The year 2019 saw many new faces take over Newton County’s leadership while several businesses and industry in the county made some changes.
Here is a look at some of the top stories of the year:
Sen. Burton’s final term in the Senate
Sen. Terry C. Burton’s final term representing Senate District 31 was a rocky one. It began in January when he resigned his post as the Senate Pro-Tempore, the state’s third highest position, and announced he would not seek another term as senator following a DUI arrest in late 2018.
Later in January, Burton suffered a stroke. “We are grateful for the wonderful medical providers who are caring for him and who will lead him through the healing process. During this time, we ask that his privacy be honored in order to enhance his recovery,” his family said in a statement. “Terry loves serving the people of Mississippi. We hope and pray that he will return to do so as soon as possible.”
Burton then made a return to the Capitol to visit the Senate for a brief visit in March. However, Burton was never able to return to the Senate floor to do business during the session.
In August, Burton’s DUI charges were dismissed.
Oktibbeha County Justice Court Clerk Nora Goliday confirmed the verdict in August, but said the case ended due to the arresting officer being arrested himself.
Mississippi Highway Patrol officer Kyle Lee, who arrested Burton on Dec. 19, 2018, was indicted by the Oktibbeha County Grand Jury Jan. 10, 2019, on charges of culpable negligence manslaughter. The charges stemmed from an incident May 7, 2017, when Lee’s 2016 Ford Explorer crashed into a vehicle carrying Mississippi State University student athlete Kaelin Kersh, killing her.
Goliday said all of cases involving Lee were ruled not guilty after his arrest.
Elections
Newton County’s government will have several new faces in 2020 after new leaders were elected during the November 5 general election.
At the top, Republican Joedy Pennington was elected to be the new sheriff, replacing retiring Sheriff Jackie Knight. He soundly defeated independent challenger Randy Patrick.
Republican Tyler McCaughn will be the new face of Senate District 31, replacing retiring Sen. Terry Burton. He defeated Mike Marlow convincingly to win the general election after defeating Hampton Gardner in the Republican Primary.
Randy Rushing defeated Joe Bradford to win re-election in the State House of Representatives District 78 race.
Troy Smith defeated Independent Roy May to win the State House of Representatives District 84 seat. In the primaries, Smith defeated incumbent William Shirley.
Justin K. Chaney will be the new Justice Court Judge in Place 2. The Republican garnered nearly 55 percent of the vote while independent challenger Charlie Walker had 25 percent of the vote and Democratic opponent Greg Morgan had more than 20 percent of the vote.
Chaney will succeed interim Judge Raymond Powell, who was appointed by the Newton County Board of Supervisors to replace retiring Judge Mark McDonald.
Republican Jacky Johnson defeated Democratic opponent Carroll Johnson and independent candidate Charles Scoggin to win the Newton County Beat 5 Supervisor’s position.
Newton sends 911 dispatch to county
The City of Newton shut down its own police dispatch and contracted its dispatching services with Newton County 911. After the move, which was finalized in April, both Newton’s police and fire dispatch was being handled by the county for a cost $40,476 per year for three years based on a population total of 3,373. After the three years are up, the city will pay the county $12 per resident based on the city’s future census numbers.
The move was projected to save as much as $27,000 per year in dispatching costs after the police department adds back an administration employee to keep the police station open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Newton Police Department also beefed up its security around the police station since it would not be open 24 hours as it previously was. Bars were added over the windows, and more secure doors were added to the police station’s exterior and interior to protect the station and evidence that is kept there.
The county installed a call box outside the police station so that former walk-in calls would be able to make a call to the county after hours.
Newton joining the 911 dispatch also forced 911 to start charging Hickory and Decatur for dispatching services.
Weir adds $15 million, upgrades ESCO plant
State and local officials gathered at ESCO/Weir in Newton in mid-March as the manufacturer unveiled a plan to expand their production line and create new jobs for residents.
