Renasant Corp.’s fourth quarter profit rises

TUPELO — Renasant Corp. says fourth-quarter profit rose on the strength of its expansion.

Southaven stops paying stipend to mayor

SOUTHAVEN — A $145,000 annual salary already makes Southaven Mayor Greg Davis one of the highest-paid public officials in Mississippi. But the city also has been paying the mayor a little-known $35,000-a-year stipend for supervising water and sewer operations.

Bond set for woman charged in gunplay shooting

A Columbus woman charged with murder had a six-figure bond set Tuesday. Police have charged Kalmesha Denise Jackson, 23, of 810 Eighth St. S. in Columbus, with murder.

State plans teacher evaluation system

TUPELO — The Mississippi Department of Education is developing a system for evaluating its educators that could be ready to be used during the 2014-15 school year.

Police hiring lawsuit settled

ABERDEEN — A settlement has been announced between the city of Tupelo and former police recruit Latana Williams.

Columbia student hit by car after exiting bus

COLUMBIA — A 13-year-old Columbia student was hit by a car while trying to cross a street after getting off a school bus.

Hood: Judge should invalidate some Barbour pardons

JACKSON — Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood said Tuesday he’ll ask a state judge next week to revoke several pardons Haley Barbour issued in his final days as governor, including those for five convicts who worked as trusties at the Governor’s Mansion.

Hood: Some pardoned by Barbour gave proper notice

JACKSON — Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood says he won’t challenge the pardons of 13 people who met a state constitutional requirement to publish a notice that they were seeking a pardon. The state constitution says the notice must be published for at least 30 days in a newspaper in or a near the county where the crime occurred.

Bryant to give State of the State speech next week

JACKSON — Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant said he’ll offer specific policy proposals when he gives his first State of the State address next week.

Corinth seeks city-only liquor election

CORINTH — The city of Corinth will ask the Legislature to approve a city-only vote on the sale of alcoholic beverages.

Work halted on Waveland Police Department

WAVELAND — Construction has been stopped on the Waveland’s new police station.

Mayor David Garcia tells the Sea Coast Echo that the work stoppage is only temporary.

Jackson businessman Stuart M. Irby found dead

JACKSON — Authorities said a prominent Jackson businessman took his own life Tuesday, days after his wife was released from prison by then-Gov. Haley Barbour.

Officials have meeting on Gulf restoration plans

GAUTIER — Federal and state officials have presented plans to hold BP to its promise to make the Gulf whole in the wake of the 2010 oil-spill disaster.

Civil rights office to be area center in Meridian

MERIDIAN — A civil rights office started by an activist who was later slain and his wife is being turned into a center to reach out to students in Meridian, just as it did decades ago.

Gun found after 36 years; owner now missing

TUPELO — A gun stolen from Tupelo in 1975 has turned up in a Gautier pawn shop after spending nearly four decades on the national missing items list.

Lawmakers propose limits on pardons by govs

JACKSON — Some Mississippi lawmakers want to limit the governor’s pardon powers, a discussion prompted by Republican Haley Barbour’s actions as he left office last Tuesday.

Authorities: One dead in small plane crash in Mississippi

PHILADELPHIA — Authorities say a Meridian, Miss., businessman died when a small twin-engine plane crashed in east-central Mississippi.

Madison County school board goes paperless with computers

JACKSON — The Madison County School District has gone paperless, using computers to keep up with work rather than relying on a notebook filled with key information.

Maholm will speak at annual MSU event

STARKVILLE — Mississippi State University All-America pitcher Paul Maholm, who recently became the newest member of the Chicago Cubs baseball organization, will be the featured speaker at the 2012 “First Pitch/Meet the Team” Baseball Celebration on Saturday, Feb. 11.

Alabama will celebrate football team’s title

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama will celebrate the football team’s 2011 National Football Championship at 2 p.m. Saturday in Bryant-Denny Stadium.

The event will feature the Crimson Tide football team and football coach Nick Saban. The celebration will last approximately one hour and admission is free.