NICHOLSON

in elementary education from MSU in 1967 and 1977, respectively. She also holds an education specialist degree from Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of Education.

Over a 50-year career, she was with the University of North Alabama for 37 years in teaching and administration. She retired from Blue Mountain College, where she earned an undergraduate degree, as executive vice president for Student Affairs and Graduate and Special Programs in 2012.

At MSU, Nicholson earlier was recognized as the College of Education’s Alumnus of the Year in 2018. From 20152017, the Booneville native also served as interim head of the MSU Department of Curriculum, Instruction and Special Education.

Individual academic college selections for alumni of the year for 2021 include (by city of residence):

BYRAM—ROBERT L. Barnes Jr., College of Arts and Sciences. A 1972 sociology graduate, Barnes is a retired logistics and human resources executive and retired colonel of the U.S. Army.

GAINESVILLE, Florida—ruth Francis-floyd, College of Veterinary Medicine. The 1985 veterinary medicine graduate is a professor and extension specialist for aquatic medicine at the University of Florida.

HOUSTON, Texas—joffrey R. “Jay” Pryor, James Worth Bagley College of Engineering. A 1979 petroleum engineering graduate, he is vice president for business development for Chevron Corporation.

LOUISVILLE—MARGARET Dodd Taylor, College of Education. The former special education teacher is a three-time MSU graduate, earning bachelor’s, master’s and education specialist degrees in 1982, 1983 and 1985, respectively.

NEW YORK CITY, New York—daria F. Pizzetta, College of Architecture, Art and Design. A 1983 architecture graduate, she is a principal at the architecture firm, H3, the cultural design studio of Arquitectonica.

RIDGELAND—JOHN R. Lundy, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Partner for Capitol Resources, LLC, he is a 1983 agricultural economics graduate.

The association also annually salutes the university’s Outstanding Young Alumnus or Alumna. Receiving this honor is Paul M. Minor of Houston, Texas. Senior energy management consultant at The Carnrite Group, he earned a bachelor’s degree in geology from MSU in 2011.

Additionally, three alumni will be presented awards for their distinguished service to the MSU Alumni Association in 2020. They are Walter J. “Walt” Brown of Natchez, Adams County court judge who holds a 1986 Bachelor of Arts degree in history; Cameron “Cammie” Bullock of Gulfport, an administrative assistant at NAI Sawyer Commercial Real Estate and 2003 business administration and marketing graduate; and Lisa Sharp Newcomb of Batesville, owner of South Panola Veterinary Hospital and 1984 Doctor of Veterinary Medicine graduate.

BRANDON — A Mississippi man is charged with three counts of DUI manslaughter after a crash that killed a woman and two children.

Kyle Dixon, 54, of Jackson, was driving in the wrong direction on Mississippi Highway 25 in Rankin County when the crash happened at about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to Highway Patrol Sgt. Kervin Stewart.

WAPT-TV reported five people were in the vehicle that Dixon hit, and all five were wearing seatbelts. Two were hospitalized.

Those killed were 32-year-old Tamaria Shumake, 8-year-old Ambrosia Isaac and 5-year-old Zylan Shumake. All three were from Carthage, and they were members of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.

Stewart said Dixon was not wearing a seatbelt and was taken to a hospital for injuries that were not lifethreatening. Dixon was later taken to the Rankin County Jail, and he remained there Friday. An employee who answered the phone at the jail said the docket did not show whether Dixon is represented by an attorney.

Man hurt in ultralight aircraft crash in Mississippi

HATTIESBURG — Authorities in Mississippi are investigating after a small plane crashed in Forrest County, injuring the pilot.

The Forrest County Sheriff’s Office said it received reports of an ultralight aircraft crashing in a field around 4:34 p.m. Thursday, WDAM-TV reported.

A man, the aircraft’s only occupant, was transported to Forrest General Hospital in Hattiesburg. His injuries are not believed to be life-threatening, authorities said. Authorities have not released the man’s name.

There’s no word on what caused the crash. The sheriff’s office is investigating along with the Federal Aviation Administration Flight Standards Division Office in Jackson.

Vicksburg honors its first Black officers hired in 1960s

VICKSBURG — A Mississippi city is honoring its first Black police officers, decades after the men were hired in a deeply segregated community.

Officials gathered Wednesday to unveil a monument to the officers known as the “Lucky Seven,” the Vicksburg Post reported.

Roosevelt Bunch, James “Boo” Chiplin, Walter Cole, Clyde Harris,

Tom Harris, Joe Minor and Herman Reddick were hired in the early 1960s.

