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Thursday | April 16, 2020

Fisher hired to replace Billingsley as county administrator

Former CAFB vice commander to start training
next month; Brooks walks out of meeting
BY YUE STELLA YU
syu@cdispatch.com
A majority of the Lowndes
County Board of Supervisors
voted to hire a replacement for
Lowndes County Administra-
tor Ralph Billingsley Wednes-
day, but the decision sparked
protests from two supervisors,
one of whom walked out of the
meeting, after they questioned
the nature of Billingsley’s re-
tirement and the appointment
process.
At Wednesday’s board meet-
ing, three supervisors voted
to hire Jay Fisher, former vice
commander at Columbus Air
Force Base, to succeed Billing-
sley’s seat after he retires Sept.
30, which coincides with the
end of the coun-
ty’s fiscal year.
Hairston and District 3 Super-
visor John Holliman voting to
the role before forcing out Bill-
ingsley, and the county should
County admin-
istrator is one of
hire Fisher, while District 4 Su-
pervisor Jeff Smith and District
instead advertise for the posi-
tion.
four county po- 5 Supervisor Leroy Brooks, “This will be the third ad-
sitions directly both Democrats, dissented. ministrator you have forced
appointed by the Brooks walked out of the meet- out,” Brooks said to Sanders.
supervisors, said Fisher ing before it was over. “The road is lined with carnage
Board President But before Brooks left, he of people you’ve pushed.”
Harry Sanders, who asserted criticized Sanders for pressur- Fisher will be paid $50,000
supervisors are not obligated to ing Billingsley — who was first as a trainee from May 1
advertise the position.  hired in 2008 — to either retire through Sept. 30, supervisors
The vote was split along par- or be fired. He previously told said, so that he can participate
ty lines, with Republicans Sand- The Dispatch that supervisors in the budgeting process be-
ers, District 2 Supervisor Trip had handpicked Fisher to take See FISHER, 6A

BUSINESS MOVES
WITH MARY
NO HUGS, NO HANDSHAKES, NO BIG VISITATIONS
Bud & Burgers Pandemic causes families, funeral homes
virtual to greatly alter normal memorial service plans
competition
Friday
PLUS: Strange Brew:
Coffee, snacks and TP
too; shopping safe
in COVID-19
BY MARY POLLITZ
biz@cdispatch.com

W
hen burg-
ers and
beer are in-
volved, the
show must
always go
on.
That’s
what’s Mary Pollitz
happening
with Mitch-
ell Distributing’s Bud & Burgers BY SLIM SMITH months before bury him in a tie. He wanted
ssmith@cdispatch.com what would have the Presbyterian preacher to
competition this year. Even though

B
last year was Starkville’s first Bud been his 102nd do the service. And he wanted
efore his death, Boswell
& Burgers competition, Mitchell birthday. the same (kind of) casket he
Kennard had already put
Distributing has hosted it for the “He had bought for my mother when
together a detailed plan
past six years in various cities for his funeral arrangements. everything she passed away in 2009. I
throughout the state. He had plenty of time to planned,” said remember him pointing his
Friday, from 5-8 p.m., the Bud & consider them, after all. Ken- his son, Everett Kennard finger at me and saying, ‘Don’t
Burgers competition will go live on nard, a retired dairy farmer Kennard. “He let Nina Welch (of Welch Fu-
the competition’s Facebook page. who spent his whole life in the wanted only a graveside funer- neral Home) sell you the more
If you’ve got a knack for the grill Oktoc community of Oktib- al. He didn’t want any flowers. expensive one she tried to sell
and your photography skills are up beha County, passed away He never put on a tie in his life, me when your mother passed.’”
to the test, get your six-pack, burg- on March 30, less than two so he said we weren’t going to See FUNERALS, 3A
er, buns and grills ready for the
first Bud & Burgers virtual event.
Though typically folks meet togeth-
er and taste-test these mouth-wa-
See BUSINESS, 6A

The Captain
D’s on Highway
12 in Starkville
caught fire
Attic fire guts Captain D’s in Starkville
Wednesday Cause unknown; no one hurt in blaze ble to enter and find the
cause, SFD Fire Marshal
morning, and
the Starkville BY TESS VRBIN still extinguishing the Stein McMullen said.
Fire Department tvrbin@cdispatch.com blaze after 10 a.m. The No one was in the
was still putting fire started in the attic, building when the fire
out the last of The Captain D’s fast started, so no one was in-
the fire almost according to a Starkville
food location on Highway jured, he said.
two hours after 12 in Starkville caught Fire Department Face- Starkville police closed
responding. No fire Wednesday morning, book post. off the entire block of
one was injured The cause of the fire
in the blaze, Fire leaving the interior of the eastbound Highway 12
building caved in. is still unknown, and the and directed traffic else-
Marshal Stein
McMullen said. Authorities respond- cave-in might have made where between Jackson
Courtesy photo/Oktibbeha County Fire Services ed at 8:25 a.m. and were the building too unsta- See FIRE, 3A

WEATHER FIVE QUESTIONS A NOTE LOCAL FOLKS PUBLIC

1 Which lemon-scented oil is derived ON NEWS MEETINGS
from dried grasses and used as an insect ■ Many April 17: Lowndes
repellent? COVID-19 corona- County School
2 What host of “Good Eats,” which virus related sto- Board, 12:30
ended in 2001, described his show as “a ries are changing p.m., Central
combination of Julia Child, Mr. Wizard and extremely quick- Office
Monty Python”?
3 What Egyptian structure built across ly, sometimes April 21:
J.T. Pope as soon as we Columbus City
the Nile River weighs 17 times as much
First grade; Annunciation publish a print Council, 5 p.m.,
as the Great Pyramid of Cheops?

71 Low 46
4 What British comedian and “Forgetting edition of the Municipal Complex
High Sarah Marshall” star did Katy Perry marry paper. We want May 4: Lowndes
Sunny
in 2010? to assure our County Board
5 What does POTUS stand for? readers that we of Supervisors,
Full forecast on Answers, 6B
page 3A. are making every 9 a.m., County
attempt to print Courthouse
accurate, timely May 11: Colum-
INSIDE news. Online sto- bus Municipal
ries are updated School District,
Business 5B Dear Abby 3B
Classifieds 6B Obituaries 2A throughout the Deborah Hood lives in Columbus and 6 p.m., Brandon
Comics 3B Opinions 4A day at cdispatch. works at Baptist Memorial Hospital- Central Services
141st Year, No. 31 Crossword 6B com. Golden Triangle. Center

DISPATCH CUSTOMER SERVICE 328-2424 | NEWSROOM 328-2471

2A THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2020 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com

Feds under pressure to publicly

track nursing home outbreaks
BY CANDICE CHOI
AND JIM MUSTIAN
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Federal health
officials are coming under in-
creasing pressure to start publicly
tracking coronavirus infections
and deaths in nursing homes amid
criticism they have not been trans-
parent about the scope of outbreaks
across the country that have al-
ready claimed thousands of lives.
Experts say the lack of tracking
and transparency has been a ma-
jor blind spot, and that publicizing
outbreaks as they happen could not
only alert nearby communities and
anguished relatives but also help
officials see where to focus testing
and other safety measures.
“This is basic public health —
you track this, you study it, and you
learn from it,” said David Grabows-
ki, who specializes in health care
policy at Harvard Medical School.
He said it’s difficult to have confi-
dence in officials’ ability to contain
the virus if they aren’t tracking
where it has struck and why.
Such an action by the agencies
that oversee the nation’s 15,000
nursing homes is seen as long over-
due, coming more than a month af-
ter a nursing home in Washington
state became the first COVID-19
hot spot in the U.S. with an outbreak
that ultimately killed 43 people and
a near-daily drumbeat of new cases
that in some cases has forced entire
homes to be evacuated.
Because the federal government
has not been releasing a count, The
Associated Press has been keeping
its own running tally of nursing
home outbreak deaths based on
media reports and state health de-
partments. The AP’s latest count
of at least 4,817 deaths is up from
about 450 just two weeks ago.
“We recognize there should be
more reporting,” said Seema Ver-
ma, head of the Centers for Medi-
care & Medicaid Services, during
a call with reporters on Wednesday.

AREA OBITUARIES
COMMERCIAL DISPATCH In addition to her New Zion Pilgrim M.B. Starkville is in charge
OBITUARY POLICY parents, she was Church cemetery. of arrangements.
Obituaries with basic informa-
preceded in death by Visitation is from 2-5 Mrs. Eaves was born
tion including visitation and
service times, are provided her children, Andrea p.m. today, at Carter’s to the late Carnet Clin-
free of charge. Extended Orr and Claudine Orr; Funeral Service. Car- ton Tucker and Ruby
obituaries with a photograph, siblings, Nettie W. Ross ter’s Funeral Service of Taylor Tucker. She was
detailed biographical informa- and Juanita Orr; and Columbus is in charge formerly employed as
tion and other details families one grandchild. of arrangements. district coordinator for
may wish to include, are avail- She is survived by Ms. Edwards was
able for a fee. Obituaries must
the Early Intervention
her children, Ken and born Aug. 3, 1981, in Program for the State of
be submitted through funeral
homes unless the deceased’s
Senagar Orr both of West Point, to Alonzo Mississippi.
body has been donated to Columbus; siblings, Edwards Sr. and Lula In addition to her
science. If the deceased’s Earnestine Campbell, Stewart. parents, she was pre-
body was donated to science, Sim Orr, Jimmy Orr In addition to her ceded in death by her
the family must provide official all of Eat St. Louis, parents she is survived husband, James Doyle
proof of death. Please submit Illinois, Nowetta Short by her children, Jus-
all obituaries on the form Eaves; step-mother,
of Crawford, Annie tavious Edwards and Mavis Tucker; son,
provided by The Commercial
Dispatch. Free notices must be
M. Brooks, Carrie J.R. Edward both of Kevin Doyle Eaves; and
submitted to the newspaper J. Brooks, Willidean Columbus; and siblings, brother, Terrel Tucker.
no later than 3 p.m. the day Weatherspoon and Gus Alonzo Edwards Jr., Le- She is survived by
prior for publication Tuesday Orr all of Columbus; 13 varis Williams both of
her children, Clint
through Friday; no later than 4 grandchildren; and one Columbus and Charlie
p.m. Saturday for the Sunday Eaves of Starkville
great-grandchild. Williams of Jackson,
edition; and no later than 7:30 and Chad Lee Eaves of
Tennessee.
a.m. for the Monday edition. Meridian; siblings, Judy
Incomplete notices must be re- Twana Edwards Crowson, Bobby Bow-
ceived no later than 7:30 a.m. COLUMBUS — Twa- Audrey Eaves man and Taylor Tucker;
for the Monday through Friday na D. Edwards, 38, died STARKVILLE — and 14 grandchildren.
editions. Paid notices must be April 9, 2020, at Bap- Audrey Helen Tucker Memorials may be
finalized by 3 p.m. for inclusion
tist Memorial Hospi- Eaves, 79, died April 14, made to I.O.M.(Interna-
the next day Monday through
Thursday; and on Friday by 3
tal-Golden Triangle. 2020, at the Beehive in tional Outreach Min-
Services will be at 2 Starkville.
p.m. for Sunday and Monday istries, P.O. Box 921,
publication. For more informa- p.m. Friday, at Carter’s A private graveside
Starkville, MS 39760.
tion, call 662-328-2471. Funeral Service Chapel, service will be at 2 p.m.
See OBITUARIES, 5A
with the Rev. Christo- Friday, at Memorial
pher Wriley officiating. Garden Park Cemetery.
Guy Stanford Burial will follow in Welch Funeral Home of
SULLIGENT, Ala.
— Guy Redden Stan-
ford, 83, died April 12,
2020, at Generations of
Vernon.
A private family
funeral service was at
11 a.m. Wednesday,
at Otts Funeral Home
Chapel, with B.J. Mills
officiating. Burial fol-
lowed in Sulligent City
Cemetery. Otts Funeral
Home of Sulligent was
in charge of arrange-
ments.
Mr. Stanford was
born May 12, 1936, in
Sulligent, Alabama, to
the late Lecil Stanford
and Stella Hawkins. He
was formerly employed
at McCoy’s Manufactur-
ing and was a member
of First Freewill Baptist
Church.
In addition to his par-
ents, he was preceded
in death by his siblings,
Willis J. Stanford and
Flavious Stanford.
He is survived by his
children, Keith Stanford
of Sulligent and Deanna
Downey of Vernon; sib-
lings, Frances Cantrell
of Beaverton and Willie
Gray Nichols of Ham-
ilton, Alabama; four
grandchildren; and four
great-grandchildren.

