Things To Know for Thursday, September 22

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. Student injured after Leland High School custodian attempts to break up fight

An assault charge has been filed against a Leland High School janitor after an altercation with a student on Tuesday. A Leland High School custodian slammed a 16-year-old student to the floor in an apparent attempt to break up a fight between two girls. In the video, with students watching, Leland High School custodian, Jarvis Walker, slams a 16-year-old girl to the floor, telling her to stop while yelling expletives. WLBT has since reached out to Leland High School principal Johnny Vick and Leland Police Chief Leshaun McRight for answers and comments. So far, they have not answered.

2. Man shot, killed in Scarlet Pearl parking lot was traveling home to celebrate birthday with family

We’re learning more about the man who was shot and killed in the Scarlet Pearl parking lot early Wednesday morning. D’Iberville Police responded to the scene around 2 a.m. after a shooting. There, they found 36-year-old Nicholaus “Nick” Craig, dead in his car. Police are actively investigating and looking for the suspect, who they believe is driving a dark blue Nissan Altima with Alabama tag 2CW6059. Craig was a manager at Best Buy in California. Craig’s mother, Sumorris Tucker, tells us Craig and his girlfriend celebrated his birthday- Tuesday, September 20- at the Scarlet Pearl. They had just flown into New Orleans and were staying a night in D’Iberville on their way to Mobile, where Craig is originally from, to celebrate the special day with family. But he never made it home.

3. Merit Health reducing services at Jackson facility, company confirms

Merit Health Central, a major hospital that provides care to tens of thousands of Jacksonians, will soon be reducing what care can be provided at that facility, though the reasons for that have not yet been disclosed by company management. Jana Fuss, Merit Health’s director of marketing, told 3 On Your Side that its cardiovascular surgery, neonatal intensive care unit, endoscopy and other unspecified services would be consolidated, meaning they’ll be moved from the Jackson location to one of the company’s four other Merit Health locations in the metro area. The company first notified state health officials of the decision to move cardiovascular services six months ago, according to documentation from the Mississippi State Department of Health.

4. Biden Administration reveals numbers for student loan debt relief

The Biden-Harris Administration expects that more than 40 million borrowers are eligible for its student debt relief plan. Nearly 20 million borrowers could see their entire remaining balance erased. The student debt relief plan will help borrowers and families continue to recover from the pandemic. Nearly 90% of relief dollars will go to those earning less than $75,000 per year. Students currently enrolled around colleges in Jackson say they feel relieved to not have to worry about so much debt after they finish school.

5. Advocates calling attention to Black Women’s Equal Pay Day

People don’t go around talking about how much they make. But this is a day when advocates say women...black women, in particular, should. “We know in Mississippi, black women are making 56 cents to the dollar,” said Cassandra Welchlin, Executive Director of Mississippi Black Women’s Roundtable. “Nationally, black women are making 58 cents to the dollar. Black Women’s Equal Pay Day is the day that we bring awareness to how far into the new year, a black woman has to work to make the same wages that a white male, the non-Hispanic male made last year.” That’s nine months.

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