Established 1879 | Columbus, Mississippi
CDISPATCH.COM
Community panel discusses police
reform, federal examination of Ball case
Council will review CPD use of force policy this month
BY YUE STELLA YU
syu@cdispatch.com
With renewed attention
on the now widely-known
Ricky Ball case, commu-
nity leaders and public
officials examined Colum-
bus Police Department
protocols and pushed for
department policy im-
Shelton
provements and further
systemic changes during a town hall
meeting Tuesday night, a livestreamed
event that garnered about 5,700 views on
Facebook.
Parents share mixed opinions on road
test waiver for new driver’s licenses
A line of people winds around the corner on Tuesday morning outside the Mississippi Highway Patrol District 5 office in
Starkville. The Mississippi Department of Public Safety opened permanent driver’s license stations with limited services
on Monday. Due to COVID-19, drivers do not have to take road tests to get their licenses, but those under 18 must have an
affidavit signed by a parent or guardian stating that they practiced for 50 hours.
Lowndes, Oktibbeha driver’s license offices draw customers from other counties
BY TESS VRBIN
tvrbin@cdispatch.com
Demetrice Jones of Louisville said
it was “a load off” her back when her
16-year-old daughter, Dshiya, got her
driver’s license Tuesday at the license
bureau just east of Starkville.
“She just got a job at McDonald’s in
Louisville, and now that she’s got her
license, I don’t have to drive her,” said
Jones, who has other children.
Dshiya did not have to take the road
skills assessment portion of the driver’s
test. For now, candidates for non-com-
mercial driver’s licenses only have to
pass a written test, according to a Fri-
day press release from the state Depart-
ment of Public Safety.
Parents or guardians of drivers
ages 16-17 will be required to provide
an affidavit, available on the DPS web-
WEATHER
Joseph Portera
Fifth grade, Annunciation
90 Low 62
High
Sun and clouds
Full forecast on
page 3A.
141st Year, No. 77
75 ¢ Newsstand | 40 ¢ Home Delivery
Wednesday | June 10, 2020
District Attorney
Scott Colom
speaks during
The town hall, spearheaded by Dis- the Policing in
trict Attorney Scott Colom, featured a Columbus town
panel of public officials and community hall meeting on
leaders, including Colom, Columbus Tuesday at the
Mayor Robert Smith, Police Chief Fred Columbus Police
Shelton, City Attorney Jeff Turnage and Department
Lowndes County NAACP President about how his
Lavonne Latham Harris and Dispatch staff is reviewing
Publisher Peter Imes. David Horton and the Ricky Ball
Jermaine Shanklin, representing the case files and
“Justice for Ricky Ball” organization, intends to post
them on his
also attended.
website. “The
The discussion took place weeks af- door to truth
ter Mississippi Attorney General Lynn is still open,”
Fitch dropped the manslaughter charge Colom said.
See PANEL, 8A Claire Hassler/Dispatch Staff
Secretary of
state: Mississippi
not yet ready
for vote by mail
system
‘There’s no way in the
world logistically that
we could get there’
by Nov. 3
BY THEO DEROSA
tderosa@cdispatch.com
Mississippi Secre-
tary of State Michael
Watson said Tuesday
his opposition to a
statewide mail-based
voting system is be-
cause he’s not sure
it’s the safest option
for Mississippi — or Watson
if it’s even a legitimate possibility
anytime soon.
Speaking with the Rotary Club of
Columbus via Zoom, the first-term
Claire Hassler/Dispatch Staff
Republican recounted a recent con-
versation he had with Kim Wyman,
secretary of state for Washington,
one of five states where elections
See WATSON, 3A
site, “certifying 50 hours of supervised thing” in her opinion, and she would
driving time” for the driver to become
licensed. Those 18 or older do not have
to present a driving time affidavit after
prefer that her 16-year-old daughter Ja-
kayla, who is seeking a learner’s permit,
take the road test when the time comes.
James leaving
they pass the written exam.
Sgt. Derrick Beckom, the public af-
“Everyone may not be honest about
their child’s road hours and they can
Lowndes Chamber
fairs officer for Mississippi Highway
Safety Patrol Troop G, said this is to
just go in and get their license,” she
said. “I would prefer the road test, but
after almost 4 years
limit interpersonal contact between we don’t know how long this is going to DISPATCH STAFF REPORT
drivers and DPS workers until further go on.”
notice, due to the COVID-19 coronavi- Nelson said she understands the Columbus-L own-
rus pandemic. convenience of a simplified driver’s test des Chamber of Com-
While Jones is relieved, Tanya Tign- process for parents like Jones whose merce President Lisa
er of Mantee disagreed and said anyone children need to drive themselves to James will be leaving
can pass a written test, so the road test and from their jobs. the organization in
is necessary. Amy Grimes of Houston brought July and moving to
“My son is 18 and he’s here for his her daughter, Harley, to get her license Texas.
state ID,” Tigner said. “He might pass a Tuesday and said she trusted her not James’ husband, James
test, but he’s not ready to drive.” only to drive a car but also heavy ma- Columbus Air Force
Priscilla Nelson of Columbus said chinery she has been driving for years Base instructor pilot Capt. Joshua
the road test waiver is “not the safest See ROAD TEST WAIVER, 8A See JAMES, 3A
FIVE QUESTIONS LOCAL FOLKS PUBLIC
1 What is the largest inland body of water in the world? MEETINGS
2 Which actor’s voice introduced the “NBC Nightly June 12:
News with Brian Williams” each evening? Lowndes County
3 In the 1920s, the U.S. military drafted a plan called School District,
“War Plan Red,” which detailed the invasion of which 12:30 p.m.,
country? Central Office
4 Which American designer donated $10 million to the
Smithsonian to help repair the flag that inspired the June 15:
Lowndes County
“Star-Spangled Banner”?
Board of Super-
5 What term is used to describe the connection
between machines, often within a household, which visors meeting,
allows them to interact and work together? 9 a.m., Lowndes
County Court-
Answers, 8B
house
June 16: Colum-
bus City Council,
INSIDE Municipal
Complex, 5 p.m.,
Classifieds 7B Food 4B Sarah Schnaithman lives in Columbus and stream live at
Comics 3B Obituaries 4A is a law student at Ole Miss. Once done facebook.com/
Crossword 8B Opinions 6A with law school, Schnaithman hopes to help CityofColum-
Dear Abby 3B with immigration and civil rights issues. busMS/
DISPATCH CUSTOMER SERVICE 328-2424 | NEWSROOM 328-2471
2A WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 2020 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com

Masks reveal partisan split among lawmakers on coronavirus

‘Public health has become partisan’
South Carolina state Rep. Kambrell Garvin
BY DAVID A. LIEB
The Associated Press
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. —
To the issues creating a partisan
divide in state legislatures across
the U.S., add this one: masks.
Many Democratic lawmakers
are wearing them amid the coro-
navirus outbreak while many Re-
publicans refuse.
“Public health has become
partisan,” bemoaned South
Carolina state Rep. Kambrell
Garvin, a Democrat who recent-
ly became ill from COVID-19.
As legislatures around the
country resume work following
coronavirus suspensions, Demo-
crats and Republicans also have
split over social distancing, re-
mote voting and the extension of
emergency powers for governors
who had ordered businesses to
close and residents to remain
home.
Lawmakers have become ill
from the coronavirus in nearly
half the states, with Democrats
accounting for about two-thirds
of the 40 confirmed COVID-19
cases, according to an Associat-
ed Press tally. Three lawmakers
died of the virus — a Michigan
Democrat in late March and
Republicans in Louisiana and
South Dakota in early April.
Partisan divisions appear to
have grown since then, particu-
larly in the South and Midwest,
as some Republicans pushed to
reopen the economy faster than
some Democrats.
While there have been bipar-
tisan exceptions, mask-wearing
divisions among Democrats and
Republicans have been evident
during recent legislative ses-
sions in Arizona, Iowa, Kansas,
Louisiana, Minnesota, Missis-
sippi, Missouri, North Carolina,
Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania,
South Carolina and Tennessee.
In Illinois, Republican Rep.
Darren Bailey was removed from
a convention center functioning
as the House floor last month
for refusing to wear a mask. His
ejection came just moments af-
ter the Democratic-led chamber
approved a mask mandate with
support from some Republicans
in a move Bailey considered “a
show.”
“The mask is not about health.
It’s about more bureaucracy
and more government control,
of which the liberal Democrat
thrives on,” Bailey told the AP.
When Pennsylvania Repub-
lican Rep. Andrew Lewis an-
nounced through a news release
that he had self-isolated and re-
covered from COVID-19, Dem-
ocratic colleagues expressed
outrage that his diagnosis had
been kept secret from them for
a week. Democrats demanded
changes requiring lawmakers
to wear masks in the Republi-
can-controlled legislature, but
GOP legislative leaders have not
acted on the request.
In Ohio, a Democratic propos-
al to require masks at House ses-
sions and committee meetings
was defeated on a party-line vote
last month in the Republican-led
chamber. A Republican lawmak-
er then filed legislation to bar
mask requirements statewide
unless approved by two-thirds
of lawmakers. That measure is
pending.
Some trace the partisan di-
vergence on coronavirus precau-
tions to the very top of American
politics. Republican President
Donald Trump hasn’t publicly
worn masks, not even while an-
nouncing federal recommenda-
tions that Americans wear face
coverings in public to help fight
the spread of the virus.
“I think that when our presi-
dent, from a national standpoint,
signals that masks aren’t polit-
ically expedient, then I think
that trickles down to the local
and state level,” said Garvin, the
South Carolina Democrat who
has worn masks both before and
after his coronavirus illness.

