For two days, film crews tracked local residents to promote a series of commercials a new health campaign.

“Let’s Go Walking Mississippi” urges people to go out and walk as a simple form of exercise.

The crew shot around town at various locations including the BPAC and Ellis Theatre.

The Cleveland commercial will only be shown throughout the Delta and officials expect it to air in January.

Several events highlight homecoming here in Cleveland as Delta State alumni return and rekindle with old friends.

The Delta State Statesmen look to close out the 2009 season on a high note as they battle West Georgia on Saturday while a new homecoming queen will be crowned at halftime.

For a complete list of the events, call the alumni association at 846-4660 or visit www.deltastate.edu.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6

9:30 – 11:00 am Alumni Board of Directors Executive Committee Meeting, H.L. Nowell Union

10:00 – Noon Foundation Board of Directors Meeting, Alumni House

12:30 pm Awards and Business Luncheon: Outstanding Alumnus of the Year and Service

Awards, H.L. Nowell Union, State Room

2:00 – 4:00 pm Alumni Board of Directors Meeting, Alumni House

4:00 pm Delta State’s Homecoming Parade

6:00 pm Student Pep Rally, Statesmen Park

5:30 – 6:30 pm Golden Circle (classes ’28 –’59)Social and Reunion, Cleveland Country Club

7:00 pm Class of ’59 Induction and Dinner, Cleveland Country Club

7:30 pm Swimming and diving alumni reunion, The Warehouse Restaurant

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7

9:00 – 11:00 am Homecoming registration, H.L. Nowell Union, First Floor

9:00 – 10:00 am Athletic Alumni Meeting, H.L. Nowell Union, Room 302

10:00 – Noon “Backyards and Beyond, Mississippians and Their Stories” Exhibit,

University Archives and Museum

9:00 – 11:00 am Delta Music Institute Open House

10:00 – 10:45 am Dialogue with University Officials, Alumni House

10:00 am Veterans exhibit and refreshments, Jobe Hall

9:00 am – 2:00 pm Wright Art Center Gallery Faculty Open House

11:00 am Ceremony for Veterans Atrium, Jobe Hall

11:00 am Organizations, Constituent group meetings, and Open Houses.

Noon College of Education Awards Luncheon, H.L. Nowell Union, State Room

Noon Lunch, Young-Mauldin Delta State Dining Hall

7:00 pm Kappa Alpha Order 45^th Reunion, Cleveland Country Club

· The Student Government Association will ask all Delta State Alums to stand

and be recognized at halftime of the football game.

· Jimmy R. Williams Bookstore open from 9 am – 2 pm, H.L. Nowell Union

(10% discount with presentation of alumni membership card)

· Downtown Merchant window displays, Downtown Cleveland

· Homecoming T-Shirts for sale, H.L. Nowell Student Union

Statesmen Park Homecoming Festivities:

Noon Tailgating, tent parties, cheerleaders and band

Noon – 3:00 pm Reunions, Open Houses, Tents, Statesmen Park, North Field

1:30 pm Football team Walk-through

4:00 pm Delta State vs. the University of West Georgia

Queen and court presentation at half-time

· Ol’ Skool Revue, TBA, Statesmen Park

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8:

9:00 am Golden Circle and Class of ’59 Brunch, Alumni House

After four hours of deliberation Thursday by a Bolivar County jury, a verdict could not be reached on the three men charged with murder.

Judge Charles Webster declared a mistrial against Ruben Latham, Trent Williams and Wautese Bell who were charged with murder and aggravated assault.

The men were accused of shooting a then pregnant Treasurea Melton in March 2007 after they entered her home and opened fire.

She was shot several times and lost her baby. Police believe the attack was intended for her boyfriend.

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour says he wants more power to cut state spending when times are tough.

The Republican told lawmakers Thursday that he wants to be able to cut the budget by 10 percent when the House and Senate are not in session.

Under current state law, the governor can cut up to 5 percent.

Barbour says the change would give him - and future governors - more flexibility for future management.

The University of Mississippi will enforce a rule that bans tailgaters from putting up tents before 6 p.m. on Fridays.