Clara Orr
COLUMBUS —
Clara Mae Orr, 66, died
April 5, 2020, at her
residence.
A family only grave-
side service will be at
noon Friday, at Greater
Mt. Olive M.B. Church
of Crawford, with
Greg Short officiating.
Visitation is from 2-5
p.m. today, at Carter’s
Funeral Service. Car-
ter’s Funeral Service of
Columbus is in charge
of arrangements.
Ms. Orr was born
April 12, 1953, in Ma-
con, to the late Sim and
Earlean Orr. She was
a member of Pleasant
Ridge M.B. Church.
 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2020 3A

Funerals
Continued from Page 1A
Kennard was laid
to rest at Oddfellows
Cemetery in Starkville on
April 1 with the graveside
service he asked for, with
just a few of his immediate
family, including Everett
and his two brothers, at-
tending. It may have been
the kind of understated,
no-fuss arrangements he
had insisted on. But for
the family, his send-off
was not what they imag-
ined or hoped for.
Kennard was born in
the year of one great pan-
demic — The Spanish Flu
of 1918. His passing came
during another, one that
altered the family’s hopes
for the sort of send-off
the family patriarch and
much-loved community
member was due.
“I don’t know how
many people would have
gone to his funeral,”
Everett Kennard said. “A
bunch. Everybody knew
him. People loved him.”
For the better part of a
month, the Kennard fam-
ily’s story has been more
or less the same story for
everyone who has lost
family members.
Many of the time-hon-
ored rituals — memorial
services packed with
mourners, visitations
where friends and family
embrace and share in
their sorrow, even
graveside services open
to anyone wanting to pay
their respects — have
been sacrificed as funeral
homes maintain social dis-
tancing requirements en-
acted by the state to slow
the spread of COVID-19
coronavirus.
“It’s different in so
many ways,” said Dawn
Pounders, who with her
husband, Tim, has oper-
ated Lowndes Funeral
Home in Columbus for 22
years. “There’s no shak-
ing hands, no consoling,
no loving on people. We
live in Mississippi. That’s
what we do. That’s so
hard, but we don’t have
any choice.”
Strict guidelines
Under Mississippi’s
shelter in place guide-
lines, businesses that
remain open must limit
gatherings to 10 or fewer
and observe the social
distance order (people
are required to stay at
least six feet apart).
Those two measures
have meant, in many
cases, funerals have been
limited to graveside ser-
vices with only immediate
family.
“A lot of our funerals
are at the cemetery now,”
said Matthew Lee, who
grew up in his father’s
funeral home (Lee-Sykes
Funeral Home) in Co-
lumbus. “But even then,
you’re talking about very,
very small gatherings.
When you have a pastor
and staff, you may be
talking about a funeral
with only seven, eight
family members. That’s
hard, but that’s the way it
has to be.”
Lee said Lee-Sykes
still provides visitations,
but strictly monitors the
flow of visitors. Memorial
services are still held at
its two chapels, but again,
the 10-person limit is
strictly enforced.
“What we do is allow
only two people per row
with an empty row in
between,” he said.
Billy Miller, manager
of Welch Funeral Home,
said trying to ensure the
10-person limit has led to
some unusual practices.
“We’ve started not
sending out obituaries un-
til after the burial,” Miller
said. “That’s mainly to
discourage people from
coming. Really, at this
point, our funerals have
become immediate family
only.”
All three funeral
homes provide videos of
services, which allows
those unable to attend
services to watch remote-
ly.
“We are livestreaming
the services on Face-
book,” Lee said. “For
those who don’t want it
on Facebook, who want a understanding about the losing the one part of Bo-
more private service, the new restrictions. swell Kennard’s funeral
video is on Funeral One, “We may have had one he had left to them.
which can be accessed by or two who objected,” “The one thing we
a private link provided by Pounders said. “But the wanted was to have a visi-
the family and is pass- thing is, what we are do- tation, but we couldn’t do
word protected.” ing is what every funeral it,” Everett Kennard said.
Another emerging is- home is doing. These “I understand why. Still,
sue for funeral homes are aren’t our rules, but we that’s the thing that’s
the safety of their staff. have to comply with them. killing everybody. The
Miller, whose funeral That’s true for every fu-
support you get from the
home handled services neral home in the state.”
visitation is huge for the
for the Golden Triangle’s “Really, people have
only COVID-19 death been understanding,” family. You can video the
to date, said that burial Lee said. “I think they service, but that’s the one
prompted a new policy. understand we are doing thing you can’t put on vid-
“Anyone who has died what we have to do. It’s eo — a handshake, a hug,
from the coronavirus not really a choice.” just seeing somebody
is limited to cremation The necessity of the eye-to-eye and being able
and direct burial with no new rules doesn’t dimin- to express that support.
embalming,” Miller said. ish the disappointment, “That’s what’s happen-
“It’s a safety precaution. though. ing everywhere, not just
We are having a shortage For the Kennard fami-
ly, the restrictions meant
with us,” he added. “It’s
of PPEs (personal protec- very sad.”
tion equipment like masks
and gloves). When we
prepare a body, we have
to wear protective suits,
masks, gloves to guard
against contagious dis-
ease. With a coronavirus
case, we have to wear that
gear twice, once when
we pick up the body and
then when we prepare the
body. That’s why we’ve
put in a policy that says
there are no embalming
for those who have died
from the coronavirus.”
‘It’s very sad’
Representatives with
all three funeral homes
say families have been

Mayor: Drive-in church, with windows up, OK during pandemic

BY EMILY WAGSTER PET TUS
The Associated Press
JACKSON — Facing two free-
dom-of-religion lawsuits and
pushback from the U.S. attorney
general, a Mississippi mayor said
Wednesday that people may attend
drive-in church services during
the coronavirus pandemic but they
must keep their windows up.
Greenville Mayor Errick D. Sim-
mons also said local churches may
allow up to 10 people at a time in a
building for worship services that
are shown online or carried on TV
or radio, as long as those inside the
church follow public health guide-
lines to maintain a safe distance
from one another.
Greenville leaders enacted a lo-
cal order April 7 that said all church-
es in the city would be closed for
in-person and drive-in services as
long as Gov. Tate Reeves’s state-
wide stay-at-home order remains in
place to combat the spread of the vi-
rus. The governor’s order does not
restrict types of worship.
The day after Greenville leaders
set the local order, police issued
$500 tickets to several people at-
tending drive-in church services.
Some who were ticketed said
the city was violating their First
Amendment right to worship.

BUILDING PERMITS
City of Columbus
April 6-9, 2020
■ Jerry Wrench; 1202 Shady
Street; Demolish s/f res-
idence; Columbus Fire &
Rescue
■ Columbus Redevelopment
Authority; 314 5th Avenue
North; Demolish s/f resi-
dence; Columbus Public Works
■ Little C Properties LLC; 51
Laurel Drive; New s/f resi-
dence; Clardy Home Develop-
ment
■ Stevie Swanigan; 1907
14th Avenue North; Privacy
fence; CS Construction
■ Zavier and Kawanda Jones;
616 Chestnut Street; Enclose
garage; same
■ Annie Latham; 1605 5th
Street South; Electrical; Jim-
mie Chism
■ Jaleesa Hendricks; 617
15th Street North; Electrical;
Beavers Electrical
■ S&S Properties Unlimited;
1211 6th Street North; Electri-
cal; Ables Electric
■ Timothy Heard; 1302 15th
Street South; electrical; Bea-
vers Electric
Lowndes County
April 15, 2020
■ Tom and Linda Sumrall;
212 Lincoln Road; construct
storage/shop; owner
■ Cemetery Brick Missionary
Baptist Church; 4572 Old Ma-
con Road; addition to church;
Dismuke Construction
■ James Garner; Hildreth
Road; set up mobile home;
owner
■ James Garner; Hildreth
Road; move mobile home;
Regional Enterprise
■ Lance Moore; 466 W. Bank
Access Road; construct stor-
age/shop; owner
■ Gordon; Sterling Dr.; con-
struct s/f residence; Clardy
Home Development
■ Ben and Amy Peal; Golden
Horn Road; construct s/f
residence; Owner
■ George Hogancamp; 2889
N. Wolfe Road; construct s/f
residence; owner

Fire
Continued from Page 1A
and Montgomery streets
while the fire department
put out the fire.
A Captain D’s corpo-
rate spokesperson said
in a prepared statement
that the restaurant will be
closed until further notice
“while a cause is deter-
mined and we’re able to
repair the damages to en-
sure a safe environment
for our employees and
guests.”
The restaurant’s nor-
mal opening time is 10:30
a.m., and the spokesper-
son said members of the
opening staff arrived
while firefighters were at
the scene.

SOLUNAR TABLE
The solunar period indicates
peak-feeding times for fish and game.
Thur. Fri.
Major 8:10p 9:23a
Minor 3:46a 4:25a
Major 8:35a ­—
Minor 2:27p 3:24p
Courtesy of Mississippi Department
of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks

The Dispatch
The Commercial Dispatch (USPS 142-320)
Published daily except Saturday. Answers to common questions:
Entered at the post office at Columbus, Mississippi.
Periodicals postage paid at Columbus, MS Phone: 662-328-2424
POSTMASTER, Send address changes to:
The Commercial Dispatch, P.O. Box 511, Columbus, MS 39703 Website: cdispatch.com/help
Published by Commercial Dispatch Publishing Company Inc.,
516 Main St., Columbus, MS 39703
Report a news tip: news@cdispatch.com

Read to your child.

