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Please upgrade your browser or activate Google Chrome Frame to improve your experience NATCHEZ — The Natchez Garden Club’s Spring Pilgrimage was a success Bartha said the Homeowners Association of the Natchez Garden Club gathered on Monday “Homeowners belonging to this group held their Pilgrimage in Natchez from March 8 to April 19,” Bartha said “Based on reporting from participating members numbers exceeded last year’s Pilgrimage in what may be described as a measurable and steady increase in attendance year over year.” This year was the third Spring Pilgrimage for the NGC Homeowners Association Homeowners reported no significant increase in attendance on the weekends that the Pilgrimage Garden Club held its events “Many events were going on in town during the Spring season in Natchez which thousands of people collectively attended including the Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebrations Junkin’ on the River and several other events,” Bartha said dinners and group tours of Natchez Garden Club member properties the Natchez Garden Club Magnolia Ball held in conjunction with the NGC Spring Pilgrimage attracted a significant number of people from out of town Undoubtedly this benefited our Pilgrimage in terms of the number of people in town,” she said Bartha said a number of different metrics could be used to determine the economic impact on the community of any given event during Spring Pilgrimage “Based on the number of tickets sold to our houses and information gathered by our homeowners we can conclude that the majority of visitors were from out of town and stayed at least two nights in Natchez The estimated economic impact of the extended NGC Pilgrimage would be comparable to that of the PGC Visiting the city’s historic homes has not lost its appeal “Even though times have changed since the heyday of the pilgrimage in the ’40s and ’50s They are still interested in our history and the beautiful architectural treasures that are so unique and special to Natchez by automobile rather than motorcoach may have changed but the interest in our history and the opportunity to visit our historical properties is still a compelling part of the reason people visit,” she said “We have a wonderful group of homeowners who are committed to the success of our community and we feel our Pilgrimage contributes significantly to that effort.” The NGC homeowners group is free to operate independently “Our homeowner organization values individual empowerment and autonomy to sell tickets at the door as well through our official ticketing outlet Little Easy Tours and through Visit Natchez Individual properties may also contract with any other ticketing outlet they choose to sell their tickets,” Bartha said “As the Natchez Garden Club continues refining and improving our Pilgrimage homeowners meet periodically to collaborate on ways to innovate and improve They understand that today’s traveler is very discerning and is looking for unique ways to incorporate historic homes within a more meaningful context This may include special events and non-traditional tour times among other things,” she said “It was wonderful to see the streets of Natchez filled with visitors during our beautiful Spring season People are finally having the confidence to travel again and the Natchez Garden Club homeowners are ready with open arms.” Monday’s SWAC college basketball lineup has lots in store Among those contests is the Southern Jaguars squaring off… Ranked squads are on the Monday college basketball schedule in two games including the Wake Forest Demon Deacons… Monday’s college basketball schedule has several interesting games including the matchup between the McNeese Cowboys and the Stephen… which includes the Tampa Bay Lightning taking on the Florida Panthers Top-25 teams will take the court across two games on Monday’s college basketball slate Adams County residents: Could you live with once-a-week garbage pick up if it would save you significantly on your monthly garbage collection bill View Results By Jessica TorricelliPublished: May 2025 at 12:33 PM CDTEmail This LinkShare on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInNATCHEZ (KNOE) - Natchez is experiencing flooding due to high levels on the Mississippi River The Mississippi River is at 55.50 ft as of 7 a.m The National Weather Service in Jackson says the flood stage is 48 feet It was at 55.78 feet on April 28 as of 9 a.m According to the National Weather Service in Jackson, the flood warning is in effect for counties and parishes in Arkansas They expect Moderate flooding along the river and Dr says “Silver Street is currently two-way traffic and it is blocked off to traffic by Magnolia Grill.” In terms of river traffic in and out of Natchez Hardy said boats are still arriving in the port “We are working closely with Natchez Transit to transport passengers from under the hill to the top of Silver Street on Broadway,” Dr Hardy said the river crested earlier in the week and they are expecting the water levels to recede in a few weeks and conditions to improve Hardy said the roads have been impacted for about two to three weeks Subscribe to the KNOE 8 YouTube Channel. Contact: Mandi Toy Download the NPS app to navigate the parks on the go — Jon Bicknell has completed what may be a historic first - riding a penny-farthing bicycle the entire length of the Natchez Trace Parkway I genuinely believe now I was the first person to do it on the penny-farthing it feels like something special," Bicknell said While it remains uncertain if anyone has previously accomplished this feat on a penny-farthing Bicknell's journey stands as a remarkable achievement on the vintage-style bicycle with its characteristic large front wheel The adventure wasn't just for personal achievement Bicknell undertook the journey to bring recognition to another Englishman known for riding a penny-farthing around the world "Thomas Stevens was in my opinion the father of adventure cycling and yet he's not recognized in the town he was born and grew up in," Bicknell said The journey along America's oldest road tested Bicknell's endurance and determination as he navigated the scenic route provided both challenges and breathtaking scenery "It's like America's undiscovered secret," Bicknell said The unique mode of transportation created some unexpected obstacles along the way "A couple of times I had to duck to stop huge dragonflies going straight in my mouth," Bicknell said Bicknell found motivation in the parkway's mile markers just keep going to the next one.' That was my motto Weather conditions added another layer of challenge to the journey Sweet home Alabama," Bicknell said during one particularly stormy stretch Bicknell maintained his sense of humor throughout the journey When his bicycle horn fell off during a particularly exhausting day I just saw it clattering into the road and I thought 'I'm too tired I can't even stop to pick it up.' So I thought Bicknell still found time for small acts of kindness along the way "The only time I went backwards was to pick up a turtle and to help them out of the road," Bicknell said While the penny-farthing will not return to England with him Bicknell's appreciation for the Natchez Trace will remain "The other places will pale in significance to the Natchez Trace It has the title 'the best road in America,' and it's beautiful and I love it more now than I did before," Bicknell said Bicknell credits his success to his support system providing water and snacks to fuel his journey "I had to dig blinking deep," Bicknell said of completing the challenging trek a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy Have you traveled the Natchez Trace or attempted an unusual adventure Contact me at Amanda.Roberts@NewsChannel5.com to share your experiences or ask questions about this remarkable journey Some “pawsitive” news is coming out of Natchez with the election of the city’s first pet mayor After weeks of spirited campaigning and a last-minute surge at the polls voters chose beloved black lab Mary Frances as their K-9 commander Mary Frances used the trail to showcase her experience as a greeter She used years of greeting patrons at the popular downtown shop to build name recognition heading into her first run at the mayor’s office Mary Frances ousted fellow “pawlitician” Roni by 321 votes Human Mayor Dan Gibson announced the results during a press conference earlier this week citing the election helping raise money to benefit the Natchez-Adams County Humane Society and heart in everything we do,” Gibson said “The Pet Mayor election brought joy to our city while supporting vital causes and it speaks to the bright future we’re building together.” While this was Mary Frances’ first shot at becoming an elected official said she has been serving as an “unofficial Pet Mayor” for over a decade “Mary Frances has been patrolling downtown Natchez for 12 years as the self-proclaimed unofficial Pet Mayor Mary Frances used both in-state and out-of-state resources to get a leg up on fellow candidates how the campaign helped promote Natchez far beyond local borders “I’ve spent the week wearing my ‘Mary Frances for Natchez Pet Mayor’ button at market in High Point answering questions about what Natchez Pet Mayor is – and of course bragging about how wonderful Natchez is as a destination,” Darby said a full slate of Pet City Officials was announced and Maggie May McCabe as Director of PAWblic Works and Recreation The Board of PAWldermen will be made up of Clover The winners will officially be sworn into office during a public collaring ceremony on Saturday Copyright 2025 SuperTalk Mississippi Media Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly SuperTalk Mississippi Media is Mississippi’s leader in news SuperTalk Mississippi Media covers every inch of the state A Natchez man has been arrested on six counts of pornography involving children Videos of children engaging in sexual activities were found