The exception is academic departments can put up clearly marked official tents at 2 p.m.

Officials say that campus police will enforce the rules after numerous complaints this season about tent vendors setting up early. The rule applies to all portions of campus, not just the Grove.

Another Mississippi resident has died from swine flu. The state Department of Health reports 10 fatalities related to H1N1 so far this year.

Health officials say the latest death was a woman in Webster County.

The number of confirmed cases of swine flu in Mississippi has risen to 1,208.

Officials say many of the swine flu deaths nationwide were among people with pre-existing health conditions.

Defense attorneys for Coahoma County supervisor Roger Weiner say the solicitation charges were dropped in a federal court.

Weiner initially pleaded not guilty to the charges after contacting women on the website SugarDaddyforMe.com.

A Metcalf man sits in a county jail on alleged raped charges.

Police arrested 21-year old Johnny Green Wednesday after he allegedly raped a 14-year old girl.

Neighbors said Green fled out the back window of the second floor apartment when the victim’s mother came home. he was arrested a short time later.

Actor Morgan Freeman has reportedly settled a lawsuit related to a 2008 car accident that seriously injured him and a passenger.

Demaris Meyer sued Freeman back in February, claiming he was negligent when the car ran off the side of a rural highway near his Mississippi Delta home last summer.

The 1997 Nissan Maxima belonged to Meyer, but Freeman was driving when the car flipped several times and landed upright.

Details of the settlement were not disclosed in court records posted Thursday.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded a new permit for the city’s water waste Treatment Plant.

The permit allows a five-year window for the city once an engineering firm has been selected by the board.

Changes to the regulations set by the EPA means the treatment plant can no longer operate like it was in the past.

ST Environmental project manager Keith Christopher says they need to discharge into a larger area or have a zero discharge of waste. He says Cleveland needs to do the project right so there are no future problems.

Upgrades for the Cleveland Police Department are nearly complete.

Funds for the renovations from last year did not carry over to this year so police Chief Buster Bingham asked the board Monday for more money to finish the job.

He estimates they would need about $18,000 to finish putting the thick glaze on the windows. He says a few windows need to be replaced but that shouldn’t exceed the amount requested.

The unofficial results are in for the special elections in Bolivar County on Tuesday.

Elections were held in Shaw and Mound Bayou for members of the school board.

Incumbent Robert Latham retains his seat in Mound Bayou after gathering 64 percent in the three man race. In Shaw, challenger Shelia Mitchell has as slight lead over incumbent Cora Jackson with 51 percent of the votes.

A runoff will decide the fate of two candidates involved in a special election in Sunflower County.

Unofficial results show incumbent Federick Spencer received the most votes, with 308. Johnny Spurlock was second, with 233 votes. The two will face each other in a Nov. 24 runoff.

Spencer was appointed to the position earlier this year, after the death of Supervisor Mary Kent.

A murder trial in Bolivar County is underway involving three men.

Rheuben Latham, Wautese Bell and Trent Williams face a lengthy prison sentence after being charged with murder and aggravated assault after an attack in March 2007.

Treasurea Melton was weeks from having her baby when the trio entered her home and opened fire. She was shot several times and lost her baby. Police believe the attack was intended for her boyfriend who was also in the apartment.

Ole Miss head football coach Houston Nutt agrees fans should stop the controversial chant at the end of the song “From Dixie With Love”.

Nutt said this week that he loves the song, but the school doesn’t want the words, referring to the chant “the South will rise again”.

Chancellor Dan Jones said he would tell the band to stop playing the song if the chant continues.

Nutt says he is much more concerned with winning the next four football games including Saturday’s matchup with Northern Arizona.

A Greenville man must face a jury of his peers after being charged with murder.

Torta Corbin is accused of killing Thomas Mobley in March 2008. The 44-year old Mobley was shot to death outside his home. Corbin was also charged with felony gun possession.

Family members for the victim told police that he had been harassed by a group of men prior to the shooting.

The Greenwood helicopter pilot injured in a crash last week is heading to rehab.

