Duane John, Sr. careened off a road and into a rain-filled ditch just after midnight December 29.

He and two other adults escaped the accident with no serious injuries.

John has been indicted for the deaths of his five children: Dasyanna John, 9; Duana John, 8; Bobby John, 7; Quinton John, 4; and Kekaimeas John, 18 months. Diana Chickaway, 37, also died in the accident.

The victims were members of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.

A Neshoba County grand jury indicted John earlier this month. No court date has been set.

Felix Vail was arrested Friday in Canyon Lake, Texas after several decades of the drowning of his wife Mary Horton Vail.

Vail now 73 was the last known person to see three women alive making his case the oldest prosecution of a serial killer suspect in U.S. History.

The three women include Mary Vail who was pronounced dead after a drowning in 1962, his longtime girlfriend Sharon Hensley who disappeared in 1973 and second wife Annette Craver Vail who went missing in 1984.

After intensive investigation by Louisiana authorities in Calcasieu Parish, under cover deputies with Comal County, Texas waited outside Vail’s house Friday until Louisiana law enforcement arrived and arrested him on murder.

When confronted by deputies Vail denied his involvement. Vail faces a murder charge in Mary Vail’s drowning.

Jasper Pittman and four other residents filed suit Friday to have the city’s May 7 primary thrown out and Tuesday’s runoff voided. Pittman fell one vote short of getting into a runoff with businessman Gary Dedeaux for the Ward 5 spot Pittman currently holds.

U.S. District Judge Michael Mills decided just before noon not to grant the request. Pittman’s attorney Scott Colom of Columbus  says he will appeal.

The group claims the city’s election commission improperly ran the election at the request of Democratic Party Chairman Thomas Storey and that Storey didn’t have that authority.

ORIGINAL STORY FROM FRIDAY

WEST POINT, Miss. (WCBI) — West Point Selectman Jasper Pittman and four others have challenged last week’s democratic primary and want a federal judge to stop any further elections until the issue is resolved.

Pittman fell one vote short of getting into a runoff with businessman Gary Dedeaux for the Ward 5 spot Pittman currently holds.

Pittman and the other four claim the city’s election commission improperly ran the election at the request of Democratic Party Chairman Thomas Storey and that Storey didn’t have that authority and isn’t chairman.

They ask U.S. District Judge Michael Mills to nullify the May 7 primary results and stop the city from conducting party primaries.

Click here to see the lawsuit complaint Click here to see the Restraining Order

Today, May 20, Congressman Gregg Harper officially endorsed Starkville Mayoral Candidate Dan Moreland. “The election for Mayor of Starkville is important for the future,” Congressman Harper stated. “That’s why I’m supporting my friend, Dan Moreland for Mayor. Dan and I have worked closely together for many years. He’s a proven business leader who’s created jobs, and he understands what it takes to run a city like a business—to grow the economy and bring more opportunities for everyone.”

Moreland thanked Congressman Harper for his support and stated “I am very grateful that Congressman Harper agrees with my plans for strengthening our local economy.” Moreland noted that he frequently meets with citizens who repeatedly voice their concerns about the need for more economic development. For economic growth to occur, Starkville must become a business and jobs friendly community.

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court won’t order new legislative elections in Mississippi over complaints about the timing of the state’s redistricting.

The Mississippi NAACP had challenged the state’s 2011 state elections because the Legislature did not immediately use the 2010 census to draw new district lines in 2011. The state House and Senate instead argued for several weeks before ending their 2011 session without adopting new maps.

The NAACP had asked for that election to be set aside and special elections to be held under a court-ordered plan. It said that using the old maps violated the one-person, one-vote principle by diluting African-American voting strength.

Courts affirmed a ruling that allowed state lawmakers to run in their old districts that year.

The justices, without comment, upheld the lower court rulings

PHILADELPHIA, Miss. — The driver of a SUV that careened off a road and into a rain-swollen creek in December has been indicted on six counts of DUI manslaughter.

The Neshoba Democrat reports that a Neshoba County grand jury issued the indictment earlier this month for Duane John Sr. No court date has been set.

John was indicted in the deaths of his children: Dasyanna John, 9; Duane John, 8; Bobby John, 7; Quinton John, 4; and Kekaimeas John, 18 months. Diane Chickaway, 37, also died in the crash.

The accident occurred near the Neshoba-Newton County line.

John, the driver of the vehicle, and two other adults escaped serious injury in the incident, which occurred shortly after midnight on Dec. 29.

The victims were members of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.

Ranade replaces Wilbur Winland, who retired after 40 years in the steel industry. Ranade joins Severstal Columbus from ArcelorMittal, where he held several high level positions in operations, most recently Vice President and General Manager, Burns Harbor Flat Carbon and Columbus Coatings USA.