on the cell phone of 35-year-old Jakson Gordon by the Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office Cyber Crime Unit A total of six video files were recovered which led to Gordon being taken into custody with the assistance of the Adams County Sheriff’s Office Gordon was taken into custody on Wednesday after a forensic exam was conducted Dash cam video of trooper conducting arrest in McComb released Jones County’s Roland Graham guilty of embezzlement Creel of the Edisto Natchez-Kusso tribe delivers a Discovery Series presentation outlining efforts to gain federal acknowledgement as well as the tribe's history and culture Acknowledgement efforts were highlighted at Middleton Place's Discovery Series Creel of the Edisto Natchez-Kusso tribe delivered a presentation Tuesday at Middleton Place about the tribe’s history and its efforts to get federal recognition Creel explained the Natchez part of the Natchez-Kusso tribe originally left Mississippi due to war It stayed with the Catawba and then the Cherokee before settling on the Coachman Property alongside the Pee Dee in the Four Holes Swamp area of Dorchester County The Natchez later intermarried with the Kusso who lived on the Saint Giles Kusso Plantation area and then the Spoons Plantation The group later settled in the Creeltown Indian settlement around 1850 before combining with the Four Holes Indian Community “They adopted the name Edisto in 1970 to avoid confusion locals called us the Edisto Indians,” Creel said “We are officially named the Edisto Natchez-Kusso Tribe of South Carolina.” Creel is working to gain federal acknowledgment for his tribe The state of South Carolina recognizes the Natchez-Kusso but gaining federal acknowledgment is a separate process “We have full support from our state legislators,” Creel said we have state representative and senator letters of support We have federal letters of support from senators as well as our legislators and representatives Every elected official in the state of South Carolina pretty much has given us letters of support for the federal acknowledgment.” Federal acknowledgment of the Natchez-Kusso could mean more protections and funding Creel said the process to gain acknowledgement the Natchez-Kusso was told it did not have enough documents to get the distinction “We know there have been problems in the coastal tribes because of paper genocide and the Sherman fires and relocating documents and things like that,” Creel said ‘You’ve got to get clearer documents,’ so it’s almost like they keep moving the goalpost.” Creel is an Indian or Native American,’ they say my teacher told me that Indians were extinct Creel explained that Native American communities used to be more “reclusive” but that some groups are becoming more “extroverted” now and reaching out to broader communities. According to Creel’s presentation, Natchez-Kusso’s efforts to reach out include making people aware of services it can provide to the community, such as health services from its hybrid clinic that has achieved a gold standard ranking “We’re just thankful to be able to share our culture with the public,” Creel said Email: online@journalscene.com Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: That oft-referenced Benjamin Franklin quote is perhaps nowhere as on-point as in Natchez where cemeteries like the Natchez City Cemetery Beulah Cemetery and the Natchez National Cemetery hold the testaments to thousands of men women and children who shaped our history and the built the foundations for our present and future it’s not surprising that here in Natchez we hold a particular appreciation for those cemeteries – touchstones of our communities that do tell our stories for anyone who will listen The volunteer leaders of the Natchez Cemetery Association have long understood that importance and continue to work as stewards for the cemetery working to maintain it today and ensure its future for generations to come An important step in that future was marked last weekend as a new columbarium was officially dedicated at the cemetery This structure will provide a resting place for the cremated remains of up to 720 individuals The columbarium reflects the growing practice of cremation instead of traditional burial an important factor in a land-locked cemetery that has served its community for more than 200 years The columbarium project came to fruition thanks to the direction of Al Walker and Dianne Bunch; the work of and the generosity of hundreds of donors and supporters – with gifts both large and small It’s an addition that ensures the cemetery’s continued role in telling the story of our community As Mayor Dan Gibson said at the dedication “Truly the story of Natchez is right here where we are today (The cemetery) honors and values our past and honors our diversity and our various cultures … It shows lessons about building a community … We learn that people of all walks of life contributed to the building of the rich colorful and inspiring Natchez community that we all love.” NATCHEZ — Renowned Mississippi watercolorist Wyatt Waters on Thursday celebrated the grand opening and ribbon cutting of a new art gallery nestled in the middle of the arts district of Downtown Natchez at the corner of Main and Commerce Street The gallery features many large and small prints of scenes that accurately depict historic Natchez in bright watercolor as well as souvenir merchandise like coffee cups totes and more bearing Waters’ name and art as the gallery opening was packed Thursday with people standing shoulder to shoulder and more lined up outside Many stopped to greet the artist and take selfies with him I became a big fan of this Mississippi legend named Wyatt Waters,” Mayor Dan Gibson said “If you had told me back then that we’d be standing here Waters and his wife Kristi reside in Clinton When asked of his decision to locate a gallery in Natchez “Natchez was where we’d spent our honeymoon It’s both far away and close and we’ve been coming back here over and over again in the six years we’ve been married Waters said there is so much to paint in Natchez from the beautiful historic homes to the natural scenes along the river “It’s like a mosquito in a nudist colony,” he said — his analogy met with an eruption of laughs from the crowd Kristi Waters said they’d been discussing opening a Natchez gallery over the past few years but the timing wasn’t right until last fall “We ran into Chesney Doyle at Halleluiah wine shop Mark and Chesney Doyle’s building at 101 N Commerce Street provided the perfect space for the gallery and within two months it was ready to open The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and by appointment by calling 601-925-8115. Learn more about the artist at wyattwaters.com NATCHEZ — It took an Adams County jury of nine women and three men only 39 minutes to find Jordan Caston guilty of first-degree murder in the shooting death of Marquez Brown when he was gunned down in a seemingly unprovoked shooting while visiting with friends at 103 Jackson St who was a passenger in a vehicle at that address and was talking with Brown when he was gunned down testified on Wednesday morning that Caston was the shooter coupled with testimony from two crime forensics experts that Caston had gunshot residue on his dominant hand combined with video evidence from the scene showing Caston running from the scene to 834 Martin Luther King St. rested the defense case without putting a single witness on the stand arguing that the prosecution had failed to produce sufficient evidence in the case Sixth District Circuit Court Judge Blackwell denied that motion Blackwell warned those in the courtroom against any outbursts when the verdict was read emotional two days of trial,” she said described learning her son had been killed “My life stopped right there,” she said Jones said her son was in good health and always maintained a good spirit “I have three grown kids and it was just me and him,” she said he was going to get his driver’s license and graduate He wanted to go to Ole Miss and become an engineer and move to Atlanta … I have cried every day and night for three years Blackwell sentenced Caston to life in prison Caston already was serving a 10-year sentence for arson for setting the Adams County Jail on fire in April 2022 Assistant District Attorney Dre Wallace tried the case for Sixth Circuit District Attorney Tim Cotton’s office Caston’s retrial was initially scheduled for February who has resigned his job to move out of state and closer to his family delayed his departure to see the Caston case through to closure “This was a senseless act,” Cotton said you lose two lives — the life of the person killed and the life of the person who committed the crime I feel like the family has a sense of peace now knowing we can never bring closure.” Cotton commended Wallace’s work on the case “I am very proud of Dre Wallace and how he was committed to seeing this case to fruition and justice being served,” he said NATCHEZ – The Bank of Franklin recently announced two hires for its new Natchez Branch Guedon was named the City President for the new branch in Natchez located on 601 Franklin St Guedon brings over five years of experience in banking and lending Guedon graduated from Adams County Christian School (ACCS) and  earned his undergraduate degree from Mississippi State University He is passionate about providing outstanding service and financial support to the Miss-Lou region and looks forward to serving the Natchez community in his new role with Bank of Franklin and businesses achieve financial success and security Guedon serves on the board of the Natchez Chamber of Commerce is president-elect of the Natchez Trace Kiwanis Club sits on the finance committee at First Baptist Church Natchez and serves as treasurer of the Booster Club at ACCS Guice has been named Branch Manager for the new Bank of Franklin Natchez location She was previously with the same bank for 34 years Guice came out of retirement to join Bank