Doug Kenna, quarterback of West Point’s 1944 undefeated national championship team and former president of the National Association of Manufacturers, has died. He was 88. Kenna died Jan. 28 in North Palm Beach, Fla., according to Nicholas Hollis, a longtime friend. He will be buried Monday in Jackson, Miss., where he was born. A memorial service is May 13 at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

LOUISIANA

TOP STORIES

USHER SYNDROME-NEW HOPE

NEW ORLEANS — Mice genetically engineered by researchers in New Orleans and Chicago for a leading cause of human congenital deafness developed normal hearing and balance after one shot of a DNA derivative when the pups were 5 days old. The genetic “patch” raises hope that doctors may someday be able to eliminate the effects of Usher syndrome, the most common disorder among people who are both deaf and blind. Researcher Jennifer Lentz of the LSU Health Science Center in New Orleans said that when the first mice to be injected scampered about normally, it was as exciting as when she learned that the first pups bred as potential carriers of the gene had been saved after Hurricane Katrina struck in August 2005. Lentz was lead author of a paper about the study published this week in the journal Nature Medicine. Researchers caution that tests on humans are years off. By Janet McConnaughey.

KINDER UTILITIES

KINDER — The Town Council has authorized the mayor to adjust utility rates based on annual measures of the U.S. consumer price index without a council vote. The council’s decision amended the way Kinder’s gas, water and wastewater rates are fixed. Town attorney Michael Holmes said that under existing practice, the mayor would recommend any rate changes to the council for action. Under the new measure, the mayor can adjust rates based on rises or falls in the CPI, which is calculated by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

ENDANGERED HISTORIC STRUCTURES

LAKE CHARLES — The Interstate 10 bridge over the Calcasieu River is back on the Calcasieu Historical Preservation Society’s annual list of the area’s endangered structures. A spokesman for the group says that not only is the bridge endangered, but its future affects a large number of people. Preservationist Adley Cormier says the bridge is the link between the east and west sides of the parish. It is joined on the list by its sister bridge on I-210. The 11 structures or sites listed also include the downtown YMCA, Sacred Heart-St. Katharine Drexel School, Bilbo Cemetery, the Masonic Temple and the Sabine Pass Lighthouse. Cormier says the danger is not from a building coming down with a wrecking ball, but also from things like termites, pollution or bad weather.

SCHOOL POSSES-SEAGAL

PHOENIX — The self-proclaimed “America’s Toughest Sheriff” is joining forces this weekend with action movie star Steven Seagal to train volunteer armed posse members to defend Phoenix-area schools against gunmen. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio announced the controversial plan in the wake of the December Newtown, Conn., school shooting that left 27 people dead, including the gunman and 20 first-graders.

ISAAC-PIKE DAM

MCCOMB, Miss. — About $5 million is being spent to repair damage caused by Hurricane Isaac to a dam at Percy Quin State Park, according to a Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality engineer.

LOUISIANA BRIEFS

ALBERT PIKE FLOODING-LAWSUITS

TEXARKANA, Ark. — Lawsuits over a 2010 flood at a southwest Arkansas campground that killed 20 people have been filed in three states but all the court actions are to be heard in Texarkana. Survivors sued in federal courts in Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas over the wall of water that rushed through the Albert Pike campground on June 11, 2010. Seven children were among the dead.

NEW ORLEANS BAR FIRE

NEW ORLANS — Authorities say a fire has damaged an iconic New Orleans bar, but there were no immediate reports of injuries. WWL-TV reports (http://bit.ly/Y0fy3K— that the fire broke out at F&M Patio Bar just before 3 a.m. Saturday. The New Orleans Fire Department says the one-alarm fire was under control within about 30 minutes.

VOYEURISM CHARGE

WEST MONROE — Louisiana authorities have charged a man with taking pictures of a woman in a dressing room at the Wal-Mart in West Monroe. The News Star reports (http://tnsne.ws/Y08Hr4) that 25-year-old Williams Webb was booked Friday into Ouachita Correctional Center on a video voyeurism charge. It wasn’t immediately clear if he had a lawyer.

