Richton Dispatch

11/06/2024

Unofficial results in contested local races show Deborah ‘Debo’ Byrd defeating Sharon Lott for Dist 4 seat on Perry County Board of Education and Lillian Dianne Carter winning the vote for Dist 2 Election Commissioner over Patricia Graham

10/27/2024

Don't miss out on the fun as the RHS Junior Class presents its NIGHTMARE ON PECAN STREET haunted house.

08/30/2024

KICKOFF THE SEASON - It's officially football time in Perry County as the regular season gets underway for both county high schools this week. The Perry Central Bulldogs took one on the chin at Heidelberg on Thursday, dropping a 56-12 decision to the defending South State Champion Oilers to start the 2024 campaign. In Richton, the Rebels will host Wayne Academy tonight at home with kickoff set for 7 p.m. Fans unable to attend the game in person can check out the action live at http://www.citylinktv.com/channel/waynesboro-wcn

08/22/2024

🍂🍁 FALL ON FRONT!!🍁🍂
Mark your calendars!! The 3rd annual “Fall on Front” is set for Saturday, October 12th!! Make plans now to join us in Town Square for all the festivities. You can enjoy a variety of food vendors and food trucks, craft vendors, live entertainment, and BBQ Competition. And, let’s not forget the always popular Kids Zone featuring jump houses and fun activities!! It’s going to be a day of Fall Fun in the Square!! We can’t wait to see you there!!
🧡Note: Vendor applications are now being accepted. For complete details, please visit the website at: www.richtonfsa.com

08/21/2024

ATTENTION SUBSCRIBERS AND READERS... We have just been informed by our printing facility that a major press breakdown will result in the print edition of the newspaper coming out one day late this week. This WILL NOT IMPACT OUR ONLINE EDITION, which will be live with the latest edition early Thursday at www.richtondispatch.com. Online access is FREE TO OUR PRINT SUBSCRIBERS so if you have a subscription and haven't already signed up for your free access, please give us a call at 601.788.6626 or email us at [email protected] for instructions on how to set up your account. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Poultry producer to build $25-million transload facility in first stage of development at industrial park in New Augusta By Editor | July 12, 2024 | 0 Comments County officials, Mar Jac announce new economic development project By RUSSELL TURNER Dispatch Editor __________ After roughly five years ...

08/15/2024

ATTENTION PERRY COUNTY TAXPAYERS... a critical error occurred in the print edition of The Dispatch in this week's edition. The error resulted in an inaccurate listing of the county's delinquent tax list. We are working to correct the issue and get the correct information distributed to the public. That information will be posted as soon as possible and the correct information will appear in next week's edition of The Dispatch.
This unfortunate situation was caused by an error at the newspaper and was not the fault of county officials.
We apologize for the error and are working to correct it.

07/26/2024

Mississippi Public Service Commissioners Warn Utility Customers of Public Service Commission Employee Impostor Scam

JACKSON, MS (July 26, 2024) – The Mississippi Public Service Commission has been made aware of a scam targeting utility customers in our state. A caller is impersonating a Public Service Commission employee, claiming to collect bank account numbers to deposit overcharges from their utility company into their account.
On Thursday afternoon, the Mississippi Public Service Commission (MPSC) received a phone call from a citizen who requested to speak with a non-existent MPSC employee. The citizen reported that this person had called her and represented himself to be a member of MPSC staff, including providing a phony badge number. The scammer alleged that a utility company had made a billing mistake, and the customer was due a refund. Under the auspices of facilitating a refund of the over-billed amount, the scammer obtained the customer’s bank account information. Immediately after receiving this information, the Commission advised the citizen to report this fraud to her bank, and to contact the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office to file a report.
DO NOT PROVIDE YOUR BANK ACCOUNT INFORMATION! This is a SCAM! The Public Service Commission will never ask for your bank account number.
If you receive a suspicious call, hang up and contact your utility company directly to verify any account information.
Protect yourself and your personal information. NEVER give out personal information over the phone. Stay vigilant and report any similar suspicious activity to the Commission and to the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office.

