(WCBI) – People in Monroe County are preparing to honor a hero this weekend Treven Pitts died earlier this week after trying to save his little brother from drowning people are being asked to line the funeral procession route for him The route begins at Bethel Apostolic Church and continues to Glenn Drive For 24/7 news and updates, follow us on Facebook and X. © 2025 Home – WCBI TV | Telling Your Story A LOCALLY OWNED NEWSPAPER DEDICATED TO THE SERVICE OF GOD AND MANKIND. Last week, Amory city officials explained research and work associated with a previous offer of the Gilmore Foundation Conference Center from the Tomey Family Endowment. AMORY – Mayor Corey Glenn explained a stance from him and the board of aldermen regarding the offer of the gift of the Gilmore Foundation Conference Center in February, and again in March, by the Tomey Family Endowment. The Monroe County Board of Supervisors was later presented with the same offer and approved a one-year lease of the building during its April 7 meeting. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Get a weekly rundown of the top stories from the Monroe Journal dropped into your inbox each Thursday afternoon. Are you a Monroe Journal subscriber? Sign up to view our weekly e-editions each Wednesday with just a click. Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Account processing issue - the email address may already exist Get a free dose of heath care news and wellness tips delivered to your inbox each Tuesday morning. Powered by North Mississippi Health Services. Our flagship newsletter. 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An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account. Embed on your websiteClose×Copy the code below to embed the WBUR audio player on your site<iframe width="100%" height="124" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://player.wbur.org/endlessthread/2025/05/02/bring-tapestries-back-and-other-rants"></iframe> EmailApollo Exposing Mars and Venus to the Ridicule of the Olympians (Photo by Heritage Art/Heritage Images via Getty Images)Credits:Episode producer: Ben Brock Johnson In this week's episode of Endless Thread, Ben and Amory discuss two very different, very viral, rants from Reddit. One is about how the current design trends in our public and private spaces are hard on the ears Another discusses how escape room adventures can bring out the worst in people. Perhaps there's some humor and some lessons to glean from rants, too? Ben Brock Johnson Director, Digital AudioBen Brock Johnson is the executive producer of podcasts at WBUR and co-host of the podcast Endless Thread. Amory Sivertson Host and Senior Producer, PodcastsAmory Sivertson is a senior producer for podcasts and the co-host of Endless Thread. Paul Vaitkus Manager of Podcast ProductionPaul Vaitkus is the manager of podcast production for WBUR is escorted to the Monroe County Courthouse for his initial court appearance where he was charged with capital murder in the 2021 killing of Judy Baxter and also with attempted murder in a separate attack ABERDEEN – A Monroe County man has been sentenced to life in prison plus nearly 150 additional years for the 2021 murder of an Amory businesswoman and the sexual assault and attempted murder of another woman two years later and two counts of burglary April 28 in Monroe County Circuit Court Senior Circuit Judge Paul Funderburk sentenced Neely to life without the chance of parole on the capital murder charge The judge also issued separate sentences for the other five felony charges ordering that they must be served consecutively Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content Get the latest need-to-know information delivered to your inbox as it happens Get our front page stories each morning as well as the latest updates each afternoon during the week + more in-depth weekend editions on Saturdays & Sundays william.moore@djournal.com Email notifications are only sent once a day Get a free dose of heath care news and wellness tips delivered to your inbox each Tuesday morning Powered by North Mississippi Health Services Get a weekly rundown of the top stories from the Monroe Journal dropped into your inbox each Thursday afternoon Get a weekly rundown of the top stories from the New Albany Gazette dropped into your inbox each Thursday afternoon Get a rundown each Monday morning of all that's going on in the All-America City From local government updates to live music schedules and more Don't miss any of our Mississippi State coverage Sign up to receive a weekly report plus need-to-know updates From Friday nights under the lights to Saturdays on the diamond Prep Rally is your year-round source for Northeast Mississippi high school sports coverage and stories sure to get your weekend off to the perfect start Sign up to get the Daily Journal e-edition delivered to your inbox each morning Sign up to view our weekly e-editions each Wednesday with just a click Sign up to view our weekly e-editions each Wednesday with just a click.  Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account but more than 70 Amory Middle School students were out of the classroom and at the Railroad Festival It was a reward for their fundraising efforts “Students had an opportunity to raise money or sell Millennium cards and if they met their goal they got 10 dollars cash a trip to event zone and come on a field trip with us to the Railroad Festival,” said Jessica Seger assistant principal at Amory Middle School. A dance and exercise group called Young at Heart showed off their moves in the food court Sunshine and mild temperatures brought the crowd out for the opening day “It brings something fun for everyone so it’s nice for families to get together and enjoy time here I have my family here; something exciting to do,” said Taylor be in the community and bring a lot of happiness and brightness to the community,” said Claire Price who took a lunch break from The Rusty Cat to go to the festival There are hundreds of vendors and lots of food booths This is the only time of year you can get the sweet treats “We are looking forward to being out here in the community and we get to fellowship and be together as a church family as well,” said Andrea Blaylock of Bethel Church There is something for all ages at the Amory Railroad festival and Amory Middle Schooler Grant has some sound advice for those who want to sample the food and hit the midway “‘Ride the rides and then eat.’ Why The Railroad Festival runs through Saturday night go to the Amory Railroad Festival’s Facebook page For 24/7 news and updates, follow us on Facebook and X Amory's Stanley Yang signed to continue his tennis career at Holmes Community College on Thursday AMORY – Amory’s Stanley Yang is set to play the game he loves at the next level after signing to continue his tennis career at Holmes Community College on Thursday “I’m just excited about the chance that they’re giving me,” Yang said and I talked to other players on the team – they want me there.” AMORY – The Amory Police Department made an arrest April 30 involving an Orby gun shooting and is aware of similar incidents this week Police ask anyone who has been a victim of such an incident and would like to press charges to file a complaint Riders go for a round on the Moby Dick during last year's Amory Railroad Festival carnival which will include a number of activities for all ages Amory Main Street will promote local business' specials throughout the festival weekend carnival rides and a variety of food and arts and crafts vendors this weekend’s Amory Railroad Festival will be a draw for most everyone’s interests The Fidelia Club awarded its annual community grant to Change Amory AMORY – A Christian-based organization providing temporary financial assistance was the recipient of this year’s annual community grant through the Fidelia Club Change Amory helps families and individuals for needs when their income is unable to cover the expenses and our committee deliberated for about an hour The community grant for Fidelia is supposed to meet the needs of our community We thought Change Amory would meet the needs of the most people in our community,” said Sheila Atkins chair for the Fidelia Club’s community grant Enviva Pellets is pictured in a pre-March 24 Employees were informed last week the Amory manufacturer was closing Feb The company emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in December A piece of equipment moves raw material at Enviva Pellets last week AMORY – Employees of Enviva Pellets were informed by corporate representatives Feb 4 the company was closing its Amory facility later in the week which is a leading producer of industrial wood pellets filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last April and successfully emerged in December The company shared the following statement: AMORY – The board of aldermen April 15 approved to allow a couple of property owners extra time to present plans for the future of dilapidated buildings opening discussion about the process of adjudication which aims to clean up blighted properties Mayor Corey Glenn said property posing as a nuisance or threat of decreasing neighboring values is subject to public hearings for adjudication municipalities can mow overgrown properties or demolish rundown structures following a number of notifications and steps with the owners Beautiful flower growing out of crack in asphalt More than 40 years ago, RMI’s cofounder Amory Lovins founded the institute and oriented it around the concept of Applied Hope On the eve of a major US political transition and geopolitical shifts globally Lovins explores why the concept is as relevant today as it has ever been and how it will continue to guide RMI in the years ahead 1982 with my wife at the time — Hunter Lovins we have all come a long way and learned a lot And it’s important to understand our past in order to understand where we are and where we’re going RMI’s initial work spanned far more issues than energy reflecting my 1960s conclusion that energy is a master key that could unlock While energy was the major focus in our early years Some of those topics are now reemerging to enable today’s energy efforts that advanced resource efficiency could turn scarcity by inattention into abundance by design™ So RMI was built to discover how to wring far more benefit from energy We hope this would reveal how to meet the needs of a secure and life-sustaining world…by innovative design From those basic concepts have flowed 43 years of ever-deepening detail the glass is neither half empty nor half full It’s just twice as big as it needs to be have learned not to be optimists or pessimists Those are different kinds of fatalist — treating the future as fate rather than taking responsibility for creating the future we want not an assessment.” You can’t depress people into action So the most solid foundation for feeling better about the future is to improve it tangibly It’s time to shift language and action from “somebody should” to “I will,” to do real work on real projects and to go to scale The most solid foundation for feeling better about the future is to improve it tangibly It’s time to shift language and action from “somebody should” to “I will,” to do real work on real projects we need to understand how everything is connected Many of today’s problems are caused by previously implemented “solutions” because we didn’t understand their connections We should instead harness hidden connections so the cause of solutions is solutions; and we can solve Economic renewal — our process and toolkit for building a sustainable local economy in communities with failing extractive industry — is that type of solution and could help our work today. The ideas put forth in Natural