Mississippi teacher pay raise plan

dies amid budget concerns
Tuesday was the deadline for House
committees to act on the teacher pay
bill, and the plan died
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
JACKSON — A pro-
posed teacher pay raise
has died at the Mississip-
pi Capitol because of bud-
get concerns during the
coronavirus pandemic.
The state Senate
passed a bill in early Feb-
ruary to provide a $1,000
pay raise to most teachers
and teachers’ assistants
during the budget year
that begins July 1. The
plan would have given
larger raises of $1,100 to
teachers in the first two
years of their careers, in
an effort to boost the be-
ginning pay and make the
jobs more attractive.
Senate Bill 2001 moved
to the House for more de-
bate. The coronavirus
pandemic struck the state
in March, knocking peo-
ple out of work and dim-
ming the state’s budget
prospects. Tuesday was
the deadline for House
committees to act on the
teacher pay bill, and the
plan died.
Republican Gov. Tate
Reeves had already
signed House Bill 1, to
provide enough mon-
ey to pay the full $1,500
pay raise that teachers
started receiving this
school year. The raise
was approved during the
election-year legislative
session of 2019, but too
little money was original-
ly budgeted because of a
bureaucratic error in how
school districts count cer-
tain categories of teach-
ers

Heat, rain, long lines: Georgia election plagued by problems

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ATLANTA — Voters
endured heat, pouring
rain and waits as long as
five hours on Tuesday to
cast ballots in Georgia,
demonstrating a fierce
desire to participate in
the democratic process
while raising questions
about the emerging bat-
tleground state’s ability to
manage elections in No-
vember when the White
House is at stake.
“It’s really dishearten-
ing to see a line like this in
an area with predominant-
ly black residents,” said
Benaiah Shaw, a 25-year-
old African American, as
he cast a ballot in Atlanta.
A confluence of events
disrupted primary elec-
tions for president, U.S.
Senate and dozens of other
contests. There were prob-
lems with Georgia’s new
voting machines, which
combine touchscreens
with scanned paper bal-
lots. The polls were staffed
by fewer workers because
of coronavirus concerns.
A reduced workforce con-
tributed to officials con-
solidating polling places,
which disproportionately
affected neighborhoods
with high concentrations
of people of color. Long
lines were also reported in
whiter suburban areas.
Some voters said they
requested mail-in ballots
that never arrived, forcing
them to go to polling plac-
es and adding to the lines.
Turnout, meanwhile, may
be higher than expected
as voters said they were
determined to exercise
their constitutional right
after the police killing of
George Floyd in Minne-
apolis and the ensuing
demonstrations that swept
cities including Atlanta.
“Too many people died
for me to have this oppor-
tunity,” said Stephanie
Bush, a 49-year-old black
independent voter in At-
lanta. “So for me not to
stick it out would be a dis-
honor to them.”
Former Vice President
Joe Biden easily won the
state’s Democratic pres-
idential primary. He was
facing no real opposition
but hoped to post a strong
showing among Georgia’s
diverse electorate to show
his strength heading into
the general election.

Remnants of Cristobal move into Midwest after lashing South

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SPRINGFIELD, Mo.
— The remnants of
Tropical Storm Cristobal
moved across parts of the
Midwest on Tuesday af-
ter lashing the South, un-
leashing downpours and
bringing gusty winds as
more high winds, heavy
rain and thunderstorms
were forecast.
Heavy rain hit Mis-
souri on Tuesday morn-
ing and Cristobal was
expected to intensify lat-
er in the day as another
“energetic” weather sys-
tem approaches from the
west and begins to inter-
act with it, the National
Weather Service said.
Cristobal may produce
flash flooding and isolat-
ed river flooding, as rain
continues overnight Tues-
day and into Wednesday,
the weather service said.
 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 2020 3A

SOCSD, facing possible shortfall of $2.1M, braces for budget cuts due to pandemic
Several cost increases including teacher pay
raises already planned for 2020-21
BY TESS VRBIN
tvrbin@cdispatch.com
T h e warned that school districts
Starkville-Oktib-
beha Consolidat-
ed School District
could see a fund-
ing cut of more
than $2 million
from the state
as a result of the McGarr
COVID-19 coronavirus, district
Chief Financial Officer Tammie
McGarr told the board of trust-
ees at its Tuesday meeting.
The “worst-case scenario”
for SOCSD is to receive 20 per-
cent less than full funding for
the 2020-21 school year, Mc-
Garr said. The district received
9 percent less than full funding
last year, and the additional 11
percent would create a loss of
about $2,145,000.
District officials will find out
the exact appropriation amount
in the state budget later this
month. State legislators have
might have to dip into their
fund balances to meet all their
expenses, McGarr said, and
SOCSD had a balance of about
$12.2 million last year.
“There are some funds this
year that could be used to pur-
chase some things that are not
ongoing budget items, more like
one-time purchases that people
have requested from their de-
partments,” McGarr said.
She has drafted two possible
2020-21 budgets, one based on
the worst-case scenario and one
based on an appropriation 6 per-
cent lower than last year’s, or a
loss of $1,345,000.
The board will discuss the
budget in a work session on June
29, at which point members will
have an exact number from the
state as the basis for the budget.
The board is required to hold a
public hearing at least a week
before approving the budget,
which is due Aug. 15.
No matter the amount from
the state, SOCSD has sever-
al cost increases on the hori-
zon that McGarr listed for the
board. The district plans to
spend an additional $728,000 on
teacher pay increases planned
on the district’s pay scale.
The addition of the Partner-
ship School, the new campus for
grades 6-7 located at Mississip-
pi State University, will increase
the district’s utilities expenses
by roughly $257,000 and add
about $50,000 in property and li-
ability insurance, McGarr said.
The school is in the final phase
of construction and is sched-
uled to open in August.
The district also expected
an overall insurance increase of
about $200,000 in January, Mc-
Garr said.
Finally, SOCSD will lose “a
good bit” of funding from the
Mississippi Adequate Educa-
tion Program because the dis-
trict’s average daily attendance
dropped by 61.37 students this
year, McGarr said. Each dis-
trict in the state receives MAEP
funding based on ADA multi-
plied by the difference between
the base cost for one student’s
education and the amount of
that cost the district pays via
property taxes.
“When you get (all) that on
top of the cut to begin with, it’s
not a pretty picture,” McGarr
said.
Administrators will evaluate
the district’s “major needs” on
a case-by-case basis during the
budgeting process, she said.
In other business, Super-
intendent Eddie Peasant de-
scribed the district’s plan to
reopen its buildings for the fall
semester as “fluid,” since con-
firmed cases of the COVID-19
coronavirus continue to rise in
the county and state.
Administrators are mindful
of the possibility
of a resurgence
of the virus in
the fall, Peasant
said, and the dis-
trict will survey
parents in July to
determine how Peasant
many are com-
fortable sending their children
to school in person in August
and how many would prefer to
continue distance learning.
“There are people who last
week probably would have been
fine to send their kids to school
and this week might be having
second thoughts because of the
numbers (of cases),” Peasant
said.
The district is consider-
ing a partnership with MSU’s
Starkville-MSU Area Rapid
Transit system to transport
some students to school in the
fall, since loading school buses
to full capacity would encour-
age the spread of COVID-19,
Peasant said.