Opinion
4A THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2020
OUR VIEW
Legitimate concerns
exist over GTECHS
but students
shouldn’t suffer
W
ithin the past two weeks, Colum-
bus Municipal School District and
Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated
School District voted to sever ties with Golden
Triangle Early College High School (GTECHS).
Lowndes County School District is expected to
take the issue up tomorrow.
GTECHS, which opened in the 2015-16 school
year, allows select area high school students to
take college courses and graduate high school
with associates degrees. It’s open to students
from Lowndes, Oktibbeha, Clay and Noxubee
counties.
CMSD’s and SOCSD’s concerns about their
relationship with GTECHS are legitimate.
Those two districts each send more than 40
students to GTECHS at an estimated cost of
$250,000 a year. Both now offer their own dual
enrollment opportunities, which were not avail-
able when GTECHS was created, and both say
they can more efficiently serve students with
those programs.
Additionally, SOCSD’s superintendent ex-
pressed concern that GTECHS has been operat-
ed essentially as a private school that uses public
dollars. In fact, numbers seen by The Dispatch
but which are not public, suggest 73 percent (11
students) of private and homeschool students
from Columbus collectively have been accepted
to GTECHS since its founding. Only 55 percent
(64 students) of applicants from Columbus Mid-
dle School have been accepted.
GTECHS supporters assert the school is
for children who may not thrive in a traditional
school setting, which is pretty broad criteria. But
The Dispatch’s coverage of the creation of the
school suggests the original intent of the school
was to target a more narrow segment of students.
A Mississippi State University research specialist
who helped craft GTECHS said, “We are looking
for students that, for whatever reason, might not
be on track to continue their education beyond
high school. These are students that might not
take Advanced Placement courses in high school,
but could excel with extra support.” The story
also said, “School officials are especially interest-
ed in students from low income, minority and/or
first generation college students.”
Certainly, those students exist in private and
homeschool settings, but one would assume
this criteria would find more matches in public
schools.
At some point between the planning of
GTECHS and now, there seems to have been a bit
of “mission creep.”
So, again, the districts’ concerns are legiti-
mate, certainly.
Yet it appears both CMSD and SOCSD decided
to pull the plug on the program with only mini-
mal efforts to work out solutions to those prob-
lems with administrators from GTECHS and East
Mississippi Community College, which hosts the
school.
If GTECHS and EMCC were afforded little op-
portunity to engage with CMSD and SOCSD on
this issue, current GTECHS students and parents
were provided even less of one.
These decisions to withdraw from GTECHS
directly affect nearly 100 students and their high
school experiences. For them, this decision is not
about the efficiency of dollars. For them, the ben-
efit of GTECHS is not limited strictly to earning
dual enrollment college credit.
Over the past week, this paper has run near-
ly a dozen letters to the editor from GTECHS
students and parents who describe an enriching
educational environment.
While we still support the mission of GTECHS
and the educational opportunities it provides, we
share with area school districts serious concerns
about how the program is administered.
But we also believe existing students should
not be uprooted from GTECHS over these admin-
istrative issues.
Public education in general needs help, and
ultimately GTECHS represents an experiment
in an alternate way to educate students with tax
dollars. We think such experiments are healthy
and lament the fact that this one is falling apart
without a meaningful attempt to address the
issues.
Let’s hope there is still a path that would allow
those negotiations to happen.
Social distancing is
affecting us all in
different ways. We
want to hear how
you’re doing. The
Dispatch has set
up a voicemail so
our readers can share their thoughts and feelings during this
unique time. If you want to share, please call 662-328-2424
and dial extension 101. You can leave a message 24 hours a
day. Certain messages will be selected to print in the paper.
Even if we don’t select yours, know that someone is out there
listening and you’re not alone. We’re all in this together.
PETER BIRNEY IMES Editor/Publisher
BIRNEY IMES III Editor/Publisher 1998-2018
BIRNEY IMES JR. Editor/Publisher 1947-2003
Dispatch
The
BIRNEY IMES SR. Editor/Publisher 1922-1947
ZACK PLAIR, Managing Editor
BETH PROFFITT Advertising Director
MICHAEL FLOYD Circulation/Production Manager
MARY ANN HARDY Controller
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Voice of the people
GTECHS from the perspective of a CHS student Education from school year 2018-2019. Our school
boasts many academic achievements and accomplish-
Recently, I’ve become intrigued from the respons-
ments from past and present students. Such acco-
es to Dr. Labat and the CMSD Board of Trustees’
decision concerning a discontinued partnership lades include the following: recipients of the Gates
between GTECHS and the Columbus Municipal Millennial Scholarship, scholar athletes who are
School District. The decision itself is great due to poised to enter the NBA and NFL, those who have
the fact that individuals in authoritative positions are gained recognition in the music industry, multiple
finally focusing on the needs of many students in our students who’ve garnered full scholarships to major
district. However, there seems to be many people in colleges and universities, students who have repre-
the community who do not agree with this decision or sented CHS from platforms in Washington, D.C. and
may even be confused as it relates to what is hap- prestigious summer camps at Mississippi State Uni-
pening at this moment. From my opinionated per- versity, participants of Mississippi Governor’s School,
spective, I will not only explain why a great decision and multiple students who’ve collectively obtained a
has been made but also help each and every person high school diploma and Associates Degree. Finally,
reading this understand the benefit that this decision to the students and parents who are apprehensive
has on many students. about joining the CHS family, we would love for you to
First, to set the narrative, opportunities that were be a part of this excellence!
once not sufficient are prevalent today within CMSD. Respectfully,
What you should understand is that the school board Avani Poindexter
is working to better our district, and this marks a step Columbus High School Junior
in the right direction. From my understanding, the
district is looking to cut ties with GTECHS simply
because the amount of funding being used to help
GTECHS has been good experience
My daughter started there this year and it has
provide such a program to students who are “at risk” been the best school experience she has ever had.
is unessential at this point in time due to the fact that I think it’s horrible that Columbus and Starkville
the same opportunities are now provided to those
are ending their partnership. My daughter and her
within the school district. Many individuals fear this friends are under a lot of stress from this and not
decision simply because they think the opportunities
being able to be with each other the rest of the school
won’t be as sufficient to their children or that their year. I was hoping for my son to start GTECHS this
kids won’t do well in an environment such as Colum- year. He put in his application and was very excited
bus High School. Although, this wouldn’t be the case about it. These adults need to think of the children
at all. and how this is going to impact their future plans.
I, as well as others, had the opportunity to apply to Lenore Wilson
GTECHS while transitioning from middle school to Caledonia
high school. However, I decided to attend Columbus
High School instead because I wanted to have a tradi-
tional high school experience. This included me par-
Thinks districts have lost sight
I am sorely disappointed and angry at SOCSD and
ticipating in student government, sports, and other
CMSD for their hasty withdrawals from the GTECHS
great things that are provided to the student body. I’m
program at EMCC. Both districts’ superintendents
currently a dual enrolled Junior at CHS who has been
stated that they were paying for children to attend
given the opportunity to represent my school at pres-
GTECHS that had never attended their school. I hate
tigious conferences such as HOBY which is known as
to be the bearer of bad news to both Eddie Peasant
the Hugh O’Brian Young Leadership program. Aside
and Cherie Labat, but it IS their responsibility to
from me attending a distinguished conference such
educate every single child in their school district.
as this, many of my peers have been able to as well.
Home-schooled children and private school children
As a dual enrolled student, CHS has provided me the
that live in their district are still entitled, legally, to
opportunity to potentially obtain my Associates De-
educational programs offered within the school dis-
gree by the end of my Senior year. Because of these
trict they reside. These children’s parents pay school
opportunities, I’ve formed partnerships with many
taxes for these districts to educate their child (free
people who will be able to lead and guide me in the
money for these schools if the children don’t attend).
right direction towards furthering my education and
Maybe if SOCSD and CMSD had better school envi-
beginning my career. Those on the outside looking in
ronments and better state grades, all of the children
probably view our school in a pessimistic aspect, but
in their district would want to attend their schools.
I’m here to tell you that our school is great.
That is not the case, however, and these superinten-
I understand that parents and students are afraid
dents have the audacity to complain about having to
of not getting the same opportunities that they’ve
educate these children that they have been receiving
been afforded at GTECHS. Though, students could
tax dollars on all these years.
essentially be granted those same opportunities if not
Peasant and Labat also complained that they didn’t
better. Students would still be able to complete dual
feel that GTECHS was serving the type of students “it
enrollment courses and be able to remain a member
was supposed to.” Have either of them stepped into a
under certain organizations that they may already be
classroom at GTECHS? Have either of them bothered
a part of. Lastly, students would still have the oppor-
to get to know the students from their districts that
tunity to build a family with CHS faculty, staff, and
were attending GTECHS? Here is a novel idea: how
student body. People in the community have obvi-
about before superintendents go making decisions
ously forgotten that this decision was made to better
that affect students, they go roam the halls with their
the students of CMSD. I honestly think it’s selfish to
students and have conversations with the people that
forget such a thing when bashing the authoritative
their decisions affect. I can promise you, the students
figures for this decision that they’ve made. Why
that I know (both from public and private school)
would you continue to put funding towards a school
that attend GTECHS very much fit the model that
that serves only 44 students of CMSD when there is
the school was designed for. You would think by now
well over a 1,000 more that need to be served as well?
these “educators” would know that a “one size fits
We have needs that should be fulfilled just as they do.
all” approach to educating children does not work,
The funds being used to put GTECHS students
and there was very much a reason these kids left
of Columbus through that particular program could
their school district to begin with. Remote learning
further aid in supplemental funds for free dual en-
(as proposed by Labat) will socially isolate a child.
rollment classes to many students who aren’t able to
Dual-enrollment will still force some of these kids
pay for them on their own. Though students, parents,
to be back in a school environment where they were
and others of GTECHS may feel like this is a selfish
relentlessly bullied. The Middle College Program
decision at this time, what they don’t understand is
that Peasant is touting isn’t guaranteed to be up and
that they would benefit from this as well. The sole
running by August, when he is forcing his district’s
purpose of GTECHS was to create a program for “at
GTECHS students to return to SOCSD, so it may not
risk” students. Speaking for myself, I could be consid-
even be available to the kids.
ered as “at risk” because I come from a single-parent
At the end of the day, I think school boards and su-
household. However, I have not let that define me in
perintendents have lost sight of the fact that they are
my academic achievements. Also, CHS has made sure
dealing with children, not numbers or dollar signs.
of me and others being an inclusion rather than an
And they most definitely have lost sight of what is in
exclusion.
the best interest of the children.
Columbus High School is currently rated a “B”
Jennifer Smith
school according to the Mississippi Department of
Columbus