Capitalism continue to provide a deep context for everything we do It’s about productively using and reinvesting in capital — counting not only physical and financial capital but also natural and human capital [Economic renewal] is about productively using and reinvesting in capital — counting not only physical and financial capital All these strands of work have won us valuable respect and alliances across the whole political spectrum including long collaboration with the US military which we helped turn into the federal government’s leader in adopting energy efficiency and renewables for its own mission success transformative change in some of the biggest Therefore we are mainly strategic where many others are tactical It’s very complex to figure out which decision-makers in the future will need to have what idea and from what source so they’ll believe it; in what circumstances so they’ll act on it; and with what opposition pre-neutralized RMI’s foresight and insight have deeply influenced the electricity and many other industries and laid many of the foundations of the emerging new energy era We have already come a surprisingly long way with so many partners in leveraging big changes in the US economy that is a million times bigger than our budget Our level of ambition reflects a remark by one of my mentors “Never undertake a project unless it is manifestly important and nearly impossible.” “Whatever is worthy and right is never impossible.” And he added “Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t We helped invent the entrepreneurial nonprofit yet we engage intently with commerce; we help shape policy yet we remain scrupulously apolitical and nonpartisan I know of no other group in the world quite like us so far exclusive change model for many years was to understand the sector or field figure out a highly efficient restorative practice offering big competitive advantage work with carefully chosen early adopters to apply that practice with conspicuous success and help lower the barriers to its wide adoption thereby compelling other firms and rivals to choose whether they want to follow suit or lose market share Of course we don’t try to do everything ourselves sometimes alongside their traditional adversaries we’re known and respected for saying exactly what we think because we fiercely guard our independence the US federal government faced challenges such as partisan divisions and a high likelihood of gridlock So we structured RMI not to depend on federal policy reform or support emphasizing practical solutions led by business for profit Why directly challenge the most entrenched centers of influence when we can strategically navigate around them through collaborative business-led initiatives and by engaging constructively with key decision-makers And why work only with national leaders when most choices are made at state and local levels or by firms RMI is not an environmental group: Our goals are much broader We were historically not a climate-centric group either Our task is to speed the energy transition not convince people of the urgency of the climate threat Obsessive self-righteousness doesn’t advance our mission; broadly appealing solutions do We persuade people by delivering the diverse outcomes of a clean We listen empathetically and try sincerely to see all sides Though we often give advice that may be unwelcome or challenging I must get to know him better.” We learn best what to do by talking to those who disagree with us a great man “considers those who point out his faults as his most benevolent teachers He thinks of his enemy as the shadow that he himself casts.” So how do we induce institutions a million times our size to pursue their self-interest in a way that fulfills our mission Four decades have refined a toolkit including end-use/least-cost analysis And our best work comes from cultivating “beginner’s mind”: opening ourselves to new ideas by letting go of old ideas shedding all assumptions and preconceptions we’d have few clients and make little change A partner needn’t share all our views and aims We treat market economics as a valuable tool to be used with vigor Markets are very good at what they do well: short-term allocation of scarce resources Markets were never meant to achieve community or integrity To fulfill the wider purpose of being human Only they can reveal worthy goals for…the economic process.” Thus we’re market-oriented as to tools but not market fundamentalists as to purpose We also try to follow aikidō principles and practices This vigorous but nonviolent martial art (“blending energy way” or “way of combining forces”) is a refined and seemingly effortless way to blend with the attacker’s motion and redirect the attacker’s force harmlessly past rather than staying rigidly fixed in a position in the hope that the attacker will bounce off This helps us redirect incumbent industries’ size and force from blocking change to driving change you don’t fight with an opponent; you dance with a partner You honor others’ beliefs as you would your own in the belief that a good process will yield better outcomes than anyone had in mind in the first place — and then your responsibility is to ensure that whoever needs to take credit for the outcome will do so The resulting change is like water: being substanceless it can enter in even where there are no cracks Another valuable tool is “institutional acupuncture.” Where the business logic is congested we insert metaphorical needles into carefully chosen points in complex organizations or relationships to get this qì (vital energy like entrepreneurial juice) flowing properly in the channels and directions it already naturally follows — the Taoist wú wéi concept of not interfering but going with the flow That flow erodes or even blasts through blockages from within One must be exquisitely sensitive to the way things want