36-year old Rob Hammons was spraying herbicides on timber when his helicopter fell from the sky Oct. 25.

Employees with the company, Provine Helicopter Services says they are still in shock. Authorities still don’t know what caused the helicopter to crash.

Police in Clarksdale are still trying to piece together what happened to the 47-year old female that was hit by a train Tuesday.

Authorities believe the train stopped at the intersection of 18^th and West Tallahatchie streets when the woman attempted to cross the tracks but got stuck between cars when the train was pulling off.

Economic officials say Vitro America LLC is expanding its operation in the state.

The company makes architectural glass and aluminum products.

The Mississippi Development Authority said Wednesday that the company would create 20 jobs over the next three years by moving production of storefront metal systems to the plant in Grenada.

The plant makes safety glass and already has about 100 employees.

Local real estate agent Leland Speakes was tragically killed Tuesday afternoon when he GNC Convoy collided with a tractor trailer.

Authorities believe that he was coming out of Merigold on Pemble Road when he was hit by the trailer going south.

The Highway Patrol will reconstruct the scene which is standard procedure.

Funeral arrangements with Ray Funeral Home were not available at this time.

Bolivar County Supervisors continue to talk about the possible addition of a vo-tech school which would in turn make the county better rounded.

Although the idea has been on the table since 2006, officials say a lack of funds has been the biggest hold up in getting the project started.

The proposed vo-tech center will offer a wide variety of classes including welding, residential carpentry, health care assistance and hotel, restaurant and tourism management.

Results are expected to be released today for special elections held in Bolivar and Sunflower counties on Tuesday.

In Bolivar County, elections were held for school boards in Shaw and Mound Bayou. Results are expected to be posted on the county’s new election website.

In Sunflower County, five people are running for the District 2 seat on the Board of Supervisors. The seat has been held by Fredrick Spencer who was appointed in January after the death of Supervisor Mary Kent.

Halloween traditions vary across the country but many enjoy playing the odd prank involving a roll of toilet paper.

This year things were pretty quiet with no major destructive incidents Cleveland Police Chief Buster Bingham said.

Surrounding communities in Shaw and Drew also were pretty quiet according to authorities as ghosts and goblins roamed the streets looking for candy.

The disorderly conduct trial of Clarksdale Police Chief Gregory Hoskins resumes Nov. 23, more than two months after it was continued by a Southaven city judge.

The 47-year-old Hoskins was charged with two counts of disorderly conduct, interfering with a business and resisting arrest after an argument with a clerk at the Circle K in Southaven shortly before midnight on June 21.

Hoskins pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Cellular South will expand its third-generation (3G) network by adding 166 new cell sites in 39 Mississippi counties. The service would be available to 80 percent of its customers according to a news release.

Two other 3G expansion phases this year added 158 new sites.

The latest round will cover 39 counties in southeast Mississippi, along the I-55 corridor from Yazoo County and into the southern portion of Desoto County.

Mississippi has a new Superintendent of Education. Tuesday, the Board of Education announced the hiring of 62-year old Dr. Tom Burnham.

Burnham, who is the Dean of the School of Education at the University of Mississippi, replaces interim superintendent Dr. John Jordan.

He starts his second term as the head of education in the state by the end of the year. His first term was from 1992-1997.

A prominent Cleveland business owner was killed Tuesday afternoon in an accident around Merigold.

Authorities said Leland Speakes, owner of a real estate agency of the same name was killed when his vehicle crashed into an 18-wheeler. It’s not known if the other driver suffered injuries. Complete details have not been released at this time.

A Memphis based business will head to a federal court in Greenville facing charges that he was involved with a multistate black-market cigarette operation.

Prosecutors haven’t released any information on charges against Randy Benham and Jerry Burke.

Benham made it appear cigarettes were being sold in Mississippi when they were shipped to other states while Burke was the alleged pilot that shipped the cigarettes for the business after he sold it to Benham.

In an effort to stop the spread of germs, flu-prevention kits are being distributed to Mississippi college students.

The state Department of Health will provide nearly 2,500 bags filled with hand sanitizer, pocket pack tissues and other items over the next two weeks to students at the state's eight universities.

