Week in Vicksburg

Published 12:00 am Sunday, September 6, 2009

Temperatures moderated as the week progressed, ranging from 91 early in the period to the low 80s by week’s end. Lows fell, too, as far as 57 degrees one night. Rain was recorded one afternoon and measured .38 inch.

The Mississippi River fell most of the period, starting at 17. 1 feet and ending at 13.9. The forecast was for a reading of 14.4 feet today.

Australians who host a national radio show were in town to learn about the blues. Hamish and Andy met on the steps of the Levee Street Depot with bluesman King Edward.

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The Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau allocated $1,500 for the Over the River Run and $1,250 for a bicycling event, the Mississippi River Tour Da Delta.

Tim Jones scored three touchdowns on offense and one after a pass interception to lead the Warren Central Vikings to a 34-13 win over Lawrence County. St. Aloysius and Porters Chapel also posted victories. The Vicksburg High Gators were not in action.

State authorities confirmed swine flu was not the cause of the death of 15-year-old Warren Central student Wesley Husband. Bacterial meningitis was ruled out earlier and federal officials have been called on to establish a cause of death, which could take weeks.

Sister Mary Paulinus Oakes, RSM, released a compilation of the history of the Sisters of Mercy, a religious order of nuns who established a convent in Vicksburg in 1860 and later operated schools and a hospital.

Eagle Lake held its first competitive swim while nearby on Lake Chotard the Special Olympics fishing tournament was under way.

John Lee Noble, 33, was struck by a car and killed on U.S. 80 near the entrance to Pear Orchard subdivision. The vehicle that authorities believe struck him was impounded by the sheriff’s department, but no charges had been filed.

Heath Slocum, whose father, Jack, is the pro at Vicksburg Country Club, won The Barclays PGA event in New Jersey, edging Tiger Woods by one stroke. He picked up a $1.35 million paycheck for the accomplishment.

Welcoming and swearing-in ceremonies were held for the first crop of members of the AmeriCorps National Civilian Conservation Corps based in Vicksburg, one of five regional centers for the federal volunteer service program.

About 1,600 residential and commercial parcels were “sold” for taxes at the Warren County Courthouse. The number was larger than in 2008.

The Vicksburg Board of Zoning Appeals rejected a permit for Noel Ross. The panel said his business plan for the upper floor of a Washington Street building fit the definition of a nightclub as defined in a 2007 ordinance and excluded from the downtown area.

A standoff near the library with a distraught veteran armed with a handgun ended without violence. The man, who threatened suicide, surrendered after three hours and was taken to a VA center for treatment.

Ameristar and Riverwalk casino developments got hearings before supervisors on the tax valuations assigned to their properties. Both claimed state-set criteria had been manipulated to artificially make higher payments due.

Superintendent Dr. James Price said much time has been spent studying scores reflecting results for Vicksburg Warren School District students far below state and regional averages. For a math score where Vicksburg High averaged 17.5 percent and the state averaged 68.4 percent, it’s possible students who weren’t supposed to take the test took it in error.

In addition to John Noble, deaths during the week included Donald K. Stauble, Alice Marie Haggan Palmer, Elsie L. Brewer, Ernest Cooper, William J. Emrich Jr., Bessie Guimbellot, Willie C. Hardges, Ryan T. Moody, Janice G. Sturgis, Darlene B. Winningham, John Hardy, Betty A. Bell and Billy Ray Thomas.