MSU president resigns

Mississippi State University President Doc Foglesong unexpectedly resigned Friday after less than two academic years as leader of the university. His final day of work will be June 30.

In a prepared press statement, Foglesong, a retired four-star U.S. Air Force general, said: "With the express purpose of helping the university move forward, I have asked the commissioner of higher education that I be relieved as president not later than June 30, 2008."

Foglesong had recently received negative attention from some students, faculty and alumni for removing daffodils from the campus, not allowing architecture students to show their work in a window and for his lack of attendance at faculty senate meetings, among other things.

MSU will soon begin searching for a new president, the university's third in the last 10 years.

Scruggs Update: Jury to be anonymous

As students get ready for the beginning of Spring break Richard Dickie Scruggs will be here fighting bribery charges filed by the federal court.

In the latest round of motions and orders Scruggs, his son Zach and Sidney Backstrom have lost their appeal to stop an anonymous jury trial, a court order said.

“The court is of the opinion that the decision to not disclose the names and addresses of the jurors and their employers will not violate the defendants’ constitutional right to a fair trial before an impartial jury,” the order said.

The judges last paragraph explained what information will be available.

"...as the only information that will be withheld from the defendants and the governement will be jurors' names, addresses, and the places of employment - not types of employment. Otherwise, the court will provide the defendants and the government with a wealth of information about the jurors, including occupations, employers, children, length of residence in the counties in which they reside, their main sources of news, and an abundance of other information that will be brought on voir dire and the jury questionnaires."

U.S. District attorney also responded to claims by Zach Scruggs defense team alleging the prosecutors allowed “patently false” statement made by witnesses to be used by the grand jury to obtain an indictment.

“It is clear that the thrust of Balducci’s testimony concerned the fact that they paid Judge Lackey for the Order and needed to deliver additional ‘sweet potatoes,’” the response said.

"While Balducci described this additional payment and 'sweet potatoes,' nobody seriously contends they believed Balducci was taking potatoes to calhoun City."

District Attorney Tom Dawson feels there are other reasons behing Zach Scruggs motion to dismiss because of prosecutorial misconduct.

“The Court should not countenance gratuitously inflammatory motions that would only appear to be designed to influence the potential jury pool,” the response said.

The three defendants were charged in November for bribing Circuit Judge Henery Lackey in order to be granted a favorable ruling in a fee dispute case concerning a Hurricane Katrina settlement.

The trail is set for March 31.

2008 ASB election results

The 2008 Associated Student Body election results have been announced and are as follows:

Graham Purcell
President

Megan McRaney
Vice President

Josh Randle
Treasurer

Stewart Hood
Secretary

For more information, check tomorrow's issue of The Daily Mississippian.

Gov. Haley Barbour declares State of Emergency

According to a press release issued today by the Office of the Governor in Jackson, Gov. Haley Barbour has declared a State of Emergency following the severe weather and tornadoes that struck of Tues., Feb. 5. Alcorn, DeSoto and Lafayette counties were among those damaged in the storm.

Representatives from the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency were deployed to assist the counties and make preliminary damage assessments. The Salvation Army, American Red Cross and other volunteer agencies also assisted in North Mississippi.

The State of Emergency allows state resources to be used in the areas most heavily damaged by the storm. It also gives emergency responders the authority to provide services to the storm victims quickly and efficiently.

For more information, check Thursday's edition of The Daily Mississippian.

Video: Damage in on Old Highway 7

Footage shot on Old Highway 7 on Feb. 6 at 10 a.m. by Senior Video Reporter Jessica Scanlon.

Video: Lafayette County damage

Video by Nathan Alber

Clean up continues in the aftermath of Tuesdays tornado

HAZMAT crews have all but finished their clean up job at the Caterpillar plant after a tornado ripped through the plant, destroying half the plant and causing chemical leaks. Currently, they are monitoring Caterpillar to make sure they have gotten everything and to ensure no new problems arise.

Tuesday's storms have resulted in nearly 52 deaths across the South, though there have been none reported in Lafayette County so far this afternoon. Thirteen people were admitted to Baptist Memorial due to the storms — two were listed as critical, however one has been moved up to stable, and the other patients have been released, Lloyd Oliphant, president of the Lafayette Board of Supervisors, said Wednesday.

The tornado tore through northeast Lafayette County, severly damaging dozens of homes in its path. Eighteen houses were deemed completly uninhabitable, Oliphant said.

Oliphant said last nights storms caused some people to be trapped inside there homes, but that search and rescue teams were able to get through the impediments and to the people out with only a few scratches. Search and rescue teams made sure to retrieve elderly and sick patients who required breathing or heart machines to stay alive, and all people in need made it to appropriate facilities, Oliphant said.

More updates will be posted on The DM Newsblog as they are available.

Funnel clouds touch down in Oxford; Caterpillar plant among the structures most affected

Photos by Joseph Warner for The Daily Mississippian

Damage reports are continuing to come in from around the Oxford area after severe weather ripped through the community Tuesday evening.

The Caterpillar plant located on County Road 1032, near the intersection of Highways 101 and 7 in Oxford, was partially destroyed when a funnel cloud touched down nearby. According to DM photographers on the scene, a number of police, fire and rescue vehicles were there to help evacuate at least 100 people from the site, which was declared a hazardous materials (HAZMAT) zone after a gas leak was discovered shortly after 6 p.m.

Calls came across the police scanner at the Student Media Center that indicated homes in the area – including a spot on County Road 291 – also had heavy damage, and crews were working on clearing debris in the surrounding roads just before 9 p.m.

Funnel cloud sightings were also reported in the College Hill Road area around 6 p.m., though reports of any damage there have yet to come in.

Power remains out in several locations around town, including Anderson and Anchorage Roads.

We'll keep you updated of the current weather conditions and damage throughout the night via this blog. In the meantime, check out TheDMonline.com for photos and listen to 92.1 Rebel Radio in the Oxford area for up-to-the-minute reports.

Classes cancelled tonight due to severe weather

According to an e-mail sent out by the University of Mississippi, classes are cancelled for the evening of Feb. 5. The e-mail reads:

"Due to severe weather conditions, classes are cancelled for Tuesday evening, Feb. 5. UM students and employees are urged to use extreme caution and to seek shelter immediately."

OPD arrest one in Subway robbery

The suspect in the December 20th armed robbery of Subway on University was arrested Monday. Forty year old Robert Sanders was picked up on a warrant issued by the Oxford Police Department, an OPD press release said Tuesday.

Sanders bond was set at $50,000.