“I’ve often said my first job is make sure every Mississippi who wants a job has one,” Bryant said. “I’ve amended that a little bit. Now I want them to have a job even if they don’t want one, because our economy and industry in this state is growing.
The $15 million expansion is part of a greater $50 million investment the Weir Group is making after purchasing ESCO last year for $1.2 billion. In addition to increasing production, the company plans to add an additional 150 employees to its current staff of 250 by the end of the year.
“We chose to increase our investment in Newton because it is home to highly skilled people who are passionate about producing world-class products,” Jon Stanton, Weir Group CEO, said. “The equipment we make in Mississippi is exported around the world, and the increased demand from our mining and infrastructure customers gives us great confidence in the future.”
Hollingsworth indicted
Newton County Glenn Hollingsworth was indicted by a Newton County grand jury on charges of selling his personally-owned tractor to his county beat for $25,000 during his first year in office.
The grand jury indictment indicates that Hollingsworth obtained public funds for the purchase of a Kubota M9000 tractor with a bush hog loader for $25,000 by “fraudulently failing to disclose a material fact, that he was the true owner of the property at a time when he (Hollingsworth) was serving as Beat 5 supervisor for Newton County, Mississippi, contrary to the form of the statute in such cases made and provided, and against the peace and dignity of the State of Mississippi.”
Newton County Administrator Steve Seale said the tractor was sold to the county on August 25, 2016. He said Hollingsworth Auction had submitted the low bid of $25,000. Davis Tractor in Meridian also submitted a bid of $30,000.
“We followed the law based on the information that we had at the time,” Seale said. “We had two quotes. (Hollingsworth Auctions) had submitted the low bid, and the county went with the low bid.”
In December, Hollingsworth was granted acceptance into a pretrial intervention program of the Eighth District Circuit Court that upon completion would reduce his sentence and prevent jail time.
The pretrial agreement, approved by Circuit Judge Mark Duncan, states that Hollingsworth admitted his involvement in the offense and was not coerced to agree to the participate in the program. By enrolling in the program, Hollingsworth is waiving his right to a trial and begins the two-year program.
Decatur sees fire truck woes
Decatur Volunteer Fire Department is looking at a large expense after the computer in the pumper fire truck went out, disabling the truck’s ability to pump water.
In the Oct. 7 Board of Supervisors meeting, Decatur Fire Chief Raymond Overstreet told county supervisors firefighters discovered the issue responding to a grassfire in Conehatta.
After calling a maintenance technician, Overstreet said the problem was diagnosed as a bad computer. While it may be relatively simple to install a new computer, he said replacing the bad part was only part of the problem.
Unfortunately, Overstreet said, the truck is well over five years old, meaning the program for Decatur Volunteer Fire Department’s pumper truck is no longer available to install on a new computer.
The Decatur Volunteer Fire Department may soon have its pumper truck back in action after the Board of Aldermen voted in December to cover the cost of repairs on the county owned truck.
During Mayor David Marshall’s research, he said he found $56,000 in the town’s fire protection fund which could be used to pay the estimated $16,500 to repair the damaged truck.
Marshall said some of that money was intended to go toward the new custom-built pumper ordered by the Decatur Volunteer Fire Department earlier this year. However, he said the need to have a working pumper was the more pressing issue.
Bryant retires, Nickson hired as NMSD Superintendent
Newton School Superintendent Nola Bryant retired from education June 30.
Bryant formally submitted her notice of retirement during the Newton Municipal School Board’s March meeting, and the minutes of which were approved on April 10.
“At this time, the right thing for me to do is to step aside,” Bryant said. “I have decided to retire and follow the next phase of my dreams, for which I do not know where that path will lead.”
During a special called in June, the school board approved the hiring of Glenda Nickson, special services director for the Smith County School District. She took over July 1.
“I am excited to receive this opportunity,” Nickson said. “In my 27-year career, this is my first opportunity to serve as a superintendent, and I am looking forward to building relationships with the students, staff, parents and community in Tiger Nation.”
17-year-old shot dead in shooting
Newton County Sheriff’s Department has a suspect in custody after a fatal February shooting Little Rock claimed the life of one teen and injured another.