Business cards with campus health clinic phone numbers and hours of operation have already been sent to campus health clinics to be given out to students.

Community and student actors make up the cast for the Delta State Communications Studies and Theatre Arts production of “Rabbit Hole” which starts tonight at the Jobe Auditorium on campus.

The Pulitzer Prize winner in 2007, centers on a young couple, Howie and Becca, whose five-year-old son was killed in an automobile accident.

The cast of five is comprised of Jamie Jacks, Andy Howell, Amber Roy, Beth Jacks and Cory Vanlandingham.

Admission is free for Delta State students, faculty and staff with school identification and $5 at the door for the general public. Performances start tonight at 7:30 and continue until Thursday.

(photo courtesy of Delta State)

Tenants renting from the South Delta Regional Housing Authority may qualify for a little help from a local agency.

Officials with the Bolivar County Community Action Agency have said they will offer to help those who can’t pay the rent increase with money from the Homeless Prevention Rapid Re-housing Program.

The assistance is offered for people who rent and not for those with home mortgages. Officials said the money awarded will not go directly to the tenants; instead paid directly to third parties and landlords.

The "Let's Go Walking, Mississippi" campaign will film segments in Cleveland this week.

A sunset shoot will be done Wednesday evening on Crosby Road. Then on Thursday, producers will shoot at various locations around including the Ellis Theatre downtown.

Local residents will be shown walking along Cleveland-area trails.

No buyers at an auction Monday for a large industrial property in Washington County.

The old Fruit of the Loom Plant, off Stokes King Road, was set to be sold to the highest bidder. After waiting 20 minutes without any prospective buyers the auction was called off.

Anyone interested on making a bid for the 500,000 square foot property can call 1-863-640-6890.

Leflore County is on track to receive as much as $2.5 million in federal funding in an effort to develop healthy lifestyles.

Greenwood Mayor Carolyn McAdams says the Communities Putting Prevention to Work Program is intended to fund strategies to help improve the health of the residents.

Leflore and DeSoto counties are the only two counties in the state that were selected by the state Department of Health.

Gov. Haley Barbour says he doesn’t expect a trend to change soon after the state’s tax revenue in October fell to 6.7 percent below predictions.

Barbour says collections are roughly $112 million below estimates for the first four months of the current fiscal year.

The governor says the shrinking revenue will lead to reduced state government spending.

Thursday, he meets with the Joint Legislative Budget Committee to set a budget recommendation for next year.

U.S Senator Rodger Wicker says next year’s census could have a negative impact on Mississippi because of the increased number of illegal immigrants.

He supports the Republican Vitter-Bennett Bill which wants to rewrite the current census form by adding another question, asking if you are an American citizen.

Many Democrats and Civil Rights groups have questioned whether legal or illegal immigrants should count on a census.

An Indianola man was sentenced last week for the death of a child while he was driving drunk.

Sel Jones was sentenced to 20 years in prison after he took the life of 12-year old KI-Ambria Robinson and injured 14-year old Calvin Mosley while he was driving drunk in September 2008.

Jones was arrested shortly after leaving the scene. He was indicted on the charges in July of this year.

University of Mississippi Chancellor Dan Jones says one of the school's fight songs will be eliminated if fans continue to chant "the South will rise again" after football games.

Jones says the university's head coaches and numerous alumni have supported attempts to stop fans from uttering the phrase, during the song “From Dixie with Love” which is considered racially offensive to some.

The band was asked to modify the tune but that didn’t solve the problem.

Fan reaction during Saturday's game against Northern Arizona will decide the fate of the song.

(Courtesy of Delta State)

CLEVELAND— As part of the Homecoming activities planned for Friday, Nov. 6, Delta State University’s Alumni Association will recognize this year’s Alumni Hall of Fame Inductees, Billy B. Nowell of Cleveland, Donald L. Green of Clarksdale, and Marvin D. Sullivan (posthumously) of Brookhaven.