FUGUTIVE ARREST

METAIRIE, La. (AP) — Authorities have arrested a Florida man in Louisiana and charged him with two counts of first-degree murder. The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office says 25-year-old Jamaal Jenkins was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service Friday at a home in Metairie, about 5 miles outside New Orleans. Jenkins was charged in the murders of Destynee Nekole Burkes and Tieyannie Hollis.

WELSH POLICE

WELSH — New Police Chief Marcus Crochet wants to change the way department employees are disciplined. Crochet is asking the Legislature to approve a measure that would allow him to handle most discipline matters without having to take them to the Town Council. His proposal would not include hiring and firing of employees, he said. Crochet says it would apply to routine issues as reporting late for work or sleeping on the job. He said he would deal with such issues through verbal or written reprimand or suspension without having to wait on council action. Repeat offenders or employees facing termination would still go before the council.

SLU ART SHOW

HAMMOND — Southeastern Louisiana University’s faculty art show is open to the public at the university’s contemporary art center. The exhibit runs through February. Gallery hours are 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, with extended hours until 8 p.m. on Wednesday.

MCNEESE BUSINESS CENTER

LAKE CHARLES — James Jones has joined the Louisiana Small Business Development Center as a business consultant. The center is house at McNeese State University. Jones has 21 years of experience in the banking industry, including work as a credit analyst, branch manager and business and commercial banker. He holds a master’s degree in business administration from Louisiana State University-Shreveport.

CAMELLIA GARDENS

LACOMBE — More than 400 varieties of camellias and other exotic plants will be on view Feb. 16 at the Southeast Louisiana National Wildlife Refuges Complex headquarters in Lacombe. Enthusiasts and experts from the Northshore Camellia Society and the Camellia Club of New Orleans will be giving talks and demonstrations throughout the day, with free guided tours of the 110-acre grounds formerly known as Bayou Gardens. They’ll also be selling live camellias during the 4th Annual Camellia Gardens Open House from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 61389 Louisiana Highway 434. Part of the money from plant sales will go to the Friends of Louisiana Wildlife Refuges, the non-profit group that raises funds and enlists volunteers in support of refuge goals and programs.

YOUTH EMPLOYMENT

LAKE CHARLES — The Calcasieu Parish Workforce Investment Board is applying for up to $1.1 million in federal grant money to provide job opportunities for up to 75 disadvantaged teens and young adults ages 16-24. Police jurors have approved a resolution for the board to submit the grant application to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration for the YouthBuild program. Stephanie Seemion, director of the Workforce Investment Board, said the program is a good opportunity to help young people get jobs. Police Juror Elizabeth Griffin said the goal is to get people “self-sufficient.”

UNO TUITION

NEW ORLEANS — The University of New Orleans will offer in-state tuition rates to first-year, out-of-state undergraduate students who meet eligibility requirements beginning with the fall 2013 semester. UNO President Peter Foss id the Privateer First Year Scholarship will help the university cast a wider net in attracting more high ability students nationwide and from around the world. The scholarship is limited to eight semesters. More information is available online at www.uno.edu/Admissions/.

SCHOOL THREAT

CLINTON — As East Feliciana High School’s safety allegedly was being threatened, officials were working to update the East Feliciana Parish School Board’s crisis response plan. The board’s Safety Committee met Jan. 29 to discuss the plan, and the alleged threats occurred the next day, committee Chairman Rufus Nesbitt said. Louisiana State Police arrested a 17-year-old student Jan. 30 on one count of terrorizing after school administrators, law enforcement officers and firefighters searched the Jackson School Complex for a bomb without finding anything. Both the high school and Jackson Elementary School, which shares the same building, were evacuated. Nesbitt says they’ll examine some “kinks” in the crisis plan, but he and Superintendent Henderson Lewis Jr. praised all the people who responded for making the school evacuation run smoothly.

