2025 was quite the year in Newton County, bringing a wide range of happenings from January through December. From a chaotic first school board meeting, to a historic football regular season, we’ve given it our all to bring you the best in local coverage. The following is a compilation of what we deemed the bigger stories of the year, in no particular order.
County Municipalities Elect New Mayors
County municipalities in Newton, Union, Hickory and Decatur swore in new mayors on July 1, ushering in new leadership for the next four years. Decatur mayor Lea Ann Rushing and Hickory mayor Charles Guyse were sworn in after running unopposed in their respected races, while Union mayor Robert Blount and Newton mayor Jay Powell won their primary elections to gain their seats. In the primary election, Powell received 459 votes to defeat Demarius Evans (345 votes) in Newton, while Blount won the mayoral race in Union with 256 votes, defeating Ricky Sistrunk (60 votes).
NCHS Cheer Wins Second National Championship
For the second time in three years, the Newton County High School cheerleading team won a National Championship under the Small Varsity Non-Tumbling Game Day Division in Orlando, Florida on Feb. 10. From left: Kensley Allen, Shyloe Brown, Jordi Wilhelm, Sakiya Wesley, Brynleigh Boatner, Madie Kate McDaniel, Kahlyn Clayton, Anna Claire Skinner, Bella Grace Jones, Atley Thomas, Gracey Wood, and Macy Brooke Hayes. The Newton County High School Cheer Team is led by Coach Bobbie Simon and NCHS Assistant Amberly Amis.
Five Arrested in Connection to the death of Madisyn Evans
Five individuals were arrested in connection with the tragic Dec. 23, 2024, shooting that claimed the life of Newton County High School junior Madisyn A'Miyah Evans.
The Newton County Sheriff’s Office, working alongside the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) and Newton Police Department, announced the arrests on Monday, Dec. 30. Sheriff Joedy Pennington described the crime as "a senseless act that took a bright young girl’s life, an act that should not have happened."
Those charged include Quintavious Johnson (Charged with shooting into an occupied vehicle, tampering with physical evidence, and capital murder); Jakarie Love (Charged with shooting into an occupied vehicle, tampering with physical evidence, and capital murder); Brandon Shephard (Charged with accessory before the fact to capital murder and tampering with physical evidence); Lakeithia Ford (Charged with hindering prosecution); and Carlonte Walker (Charged with accessory after the fact to capital murder and tampering with physical evidence).
South Decatur Mercantile Lost to Fire
The South Decatur Mercantile, a popular restaurant in Decatur, was completely destroyed in an early morning fire on Aug. 21. The Decatur Volunteer Fire Department received the call at 12:28 a.m. and arrived to find the building fully engulfed in flames.
Built from locally sourced hard pine lumber, the wooden structure burned rapidly, leaving firefighters little chance to save it. Chief John Everett noted that crews shifted to defense mode to contain the blaze, with mutual aid from nearby departments including Newton, Hickory, and Beulah Hubbard. Firefighters remained on scene for hours using multiple engines and tankers to extinguish the fire fully. By morning, only smoldering debris remained. No injuries were reported, but the loss of this beloved local landmark left residents heartbroken of the news.
Roncali Verdict Reversed
The Mississippi Court of Appeals reversed the capital murder conviction of Carlos Roncali on Feb. 20 and ordered a new trial in the case involving the death of his wife, Marian Chaney Roncali. The panel held that the trial court erred by allowing forensic pathologist Dr. Mark LeVaughn to testify that Marian’s death was a homicide based largely on unverified law enforcement information. In its opinion, the court stated, “Based on our review, the trial court abused its discretion in allowing testimony that was not supported by the necessary foundational facts.”
Roncali had been convicted by a Newton County circuit court and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. On appeal, he argued that the evidence did not establish beyond a reasonable doubt that he was responsible for his wife’s death. While the judges acknowledged that sufficient evidence existed to support a conviction, they found that admitting Dr. LeVaughn’s testimony violated Mississippi’s evidentiary rules.
Yellowjacket Football’s Historic Undefeated Regular Season
The 2025 Union Yellowjacket football team defeated Pisgah by a score of 35-6 on Oct. 31 to finish their regular season at 10-0. The historic win marks the first time in school history that the Union Yellowjackets had finished the regular season undefeated. Union was also the only team in Division 3A to end the regular season undefeated.
The Yellowjackets would go on to open their playoff run with a win (Wren’s 50th) over Jefferson Davis County, followed by a win against Hazelhurst 48-21, before succumbing to Raleigh in the 3A South State Semifinal 35-21.
