Toasty spring temps gripped Vicksburg throughout the week as highs ranged from the upper 70s to mid-80s. Overnight lows were in the 50s and 60s, though one night saw a dip into the upper 40s. Just under a half-inch of rain was recorded near week’s end.

The Mississippi River jumped from 33.5 to 35.8 feet locally before receding to 35.5. Forecasters were expecting the decline to continue, predicting a reading of 35 feet for today.

Mayor Paul Winfield rolled out plans for Warren County supervisors on his proposed sports complex, hoping the county would act quickly on a tax plan so legislators can allow a referendum on the year’s general election ballot. County officials urged the mayor to provide specific information and details to the public before allowing a vote on the proposal.

Repairs to Washington Street and a retaining wall south of its reconstructed bridge could be ready for bid by the city’s April 16 board meeting. The board extended an emergency declaration after city workers reported the wall had shifted.

Daniel Vernon, Warren Central High School music teacher, was named the 2012 Outstanding Young Music Teacher by the Mississippi Music Educators Association. Vernon was nominated for the award by former WCHS choirmaster Nancy Robertson, who serves as the Vicksburg Warren School District’s Fine Arts curriculum coach.

A total of 230 employees of Grand Station Casino were told by Mississippi Department of Employment Security officials to file for unemployment benefits after the casino’s closing on Wednesday. The hotel, which has rooms booked through January, will not be immediately affected.

Top brass from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers were treated to a preview of the Lower Mississippi River Museum and Interpretive Center, which project managers said is about 80 percent complete. The main building of the museum is set to open in August.

Parents of Vicksburg High School students disturbed over recent outbreaks of fighting at the school had opportunities to voice concerns during the week as they planned meetings with city and school officials. Parents hosted their own rally outside the Knights of Columbus, where school safety and discipline were priority; Mayor Paul Winfield spearheaded a “unity meeting,” where justice officials said fighting had been overplayed; and three parents requested space on the Board of Trustees agenda.

John Phillip Hart, 24, 1408 Sherman Ave., was being held without bond after being arrested and charged with shooting 17 times into a home in the Kings community in January. No motive was clear in the shooting, which injured a 4-year-old boy.

Two permanent sites and a testing ground for power-generating turbines in the Mississippi River are in the works for Vicksburg. A study plan is expected in the summer, though a pilot project will be just north of Baton Rouge.

Corey Thompson of Vicksburg was convicted of two counts of armed robbery during which his accomplice was shot to death. The shootings occurred outside Confederate Ridge Apartments in May.

Local deaths during the week were: Dorothy Faye Kittrell, Thelma J. Watson, Luther T. Shows Jr., Jean B. Baylot Jr., Bobbie Cooper, Claudia Elaine Ferguson, Leroy Thomas Sr., Marion “Mickey” Rodgers and George Randall “Randy” Grey.