A woman spent the holidays behind bars after being charged with murder earlier this week.

26-year old Janice Williams is accused of stabbing her live-in boyfriend 32-year old Joe McCray at the Sunset Heights Apartments. McCray was stabbed in front of their children after a verbal argument.

Authorities said it wasn’t the first time they were called to the complex because of domestic dispute between the couple.

The votes have been counted in the special election held in Sunflower County. Jonny Spurlock defeated Frederick  Spencer by 63 votes in Tuesday’s election.

Officials say District 2 covers mostly Indianola; no date has been set on when Spurlock will be sworn in.

The B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center in Indianola will be collecting toys for children in the Delta.

Donors are encouraged to drop off unwrapped toys at the museum until December 18.

Officials at the museum are trying to help area residents after a major employer shut down. Dozens lost their jobs when Allen Canning in Moorhead closed.

The Town of Tutwiler was honored this week with a Mississippi Blues marker.

The marker was placed at the site of the train station where W.C. Handy encountered a guitar player performing one of the earliest documented blues songs. Handy, later published an adaptation of the song as "Yellow Dog Blues."

The marker also honors, Aleck Ford "Rice" Miller, who performed under the name Sonny Boy Williamson II.

Lafayette County supervisors have voted to ban tobacco use by county employees on the job.

The move will save the county more than $32,000 in health insurance premiums.

Officials said that employees will be given six months to adjust to the program.
The ban does not extend to personal time, but the county will pay for cessation efforts such as patches or gum.

The 2009 Egg Bowl between No. 20 Ole Miss and Mississippi State will feature two of the best running backs in the nation.

The Rebels have Dexter McCluster, quick and agile, as hard to tackle as the Invisible man. Meanwhile the Bulldogs boast Anthony Dixon whose pure strength and been compared to a dump truck. Both are in the running for the 2009 Connerly trophy as the state’s best player and have a combined 17 rushing touchdowns.

The Rebels have won three straight while the Bulldogs are looking to avenge a 45-0 loss last season. Kickoff is set for 11:21 in Starkville.

One man is dead following an argument between a couple Tuesday afternoon. The incident happened around 3 p.m. at the Sunset Village Apartment Complex.

Authorities say that a physical altercation between the couple eventually turned deadly when the man was stabbed in the face.

The woman was taken into custody and treated for her injuries. She has not been charged in the case.

Mississippi's unemployment rate stood at 9.5 percent in October, matching the national figure, according to the state Department of Employment Security.

The state jobless rate was 8.9 percent in September. Bolivar County rose slightly to 9.8 percent, up from 9 percent in September.

Officials say Rankin County has had the state's lowest unemployment rate since April.

Numbers show unemployment increased in all but five counties.

The Interim Superintendant of Education Dr. John Jordan says parents need to be concerned about their child’s education in the Delta.

The state released their new accountability rating Monday, citing 53 schools as failing. Hayes Cooper Math and Science was the only school in the Delta region to receive a star rating, many of the other schools are at risk of failure or failing.

Jordan said now is the time to turn around those statistics.

Riley Rice is contesting the Indianola primaries saying there were many discrepancies after he lost his seat by nine votes.

On Tuesday, he filed s to contest the election with the City Clerk's Office. 

Rice says the city's ward boundaries were redrawn three weeks before the election, but the Board of Aldermen had not approved the changes. The election proceeded and forced some voters in Ward 3 to vote in other wards.

Rice hopes the Democratic Executive Committee will see the issues and overturn the election.

The Leflore County Board of Supervisors voted to move forward on a $2.3 million bond issue that was voted down in a Nov. 9 meeting.

District 5 Supervisor Robert Collins requested on Monday that the bond issue be placed on the agenda. The board voted to move forward on it.

County Administrators said most of the bond will be used for roads and bridges, but determining over the long term which projects will need attention first is impossible.

Two teens in Itta Bena were arrested Tuesday morning for having a gun at Leflore County High School.