NMSD School Board Chaotic First Meeting of 2025
The first regularly called meeting of the Newton Municipal School Board was nothing close to regular with procedural disputes, confrontations, and resistance to rapid leadership changes dominating the session that took place on Jan. 13.
The meeting of the newly publicly elected board, made up of Shannon Moore, Machell Frazier, Raymond Boutwell, Ryan Oakley, and Jo Beth Bounds, quickly became contentious when Boutwell called the meeting to order as chair pro tempore, rejecting an attempt by former president Jhaddaka Leverette to pass the gavel to Moore. It further escalated after Boutwell was elected temporary chair over Moore by a 3-2 vote, followed by a heated exchange where Boutwell questioned Moore's existing board bond and sharply told former clerk Karen Harris not to argue with him.
The main conflict centered on electing officers. A policy adopted in November 2024 required the board president to have at least one year of prior service. Boutwell moved to temporarily suspend this rule, arguing it conflicted with state law and was improperly added by the previous "lame duck" board. After extended debate—including clashes with board
attorney Brian Mayo, whom Boutwell told "I'll ask for information when I need information"—the suspension passed 3-2.
After new officers were elected (Boutwell-President, Moore-Vice President, Oakley-Secretary, Bounds-Assistant Secretary), Boutwell attempted to add urgent agenda items, including forming a committee to rescind the recent appointment of the superintendent Cola Shelby, rescinding minutes from two November 2024 meetings, and terminating board attorney Brian Mayo.
These motions failed for lack of a second, as other members (particularly Oakley) expressed concern about rushing major changes without due diligence.
The remainder of the agenda proceeded normally, followed by closed and executive sessions with no action taken.
Boutwell would eventually resign from the board several months later, leading to the City of Newton Board of Aldermen placing former board member Jhaddaka Leverette on the board to fill the empty board seat.
Local Schools Earn Impressive Accountability Ratings
The Mississippi Department of Education released school and district accountability ratings for the 2024–2025 year in September, districts local to our area continue to perform well.
Newton County School District: Rated A, with strong marks in reading (61.3% proficiency), math (70%), and science (70.1%). The district earned an overall score of 734 points, with notable success in college and career readiness and a graduation rate of 93.8%.
Union Public School District: Also an A-rated district, Union excelled in math (66.2% proficiency) and history (91.5%), with one of the region’s highest graduation rates at 96.9%. The district posted a total of 710 points.
Newton Municipal School District: Earned a B rating, a total of 609 points, with great marks in history proficiency (74.7%) and acceleration (84.2%). The district’s graduation rate continues as one of the best in the state, coming in at 95.7%.
Lake School (Scott County School District): Lake High School received a B rating with 625 points. Students posted a 52% math proficiency and a graduation rate of 82.4%, supported by strong growth scores.
Sebastopol Attendance Center (Scott County School District): Sebastopol maintained solid performance under the Scott County School District umbrella, which as a whole received a B rating, supported by 68% math proficiency and growth scores above 60%.
Former Dog Shelter Owner Sentenced After Grisly Animal Cruelty Case
The owner of two Newton County animal shelters was found guilty of four felony counts of aggravated cruelty and three counts of malicious injury for the suffering and deaths of numerous dogs.
Natalie Nicole Fancher, who pled guilty to the charges and was sentenced in April, will serve seven years of a 21-year sentence, three years’ probation, and pay a fine of $2,500.
Fancher, 33, was arrested on July 11, 2023, and received a $60,000 bond after an extensive investigation after Newton County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a call to Pine Bluff Road in reference to a call regarding animal neglect. After arriving on scene, deputies found multiple dogs abandoned in cages, tied to trees and running loose. Deputies also found numerous amounts of deceased dogs on the property. Deputies were able to determine the dogs on the property had not been fed or watered in some time. After further investigation deputes were able to determine there was a second property on Peavy Road also containing many dogs.
Newton Police Department Change of Leadership
During the Jan. 9 City of Newton Board of Aldermen meeting, officials formally accepted the retirement of Police Chief Randy Patrick, effective immediately. Chief Patrick's departure came amid heightened tensions concerning crime in the city after a teen was murdered in the city just before Christmas of last year.
The board would later approve the appointment of McKenzie Patrick as Interim Police Chief. Patrick, who had been with the Newton Police Department for five years, brought experience and determination to the position.
In July, city officials unanimously voted to approve removing the “interim” tag from Police Chief McKenzie Patrick’s.
