Things To Know for Wednesday, September 21

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - If you missed a few of the most important headlines and need to play catch up, no worries. WLBT has gathered some of the top stories from our website to get you up to speed.

1. Triage costs small compared to overall water plant needs, officials say

The nearly $200,000 in “triage” the state has done to stabilize the city of Jackson’s main water treatment facility doesn’t come close to addressing all of the plant’s needs, according to city and state leaders. Between August 29 and September 15, the state spent $191,530.82 on emergency repairs at the O.B. Curtis Water Treatment Plant, as well as another $1,158,297.26 to augment staffing at the facility, according to numbers confirmed by the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) and the governor’s office. The amount does not include the roughly $1 million MEMA is paying Hemphill Construction as the state’s response manager for the next 60 days. Nor does it include what the city has previously stated were priority needs for the plant. Gov. Tate Reeves himself acknowledged that fact at a press conference on September 5.

2. Northwest Rankin High School student arrested for threatening on-campus shooting

Northwest Rankin High School — Northwest Rankin High School(WLBT)

The Rankin County Sheriff’s Office arrested a girl under the age of 18 for a social media threat. Paul Holley, RCSO spokesperson, says the teenager threatened a shooting at the high school, where she attends. The threat was made online on Instagram, Holley said. The school district alerted investigators Monday afternoon and the student was arrested by that evening, Holley said. The girl appeared before Rankin County Youth Court Judge Tom Broone on Tuesday.

3. ‘When they call us, we show up’: Hinds Co. public works employees fight for raises

Public Works Superintendent Willie Dotson discusses the need for a pay raise for public works... — Public Works Superintendent Willie Dotson discusses the need for a pay raise for public works employees.(WLBT)

Dozens of Hinds County public works employees stood in solidarity Tuesday morning, with one message to the board of supervisors: give us a raise. With the sun blaring down, workers held a rally outside the public works headquarters in Raymond. They were protesting a vote by the board a day earlier to deny giving workers a $300-a-month pay raise. Had it been approved, some said the raise would have been the first increase workers in the department had received since 2016. However, County Administrator Kenny Wayne Jones, who would not comment on the strike itself, said all county employees will receive a $100-a-month pay raise as part of the 2022-23 fiscal year. He said board members approved the pay raise as part of budget negotiations earlier this summer. Several workers decided to take the day off in protest, using paid leave. Others opted to go back to work following the rally, saying they’re still dedicated to serving the residents of Hinds County.

4. Grandmother finds her teenage grandson shot to death in Jackson

Grandmother finds her teenage grandson shot to death in Jackson — Grandmother finds her teenage grandson shot to death in Jackson(WLBT)

A grandmother found her grandson shot to death in Jackson, police say. Lagavin Jenkins, 18, was discovered in his bed with two gunshot wounds to his chest around 1 a.m. Tuesday morning. There is no suspect or motive at this time.

5. Woman seriously injured after being attacked by dogs in Kosciusko

Ambulance generic — Ambulance generic(WILX)

A woman had to be hospitalized after being attacked by a group of dogs in Kosciusko Monday morning. The victim was out reading meters for a utility company near Cannonade Street and Goodman Street when she was attacked by three pit bulls and sustained severe injuries. Kosciusko Police, Animal Control, and EMS were dispatched to the scene of the attack. The owner of the dogs, James Keith Self, Jr., 30, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault. Seven dogs were removed from his home, 3 being the dogs involved in the attack.

6. Customers accuse Richland gun shop of damaging guns, so they’re unsafe

Customers of 144 Tactical, a gun shop in Richland, are accusing the owner of damaging their guns — and in one case, to the point where firing the weapon could be harmful. “They don’t need to just be touching anybody’s guns, or they don’t know what they’re doing. It’s a huge issue,” said Peyton Bain. “It could cost somebody’s life.” On May 31st, Bain took a gun that’s been in his family for almost a decade to get Cerekoted to 144 Tactical. “When we dropped it off, we kept getting a run around for updates. They messed up the Cerakote to begin with. [We] kept calling, kept calling, never could get the answer that we were looking for, and never could get a hold of the owner. [we] popped in one day, found that gun was absolutely damaged and demolished,” Bain explained.

Want more WLBT news in your inbox? Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

Copyright 2022 WLBT. All rights reserved.