MEMBER EXCHANGE

FOOD INCUBATOR

NORCO — The smell of herbs and spices filled the large industrial kitchen space as Bonnie Barberot stirred ingredients in a steaming metal cauldron. She was at the Edible Enterprises kitchen early on a Monday to prepare a fresh batch of sweet and spicy pickles, one of five pickle products Barberot produces under the Bushwood Farms name. Like many of the tenants who use the same industrial kitchen at the Norco-based incubator for food businesses, Bushwood Farms started as a hobby. The Cajun-inspired products Barberot creates, including Cajun Hot Mirlitons and Cajun Sweet Beets, have made their way from farmers markets and food shows to local grocery stores over the past year. It’s been a long transition, and patience has at times been hard to find, she said. By Maria Clark, New Orleans CityBusiness.

GRACE NOTES

ALEXANDRIA. — The clients sat in a large semi-circle, all eyes on Julie Thiels DeKeyzer. The session began with a lesson on patience. Some clients are confined to wheelchairs. Some struggle with words, others with motor skills. But during their sessions with DeKeyzer, they are all musicians, if only for a short time. “I don’t go to work to get a million-dollar merger,” DeKeyzer said. “I go to work to get eye contact or the first letter of a word.” She is a licensed music therapist who contracts with Rapides Arc, which runs the training center, to help individuals who need more than traditional occupational or physical therapy. By Jodi Belgard, The Town Talk.

SPORTS

FBN–SAINTS-RYAN

METAIRIE, La. — The Saints have hired Rob Ryan as their new defensive coordinator and added Stan Kwan as an assistant special teams coach. Saints coach Sean Payton, who announced the additions to his staff on Saturday, says the Saints found Ryan’s defenses challenging when they played his previous teams. Ryan, the brother of Jets coach Rex Ryan, spent the past two seasons as Dallas’ defensive coordinator and was fired after last season, when his defense ranked 19th. By Brett Martel. AP Photos. NY EDITING

BKC–LSU-ALABAMA

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — LSU rides a three-game winning streak into a game with Alabama, which scored just 14 second-half points in a 49-37 loss to Auburn. By John Zenor. Game starts 7 p.m. CT. ATL CD EDITING

MISSISSIPPI

TOP STORIES

EDUCATION VOUCHERS

JACKSON — The state House could debate spending public money to send Mississippi students to private schools in coming days. But prospects for such legislation remain murky in the Senate, where leaders have made no clear show of support for the concept. The House Education Committee passed two bills that could pay to send students to private schools. The first, called Opportunity Scholarships, was proposed by Republican Gov. Phil Bryant. The second would provide vouchers for the state’s 60,000-plus special education students to attend private schools. House Education Committee Chairman John Moore, R-Brandon, predicted that some black Democrats would support Bryant’s plan. The Senate Education Committee didn’t bring any of the private tuition proposals up for debate, amending one out a Bryant’s bill. That could indicate that Senate leaders don’t support the plans. By Jeff Amy.

D’IBERVILLE-GRANT FROZEN

D’IBERVILLE — The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality has frozen a $3 million grant to see how D’Iberville is using the money. MDEQ spokesman Robbie Wilbur tells The Sun Herald (http://bit.ly/Z1VtPv ) the order was issued Jan. 28.

ISAAC-PIKE DAM

MCCOMB — About $5 million is being spent to repair damage caused by Hurricane Isaac to a dam at Percy Quin State Park, according to a Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality engineer.

STOLEN FBI GUNS

HATTIESBUG — A March 19 sentencing date has been sent for man convicted on a charge of theft of government property related to guns taken from an FBI agent’s car while it was parked in front of his house. Court records say that Christopher Ryan Burkett will be sentenced in U.S. District Court in Hattiesburg.

MISSISSIPPI BRIEFS

CONFEDERATE FLAG

JACKSON — Officials say a mistake is to blame for the Confederate flag being raised over the Mississippi Supreme Court building on Friday. Kym Wiggins, public information officer for the state Department of Finance and Administration, tells The Clarion-Ledger (http://on.thec-l.com/XjawkY) that the flag was put up accidentally when workers were replacing a worn Mississippi state flag.

FUGITIVE SEARCH

JACKSON — A lawyer wants to delay the trial of a man arrested while authorities were looking for one of the U.S. Marshals Service’s most-wanted fugitives. Royce Funchess was arrested Aug. 7 while task force agents with the U.S. Marshals Service were searching his house in Terry. His trial had been scheduled for Monday, but his lawyer asked for more time to prepare.