Watson
Continued from Page 1A
are conducted entirely
by mail. Wyman, a fellow
member of the GOP, has
long been a proponent of
the system, which is sig-
nificantly more popular
nationwide with Demo-
crats than Republicans.
On the call, Watson
had one major question
for Wyman regarding
Mississippi’s voting fu-
ture: “Could we even get
there if we wanted to?”
“Michael, it’s impos-
sible,” Wyman told him.
“It took us five years to
implement a vote by mail
system. If you try to do
it now by November, it’s
going to be a catastrophic
failure. Don’t even try it.”
Watson said a state in
which 60 percent of vot-
ers currently vote by mail
could likely set up a com-
plete system by Election
Day on Nov. 3. In Mis-
sissippi, just 3.5 percent
of ballots are mailed in,
showing the state isn’t
near ready to set up a uni-
versal mail-in voting sys-
tem just yet.
“There’s no way in the
world logistically that we
could get there,” Watson
said.
Watson, who took of-
fice Jan. 9, said he had oth-
er oppositions to what has
become an increasingly
politically charged issue
during the COVID-19
pandemic. According to
a POLITICO/Morning
Consult poll conducted in
May, 77 percent of voters
who are registered Dem-
ocrats or lean Democratic
would support a federal
law requiring states to
mail ballots to all voters,
while only 42 percent of
Republicans agreed.
The secretary of state
said he was concerned
with fraud when it comes
to mail-in voting, even
citing ballots tampered
with in favor of GOP Con-
gressman Mark Harris in
North Carolina in a tightly
contested 2018 election as
a reminder that Watson’s
objections aren’t purely
political.
“This is not a partisan
bill to me,” he said. “This
is a security and integrity
of elections bill.”
Hand-in-hand with the
issue of fraud, Watson
said, are the voter rolls in
individual counties, some
of which are far from ac-
curate. He said cleaning
up the voter rolls is a bar-
rier to clear before the
conversation about state-
wide vote by mail can tru-
ly begin.
Of Mississippi’s 82
counties, Watson said 36
reported that more than
90 percent of their vot-
ing-age populations were
registered voters — a
number too high to be
believable. In six coun-
ties, that number was
more than 100 percent —
”clearly impossible,” Wat-
son said. (Watson, who
is from Pascagoula, said
his home county, Jackson
County, reported a more
typical number of 75 per-
cent.)
He said accuracy in vot-
er registration is “where
it all starts,” pointing out
that county circuit clerks
and elections commis-
sioners who either don’t
take their job serious-
ly or are unskilled with
technology are typically
the reasons for the in-
congruencies. When that
happens, it’s the responsi-
bility of the Secretary of
State’s office to “call balls
and strikes,” Watson said.
“I don’t mind going
against the grain,” he
said. “When I see some-
thing that’s right or
wrong, I don’t mind call-
ing it out. I don’t mind
negative press; I don’t
mind heat coming our
way.”
One issue that
COVID-19 has brought
to light is the provision
granting absentee ballots
to people who are tem-
porarily disabled. Law-
suits in Texas and North
Carolina have raised the
question: Does fear of
contracting the coronavi-
rus count as temporary
disability?
Watson said the Mis-
sissippi Legislature will
be fine-tuning its stance
on the issue in the months
leading up to Election
Day as he works to main-
tain an open, safe and fair
system.
“I want it easier to vote,
but I also have to protect
the integrity of the elec-
tion process,” Watson
said.
What Election Day
will look like
While Watson is more
than hesitant to move to-
ward a statewide vote by
mail system, he said Mis-
sissippi hopes to expand
in-person absentee voting
at county clerks’ offices
during the pandemic and percent response rate — sponse rate could incur.
in case of similar events Mississippi will lose $13.5 Thanks to redistricting
to come. billion over the next 10 based on census repre-
It’s one of the many years in federal funding sentation, the state also
changes he expects to see for transportation, health lost a seat in Congress in
in the election process as care and education. 2010, going from five to
a result of COVID-19. “Those are important four representatives.
At precincts, poll work- things to Mississippi, and “That’s directly im-
ers will be equipped with as you know, we’re a big pacting us,” Watson said.
masks, gloves and — if state for federal dollars “That is our voice in
they want them — face here,” Watson said. “Do Washington, D.C., and we
shields. Hand sanitizer I wish it was different? lost one.”
will be available, bailiffs Sure. I do. But again, this He encouraged Mis-
will do their best to space is a constitutional thing, sissippians to fill out their
voters six feet apart, and and we have to contin- census forms by mail
paper straws will be dis- ue to count this every 10 or online or by calling
tributed for counties, in- years.” the U.S. Census Bureau
cluding Lowndes County, Watson warned about ahead of the Oct. 31 dead-
who use touch-screen vot- other changes a low re- line.
ing.
A bill with “good mo-
mentum” in the Legisla-
ture would increase the
current cap on poll man-
agers (nine) per precinct,
which Watson said would
help with the counting of
absentee ballots among
other things.
Alternatively, Watson
is considering allowing
absentee ballots to be
counted at county court-
houses rather than in pre-
cincts to lessen the bur-
den on poll workers.
“I just think it’s going
to be a cleaner process,
a better process, for elec-
tions this year,” he said.
State must step up
census response
Currently, 55.9 percent
of Mississippi households
have filled out their 2020
census forms.
That doesn’t bode well,
Watson said.
If the state merely
matches its numbers from
the 2010 census — a 61.3

James
Continued from Page 1A
James, has been assigned
to Lackland Air Force
Base in San Antonio, Tex-
as, where he will continue
training as an F-16 pilot
for the United States Air
Force’s Air Combat Com-
mand.
“It is truly bittersweet,”
Lisa James said in a press
release from the Chamber
and the Golden Triangle
Development LINK on
Tuesday afternoon. “As
excited as we are to begin
this new chapter, Colum-
bus has been so good to
us, and I will always re-
member our time here as
some of the best years of
my life.”
James has served as
president of the chamber
since August 2016 after
serving as director of pro-
grams and events. During
her tenure as president,
James recruited 182 new
members, and the cham-
ber maintained a 90.02
percent retention rate.
“I think Lisa James is
the best chamber direc-
tor that we’ve had here in
my 18 years here,” LINK
CEO Joe Max Higgins
said in the release. “We’re
going to miss her and her
family.”
A search for James’
replacement is underway.
Interested applicants can
send their résumés to
Maggie Wilson at mwil-
son@gtrlink.org.

SOLUNAR TABLE
The solunar period indicates
peak-feeding times for fish and game.
Wed. Thurs.
Major 5:07a 5:55a
Minor — 12:29a
Major 5:31p 6:17p
Minor 10:24a 11:23a
Courtesy of Mississippi Department
of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks

The Dispatch
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POSTMASTER, Send address changes to:
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Report a news tip: news@cdispatch.com
4A WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 2020 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com

‘He is going to change the world’: Funeral held for Floyd

The funeral capped six days of mourning for George Floyd in three and justice — among them,
Eric Garner, Michael Brown,
man, any man, but most defi-
nitely not a black man sitting on
cities: Raeford, North Carolina, near where he was born; Houston, Ahmaud Arbery and Trayvon
Martin.
the ground in the hands of bad
police,” said Marcus Brooks,
where he grew up; and Minneapolis, where he died After the service, Floyd’s 47, who set up a tent with oth-
golden casket was taken by er graduates of Jack Yates High
BY JUAN A. LOZANO, NOMA AN weeks after Floyd was pinned “Third Ward, Cuney Homes, hearse to the cemetery in the School, Floyd’s alma mater.
MERCHANT AND ADAM GELLER to the pavement by a white Min- that’s where he was born at,” Houston suburb of Pearland In the past two weeks, amid
The Associated Press neapolis police officer who put a Floyd’s brother, Rodney, told to be entombed next to his the furor over Floyd’s death,
knee on his neck for what pros- mourners at the Fountain of mother, for whom he cried out sweeping and previously un-
HOUSTON — George Floyd ecutors said was 8 minutes and Praise church. “But everybody as he lay dying. A mile from thinkable things have taken
was fondly remembered Tues- 46 seconds. is going to remember him the graveyard, the casket was place: Confederate statues have
day as “Big Floyd” — a father Cellphone video of the en- around the world. He is going transferred to a glass-sided car- been toppled, and many cities
and brother, athlete and neigh- counter, including Floyd’s pleas to change the world.” riage drawn by a pair of white are debating overhauling, dis-
borhood mentor, and now a cat- of “I can’t breathe,” ignited pro- The funeral capped six days horses. A brass band played as mantling or cutting funding for
alyst for change — at a funeral tests and scattered violence of mourning for Floyd in three his casket was taken inside the police departments. Authorities
for the black man whose death across the U.S. and around the cities: Raeford, North Carolina, mausoleum. in some places have barred po-
has sparked a global reckoning world, turning the 46-year-old near where he was born; Hous- Hundreds of people, some lice from using chokeholds or
over police brutality and racial Floyd — a man who in life was ton, where he grew up; and chanting, “Say his name, are otherwise rethinking poli-
prejudice. little known beyond the public Minneapolis, where he died. George Floyd,” gathered along cies on the use of force.
More than 500 mourners housing project where he was The memorials have drawn the the procession route and out- Dozens of Floyd’s family
wearing masks against the raised in Houston’s Third Ward families of other black victims side the cemetery entrance in members, most dressed in
coronavirus packed a Houston — into a worldwide symbol of whose names have become fa- the mid-90s heat. white, took part in the four-hour
church a little more than two injustice. miliar in the debate over race “I don’t want to see any black service.