of Franklin in December They are blessed with three grown children NATCHEZ — Four young and special Merit Health Natchez interns graduated Thursday from the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services’ Project Search program which prepares the graduates for a sustainable future in the workforce and in life Delmaree McKnight and Trennis Ware will all soon have careers that are best suited to them Ware might soon have a career opportunity at Merit Health Natchez McKnight has already accepted a position at First Presbyterian Playschool Dee is exploring work opportunities at GoMart on U.S 61 and Frazier could potentially land a job at Natchez City Hall close to his grandfather Project Search instructor Ronnie Calhoun said “I don’t like saying that we got them ‘a job,’” Calhoun said “Because that isn’t setting them up for success Because somebody somewhere is going to be there to water that seed.” like every positive thing a person does to reach one individual because you never know who that person is going to reach.” You are going to go out into the world and do amazing things.” Each person involved in some aspect of the program who attended the graduation on Thursday in the Magnolia Room at Merit Health Natchez had something positive to say about the program and its interns “I’m grateful that I get to play a very small part in this program,” said Merit Health Natchez CEO Kevin Samrow “I think Project Search is a wonderful program that brings a lot of value to our community and I feel lucky for the small piece I get to play in that this would be happening in Natchez Adams County School District.” Mayor Dan Gibson recalled seeing and spending time with the graduates at the Lighting of the Christmas Tree in Downtown Natchez last fall the young graduates shine a light on Natchez “When we talk about Project Search … sometimes that search takes place in the darkest night It requires that spotlight to actually bring light to that darkness Project Search is bringing light into our community we are finding and discovering such great talent in our midst.” Members of the Natchez Chapter of The Links Inc Yvonne Ivory and Natalie Ballard; seated from left chater member Jacquelyn Wright and Barbara Crenshaw NATCHEZ – The Natchez Chapter of The Links Incorporated conducted its annual Women’s Empowerment Banquet on April 5 on the Natchez campus of Copiah-Lincoln Community College honorees and guests were invited to an evening of recognizing the contributions of women making a difference in their communities Honorees were recognized for achievements in various fields and presented with awards and tokens of appreciation The 2025 honorees included: Orionna Coleman The Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture recently hosted the Cypress Knees exhibit presented by Woven Wind Viewers of the exhibit’s clay sculptures included Woven Wind representatives Melisande Short-Colomb discuss the clay sculptures of the Cypress Knees exhibit held April 25 in Natchez NATCHEZ – Members of the Woven Wind project used clay sculptures of cypress knees Friday to highlight the history of the Toles family and their enslaved ancestors at Monmouth An exhibit of the cypress knees was featured for one day at the Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture The knees were also placed on the grounds of Monmouth near a pond said Nashville-based curator Courtney Adair Johnson which symbolically carry the voices of the enslaved will dissolve with the landscape over time to memorialize the site of the family’s painful history,” Johnson said adding the unfired pieces of art will simply melt into the ground Some of the sculptures will be donated to the museum and Monmouth research and community engagement associate at the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics at Georgetown University said nobody can really explain the purpose of the cypress knees in nature and the environment of the cypress swamp,” she said Short-Colomb spoke about the cypress knees at the museum Shwab Chair in Fine Arts Professor of Art at Vanderbilt University “Part of what scientists believe is the cypress roots are in the water,” Short-Colomb said “The knees come up to get some air and store water in periods of draught when the water may recede or go down when it doesn’t rain the cypress trees continue to have a source of water We chose the knees as a representative of the continuity of family through time.” “The connection between the cypress knees and the trees shows the connectivity of a family,” said Bobby Dennis They all have the same resource as that tree the cypress knees sculpture is an artistic representation of the region “The trees themselves hold the memory of everything that has happened there all of that is a memory that lives in the environment all over Natchez.” Short-Colomb said Natchez was the richest city in America for 90 years and the remnants of memory remain in the environment even though the cycles of humanity continues to change The environment of the earth contains all of us Short-Colomb said their work as Woven Wind “was connecting the archives of John A to descendants of a complete and full name mentioned in the archives of the Quitman family.” was to connect the living descendants to their ancestor The archives are held in the University of the South in Sewanee Woven Wind is a multi-layered research project drawing from artistic translations of the Lovell Quitman archive which includes extensive Quitman Plantation records and photographs of the Civil War era The creation of the cypress knees involves the use of clay as a community activity The work is done by people who are not professional potters “Those knees are part of a multi-disciplinary art installation that includes the film of the Toles family and original music composed for the film and was performed in Nashville NATCHEZ — A Natchez man is in critical condition after being shot in the face Sunday night by his stepfather Natchez Police Commander Jerry Ford said Joseph Edward Letcher has been charged with attempted murder after shooting his stepson following an altercation at a home on Liberty Road was airlifted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center and was in critical condition Mira Got Soul of Jackson performed songs from a variety of artists and Hunter Stewart dance to Jack Curtis's Elvis tunes in front of the stage Old friends and classmates enjoy a reunion Saturday at the Stay Tuned Music Festival Wilson is also president of the Adams County Board of Supervisors Concert goers enjoy the sunshine and cool breeze while listening to music on the lawn of Dunleith Saturday Headliner for this year's music fest was Monsters of Yacht NATCHEZ — The weather cooperated for the first of what is hoped will become an annual event a cool breeze made for a pleasant afternoon and evening Historic Dunleith provided a gorgeous backdrop for a lovely Natchez lawn party Blankets and folding chairs dotted the south side of one of Natchez’s most beautiful houses while residents and visitors enjoyed five bands beginning at noon and continuing well into the night The biggest draw of the day was Natchez native Jack Curtis of Kings of Tupelo fame The City of Natchez Workforce Development in partnership with Copiah Lincoln Community College and Build Mississippi celebrated a ribbon cutting Monday for its new trade school program offered at Co-Lin Natchez that prepares students to work in fields such as heavy equipment operator the groups celebrated the first graduating class from the electrical program led by Willie A members of the Natchez Board of Aldermen and Adams County Board of Supervisors the Natchez Adams County Chamber of Commerce Natchez-Adams School District Superintendent Zandra McDonald and other stakeholders joined the celebration contact Workforce Development Program Coordinator Lakitsha Rogers at lrogers@natchez.ms.us or 601-445-7500 ext NATCHEZ — Fueled in part by recent heavy rains in the Ohio Valley the Mississippi River at Natchez and Vidalia is expected to crest above flood stage at 54 feet on April 22 What that means for Natchez and Adams County is some flooding in low-lying roads in Anna’s Bottom north of Natchez will be covered with water Carthage Point Road in the county will also be covered in water Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson said the city is watching river levels closely “Our Public Works Department is well prepared in the event of flooding on Silver Street Bigland and turn Silver Street into two way traffic with no parking along the street the last one being 2019 before I was elected We do not expect any business closings and we definitely do not expect any flooding of buildings getting to the 54 foot crest could cause some issues on the riverfront but Vidalia Mayor Buz Craft said the city is on top of it “We have already put Hesco baskets out at the riverfront,” Craft said We have been meeting about it for a couple of weeks now and we are doing everything you can think of We have already gotten with engineers and are lining up other Hesco baskets in the event those are needed.” He said flood water first shows up in seepage which means mosquitos would soon become a problem “We are going to go ahead and start spraying for those,” he said It all depends on the snowpack and what is happening with rain up north Different river levels trigger different actions Next week it’s supposed to be pretty down south but I don’t know what’s going to happen up north.” and a member of the county’s port commission flooding should not be a problem for companies located near the port Bastec — all that area survived the 500-year flood in 2011 when the river was at about 62 feet,” Russ said “The only thing that was a concern is in the construction of the ring-levee around the Belwood property we had to cut the road to the existing levee in order to put culverts in for the ring They have put the culverts in and put concrete and rock in there and it should be shut off today We will beat any