07/24/2024

TRANSPARENCY MATTERS.....
MPA issues statement on pre-trial motion in Lafayette Circuit Court
JACKSON, Miss.—The state’s newspaper media association is opposed to a pretrial motion in the Circuit Court of Lafayette County that would seal the case files of an upcoming capital murder trial.
Sheldon Timothy Herrington Jr. is accused in the 2022 death of Jimmy “Jay” Lee. The defense team and the prosecution jointly filed the motion to seal the case. Circuit Court Judge Kelly Luther is expected to rule on the motion Thursday.
Leadership of the Mississippi Press Association objected to the sealing of pretrial records.
“Transparency in court proceedings is incredibly important to our system of justice, particularly in cases such as this,” said MPA President George R. Turner, publisher of the Greene County Herald and The Richton Dispatch. “When considering the guilt or innocence of citizens, we ask that the court proceed very carefully and ultimately err on the side of openness. Our system of justice calls for speedy, and open, trials.”
“We urge Judge Luther to heed calls to not seal these case records,” said MPA Executive Director Layne Bruce. “Prosecution teams work on behalf of the interests of the state, and for that reason, they should be open and accountable to citizens.”
As one of Mississippi’s oldest trade or professional associations, MPA represents over 100 newspaper and digital media organizations in the state.

07/12/2024

Local officials are expressing growing concern over heavy truck traffic on county-maintained roadways. County supervisors have long required area businesses to secure a permit to operate heavy-haul trucks on local roads. The purpose of the permit system is to direct heavy-haul traffic away from county roadways and bridges that are not designed or adequately rated to accommodate the heavy loads onto better routes.
“We aren’t trying to hurt our local haulers at all,” Dist. 4 Supervisor Richard Lott said. “But, we are trying to work with our local haulers to protect our roadways and bridges as much as possible.”
“It is our desire to work with our area businesses to find the best and safest possible route for them to get their products and equipment where they need to be.”
Unfortunately, Lott says he has been getting increased reports and complaints about trucks ignoring the program and signage, such as that shown here at the intersection of Wingate and Hintonville roads.
“It is becoming a problem and one we have to address,” Lott added. “I don’t want to have to shut anyone down, but if it comes to that, I certainly will.”
To reach a county supervisor, residents can call the county’s administrative office at (601)964-8370.

07/12/2024

Poultry producer to build $25-million transload facility in first stage of development at industrial park in New Augusta. Details at www.richtondispatch.com.

07/12/2024

McLain duo with Perry Co. ties sought by police for alleged assaults, armed robbery and drive-by shooting. See details at www.richtondispatch.com

07/11/2024

🚌Back to school is just weeks away!! You might have seen these popping up ALL over front street! It’s TAX FREE WEEKEND!! Remember to get out there and shop !!

07/03/2024

CORRECTION... we had an error in our reporting on PCHS Principal Joshua Yeager taking over as pastor of Union Baptist Church. Here is an updated version that corrects an error made concerning his work history......

Perry Central’s Yeager assumes pastorship at Union Bapist Church By Editor | July 3, 2024 | 0 Perry Central High School Principal Joshua Yeager is shown in the sanctuary of Union Baptist Church where he was recently called to serve as pastor.Photo by TAYLOR GARRETSON | Dispatch Staff By TAYLOR.....

05/14/2024

The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) is alerting Lake Perry visitors of a temporary road closure.

Perry County officials announced that bridge repairs will be made on Lake Perry Road beginning Tuesday, May 14, 2024. The road will be closed to traffic during this time and the repairs are expected to take one or two days. For more information regarding the bridge repair and road closure, please contact the Perry County Board of Supervisors at (601) 964-8370.

Lake Perry is a 68-acre state fishing lake located near Beaumont, Mississippi.
For more information regarding fishing in Mississippi, visit www.mdwfp.com or call (601) 432-2200. Follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/mdwfp or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MDWFPonline.

Mississippi’s Conservation Agency since 1932.

Facebook hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00a.m. - 5:00p.m.

04/23/2024

Rebels roll to 13-3 run-rule win over Raleigh to take series and advance to Round 2.

04/11/2024

RICHTON FRONT STREET ready for a big day this Saturday..... https://www.richtondispatch.com/2024/04/11/richton-ready-for-this-weekends-food-on-front-festival/

04/09/2024

04/09/2024

The National Weather Service is predicting severe inclement weather conditions for (tomorrow) Wednesday, April 10th. We will be closed as the safety of all is our top priority. School will resume Thursday for regular hours. Perhaps, if there are adjustments; you will be notified in a timely manner by our AIMS messaging system, school website and our page of any delayed start times and/or school closures for Thursday. Thank you for understanding.