Published 10:55pm Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Free prostate cancer screenings are being offered to men ages 40 and offer from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Pike County Health Department.

The screenings will be conducted by Urology Centers of Alabama, which offered a similar screening in April 2010. at that time, 87 men took advantage of the service. Of those, 16 percent had some abnormality and at least two had positive biopsies, said Dr. Tom Moody.

“Screening for prostate cancer is very important because, like other cancers, when detected early, it is curable. if prostrate cancer is not detected early, it is not curable,” Moody said. “Prostate cancer continues to be the second leading cause of deaths among men. In 2010, 600 men in Alabama died from prostate cancer and many of those deaths could have been prevented.”

Moody said early prostate cancer has no symptoms and, when the symptoms appear, it is often too late.

“Our goal is to reduce the number of deaths from prostate cancer through early detection,” Moody said. “We can best do that by prostate screenings for men ages 40 and over. we are trying to create the same mindset in men that women have regarding their annual checkups.”

The prostate screenings are free so there are no insurance forms to fill up or financial disclosures required.

“If the screenings find an abnormality and the individual doesn’t have the ability to pay, we will do whatever follow up is necessary,” Moody said. “We have done a lot of biopsies at the Urology Centers of Alabama and surgeries, too. we aren’t going to screen an individual and find a problem and say, ‘good luck.’ We’re going to do whatever needs to be done.”

The prostate screening is a simple procedure that includes a blood screening and a rectal examination.

“The screening only takes 10 minutes and it saves lives,” Moody said.

Urology Centers of Alabama has been conducting free prostate screenings since 2006 and to date 2,582 men in 14 counties have been screened.

“And, what is so gratifying is that many of those who were screened for the first time are returning and bringing friends with them,” Moody said. “That give us an opportunity to provide a continuity of care as far as prostate cancer is concerned.”

In 2006, Alabama received an “F” when the National Prostrate Council Coalition graded the states on how they took care of prostate cancer.

“That really bugged me that we got an ‘F,’” Moody said. “At that time, Alabama didn’t have an insurance bill that required insurance companies to pay for prostate screenings. we got an insurance bill passed and also had an opportunity to talk to legislators and got some money flowing to pay for some of the free screenings.”

Moody expressed appreciation to the Pike County Health Department for its partnership in the free prostate screening program.

“Alabama has an outstanding health department and it has worked out to be a great partnership between us and the health departments,” he said. “We like to believe that together we are doing a little good.”

On Jan. 22, 2010, Pike County lawmen arrived at a single-widemobile home at the end of Huskey Lane east of Magnolia to find abizarre and gruesome scene.

Kenneth Connors, 64, and his wife Sandra, 59, lay dead on the floorfrom shotgun blasts. on a bed in a bedroom lay Kenneth’s brotherJames Richard Connors Jr., 57, alive but apparently drugged andcritically ill, while “Seinfeld” played on the TV in his room and alittle dog named Chico yapped defensively.

Now James Connors is on trial for murder and other charges in PikeCounty Circuit Court. Connors is accused of two counts murder, twocounts possession of a firearm and possession of stolen property —a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

In opening statements Tuesday, assistant district attorney RodneyTidwell contended that James Connors shot Sandra in the back atpoint-blank range after an argument on Jan. 20, then shot Kennethfour times in the chest as he came up the front steps, then draggedhis body inside.

Tidwell said lawmen found a 12-gauge Mossberg pump shotgun withsawed-off stock and barrel on a table inside the front door, a softshotgun case in James’ closet with the same type shells as thoseused to kill the victims, a loaded pistol in the night stand byJames’ bed and a stolen Harley outside.

Defense attorney Paul Luckett countered that two strangers cameto buy drugs and wound up killing Kenneth and Sandra, then beatJames and forced crushed pain pills down his throat beforeleaving.

After lawmen arrived, an ambulance took James to SouthwestMississippi Regional Medical Center, where he was placed in theintensive care unit with acute renal failure, possible pneumonia,head trauma, pancreatitis and chest pain, among other symptoms,Luckett said.

On Tuesday afternoon, jurors heard from two neighbors, a familyfriend and a Pike County sheriff’s deputy.

Next-door neighbor Jackie Young said she heard four gunshots around4:30 or 5 p.m. Jan. 20. “I thought someone was just over therehunting,” she said.

She said she heard no other activity until the next night, when sheheard hammering from the property.

Neighbor Elizabeth Bowens said she also heard four shots butassumed it was a hunter. She said she heard no one come or go afterthe incident.

Bowens said Sandra had cancer and “was a real good neighbor.”

Jennifer Brooks of Magnolia said Sandra’s granddaughter called herfrom Houma, La., to check on Mrs. Connors, who had not answered thephone.

Brooks and her 10-year-old son went to the Connors’ trailer, thencalled the granddaughter, who drove to the scene and called911.

Deputy Mike Milholen said he found the doors locked but saw a bodyon the floor through a partially open window.

Huskey Lane is a dead-end dirt road at the end of Bowen Lane northof Union Church Road just west of Pike 93 Central five miles eastof Magnolia.

Tidwell said Sandra was shot in the back with a no. 6 shotgunshell. Kenneth was hit from the front with one buckshot shell andthree no. 4 shells.

A no. 6 shell was found in a trash can in the trailer, and an emptybuckshot casing was found in the trailer, and knives were scatteredaround James Connors’ room, Tidwell said.

Kenneth and Sandra reportedly had lived at the address for 10 or 15years, and James moved in about 11/2 years ago.

Assistant DA Robert Byrd is participating in the prosecution, whileToby Welch is assisting in the defense. Judge Mike Taylor ispresiding. Officials expect the trial to last through Thursday orFriday.