Sports: Illinois State knocks Ole Miss out of NIT Page 7 ,

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Commonwealth
MARCH 15, 2012 116th YEAR THURSDAY GREENWOOD, MISS. 75

THE GREENW OOD

Pillow graduate: Service in Afghanistan valuable

By BOB DARDEN Staff Writer U.S. Army Spc. John Wesley Sterling Jr. says he and his fellow soldiers did valuable work in Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. Now, after more than a year in Afghanistan, he is transitioning back to civilian life. Sterling, 25, a Greenwood native and 2005 graduate of Pillow Academy, returned to the United States a month ago. In an interview from Alabama, he said he is pretty close to moving back to Greenwood. Sterling, the son of Wes Sterling of Lexington and Teri Moody of Hamilton, Ala., said the conflict in Afghanistan has changed over the years. What were doing is not war; it is counterinsurgency. Were going into the general population, building schools and roads, he said. The recent case of an American soldier killing 16 Afghan civilians does not reflect on the sacrifice of the American soldiers in the war-torn country, Sterling said. Sterling, a combat infantryman, started his Army career as part of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division stationed at Fort Knox, Ky. He said he could have cho------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------See STERLING, Back Page

Army Spc. John Wesley Sterling Jr. is seen during a counterinsurgency operation in Afghanistan. Sterling, who spent more than a year there, is planning to return to Greenwood once his enlistment ends. Sterling, a 2005 graduate of Pillow Academy, is the son of Wes Sterling of Lexington and Teri Moody of Hamilton, Ala.

Holmes drug sweep

Former Walmart cashier arrested

Fled after being indicted for embezzlement in 10
By CHARLIE SMITH News Editor A former cashier at the Greenwood Walmart has been arrested two years after she allegedly embezzled merchandise and money from the store. Memphis police made a traffic stop on Yalonda Sherrell Johnson, 25, earlier this week and saw the warrant out for her arrest, Deputy Greenwood Police Chief Johnny Langdon said today. She was picked up and brought to Greenwood, where shes being held on $5,000 bond at the Leflore County Jail on a Langdon charge of felony embezzlement. On Sept. 12, 2010, Johnson allegedly picked out some merchandise in the store and put it into a cart, Langdon said. She then left the cart and went back to her register. About an hour later, a man got the cart and -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------See ARREST, Back Page

Photos by Charlie Smith

Odessa Williams lies on the ground as an agent from the North Central Narcotics Task Force stands over him outside his residence at 130 Cemetery St. in Lexington Wednesday morning. Williams, who is suing Carroll County after deputies shot into his car last year, was charged with sale of crack cocaine.

Man suing Carroll deputies among 14 arrested

By CHARLIE SMITH News Editor LEXINGTON Carloads of narcotics agents pulled ON THE WEB quickly gwcommonwealth into the drive Photo gallery way and began running up a hill toward Odessa Williams, shouting for him to get on the ground. It was about 7:45 a.m. Wednesday on Cemetery Street in Lexington, and Williams was standing in his front lawn. He hesitated initially but lay down when an officer pointed his gun at him. They found a handgun on Williams and arrested him on a warrant for sale of crack cocaine. He was one of 14 Holmes County residents who received an unpleasant morning visit from the North Central Narcotics Task Force during a drug roundup called Operation Blindside. Chuck Harris, director of --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------See SWEEP, Back Page

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2012 LEGISLATURE

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Dont take my picture, Latrice Biffle said moments before this picture was taken Wednesday at an apartment complex in Durant. Agents from the North Central Narcotics Task Force charged Biffle with sale of a controlled substance. She said she had no idea what they were talking about.

House moves to fight illegal immigration

By JEFF AMY Associated Press JACKSON Mississippi House members want to step up enforcement against illegal immigrants, voting 70-47 in favor just after midnight today. Leaders stripped more contro======== versial provisions before the vote ======= o More on on House Bill 488. After initially Legislature failing, opponents of the bill were Page 4 able on a second attempt to strip a provision requiring schools to ======== count illegal immigrants, saying ======= it would violate federal law. House Judiciary B Committee Chairman Andy Gipson, a Braxton Republican, denied opponents claims that the measure was racist or immoral, saying it was about enforcing the law. Gipson said he tried to craft a bill that would survive court challenges and allow chari-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------See HOUSE, Back Page

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2012 ELECTION: President

Turnout doubles in Miss. GOP primary over 08

By JEFF AMY Associated Press JACKSON New voters flooded into Mississippis Republican presidential primary Tuesday, watering down the influence that metro Jackson had in the primary four years ago and apparently benefiting Rick Santorum at the expense of Mitt Romney. Tu r n o u t roughly doubled from 2008, when ======== 145,000 voters ======= cast ballots. That year the Republican presidential race was nearly o GOP fight for delegates spreads Page 2

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over by the time of the primary, which Arizona Sen. John McCain won with 79 percent of the vote on his way to the GOP nomination. But in 2008, there was a lot of suspense over who would win the Republican nomination for the states 3rd Congressional District, a contest that U.S. Rep Gregg

Harper of Pearl eventually claimed. That race bolstered turnout in the 3rd District, which runs diagonally from Macon to Natchez, but is centered in Jacksons Republican suburbs. In 2008, there were also Democratic primaries in -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------See PRIMARY, Back Page

Santorum

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Online edition

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WEATHER
Tonight: Partly cloudy, 30 percent chance of rain. Lows in lower 60s. Page 4

STATE NEWS
Senate OKs bill that would cut number of Bolivar County school districts. Page 4

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