Lowndes Relay for Life starts Thursday

The American Cancer Society Relay for Life of Lowndes County will get under way at 6 p.m. Thursday. Volunteers and participants will gather at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle Outpatient Pavilion conference rooms for a rally to launch fundraising for the year.

Amid BCS mania, BP pushes a feel-good Gulf story

NEW ORLEANS — Nearly 20 months after its massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill — and just as the nation focuses on New Orleans, host of the BCS title game — BP is pushing a slick nationwide public relations campaign to persuade Americans that the Gulf region has recovered.

Second Georgia man dies from RV wreck on way to BCS game

JACKSON — Authorities say a second man has died from injuries sustained in the crash in southern Mississippi of a motorhome carrying people from Georgia to New Orleans to attend the national college football championship game.

Civil War museums changing as view on war changes

NEW ORLEANS — Inside Louisiana’s Civil War Museum, battle flags line the walls. Uniforms, swords and long-barreled guns fill museum cases beside homespun knapsacks, dented canteens and tiny framed pictures of wives that soldiers carried into battle.

Gov. Barbour pardons convicted murderer

JACKSON — A convicted murderer released from prison over the weekend on a pardon by Gov. Haley Barbour was denied parole less than two weeks ago.

Fundraising begins to construct Evers statue

LORMAN — The 50th anniversary of the June 12, 1963, assassination of Medgar Evers won’t be commemorated until next year, but Alcorn State University has begun its campaign to raise funds to build a statue honoring Evers, who graduated there in 1952.

Mississippi high court to hear church dispute

JACKSON — The Mississippi Supreme Court has agreed to hear a dispute over the move of a church in Oxford.

Mississippi soldiers carry on through holidays

Uruzgan, Afghanistan — While family and friends in the states were sound asleep the day after Christmas, the soldiers of the 288th Sapper Company out of Houston were on mounted patrols. The company was clearing routes to make the roads safer for military and civilian personnel.

Starkville/MSU Symphony begins 2012 season

The Starkville/ Mississippi State University Symphony Orchestra kicks off 2012 with a Jan. 21 concert dedicated to parents of the performing musicians.

Arkansas man dies after electrocution in Monroe

An Arkansas man visiting family for the holidays died New Year’s Eve after a metal pole he was moving made contact with a power line.

AP Interview: Hyde-Smith will focus on jobs

JACKSON — Cindy Hyde-Smith wants to emphasize the “commerce” part of the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce.

Parole denied for man in killing of trooper

JACKSON — The Mississippi Parole Board has refused early release for a man convicted of felony fleeing in the death of a Mississippi state trooper.

Mississippi motorhome wreck kills 1, injures 11

HATTIESBURG — A motorhome bound for a college football championship game in New Orleans went off Interstate 59 in southern Mississippi and struck a tree, killing one person and injuring 10 others.

LSU dominates in easy win vs. Ole Miss

BATON ROUGE, La. — It had been a long time since the LSU men’s basketball team enjoyed such a performance in its Southeastern Conference opener as it did Saturday against the University of Mississippi.

The Tigers led from start to finish in a dominating 81-55 victory against the Rebels on Saturday. The 26-point margin of victory was the largest for LSU in a league opener since its 92-66 victory against Florida in the 1980-81 campaign.

Lacey leads Alabama past Georgia

ATHENS, Ga. — The University of Alabama men’s basketball team got a career night from freshman Trevor Lacey with 19 points, all but two of those in the first half, in defeating Georgia 74-59 Saturday night in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams.

Tide’s McCarron thrives on emotion, not calm

NEW ORLEANS — AJ McCarron tried it Nick Saban’s way. He really did.

The quarterback for No. 2 Alabama curbed his emotions for the Crimson Tide’s first game with No. 1 LSU this season, did his best to be the calm, steady leader his coach wanted. McCarron didn’t make a lot of noise, didn’t go after any opposing defensive linemen.

He didn’t produce any touchdowns, either, and the Tide lost 9-6 in overtime. So much for cool and collected.

Alabama’s Richardson a softy with daughters

NEW ORLEANS — Trent Richardson was awake until the wee hours in New Orleans, chatting up girls.

It’s not how it sounds. Alabama’s star tailback was on the phone with his daughters until about 1:30 a.m. Friday. When it comes to 5-year-old Taliyah and 3-year-old Elevara, college football’s battering ram turns into an unabashed softy, even when it means pushing back bedtime.

“I spoil them,” Richardson said. “Those are my little hearts.”

Man dies after being trapped by vehicle

A Columbus man died Friday after being trapped between a car and a tree.

Nomination for Katrina breach sites sparks debate

NEW ORLEANS — A push to place levee breach sites from Hurricane Katrina on the National Register of Historic Places is cause for consternation at the federal agency that built the floodwalls that failed during the 2005 storm.

Southaven board asks mayor to resign

JACKSON — The Southaven Board of Aldermen voted 6-1 Friday to ask Mayor Greg Davis to resign amid allegations he misspent about $170,000 in city funds.