The resignation and conviction of Lincoln County’s formersheriff dominated news in the summer. But underlying thatcontroversy, the county made great strides in economic developmentduring the year’s third quarter.

July

The announcement in early July of a $220,000 U.S. Department ofAgriculture Rural Business Enterprise Grant allowed city officialsto move forward with a downtown lighting and sign project. Underthe project, portions of Cherokee Street, Railroad Avenue andWhitworth Avenue received new lighting and signs were placedstrategically through the city, guiding visitors to the downtownbusiness district.

A study released in July placed Brookhaven in the unenviable topspot among U.S. cities in terms of how much household income isspent on fuel, but local officials questioned the city’s ranking.Officials said Brookhaven’s status as a regional economic centerand a bedroom community for several major cities skewed theinformation used to tally the results.

County supervisors and city aldermen approved commitments inJuly of up to $2.2 million each to help provide infrastructure forthe new LinBrook Business Park. The total cost of the project hasbeen estimated at $5.4 million. In September, officials werenotified that a $1.1 million federal appropriation for the projectwas approved.

Brookhaven resident Johnny Perkins was appointed by Gov. HaleyBarbour in July to the state Board of Mental Health. He will servea seven-year term on the nine-member board.

Garbage issues continued to dominate many of the city boardmeetings in 2006. Among several developments, aldermen increasedthe fee in July for residents who continue to mix trash and garbageand for those who put out excessive amounts of garbage.

Sixteen graduates were selected as the first entrants into theAlexander High School Hall of Fame by alumni during reunionactivities at the school July 21-23.

A federal appeals court upheld the conviction and 25-year prisonsentence of Brookhaven resident and former WorldCom chief executiveBernie Ebbers July 28 for orchestrating a multibillion dollaraccounting fraud at the Mississippi-based company, the origins ofwhich can be traced to its Brookhaven roots. Ebbers had beenconvicted in 2005 of securities fraud and conspiracy. Ebbersreported to prison Sept. 26.

Mississippi Department of Corrections Director Chris Eppsconfirmed on July 30 that Lincoln County Sheriff Wiley Calcote andthe Lincoln County Jail were under investigation on a variety ofcharges. All state inmates were pulled from the jail in the nextfew days, abruptly terminating many of the inmate workprograms.

August

McComb attorney David Strong was appointed Aug. 1 to fulfill theremaining term of retiring Brookhaven Judge Mike Smith in the 14thCircuit Court District. Smith announced his retirement June 30after serving 11 1/2 years representing Post 2. Strong won thegeneral election Nov. 7 to keep the office.

The U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department approved a$297,000 grant for renovations of the old city hall and firestation. The building is presently occupied by theBrookhaven-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce. The grant willrefurbish the old city courtroom on the second floor and improvethe kitchen facilities on the first floor.

The Mississippi Supreme Court appointed 14th Circuit CourtDistrict Judge Mike Taylor, of Brookhaven, to the State Drug CourtAdvisory Committee Aug. 10. Taylor replaced a Hinds County judgetapped for a higher office and will fulfill his term, which endsDec. 31, 2007.

West Lincoln Attendance Center teachers and student volunteersspent Aug. 11 moving into the classroom building on campus. Classesdebuted in the building Aug. 14.

Brookhaven’s Ashley Palomarez was named first runner-up in thenational Miss U.S. Teen 2006 pageant Aug. 22 in Las Vegas.

Local law enforcement officials announced in late August thatcases involving the manufacture of methamphetamines in SouthwestMississippi was down significantly from 2005. Drug enforcementofficers credited a state law passed in 2005 limiting the sale ofsource materials for the drug, as well as local enforcementefforts, for the decrease.

On Aug. 30, following the conclusion of an investigation by theDistrict Attorney’s office, Calcote was indicted on 13 felonies,including several embezzement counts, and two misdemeanors relatedto jail activities.

September

Under a plea agreement, Calcote resigned early in the morning onSept. 12 and pleaded guilty to one count of the indictment thatafternoon. Calcote was convicted of one count of embezzlement by apublic official and sentenced to two years of unsupervisedprobation, restitution and fines.

Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department Capt. Steve Rushing wasappointed sheriff by the county board of supervisors Sept. 12 -only feet away from where the former sheriff was being sentencedfor embezzlement in another room.

Epps announced Sept. 13 that state inmates would be allowed toreturn to the jail following the change in leadership of thesheriff’s department, which oversees the jail. State inmates begantrickling into the jail within two weeks.

Bogue Chitto Attendance Center faculty and students, areavolunteer emergency personnel, and county medical and lawenforcement crews conducted a joint emergency drill at the schoolSept. 14. The drill simulated a fire in an area near the school’stechnology discovery building.

Brookhaven aldermen took their first step toward becoming aCertified Local Government Community and establishing a historicpreservation committee and ordinance Sept. 19. The debate on thehistoric preservation efforts continues.

Wal-Mart Distribution Center and community leaders marked thecompany’s 20th anniversary in Brookhaven Sept. 20 during a ceremonyat the warehouse.