Pearl Harbor survivors return to ships after death

HONOLULU — Lee Soucy, who lived to be 90 after surviving the attack on Pearl Harbor, is finally back with his shipmates 70 years later.

TV anchor seeks ruling in lawsuit by MLK estate

JACKSON — A popular Mississippi television anchor wants a federal judge to throw out a lawsuit brought by the estate of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. that seeks documents and other material connected to the civil rights leader.

Hattiesburg repeals ban on fortune telling

HATTIESBURG — Hattiesburg city leaders have repealed a ban on fortune telling after a federal judge ruled the ordinance unenforceable.

The Hattiesburg City Council voted Tuesday to repeal the ordinance.

Ann Sparkman: Remembering Pearl Harbor

I would like a Rose to The Dispatch for featuring the Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7th story.

John Dorrah: Impressed with school, students and faculty

My part-time job as educational consultant in several states lets me see and experience every type of teaching situation imaginable. Often it’s not so good. Oh, the stories I could tell.

Barbour backs cyber tax

Gov. Haley Barbour is now backing a congressional proposal to allow states to directly collect sales taxes from Internet and catalog merchants.

Ole Miss introduces Freeze as new football coach

OXFORD — Hugh Freeze choked up less than a minute after being introduced as the University of Mississippi’s new football coach, acknowledging his wife and three daughters sitting on the stage behind him.

Clinton orders review of visa program

JACKSON — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has ordered an “extensive and thorough review” of a foreign exchange program that has been used by U.S. businesses as a source of cheap labor and exploited by criminals to import women to work in the sex industry.

In the latest debacle for the J-1 Summer Work Travel visa, a federal indictment unsealed last week accuses the mafia of using the cultural exchange program to bring Eastern European women to work in New York strip clubs.

Okolona pledges to get to the bottom of topless club

OKOLONA — The city of Okolona has placed a 60-day moratorium on nightclubs while it mulls a permit request from a Nettleton businessman to open a topless bar.

Tougher rules hit fishermen, industry hard

MADEIRA BEACH, Fla. — Travis Palladeno, a veteran charter fishing captain on Florida’s Gulf Coast, flips through his appointment book and bemoans the blank pages. Restrictions on some of the most popular — and tasty — sport fish are so strict right now, fewer people want to go out.

New Mississippi gun law quietly eases limits

JACKSON — People who want to carry a gun to the courthouse, on a college campus or in a bar in Mississippi may now be able to do that by taking an eight-hour course and getting a concealed carry permit.

Lucimarian Roberts receives Evers award

GULFPORT — A longtime community leader in south Mississippi has received the Gulfport Branch of the NAACP’s highest award — the Medgar W. Evers Lifetime Achievement Award.

Court Street cottages to be featured in West Point’s Tour of Homes

West Point’s Main Street Association is sponsoring its second Christmas Tour of Homes, Sunday, Dec. 11, from 3-5:30 p.m. Homes in the quaint, historic Court Street District are featured in this year’s tour, as well as the city’s oldest church building, the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation, on Broad Street.

Ole Miss women win again; Ole Miss men play at Penn State

OXFORD — Led by Valencia McFarland and Nikki Byrd, the University of Mississippi women’s basketball team beat Grambling State 78-53 on Saturday at Tad Smith Coliseum.

Columbus soccer splits with Greenville Weston

GREENVILLE — The Columbus High School girls and boys soccer teams split matches Saturday against Greenville Weston.

Alabama off to best start in nine seasons

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The No. 12 University of Alabama men’s basketball team has learned its lesson.

The Crimson Tide (7-0) have ridden smothering defense and a blend of veteran players and impact freshmen to its best start in nine seasons. This time last year, Alabama was a struggling group that would get it together too late to salvage its NCAA tournament hopes.

Starkville sweeps Louisville

STARKVILLE — The Starkville High School boys basketball team used a ton of offense Tuesday night to beat Louisville 94-49.

In the first game, the Starkville High girls used defense as their weapon in a 62-46 victory.

Jacolby Mobley lead the Jackets with 26 points, while Mississippi State commitment Gavin Ware had 23 for the state’s top team. Starkville High coach Greg Carter was pleased with how his team worked to get high-percentage shots.

Offensive line play has fueled EMCC run to title

SCOOBA — Skill positions are crucial in a high-octane offense.

But there’s plenty of credit to go around when a team scores 41 or more points in its last nine games on the way to an undefeated 11-0 mark and a shot at a national championship.

USM’s Davis wins Conerly Trophy

JACKSON — Once a walk-on, Southern Mississippi quarterback Austin Davis has been recognized as the state of Mississippi’s top college football player.

MUW could have new president Wednesday

One of two things will happen on the Mississippi University for Women campus Wednesday: Dr. Jim Borsig will be named the next president of The W, or the state College Board will announce that the search continues.