concerns about the river rising to 50 to 54 feet.” Russ said before the ring levee was constructed the Belwood property would start taking on water at 49 to 50 feet depending on the rain and saturation of the ground What would be your dream store to join Hobby Lobby at the new Trace Town Shopping Center View Results This week we celebrated a major milestone in Natchez — the groundbreaking of a new vision for Trace Town Shopping Center and the beginning of what will soon be a $30 million plus new retail development that will include a Hobby Lobby and quite a number of other major brand retailers and our region: the largest retail development in our corner of the state in four decades And best of all — it means a few hundred more JOBS Credit for this outstanding achievement goes to one man Natchezian Jimmy Smith — and we couldn’t be more grateful During my first two years as mayor I spent a good bit of time showing potential investors around Natchez Looking at the decrepit condition of the once thriving retail center with its huge parking lot riddled with potholes investor after investor failed to see the vision I saw — a great parcel of property well-located in an amazing city just beginning its historic comeback Little did I know that the eventual investor would end up being someone from right here at home When Jimmy Smith first told me what he was considering I got excited His willingness to take on the project of bringing back Trace Town was an answered prayer The revisioning of this old shopping center is now full steam ahead Old buildings are being torn down to be replaced with new ones And the large pothole-riddled parking lot will soon get a major facelift Trace Town was a place where people from all parts of the Miss-Lou shopped and enjoyed life But the advent of the Natchez Mall in the late 1970s began to slowly lure businesses away the closing of large employers like International Paper and Johns Manville brought about the end Trace Town has slowly become a dilapidated and sad version of its former self And many simply gave up hope it would ever be anything again as I said at this week’s ground breaking was like a hound dog with a brand new soup bone As with any large undertaking it takes a team Several great partners have helped to get us here we immediately put our heads together to find the strategies that would make it work we brought in our Environmental Consulting Engineer Trey Hess with PPM Consultants to see if our Brownfield Grant could help with an assessment of environmental issues at the old shopping center to open paths to incentives to convert this old Brownfield into a “Greenfield” —  one that would flourish economically again In short order he connected the city and Jimmy Smith to a state program just created to clean up dilapidated and toxic property for the purposes of retail development with new sales taxes going to assist with the project This became a huge win and just the incentive Mr In addition Chandler Russ with Natchez Inc that will further allow expected sales taxes to assist with the development of Trace Town these two strategies will help ensure the new retail center succeeds As the final coup to make the deal come together Smith secured a fantastic national partner a successful retail development firm responsible for the creation of quite a number of successful projects throughout the south that’s a Dream Team and Natchez will be the grateful beneficiary It’s great to see what happens when people work together I look forward to working with our Board of Aldermen to complete a few more things needed for the development and I am very grateful to our Director of Community Development James Johnston and my Executive Assistant Richard Burke for all of their behind-the-scenes help Lastly I end this column like I started — with gratitude our Natchez Renewal train shows no sign of slowing down Adams County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested a Natchez man for a cache of drugs and a weapon found on him during a traffic stop in February on Highland Boulevard for a traffic violation approximately 29 grams of suspected synthetic marijuana 21 hydrocodone tablets and approximately 6 grams of suspected MDMA Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten said Johnson is a convicted felon and was arrested and charged with felon in possession of a firearm Johnson was released on bond after that arrest presumptive tests were completed for the drugs that were found during the traffic stop and deputies obtained arrest warrants for possession of a Schedule I drug MDMA with intent to distribute possession of Schedule II methamphetamine with intent to distribute Possession of synthetic marijuana with intent to distribute possession of Schedule IV Alprazolam with intent to distribute possession of Schedule II cocaine with intent to distribute possession of hydrocodone with intent to distribute all of the charges have a church zone enhancement since Johnson was stopped within 1,000 feet of Crosspoint Church deputies arrested Johnson for the outstanding warrants at a residence on Lasalle Street in Natchez Deputies made a search of the room where Johnson was located and found a loaded Drako 7.62 x 39 in the closet on top of shoe boxes that belonged to Johnson Johnson now faces an additional felon in possession of a firearm charge Patten said Johnson is currently being held on a $350,000 bond NATCHEZ –Robert Muhammad shot a hole-in-one on hole 13 at Duncan Park Golf course on Sunday The shot was witnessed by Adolph Hayes and Azali Muhammad NATCHEZ — A Natchez police officer has been placed on leave after she was arrested by Adams County Sheriff’s deputies for disorderly conduct and failure to comply with an officer’s orders was arrested Tuesday morning by Adams County Sheriff’s deputies after they were called to respond to a domestic violence altercation “She is on leave until an internal affairs investigation is completed,” said Caroline Green you are bound under rules of conduct to a higher standard You have to conduct yourself in a way that is beyond reproach I am sorry that this happened and I am sorry that the deputies were placed in that position No other details were available about the incident How will the imposition of new tariffs affect your spending View Results Contact: Prashant Lotwala Contact: Mandi Toy Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInMADISON COUNTY (WLBT) - Officials have reported that first responders were called to a helicopter crash near the Natchez Trace Monday afternoon The crash is reportedly near the Natchez Trace A Madison County spokesperson confirmed deaths from the crash “We are on the scene of a medical helicopter crash in a heavily wooded area south of the Natchez Trace and North of Pipeline Road We are now awaiting the arrival from the FAA Any other information should come from them.” The University of Mississippi Medical Center released a memo stating that two UMMC employee crew members and a Med-Trans pilot were on board Madison County Sheriff Randy Tucker told reporters that crew members reported losing power I see them all the time and think and pray for the people that are in there but the people that are working on those patients A lot of those individuals are personal friends of mine.. The helicopter departed from UMMC at 12:25 p.m and disappeared from the radar at approximately 12:36 p.m The helicopter was in the air 11 minutes before crashing in Madison County the aircraft flew approximately 23 miles and reached an altitude of more than 2,000 feet - Helicopter arrives at Baptist Medical Center - Helicopter crashes in rural Madison County WLBT crews on the scene see wreckage and a heavy police and first responder presence Natchez Trace Parkway officials announced over Facebook around 3:15 p.m that the Parkway was temporarily closed for traffic from the Highway 43 access road to Ratliff Ferry Road Crossing in Madison County The official cause of the crash remains under investigation Tate Reeves issued a statement in response to the crash are praying for the victims of today’s helicopter crash in Madison County Please keep the victims’ families and co-workers in your prayers It’s a tragic reminder of the risks Mississippi’s first responders take every day to keep us safe.” Many people have taken to social media to offer condolences to the families of the three killed Mossy Oak Properties Bottomland Real Estate offered their sympathies over Facebook to the family of flight nurse Dustin Pope Want more WLBT news in your inbox? 