Obituaries
Continued from Page 2A
Ellie West
HAMILTON — Ellie
Rhee Reeves West, 100,
died April 15, 2020, at
Trinity Health Care in
Columbus.
A private family
funeral service will
be held, with Don
Harding officiating.
Tisdale-Lann Memo-
rial Funeral Home of
Aberdeen is in charge of
arrangements.
Mrs. West was born
Sept. 1, 1919, in Vernon,
Alabama, to the late
W.M. Reeves and Nora
Edgeworth Reeves. She
was a member of Pleas-
ant Grove Methodist
Church.
In addition to her par-
ents, she was preceded
in death by her hus-
band, Ruben West; son,
Willie H. “Hoot” West;
three sisters; and two
brothers.
She is survived by
her children, Betty Ray
of Hamilton, Martha
Sue Gwathney of
Aberdeen and Dean
West of Columbus;
eight grandchildren;
13 great-grand-
children; and nine
great-great-grandchil-
dren.
Pallbearers will be
Matt Darling, Chris
West, Leslie West, Mike
West, Aaron West and
Hunter West.
Melinda McShan
COLUMBUS — Me-
linda McShan, 54, died
April 15, 2020, at her
residence.
Arrangements are
incomplete and will be
announced by Carter’s
Funeral Service of
Columbus.
Christine Morrow
BROOKSVILLE
— Christine Morrow.
90, died April 9, 2020,
at Windsor Place in
Columbus.
A private family
graveside service was
held Wednesday, at
Brooksville Cemetery,
with Bill Ross officiat-
ing. Cockrell Funeral
Home of Macon was in
charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Morrow was
born March 23, 1930, in
Garrard County, Ken-
tucky, to the late Robert
and Lilly Prather Fath-
ergill. She was formerly
employed in a garment
plant and with Hardin’s
Lenore Prather
A private family graveside
service will be held.
Friendship Cemetery
2nd Ave. North Location
Dr. William Gates
A private family graveside
service will be held.
Friendship Cemetery
2nd Ave. North Location
Robert Clarke
Incomplete
2nd Ave. North Location
Betty Courtney
Incomplete
College St. Location
memorialgunterpeel.com
cdispatch.com
The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2020 5A
Bakery. She was a Martin Rice vice. Carter’s Funeral nue North location of siblings, Anne Rainer
member of Deerbrook COLUMBUS — Services of Columbus Columbus is in charge and Katheryn Gates;
Baptist Church and Cal- Martin James Rice, 66, is in charge of arrange- of arrangements. grandchildren; and
vary Baptist Church. died April 12, 2020, in ments. Dr. Gates was born great-grandchildren.
In addition to her par- Aliceville, Alabama. Mr. Peat was born in 1937 to the late Memorials may be
ents, she was preceded Services will be held March 25, 1953, in W.C. and Mary Vick- sent to Pushmataha
in death by her husband Lowndes County, to ery Gates. He was a Area Council, Boy
at a later date. Lown-
Johnie H. Morrow; the late Austin Peat graduate of Vanderbilt
des Funeral Home of Scouts of America, PO
children, Johnny Lee Sr. and Addie Peat. He University and Medical
Columbus is in charge Box 9570, Columbus,
Morrow and Ricky was formerly employed College of Alabama.
or arrangements. MS 39705 or Walter O.
Dale Morrow; and eight with Hollis Roofing. He is survived by his
Mr. Rice was born Parmer Scholarship
siblings. In addition to his wife, Linda Simmons
Aug. 7, 1953, in Perth, Gates; children, Jennie Foundation, Inc., PO
She is survived by parents, he was pre-
Australia, to the late Paulding, Bill Gates III Box 832, Greenville,
her daughter, Deborah ceded in death by
Donald and Lily Han- his siblings, Halbert and Currie Webster; AL 36037.
Kay Gilmore of Colum- rahan Rice. He was
bus; four grandchildren; Peat, Nelson Peat Sr.,
Lenore Prather
formerly employed with Charlie Stewart, Essie
and four great-grand- Tronox.
children. Peat and Queen Sykes;
He is survived by his step-brothers, John
children, Caitlin Rice, Lenore Loving Prather
Faye Brown Odeneal and Willie
Lindsey Rice, Hannah Odeneal. peacefully entered into the
MACON — Faye B. Rice, Miranda Dale greater glory of God surrounded
Brown, 59, died April He is survived by
all of Columbus and his children, Addie by loved ones at her home on
11, 2020, at her resi- Estelle Rice of Perth, April 11, 2020.
Peat, Austin Peat III
dence. Australia; siblings, Born on September 17, 1931,
and Matrell Peat all
A private family only Ann Paton and Michael in West Point, Mississippi,
of Flint, Michigan;
service will be held at 3 Rice; and seven grand- she was the first child of
siblings, Barbara
p.m. Friday, at Carter’s children. Hattie Hearn Morris Loving
Brooks, Edward Peat
Funeral Service Chap- Memorials may be and Byron Herald Loving.
Sr., Mary Tucker and
el, with Jack Vaughn made to Cystic Fibrosis She graduated from West Point High School in
J.B. Odeneal Sr. all of
officiating. Burial will Foundation, 1907 Dun- 1949, and received a Bachelor of Science degree
Flint, Michigan; 10
follow at Mount Carmel barton Drive, Suite C, from Mississippi State College for Women, now
grandchildren; and
MBC. A private visi- Jackson, MS, 39216. two great-grandchil- Mississippi University for Women. She then
tation is from 3-5 p.m. earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University
dren.
today, at the funeral of Mississippi School of Law in 1955.
home. Carter’s Funeral
Austin Peat Jr. She began her legal career practicing law
Service of Macon is
CR AWFORD — William Gates with her father. She met Robert “Bob” Brooks
Austin Peat Jr., 67, died COLUMBUS — Dr. Prather in West Point, and they were married
in charge of arrange-
April 6, 2020, at his William “Bill” C. Gates in 1957. She and her husband practiced law
ments.
residence. died April 15, 2020, at together, and she was appointed as Municipal
Mrs. Brown was
A private family Dugan’s Nursing Home Judge in West Point in 1965 and continued until
born Jan. 5, 1961, in
only graveside service in West Point. 1971. During this time, Lenore and Bob had
Noxubee County, to the
will be at 11 a.m. Fri- A graveside service three daughters. In addition, she was a part-time
late Robert Grissom
day, at Oakland MBC for immediate family instructor at Mississippi State University in the
and Cleo Patrick. She
Cemetery, with Sam- will be Saturday, at Communications Department.
was a member of Mr.
mie White officiating. Friendship Cemetery. In 1971 Governor John Bell Williams appointed
Carmel MBC.
Private visitation is Memorial Gunter Peel her as Chancery Judge for the 14th Chancery
In addition to her
from 2-5 p.m. today, at Funeral Home & Cre- District, and she attended the National Judicial
parents, she was pre-
Carter’s Funeral Ser- matory, Second Ave- College in Reno, Nevada. Governor William
ceded in death by her
siblings, Patricia and F. Winter appointed Lenore to the Mississippi
Arthur Lewis. Supreme Court in 1982. She later became a
She is survived by Presiding Justice and served as Chief Justice
her husband, Albert of the Mississippi Supreme Court from 1998 to
Lee Brown; children, early 2001. In that position, she served as head
Demetris Willis of of the judicial branch of government for the
West Point and Cor- State of Mississippi. Following her legal career,
nece Willis of Macon; she served as Interim President of Mississippi
siblings, Zackie Carter University for Women.
of Chicago, Illinois and She said her accomplishments would not
Robert Earl Grissom have been possible without the example of her
Jr. of Macon; and four parents. Her father was an attorney and legislator,
grandchildren. and her mother served as a legal secretary
and elections commissioner. They instilled in
her the importance of public service, and she
encouraged others to pursue public service
as well. Several others opened doors for her in
the legal profession including Tom Tubb who
recommended her for the position of Municipal
Judge. She was grateful to Governor John Bell
Williams and Governor William Winter for their
appointments as Chancery Judge and Supreme
Court Justice. She worked to improve the legal
system for all Mississippians.
Outside of her legal career, she was a beloved
mother to her three daughters, and a devoted
daughter, wife, sister, grandmother to her two
grandchildren, aunt and friend. She tried to
open doors for others in appreciation for those
who did the same for her. She enjoyed travel, fine
arts, and gardening. She especially enjoyed her
rose garden. She was loyal to her alma maters
and always enjoyed time in the Grove before
an Ole Miss football game. She was an active
member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church where
she was a Vestry Member, and she completed
the Education for Ministry program through
Sewanee University.
She received numerous awards and
recognitions. She was inducted into the
University of Mississippi Hall of Fame. The
University of Mississippi School of Law named
her Alumna of the Year and inducted her to the
Law Alumni Hall of Fame. MUW awarded her
its Medal of Excellence and the MUW Alumni
Achievement Award. Governor Haley Barbour
awarded her the Mississippi Medal of Service
in 2009. She also received several awards from
the Mississippi Bar Association. She was a Paul
Harris Fellow of the Rotary Club, and member of
the DAR.
Lenore is survived by her daughters, Pamela
Prather of Jackson, MS, Valerie Jo Sundman
of Steens, MS and Malinda Prather (Kenton)
Johnson of Saint Paul, MN; two grandchildren,
Tyler Brooks Sundman and Laura Loving
Sundman; sister, Marmion Loving Francis of
Meridian, MS; brother, James M. Loving, of
Myrtle Beach, SC; and brother-in-law Jacque
(Patti) Prather of Tupelo, MS; cherished nieces
and nephews; and her faithful canine companion
Max.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her
husband; and her sister, Ida Loving Cunetto.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to
the University of Mississippi Foundation, 406
University Avenue, Oxford, MS 38655; St. Paul’s
Episcopal Church, 318 College Street, Columbus,
MS 39701; and the Lenore L. Prather Scholarship
Fund at Mississippi University for Women, 1100
College Street, Columbus, MS 39701.
Sign the online guest book at
www.memorialgunterpeel.com
716 Second Avenue North • Columbus, MS
6A THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2020
Fisher
Continued from Page 1A
ginning in June and help
out with other county
business. While Sanders
said Fisher’s salary as of
Oct. 1 hadn’t been deter-
mined, Billingsley’s salary
is $125,000 annually.
Fisher told The Dis-
patch Wednesday night
his 25 years of experience
in the military, including
two years as vice com-
mander who helped man-
age an annual operating
budget of up to $65 mil-
lion, would help with his
new role.  county appointees five
“I’ve had experiences
from small organizations
(of) 10 to 12 people all the
way up to … multi-thou-
sand-people (organiza-
tions),” he said. “Being
able to manage people and
set the right tone of the or-
ganization … would help
me to be successful in this
role.”
‘Legitimate concerns’ or
‘vicious lies’?
Sanders, who previous-
ly declined to comment
on Billingsley’s retire-
ment, told The Dispatch
Wednesday that, out of “le-
gitimate concerns,” he and
Hairston approached Bill-
ingsley two months ago to
ask for his resignation.  are black.
He would not specify
what the concerns were on
the record.
Brooks also questioned
the necessity of hiring
Business
Continued from Page 1A
tering burgers, the judges
will be on social media
checking out the best
photo-worthy picks.
Contestants must
post pictures or videos of
their burger and grilling
skills with a team name
and name of their burger
by 8 p.m. Friday. Prizes
include grills, coolers and
speaker towers, which
will be awarded to the
most liked photos, most
Instagrammable, most
team spirit, and the best
picture of a burger with a
Budweiser.
“We’re really excited to
bring Bud & Burgers vir-
tual during this unknown
time,” said Mitchell Com-
panies Communications
Manager Anna Grace
Tanner. “We thought this
event would be a positive
opportunity for our com-
munities to feel a sense
of togetherness even
while participating from
homes.”
Grillers, spectators
and social media aficiona-
dos get ready for Friday
and be sure to check out
the Bud & Burgers page
at https://www.facebook.
com/.
Over in Starkville, a
quirky coffee shop has
transformed from its typi-
cal coffee and snack shop
to a drive-thru essential
station.
If you don’t read The Dispatch, how are you gonna know?
Sanders Brooks
Fisher as soon as May.  Brooks said.
“If this person is so
damn qualified, (why
has) he got to come in
(five) months (early) to be
trained?” Brooks said.  begin with. He said the
Filling the position of
months in advance is un-
precedented, Sanders
said. But faced with the
coronavirus pandemic, he
said he felt the hiring was
warranted.  Smith also expressed his
“Hiring now so he can
learn how to do the budget
… to meet with all the de-
partment heads, to know
how the county is run,”
Sanders said. “At the same
time, we’ve got an awful
lot of paperwork and bu-
reaucracy … (with) the
coronavirus.”
At the meeting, Brooks
also accused the three
supervisors who voted to
hire Fisher — all of whom
are white — of ruling out
women and minority can-
didates. Brooks and Smith
“You’ve deprived peo-
ple in this county of the
right of due process that
they are entitled to ap-
ply for these positions,”
At Strange Brew, folks
can drive through for a
coffee pick-me-up, roll of
paper towels, bag of flour,
eggs, even a bottle of
hand sanitizer and, yes,
toilet paper.
With businesses
changing their operating
practices in the wake of
COVID-19, Strange Brew
has been added to the list
of businesses breaking
through the typical mold.
Owner Katelyn Reed
said the coffee shop has
continually changed since
March to keep their em-
ployees safe and busy and
offer the public as many
supplies as they can. Both
Starkville locations, on
Highway 12 and Univer-
sity Drive, are selling
their typical menu items
as well as those essential
ones in high demand at
your local grocery stores.
“We wanted to of-
fer a safer way for our
customers to grab what
they need by swinging
through the drive-thru
instead of having to walk
into a big store,” Reed
said. “…We are (thank-
ful) our customers have
worked with our changes
and allow us to still pro-
vide them with a moment
of happiness in their
days. We are constantly
adapting to the newest
safety guidelines and
The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com
Smith Billingsley
Regarding Brooks’
comments, Sanders said
Brooks voted against the
hiring of Billingsley to
hiring only needed three
votes on the board.
“For 20 years, we’ve
never advertised for the
positions,” Sanders said.
“It’s very plain.”
During the meeting,
frustration against the
board’s process of picking
the candidate. 
Smith claimed he
was left out of the loop
when other supervisors
discussed the hire and
was only informed after
the decision was made.
Fisher told The Dispatch
Wednesday night he never
spoke with Smith.
“I was totally disregard-
ed,” Smith said. “That’s
totally disrespecting me,
totally.
“You’ve got the votes,
you do what you choose to
do,” he added. “You have
that authority, but this
process of how you get
to where you are going is
wrong.”
while it can be challeng-
ing, we are willing to do
whatever it takes to safely
serve strangers every
day.”
In other news in
Starkville, Flavors Cui-
sine of India on Martin
Luther King Jr. has
reopened. The Indian
restaurant, which pre-
viously closed in March
due to COVID-19, offi-
cially announced it would
serve customers again
with pick up and carry
out orders this week.
Each week the Centers
for Disease Control and
Prevention releases tips
and ideas to keep every-
one safe throughout this
pandemic. While the best
motto is to simply limit
your time being out and
about, we all know that
we have to grocery shop
and pick up essential
items.
If you do have to leave
the house, it’s important
to keep a few of these
CDC tips in your mind.
Luckily, in this age we
don’t have to go to the
grocery store physically
to stock our cabinets and
pantries. With Walmart,
Kroger and Vowell’s
Marketplace, you can
place orders for pick up
by simply going online.
If you do have to go out,
the CDC is suggesting
Sanders told The Dis-
patch that Fisher was
first interviewed by him
and Hairston, and then by
District 3 Supervisor John
Holliman. Brooks, upon
hearing about the can-
didate, promised to vote
against Fisher and asked
to wait until the end of
the year to make the hire,
Sanders said.
Smith, Sanders said,
was only notified.
“It’s impossible for
everyone to know at the
same time,” Sanders said.
When reached by
phone Wednesday night,
Billingsley confirmed
Brooks’ and Smith’s com-
ments at the meeting.
“I have no comment at
this time other than to say
what Leroy and Jeff com-
municated at the board
meeting today was an ac-
curate representation of
what’s going on,” he said.
“There have been some
vicious lies said about me
that should have never
been said.”
In other business, su-
pervisors also voted to
allow child care facilities
in the county to open as
long as they follow the
guidelines listed by the
state. The county pre-
viously closed those fa-
cilities along with other
nonessential businesses
to help curb the spread of
COVID-19.
we wear masks (even if
it’s just a T-shirt covering
to shield your mouth and
nose).
As always, when you’re
in public it’s important to
keep a six-foot distance
from those around you,
avoid touching your face
and use hand sanitizer
after touching credit card
machines, money, doors
and shopping carts.
Unfortunately, it’s true
that the less we interact
with each other, the bet-
ter off we are at flattening
the curve. You’ve proba-
bly all noticed that stores
throughout the Golden
Triangle are taping lines
six feet apart to remind
us to stay safe and far
apart.
If you’re like me
and you want to go the
extra mile, after I pick up
groceries I have started
wiping down canned
goods, produce and other
non-porous containers
to prevent the spread of
germs. That may be tak-
ing it to the extreme, but
it only takes a few extra
minutes to put my mind
at ease.
We’re all in this
together, guys. Be sure
to be mindful of others,
take only what you need,
give when you can and as
always, be safe.
Sports SPORTS LINE
662-241-5000 B
SECTION

