,000-gallon tank by Caldwell Tanks of Louisville, Ky., is part of a $3.2 million project financed by the Drinking Water Systems Improvement Revolving Loan Fund administered by the Mississippi State Department of Health. The loan will be repaid over 20 years, said John Gunn, the water district’s general manager. The tower, which will be the tallest structure in Bovina, is expected to improve service to the district’s southern reaches.
A feasibility study will soon be under way to explore establishing a bike trail from Vicksburg to Natchez along power line right of ways owned by Entergy following Monday’s approval of a $2,000 contribution toward the study by the Vicksburg Board of Mayor and Aldermen. Bill Seratt, Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau executive director, told the board the proposed trail would greatly enhance the local portion of the Mississippi River Trail — a recreational trail that follows the Mississippi River through 10 states, from its headwaters in Minnesota to near the river’s mouth south of New Orleans. The local portion of the MRT encompasses roadways with high vehicle traffic, such as U.S. 61 and Halls Ferry Road, that are not very accommodating for cyclists. A more scenic trail away from motorized traffic “is appealing to cyclists for both the ruggedness of the terrain, but also for the safety,” said Seratt, who was joined by Warren County Port Commission Director Wayne Mansfield in asking for the $2,000. “We’re seeing more and more traffic” on the local MRT route, said Seratt. “It’s like one of those bucket list type things, where cyclists want to ride the entire route.” Terry Eastin, MRT executive director, said the feasibility study should be complete in about six months and will be followed by an environmental impact study that will begin if the trail is found to be feasible. The feasibility study will cost $22,500, said See City, Page A7.
Scott, deputy police chief, resigns after 6 months By Steve Sanoski ssanoski@vicksburgpost.com
at liberty to discuss.” Scott did not return calls. Before joining the VPD in October, Scott had 17 Jeffrey years with Scott the Jackson department — rising through the ranks there from dispatcher to patrol officer to homicide investigator and, at the time of his departure, public information officer. “We don’t have any immediate plans for filling that
spot, but we do plan to fill it,” said Police Chief Walter Armstrong. “We’ll continue to march forward from here.” Armstrong also was silent on the specifics of Scott’s resignation, but indicated he did not foresee it coming. “He perhaps had given it some thought over the past few days, but again, what I can say at this point is that he resigned effective today,” the chief said. “Certainly, I appreciate the service he rendered while he was here and I wish him the best, but I can’t get into the details,” he said.
Last intercession begins with one-third attending
Dr. James Price said he ‘could not in good conscience’ recommend keeping intercession on the calendar.
Without explanation, the Vicksburg Board of Mayor and Aldermen accepted Deputy Chief Jeffrey Scott’s resignation in closed session Monday, effective immediately. When asked if Scott provided any reason for resigning little more than six months after quitting a job with the Jackson Police Department to join the Vicksburg force, Mayor Paul Winfield said, “That’s a personnel matter that we’re not
By Pamela Hitchins phitchins@vicksburgpost.com The final intercession period for the Vicksburg Warren School District got under way Monday and for the third straight time, student attendance decreased — just one-third of those eligible in grades 3 through 6 attended. The schools were prepared, sending out buses and bringing in teachers for extra help. “It’s slow,” confirmed Superintendent Dr. James Price, “but we’re still holding intercession. We’re not turning anybody away. For some it could make the difference between passing and failing.” Classes were held again this morning, but those initially planned for Wednesday
were changed to a regular school day for all students to make up the Feb. 12 academic day canceled by snow. School sources said 670 students in grades 3 through 6 were invited to attend remedial sessions before the next nine-week grading period began. The district prepared for the 339 whose parents said they’d be there, but only 218 came to school, 153 from the south half of the district and 65 from the north. Forty-four junior high students attended Monday’s classes, said Assistant Superintendent Debra Hullum — 26 to Vicksburg Junior High School and 18 to Warren Central Junior. At the high school level, 65 attended at Vicksburg High School and 31 at Warren Central, for a
total of 96. The district brought in 46 teachers, Hullum said, resulting in one teacher available for every eight students. Students are invited based on their need for more instruction in order to pass weekly benchmark tests, which prepare students for state-required tests at the end of the school year. Lower grade students are offered math and reading lessons, with math and English targeted at the junior highs. Review and strategies for the See Schools, Page A2.
Scott’s appointment was part of a restructuring of the police department that began when Winfield defeated Laurence Leyens in the mayoral election in June. Winfield had pledged to replace former Police Chief Tommy Moffett during his campaign, and his new vision for the force became a central point in the election after Leyens, the two-term incumbent, vowed to continue supporting Moffett. Armstrong was selected as police chief by a 2-1 mayor and aldermen vote shortly after Winfield took office
in July, and he later recommended both Scott and John Dolan as deputy chiefs. Under Moffett’s command the police department operated with one deputy chief. The mayor and aldermen unanimously signed off on Scott’s appointment to oversee department operations, while Dolan’s appointment to oversee administrative duties was approved 2-1. They were sworn in Oct. 1. Winfield said he anticipates beginning the search for Scott’s replacement “in the very near future.”
Proposals sought for jail health care By Danny Barrett Jr. dbarrett@vicksburgpost.com Proposals will be sought to complete the privatization of health care services for people held in Warren County custody. Supervisors OK’d seeking offers following a pitch by Sheriff Martin Pace, who cast it as a way for the county to save money and get out of the health care business. A single medical care provider “would provide the same service and save money,” Pace told supervisors Monday before a unanimous vote. “At this point, it’s the direction we need to go.” Information in hand from
at least one company in the business of inmate health care and calls to counties in Mississippi that have contracted for medical services figured into the decision. Pace and County Administrator John Smith consulted with Lauderdale and Madison counties in recent weeks, reporting they were satisfied with what they heard. “So far, we’ve not found one that’s been dissatisfied,” Pace said. A staff nurse has been on Warren County payroll for years, and annual costs for doctor visits and prescriptions have varied through the years but have See Jail, Page A7.