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Please click here to report it and include the headline of the story in your email NATCHEZ — Natchez Police Chief Cal Green confirmed that a person died in a single-vehicle crash on Sunday afternoon on Highland Boulevard near Briarwood Road Police were at the scene investigating the crash around 12:45 Sunday had a medical issue that caused him to crash his vehicle He ran off the road and into a ditch before crashing through a fence Engineer's drawings of Tracetown Shopping Center site plan for Hobby Lobby store NATCHEZ — Hobby Lobby could begin construction on a new 50,000-square-foot store in Natchez in the Tracetown Shopping Center as soon as next week The Natchez Planning Commission approved a request from Natchez Hardware Center to subdivide a portion of the Tracetown Shopping Center property to make way for the arts and crafts and home decor store Hayden Kaiser of engineering firm Jordan Kaiser Sessions represented Natchez Hardware Center at the commission’s monthly meeting on Thursday evening Kaiser questioned interim City Planning Director Rico Giani about site plan approval saying the company would like to start construction soon Giani said what remains is administrative and that he saw nothing that would interfere with those construction plans The new Hobby Lobby will be located on a 3.58-acre parcel behind the Regions Bank building Plans call for demolishing the portion of the shopping center next to Hobby Lobby down to the existing U.S Demolition of the portion of the existing shopping center building in the back that faces toward Seargent Prentiss Drive is planned Smith was not immediately available for comment Thursday night Natchez history and a Pulitzer Prize winning author are coming together for the community-wide Natchez Reads 2025 sponsored by the Mississippi Book Festival the National Park Service and the Historic Natchez Foundation focuses on community members reading a single book that resonates with the history of the community The community will share the experience of reading discussing and exploring the themes of the book throughout a series of free events “It’s going to be a lot of fun,” said Betty Jo Harris who works with the Historic Natchez Foundation and sits on the board of the Mississippi Book Festival “We’re going to read the book together and talk about it “The executive director wanted to do some sort of programming in Southwest Mississippi and I jumped on it,” Harris said The result is the first-ever Natchez Reads program The historical fiction novel is based on the true story of racehorse and sire Lexington who was trained in Natchez in the early 1850s by John Benjamin Pryor on the plantation of Adam L “It brings in some history and has a lot of connection to Natchez.” Natchez Reads 2025 includes four free events: All events take place at the Historic Natchez Foundation Armstrong Public Library will have copies of “Horse” available for check-out Additional copies are for sale at Silver Street Gifts and at the William Johnson House “We’re also on Facebook as Natchez Reads 2025 Contact: Mandi Toy NATCHEZ — After setting several school and all-time state records at three different track meets across the state of Mississippi held during the month of March Natchez High School track standout and Natchez Early College Academy senior Markeith Thompson was looking to add to his list of impressive accomplishments earlier this month At the Woody Barnett Invitational meet in Pearl on Monday He came in first place in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 37.90 seconds and in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 13.50 seconds “He’s undefeated this season in both the 300-meter hurdles and the 110-meter hurdles,” NHS head track coach Kelly Thomas said 1 in the state and in the United States in the 110-meter hurdles.” Next up for Thompson is the MHSAA Class 5A South State Meet in Hattiesburg on Friday “Everyone from the Southern Region will be there,” Thomas said “We just had the Region 3-5A Meet in Brookhaven last Thursday (April 17).” Thompson finished in first place in all four events he participated in at the Region 3-5A Meet And if excelling in two different hurdles events as part of the running events isn’t enough he’s now doing the same in two field events He ended up first in the long jump with a jump of 22 feet his time was 13.68 seconds and in the 300-meter hurdles In the team competition at the Region 3-5A meet Natchez High’s boys’ team finished in third place behind first-place Brookhaven High School and second-place North Pike High School NATCHEZ – The UPS hub in Natchez no longer provides counter service to customers seeking to send packages “The hub will still be open for the drivers but the inside counter service counter is no longer be open,” said Carol Smith “While there are other access points where you can drop off packages we will be the only full-service authorized UPS shipping location.” An access point – which is a third-party retail location where customers can drop off pre-labeled pre-packaged items – is available at the CVS store at 505 Highway 61 North As the only UPS authorized shipper in Natchez as well as provide shipping information and details because the location is an independent business she said customers have a choice of using UPS “I’ve already seen several customers coming to us in the past two weeks,” she said whenever the computers were down or they had an issue at the hub they would send customers to us for shipping We saw a significant increase in business on those days.” Smith said she also is exploring additional options to provide for shipping customers “Just this morning I was on the phone with someone in Brookhaven about providing dry ice for shipping,” she said adding that she is working to anticipate the community’s needs Anyone who has a question about the shipping services available can call the store at (601) 653-0490 Anyone seeking information about UPS shipping locations or access points NATCHEZ — Natchez Attorney Bryan Callaway has died at St Dominic’s Hospital in Jackson following an illness served as City Attorney during Mayor Dan Gibson’s first term in office he began work as staff attorney for Sixth District Circuit Judge Debra Blackwell Callaway has had a thriving law practice in Natchez Callaway had been awaiting a kidney transplant strongest and yet most gentle people I have ever known,” Gibson said “He and I were friends at Mississippi State when in college and served in student government together We went many years without seeing each other only to be reunited when I moved to Natchez.” Callaway earned his undergraduate degree from Mississippi State University and his law degree from the University of Mississippi Law School He graduated from South Natchez-Adams High School in 1983 where he was a key player on the school’s championship football teams including the 1981 undefeated state championship team coached by the late Ed Reed helping us with more important matters than I can even count including helping formulate bond strategies to renovate all of our public buildings and city parks and pave more than 50 city streets Gibson said Callaway had worked tirelessly for the City of Natchez and for the citizens of the Sixth Circuit District and Judge Debra Blackwell “I honestly cannot remember a time when Bryan was not smiling and happy even in the face of his own health challenges and even when his mother unexpectedly passed away just a couple of years ago,” Gibson said “Bryan is truly someone we will forever miss and a friend I will always be grateful to have had My and Marla’s prayers are with Donna and their family.” “I was blessed beyond measure to have Bryan as my staff attorney these past fourteen months,” said Sixth District Circuit Judge Debra Blackwell and I’ll forever be grateful not only for his legal expertise but also for his calm presence and demeanor and he will be greatly missed in our community.” More information will be made available when finalized NATCHEZ — While housing sales during the winter were slow Realtor and broker at Crye-Leike Stedman Ulmer Realtors in Natchez said the market “seems to be firing back up Activity has picked up in the last couple of months.” Realtor.com reports 486 homes are for sale in Adams County ranging in price from $7,000 to $3.9 million The highest-priced property on the market is the historic home determining how many homes were on the market at the same time last year proved difficult long-time Realtor with Paul Green and Associates said that whatever the number of homes on the market now it’s not enough to meet the needs of her buyers “I have more buyers than sellers right now,” Easom said “I don’t know how many homes are on the market right now We have some subdivisions that typically have at least one or two houses for sale that don’t have any “I started the month with 21 houses pending to close and closed about nine of them in the first week “I listed one house the day before yesterday and it’s already under contract.” High interest rates don’t seem to have stopped buyers from buying I think people are banking on the fact that when interest rates drop Easom said buyers in Adams County now are looking for homes with land “So many buyers are looking out of the city limits That’s what is very hard to find,” she said with prospective buyers wanting to look at homes “We are definitely busier now than we were last year I think because last year was an election year and people may have been wary The election is over and people have to do something now,” Dauphin said “We have lots of people who are looking to buy for the first time and lots of people whose families are growing and need more space.” Dauphin said the inventory of houses in downtown Natchez is large “Maybe it’s because some people are relocating Maybe it’s because some people had downtown homes here that were second homes and they have decided to stay with their primary home But there are a lot of homes for sale downtown There are definitely more than last year,” he said Dauphin said downtown houses typically stay on the market longer than homes built in the 1970s and later for several reasons It takes a lot to keep them up and to renovate That’s why downtown houses stay on the market a little longer than in other neighborhoods,” Dauphin said He said Natchez is growing and is gaining interest from people outside the community who are seeking to locate to a place with a lower cost of living but because of how well Natchez is marketing itself,” Dauphin said From left Downtown Natchez Alliance Executive Director Leah Hunter (Sabrina Robertson | The Natchez Democrat) Hal gives a smile after winning PAWlderman Ward 4 in the Natchez Pet Mayor election Mary Frances won the election to be Natchez's first-ever pet mayor a fun campaign to raise money in support of the Downtown Natchez Alliance and local animal welfare causes well known among tourists and locals alike as the dog who runs Main Street has been elected the City of Natchez’s first Pet Mayor in the inaugural Pet Mayor Election hosted by Downtown Natchez Alliance Natchez mayors Mary Frances and Dan Gibson (Photo courtesy of Andrew Tenbusch) The Honorable Mayor Dan Gibson — Natchez’s two-legged mayor — announced the final results of the election at a press conference held at the William Johnson House on Sunday a curious goat and even a steadfast pet rock from OutsideINN MS entered and earned the community’s love and