THE DISPATCH n CDISPATCH.COM n THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2020

HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS

MHSAA OFFICIALLY CANCELS SPRING SPORTS

BY THEO DEROSA tion could take place while its hit the hardest, as players Make no mistake, though:
tderosa@cdispatch.com

Westlee Honeycutt sat on

his front porch, waiting.
It was Tuesday afternoon,
and the Caledonia High
member schools were closed,
knew what the announcement
meant: His baseball career
was over.
Shortly after noon Wednes-
day, MHSAA confirmed what
who spent four or even more
years investing in a program
never got to see it through in
their final seasons.
“The seniors took it real-
ly hard,” Caledonia softball
Area players and coaches
understand the MHSAA’s
decision to prioritize the safe-
2020 Spring
records for
ty of its athletes. Columbus
High School softball coach
Eric Thornton praised the

School senior
baseball play-
er was watch-
ing Gov. Tate
Reeves deliver
an update on
public schools
in Mississippi in
the midst of the Reeves
COVID-19 coro-
navirus pandemic. Honeycutt
listened, hoping not to hear
what he knew was coming.
Reeves said it anyway:
Schools were closed for the
rest of the 2019-20 academic
year. Honeycutt, aware of the
Mississippi High School Ac-
tivities Association’s policy
that no practice or competi-
Honeycutt and baseball and
softball coaches around the
area already knew. The orga-
nization suspended all sports
and activities among the
state’s public schools through
June 1 and until further no-
tice, officially wiping spring
sports off the calendar for the
rest of the year — and leaving
Honeycutt with a message
stuck in his mind.
“Experience life as it
comes,” he told The Dispatch
on Wednesday. “Don’t take
it for granted. Enjoy the mo-
ment. You never know when it
can be taken away.”
For Honeycutt and seniors
around the area, the decision
coach Andy Finch said. “For
it to be taken away without
any control, it’s heartbreak-
ing for them.”
Finch said that while his
four seniors — Carlee Dale,
Maddy Suggs, Tori Brooks
and Olivia Boykin — will
never forget the games they
played, they’ll be unable to
make more lasting memories
outside of competition.
“They’ll remember the
bus trips,” said Finch, whose
team was 6-2 when the sea-
son shut down. “They’ll re-
member stopping and eat-
ing with teammates.” That’s
something you can never get
back.”
league’s incremental mea-
sures: On March 16, the MH-
SAA paused competition for
two weeks, and Reeves’ order
March 20 that schools would
be closed through April 17
extended the suspension.
Thornton said the MHSA A
had a plan in place if schools
restarted this coming Mon-
day and another for a May 4
resumption.
Ultimately, the contin-
gencies weren’t needed, but
Thornton said he is “really
proud of how they’ve handled
all of it.”
He’s still aware of the
unfortunate circumstances
See SPORTS, 2B
local teams
n Starkville softball: 2-0
n New Hope softball: 8-2
n Columbus softball: 4-1
n Caledonia softball: 6-2
n Caledonia baseball: 9-4
n Starkville baseball: 8-4
n New Hope baseball: 5-3
n West Point softball: 0-0
n West Lowndes baseball: 0-0
n West Point baseball: 2-7
n West Lowndes softball: 0-2
n Noxubee County softball: 0-2
n Noxubee County baseball: 0-3
n Columbus baseball: 0-7

MSU’s Bibby
transferring
to Maryland
BY DISPATCH STAFF
STARKVILLE — For-
mer Mississippi State for-
ward Chloe Bibby will fin-
ish out her college career
on the East Coast.
After entering the
transfer portal on April
6, it was announced
Wednesday via Twitter
that Bibby will play her
final year of collegiate
competition under Bren-
da Frese at Maryland.
“I would like to thank
all the universities and
coaches who took the
time and effort in contact-
ing me during this pro-
cess,” she wrote. “I am
excited to announce that
I will be continuing my
education and basketball
journey at the University
of Maryland. Go Terps!
I also want to say a
massive thank you to
Mississippi State Uni-
versity and the bulldog
family, I will be forever
grateful for the love and
support you showed me
as a person and player.”
Bibby averaged 7.5
Jason Clark/EMCC Athletics points and 5.2 rebounds
EMCC sophomore guard Donte Powers drives to the basket for the Lions. Powers, a Starkville High School graduate, per game as a junior at
signed with Sam Houston State on Wednesday. MSU after her soph-
omore campaign was
ry, Bibby saw her playing
time decrease from 27.6
minutes per game in 2019
to 23 minutes per contest
this past year.
It’s unclear whether
she will be
immediate-
ly eligible.
Bibby
becomes
the second
f o r m e r
MSU play-
er in the Bibby
past five
days to find a new colle-
giate home after fresh-
man guard Jayla Heming-
way committed to West
Virginia April 10.
The Bulldogs are slat-
ed to have four scholar-
ships still available for
next season, though it
remains to be seen how
first-year head coach Nik-
ki McCray-Penson will
fill those slots.
“Obviously, recruiting
is the lifeline for what we
do,” McCray-Penson said
in her introductory press
conference Tuesday.
“Right now, we’re in com-
munication with players.
I will tell you we’re going
to get players in there

EMCC guard Donte Powers signs to cut short due to a sea-

son-ending knee injury.
Never quite finding her
that fit our culture. They
have to fit our brand and
we know we are a national

play basketball at Sam Houston State

previous form post-inju- brand right now.”

