Former judge, senator Walls dies at 80

Johnnie E. Walls Jr., former circuit judge, longtime state senator and chairman of the state Democratic Party, died on Saturday, according to city of Greenville and state party officials.He was 80.Walls served as a Bolivar County Circuit Court judge from 2011 until his retirement in 2016. He served in the state Senate representing District 12, Bolivar and Washington counties, from 1993 to 2011, and served two terms as chairman of the state Democratic Party.As a senator, Walls was involved in cr