Sadness and sorrow mixed with hopes for new beginnings, growthand expansion as the area entered the second quarter of 2005.

The death of a popular city official in April shocked thecommunity while other activities included a number of criminalmatters. In happier news, several area projects moved forward andan area team celebrated success on the baseball diamond.

April

King’s Daughters Medical Center officials announced their plansto seek $10 million in bonds to fund a large expansion andrenovation of hospital facilities. Several steps in that processwere completed this year, but others remain to be accomplished in2006 before construction can begin.

Brookhaven aldermen April 5 opted to proceed with the on-again,off-again restoration of the old power plant building for thecity’s new transportation facility.

Lawrence County Hospital officials announced April 5 that theywere getting out of the ambulance business. Monticello aldermenwere still discussing whether the town would run the ambulanceservice after the hospital contracted with a private service a fewdays later.

A violent storm system moved through southwest Mississippi April6, causing major damage to five homes and a business and minordamage to at least 10 other structures, Four mobile homes weredestroyed one Lincoln County resident was slightly injured.

The Brookhaven Ward Five voting precinct was moved in April fromits home at the Brookhaven-Lincoln Chamber of Commerce to the cityrecreation department building on Highway 51.

Brookhaven Departmental Coordinator Jimmy Furlow was killed in abulldozer accident at the city landfill April 14. Furlow, 51, hadworked with the city for more than 30 years.

On April 19, students at Brookhaven High School were excited tofrom rap star David Banner, who visited the school to discouragedrug use and answer personal questions. Banner is not a resident ofBrookhaven, but many of his immediate and extended family membersare.

In an unusual twist, Brookhaven aldermen voted April 19 toreturn $2.5 million in funding to the federal government. The moneyhad been earmarked for a proposed multi-modal transportationfacility. Aldermen determined they would not be able to meet thematching funds obligation of the grant and kept other grants tofund the project.

May

John Kevin Smith and James Sizemore, two Mississippi HighwayPatrol troopers assigned to Troop M in Brookhaven, were foundinnocent in federal court May 13 of beating a prisoner in theircustody in May 2003. Both troopers had been assigned to desk workpending the outcome of the trial. Sizemore returned to patrol dutyshortly after the trial, but Smith continued to man a desk pendingthe outcome in June of a separate 2003 beating case.

A motorcycle rider was killed and a female passenger seriouslyinjured May 15 when they crashed while fleeing from a MHP trooper.The trooper intended to pull the Liberty man over on a misdemeanorspeeding violation when the rider fled.

The Mississippi School of the Arts graduated its first seniorclass May 20. There were 38 students in the class destined tobecome the school’s first alumni.

The Copiah-Lincoln Community College Wolves captured the NJCAASoutheast Super Regional Baseball Tournament at St. CatherineCommunity College in Kentucky May 21. The Wolves rallied in theninth inning to beat the Patriots 8-7 in the second game of thechampionship series. Co-Lin went 1-1 in the first two games of theNJCAA Division II World Series in Millington, Tenn., the nextweekend before they were eliminated from the national championshipseries June 1.

Bob Watts was named chief of the Brookhaven Fire Department inMay. Watts has more than 30 years experience with the departmentand had been serving in the position since February.

Two Brookhaven men were injured in mid-May while serving in the155th Brigade Combat Team in Iraq. Spc. Kevin “James” White andSgt. Steven Wagner were in a five-ton wrecker when an improvisedexplosive device (IED) went off under the vehicle. White returnedto his unit by the end of May, but Wagner was still at Walter ReedArmy Hospital in Washington May 25.

Brookhaven’s Greyhound Bus Line station was spared in late Mayduring the company’s streamlining efforts. Thirty-six of 69Mississippi stations were closed as part of the streamliningplan.

The state Legislature finalized budget in late May that ended adrawn-out campaign by education officials. The Legislature hadadjourned without a budget earlier in the year for the first timein memory, leaving school districts and other state agenciesworking without budgets. In all, local school districts fared wellwith the final budget and teachers were able to retain theirjobs.

June

An assistant Lincoln County Jail warden was herself behind barsJune 1 after being charged with embezzling kitchen utensils, foodand inmates’ property from the Lincoln County Jail. Kalili MarleneSailor’s case has not come to trial.

Storms swept through Brookhaven June 5 dumping more than fourinches of rain on the area and causing large power outages. Threeairport hangers were damaged by high wind, including minor damageto one privately-owned aircraft.

MHP trooper Smith pleaded guilty June 23 to a misdemeanor civilrights violation during an August 2003 traffic stop. He admitted tousing “unreasonable force” during the stop and intentionallyattempting to obstruct justice during the investigation of theincident.

Lincoln County’s newest large retailer opened tostanding-room-only crowds June 29 during an evening “sneak peak” atThe Home Depot.

Monticello Police Chief Willard Griffin retired June 30 aftermore than 30 years of service, many of those years as chief. Thetown Board of Aldermen appointed officer David Stanley to replaceGriffin when the chief announced his retirement earlier in theyear.