JACKSON — Corrections Commissioner Chris Epps says the Mississippi prison system will end the practice of keeping male HIV-positive inmates in segregated units. Epps said Wednesday in a statement that he intends to implement the new policy in May. He said there are currently 152 HIV-positive inmates at the state penitentiary at Parchman. The ACLU brought suit against the state in 1990 on behalf of HIV-positive prisoners housed at Parchman to force the state to provide proper medical care. In 2005, U.S. Magistrate Jerry Davis ruled Mississippi Department of Corrections had addressed problems with prisoner conditions, ending the suit. Epps said he would have ended segregation of the prisoners then, but the ACLU asked they be kept separate. “The ACLU asked us not to (move the prisoners) because they were concerned about the inmates going out into general population as it relates to their safety,” Epps said. “After they contacted me and asked me about it, I said, ‘Well, this would have been done if you hadn’t asked me not to do it.’” The ACLU said only Alabama and South Carolina currently keep HIV-positive inmates separate. “The remaining segregation policies in South Carolina and Alabama are a remnant of the early days of the HIV epidemic and continue to stigmatize prisoners and inflict them and their families with a tremendous amount of needless suffering,” Margaret Winter, associate director of the ACLU National Prison Project said in a statement.
Local News
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Inmate escapes from funeral procession
State inmate Johnny Hall, Jr., escaped from two Wilkinson County Correctional Facility officers’ custody today at approximately 12:30 p.m. while being escorted from his father’s wake at the Picayune Funeral Home in Picayune, Miss.
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REPAIRING GAS LEAK
Contract and city workers were at this gas leak on Beech Street installing a clamp.
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CAMELLIA SHOW
The Poplarville Garden Club Community Camellia Show is today in the lobby of the Poplarville branch of Hancock Bank.
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Local gas prices continue a gradual upward trend
From Monday to Thursday, the per gallon price of regular gasoline at RaceTrac jumped six cents, from $3.289 to $3.349. RaceTrac sets the pace in Pearl River County for the lowest posted price, and Wal-Mart and Bill’s Quick Stop at Mississippi Highway 43 and East Canal quickly follow.
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StennisSphere closing
StennisSphere is closing it’s doors to make way for a new tourist attraction, and to help increase security at John C. Stennis Space Center. According to a press release from Stennis, the tourist attraction officially will close in mid February.
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ENJOYING THE RAIN
These ducks weren’t phased by Wednesday’s rainy conditions.
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Picayune featured in “Blondie” comic strip
Occupy Picayune?
All Mr. Dithers wants to see occupied is Dagwood’s desk chair.
That is part of the adventures of Dagwood Bumstead, which includes a mention of the City of Picayune in Friday’s “Blondie” comic strip, which appears in the Picayune Item as a daily feature.
Picayune’s mention in Friday’s strip that also is released in other publications gives Picayune a name recognition boost worldwide, says the artist who draws the feature, Frank Cummings, a former Picayune resident and former employee of the Picayune Item. -
Man charged with burglaries
A Picayune man is facing multiple burglary charges for allegedly stealing copper and other metal items from homes, businesses and a church.
Charged is 22-year-old Wyatte Mitchell of 206 W. Sycamore Rd., said Capt. Chad Dorn with the Picayune Police Department. -
STREET WORK
Motorists wanting to turn down Fifth Avenue at its intersection with U.S. Hwy. 11 are having to detour as the turn lane was blocked on Tuesday as city work crews repaired the street.
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DOWN, DOWN, DOWN
Demolition of the A.L. Franklin Annex is complete. The work took about a week and was at this point on Friday. The demolition makes way for an addition to the historic city hall.
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