A Busy Day

Saturdays are always one of my busiest days, even without breaking news. Today, like most Saturdays began early and ended late. Here's a quick rundown of my day:

9:30 am - HOSA Competition at Meridian Community College.
More than 400 high school students from across central Mississippi gathered for several health competitions ranging from Medical Spelling to CPR.

10:15 am - Junior High Basketball Tournament.
The Conference Championship was held at Meridian High. Kate Griffin, Northwest, and Hattiesburg's 8th and 9th grade girls and boys participated in the single-elimination tournament. The first game of the day was the 8th grade girls game between KG and Hattiesburg. Hattiesburg jumped out to a 7-0 lead after the first quarter and held on to win 29-22. I've listed the tournament champs below:
8th Grade Girls - Northwest
8th Grade Boys - Kate Griffin
9th Grade Girls - Either Hattiesburg or KG...We did not get the score called in.
9th Grade Boys - Same as girls no score called in for the Northwest/Kate Griffin game.

11:00 am - Child Identification, Marion Police Department
The Marion Police Department sponsored a Child Identification Program. Below is a question that the Child ID program asks:

If you had an occassion that resulted in you, your family, or friends being separated, how much information could you provide to expedite the identification of the missing party?

This is something that no one wants to think about, but if you child was missing how would you describe your child to authorities? Through this program, the answers to all the questions that police will ask are in a packet. Fingerprints, Video Identification, and a DNA swab. According to officials, the DNA sample is good for 80 years. The video documents hair and eye color, scars, birthmarks and more.

We will have more on this program Sunday night on Newscenter 11 at Ten.

12:00 pm - Burlington Plant Fire, Stonewall

Click here to view this story from Saturday's News (This link will only be active for a few days)

Around noon, the call came in that the historic Burlington plant in Stonewall was on fire. Firefighters found a fire that started on the third floor and spread downward to the basement. From the outside of the building, no flames were visible by the time we got to the building shortly after 12:30. While the cause is under investigation, officials believe that the fire started on the third floor. Some demolition work had occurred last week. They believe that a spark from some pipe cutting is to blame. There was significant damage to the inside, but the Clarke County Fire Investigator says that it could have been a lot worse. No one was inside when the fire started, so there were no injuries reported. As many of you know the Burlington plant has a long history in Stonewall. In late 2001, Burlington filed bankruptcy then a few months later the plant closed it's doors. When the plant closed down, many thought that the city of Stonewall would virtually do the same. While there was a high unemployment rate for a while in Clarke County, Stonewall is still there.

3:00 pm - Special Delivery Birthday Party, Riley Hospital

The WomanCare Birth Place at Riley Hopital celebrated all the babies that have been born since it's inception. 5,173 babies have been born in the past ten years at Riley. The party was open to all kids and adults that were born at Riley. A cake, clown, and facepainting were all part of the fun.

3:30 pm - FEMA Office Closed, Meridian

The Disaster Recovery Center in Meridian is now closed. However, Meridian residents can still be assisted by FEMA. There are still 15 centers still open in Meridian. The closest offices that remain open are in Laurel and in Jackson. If you need the address of any of the FEMA offices in Meridian, send me an email (chris.brennaman@wtok.com). I'll be happy to send you the information.

Other Stories:

Lauderdale County Sheriff's Department needs your help to locate Kenyata Shadwich, a 28-year-old black male. His picture is posted below. The vehicle Shadwich was driving is wanted in a Drive-By Shooting in Kemper County. Deputies attempted to stop Shadwich this morning in Lauderdale. He fle North on Old Highway 45, struck another vehicle and abandoned the vehicle he was driving. After a brief struggle with the deputy, Shadwich fled on foot. He is being charged with seveal felonies. If you have any information on his whereabouts, call the Crimestopper line (601) 917-8888.