By Chip Washington - bio | email

SOUTHAVEN, MS (WMC-TV) - The Mid-South Fair kicked off its second consecutive year in DeSoto County on Friday as gates opened for the first time.

Universal Fairs President Mark Lovell, whose company also oversaw last month's Delta Fair, said people who make the drive to DeSoto County will see a much improved event.

"It's bigger than it was last year, so if anybody came last year, forget about it," he said. "We've got it this year.  It's great, I promise you."

Lovell said fairgoers should expect to see more rides, more food and something to accommodate everyone's taste.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - A Mississippi couple have pleaded guilty to federal wire and mail fraud charges stemming from a scam involving insurance checks totaling nearly $700,000.

The Commercial Appeal reports Elizabeth and Robert Rainey of Southaven admitted to siphoning money from her employer, Direct General Insurance Corp. of Memphis, by creating fraudulent checks on insurance claims.

Prosecutors say Elizabeth Rainey was a claims adjustor at Direct General whose job was to issue claims checks for legitimate claims.

The Raineys entered guilty pleas earlier this week and will be sentenced on Jan. 6 by U.S. District Judge Jon McCalla.

Southaven’s John Wheeler helped his team Natural Born Grillers win the grand championship at Tunica’s Smokin’ Aces barbecue contest last weekend.

The title earned the team a $4,000 grand prize. The Natural Born Grillers also won the rib category and finished second in the whole hog contest.