BY THEO DEROSA
tderosa@cdispatch.com
East Mississippi Community Col-
lege men’s basketball coach Billy
Begley has seen Donte Powers grow
more in two years than any other
player Begley has coached in Scoo-
ba.
The Starkville High School prod-
uct came to EMCC in July 2018
standing 6-foot-2 and weighing just
160 pounds. During his freshman
season, he averaged 5.5 points and
1.4 rebounds per game.
But by his sophomore season,
Powers had gained 15 points, had
improved his scoring mark to 13.2
points per contest and had become
the Lions’ leader in a 16-9 season.
“I put in the work,” Powers said.
On Wednesday, that work was re-
warded when Powers signed to play
basketball for NCAA Division I pro-
gram Sam Houston State.
“It wasn’t a surprise to me that
I was going D-I because it’s what I
worked for,” Powers said.
Powers, who said he saw improve-
ment in his scoring ability and his
feel for the game in his two seasons
with the Lions, said the best part of
his game is his ability to create off
the dribble. But both he and Begley
pointed out Powers’ skill on the oth-
er end of the floor as well.
“He can really defend the ball,”
Begley said. “He’s gonna really take
pride defensively.”
The coach also noted that Pow-
ers is adept at making the extra
pass, getting in the lane and knock-
ing down shots. Couple that with a
well-developed work ethic, and the
Bearkats will get a solid player to
add to their roster.
“He’s consistent with his effort
every day,” Begley said of Powers.
“You know what you’re gonna get.”
What Sam Houston State will get
is a player who Begley said has been
somewhat “overlooked” through his
career in high school and college.
Powers felt the same, but for him, it
was just “fuel to the fire.” College commissioners
“It made me want to work even
harder in my craft,” Powers said.
So he did, working to earn sever-
tell Pence no football
al Division I offers -- exactly what he
planned on when he picked EMCC
before campuses open
out of high school.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS about the differences be-
“JUCO really developed my tween us and professional
game,” Powers said. “I’m really glad The commissioners of sports,” American Athlet-
I went JUCO.” the nation’s major college ic Conference Commis-
On Wednesday, he officially
football conferences held sioner Mike Aresco said.
chose Sam Houston State over Ar- a 30-minute conference
“We talked about how ac-
kansas-Pine Bluff and Texas State.
call Wednesday with Vice ademics and college ath-
The Bearkats have what Powers
President Mike Pence letics were inseparable.”
called a “gritty” style of play, and
and stressed that college Big 12 Commissioner
Powers said he’s a gritty person and
sports cannot return Bob Bowlsby said Pence
player by nature. Thus the match
from the coronavirus asked good questions
was made.
Powers will join former New shutdown until campuses and was “hopeful and op-
Hope High School standout Terry- have reopened. timistic” about the fight
onte Thomas in Huntsville, Texas, The 10 commission- against the coronavirus.
after the two played together with ers, along with the ath- The pandemic has shut
the Lions last season. letic director of Notre down all major sporting
“He taught me a lot,” Powers said. Dame, comprise the Col- events since mid-March
“I’m looking forward to getting lege Football Playoff man- and forced colleges to
better with him and hopefully win- agement committee. close campuses and move
ning a championship.” “We were able to talk See COLLEGE, 2B
2B THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2020
Little League World Series faces 0-2 count amid coronavirus
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Put them in, coach.
The boys and girls of
summer are ready to
play.
But Little League, like
most of the sports world,
has been benched. Youth
baseball fields sit empty,
and parents mourn the
loss of spring ball, yearn-
ing for the days when
the best way to flatten
the curve was with a line
drive up the middle.
The youth baseball
program that boasts
more than 2.5 million
kids spread over 6,500
programs in 84 coun-
tries is on hold at least
until May 11 due to the
coronavirus pandemic.
Even that target date
seems optimistic, and
the fate of its signature
event, the Little League
World Series in August
in South Williamsport,
Pennsylvania is unclear.
“If we were going
to play the world se-
ries, traditionally like
we have done for many,
many years, we need to
be playing and picking
teams by the middle of
June,” said Little League
President Stephen Keen-
er, who has yet to set
a drop-dead date for a
Sports
Continued from Page 1B
for his team, of course.
Columbus was 4-1 be-
fore play was suspend-
ed, and Thornton said
the Falcons were better
set up than they had
been in the past five
or six years. A fter a
move down to Class 5A
competition, the coach
thought his team had a
shot.
“We did feel like we
had a chance to com-
pete and get in the play-
offs,” Thornton said.
So did Honeycutt,
whose Caledonia team
was 8 -3 and unaware of
College
Continued from Page 1B
classes online.
The White House has
said it is important to re-
open the U.S. economy,
though the details on
how that will happen will
be complicated and like-
ly involve local, state and
federal guidelines on
safety. President Donald
Trump has also been en-
gaged with profession-
al sports leagues with
the multibillion-dollar
sports industry on hold.
The college football
season is scheduled to
begin Labor Day week-
end, but many questions
remain to be answered
for a sport that is the life-
tournament decision.
Keener has been the
Little League CEO since
1996 and spent almost
40 years in the organiza-
tion, but trying to figure
out the dynamics of a re-
scheduled tournament is
more complex than the
infield fly rule.
At best, Little League
would have to loosen
some of its rules on qual-
ifying -- such as mini-
mum number of games --
for teams to participate.
Postponement to even a
fall date is a thorny issue
because anything be-
yond August would dis-
rupt the school year.
“If we were to do it in
the fall, pretty much ev-
ery team that would be
here would have to be
uprooted from school,”
Keener said. “I’m not
so sure that it would be
in the best interest of a
child’s education, after
having missed proba-
bly a couple of months
school already, to take
them out of school in
the fall to come play in
a baseball tournament.
That, to me, would be
quite unimportant.”
And there’s this: It is a
World Series, emphasis
on world. The 2019 inter-
national bracket features
what was to come when
the ’Feds traveled to
Gordo (Alabama) for a
March 12 game.
During the contest,
which Caledonia lost
8 - 0, the visitors’ dugout
grew loud with chat-
ter and thick with ten-
sion. A fter the game,
coach Travis Garner
addressed his team
about the possible con-
sequences of the virus’s
outbreak.
“‘ This pandemic is
getting real,’” Honey-
cutt thought to himself.
A round the same
blood for many athletic
departments.
“(We) made the point
we were concerned and
wanted to get back to
having kids attending
college and opening up
our colleges and univer-
sities,” Bowlsby said.
“That until that hap-
pened we weren’t going
to be having any sports.”
The commissioners
would like major college
football to start at the
same time all over the
country, which could be
difficult depending on
how the pandemic fades.
“We talked a little
about whether there
The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com
teams from Curaçao, Ja- have the packed floors of
pan, Mexico, Australia families, fans and ball-
and Italy. There are trav- players that send busi-
el restrictions guidelines ness booming for two
because of the global weeks every August.
pandemic that could Nilesh Patel, the
make it impossible for general manager of the
some teams to partici- Red Roof Inn across the
pate. street from the complex,
“Ultimately, we’ll said 30 to 40 percent of
have to go country by its business is generated
country,” Keener said. during the World Series.
The Associated Press “It’s a hot time for
is looking at the impact all business people, not
of the cancellation or only us,” Patel said.
postponement of some Patel said the mo-
of the iconic sporting tel’s 100 rooms are sold
events due to the coro- out for two weeks - go-
navirus pandemic is hav- ing for $199 to $259 per
ing on cities and com- night - and families from
munities. If the LLWS South Korean and Chi-
is canceled, the hardest nese teams usually book
hit town would surely be rooms at checkout for
Williamsport, a city of the next year.
about 29,000 that is the Now, Patel lament-
heartbeat of Lycoming ed, “people are afraid of
County, and synony- traveling,” leaving the
mous with Little League vacancy light on these
since 1947. days, though no one has
“This is who we are. canceled yet for August
This is what we’re known because the series is still
for,” said Jason Fink, the on the calendar.
Williamsport/Lycoming The Major League
Chamber of Commerce Baseball Little League
president. “It’s more Classic was added in
than just baseball.” 2016 and the Boston
The World Series is Red Sox and Baltimore
scheduled to run Aug. 20 Orioles are still set to
to Aug. 30, and any kind play Aug. 23 at Bowman
of cancellation would Field, the home of the
crush the hospitality in- Phillies’ Class-A team.
dustry. Hotels would not Fink said the econom-
time that day, after the tion about the possible
West Point baseball implications of the vi-
team suffered a 2-1 rus. When Stephany, a
walk-off loss to Water chemistry and physics
Valley at the Northeast teacher at her son’s high
Mississippi Community school, admitted that
College Classic in Boon- a return to in-person
eville, Green Wave se- classes was improbable,
nior Baker Watson had Baker had one question:
to come to grips with Was his final baseball
the same realization. season about to be over?
“I was really hoping “‘Most likely,’” his
that that wouldn’t be mother told him.
our last game,” he told Baker said that while
The Dispatch. Wednesday’s official
Before Reeves’ state- announcement from the
ment Tuesday, Watson MHSA A was no sur-
and his mother Stepha- prise, “(i)t was kind of
ny struck up a conversa- sad that the senior sea-
would be a national pol- dent was likely in about
icy because, obviously, if a month.
governors have different College Football Play-
policies you’re going to off executive director
have some issues,” Ares- Bill Hancock, who was
co said. “If California also on the call, said the
isn’t allowing football Jan. 1 semifinals in New
and Ohio is that’s going Orleans and Pasadena,
to be issue for what is California, and the Jan.
obviously a national en- 11 championship game
terprise.” in Miami are still on.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, “I was glad to know
the United State’s top in- that the vice president
fectious disease expert, understands how im-
said in a Snapchat inter- portant college football
view it is unlikely sport- is,” Hancock said.
ing events can happen The size of the sea-
this summer with large son is daunting, with
crowds in attendance. more than 1,500 reg-
Bowlsby said another ular-season games for
call with the vice presi- 130 schools in the Bowl
ic impact of the LLWS on
the region is “well over
$30 million” and there is
no event that could raise
even a fraction of the po-
tential lost revenue.
There’s also the expo-
sure that comes with a
television contract with
ABC/ESPN that earns
the organization more
than $9 million per year
through 2022. The 2019
championship game got
3.02 million viewers on
ABC.
But if the event is
canceled this year, Fink
said the city will bounce
back.
“If for some reason we
do not have it this year,
next year it will be big-
ger, it will be better,” he
said.
The Little League
World Series turns 75
next year, and the quaint
traditions of the event
such as pin trading are
cardboard box sled rides
down the hill behind
Howard J. Lamade Sta-
dium are sure to return
once its safe.
Without a tourna-
ment, there would be no
feel-good stories like the
one Alex Rice enjoyed.
He was the coach of
the Taney Dragons and
then 13-year-old Mo’ne
son got cut short.”
Neither he nor Hon-
eycutt has been able to
earn a college scholar-
ship to play baseball,
and both are well aware
that will be even harder
now. Watson said he’s
signing up for as many
recruiting showcases
and tryouts as he can,
but Honeycutt has had
to come to terms with
the fact that he’s played
his last competitive
baseball game. He’ll
head to Itawamba Com-
munit y College in the
fall, not 100 percent
Subdivision alone, the
NCA A’s highest level
of football. Each team
plays 12 regular-season
games and each confer-
ence plays a lucrative
championship game.
Division I colleges,
including about 120 that
either play in football’s
second-tier or not at all,
have already taken a fi-
nancial hit with the can-
cellation of the NCA A
men’s basketball tour-
nament in March. Some
$375 million will not be
distributed to them this
year.
Not playing a football
season could be even
Davis, the 2014 Associat-
ed Press Female Athlete
of the Year who became
an instant celebrity and
the first girl to win a Lit-
tle League World Series
game.
“The first night game,
with I think 35,000 peo-
ple, and about 95% Phil-
adelphia folks, that was
really terrific,” Rice
said. “... But kind of like
we are now, we were se-
questered in our little
dorms. The kids were
are on social media and
everything but you real-
ly have a good sense of
what was going on with
how excited the city was
getting.”
Amid the hoopla, Rice
didn’t feel the Dragons
got a chance to really
live the full World Series
experience so he took
the majority of the team
back in 2015 as regular
kids.
“We did the pin trad-
ing. We did the card-
board down the hill,”
Rice said. “We kind of
relaxed on the hill and
enjoyed it.”
Once it’s safe for play
to resume, so should the
memorable times at Wil-
liamsport.
sure of what major he’ll
pursue.
A nd despite the ear-
ly end to their final
year, Honeycutt and his
teammates are staying
positive. A fter Reeves’
press conference, the
’Feds’ 12th graders
comforted each other in
their senior class group
chat. Honeycutt, disap -
pointed but remaining
optimistic, broke the
news to his father.
“‘It ’s been fun,’”
Honeycutt told him. “‘I
don’t regret anything
that ever happened.’”
more costly. That would
put television contracts
that pay out hundreds of
millions to the so-called
Power Five conferences
at risk. The other five
FBS conferences make
far less from TV rights,
but their schools still
rely heavily on football
revenue.
The College Football
Playoff, including the
major bowl games known
as the New Year’s Six
pay out about $674 mil-
lion per season. Most of
that gets paid to confer-
ences and passed along
to member schools.