to go then ever so gently adjust little trimtabs to help them go that way while remaining unswervingly fixed on our highest goals If these Taoist concepts are unfamiliar and humanity has — we have — just one chance to get it right We humans are the first self-endangered species Your donation to RMI helps us continue our vital work we will keep you informed with the latest RMI news and insights through periodic email communication Check out the TWO new books from MDS when a devastating tornado tore through Amory leaving a trail of destruction in its wake Over 1,500 homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed MDS work will focus on repair work consisting of roofing The population was 6,666 at the 2020 census Located in the northeastern part of the state near the Alabama border it was founded in 1887 as a railroad town by the Kansas City Our month has ended and the work of MDS has closed after 6 months of restoring homes in Amory This week’s group of 12 young volunteers from PA were essential in the big push for final completions and packing.. About MDS History Contact Us Employment Privacy Policy How We Respond Current Responses News & Stories Annual Reports Publications Videos Ways to Volunteer Ways to Donate Raising Awareness T: (717) 735-3536T (toll free): 1-800-241-8111F: (717) 735-0809 (WCBI) – An Amory teenager was killed in a March 18 shooting And the suspected shooter is no stranger to the Amory Police Department Amory Police said this same block was the site of gunfire less than 6 months ago and one of the suspects in that incident is the lead suspect in last night’s fatal shooting Amory Police converged on the 1300 block of Concord Avenue Monday night after receiving multiple reports of gunshots in the area they found 19-year-old Jayden Blanchard suffering multiple gunshot wounds and lying unresponsive in a front yard and Blanchard was taken to North Mississippi Medical Center -Gilmore Amory Police Chief Ronnie Bowen said too often people resort to violence to settle differences we’ve got a young man who has lost his life,” Bowen said “We’ve got another young man that has lost his life from freedom if he’s convicted of this crime reaction to something that is going on is a telephone call away A lot of times just communication between individuals resorts to violence It creates more problems and like I said we’ve got a family now that’s grieving the loss of a loved one.” This same block of Concord Avenue was the scene of another shooting in December Denzarious Wren was arrested as a suspect in that shooting as well and was out on a $150,000 bond Chief Bowen said his department isn’t just there to react and arrest “We’re not just there to arrest people keep the peace and serve the people so our job is multi-facet but if we can help an issue like this from happening or any violence from happening,” Bowen said “I mean that’s part of thing of serving and protecting like I said violence has never solved anything other than cause more problems in the moment sometimes we do things where it is a lifetime of regret.” Amory Police said this case is still under investigation where thousands watched him win American Idol He still goes to Nashville every few weeks but is spending more time in Monroe County but wanted to be closer to Kat’s folks and my folks,” Harmon said Harmon will take the stage at Frisco Park this Saturday for an event called ‘Prayer and Praise in the Park.” contacted Harmon and asked if he could lead worship for the event who preaches around the nation and works with FCA says he believes Harmon is the perfect fit for the prayer and praise service sometimes I don’t think we as a church really recognize it because it doesn’t look like we think it should,” Carter said Lifelong Monroe County resident Margaret Vaughan had the initial idea for the prayer and worship service She said everything has fallen into place for the event if we can show people love and let them know God is here and willing to help He will be there for them,” Vaughan said Harmon said his faith has helped keep him grounded through the years “I talk to the folks who still think of me as a waiter at a restaurant even though I haven’t done that in a long time and I wouldn’t say I’ve run from church but I’ve not been able to attend as much when on the road the Lord and church has been the most consistent things in my life Prayer and Praise in the Park starts at one Saturday afternoon in Frisco Park (WCBI) – An Aberdeen man is facing drug charges in Amory Jason Craig Chance was arrested by the Amory Police Department He’s charged with possesion of a controlled substance for meth Bond was set by a Monroe County Justice Court Judge Chance was held at the Monroe County Adult Detention Center a woman is accused of allegedly tampering with evidence Amanda Bailey was arrested by Amory PD and charged with Accessory After the Fact and Tampering with Evidence Amory High School seniors who signed for college bands are AMORY – Ten Amory High School seniors signed with college bands during a March 27 ceremony in the cafeteria Anabelle Robertson signed with Mississippi State University’s Famous Maroon Band Shaylee Weeks and De’Asia Williams all signed with Itawamba Community College’s All-American Band (WCBI) – Bond has been set for three men after two separate shootings in Amory Amory police responded to the 1300 block of Concord Avenue about a shooting into an occupied dwelling 20-year-old Tyrique Harris of Plantersville and 19-year-old Denzarious Wren of Nettleton were both charged with shooting into a dwelling and have a bond of $150,000 18-year-old Caleb Whitfield of Amory was charged with shooting into a dwelling and has a bond of $15,000 This incident occurred on December 14 at 108th Street No injuries have been reported for either incident All are being held at the Monroe County Adult Detention Center (WCBI) – A boat-making