Around South Mississippi

The South Mississippi Sun Herald

November 28, 2007

LSU prof to speak on environmental damage

Ivor van Heerden, a hurricane expert at Louisiana State University, will speak about environmental damage and its economic and recreational impact today at the University of Southern Mississippi's Long Beach campus, AEC room, at 7 p.m.

The lecture is part of Issues + Answers, a series of expert-led talks and discussions sponsored by the University of Southern Mississippi and the Sun Herald.

BILOXI

Traffic heavy on new bridge

Traffic on the Biloxi Bay Bridge is more than 60 percent of its pre-Katrina levels despite the bridge offering only two lanes, according to traffic counts taken since the bridge opened less than a month ago.

An average of 21,000 vehicles a day have crossed the bridge since it opened Nov. 1, according to MDOT traffic counts. The highest volume: 23,600 vehicles on Nov. 9. The lowest: 18,700 on Nov. 11.

Before Hurricane Katrina, the Biloxi-Ocean Springs bridge carried about 33,000 vehicles on an average day.

The full six traffic lanes of the $340 million bridge are scheduled to open in April.

- SUN HERALD

Northshore Drive shooting ruled suicide

A shooting investigated on Northshore Drive early Tuesday evening has been ruled a suicide.

Police, American Medical Response and the Harrison County Coroner's Office responded to the call, which involved the death of a man living in a mobile home parked beside a residence. Access to the street was blocked during the investigation. Coroner Gary Hargrove confirmed the manner of death on Wednesday.

The Sun Herald doesn't identify private citizens who die by suicide unless the act involved a crime against another person or occurred in public.

- ROBIN FITZGERALD

rfitzgerald@sunherald.com

I-110 traffic will be one lane

The Mississippi Department of Transportation says that northbound and southbound traffic on the Interstate 110 high-rise will be reduced to one lane from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. today, when workers will be making lane repairs, weather permitting.

The northbound right lane on I-110 will closed from 8 a.m. to noon. The southbound right lane of I-110 will be one lane from noon to 4 p.m.

- SUN HERALD

D'IBERVILLE/

ST. MARTIN

Christmas parade set for Sunday

The D'Iberville/St. Martin Christmas Parade will be at 2 p.m. Sunday.

Santa will arrive by helicopter at the St. Martin walking track on Lemoyne Boulevard.

The parade route begins at the St. Martin Community Center on Lemoyne Boulevard and disbands at the parking lot on Central Avenue next to Auto Zone.

Details: 392-2293

- SUN HERALD

GULFPORT

Oil-powered bus brings BioTour to Gulfport

BioTour, a cross-country journey on a vegetable oil-powered school bus, will be at the Courthouse Road pier from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. today.

A grease fill-up up is scheduled after 1:30 p.m. at a nearby Chinese restaurant.

Co-directors Ethan Burke and Alan Palm, photographer Jenny Sherman, and Outreach Coordinator Fernando Ausin have traveled across 38 states and covered 25,000 miles fueling their bus on waste vegetable oil from restaurant fryers and generating electricity from solar panels attached to the roof.

Their mission is to educate people about climate change, peak oil and renewable energy.

Other information on the bus can be viewed at BioTour.org.

Details: Ausin, 603-667 -7232.

- SUN HERALD

HANCOCK COUNTY

I-10 cleanup work land closings announced

Today from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Interstate 10, from mile markers 5 to 6, eastbound right lane will be closed due to cleanup.

Motorists should drive slowly and proceed with caution.

- SUN HERALD

HARRISON COUNTY

Man rams cruiser after police chase

After being caught on a dead end road in a police chase, a Wisconsin man wanted for felony bail jumping rammed a deputy's cruiser. He now finds himself charged with felony fleeing from law enforcement officers and aggravated assault on an officer.

Justin Matthew Church, 18, of Eagle River, Wis., was arrested and taken to the Harrison County jail after the chase. Deputy Jamie Johnson had seen Church run his 1996 Plymouth off the road on Interstate 10 early Wednesday morning.

After he exited I-10, Church allegedly led the deputy on a pursuit down Canal Road. He wound up in Long Beach, turned onto a dead end road and found himself cornered. Trying to escape being boxed in, Church allegedly rammed the cruiser, but was stopped shortly after.

After arresting Church, investigators learned he was wanted for felony bail jumping in Wisconsin. Judge Melvin Ray set bond at $200,000.

- MICHAEL NEWSOM

mmnewsom@sunherald.com

U.S. 49 lanes to be closed today

The left lanes of U.S. 49 will be closed from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. today to facilitate construction work in the median.

This closing will be located about one-half mile north of Harrison Central High School.

Motorists should drive slowly and proceed with caution.

- SUN HERALD

Copyright © 2007 The South Mississippi Sun Herald, All Rights Reserved.