What is herd immunity and could

it work with COVID-19?
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
What is herd immunity and
could it work with COVID-19?
Herd immunity is when a virus
can no longer spread easily be-
cause enough people are immune
to it. That lowers the chances of the
virus jumping from person to per-
son and reaching those who haven’t
been infected yet.
People can become immune to
certain viruses after surviving in-
fection or being vaccinated. Typical-
ly, at least 70 percent of a population
must be immune to achieve herd
immunity. But how long immunity
lasts varies depending on the virus,
and it’s not yet known how long
COVID-19 survivors might have
that protection.
How easily the virus spreads
also plays a key role.
Say, for example, someone who’s
infected with a particular virus typi-
cally transmits it to two others. The
chances of that person passing it on
to others would be lower if half the
population is already immune, said
Dr. Walter Orenstein, a vaccine ex-
pert at Emory University.
The odds of transmission fall
further if even more of the popula-
tion is immune. That could cause
new infections to die out.
But if a virus is more infectious, a
higher percentage of people would
need to have immunity to stop the
spread and achieve herd immunity,
Orenstein said.

COMMERCIAL DISPATCH
OBITUARY POLICY
Obituaries with basic informa-
tion including visitation and
service times, are provided
free of charge. Extended
obituaries with a photograph,
AREA OBITUARIES
daughter, Kristi Beard;
and siblings, Rita F. Sis-
son and Gary L. Beard.
Beth Freland
COLUMBUS — Sar-
Saturday, at New Salem at Lavender’s Funeral
Baptist Church. Burial Service. Lavender’s
will follow in the church Funeral Service of
cemetery. Visitation is Aliceville is in charge of
Jo Conner
from 2-6 p.m. Friday, arrangements.

Mary Beth Walden

detailed biographical informa-
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Dennis Beard
COLUMBUS —
Dennis Michael “Mike”
Beard, 69,
died June
8, 2020,
at Trinity
Health
Care Cen-
ter.
Services
will be Beard
at noon
Thursday, at Dowdle
Funeral Home. Burial
will follow in Springhill
Cemetery. Visitation
will be one hour prior
to services. Dowdle Fu-
neral Home of Millport
is in charge of arrange-
ments.
Mr. Beard was born
July 8, 1950, to the late
Manuel Morris Beard
and Mary Willette
Beard. He was a veter-
an of the U.S. Army and
was formerly employed
as a computer techni-
cian.
In addition to his
parents, he was preced-
ed in death by a baby
sister.
He is survived by his
cdispatch.com
ah Elizabeth “Beth”
Freland, 74, died June 9,
2020, at her residence.
Arrangements are
incomplete and will be
announced by Memori-
al Gunter Peel Funeral
Home and Crematory
Second Avenue North
location.
Arnold Rushing
COLUMBUS — Ar-
nold Rushing, 90, died
June 9,2020, at Baptist
Memorial Hospi-
tal-Golden Triangle.
Arrangements are
incomplete and will be
announced by Lown-
des Funeral Home of
Columbus.
Joe Sterling
ALICEVILLE, Ala.
— Joe Lester Sterling,
72, died at his resi-
dence.
A home going cele-
bration will be at 1 p.m.
Jo Connor
Visitation:
Thursday, June 11 • 12-2 PM
Memorial Gunter Peel
Graveside Services:
Thursday, June 11 • 2:30 PM
Ross Cemetery
Burial
Ross Cemetery
2nd Ave. North Location
Dorothy Hodges
Incomplete
2nd Ave. North Location
Beth Freland
Incomplete
2nd Ave. North Location
memorialgunterpeel.com
Mrs. Mary Beth Cooper Walden, 74, died
Sunday, June 7th, 2020, at her home in Oxford,
MS. Her family will hold a memorial service at a
future date to be determined.
Born in Columbus, MS to the late Alverne
Nichols and Frank Cooper, Mary Beth was a
member of Covenant United Methodist Church
in Columbus, MS, where she maintained a dual
residence. She is the widow of the late, Mr.
Donald Edward Walden.
In 1951, Mary Beth moved to Macon, MS,
with her family, where she spent a number of her
grade school years. Her family finally settled in
Oxford, MS, in 1961, and she graduated from
Oxford High School in 1964. Mary Beth received
a bachelor’s degree in Business Education and
a master’s degree in Library Science from the
University of Mississippi. While pursuing her
master’s, she worked full time, mothered two
small children, and supported her husband as he
finished pharmacy school. Mary Beth began her
teaching career at Fifth Street School in West
Point, MS, in the 1970s, but she spent the bulk
of her professional life in Columbus, MS as a
member of the Heritage Academy faculty. Mary
Beth wore many hats at Heritage, but her favorite
was successively playing senior sponsor to each
graduating class. She was intensely proud of
her students and cherished the lifelong friends
found among her teaching colleagues and school
parents.
Mary Beth was a successful business owner,
partnering with her husband to build a thriving
pharmacy that serviced her community for
decades. She was passionate about accounting
instruction, literature, learning, her library, and
her “grands.” Her laugh was infectious, and her
dear sister Elsie could get Mary Beth tickled like
no other. In her free time, Mary Beth enjoyed
playing the piano, sewing, cooking, and reading.
She loved Ole Miss baseball, a good margarita,
and movie nights with her sweet friend.
Mrs. Walden is survived by two daughters,
Erika Walden and her partner, Lawton Gafford,
of Water Valley, MS, and Shanda Walden Sloan
and her husband, Bill, of Fayetteville, AR; one
sister, Elsie Cooper Dixon of Oxford, MS; two
grandchildren, Walden Sloan and Gable Sloan;
two nieces, Mary Martha Henson and Laura
Ann Walker; one nephew, Cooper Dixon, three
grandnieces, Sadie Walker, Amory Walker, and
Collyns Dixon; and two grandnephews, Ethan
Walker and Campbell Dixon. Countless dear
friends and cherished loved ones in Oxford, MS,
and Columbus, MS mourn her loss.
In lieu of flowers, Mrs. Walden and her family
ask that friends consider memorial contributions
to The Palmer Home for Children, palmerhome.
org, Breast Cancer Research Foundation, BCRF.
org, or filling a backpack with school supplies and
donating them to your local elementary school.
For additional information or to leave an
online condolence, please call 662-234-7971 or
visit www.wallerfuneralhome.com.
Paid Obituary - Waller Funeral Home
Jo Carolyn Brown Conner “Sis,” age 58, of
Caledonia, MS, passed away June 7, 2020, at her
residence.
Graveside services will be Thursday, June 11,
2020, at 2:30 PM at Ross Cemetery in Hamilton,
MS. Visitation will be Thursday, June 11, 2020,
from 12:00 PM until 2:00 PM at Memorial Gunter
Peel Funeral Home & Crematory 716 2nd Ave.
North location.
Mrs. Conner was born February 14, 1962,
in Amory, MS, to the late John E. and Jo Seely
Brown, Jr. She grew up in Hamilton, MS, and
married her husband of 31 years, Dale Conner
of Caledonia, MS. Mrs. Conner enjoyed bowling,
hunting, fishing, gardening, video games, card &
dice games, and spending time with family. She
was one of the most sweet and selfless people and
was known as “Mom” to so many, she was loved
by so many more. She loved spending time with
her grand dogs Ash, PupPup, Trampy, Dancer,
and Spock.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in
death by her grandparents, Ruby May Brown and
John E. Brown, and Irene Seely and Curtis Seely;
her favorite aunt, Reba Conn; and her many dogs
Mickey, King, Piper and Demon.
In addition to her husband, survivors include
her daughter, Amber Conner (Nikki Hawkins);
son, Austin Conner (Shea Lucas); son, Avery
Miller (Shelly Miller); brother, John Brown, III;
sister, Ginger Fishel (late Todd Fishel); sister,
Marylin Hanna (Marty Hanna); brother, Roman
Brown (Kim Brown); honorary children, niece
Heather Brewer, Patrick & Courtney Quillen,
Eric & Amy Edwards, Deianira Wright, Nick
Kolbert, Lance & Lillian Lejeune, Seth Lejeune,
Micah & Chrissy Hayward, Danielle Shelton,
Preston Gibson, Nicole “Nikki” Hawkins,
Michael & Ashley Tedford, Tucker Beasley,
Brice Winter, nephew Johnathan Brown
(Makayla Petty), Lauren Hendrix, Johnathan
Taylor, Chris Neal, Lee & Candace Loper, Lee
Howard, Kim Rhoades, and Les Nerren; and
honorary grandchildren, E. J. Edwards, Symone
Kimbrel, Eli Edwards, Emma Lejeune, Bradley,
Sarah Grace, & Kensley Brewer, and Mandolynn
Miller, many nieces, nephews, great nieces &
nephews, dear friends & family from bowling,
and best friend Pamela Nerren and many others.
Pallbearers will be Lance Lejeune, Avery
Miller, Micah Hayward, Nick Kolbet, Johnathan
Brown and Patrick Quillen.
Honorary pallbearers will be Brice Winter,
John Brown, III, Roman Brown, Linda Barham,
Les Nerren, Pamela Nerren, PupPup Conner,
Ash Conner, Spock Conner and Eric Edwards.
Memorials may be made to St. Jude Children’s
Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis,
TN, 38105.
Sign the online guest book at
www.memorialgunterpeel.com
716 Second Avenue North • Columbus, MS
 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 2020 5A