company has announced they are leaving Amory NauticStar Boats is closing and moving to North Carolina This business has been around for numerous years and has announced dozens of employees that they will be relocating The company said it plans to sell the building Mayor Corey Glenn said the departure is an effect of the tornado that hit Amory in 2023 “Again the community is coming off the hills of the storm in 2023 We’ve lost a few manufacturing jobs and losing even one manufacturing job is very important to our community So our hopes are is that we’ll get out there and figure out what’s available and then push that back out to the public to try to get another industry to get in here and utilize that nice asset,” said Glenn The company is planning to close by the end of May For 24/7 news and updates, follow us on Facebook and X AMORY – The city’s Democratic primaries April 1 featured two races for the alderman-at-large and Ward 2 alderman seats there was a clear winner of who will advance to the June 3 general election Absentee and affidavit ballots will be counted five business days after the primaries to determine the final count Robert Tomey recognizes individuals in the crowd of last week's Amory Board of Aldermen meeting for helping with various projects He said the Tomeys plan to purchase the Gilmore Foundation Conference Center The county's lease signed last week for the Gilmore Foundation building is for one year AMORY – City officials received a surprise announcement last week of the planned purchase of the Gilmore Foundation Conference Center and the new owners’ desire to gift it to the City of Amory Robert and Jennifer Tomey have worked with the CREATE Foundation to form the Tomey Family Endowment and he said they are purchasing the conference center A rendering shows how the addition of crosswalks and landscaping could transform the look of Amory Main Street A recent presentation offered visuals of future Amory Main Street projects While facade grants have provided for improvements for downtown businesses such as a 3D lettering project and continued pocket park enhancements Before and after renderings of local businesses show the impact of facade grants Further improvements are planned for Love Lock Park which is between Southern Crossing Outfitters and Edward Jones Lindsay Mitchell and Kaitlyn Williams took on the leadership roles as Amory Main Street’s co-directors and they haven’t had much down time since then “When (former Main Street director) Rebecca (Riddle) came to us to say she was leaving there was no way I would have wanted to do anything like this by myself “Kaitlyn and I have worked a lot through the years and have been on the Amory Main Street Board of Directors for a long time as well.” Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here The company that operates a $140 million wood pellet manufacturing plant in Lucedale and a $60 million shipping terminal at the Port of Pascagoula is closing its plant in northeast Mississippi. Enviva LLC announced that the biomass plant in Amory closed on Feb Enviva is the largest supplier of wood pellets in the world The Amory facility was the company’s first plant operated in the United States and was acquired in 2010 The closure is the latest in what has been a challenging time for Enviva since the company opened its Lucedale plant in 2022 locals applauded the jobs and economic development for George County while critics warned of the potential for environmental damage from the operation Enviva filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to restructure its $2.6 billion debt emerged from bankruptcy nine months later in December It now operates as a private company with a new board of managers Company looking at all operationsAny future growth will come without the Amory wood pellet plant we are reviewing the overall operational efficiencies of our entire fleet,” the company said in a statement to the Sun Herald “Due to market dynamics and the Amory facility’s infrastructure and operations along with the relationship of its size and scale relative to the rest of our portfolio it has been decided resources are better invested in other areas moving forward,” the company said Enviva was welcomed to South Mississippi with millions of dollars in grants and incentives tied to job creation Mississippi Development Authority awarded the company $4 million for a water tank well and other infrastructure in Lucedale and George County provided tax breaks and other incentives to bring the company there Enviva said it will continue to operate both at Lucedale and Pascagoula The company also was planning to build another plant at Bond The project was put on hold when the company filed Chapter 11 Enviva didn’t provide an update on whether that facility is in the future plans The company thanked those who contributed to the Amory facility and said in its statement “Enviva remains committed to manufacturing high-quality sustainable wood pellets and focused on the long-term success of our business as we navigate these changes.” This story originally appeared in the Sun Herald and is republished here with permission (WCBI) – A teenage suspect in a fatal shooting in Amory will be staying in jail for a while 19-year-old Denzarious Wren has been charged with Second Degree Murder in the shooting death of 19-year-old Jayden Blanchard Blanchard was found in a yard on Concord Avenue in Amory on Monday night Wren was out on bond for a shooting in the same area in December of last year A Justice Court Judge denied bond in this case Wren will remain in the Monroe County Jail 30 in connection with a shooting into an occupied dwelling 10 days earlier at a residence alongside Concord Avenue According to a press release from the Amory Police Department of Plantersville – were identified as the suspects in the shooting which occurred at the 1300 block of Concord Avenue