Billy B. Nowell, of Cleveland, received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Delta State in 1972. He served from 2001-2009 as a City Alderman and currently serves as Mayor of the City of Cleveland. Billy is a lifetime member of the Delta State  Alumni Association and is Past President of the Delta State Foundation. At Delta State, Billy served as vice president of the Student Government Association, elected Mr. Delta State University, class president, president of the Kappa Alpha Order, and member of the Delta State Golf Team. He is a member of the First United Methodist Church, where he serves as Chairman of Administrative Board, Board of Trustees, and Finance Committee. Billy is married to Becky Nowell, a 1981 Delta State graduate. They have two children, Hunter and Meg.

Donald Green, a Coahoma County native, received his bachelor’s degree in business administration in accounting in 1980. His leadership experience consist of Associate Commissioner, Mississippi State Tax Commission; Mississippi Delta Council, Executive Director; Delta Accounting Services, Owner and Operator; Friendship Community Federal Credit Union, President. Awards and recognitions that he has received are Outstanding Young Man of America-1988; Leadership Clakrsdale-1988; Kent Wyatt Young Alumnus Award-1994; National Alumni Association President-1995; Delta Regional Minority Businessman of the year-2004. He is a member of the New Hope M.B. Church in Jonestown. Donald is married to the former Nelia Collins, and they have two sons, Donald Jr., and Adam. 

Marvin Douglas Sullivan (1937-2007), of Brookhaven, was the president of his class at Delta State during his sophomore, junior, and senior years. He began a career in education and coaching at Grenada High School, and was given his first official head coaching job at Noxapater. He coached at Eupora High School, and it was in 1970 that he and his wife Karen came to Brookhaven with their four children, Paige, Penny, Susan, and John. Doug also served in the Mississippi Army National Guard for more than 34 years and retired with the rank of Colonel. He was mayor of Brookhaven from 1993-1997. He served as the state office director for U.S. Senator Thad Cochran.

Another man is in custody for the alleged rape of a 14-year old girl in Shaw.

Eddie Alexander was arrested last week in Memphis by federal authorities. The 23-year old fled Bolivar County after he was wanted for rape. He reportedly raped the victim September 6.

The other suspect 44-year old Gregory Davis was also charged with rape. Davis was arrested September 13 for allegedly kidnapping the young girl.

A new website for county voters will give them much needed information with just a few clicks.

The Bolivar County Circuit Clerk’s Office has created a new elections and voting information web site.

The new site will offer voters a chance to locate their precincts and fill out voter registration forms.

Officials say it’s a major step in the right direction for both voters and staff within the clerk’s office.

Authorities in Clarksdale have become aware of a recent scam where people try to steal cars using the dealers and locksmiths to get the keys.

The potential criminals get the VIN number on the cars, and then call a locksmith and claim they have been locked out of their cars.

Police Chief Gregory Hoskins says his anonymous calls were not successful. The dealers and locksmiths require identification before providing the keys.

Several students from Bolivar County schools attended an ACT workshop held by the Cleveland-Bolivar County Chamber of Commerce Education Committee.

In all, 75 students from four high schools learned various strategies to help them ace the test. Special events coordinator Frances Janoush says they are considering doing another workshop in the fall after the success of this one.

Members talked about ways to try and implant the program into the school’s curriculum.

A Memphis truck driver was arrested a short time after a hit and run incident Friday morning near the Shady Nook Gas Station taking the life of a Clarksdale business owner.

KIX 92.1 Correspondent Jerry Allhands has more.

Swine flu vaccine will be available today at all Mississippi's county health clinics and in some schools.

But the supplies will be limited and officials hope certain groups will get priority - pregnant women, children age 6 months to 4 years, and infant caregivers.

The state has been shipped 223,800 doses of the vaccine. More is expected in coming weeks.

Mississippi has had nine confirmed deaths from H1N1.

The Port of Greenville has received $3.3 million in state grants to begin upgrades. Work will begin in 2010.

Port director Tommy Hart says the facility will add a grain handling system to the overhead crane. It is the most expensive upgrade at $1.4 million.

He says another $600,000 will be spent to replace damaged concrete and $400,000 for equipment associated with the expansion.

The Port of Greenville is the third largest in the state.