A look at Democrats’ sweeping Are You Ready

proposals to overhaul policing
Package limits legal protections for police, creates
a national database of excessive-force encounters
and bans police choke holds, among other changes
BY COLLEEN LONG
AND MICHAEL BALSAMO
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Democrats
in Congress are proposing an over-
haul of police procedures and ac-
countability after the mass protests
over the deaths of black Americans
at the hand of law enforcement.
The Justice in Policing Act is
among the most ambitious law en-
forcement reforms from Congress
in years and confronts several as-
pects of policing that have come
under strong criticism, especially
as more and more police violence
Changing federal civil rights law
Under the proposal, the federal
civil rights law that governs police
misconduct would no longer re-
quire prosecutors to prove that an
officer’s actions were willful, a high
burden of proof. The law would
allow an officer to be charged for
acting with reckless disregard for
someone’s life, causing that per-
son’s death.
Under the current law, it is feder-
al crime to willfully deprive some-
one of their civil rights under the
color of authority, but the officer
also must have known what they
qualified immunity has long been a
way to protect police from unneces-
sary lawsuits and to give them the
freedom to police without fear of
unnecessary retribution.
The bill would amend federal
misconduct statutes to make it easi-
er for courts to find officers person-
ally liable for the violation of civil
rights. The move could have ma-
jor consequences for officers who
would think twice before abusing
their power, but it could also make
it more difficult to recruit police
nationwide. It could also potential-
ly lead to officers being held finan-
cially liable, too. Cities often bear
the brunt of misconduct claims.
In a 10-year period in New York,
for example, the city paid out near-
ly $1 billion to settle claims made
against police.
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is captured on cellphone video and
shared across the nation and the
world.
The package limits legal pro-
tections for police, creates a na-
tional database of excessive-force
encounters and bans police choke
holds, among other changes. The
changes, if enacted, would have
massive implications on policing in
the U.S.
It’s not clear whether the legisla-
tion will pass, especially in an elec-
tion year and amid calls to “defund
the police” and growing protests.
President Donald Trump has tried
to set himself up as a “law and or-
der” leader and has criticized the
package, claiming Democrats have
“gone CRAZY.”
A few things to know about the
bill and how it could make a differ-
ence:
were doing was wrong and against
the law and decided to do it anyway.
To prove that crime, prosecutors
would need to convince a jury that
the force used was more than what
would be reasonably necessary to
arrest or subdue a suspect, mean-
ing convincing jurors that in the
middle of an arrest the officer made
a clear and willful decision to cause
someone’s death.
That was a burden of proof that
prosecutors said they couldn’t meet
in the case of Eric Garner when
they declined to bring charges
against Officer Daniel Pantaleo last
year.
Qualified immunity
Police officers are generally not
held personally liable for anything
that happens on the job, including
when someone dies. The concept of
© The Dispatch
Providing Our Clients Expertise With
Independent and transparent Over 50+ Years Of Combined Experience
A long-held grievance has been
that prosecutors and police have
too cozy a relationship and can’t
separate that out when misconduct
is an issue. It is part of the investi-
gation now into the shooting death
of Ahmaud Arbery in coastal Geor-
gia. The father and son accused of
killing Arbery had a long history
with the local district attorney, the
father having worked for the DA as
an investigator for 20 years. The
case is now being investigated by
a separate district attorney. Some
states have created a special prose-
cutor to investigate all misconduct
claims against local police. The bill
provides a grant program for state
attorneys general to conduct inde-
pendent investigations into prob-
lematic police departments.

Video evidence increasingly disproves police narratives

Police departments deny lying but
acknowledge sometimes making
mistakes when releasing information
in fast-moving, complicated situations
BY RYAN J. FOLEY
The Associated Press
Minneapolis police ini-
tially told the public that
George Floyd died after a
“medical incident during
a police interaction.” The
Buffalo, New York, de-
partment said a protester
“tripped and fell.” Phil-
adelphia police alleged
that a college student who
suffered a serious head
wound had assaulted an
officer.
All three claims were
quickly disproved by vid-
eos seen widely on the
internet and television,
fueling mistrust and em-
barrassing agencies that
made misleading or in-
complete statements that
painted their actions in a
far more favorable light.
Police departments
deny lying but acknowl-
edge sometimes making
mistakes when releasing
information in fast-mov-
ing, complicated situa-
tions. The videos, they
say, do not always capture
officers’ perspectives.
Defense lawyers say
the inaccurate statements
are encouraged by a cul-
ture of silence in which
officers protect misbehav-
ing colleagues, a court
system that rarely holds
officers accountable and
a public that has given
police the benefit of the
doubt.
Floyd died after a
white officer put his knee
on his neck, even after
Floyd stopped moving.
Cellphone video showed
him pleading for air as
other officers stood by
and bystanders urged the
police to help him.
The department’s ini-
tial news release claimed
that Floyd “appeared to
be suffering medical dis-
tress” after he resisted ar-
rest and was handcuffed.
The death set off nation-
wide protests against po-
lice brutality and racial
injustice.
Minneapolis police
spokesman John Elder
said Tuesday that he
missed initial notifica-
tions about Floyd and did
not visit the scene, as he
usually does after major
events. He said he knew
the arrest was on body
camera video but that he
would not be able to re-
view it for several hours.
Instead, he released the
initial description after
being briefed by super-
visors, whom he learned
later were also not at the
scene.
The department real-
ized the statement was
inaccurate hours later
when the bystander video
surfaced, and immediate-
ly requested an FBI inves-
tigation, he said. By then,
the state Bureau of Crim-
inal Apprehension had
taken over the investiga-
tion of Floyd’s death, and
Elder said he was unable
to send out a corrected
statement.
“I will never lie to cov-
er up the actions of some-
body else,” Elder said.

Facing electoral headwinds, Trump brings back his 2016 team

‘He can’t win on nostalgia. It’s not The president in re-
cent days has signed off
demic to the mass protests
that have swept across the
the same race. This is not going to be on hiring a number of his
2016 veterans for his 2020
nation.
“It’s fantastic to have
about slogans or themes ...’ campaign, a reenlistment the 2016 group back to-
Political advisor Sam Nunberg of loyalists that follows the gether, but the facts are
return of other members the facts. He barely won
BY JONATHAN LEMIRE consin!) in the Republi- of his original team to the and he has done nothing
The Associated Press can’s column. West Wing. A creature of at all to grow out his sup-
And at other times, habit who demands loyal- port,” said Sam Nunberg,
NEW YORK — As any- in private calls from the ty and trusts few, Trump who advised Trump early
one who has ever heard White House residence, has moved to recreate the in his first campaign.
him speak knows, Presi- he reminisces about the magic of his original team “He can’t win on nostal-
dent Donald Trump loves camaraderie of those days, five months before he fac- gia. It’s not the same race.
to relive 2016. turning nostalgic as he re- es voters again. This is not going to be
He recycles old attack members being surround- But 2020 is not 2016. about slogans or themes,
lines once aimed at Hillary ed by a rag-tag team of And Trump’s advisers are it’s going to be about what
Clinton. He recounts the campaign staffers as his increasingly worried about you did for me and why I
drama of election night, private plane flew from one the state of the campaign should reelect you based
complete with imperson- distant city to another. as the president faces on your record,” said Nun-
ations of stunned news Now, Trump is getting multiple crises, from the berg, an informal adviser
anchors putting state after the band back together health and economic fall- who will not be rejoining
state (Pennsylvania! Wis- again. out of the coronavirus pan- the campaign.