The teens, ages 14 and 17 stoles the rifle from a house outside city limits. One teen had admitted to authorities that he was planning to shoot another student that he had an altercation.

Both were charged with possession of a firearm on a school campus and burglary. The gun was found hidden in a nearby field.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held Tuesday for the new regional jail in Washington County.

The facility will house 300 female inmates from the state Department of Corrections, and about 200 others from the city of Greenville and Washington County, as well as some federal prisoners.

The jail will employ about 75 people and is expected to be completed in 12 to 15 months.

The traveling exhibit of artwork by Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets will on be display at the Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackson beginning Dec. 19.

A native of Leland, Henson, came up with characters that have educated generations of children through programs like Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock and Between the Lions.

Jim Henson's Fantastic World features 100 original artworks, including drawings, cartoons and storyboards. It also includes puppets and television and movie props.

A preliminary hearing is set for December 3 for the man accused of killing a Minter City minister and his caregiver.

22-year old John Wayne McChriston has been charged with two counts of capital murder.

Police say 69-year old Jimmy Stauddy and 47-year old Martha Stoker were stabbed to death Nov. 15 at his home. Authorities have said McCriston had argued with them over $8 he needed to buy drugs.

The Mississippi State Department of Health said Tuesday that swine flu nasal mist vaccine is now available free at county health departments for all healthy residents from 2 years to 49 years old.

Both the injectable vaccine and the nasal mist vaccine are free at county health departments.

The health department says 574,700 swine flu doses have been allocated for Mississippi schools, county health departments and private providers.

Police in Cleveland are looking for a suspect after a car ran into a house and then drove off.

Chief Buster Bingham says the incident happened about 10:45 p.m. Sunday. A car went out of control on White Street and crashed into the side of the house on Lewis St.

The homeowner told police he ran outside and saw a green car backing out and leaving the scene.

Bingham says police do have a suspect, but no arrest has yet to be made.

Sen. Thad Cochran announced Monday that Cleveland will be one of two Delta cities to receive money for transportation projects.

Cleveland and Greenwood both have projects that will be funded through the Delta Region Transportation Development.

About $950,000 will be awarded to support a new Statesman Boulevard that would provide access to Delta State athletic facilities directly from Highway 8.

Polls will be open today for a special election in Sunflower County. Voters will be deciding the District Two Supervisor race.

Frederick Spencer and Johnnie Spurlock had the highest votes in the primary elections a few weeks ago. The polls will be open from 7a.m. to 7 p.m.

Eight of the state’s 152 districts are at risk of failing including Drew and Indianola under the new accountability rating released by the state Department of Education.

Officials said the new system will be phased over the next three years and include seven new categories; star, high-performing, successful, academic watch, at-risk failing, low performance and failing.

There are 53 schools labeled as “failing” under the new model. Under the old system schools were rated 1-5 with numbers compared to the state average. Ratings are based on assessment tests, student growth and graduation rate.

Disaster was averted Monday when several barges broke free from a towboat.

The accident happened on the Mississippi River just north of the Greenville Bridge. The barges drifted past both the old bridge and the new bridge without hitting either structure.

The accident did not disrupt traffic on the bridge or on the river.

Clarksdale Police Chief Gregory Hoskins was found guilty Monday of charges stemming from a verbal confrontation with a Southaven convenience store clerk over the summer.

On Monday, a judge ordered Hoskins to pay a $250 fine on each of the disorderly counts and a $1 fine for resisting arrest.

The judge also gave him suspended jail sentences of 90 days for the disorderly and one day for the resisting.

The 47-year-old police chief was arrested on June 21 after he got into an argument with a clerk at the Circle K.

Hoskins has thirty days to appeal the decision.

A Drew man is in critical condition at Memphis hospital after he was shot in the face over the weekend.