Sheriff Jackie Knight said the incident occurred shortly on Decatur-Little Rock Road.
“A young man about 17 years of age was killed,” he said. “The one injured was his brother.
Due to the young age of the victims, Knight said he did not release their names. However, he confirmed 42-year-old Johnell Hasheim Jones had been taken into custody as a person of interest in the shooting.
Comans recognized with stretch of Hwy. 15
A section of Highway 15 was renamed in honor of Rep. Raymond Comans, a Decatur resident and longtime public servant.
Comans, a veteran of the United States Air Force, furniture store owner and father, served as the state representative for District 78 from 1964 until 1976 and again from 1984 to 2000, supporting efforts to create libraries, bringing mental health facilities to Newton and supporting junior colleges across the state.
Transportation Commissioner Dick Hall, who served with Comans in the legislature, served as the master of ceremonies for Thursday’s dedication. Coming from North Jackson, Hall said, he and Comans had different priorities, but he could tell Comans was dedicated to helping the people of his district.
“During that debate, a lot of things were proposed. Some of them made sense, and some of them did not,” he said. “But, Representative Comans got up and offered an amendment to four-lane Highway 15 from the Gulf Coast to the state of Tennessee.”
Newton City Hall receives $1M grant
The Newton Board of Aldermen received a $1 million grant to renovate city hall.
Mayor Murray Weems told the aldermen on May 7 that state has provided funding to be spent between July 1, 2019, and July 1, 2020, to help renovate and restore City Hall. Currently, there are multiple roof leaks throughout the building, which has been listed as one of Mississippi’s historic places.
“We’d like to thank Sen. Terry C. Burton for helping us get the funding to do this project,” Weems said. “There’s no way we would have had the funding to do what we needed to do to renovate City Hall and keep it a historic landmark.”
105 La-Z-Boy Jobs to Mexico
Newton La-Z-Boy relocated its Leather Cutting and Sewing division to Mexico, according to Daniel Simoneau, general manager for La-Z-Boy’s Newton operations.
The move impacted 105 employees at the company’s Newton location.
Simoneau said a “detailed analysis” of the company’s operations showed it would be more effective to have the Leather Cutting and Sewing division located at its Mexico plant, which currently staffs about 1,500 workers.
“We will begin ramping down Oct. 10 and be finished sometime in December,” he said.
The 105 employees in the Newton division will be given the opportunity to apply for other positions within the company, Simoneau said. Based on current hiring practices, he said La-Z-Boy was confident the displaced workers would be able to stay with the company if they so choose.
“We hire several people per week just through regular attrition, so we’re fairly confident we can find work for all employees who choose to stay with the company,” he said.
Two charged with sex crimes
An elementary school teacher with Forest Municipal School District was arrested in July in Union and is facing charges of child molestation.
Arrest reports from Newton County Jail show Justin Michael Little, 28, was arrested Thursday, July 18, by Union Police Department.
Union Police Chief Billy Pat Walker confirmed the arrest and said Little had been charged with molestation of a child.
Newton County Jail arrest reports show Troy A. Klein, 21, was arrested Monday, July 22 by Union Police Department. He is charged with three counts of statutory rape.
Union Police Chief Billy Pat Walker said Klein, who is originally from Louisiana, has a primary residence in Carthage but has been staying in Union, is accused of raping two underage victims.
Walker said he could not release any further details as the investigation of both cases is still underway.
Districts get improving report cards
Newton County’s three public school districts all showed improvement on the 2019 State Accountability Report Cards released Tuesday by the Mississippi Department of Education. The annual report cards grade districts and schools on an A-F scale based on metrics including proficiency in core subjects, academic growth, college and career readiness and graduation rates.
For the 2019 school year, Union Public School District was given an A-rating, and improvement over the district’s B-rating in 2018. Students showed increased proficiency in English, math and U.S. history, as well as an increase in the graduation rate, 88.2 percent over 82.6 percent in 2018.