Ranade brings years of experience in servicing automotive and pipe and tube industries to his new role.

He holds a master’s degree in Materials Science and Mineral Engineering from the University of California – Berkeley, as well as a bachelor’s degree in Metallurgical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai.

Kostyo succeeds Bruce Black, who has resigned from the company to pursue other career interests. Formerly Manager, Steelmaking, Severstal Dearborn, Kostyo brings 34 years of steel industry experience to his new role. Prior to joining Severstal in 2011, he held several senior-level positions in steelmaking operations at ArcelorMittal facilities. Kostyo holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Lewis University.

Tuomey succeeds on an interim basis Mark Yost, who has recently left the company to pursue other career interests. Most recently, Director, Corporate Accounting and Controlling, Tuomey has been with Severstal and its predecessor companies for 27 years in various senior-level finance positions.

Tuomey holds a master’s degree in Finance and Accounting from the University of South Carolina, and a

bachelor’s degree in Literature and Philosophy from Michigan State University.

Sergei Kuznetsov, CEO, Severstal North America, commented, “I am pleased to welcome Ron, Madhu and Mike to our leadership team. Being highly regarded as exceptional leaders and professionals in the industry, they will help Severstal North America meet the highest standards of operational excellence and customer satisfaction. I would also like to thank Bruce, Wilbur and Mark for their years of service and outstanding contribution to the company’s transformation and success in the recent years and wish them best of luck in their future endeavors.”

Lows will dip down to the mid 60s tonight.

Tuesday brings a slightly better chance for scattered rain and storms, but the highest potential for that currently looks to be west of I-55. A few of those storms Tuesday afternoon/evening may bring some high wind gusts and hail.

Wednesday is pinpointed as the day with the highest chance for rain, but for now we only have the coverage at 50%. Despite having mostly cloudy skies, highs will still be in the middle 80s.

Fast forwarding to this weekend, we are on pace to have partly cloudy skies with middle 80s for Saturday and Sunday.

Suspected drowning victims Justin and Jacob Brown attended New Hope Elementary. Superintendent Lynn Wright spoke to WCBI about the schools strategy for helping students through the next few days.

“We’ve got a plan in place in the morning for counselors to be available to meet with classes. The teachers are calling parents of the other students in the classes. Counselors will be available in the morning and several ministers have volunteered to be available if needed,” said Lowndes County Superintendent Lynn Wright.

For more updates on the drowning this weekend, you can visit our website at www.WCBI.com

“He’s never once gotten down- always keeps a smile on his face. And I’ve told several people, you always hear of the St. Jude heros. He is a true hero. He is his mom and dad’s hero because he is awesome,” said his mother, Angie Ayers.

“I hate to see that it takes something like that to get the people together. But these people are absolutely wonderful,” said father Jim Ayers.

To keep up with Will’s story you can like his page, Prayers for Ayers, on Facebook.

“Just after 4 o’clock today a private individual who was down here searching around the Greenhill Bridge area located one of the body. It’s been identified as the youngest of the children,” says Lowndes County Coroner Greg Merchant.

Merchant has identified the body as six-year old Jacob Brown, who was found today after volunteers had been searching the creek since yesterday afternoon. Two brothers, Justin and Jacob Brown, went missing after their ATV flipped into the river around 3 pm on Saturday. Six people were riding the vehicle when the crash occurred, the other four have been recovered without major injury. Merchant says the family is devastated and coping as best as can be expected.

“This is a very traumatic time as you can imagine for a family. Losing one child is very traumatic but when you double it and having two at one time, I can’t imagine that as being a father myself. I can’t imagine anything happening to a child much less 2 at time,” says Merchant.

Merchant says there are several members of the community and volunteers assisting authorities in the search for 9-year old Justin Brown.

The 2013 SEC baseball tournament begins Tuesday. Games return to Hoover, Ala. for the 16th-straight year. This season, however, there number of teams has expanded to 12 and games will be played under a new format.

The top four teams receive a first-round bye: Vanderbilt, LSU, Arkansas and South Carolina. Vanderbilt earns the No. 1 seed as the division champion with the highest overall winning percentage. LSU is the No. 2 seed as the other division champion. Seeds three and lower are determined by conference record and are not separated by division.

The first-round games will be single-elimination style and the teams that advance will follow a double-elimination format. The first-round, single-elimination games return to the Tournament for the first time since 1997.

Mississippi State earns the No. 5 seed after winning two of three games against South Carolina this weekend. The Bulldogs play No. 12 Missouri Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. State would play No. 4 South Carolina Wednesday with a win.

Ole Miss moves up to the No. 6 after avoiding a sweep at LSU Saturday. The Rebels matchup with No. 11 Kentucky Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. If the Rebels advance, they’ll play No. 3 Arkansas Wednesday.