support in what had been close race down to the final hour Mary Frances of Darby’s emerged as the clear winner in a last-minute surge that catapulted her to the lead by 321 votes over challenger Roni of Wardo’s Mary Frances’s campaign team was quick to share the excitement “Mary Frances has been patrolling downtown Natchez for 12 years as the self-proclaimed unofficial Pet Mayor — and now where she was attending a major trade market said the election had generated excitement far beyond Natchez’s borders “The campaign was a promotional success for all of Natchez,” said Darby Short “I’ve spent the week wearing my ‘Mary Frances for Natchez Pet Mayor’ button at market in High Point answering questions about what Natchez Pet Mayor is — and of course bragging about how wonderful Natchez is as a destination.” The election serves as a fundraiser supporting DNA’s revitalization efforts of Downtown Natchez 20 percent of the net proceeds will support local animal welfare organizations including Natchez Adams County Humane Society we wanted this program to also serve a larger purpose,” said Norma West “We realized it was a good opportunity to raise awareness for the problem of feral or abandoned animals in our downtown and throughout our Miss Lou area.” an adoptable dog named Clover who is still in need of a home raised awareness to the larger shelter animals who often go years without finding families said Kathy Fitch of Hoofbeats and Pawprints Rescue “wants everyone to know that she appreciates all of the votes and she will do her best in her role as Pawlderman,” Fitch said “She appreciates that the city of Natchez and the Downtown Natchez Alliance are so supportive of the role pets play in making our lives better … (and) the chance to raise public awareness about the more than 100 adoptable large adult dogs in the Miss-Lou area shelters right now.” the Clover campaign emphasises the importance of spaying/neutering and providing heartworm preventatives for all dogs and how each dog adopted saves the lives of two — “both the dog they adopt and the dog that the shelter is able to take because there is an empty kennel,” Fitch said coordinator of the Pet Mayor election and Promotions Chair for DNA “We are incredibly proud of what this election represents — community spirit and commitment to a thriving downtown Natchez we not only raised important funds but also planted the seeds of a tradition we hope will grow for years to come.” Campaign Managers Dennis and Darby Short of Darby’s Kathy Fitch of Hoofbeats and Pawprints Rescue Campaign Manager Iesha Sanders of Sanders Law Firm Guy Tuccio of Southern Carriage Tours and sponsored by Levi and Grace Construction Gail Guido of Silver Street Gallery and Gifts ·      Director of PAWks and Recreation: Maggie May McCabe Campaign Managers Bubba and Katie McCabe of Pig Out Inn ·      Director of PAWblic Works: Tisha of Natchez Adams County Humane Society The winners will officially be sworn in during a Collaring Ceremony at Natchez City Hall at 9:30 a.m and it speaks to the bright future we’re building together I’m honored to celebrate alongside the Downtown Natchez Alliance and our community during this special moment.” Reflecting on the experience of the campaign Darby Short described how the campaign energized both locals and visitors alike “People at home and even here in High Point have absolutely loved the idea of a Pet Mayor we’ve laughed and had so much fun with it,” she said and just loving the camaraderie of the pet mayor competition.” “Everyone’s been happy to support the Downtown Natchez Alliance and our local animal welfare organizations It’s been wildly entertaining and has really raised awareness for our merchants and the important causes we all care about.” including title sponsor and “Leader of the Pack” Taco Bell the “Top Dogs” Concordia Bank & Trust Company and United Mississippi Bank along with many small business partners for making the first Natchez Pet Mayor election a success “Their support helps fuel not only downtown revitalization efforts but also future events that bring joy expressed her excitement about continuing the organization’s mission and building on this early success “Seeing the outpouring of support for the Pet Mayor election reinforces why I’m so excited to be joining the Downtown Natchez Alliance,” Hunter said “Our mission to revitalize downtown is all about fostering connections between people I look forward to working with the community to keep that momentum growing.” The Historic Natchez Foundation is holding its annual meeting on Thursday Marty and Cathy Buchman of Frankie’s on Main have leased the building and given it new life as a special events venue The Buchmans are hosting the Historic Natchez Foundation’s Annual Meeting as their grand opening The Grand Opening and Annual Meeting are free to Historic Natchez Foundation members You may join ahead of time or at the membership table at the door The annual meeting will begin with a cocktail buffet and conclude with a short business meeting to elect new board members and present the 2024 awards Louie’s building at 515 Main Street has a storied history The Natchez Democrat very closely followed the 1872 construction of the new brick building for Donaldson & Co.—from the April demolition of existing buildings at the corner of “Main and Locust streets” to the November opening of the new store that continued its previous trade in books occupied only half of the first story and leased the remainder applying the exterior stucco that was originally intended Cole’s had the longest tenancy in the building’s history was successfully operated from 1950 to 1975 by the Abrams brothers Green had relocated Cole’s to the Natchez Mall which is today owned by a Killelea family member In addition to preserving historic architecture and historic public records the Historic Natchez Foundation also has a growing archive and collection that preserves Natchez cultural history we will play recordings of Natchez musicians from the past including Blake Wadsworth Roy Price donated reel-to-reel recordings of these musicians Historic preservation awards will be given out at the meeting for recent projects The Ethel and George Kelly Restoration Award will be given to Missi and Butch Johnson for their extensive restoration of Foster’s Mound after a devastating fire and to the General Missionary Baptist State Convention of Mississippi for the meticulous restoration of Huddleston Memorial Chapel at Natchez College The Volunteer of the Year award will be given to Barbara Hanley in recognition of her tireless work assisting the Foundation Awards of merit will be given out for the following projects: Baoyum Wang and James Mooney 300 Linton Avenue; Beulah Missionary Baptist Church Yazoo & Mississippi Valley Railroad Depot; Terry and Doug Merritt 311 North Union Street; Toni and Clark Thompson and be merry in the new year to celebrate the rebirth of 515 Main St Carter Burns is the executive director of the Historic Natchez Foundation NATCHEZ — The Downtown Natchez Alliance has appointed Leah Gibson Hunter as executive director who resigned recently to take another position Hunter begins her work with the Downtown Natchez Alliance on April 28 A Mississippi native with a strong background in community outreach Hunter steps into her new role with energy and enthusiasm for DNA’s mission and the city’s future “I’ve dedicated my career to connecting people “I saw this role as both a professional calling and a personal mission Downtown revitalization is more than buildings — it’s about fostering pride and writing the next chapter of the city’s story together.” Hunter was selected following a comprehensive search by the DNA Board of Directors West expressed confidence in Hunter’s leadership and vision and has already brought fresh energy and perspective to the table and I’m excited to see where her leadership takes us,” West said in Educational Leadership with a concentration in Student Affairs and Higher Education from Mississippi State University in Journalism with a minor in English from the University of Mississippi she has paired her academic foundation in communications with hands-on leadership in digital strategy and student engagement She served as an Associate Video Producer for Southern Living launched MSU’s first Social Media Influencer Program and created strategic marketing campaigns that grew MSU’s digital presence among generations of hard-working Southerners and small business owners Hunter sees Natchez as emblematic of Mississippi’s promise “A great deal of Natchez reminds me of what I love about Mississippi — it’s full of promise,” she said “I believe in dedicating homegrown talent back into the places that raise us and in the power of communities rebuilding with the people in their own backyards.” Her early civic leadership included serving on the Mississippi Student Advisory Board where she helped coordinate Teens on the Move the state’s largest youth civic conference Hunter was crowned Miss University of Mississippi 2017 representing Ole Miss in the Miss Mississippi pageant in Vicksburg where she was recognized by the Miss America organization for her personal platform: Drive Smart and nonprofit sectors — developing outreach campaigns and producing events in collaboration with institutions and companies like LeBonheur Children’s Hospital Hunter holds a certificate in Foundations of Project Management (Google x Coursera) and brings technical fluency with tools such as Microsoft Asana and other tools essential for organizing complex I left feeling energized and aligned,” Hunter noted “DNA’s mission coupled with the city’s Downtown Master Plan isn’t just aspirational — it’s actionable and how my approach to collaboration could continue to breathe life back into downtown That clarity and excitement made it an easy yes for me.” Mayor Dan Gibson also praised the appointment emphasizing her alignment with the city’s long-term goals fresh outlook that honors our history while building our