In Montgomery County, 2009 has not been without big headlines. The county saw its first murder in many years in December with murder suicide weeks later in Winona. Perjury charges were dismissed for one Flowers' trial juror, and the other pled guilty to the charges. Winona Separate School District ranked as a High Performing school district following April's state tests, and Winona Elementary School was nominated for a J.F. Kennedy Center Honor.
Here is a glimpse of 2009's biggest headlines:
January
• Georgia Lee Blackmon, 40, died in a single car automobile accident on January 5, 2009, when her 2000 Ford Taurus left the road and hit a tree on Lower Milligan Springs Road, five miles from Highway 407. Blackmon allegedly failed to yield to a police officer who clocked her on radar for speeding.
• Winona Elementary School received an award from the Program of Research and Evaluation for Public Schools in recognition of the school's outstanding performance on the Mississippi Curriculum Test.
• Montgomery County High School in Kilmichael and Winona Secondary School were two of 1,321 high schools in 48 states that were awarded bronze medals from U.S. News and World Report's Best High Schools in the Nation.
• Kristy Wilson, Winona Secondary School biology teacher, was named the 2009 Teacher of the Year for Winona Secondary School District.
• Mississippi school district budgets were cut in January 2009 by 3.23 percent after Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour announced that due to declining state tax collections, budget cuts would need to be made. $90.9 million was cut from the state's education budget.
• Carlee Brook Marlow was crowned 2009 Fairest of the Fair.
February
• The Winona Police Department arrested three juveniles in connection with several burglaries in the city.
• Winona police arrested Ozell Small, 56, of Winona and charged him with DUI after he failed to stop at a stop sign at Greensboro Street and Highway 82 and rammed the passenger side of another vehicle traveling down Highway 82.
• The Winona Board of Aldermen voted down a measure to allow a non-binding referendum to allow beer sales to be placed on the June 2009 ballot.
• A Winona man was arrested and charged with statutory rape. Robert Long, 35, eventually pled guilty to the crime.
• Montgomery County Chancery Court Clerk Tee Golding and Mary Courtney Wilson, guidance counselor for Carroll Academy, were crowned the 2009 Charity Ball King and Queen sponsored by the Winona Junior Auxiliary.
March
• The first benefits of the federal economic stimulus package were awarded to the City of Winona. The city received $192,000 in Strategic Transportation Funds dispersed by the Mississippi Department of Transportation. The money will be used to pave the north end of Fairground Street and Pecan Street to Highway 82 as well as South Union Street at Branch Street to Highway 407.
" Montgomery County Sheriff's Department and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation Cold Case Unit reopened a 30-year-old cold case. Sheriff Bubba Nix said an investigation into the disappearance of Dennis Nathan Mann, a 19-year-old who went missing on January 26, 1979, is currently ongoing.
" According to a release by the Mississippi Department of Education, Winona Separate School District improved its dropout rate - going from 13.8 percent in 2007 to 10.2 percent in 2008. Montgomery County School District's dropout rate increased by three points to 14.3 percent but is still below the statewide average of 16.0 percent.
" Winona Separate School District Superintendent John Buchanan resigned from his post. The Winona School Board began the search process to hire Buchanan's replacement.
" Hayes Creek Water Association received approximately $450,000 from a Community Development Block (CDBG) Grant for upgrades in the Alva Community. The association installed a new 250 gallon per minute well, a 10,000 gallon hydro pneumatic tank and make a water system improvements to a creek crossing line on Bogue Creek. The well is located in the Red Hills Community.
" Tyler Holmes Memorial Hospital in Winona became a smoke-free campus -- forbidding smoking on hospital property.
" A bill expanding the jury pool for capital cases in Mississippi was killed in Conference Committee. Senator Lydia Chassaniol (R-Winona) and Representative Bobby Howell (R-Kilmichael) both introduced bills to solve Montgomery County's shrinking jury pool in capital cases.
" Dr. Randy Poss from Grenada County Schools was introduced as the new superintendent of the Winona Separate School District.