Alabama managed to take one game from Vanderbilt in the Tide’s weekend series. Alabama faces rival Auburn at noon Tuesday. The Crimson Tide would play No. 2 LSU Wednesday if they win.

Vanderbilt enters as many experts’ favorite to win it all. Vanderbilt won a record 26 SEC games, breaking the South Carolina’s 25 wins in 2000. The Commodores lead the SEC in batting average and Tony Kemp leads the conference himself in hitting.

MHSAA North/South Half Semis

5A North: New Hope vs. Hernando
Game 1: New Hope wins 8-5
Game 2: Sunday at 6 p.m.
*Winner plays Pascagoula (second-straight year in the Championship)

3A North: Kossuth vs. Independence
Game 1: Independence wins 2-0
Game 2: Kossuth wins 6-3
Game 3: Sunday at 6 p.m.
*Winner plays Sumrall (in championship for fifth time in past six seasons)

2A North: Baldwyn vs. East Union
Game 1: East Union wins 4-2
Game 2: Baldwyn wins 2-1
Game 3: Monday at Baldwyn
*Winner plays Taylorsville (in Championship for third-straight year)

1A North: TCPS vs. Greenville St. Joe’s
Game 1: St. Joe’s wins 14-8
Game 2: TCPS wins 10-0
Game 3: Monday at 6 p.m.

1A South: Nanih Waiya vs. Stringer
Game 1: Nanih Waiya wins 11-6
Game 2: Nanih Waiya wins 6-3
*Nanih Waiya has won the past two 1A State Championships
*Nanih Waiya advances to play the winner of TCPS/Greenville St. Joe’s

Warm & humid conditions will persist into the start of next week as well. Our next cold front appears as if it will move through Wednesday or Thursday and that’s when the next best chance of rain will occur.

According to reports from friends and family, two children between the ages of 6 and 10, Justin and Jacob Brown, went missing however they say the boys’ father and another brother survived the accident. The father is said to have been driving the ATV when the accident occurred. Columbus police, the state wild life and fisheries division and the lowndes county sheriff’s department all coordinated a command post near propst park during the search. Authorities have not released any other information at this time. The investigation is still on-going.

Angelina Jolie says after being told she had an 87 percent chance of getting breast cancer, she decided to remove the tissue in both breasts to decrease her chances of getting the disease. Jolie also had reconstructive surgery. Many women are still concerned that the double mastectomy will leave them disfigured. Robyn Havard is a breast cancer survivor who elected to only have the lump removed from her breast 6 years ago.

“I don’t know that I would’ve made the same decision today and a lot of that has to do with awareness. At the time I was diagnosed, my largest fear was to have to have a mastectomy, or a double mastectomy. I think you immediately think you’re going to be disfigured and that you’re life will just never be the same,” says Havard.

Havard carries a mutated breast cancer gene and was in stage 3 when she was diagnosed. Still, she chose to have a lumpectomy, leaving her breast tissue in tact. Looking back she says, she didn’t realize what her options were.

“I think science has just come to a point as the medical community, that they are taking care a lot of those fears and a lot of those things are going away. So I don’t know that I wouldn’t make the same decision but I think I probably would’ve looked a little bit more into my options and that just comes with awareness,” says Havard.

Dr. Travis Methvin is a surgeon with the Center for Breast Health and Imaging in Starkville and performs surgeries at OCH Regional Medical Center. He says having a double mastectomy is solely the patient’s decision.

“I leave that up to the patient. There are other options, the double mastectomy is one. Increased screening is another, whether that be starting at an earlier age for performing mammograms. Whether that be going to MRI of the breasts instead of mammograms,” says Methvin.

Dr. Methvin says all women carry the breast cancer gene but the mutation is what determines who will likely develop breast cancer. He says every woman has to decide what’s best for her once diagnosed and how that decision will affect her life.

“If they can’t sleep at night and they’re going to worry about this and it’s going to affect their quality of life, then have a double mastectomy. If they do get it and we can find it small, remove it and still have a long-term survival,” says Methvin.

Dr. Methvin says women should also know that they’re at risk for ovarian cancer if they are diagnosed with a mutated breast cancer gene.

According to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, someone dies of breast cancer every 74 seconds around the world.

A ribbon cutting was held this morning to kick off the 13 market season. The early morning crowd was plentiful as people wanted to take advantage of the fresh produce grown by area farmers. Jessica Reed is with the Downtown Tupelo Main Street Association which sponsors the market.

“We are big advocates of supporting our local farmers as well as promoting a healthy living. With Tupelo being named the healthiest city in Mississippi this past year we’re excited to have this addition to Tupelo and be able to buy your local and really fresh,” says Reed.

Reed says the Tupelo Downtown Farmers Market will be open Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturday’s from 6am to noon, or when the farmers sell all their produce.