future,” Gibson said “She understands that the heart of downtown Natchez is its people — and she’s committed to helping that heart beat even stronger I’m confident her leadership will inspire great things for our city.” She will play a key role in advancing the city’s award-winning Downtown Master Plan in close partnership with city leadership Her focus includes community-driven placemaking and creative reactivation of underutilized spaces Key initiatives include revitalizing key anchor areas such as the Bluff/Broadway Street Entertainment area while using DNA’s retail market studies to attract essential downtown businesses and promote downtown living Local leaders echoed their support for DNA’s new leadership “The Natchez-Adams County Chamber of Commerce congratulates Leah on her new role with DNA,” said Lyn Jenkins president and CEO of the Natchez-Adams County Chamber of Commerce “We look forward to a continued partnership with DNA with the Downtown Merchants Group and we’re excited to collaborate on future endeavors that enhance our historic downtown district.” Hunter will also serve as the organization’s liaison to the Mississippi Main Street Association and Main Street America which offer a nationally proven framework for comprehensive DNA has been committed to advancing downtown revitalization through its strategic work plan based on this model “The Main Street framework empowers communities to take charge of their own revitalization,” Hunter said “I look forward to advancing that mission here in Natchez.” “Leah Gibson Hunter brings a rare combination of experience vice president of the DNA Board and COO of Loss Prevention Services LLC “She understands the value of building community through thoughtful collaboration and shared purpose,” Baggett said and measurable progress for our downtown in alignment with DNA’s strategic plan and the city’s Downtown Master Plan.” “I’ve seen firsthand how much potential lives here — not just in the buildings or the bluff and the culture that make Natchez unique,” said Hunter “This role is more than a job — it’s a chance to pour everything I’ve learned into a place I’ve chosen to call home.” Natchez native and attorney Terrence Hunter She can be reached via email at leah@natchezdna.org From left are writing contest finalists Forrest "Al" Johnson Seated is author Robert Kuehnle of Natchez An audience listens to Robert Kuehnle read from his latest book on Saturday tells book signing his attendees about The Majestic Leo Marble a semi-autobiographical story about Kuehnle’s coming out experience NATCHEZ — Natchez author Robert Kuehnle on Saturday awarded the top five finalists of the inaugural Literary Natchez Writers event during a book signing for his latest novel “The Majestic Leo Marble,” under his pen name R.J In first place is Forrest “Al” Johnson and the two other finalists are Kerry Rose Dicks and Mary Alice Higgs Others in attendance could purchase the book and get it signed for $20 with event proceeds benefitting Y’all Means All Natchez More copies are available at Silver Street Gallery & Gifts He lives in the fictional town of Beau Pre which everyone knows by Kuehnle’s previous work is really Natchez “The Majestic Leo Marble” is a semi-autobiographical story about Kuehnle’s childhood and coming-out story Leo would face many of the same struggles with being gay that Kuehnle faced and some that he didn’t face but many real people have so I can do whatever I want,” said Kuehnle with a laugh when he discussed the novel at the Y’all Means All Natchez book signing event at The Big Muddy Inn on Saturday Y’all Means All Natchez is a non-profit organization to help mental health causes and suicide prevention after a young gay man in Natchez took his own life While his experience is not exactly the same as Kuehnle’s Leo’s experience is one that relates to many people who can identify with him “Because that is what a good writer does,” Kuehnle said NATCHEZ – The entrepreneurs behind a popular downtown Natchez bakery are looking for new owners of the business A Facebook post on Monday morning announced that Wishes Sweets & Eats is available for purchase Bakery owner Caylen Caldwell, a Vidalia, Louisiana, native, opened the bakery in February 2024. Caldwell began her culinary career in pop-up markets sharing her talents under the name Cakes by Caylen She discovered her baking and cake decorating talent by making a few cakes for Christmas parties and her mom’s birthday cake and posting pictures she started taking requests from friends and family and that evolved into a home business When the opportunity to open a brick-and-mortar bakery arose her mother Stacy Wagoner urged Caldwell to take on the challenge Wishes has grown a steady and loyal following and Caldwell is seeking a new owner to carry the mantle “As life leads us in different directions we are truly hoping to find another passionate baker or entrepreneur to take the reins or make it their own Wishes is a very reputable and established turn-key bakery on Franklin Street here in Downtown Natchez and would be a wonderful career and investment opportunity for anyone in the field The sale of our bakery/café could include everything from the equipment and furnishings to the recipes and more,” she posted on Facebook Anyone interested in the business opportunity can contact Wagoner at 601-431-1608 with serious inquiries only A former Natchez resident is among four individuals who pleaded guilty in three separate U.S District Courts to bid rigging and wire fraud involving the sales of sports equipment to hundreds of public schools throughout Mississippi and Louisiana Robert Tucker “Bobby” Craig of Starkville pleaded guilty to three counts of bid rigging affecting sales to at least 38 public schools and one count of obstruction of justice for the deletion of related evidence The individuals and and one company pleaded guilty between February and March 19 in the Southern District of Mississippi; who pleaded guilty Wednesday in the Eastern District of Louisiana to one count of bid rigging and one count of wire fraud affecting sales to at least 69 public schools; who pleaded guilty on March 6 in the Southern District of Louisiana to five counts of bid rigging affecting sales to at least 50 public schools who pleaded guilty March 4 in the Northern District of Mississippi to two counts of bid rigging affecting sales to at least 31 public schools; • And Mississippi company Wilder Fitness Equipment Inc. 20 in the Northern District of Mississippi to two counts of bid rigging affecting sales to at least 60 public schools “School sports are integral to the development and upbringing of American children they learn the benefits of teamwork and open competition It is also patently unlawful,” said Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Omeed A Assefi of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division “The defendants here selfishly targeted school sports programs depriving students of an opportunity to thrive The Antitrust Division’s Procurement Collusion Strike Force has zero tolerance for bid collusion schemes “The defendants rigged bids for school sports equipment which resulted in an unfair playing field,” said Acting U.S Attorney Patrick Lemon for the Southern District of Mississippi Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi is committed to working with our law enforcement and Antitrust Division partners to protect school athletics and taxpayer dollars.” “Financial fraud perpetrated against the U.S government is a serious crime,” said Acting U.S Simpson for the Eastern District of Louisiana is fraud that undercuts government procurement processes and erodes public trust in the fair-bidding practice These guilty pleas send a clear and decisive message that our office will continue to protect the taxpayer by vigorously investigating and prosecuting all such corruption cases.” “Bid rigging and the collusion that makes it possible drive up prices for taxpayers and will not be tolerated,” said U.S Attorney Clay Joyner for the Northern District of Mississippi “We will continue our commitment to work with the FBI and to root out corruption.” “This investigation underscores the FBI’s commitment to safeguarding public schools from criminal schemes that defraud the American people and exploit taxpayer money,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert Eikhoff of the FBI Jackson Field Office were in positions to help shape children’s learning the benefits of physical fitness in living prosperous lives these co-conspirators chose to abuse the trust given to them by stealing future opportunities from students in fraudulently filling their pockets with the hard-earned tax dollars schools are entrusted to invest in the development of America’s future leaders The FBI will continue to work with our federal partners to relentlessly pursue and bring justice to individuals and companies who use fraudulent schemes to defraud our communities.” The maximum penalty for the Sherman Act is 10 years in prison and a $1 million criminal fine The fine may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by the victims of the crime The maximum penalty for conspiracy to commit wire fraud is 20 years in prison The maximum penalty for obstruction in violation of 18 U.S.C § 1512(c) is 20 years in prison and a criminal fine of no more than $250,000 A federal district court judge will determine the sentences after considering the U.S Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors The guilty pleas result from an ongoing federal antitrust investigation into bid rigging and other anticompetitive conduct in the school sports equipment industry being conducted by the Antitrust Division’s Washington Criminal Section and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Assistant Chief Laura Butte; Trial Attorneys Jill Rogowski and Hannah Muller; and Senior Litigation Counsel Paul Torzilli are prosecuting the case NATCHEZ — Adams County Coroner James Lee released the name of the victim who