Union High School was given a B grade, with 745 points out of 1000. Assessments show the school had greater than 95 percent participation from students and 46.3 percent of the students met the college and career ready standards. Union Middle School was also given a B, scoring 418 points out of 700, and Union Elementary School was given an A rating, with 543 out of 700 points.
Newton County School District also increased from a B to an A-rating on the 2019 report cards. The district’s graduation rate rose from 85.9 percent in 2018 to 90.2 percent, as well as increases in English and math proficiency and college and career readiness.
Newton County High School received a B as well, with 640 out of 1000 points. Assessments showed 48.7 percent of students met the college and career ready standard, and participation was greater than 95 percent. Newton County Elementary School received an A rating with 472 out of 700 points possible.
2019 State Accountability data for Newton Municipal School District shows the district retained its C-rating from the 2018 school year; however, student proficiency increased in all core subjects, including U.S. history, which jumped from 37 percent in 2018 to 62.3 percent. NMSD also saw its graduation rate rise from 77.6 percent to 80 percent since the 2018 school year.
At Newton High School, 18.8 percent of students met the college and career ready standard, and participation was greater than 95 percent. NHS had a total of 648 points out of 1000 points possible, which is a B grade. N.H. Pilot Middle School was also a B, and Newton Elementary was given a C.
Closed bridge reopens
Motorists traveling along Lawrence-Hazel Road will no longer need to take a detour as efforts to replace a dilapidated bridge near the intersection of Highway 80 are complete.
Charles Godwin, Beat 4 supervisor and president of the Newton County Board of Supervisors reported Joe Magee construction finished the bridge work April 2, and the bridge was reopened the same day.
“It is open,” Godwin said. “We’ve still got to pave the approaches, but we’ve got it temporarily done.”
While replacing the bridge, workers ended up raising the deck (the part cars drive on) about four inches, Godwin explained. The workers added material to the approaches as a temporary fix for motorists, but the county will need to go back and properly pave those areas to keep it in good condition.
One dead, clinic damaged in storms
An April outbreak of tornadoes, strong winds and storms toppled trees and damaged buildings in a rash of spring storms that left one Newton man dead and an urgent care clinic damaged.
Eighty-one-year-old Ronald Moreland, a Newton resident, was driving along Highway 15 in Neshoba County Thursday, when a damaged tree fell on top of his vehicle killing him.
Additionally, Neshoba General Hospital announced Friday the Neshoba Urgent Care Family Medicine Clinic, located at 1120 E. Main St., in Philadelphia, would be closed until further notice after the building suffered severe storm damage. The clinic reported a large section of wall had collapsed due to storms.
Trailer shooter shot by deputies
One man is dead, and another was airlifted to Jackson after two shootings occurred at the same location in Neshoba County in July.
Neshoba County Sheriff Tommy Waddell said he and several deputies responded to a call of a shooting at mobile home on County Road 301 west of Union. On arrival, they found a male victim had been shot.
Waddell said the victim was taken to the hospital by his girlfriend and airlifted to Jackson for treatment.
Approximately one hour later, while investigating the scene, Waddell said officers in a bedroom of the mobile home shot and killed a suspect who brandished a weapon after being discovered hiding in the room.
Although the incident occurred in tight quarters, Waddell said all injuries to law enforcement were minor.
“We’d been there over an hour and did not know anyone was hiding in the residence,” Waddell said. “It was a close call. It was very close.”
Murder reported in Pine Bluff area
A Newton County man has been charged with murder after a shooting incident Wednesday night in the Pine Bluff community that left one man dead.
Chief Deputy Kris Hollingsworth said deputies responded to the home of Kennard Nichols, 42, in the 3600 block of Pine Bluff Road Wednesday at 8:48 p.m.
“The call was reported as domestic disturbance with shots fired,” he said.
Upon arrival, deputies found 57-year-old Donzel McDonald, of Newton, shot to death, Hollingsworth said. Nichols was taken into custody at the scene and charged with second-degree murder.
