In Tough Economy, Toyota Plant Brings Miss. Jobs

By Holbrook Mohr

BLUE SPRINGS, Miss. (AP) -- Before Toyota came, Cassius Perry was struggling like many in this hilly, sparsely populated region of north Mississippi that's shed thousands of furniture manufacturing jobs since the 1990s. The young father of three went to school to be a barber, but ended up working for a salvage company while he held out hope for something better.