Column: When sports returns, a chance to move past greed
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Golfers on the Euro-
pean Tour received news
this week that didn’t ex-
actly paint a rosy picture
of what things might look
like when the coronavirus
crisis subsides and play re-
sumes.
There will almost sure-
ly be less money to play
for, which by itself was bad
enough. Euro Tour CEO
Keith Pelley told players he
expects reductions in purs-
es because sponsorships
and television money will
be down.
But no espresso in
the player’s lounge? No
free courtesy cars to get
around?
Possibly no fans, either,
but that increasingly looks
like the reality for most
Comics & Puzzles
DILBERT
ZITS
GARFIELD
CANDORVILLE
BABY BLUES
BEETLE BAILEY
MALLARD FILLMORE
sports, at least for the re-
mainder of this year.
A different era in sports
is coming, thanks to the
ravages of the new coro-
navirus. And it’s not only
golfers who will be feeling
the fallout for some time to
come.
Around the world,
sports officials are scram-
bling to figure out a future
that is suddenly uncertain.
And just what that future
might be is now beginning
to come into a little focus.
In golf it likely means
fewer tournaments, fewer
perks and, yes, less mon-
ey. While the PGA Tour
has yet to weigh in, Pel-
ley made it clear what the
sport is facing in the places
it plays around the world.
“The reality is, the pan-
demic is going to have a
FAMILY CIRCUS
The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com
profound impact on the
tour financially, as well as
many of our partners, both
in sponsorship and broad-
cast areas,” Pelley said.
There will be changes
in other sports, too. Money
that has fueled exorbitant
profits — and exorbitant
salaries — for most of the
current century won’t be as
easy to find as businesses
and entire industries try to
recover from the economic
shock of the coronavirus
shutdown.
The old guarantees are
simply not there anymore.
The financial model for
sports may not be broken,
but it’s certainly going
to suffer from a million
cracks.
That’s a big reason why
the XFL folded its tent rath-
er than try to resume what
had been a promising first
season. It’s the same rea-
son colleges around the
country are beginning to
make moves as they try
to figure out what football
and basketball will look
like when sports resume.
Already, the University
of Cincinnati has slashed
soccer, a sport on campus
for nearly a half century.
Salaries at Iowa State have
been trimmed, and Lou-
isville basketball coach
Chris Mack had $400,000
lopped off his $4 million
annual pay.
Meanwhile, Major
League Baseball is cutting
the salary of senior staff by
an average of 35% for this
year as it becomes increas-
ingly clear any season that
might be played — if it is
played — will be shorter
Dear Abby
D
EAR ABBY:
I’m in my
mid-40s, and
a LOT of my female
friends are involved
in multilevel mar-
keting companies.
Whether it be for
eyelashes, sup-
plements, jewelry,
antiaging products,
candles, leggings,
etc., I receive
nonstop “invita-
tions” to buy their
products.
I’m old enough Dear Abby
to know from expe-
rience that most of
the products are rubbish, and
many times way overpriced. I’m
simply not interested. How do
I politely (yet firmly) decline the
invitations that come my way
without hurting their feelings?
— MULTILEVEL MARKETING
HATER
DEAR MULTILEVEL MARKET-
ING: It’s time you recognize the
difference between a friendship
and a marketing ploy. If you are
invited to something, feel free
to ask whether there will be
any selling and, if there will be,
decline. To do so is not being
rude or hurtful. Women who are
really your friends will continue
to be, and those who aren’t will
disappear.
DEAR ABBY: My mom and
stepdad occasionally watch
my children to help us out or
to spend time with them. I just
found out that Mom will not put
Horoscopes
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (April
16). Your cosmic birthday
present is the power to create
yourself, which you’ll do in
affirmations, actions, prayers,
exercises, work and reflection.
It’s your own innermost feelings
that will have the greatest
bearing on who you become and
what happens next. Practice
self-love and faith in all you have
to offer. Your Leo and Scorpio
adore you. Your lucky numbers
are: 8, 1, 44, 37 and 11.
ARIES (March 21-April
19). You may not do what you
set out to do, but that is hardly
the point. The more you try and
accomplish, the better your
skills get. Soon your ability will
than anyone wants. MLB
had already made a deal
with the players’ union to
advance $170 million to
players in salary for the
first 60 days of the season
in exchange for players
giving up the remainder
of their roughly $4 billion
in salary if no games are
played.
Revenues are going to
be down across the board
in all sports. There’s no
way around it because
even if games resume, fans
will be slow to return and
adjustments will have to be
made to lure them back.
That might not be such
a bad thing for fans who
have to pay $50 to park and
$16 for a decent beer after
already digging deep to
buy tickets for the family.
That’s especially true now,
my 8-month-old
into a crib or
Pack ‘n Play to
sleep. She puts
her into bed
along with my
4-year-old son.
I have asked
my mother
repeatedly not
to do that, not
only for safety,
but so everyone
can sleep. She
refuses. She
says I should
trust them, and
they should be
allowed to do
whatever they want when the
kids are with them. Please tell
me what to do. — FRUSTRATED
DAUGHTER
DEAR FRUSTRATED: Why
you should trust someone who
deliberately ignores your wishes
is beyond me. Let me tell you
what NOT to do. Do not allow
your children to stay with your
mother under these circum-
stances. Sometimes Mama
does NOT know best, and this
is one of them. If you prefer
your children not share the
same bed, your wishes should
be respected.
DEAR ABBY: My boyfriend
and I live quite far from town
and spend a lot of time in the
car — usually his. He bought
some air fresheners for his car,
which made me nauseated and
gave me headaches. I asked
him to please remove them, but
be so sharp that all connected
work will be done in a fraction of
the time.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20).
Gravity is invisible, though the
proof of gravity is rather obvious
to see. Love is the same way.
Today, you’ll witness the effects
of love and feel its force on a
visceral level.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21).
You are coming back to a part
of yourself that has been long
abroad. It’s not that you outgrew
or rejected this aspect of you,
but you have not been able to
prioritize it. That will change.
CANCER (June 22-July 22).
Privacy is sacred. Your story is
yours to impart or not. Keeping
THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2020 3B
with millions of fans out of
work and others living pay-
check to paycheck, with no
money in the budget to go
to a ballgame when they
resume.
It will be a bad thing
for players, who might be
shocked to find out that in
the real world, salaries can
go down just as they once
used to always go up.
It’s already an issue in
England, where players
in the Premier League
are digging their cleats
in and refusing to accept
pay cuts. That drew a re-
sponse from a Conserva-
tive Party lawmaker who
contrasted player pay to
that of health care work-
ers and said they needed
to have their salaries cut
as part of sacrifices being
made across the nation.
he refused because he doesn’t
want to waste the $2.50. He
said he likes the smell.
Abby, we have two other
vehicles we can take. I felt
it was such a small thing he
could do to make me feel
better. He doesn’t agree. What
is your opinion on the matter?
— STUNK UP IN FLORIDA
DEAR STUNK: You may be
allergic to something in that air
freshener, which is why you got
the headache and became nau-
seated. Asking your boyfriend
to remove it was a small thing
-- not like asking him to remove
a limb. If he were less self-cen-
tered and more considerate, he
would have accommodated you.
In my opinion, you should
take one of the other cars when
you drive together.
Dear Abby is written by
Abigail Van Buren, also known
as Jeanne Phillips, and was
founded by her mother, Pauline
Phillips. Contact Dear Abby
at www.DearAbby.com or P.O.
Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA
90069.
For an excellent guide to
becoming a better conversa-
tionalist and a more sociable
person, order “How to Be
Popular.” Send your name and
mailing address, plus check or
money order for $8 (U.S. funds)
to: Dear Abby, Popularity Book-
let, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris,
IL 61054-0447. (Shipping and
handling are included in the
price.)
things on a need-to-know basis
can be as much about self-re-
spect and love as it is about
image control.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22).
Consider what it means to feel
trapped. If a person believes
there is a lack of options, it
doesn’t matter if it’s true or
not; limits are in place. Ask the
question and repeat: What is
really true here?
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22).
Problems just get knottier when
left to nature. The thinking — or
more likely the unthinking —
that created a tangle cannot
also unravel it. You’ll employ
your higher mind.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23).
You don’t think it’s anyone’s job
to be on your side, and that’s
what makes for the sweet mo-
ment when you notice that it’s
happening quite naturally. Your
team is emerging.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21).
You are enacting patterns that
served another situation and
no longer apply to the current
one. There’s nothing to work on
here. As you get used to the way
things are now, the unnecessary
things will fall away naturally.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-
Dec. 21). The historic cases of
subjects falling in love with their
biographers are numerous — a
natural progression, as there
is nothing more seductive than
interest. Use the concept to
your advantage.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan.
19). To be true to yourself
creates a power that the world
will organize itself around. It will
be well worth the courage you
have to muster in order to make
this happen.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb.
18). Places aren’t perfect
because people aren’t perfect.
Wherever they go, they are there
inside an imperfect vessel.
While it’s futile to look for the
ideal spot, today you’ll find one
that’s much better than the last.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March
20). On the one hand, you feel
you shouldn’t have to perform
for people. On the other, every-
one does. People need their
roles, and they also need to
trust that others will play theirs,
too. It’s making the world go
around today.
Tit for tat
SOLUTION:
4B THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2020 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com
 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2020 5B

LOCAL BUSINESS VOICES Factory shutdowns near

Help when you need it WWII demobilization levels
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BY THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE
Unemployment been waived, and benefits can be
DEVELOPMENT LINK delivered to you as quickly as they WASHINGTON — American industry col-
If you have not already, now is
lapsed in March as the pandemic wreaked havoc

T
he COVID-19 crisis has left
many in our community
without all or some of their
source of income. Federal relief pro-
grams under the CARES Act will
provide support to individuals and
businesses, but these programs are
still being delivered and, in some
cases, details worked out.
Stimulus checks began roll-
ing out this week, but many will
continue to wait for help. Yesterday,
Governor Tate Reeves announced
two programs to provide additional
assistance to those in need.
Mississippi Home Help is a
program that will allow funds to be
distributed to individuals to assist
with their mortgages. Homeowners
can apply online at mshomesaver.
com to submit a request. This pro-
gram can provide up to six months
of mortgage assistance.
The MS Department of Human
Services and the MS Department of
Health rolled out the MS Childcare
Crisis Assistance in Isolation Re-
sponse Plan. Emergency childcare
centers will be opening around the
state for essential workers if their
traditional childcare operators are
not open. Emergency assistance
to pay for childcare through this
program is available through the
state. Details of this program can
be found at mdhs.ms.gov/ccair.
the time to apply for unemploy-
ment benefits. If you haven’t been
able to get through, keep trying.
We’ve been communicating
with our partners in Jackson to try
and implement strategies to reduce
the bottleneck and get individuals
processed quickly. We’ve heard
stories of people submitting their
applications online in the early
morning hours, getting multiple
people to attempt to call the ho-
tline, coworkers helping each other
walk through the online applica-
tion, and other strategies to get it.
Keep trying.
Individuals may qualify for
benefits if:
■ you have been laid off or your
employer has shut down due to
COVID-19
■ your hours have been reduced
as part of the COVID-19 pandem-
ic; you may be eligible for partial
unemployment.
■ you have tested positive for
the COVID-19 virus, or have been
quarantined by a medical pro-
fessional or government agency
because of contact with COVID-19
■ are caring for an immediate
family member who is diagnosed
with COVID-19
It is important to file your unem-
ployment claim as soon as possible.
The weekly waiting period has
are processed, often within 7 days.
If you do not qualify for un-
employment, you still qualify for
assistance under the CARES Act.
Assistance for filing for unem-
ployment can be accessed anytime
via phone at 888-844-3577 or
visiting mdes.ms.gov/unemploy-
ment-claims/. These claims can be
filled out online on a phone, tablet
or computer.
Locally, the following offices
are available by phone or email to
individuals looking for assistance:
Mayhew Job Center
AmoryJobCenter@mdes.ms.gov
662-243-1797 or 662-243-1801
West Point Job Center
AmoryJobCenter@mdes.ms.gov
662-243-2647 or 662-243-1802
These offices are not open to
the public currently and are follow-
ing shelter in place guidelines.
Remember, following the
economic recession in 2008, the
Golden Triangle saw one of the
most significant periods of new job
growth and wealth creation in the
region’s history. This isn’t our first
rodeo. We are going to recover and
get back to work as soon as we can.
Take care and continue to shel-
ter in place.
on the U.S. economy. Manufacturing and overall
industrial production posted the biggest declines
since the United States demobilized after World
War II.
The Federal Reserve reported Wednesday
that manufacturing output dropped 6.3 percent
last month, led by plunging production at auto
factories that have entirely shut down. Overall,
industrial production, which includes factories,
utilities and mines, plummeted 5.4 percent. The
declines were the biggest since 1946 and far
worse than what economists had expected.
Production of autos and auto parts went into
freefall, dropping 28 percent.
The lockdowns and travel restrictions imposed
to combat COVID-19 have brought economic ac-
tivity to a near-standstill. Output dropped 3.9 per-
cent at utilities and 2 percent at mines as oil and
gas drilling plunged, the Fed said.
Factories were running at 70.2 percent of ca-
pacity last month, down from 75.1 percent in Feb-
ruary and lowest since 2010 when the U.S. econo-
my was still recovering from the 2007-2009 Great
Recession.