Officials back off removing temporary fencing at White House

BY ELLEN KNICKMEYER
The Associated Press
The Trump administra-
tion appears to be retreat-
ing from its commitment
to quickly remove most of
a new fence blocking dem-
onstrators and other mem-
bers of the public from in
front of the White House.
Instead, National Park
Service spokeswoman Ka-
tie Liming says only that
her agency is in “continu-
ing discussions” with the
Secret Service about what
Liming called the tem-
porary security fencing
at the front of the White
House.
Officials abruptly erect-
ed the high, black metal
fence last week to block
demonstrators from La-
fayette Square outside the
White House. That was as
massive crowds rallied in
Washington and around
the country to protest the
killing of George Floyd in
police custody, and other
deaths of African Ameri-
cans at the hands of police.
Members of the park
service’s U.S. Park Po-
lice and other security
forces lobbed chemical
agents and punched and
clubbed demonstrators
and journalists in clearing
Lafayette Square near the
White House on June 1,
just before crews raised
the new fence.
Opinion
6A WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 2020
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

SLIMANTICS
A spirit of malaise in Columbus
O
n July 15,
1979, Presi-
dent Jimmy
Carter addressed
the nation at a time
when the country
was reeling from
an energy crisis, a
prolonged econom-
ic downturn that
caused deep divi-
sions in the nation.
Carter expressed Slim Smith
concern that Amer-
ican democracy
was threatened by a “crisis of
confidence” in which cynicism
toward government had eroded most citizens were shocked
faith in the American way of
life. A spirit of “malaise” had
fallen over the country, he
believed.
I thought about that ad-
dress, now known as “The
Malaise Speech,” as I con-
sidered the weekend events
in Starkville and Columbus,
where marches were held to
protest racial injustice and po-
lice brutality directed toward
black people.
On Saturday, the Starkville
march drew a crowd that
rivaled that of the protest in
the state’s largest city, Jackson. white citizens in the crowd,
Conservative estimates place
the number at 2,000 or more.
About a quarter of that crowd,
if not more, were white citi-
zens.
On Sunday, the
Columbus march
drew only a fraction
of that turnout -
perhaps 300 people
- even though police
brutality in Colum-
bus “had a face,”
that of Ricky Ball,
who was shot and
killed by a Colum-
bus police officer in
2015. When state
attorney general
Lynn Fitch dropped
the charge against the officer,
Canyon Boykin, on May 28,
and many were outraged.
Given the heightened emo-
tions the Ball case represents,
it’s hard to understand the dis-
parity in the two communities’
reactions, if such a thing can
be judged by how many people
turned out to voice their anger,
grief and determination to fight
against racial injustice.
It’s not that the 300 or so
people who participated in the
Columbus march showed any
deficit of spirit. It’s just that
there were so few of them.
There may have been 50 or 60
which suggests some substan-
tial degree of indifference. But
the same could be said of the
black community, too. Given
the circumstances, a crowd
every bit as large as the one
in Starkville might have been
expected.
I honestly don’t know the
answer for that, but like Carter
40 years ago, I wonder if the
city of Columbus is suffering
from its own form of malaise.
Have our citizens, black and
white alike, grown comfortable
in the status quo? Or have they
simply lost hope?
If so, what can be done
to stir the consciences of all
those thousands of Columbus
residents who seem perfectly
content in what should be
considered, “the winter of our
discontent,” as Shakespeare
called it.
We may have seen an an-
swer during Tuesday evening’s
virtual Town Hall meeting at
the Municipal Complex, which
featured a panel including
Columbus Police Chief Fred
Shelton, Mayor Robert Smith,
Dispatch Publisher Peter Imes,
Lowndes County NAACP Pres-
ident Lavonne Latham Harris
and District Attorney Scott
Colom.
The panel discussed crime
and policing and, of course, the
Ricky Ball case.
But the most compelling
speakers were a couple of black
men in their 20s, neither of
them household names, who
spoke as representatives of the
grassroots group “Justice For
Ricky Ball.”
David Horton II and Jer-
maine Shanklin made cases for
overhauling the police depart-
ment’s standard operating
procedures and encouraged
city leaders to get behind the
effort to replace the current
state flag, which is adorned
with Confederate imagery.
They also called for some-
thing that, to my knowledge,
no one has ever demanded —
the removal of the Confederate
monument located at the Lown-
des County Courthouse.
There are 67 such monu-
ments scattered throughout
the state and while the mon-
ument on the campus at Ole
Miss is perhaps the most
notorious, the Lowndes County
monument has an infamy all its
own.
I was alerted to this odd fea-
ture of the monument six years
ago. Someone told me that
when viewed from the east, the
soldier at the top of the mon-
ument looked as though he is
wearing a Ku Klux Klan hood.
I had to see that for myself, of
course. The similarity was un-
deniable, so I decided to write
a column about it.
Naturally, I asked two of our
most prominent black elected
officials — Lowndes Coun-
ty supervisor Leroy Brooks
and Mayor Smith about the
monument. Both said they
had known about the curious
optical feature for years. I was
surprised, though, that neither
seemed particularly upset
about it.
Their attitude seemed to be,
“You just have to shake your
head. It’s just the way things
are.”
I am certainly not question-
ing how Brooks or Smith feel
about racial injustice, but I do
wonder about their lack of fire.
Perhaps their attitude
toward the Confederate
monument is a reflection of a
city-wide malaise, an attitude
of “that’s just the way things
are around here.”
It seemed clear to me that if
our city is going to escape that
defeatist attitude, the torch will
be carried by a new generation
of Columbus citizens, people
like Horton and Shanklin, who
are not content to accept the
status quo.
Things can change, they
say. Some things must change,
they say.
We look to our young people
to lead the way and to shake
the rest of us out of our con-
tented slumber.
Slim Smith is a columnist
and feature writer for The
Dispatch. His email address is
ssmith@cdispatch.com.

VOICE OF
THE PEOPLE
Why the flag must go now
This Sunday several faith
and community leaders in
Columbus hosted the Jesus
and Justice Rally, a beautifully
diverse moment of prayer and
reflection in light of the recent
police killings of George Floyd
in Minneapolis and Ricky Ball,
shot and killed by CPD officer
Canyon Boykin in 2015.
The countless loses, the
unaccountable police depart-
ments that cover them up and
the failed justice system that,
at best, indicts only to later
dismiss those responsible for
the killing has forced our feet
back to the streets — march-
ing, and this past Sunday, pray-
ing for justice and unity.
However, as beautiful as the
moment was, many could not
help but feel painfully distract-
ed by the hideous backdrop
of the current Mississippi
state flag and the confederate
N
memorial flanking the stage
outside the courthouse.
While some still see these
as necessary in preserving
the history of our state, for
many it represents a painful
and traumatic legacy. A time
where black lives only mat-
tered to the extent that they
were a commodity. A place in
our shared history where it
was common for black bodies
to swing from trees, sparking
the same horror we all expe-
rienced watching a policeman
take the life of a man, a father
with an 8-minute knee to
the neck. A dark time in our
history that only holds pride
for those refusing to face the
FULL history.
So like Bishop Scott Volland
and countless others across
our county and state, we are
appealing to the Lowndes
County Board of Supervisors,
insisting that you not only
remove the confederate statue
but the insidious Mississippi
State flag that hangs at our
county courthouse as well.
The people are tired of this
painful reminder of our trou-
bled past. We feel that it is not
possible to truly move forward
in making policy and proce-
dural changes that represent
and protect all citizens in this
state and county without first
shedding ourselves of these
warped symbols of a dead
South.
So what will be the legacy
of this board? Which side of
history will you be on?
Lavonne L. Harris
NA ACP Lowndes County
President
STATE OF THE NATION
The left’s coming war on cops
ewly painted in huge
yellow letters on 16th
Street, just north of the
White House, is the slogan:
“Defund the Police.”
That new message sits be-
side the “Black Lives Matter”
slogan, also in huge letters,
painted there at the direction
of D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.
She renamed that section
of 16th Street “Black Lives
Matter Plaza.” Patrick Buchanan
Still, the messages are less
ominous than the chants of
protesters in New York after the takedown
that resulted in the death of Eric Garner.
Protesters then chanted of the NYPD:
“What do we want? Dead cops. When do
we want it? Now!”
While this sudden campaign to defund
and dismantle city police forces seems an
absurdity, it is actually part of a thought-
out radical program that has gained mo-
mentum since the sadistic public execution
of George Floyd in Minneapolis two weeks liberal politicians will devise new restric-
ago.
Consider. On Sunday, nine members
of the city council, a veto-proof majority,
voted to disband the Minneapolis police
department. Asked if he would support
the council decision, Mayor Jacob Frey
hedged, “I do not support the full abolition
of the police.”
As the crowd jeered and booed, the
mayor walked away alone.
The idea of defunding police depart-
ments has caught fire, and liberal politi-
cians are scrambling to get in front of their out.
radical constituents. Los Angeles Mayor
Eric Garcetti has announced that he will
reallocate up to $150 million from the
LAPD budget to social programs.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio says he
will be transferring $1 billion: “We will be
moving funding from the NYPD to youth
initiatives and social services.”
In two weeks, there has been a sea
change in attitudes toward
police, with not a few coming
to share the hard left’s hatred.
While the criminal elements
burned cop cars and showered
police with bottles, rocks and
bricks, even “peaceful protest-
ers” were calling the police
fascists and racists.
Two decades ago, the NYPD
were celebrated “first re-
sponders” who ran toward the
collapsing twin towers, many
never to come back. Funerals of
the cop heroes were televised.
Those days are gone.
Indeed, after two weeks of seeing police
decried on nightly TV as racist oppressors
of African Americans, cops must realize
that they are reviled and detested by some
of the countrymen they have sworn to
protect.
What will happen now is predictable, as
it has happened before.
To pander to the militants on the left,
tions on cops and more severe punish-
ments for infractions, treating the police as
potential threats to civil and constitutional
rights.
The “Ferguson Effect” will take hold.
Cops will back off from confronting the
lawless and violent. Criminals will see an
opening to seize opportunities. The urban
poor who look to the police as their only
protection will stay inside and lock their
doors. And small businesses, realizing the
cops may not be there, will sell and move
Where is this leading?
According to former New York City Po-
lice Commissioner Bernie Kerik, not only
did New York law enforcement officers
suffer many injuries in the riots, hundreds
of cops, seeing how they are regarded and
were treated by many whom they protect,
are preparing to leave the NYPD.
As the Democrats’ “police reform” bill is
debated on the Hill, Republicans will large-
ly stand with the police and Attorney Gen-
eral William Barr, who said Sunday that
while there is racism in America, there is
no “systemic racism” in the nation’s police
departments.
If there were, it would be an indictment
of the Democrats, who have run most of
our great cities for decades.
As it rises in prominence, the issue of
defunding police will divide the Democrat-
ic Party more than the GOP.
For while the hard left sees cops in
ideological and class terms as racist and
fascist, the right, by and large, sees the
police as the last line of defense again the
anarchy we saw erupt when there were
not enough cops in New York and D.C. to
control the mobs looting Fifth Avenue and
Georgetown.
And this, too, is likely to become a
forever war in America. For it is almost
inevitable that we are going to see more
violent collisions between white cops and
black suspects, collisions that result in
deaths.
For every large urban police force has
daily encounters with black male crim-
inals, who commit a disproportionate
number of violent crimes. Some will end
with dead cops, and the others with dead
criminals.
President Donald Trump has taken his
stand with the police.
It is Joe Biden who has the problem. For
while Democratic mayors are unlikely to
join a campaign to abolish their police forc-
es, Biden is going to have to tell his Bernie
Bro and socialist constituents that their
ideas for getting rid of police departments
are ridiculous.
Monday, Joe made a start. He said that
defunding cops is off the table.
Patrick J. Buchanan, a nationally
syndicated columnist, was a senior advisor
to presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford
and Ronald Reagan. His website is http://
buchanan.org/blog.
 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 2020 7A