The shooting happened early Saturday morning where the homeowner was hosting get together when a man was shot in the face. Police say the 60-year old victim and another man were telling jokes about one another when things got heated.

Antonio Brooks was charged with aggravated assault and could face more charges he the victims status changes.

One man is dead after a night club shooting in Belzoni.

Authorities say 34-year old Ray Chapman was shot and killed Sunday after shots were fired around a pool table following an argument among a group of men.

He was shot in the chest and arm. At least three other men were also shot inside the Blue Room Café. Police are looking for one suspect.

Nellie “Tiger” Travis, a Blues diva originally from Mound Bayou , will be performing Thanksgiving night, Nov. 26, at the Expo Center in Cleveland in a Thanksgiving Blues Blowout. 

The doors will open at 4 p.m. with acts beginning at 5 p.m. Other acts featured will be Billy Smiley, Big T and the Family, Pearl Street Jumpers, Ol’ Skool Revue, and Jerry Fair.

This event is free to the public. There will be a $10 charge for coolers, but you can bring your own beverages. Food and drink concessions will be will be available.

Members of the Delta Recovery Project, AmeriCorps VISTA and several volunteers gave back to needy families over the weekend.

Over 100 families in Cleveland received bags of food for the holidays which included turkey, ham, vegetables, stuffing and more.

The event was part of National Family Volunteer Day, the Saturday before Thanksgiving to help those who are less fortunate, and to get more families involved in volunteering their time.

Students at Shelby middle school spent the last two weeks collecting coats for the needy.

While partnering with Coats from the Capital, the group collected over 350 articles of clothes. Items included not only coats but also shoes, pants shirts and any other winter items.

Organizer Fredrick King of America Reads Mississippi Tutoring Program says they made the drive a competition, with the winner getting a popcorn party.

Clarksdale Police Gregory Hoskins will be back in a Southaven court today for charges of disorderly conduct.

A judge delayed the case for two months because defense attorneys needed to review the case.

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

Authorities in Greenville have made an arrest in the city's latest homicide.

Police arrested 31-year-old Vincent Williams, and charged him with murder in the shooting death of 28-year-old Roddrell Jackson.

Jackson was shot twice in the stomach around 10 p.m. Wednesday. He died of his wounds around 3 a.m. Thursday at a local hospital.

The death pushed Greenville's homicide total to seven for 2009.

The Clarksdale Chamber of Commerce has announced plans for the 2009 Holiday Festival Parade to be held December 1.

The theme for this year’s event is “Christmas Past, Present, and Future”.

The parade will take its customary route through the streets of downtown Clarksdale, beginning at Oakhurst Middle School.

Grenada County Sheriff Alton Strider says that Rev. Jimmy Stauddy and his caregiver, Martha Stoker, were killed a week ago in an apparent argument over $8 needed to purchase illegal drugs.

Authorities say 22-year-old John Wayne McChriston has been charged with two counts of capital murder in the case.

Strider said McChriston has a history of drug arrests.

If convicted of the capital murder charges, McChriston could be sentenced to death or life imprisonment without parole for each offense.

The state Department of Education released their new school accountability rating system today.

Officials said the new system will be phased over the next three years and comparable to other systems across the country.

There are 53 schools labeled as “failing” under the new model. Eight of the state’s 152 districts are labeled as failing including Drew and Indianola.

Under the old system schools were rated 1-5 with numbers compared to the state average. 

A Clarksdale woman was arrested over the weekend in a shooting.

Police say Susie Stewart was charged Friday with aggravated assault after shooting a man in the shoulder. Details on the case were not available. Her bond was set at $85,000.

A Jonestown man is in custody for murder. Coahoma County Sheriffs arrested 27-year old Germell Victory Tuesday morning in Jonestown.

Hours before, sheriffs say Victory shot and killed 31-year old Darrell Sykes. Sykes was taken to a local hospital where he later died of his injuries.

Victory currently sits in a county jail. His bond has been set for $300,000.