Updated: 4:01 PM Researchers say overuse of antibiotics is breeding a stronger strep.

Updated: 11:24 AM The federal government has made $7.5 million available to Mississippi for its homeland security efforts.

Updated: 11:15 AM The former Piggly Wiggly was renamed by its owners to honor the legacy of its founders.

Updated: 11:18 AM St. Patrick's Catholic School and Church marked a long history of education in special events Friday in Meridian.

Updated: 11:22 AM Fifteen and 30-year mortgage interest rates have fallen to the lowest levels on record. Experts say now is a good time to invest in a home.

Updated: 11:27 AM Due to recent school violence in west Alabama, school safety seems to have heightened awareness elsewhere. Meridian Public Schools established the first school safety center in the state.

Updated: 11:25 AM A bomb threat phoned in to Choctaw County, Ala., High School Friday was a hoax.

Updated: 10:35 AM The state House of Representatives approved a bill to require voters to show identification before casting a ballot.

Updated: 7:30 PM A Meridian-based Army Reserve unit is being called to active duty as part of the military buildup to a possible war in the Middle East.

Updated: 10:32 AM A 17-year-old murder suspect remained behind bars in Sumter County on Thursday.

Updated: 10:45 AM Rush Health Systems hosted a silent auction Thursday, with proceeds designated for a fund recently set up to assist employees during times of hardship.

Updated: 10:43 AM The Mississippi Court of Appeals rejects claims made by two defendants convicted for separate charges of statutory rape.

Updated: 7:34 PM A domestic violence shelter conducted a training session to educate, train and provide information about changes in laws to police officers.

Updated: 10:34 AM Republican gubernatorial candidate Haley Barbour campaigned in east Mississippi, saying leadership and fiscal restraint are needed in Jackson.

Updated: 10:38 AM The 15th Annual Main Event Business and Industry Expo will focus on training and technology.

Updated: 7:32 PM Reading is fun and can spark all kinds of imaginative projects. The Regional Reading Fair at MSU Meridian Thursday proved it.

Updated: 10:21 AM A Boeing 757 jet with 90 passengers made an unscheduled landing at Meridian Regional Airport Wednesday.

Updated: 6:25 PM The inmate population of the Lauderdale County Detention Center was reduced by the transfer of 27 inmates to a state facility.

Updated: 8:27 PM A third plan to help revive poor counties in the South has been proposed by a Georgia senator. Alabama Cong. Artur Davis also has a plan on the table.

Updated: 5:46 PM The T45 C Goshawk reached the mark of 100,000 flight hours Wednesday at Naval Air Station Meridian.

Updated: 8:26 PM A 17-year-old Livingston High School student is charged with murder after allegedly stabbing a classmate in the school cafeteria Wednesday morning.

Updated: 6:55 PM A fundraising drive by the Daisies Club produced almost $4,000 for historic preservation.

Updated: 6:53 PM The Lauderdale County School Board set a hearing date for a teacher who was terminated last week.

Updated: 6:50 PM The chairman of the board for the University of West Alabama was removed from his position.

Updated: 7:34 PM A suspect has been indicted and arrested in the August 2002 murder of the Rev. Mark Hartzog.