Senate confirms first black

service chief in unanimous vote
Gen. Charles Brown Jr. most recently served as
the commander of U.S. Pacific Air Forces
BY LAURIE KELLMAN
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The Sen-
ate on Tuesday unanimously con-
firmed Gen. Charles Brown Jr. as
chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force,
making him the first black officer
to lead one of the nation’s military
services.
Vice President Mike Pence took
the unusual step of presiding over
the vote, something he usually does
to break ties. But Brown’s confir-
mation, 98-0, was not close. Pence
called the moment “historic.”
The vote came as the Trump ad-
ministration and the mostly white
Senate Republican conference
grapple with the aftermath of the
killing of George Floyd in police
custody in Minneapolis. Protests
have convulsed the nation along-
side the coronavirus pandemic,
with racial discrimination being the
common thread between them. The
vote in Washington overlapped with
Floyd’s funeral in Houston.
Brown most recently served as
the commander of U.S. Pacific Air
Forces. He is a fighter pilot, with
more than 2,900 flying hours, in-
cluding 130 in combat.
He posted a video on social me-
dia Friday describing a lifetime
of dealing with racial bias and the
struggle to fit in to a predominantly
white society.
“I’m thinking about my Air Force
career where I was often the only
African American in my squadron
or, as a senior officer, the only Afri-
can American in the room,” he said
in a raw tone. “I’m thinking about
wearing the same flight suit with
the same wings on my chest as my
peers and being questioned by an-
other military member: ‘Are you a
pilot?’”
Brown was commissioned in
1984 as a distinguished graduate of
the ROTC program at Texas Tech
University.
He has served in a variety of po-
sitions at the squadron and wing
levels, and commanded a fighter
squadron and two fighter wings. He
also was an F-16 instructor at the
U.S. Air Force Weapons School.
The military, with African
Americans making up a little over
17 percent of its active-duty ranks,
is more racially diverse than the
country, which is 13 percent Afri-
can American, according to 2019
Census estimates. The Army is the
most diverse with more than 21 per-
cent African Americans, while the
Marine Corp is the least, with 10
percent. Blacks make up about 17
percent of the Navy and less than
15 percent of the Air Force.
But there is a much greater ra-
cial divide within the active-duty
military based on rank.
Nineteen percent of active-duty
enlisted troops are black, but they
make up only 9 percent of the offi-
cer corps. Of those, there are just
71 who are general or flag officers,
wearing one to four stars, including
only two who have attained the top
four-star rank.

Movie theaters, shuttered for months, plan July reopening

The National Association of Theater
Owners expects some 90-95 percent
of cinemas around the world will be
opened by mid-July
BY JAKE COYLE
AP Film Writer
NEW YORK — After
three months of near total
blackout of cinemas na-
tionwide, movie theaters
are preparing to reopen
— even if it means only a
few titles on the marquee
and showings limited to
as little as 25 percent ca-
pacity.
AMC Theaters, the
world’s largest theater
operator, said Tuesday
that it expects to have 97-
98 percent of its theaters
worldwide reopened by
mid-July. The National
Association of Theater
Owners, the trade group
that represents exhibi-
tors, expects some 90-
95 percent of cinemas
around the world will be
opened by mid-July.
A lot is still “fluid,” as
AMC Entertainment’s
chief executive, Adam
Aron, said in a call Tues-
day with investors. But
provided flare ups of the
coronavirus don’t unmake
plans, the industry is
gearing up for a dramatic
resumption of widespread
business just in time for
Christopher Nolan’s “Ten-
et.” The Warner Bros.
thriller, the latest from
arguably Hollywood’s
most passionate defender
of the big-screen experi-
ence, is slated for release
July 17.
Warner Bros. didn’t
comment late Tuesday,
and the most recent trail-
er for “Tenet” was nota-
bly vague on its release
date. But theater owners
are cautiously optimis-
tic that “Tenet” will hold
where it is. Aron said that
AMC’s conversations as
recent as Monday with
Warner Bros. and Disney,
which has “Mulan” slated
for July 24, have been re-
assuring.
The larger question
might be whether movie-
goers feel safe returning
to theaters. Health offi-
cials have warned that
large indoor gatherings
are risky. Broadway the-
aters will remain dark
through at least early
September. It will be up to
movie theater operators
to convince moviegoers
that it’s safe to once again
sit in the dark among
strangers.
Only recently have
state guidelines allowed
the reopening of theaters
in California (including
in the country’s top mar-
ket, Los Angeles, where
local officials have yet to
agree). In New York City,
open cinemas come in
phase four of its reopen-
ing schedule; it began
phase one only on Mon-
day. Aron granted New
York theaters, which con-
stitute the second largest
market, may not open in
time for “Tenet.”
Theaters have slowly
been reopening in oth-
er areas of the country,
while a renaissance of
drive-ins has flourished.
Cinemark, which oper-
ates about 6,000 U.S.
screens has said it will
begin reopening in late
June and fully reopen by
July 10. Cineworld, which
owns Regal Cinemas, the
world’s second-largest
chain, is also tracking for
a July reopening.

Feds seek $225M fine for pair who made a billion robocalls
FCC: Telemarketers faked the number their calls phone network “became
unusable.”
displayed in caller ID with intent to deceive consumers; The fine is not a fi-
nal decision. Spiller and
purposefully called people who are on the Do Not Call list Mears will have a chance
to respond.
BY TALI ARBEL Telecom, in federal court months in early 2019, the As robocalls became
AP Technology Writer in Texas, where both men FCC said, these telemar- a pressing issue for con-
live, for violating the fed- keters faked the number sumers, both as an an-
The U.S. commu- eral law governing tele- their calls displayed in noyance and as a vehicle
nications regulator on marketing, the Telephone caller ID with intent to for fraud, the FCC has
Tuesday proposed a $225 Consumer Protection Act. deceive consumers; pur- pushed carriers to do
million fine, its largest The FCC said the rob- posefully called people more to stop them. A
ever, against two health ocalls offered plans from who are on the Do Not new law beefs up enforce-
insurance telemarketers major insurers like Aetna Call list; and called peo- ment and mandates that
for spamming people with and UnitedHealth with ple’s mobile phones with- the phone industry not
1 billion robocalls using an automated message. If out getting permission charge for call-blocking
fake phone numbers. consumers pressed a but- first. tools and put in place a
The Federal Commu- ton for more information, Consumers weren’t the system designed to weed
nications Commission however, they were trans- only ones bothered. The out “spoofed” calls made
said John Spiller and Ja- ferred to a call center that telemarketers faked their using fake numbers.
kob Mears made the calls sold plans not connected calls to make them ap- Reached by phone
through two businesses. to those companies. The pear they came from oth- at the number listed for
State attorneys general of FCC said the Missouri at- er companies, which then JSquared, Spiller de-
Arkansas, Indiana, Mich- torney general sued Ris- received angry calls and clined to comment. He de-
igan, Missouri, North ing Eagle’s largest client, were named in lawsuits clined to provide contact
Carolina, Ohio and Tex- Health Advisors of Amer- from consumers. The information for Mears
as also sued the two men ica, for telemarketing vio- FCC didn’t name these and said neither would
and their companies, Ris- lations last year. companies, but said one speak before talking to an
ing Eagle and JSquared Over more than four got so many calls that its attorney.