Banks brace for big loan defaults by US, global customers

BY KEN SWEET
AP Business Writer
NEW YORK — The
major banks in the U.S.
are anticipating a flood
of loan defaults as house-
holds and business cus-
tomers take a big financial
hit from the coronavirus
pandemic.
JPMorgan Chase, Wells
Fargo, Bank of America,
Citigroup and Goldman
Sachs raised the funds set
aside for bad loans by near-
ly $20 billion combined in
the first quarter, earnings
reports released over the
past two days show. And
Wall Street expects that
figure may go even higher
next quarter, a possibility
bank executives acknowl-
edged on earnings confer-
ence calls.
Bank of America and
Citigroup said Wednes-
day that their profits sank
more than 40 percent in
the first quarter as both
set aside billions for po-
tentially bad loans. A day
earlier, JPMorgan Chase
and Wells Fargo reported
even steeper drops in prof-
it as those banks also set
aside large sums to cover
loan losses.
Even the investment
banks were not immune
to the pandemic. Goldman
Sachs’ first-quarter prof-
it dropped by 46 percent
from a year earlier, due
to significant losses on its
own investments as well
as a buildup in reserves
for potential loan defaults.
The coronavirus out-
break has bought the
U.S. economy to a virtual
standstill in just weeks.
Most economists — and
bank CEOs — expect the
U.S. to go through a de-
pression.

Record 22 million have sought

US jobless aid since virus
BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER
AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON — The wave of lay-
offs that has engulfed the U.S. economy
since the coronavirus struck forced 5.2
million more people to seek unemploy-
ment benefits last week, the government
reported Thursday.
Roughly 22 million have now sought
that is tumbling into what appears to be
a calamitous recession, the worst in de-
cades. The nation’s output could shrink
by roughly 10.5 percent before it starts LOCAL GAS PRICES
to rebound, according to Ryan Sweet, an Source: gasbuddy.com
economist at Moody’s Analytics. That
would be more than double the contrac- COLUMBUS
tion that occurred during the 2008-2009
recession, which was the worst down- 1.65 CHEVRON
488 US-45 S & Frontage Rd.

turn since the Great Depression of the

jobless benefits in the past month — eas-
ily the worst stretch of U.S. job losses 1930s. 1.67 SPIRIT
1450 Jess Lyons & Ridge Rd.

on record. It means that roughly one in All businesses deemed nonessential

seven workers have lost their jobs in that have been closed in nearly every state. 1.67 SPRINT
3115 US 45 N & Holly Hills Rd.

time. Deep job losses have been inflicted

The grim figures point to an economy across nearly every industry. STARKVILLE
1.49 STRANGE BREW
605 MS 12 W

Get promoted? Win an award? Send us your business brief.

news@cdispatch.com
1.52 WALMART
105 Market St.

subject: Business brief 1.52 MURPHY USA

1012 MS-12
Classifieds
Ads appear in The Commercial Dispatch,
The Starkville Dispatch and Online
To place ads starting at only $12,
call 662-328-2424 or visit ads.cdispatch.com
THE DISPATCH n CDISPATCH.COM n THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2020 n 6B

Houses For Sale: East General Merchandise Motorcycles & ATVs

Rentals WHITE POSTER

Vehicles 1993 KAWASAKI
VOYAGER XII Only 25,500
BOARDS.
Ads starting at $25 24"x23" Ads starting at $12 miles. Runs & looks good.
No problems. $3000 OBO.
$0.50 each Can be seen local.
100 in stock Campers & RVs
Apts For Rent: West Visit 516 Main Street
501−545−7750.
or call 662−328−2424

VIP
2012 JAYCO EAGLE 5th 2 RACING GO KARTS,
WHEEL, 39ft, 4 slide−outs. extra tires & gears,

Rentals
BARGAIN: 2BR/2BA in 2BR, 48" TV & 27" TV. $2,500. Call between
Columbus. LR, DR/KIT & cdispatch.com $26,500. 662−386−9605. 8a−7p, 662−328−0028.
step down den. Large lot.
Apartments & Houses
Needs work but is livable.

Community
Price reduced. Must sell.
1 Bedrooms
$9500. 662−574−2617.

2 Bedroooms Houses For Sale: New Hope

Ads starting at $12
3 Bedrooms 16 WIDNER IN NEW HOPE
Newly remodeled. 3BR/ Travel & Entertainment
Furnished & Unfurnished
Sudoku
2BA home. Approx. 1,500
sq. ft. Has 25’x30’ wired YESTERDAY’S ANSWER
1, 2, & 3 Baths metal shop w/ roll−up front PUBLIC CATFISH POND
Lease, Deposit
Place an ad safely Sudoku
Sudoku is a number- Yesterday’s answer
& side door. $154,500. @ 130 Hillcrest Drive.
& Credit Check
662−549−9298. Open Tues−Sat, 7a−5p placing puzzle based on
Lots & Acreage
Appointment Only, call
Sudoku
a 9x9 gridis witha several
num- 9 5 8 3 4 7 1 6 2

from home with

viceinvestments.com 662−386−8591
ber-placing
given numbers.puzzle 2 4 6 9 1 5 3 8 7
327-8555
The object

2020 Conceptis Puzzles, Dist. by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

1.75 ACRE LOTS. based onthe
is to place a 9x9
numbers 7 3 1 6 2 8 9 5 4
Good/Bad Credit Options.
grid
1 to 9with
in theseveral
the Classifieds.
Good credit as low as 10% Five Questions: empty spaces 4 8 3 1 9 6 7 2 5
Apts For Rent: Other down, $299/mo. Eaton given
so thatnumbers.
each row, eachThe 1 9 7 4 5 2 6 3 8
Land, 662−361−7711. object
column and each 3x3 the
is to place box
1ST MONTH − RENT FREE! 1 Citronella numbers 5 6 2 8 7 3 4 1 9
1−2 BR Apt: $350−435 contains the1same to 9 number
in
8 7 9 5 3 1 2 4 6
the empty spaces so
Merchandise
1−2BR TwnHm: $625−650
only once. The difficulty
Lease, Dep, Credit Check. 2 Alton Brown that each row, each
level increases from
3 2 5 7 6 4 8 9 1
Coleman Realty column and each 6 1 4 2 8 9 5 7 3
662−329−2323 Monday
3x3 boxtocontains
Sunday.
3 The Aswan High
Difficulty Level 4/15

Ads starting at $12

the same number only once. The difficulty level
Dam increases from Monday to Sunday.
Farm Equipment & Supplies

JOHN DEERE MODEL M 4 Russell Brand

TRACTOR. A set of one row
cultivators w/ hydraulic lift,
has been repainted, looks ads.cdispatch.com 5 President of the
good & runs good, $3500.
Call 662−436−2037.
United States
Furniture

FURNITURE. Micro fabric

sofa. $150. Two like new
recliners. $150 ea.
Price negotiable.
Call 662−523−8662.

LIVING ROOM SET

Loveseat & chaise for sale.
Looking for goods
NEW!! $300.
662−242−2884. Leave a or services?
message.

COLEMAN General Merchandise

RENTALS WANTED FREON R12.

TOWNHOUSES & APARTMENTS We pay CA$H.
R12 R500 R11.
1 BEDROOM Convenient.
2 BEDROOMS Certified professionals.
312−291−9169
3 BEDROOMS

Find it in the
RefrigerantFinders.com/ad
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© The Dispatch

DEPOSIT
AND Shop
CREDIT CHECK

662-329-2323
Classifieds classifieds!
2411 HWY 45 N
COLUMBUS, MS
Commercial Property For Rent

FOR RENT LOCATED NEAR

DOWNTOWN. 3,000 sq. ft.
truck terminal, 9,500 sq.
ft. shop & 3,200 sq. ft.
office/shop. Buildings can
be rented together or
separately. All w/ excellent ACROSS
access & Hwy. 82 visibility. 1 Folded food
662−327−9559. 5 Bulletin board
Houses For Rent: Other items
10 Love affair
HOUSE NEAR MUW W/ 12 Singly
APARTMENT. 323 13th St. 13 Ship of 1492
N. 3 Blks from MUW. LR,
DR, 2/3BR−3BA, lg den w/
14 Scout’s job
fire place, kitchen, laundry, 15 Chick holder
outside fenced patio, 16 Holsteins, to
screened side porch & tots
work room & ATTACHED 18 1950s singing
APARTMENT: 1BR/1BA,
living room/kitchenette style
area. NO HUD. Ref req. 20 Count start
Dep req. $1075/mo. 21 Inner: Prefix
662−386−7506.
23 “Street
Mobile Homes for Rent Dreams” rapper
24 Shore eroder
RENT A CAMPER! 26 Kitty DOWN home
CHEAPER THAN A MOTEL! 28 Was victo- 1 Not live 25 All things
Utilities & cable included,
from $145/wk − $535/mo rious 2 Pal, to Pedro considered
Columbus & County School 29 Dainty drinks 3 Crichton novel 27 GI-entertain-
locations. 662−242−7653 31 Gallery fill 4 Unconscious ing grp.
or 205−442−2011. 32 “What a 5 Poi source 28 Terre Haute’s
shame!” 6 Guinness of river
RV/MOBILE HOME SITE 36 Goofs film 30 Skater Midori
East or West Columbus or 39 Regret
near CAFB, Caledonia 7 Silk sources 33 Actor Willis
schools. 601−940−1397. 40 Writer Chek- 8 Commonly 34 “The Age of
hov called Anxiety” poet
Office Spaces For Rent 41 Steer clear of 9 Detects 35 Monopoly
43 Flea market 11 Punk pio- cards
OFFICE SPACE FOR
LEASE. 1112 Main St., unit neers 37 Cotton pod
Ste. 5. 3700 sq. ft. 44 Cut into 17 Make a 38 Just
Plenty of private parking. cubes choice 42 Gloss target
662−327−9559. 45 Seasonal 19 Tie the knot

Service Directory
Real Estate
Ads starting at $25
Houses For Sale: East
Promote your small business starting at only $25
Building & Remodeling
2BR/1BA @ 1521
Shepherd Rd. HOME REPAIRS &
Sold as is, needs work.
MAINTENANCE
Serious inquiries only, Work wanted. Carpentry,
769−274−4110. concrete, electrical &
plumbing, shingle & metal
roofing, fascia & soffit
repairs, pressure washing
& mobile home repairs.
No Job Too Small.
662−549−7031.
General Services
A & T TREE SERVICES
Bucket truck & stump
greenery 22 Saying “nay”
46 Stock holders 24 Raptors’
General Services General Services Lawn Care / Landscaping
WORK WANTED: Licensed SAM’S LAWN SERVICE
CHAPTER 7 BANKRUPTCY
& Bonded. Carpentry, minor $545 plus Filing Fee No lawn too large or too
electrical, minor plumbing, small. Mowing, trimming &
insulation, painting, CHAPTER 13 BANKRUPTCY weedeating.
demolition, gutters All Attorney Fees Through The Plan Call 662−243−1694
cleaned, pressure washing, Jim Arnold, Attorney
landscaping, cleanup work,
662-324-1666 • 601-656-6914 Painting & Papering
moving help. 662−242−
3608. 104 South Lafayette Street, Starkville
SULLIVAN’S PAINT
SERVICE
Special Prices.
ANNIVERSARY? Lawn Care / Landscaping Interior & Exterior Painting
662−435−6528
RKERS CALL US! JESSE & BEVERLY’S
PA
LAWN SERVICE
ON
J.

You’ll find the best deals removal. Free est. Mowing, cleanup,
Serving Columbus
when you advertise since 1987. Senior E 100 Russell St.
landscaping, sodding,
& tree cutting.
W ELER
J

Starkville, MS
and shop here! citizen disc. Call Alvin @ 662-268-8058 662−356−6525
242−0324/241−4447
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