" Winona's Bravo Battery 2/114th Field Artillery Unit deployed for a 12 month deployment to Iraq. The community gave its troops a grand send off with the community lining the streets of Winona to wave goodbye and show their gratitude for the troops and their sacrifice.
May
" Political newcomer Ryan Wood defeated incumbent Kilmichael Mayor Tommy Rushing, 99 votes to 89 votes. Wood went on to defeat Mary Young in June's General Election - becoming the new mayor of Kilmichael.
" Heavy rains pounded Winona, and yards, streets, and creeks flooded through the city. A storm cell dropped an inch-and-a-half of rain on the city in just 45 minutes. Sterling Street, Fairground, Grant Street, Quitman Street and others saw heavy flooding in low areas, and residents braced as flood waters came dangerously near homes. In addition to the flooding, a water main erupted on Sterling Street and the road collapsed.
" A centennial celebration was held Sunday, May 17, at 9 a.m. at Immanuel Church located on Summit Street.
" A man armed with a firearm was shot and injured by Carroll County sheriff's deputies during the Memorial Day Weekend. Donnie Foster, 54, of Byhalia was shot in the leg by a deputy after he refused to drop his weapon. Carroll County Sheriff Jerry Carver said Foster was wanted by the Mississippi Department of Corrections after he left Greenwood's restitution center without permission.
June
" Voters in Montgomery County elected their municipal leaders Tuesday. In Winona, with 42 percent of registered voters casting their ballots, Mayor Jerry Flowers was re-elected Tuesday night with 56 percent of the vote. He defeated opponent Vickie Baskin to retain the mayoral seat.
" In Duck Hill, incumbent Mayor Joey Cooley was re-elected with 71 percent of the vote. He was opposed by former Alderman Leroy Nash. Cooley received 182 votes, and Nash received 73 votes.
" The community was in mourning after Tyler Marett, 9, of North Carrollton was killed when he collided with a truck while riding his ATV on Leflore County Road 552 near Morgan City.
" A motion hearing was held in the case of James Bibbs, a Winona man facing perjury charges. Bibbs, a juror in the 2008 Curtis Flowers trial for capital murder, was arrested and charged with perjury after allegedly lying to Judge Joseph H. Loper, Jr., about his knowledge of the case. The trial ended in a mistrial when the jury could not reach a verdict. The Mississippi Attorney General's office later dismissed the charges based on lack of evidence.
July
" Mike Guttuso is named new headmaster at Winona Christian School.
" One man died in a July 4 shooting at Vaiden's Shell service station on Highway 35. Regeonosha "Reggie" Johnson was in Vaiden visiting relatives at the time of the shooting. Daheryl "Spoon" Gilmore, 24, was charged with the shooting.
" Grassroots Festival held in Duck Hill raised funds for Teens in Action, a project of Action Communication and Reform, Inc.
" Central Mississippi, Inc. received a $2 million grant through the Department of Human Services agency, part of the National Recovery and Reinvestment Act, to begin a Weatherization program which is designed to upgrade homes into energy efficient dwelling to help low income residents conserve energy and lower utility bills.
" Eric Ward, 25, of Duck Hill was charged with Touching of a Child for Lustful Purposes by the Duck Hill Police Department. His case was bound over to the grand jury.
September
" A Kilmichael teen was killed in a one-car accident on Lower Milligan Springs Road near Kindred. Damian Mister, 15, of Kilmichael was killed after his 1987 Chevy Caprice left the road and slammed into several trees head-on.
" A ground breaking ceremony took place September 2, 2009, at the site of the new Holiday Inn Express in Winona. Located on 413 Southeast Frontage Road, dozens of county and city officials participated in the ceremony.
" Mary Purnell's trial was set for November 16 in Belzoni. Purnell was arrested on the first day of testimony after Judge Joseph H. Loper, Jr. received information from a witness that Purnell allegedly received more than 60 telephone calls from the Carroll-Montgomery Regional Correction Facility where Flowers is being held, and that Purnell's name is included on Flowers' visitation list at the facility. In addition, the witness reported that Purnell recently had contact with members of Flowers' family. Purnell eventually pled guilty to the charges before the trial and will serve 15-months in jail.
