January 1 , 2006.

Mild temperatures replaced winter ones in Vicksburg, with highs registering in the upper 60s much of the week. Overnight lows varied throughout the week, warming from the upper 20s to low 40s by week’s end. No rainfall was reported.

The Mississippi River peaked at 7.4 feet at midweek before beginning a slow fall to measure 4.8 by the weekend. Forecasters expected a reading of 4.9 for today.

A fire destroyed the Standard Hill home of Mike and Tammy Hart and their four children, taking with it their Christmas tree and presents, two cats and three dogs. The family was living temporarily in a mobile home and says the community has come to the family’s rescue in its time of need.

The Kings Point Ferry II was dedicated to the memory of Melvin &#8220Dolly” King, an avid hunter on Kings Point and a longtime towboat company owner. Before his death in 1988, King had given the county a ferry barge and push boat that tracked along a cable to deliver hunters to Kings Point, a land mass due west of downtown created by shifts and turns of the Mississippi River.

Vicksburg residents who use Vicksburg Municipal Airport are pushing for the airport to build shelters for private planes. Users of the local facility claim it’s losing clientele to other airports, including Vicksburg Tallulah Regional Airport, because of more hangar space.

Teresa and Russell Richards of Yokena are doing their part to keep roadsides free of litter. They work along roads in their neighborhood and occasionally receive help from residents along Jeff Davis Road.

State Rep. George Flaggs announced his Mississippi Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Act of 2006, a package of legislation that includes changing one of the state’s two secure correctional facilities for youths into a preventive treatment center. The bill follows juvenile justice reform legislation guided to passage by Flaggs in 2004.

Policeman Rudolph Walker had appealed to Warren County Circuit Court his claim that he complied with the city’s request for an opinion on his medical status and was wrongly placed on unpaid leave. The city had requested a doctor’s opinion on his fitness after he reportedly had blackout spells while working overnight shifts.

A Rankin County resident led authorities to a rural Warren County cemetery where a body had been buried in an existing grave when the crime was committed four years ago. No names or addresses of the victim or suspects were released.

More than 50 Vicksburg firefighters have volunteered to help on the Gulf Coast following Katrina. Their tasks have included evacuating patients from hospitals, clearing debris and relieving tired and frustrated Coast crews.

Sprees of auto burglaries in the area have kept Vicksburg police on guard for two weeks. Burglars are targeting multiple vehicles and have entered trucks by popping locks through the door handles.

Compass Facility Management won a 45-day contract to prepare an operational plan for the Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau. VCVB board members voted 5-4 for the deal.

The body unearthed in a rural Warren County cemetery was that of a Rankin County man killed by his girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend and another man in March 2002, according to Rankin’s sheriff. The sheriff also said no one had reported the victim missing and the death likely would have remained unnoticed had those involved not spoken out.

Some Warren County supervisors said financial incentives would have to be part of employee evaluations and reviews.

Local deaths during the week were Grace Martin Bates, Willard Y. Culberson, Claude Cayce Duncan, Segie Nicole Jones, Mildred C. Kirkland, Harriet Dewylder Lessem, Willie Lee McClure, Louis &#8220Snooks” Nevels Jr., Robert &#8220Bob” Vaughn Jr., Effie G. Beasley, William David Brandon, Dayshon Montez Liggins, William Laurence Lindsey, Barbara Sue Good Bass, Lila Lowe Boolos, Ann Davidson, William Lloyd Diffey, Roma Dale Warnock, Bobby Wayne Woods, James Edward Kirby and LaVonne Louise Rhodman Wood.