SCHOOL THREAT

OXFORD — A lawyer wants to delay the trial of a man accused of making online threats to attack Oxford High School. Joshua Brandon Pillault is scheduled for trial on Feb. 25 in U. S. District Court in Oxford. He has pleaded not guilty. Pillault is accused of making the threats while playing the online game “Runescape.” His lawyer wants more time to prepare.

HANCOCK SLAYING

BAY ST. LOUIS — A grand jury has declined to indict a Hancock County man in the 2012 shooting death of Louis Matranga. Herman Johnson Jr. had been free on $250,000 bond after his arrest last May in the death of Matranga.

MEADVILLE MAYOR

MEADVILLE — Meadville Mayor W.P. “Sonny” Dickey has decided not to seek election to a third term. Dickey has served 28 years in city government. Dickey ran unopposed to win the mayor’s office in 2005, following 20 years as a city alderman. He was re-elected in 2009.

CAMELLIA GARDENS

LACOMBE, La. — More than 400 varieties of camellias and other exotic plants will be on view Feb. 16 at the Southeast Louisiana National Wildlife Refuges Complex headquarters in the St. Tammany Parish community of Lacombe. Enthusiasts and experts from the Northshore Camellia Society and the Camellia Club of New Orleans will be giving talks and demonstrations throughout the day, with free guided tours of the 110-acre grounds formerly known as Bayou Gardens.

MEMBER EXCHANGE

TATUM SALT DOME

JACKSON — He was 7 years old when U.S. government representatives came to his Lamar County home, boarded it up and evacuated his family three miles away to protect them from a nuclear blast that would both shake his body and the earth in a 30-mile radius of the Tatum Salt Dome. “We were probably about a mile and a half from ground zero,” said Kevin Saul, now 55. “They evacuated us to my grandmother’s house in Baxterville. It was just like an earthquake came through. The house was shimmering and shaking. The ground had a buckle effect to it. It would knock you off your feet.” By Lareeca Rucker, The Clarion-Ledger.

VAUGHN’S CEMETERY (member has photo)

CALEDONIA — It is late evening in Vaughn’s Cemetery, and the shadows are beginning to creep across the graves, slowly enveloping both simple and ornate without prejudice. Martha Jo Mims, 70, leans down to brush dirt from a moss-covered, concrete cross, trying to read words that were scratched into the surface more than 60 years ago. As she steps back, the previously indecipherable marks take shape: “Virginia D. Black. At Rest.” ”Sometimes we have to have distance before we can appreciate something for what it tells us,” she said, drawing her jacket close against the chill February wind. By Carmen K. Sisson, The Commercial Dispatch.

SPORTS

BKC–T25-MISSISSIPPI ST-FLORIDA

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Coming off a humbling loss at Arkansas, No. 2 Florida tries to bounce back at home against Mississippi State. It’s the Gators’ first game without forward Will Yeguete (knee) and comes two weeks after a 35-point win at the Bulldogs. By Mark Long. Begins 5 p.m.

— With Hometown Lead.

BKC–T25-MISSISSIPPI-MISSOURI

COLUMBIA, Mo. — No. 21 Missouri is unbeaten at home but coming off another tough loss on the road headed into its SEC match-up against Mississippi. Noon CST start. By R.B. Fallstrom.

— With: Hometown lead

BKC–MEMPHIS-SOUTHERN MISS

HATTIESBURG, Miss. — Southern Mississippi hosts Memphis in a crucial game between the top two teams in Conference USA. By David Brandt. Developing from 3 p.m. CT tipoff. AP Photos. ATL CD EDITING

FBN–SAINTS-RYAN

METAIRIE, La. — The Saints have hired Rob Ryan as their new defensive coordinator and added Stan Kwan as an assistant special teams coach. Saints coach Sean Payton, who announced the additions to his staff on Saturday, says the Saints found Ryan’s defenses challenging when they played his previous teams. Ryan, the brother of Jets coach Rex Ryan, spent the past two seasons as Dallas’ defensive coordinator and was fired after last season, when his defense ranked 19th. By Brett Martel. AP Photos. NY EDITING

The AP-Jackson, Miss.