" Statewide education budgets were cut by five percent following lackluster tax revenues across the state.
" In a combined effort, Winona and Grenada honored America's troops and emergency personnel in a special pre-game tribute at Tiger Stadium. This was commemoration with the eighth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
" Winona Elementary School was nominated for a John F. Kennedy Center Honor for arts education. The school was nominated by the Mississippi Alliance for Arts Education after being awarded the School of Excellence for Arts Education last year.
" The second annual Winona Crossroads Festival was held Saturday, September 26, 2009, in downtown Winona. The event was sponsored by the Winona Business Association (WBA). The event featured all-day entertainment on the main stage, arts and crafts, food and business vendors, and a street dance Saturday night.
October
" The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors voted to donate 7.5 acres of land to the Winona Separate School District. The land, west of Highway 51 near the current Winona High School track and baseball field, will be used to build a sports complex that will include a softball field and a new football stadium.
" The Town of Kilmichael held a Unity Rally on Saturday, September 26, 2009, from 4 to 6 p.m. on the Kilmichael Square.
November
" The Winona Christian School Stars claimed the Division 3-A title after their 26-6 win over the Hebron Eagles in Winona.
" Orman Knox was elected the Montgomery County District 5 Election Commissioner Tuesday, defeating Mary Collins James 81 to 49 votes.
" The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors voted to join several other counties like Calhoun, Pontotoc and Leflore to urge Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour to declare those areas agricultural disasters due to heavy rains that saturated the area in September.
" Dr. Randy Poss, Superintendent for Winona Separate School District announced plans are underway for a new state-of-the-art science lab at Winona High School.
" The Green Bay, Wis., Board of Aldermen agreed to sell Winona the old Montgomery County Courthouse Clock that currently sits in a vacant Green Bay shopping mall. The city paid $6,000 for the clock.
" Longtime Winona Water Superintendent Patricia "Sooky" Currington announced her retirement from the city after 30 years.
" Winona Separate School District received a High Performing ranking in the Mississippi Department of Education School Accountability Standards based on state tests. Montgomery County Schools received an At Risk of Failing rating in the Standards.
December
" Curtis Davis, Jr., 24, of 627 Alva Stage Road in Montgomery County was arrested last Thursday night and charged with the murder of his father-in-law, William McCuiston. Davis was also charged with grand larceny of the supposed murder weapon, a Marlin 30/30 rifle that his department recovered in a garbage bin outside the Knox Gymnasium. McCuiston, 45, was found dead after being shot in his home shortly before 10 p.m. on Tuesday, December 1, by his wife and daughter, and deputies were called at 9:51 p.m.
" Montgomery County High School received a sizeable five-year 21st Century Grant to establish an after-school program for its students. The school received $188,000 to institute the program this year, and will receive additional funding over the next four years.
" Winona and Kilmichael hosted their Christmas parades on December 5, 2009.
" Betty Ann Young, 38, of 408 Anderson Street Lot #7 in Winona was arrested and charged with accessory after the fact for allegedly disposing of the supposed murder weapon and other stolen property in the homicide of William McCuiston.
" Dr. William A. Middleton was honored December 12, 2009, with a party at First Baptist Church of Winona due to his impending retirement on December 31, 2009. Middleton has practiced medicine in Winona and Montgomery County for 54 years.
" Winona mourned after Samuel Wayne Myers of Winona died from injuries sustained after the ATV he was riding with friends overturned at a home on Highway 407 in Winona.
" Allegedly, Abdulbhakim "Alex" Saleh Salman, 53, an employee of the store, shot store owner Munawar H. Alsaidi, also known as Sal Ojob, in the head with a .45-caliber handgun before turning the gun on himself. Salman was declared dead at the scene. Alsaidi was airlifted to University Medical Center in Jackson.
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