My favorite stories from 2014

Published 12:00 am Thursday, January 1, 2015

It’s no secret the daily news reported in The Vicksburg Post has a major impact on our community.
But what most readers probably don’t know or realize is that tracking down and reporting that fresh news can bring a rewarding feeling or a sense of sorrow from the men and women who report it.
Here are a few stories from 2014 that have stuck with me for a while.
To me, the most moving story I worked on in 2014 was a lengthy interview with Jonestown survivor Herbert Newell, who was born in Sharkey County.
Newell’s tale of life as a member of the Peoples Temple Agricultural Project in Guyana will stay with me for the rest of my life. In a single day, Newell lost almost his entire family. A madman murdered them.
Since our interview, I’ve thought about Newell nearly every day, probably because I can imagine myself in his place. Both of us grew up in poor households and spent our younger years looking for some place to feel like we belonged. In another time, and another place, I easily would have been in the position Herbert Newell was on November 18, 1978.
On the opposite end of the emotional spectrum, I really enjoyed covering the Sons of Confederate Veterans repairing a number of gravestones at Cedar Hill Cemetery in late October. It’s nice to see anyone take interest in our historic cemetery, and the work the SCV has done to repair stones in and around Soldiers’ Rest is impressive.
The idea behind the project is one anyone can get behind — every American deserves a decent burial and a marker that’s not shattered to pieces.
I hope in 2015, more people will take inspiration from the SCV and take an interest in one of Vicksburg’s most historical places.
For the most talked about story I worked on this year, I have to think about Roosevelt Wilson, the 82-year-old Korean War veteran who shot an intruder who broke down his front door.
The mild-mannered Wilson had no qualms about shooting 42-year-old Betty Robertson who is accused of breaking into his home.
Often times, I’ll make a cold call and just go knock on the doors of crime victims or their neighbors. With Wilson, I made sure I called first.

Josh Edwards is a reporter and can be reached by email at josh.edwards@vicksburgpost.com or by phone at 601-636-4545.

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