was killed late Tuesday during a New Year’s Eve shooting on Finger Lane of Natchez died from multiple gunshot wounds “I could see the hurt and pain in his mother and father’s eyes as I stood quietly knowing there was very little I could do These types of shootings can never be accepted as the norm We have to change this path of murder somehow in Adams County 2025.” Lee added that the victims body would be transported immediately to the State Crime Lab for autopsy Several more people were reportedly injured by multiple gunshots in the area of Finger Lane located off of Lower Woodville Road in Adams County Tuesday at approximately 9:48 p.m Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten said King was one of five people who had been transported to the hospital Three were taken by ambulance and two more by private vehicles to Merit Health Natchez More people possibly hurt on the scene refused medical treatment At least two shooters are thought to be involved in the incident and are still at large “Right now we’re gathering as much evidence from the scene as possible and it is an active ongoing investigation We’re working to bring this to a closing as quickly as possible and have reached out to other agencies to assist us with that.” This story will be updated as more information becomes available The Mississippi River at Natchez on Tuesday rose to 54 feet and is projected to continue rising past 55 feet by Tuesday Silver Street is open to two-way traffic only with no way through to DA Biglane Street with the water over the roadway Here is what it looks like now at Natchez Under-the-Hill with a Viking USA ship docked in high water NATCHEZ — The search for a violent sex offender who had been on the run from law enforcement the past three days has come to a close with his arrest on Monday afternoon where several homeless people have a camp Patten said “We concluded the search yesterday and started and investigation and as our investigation continued tips started coming in of where he may possibly be laying his head who may be helping him and things of that nature,” Patten said Wells had warrants from ACSO for failure to register as a sex offender and from the Mississippi Department of Corrections for cutting off an ankle monitor A manhunt for wells on Saturday involved the Mississippi Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Natchez Police Department and Adams County Sheriff’s Office Deputies with drones and K9s Authorities spent several hours Saturday combing the woods and neighborhoods from Quitman Road to Auburn and Duncan Avenue to Homochitto Street but could not find him One tip led investigators to a makeshift tree house a perch like a wooden palette precariously placed in the fork of a tree with a ladder leading up to it and some bedding below it in the woods near John A Quitman Boulevard and Melrose Avenue where Wells was supposedly sleeping authorities were able to track Wells to his location in the woods beside Natchez Walmart and make the arrest “Multiple units came up with a strategic plan to capture him without him being able to evade us,” he said adding he is grateful they were finally able to capture Wells without incident and put the public mind at ease Ernest Thomas was arrested Monday in Franklin County (Submitted) a second sex offender was identified and arrested for failure to register in Franklin County While Patten sought help from the public in capturing an “unhinged” Wells who was actively evading arrest In social media posts and in a 55-minute live video Thomas had made threats toward individuals toward Patten and several other law enforcement officers with ACSO and the Natchez Police Department This led law enforcement to look into Thomas and find that he also had a warrant for failing to register Thomas was captured Monday on David Field Road in Roxie with the assistance of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office “I want to thank the officers from Adams County to Franklin County Sheriff’s Office for their help in getting these two individuals into custody,” Patten said “It just goes to show how well-trained officers who are dedicated and love this community work well together.” Patten also thanked ACSO deputies along with Natchez Police Wildlife and fisheries and Mississippi Department of Corrections officers “for all the manpower and manhours put in searching for those individuals over the last couple of days,” he said adding both have a violent history toward the public that raises concern “That’s why we took the route that we did and made the public aware,” he said Wells had been arrested before in 2001 for reportedly beating and throwing an ex-girlfriend from a 25-foot cliff He was also arrested in 2015 for robbing and stabbing a 61-year-old man in Ridgecrest the only restaurant vending machine of its kind is now open in Natchez and ready to serve up ready-made meals to hungry patrons who manages the restaurant machine patented by Speed Bancroft and his company based in Baton Rouge said it had a quiet opening on Monday and has since picked up over 50 orders “We wanted to ease into it because it’s a different situation than PJ’s,” the coffee and breakfast chain with a location that Hughes operates on Highway 61 South we wanted to give it a stress test to see how well it operates (Monday) went well and since then we’ve been really advertising it more and pushing it harder to people Unlike most restaurants or convenience stores the machine runs 24-7 on its own without a person there to man it full time there have been a few small kinks to work through Number one is “people not realizing that you can only order from the app,” he said All orders are made through the Speedy Eats mobile phone app which must be downloaded and on which orders must be made prior to picking them up at the machine the machine reads a QR code on the mobile phone screen that tells it what has been ordered Hughes also said the pickup window can only fit up to 10 items and larger orders can cause it to malfunction Any larger orders need to be separated as more than one order The food — which includes canned and bottled drinks and meals meant to be heated up in a microwave — comes delivered to the customer in seconds “Some of it is locally sourced and some comes from a commercial kitchen we’ve partnered with in New Orleans,” Hughes said The most popular items so far have been the chicken teriyaki “Everything is restocked two or three times a week so it’s all fresh in the machine,” Hughes said He added the menu is not permanent as more requests are being taken for things people would like to see added “We’ve had some requests for things like spaghetti vegetarian-friendly items and sushi,” he said “We’re working on the ability to heat up items for you in the future Hughes welcomes any feedback from the people using the machine “It’s a new concept so we may have kinks or quirks here and there If something should be done differently or you know of a better way to do it We knew that it wasn’t going to be perfect on day one Feedback can be shared via social media or inside the Speedy Eats app — Two people from Natchez were arrested on Thursday after both reportedly beat and robbed victims while displaying an AR-15-style pistol both of Natchez were arrested and charged with two counts of armed robbery and one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon Police also have warrants for the arrest of a third suspect who has not yet been named Vidalia police reportedly received a call on Sunday from a victim stating three individuals attempted to rob him as he was returning home the victim stated the suspects forced him to show them where another person lived The suspects reportedly made contact with the second victim and beat him while displaying an AR-15-style pistol The second victim received several injuries from this incident and had items stolen from him in the process The suspects were identified and warrants were issued for their arrest “These arrests show we won’t tolerate this type of behavior,” said Chief Joey Merrill “I thank Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten and his deputies for their assistance in making these arrests This is yet another example of local law enforcement agencies working together to keep our communities safe.” An investigation is ongoing and police expect the third arrest to be forthcoming Thompson (D-MS) will host a town hall to address President Trump’s cuts to the Department of Education and other key government programs in Mississippi’s Second Congressional District The discussion will cover how these proposed cuts could impact students and low-income families who depend on federal programs The town hall will take place from 6 to 7 p.m He will host another town hall event at 6 p.m April 24 at New Hope First Baptist Church in Greenville Some of the many items in Loveta Byrne's estate available at auction NEW ORLEANS — The estate of former Natchez First Lady Loveta Byrne is available in an auction set for March 29 and 30 by New Orleans Auction Galleries “From her family’s old wood bureau to a historic home filled with a lifetime collection Loveta Byrne spent her 92 years on earth surrounded by antiques,” wrote a representative of the auction house in a social media post She was first lady of Natchez while her ex-husband The two married in 1959—her second marriage—and divorced in 1992 where she would soon become one of the city’s most beloved champions culture-drenched and close-knit community inspired Loveta and enriched her passion for antiques Loveta built an impressive career as a Natchez businesswoman restaurants and bed and breakfasts to her name the Burn and the Anchuca Historic Mansion & Inn in Vicksburg,” the representative wrote the estate includes a large collection of American and Continental furniture from the Georgian to Victorian periods Interesting information and photos about Byrnes’ life, as well as photos and information about items to be auctioned, are available at neworleansauction.com