“These officers truly exemplified bravery in the face of adversity,” said the current Vicksburg police chief, Milton Moore.

The seven officers patrolled by foot in the city’s poorest neighborhoods. They could not arrest any white person.

“These officers sacrificed a lot while still being dedicated, committed and passionate about their profession,” Moore said. “They all served with dignity and grace, all while making approximately $300 a month.”

Chiplin is the only one of the seven officers still living.

“I thank God for this opportunity to be here on this day at this time in Vicksburg,” Chiplin said during the ceremony to unveil the monument.

“We were a group of seven black officers and we became friends,” he said. “We took a challenging job at a difficult time because we wanted to make a difference. We wanted to make our families proud and to serve our community and we did make a difference.”

Chiplin’s daughter, Lutha Chiplin Hunt, brought her family from Nat

chez to the ceremony.

“It’s such an honor being the child of someone who made changes in a city like this,” she said.

Mayor George Flaggs said the story of the Lucky Seven needs to be told.

“These seven blessed men took the hit for us,” Flaggs said. “In order to patrol these streets, you had to be bold. This is the day when we honor what police really are. They are here to protect and serve with honor, with dignity and with pride.”

Family of missing man offers $5K reward for information

COLUMBUS — A $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the whereabouts of a man missing since July.

James Ryan Taylor, 39, was last seen July 14, 2020, in the area of The Island near the Columbus Riverwalk.

Columbus Police Chief Fred Shelton said investigators have spoken with Taylor’s family and friends, as well as everyone the family identified as possibly knowing where Taylor may have gone, The Columbus Dispatch reported.. As recently as January, investigators were working with deputies at the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office in Alabama who thought they found Taylor’s vehicle, although that lead turned out to be a dead end, Shelton said.

“We have exhausted all our leads on that case,” he said.

Taylor, who goes by “Ryan,” is about 6-foot-3 (190.5 centimeters), 180 pounds (81.6 kilograms) and has brown hair. He drives a 2011 Ford Fiesta with the tag LTE7723 and was last seen wearing a white polo, blue jeans and tennis shoes.

According to Taylor’s family, tipsters will not receive the reward unless Taylor is found. Shelton said anyone with information about the case should call police at 662-244-3552 or Golden Triangle Crime Stoppers at 800-530-7151.

Man sentenced in shooting that partially paralyzed a deputy

CANTON — A Mississippi judge has sentenced a man to 210 years in prison for firing an automatic rifle at law enforcement officers in 2019 and leaving a sheriff’s deputy partially paralyzed.

Edgar Egbert appeared Thursday in Madison

County Circuit Court and pleaded guilty to six counts of attempted murder of law enforcement agents.

The Clarion Ledger reported Circuit Judge John Emfinger read the charges aloud in a courtroom packed with Madison County deputies and other officers. Emfinger gave Egbert six consecutive 35-year sentences.

Court testimony revealed Egbert, a former Marine, shot at deputies in their vehicles, shattering windshields and side windows.

Deputy Brad Sullivan remained in a coma almost a month after he was shot. He was paralyzed on his left side and cannot see from his right eye. Sullivan told the court he remembers the immediate aftermath of the shooting but little else.

Sullivan uses a wheelchair and said je has had to re-learn once simple tasks such as making sandwiches for his 8-year-old son. As Egbert sat shackled behind the courtroom defense table, Sullivan told him: “You murdered me that day.”

Deputies first responded to a domestic disturbance call from Egbert’s wife who said he was in a jealous rage when he kidnapped a man from a parking lot in Jackson. According to police reports, Egbert forced the man into a vehicle at gunpoint, took him to the

Egberts’ Madison County home and chained him to a bed.

Deputies engaged in a high-speed pursuit with Egbert before disabling his vehicle. Instead of surrendering, Egbert pulled out an automatic rifle and began shooting, witnesses said.

Egbert was also injured in the shooting, and said he wanted deputies to kill him. A mental evaluation by the court determined he was of sound mind.

“I’m very sorry for being greedy and self-centered,” Egbert said in court Thursday.

Mississippi company gets $37M contract for Army ammunition

OXFORD — A Mississippi company has a $37 million contract for Army ammunition.

Olin Winchester LLC of Oxford was the only bidder to respond to an internet solicitation from the U.S. Army Contracting Command’s Rock Island Arsenal in Illinois, the Pentagon said Thursday.

The company is to make 5.56mm, 7.62mm and .50 caliber ammunition. The contract’s estimated completion date is March 14, 2026.

It was on Thursday’s list of military contracts worth at least $7.5 million.