‘Cops,’ on air for 33 seasons, dropped by Paramount Network

Show was pulled temporarily from the pulled
The show had been ing messages.
temporarily from The reality show, with
air in May, when protests aimed at the air in late May, when its widely known reggae
protests aimed at police theme song “Bad Boys,”
police over the death of George Floyd over the death of George allowed viewers to ride
Floyd began to gain mo- along with police officers
began to gain momentum mentum. That move was on patrol in various cities.
made permanent Tues- It ran on the Fox
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS the world. day. network for 25 years
“Cops is not on the Par- It’s not clear whether until 2013, when Via-
LOS ANGELES — Af- amount Network and we the company that makes com-owned Spike TV
ter 33 seasons on the air, don’t have any current or the show, Langley Pro- picked it up. The show
“Cops” has been dropped future plans for it to re- ductions, would try to find remained on the air after
by the Paramount Net- turn,” a spokesperson for a new home for it. A voice- Spike was re-branded as
work as protests against the cable channel said in mail at a company phone the Paramount Network
police proliferate around a statement Tuesday. number was not accept- in 2018.
8A WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 2020 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com

Panel
Continued from Page 1A
against Canyon Boykin, a
white former Columbus
police officer who fatally
shot black resident Ricky
Ball on Northside after
he ran from a traffic stop
in October 2015. Boykin
was indicted by a grand
jury for the fatal shooting
in 2016 even though he
claimed he shot Ball in
self-defense.
After her decision
stirred up multiple citi-
zen-led protests and drew
criticism from local offi-
cials, Fitch released all
evidence on Saturday to
Colom, who has promised
he will release as much of
the case file as possible
on his website next week.
“A family lost a loved
one the day that Ricky
Ball was killed,” Colom
said. “The community is
rightfully questioning.”
CPD policies
The police department
has an established policy
in place to guide officers
on the use of force, Shel-
ton said Tuesday.
When responding to
an incident, Shelton said,
officers should first iden-
tify themselves with uni-
forms, ID and badges and
use verbal direction. As
the situation escalates, of-
ficers can use empty-hand
control, intermediate
weapons, less lethal force
(such as pepper sprays
and tasers) and eventual-
ly lethal force.
The use of force should
be minimized, he said,
and officers should leave
the use of lethal force as
their “last resort.”
“If a person is not
resisting their arrest,
there’s no need to use
force,” Shelton said. “As
an officer, unless that
person is posing an immi-
nent threat to me, I cannot
shoot him. The force has
to stop.”
In light of recent vi-
olence against blacks
nationwide, especially
after the police killing of
George Floyd in Minne-
apolis spurred protests
against police brutality,
Claire Hassler/Dispatch Staff
Police Chief Fred Shelton
demonstrates using a
body camera during the
Policing in Columbus town
hall meeting on Tuesday
at the Columbus Police
Department.
Shelton said his depart-
ment will revise its poli-
cies on the use of exces-
sive force and present it at
the city council meeting
Tuesday.
For example, the pol-
icies will articulate the
ban on use of chokeholds,
a method used by white
police officer Derek
Chauvin when he knelt
on Floyd’s neck for almost
nine minutes.
“It has not been part of
our policy, and never will
be, to use chokeholds on
people,” he said. “In the
revision of the policy, we
are going to specifically
say that our officers will
not use chokeholds, neck
restraint, or put their
knee on anybody to sub-
due them.”
Additionally, police
officers who witness use
of excessive force should
intervene, he said.
“If our officer saw a
situation like that, he
would be bound by our
policy and subject to dis-
ciplinary action if he did
not intervene,” he said.
Locally, Ball’s death in
2015 led to a change in the
department body camera
policies, Shelton said. Of-
ficers who fail to activate
their cameras — as Boy-
kin and two other officers
did during the traffic stop
when Ball was killed —
face a 10-day suspension
without pay for their first
offense, a 30-day suspen-
sion for their second, and
could face termination for
a third offense.
The body camera sys-
tem now is automatically
activated when an officer
is within 50 yards of a
squad vehicle with its po-
lice light on, he said, and
the sound of gunfire also
triggers the body camera
recording.
Jason Delgado, lead
pastor at Vibrant Church
who attended the meeting
in person, said he thinks
during a traffic stop, cit-
izens should have the
right to ask the police offi-
cers to activate their body
camera.
“It protects the driv-
er in the situation, (who)
can feel very vulnerable
and very unprotected and
unsafe and therefore un-
willing to cooperate,” he
said. “I think it’s entirely
appropriate to request the
body camera be turned
on before we continue the
conversation.”
Harris, who made sev-
eral recommendations,
said she hopes the police
department can also help
educate the community
on how to react during a
traffic stop, such as keep-
ing their hands up, turn-
ing on interior lights and
avoiding sudden moves.
She advocated for es-
tablishing a report sys-
tem for use of force and
recommended setting
up an accountability sys-
tem where officers who
received multiple com-
plaints would be exam-
ined.
Call for closer
examination of Ball
case, further systemic
changes
Harris said the Missis-
sippi NAACP has sent a
letter to Michelle Sutphin,
special agent in charge at
the Federal Bureau of In-
vestigation, to request for
a federal examination of
the Ball case.
Fitch dismissed the
case with prejudice,
which means Boykin can-
not be legally charged in
the case again even if new
evidence emerges.
Colom, who trans-
ferred the Ball case in
2016 to then-Attorney
General Jim Hood for an
independent investiga-
tion, also said his office
will handle local offi-
cer-involved shooting cas-
es itself from now on.
“It’s because I can no
longer allow a situation
that happened here to
happen again with me be-
ing DA,” Colom said. “If
a police officer is not jus-
tified in using force, par-
ticularly deadly force, I’m
going to uphold the right
of the citizen.”
The dismissal of the
Ball case, coinciding with
national outcry against
racism, spurred a demand
for further change.
Horton and Shanklin,
advocating for Ball, spoke
against racial injustice
during the discussion and
called for local officials
to implement community
policing programs and
youth advisory boards
to mend the relationship
between Columbus resi-
dents and the police force.
They also called for
officials to support re-
moving local Confederate
monuments and replac-
ing the state flag, which
contains the Confederate
emblem. Mississippi law-
makers, led by Republi-
can House Speaker Phil-
lip Gunn, began drafting
a resolution to remove the
emblem this week.
“We ask that elected of-
ficials and the administra-
tors of this city to match
our efforts to promote
unity and equality,” Hor-
ton said. “This is a state-
wide issue, but we believe
the city of Columbus can
not only join in the efforts
but be a leader in disvalue
and disapproval of the flag
and everything it stands
for.”

Road test waiver

Continued from Page 1A
on their family farm.
The need for the road
test depends on the indi-
vidual new driver, Grimes
said.
“It basically boils down
to how much experience
that child has with any-
thing that has to be driv-
en, and to their maturity
of mind,” she said.
DPS Director of Public
Affairs Johnny Poulos did
not respond to requests
for comment.
‘If it weren’t a need, I
wouldn’t be here’
William Dismuke
and his two teenage
daughters were halfway
through the line of about
50 outside the Oktibbeha
County office after stand-
ing in the rain for two
hours Monday morning.
The Dismukes are from
Winston County, where
the driver’s license office
in Louisville is only open
on Tuesdays.
The Lowndes and Ok-
tibbeha county offices are
the only ones in MHSP
Troop G — which also
includes Calhoun, Chick-
asaw, Choctaw, Clay,
Monroe, Noxubee and
Webster counties — that
are open almost every
day, Beckom said.
Troop G is about
150,000 driver’s license
transactions behind, Bec-
kom said in the press re-
lease, since the pandemic
forced driver’s license of-
fices statewide to either
close or limit their ser-
vices temporarily. Bec-
kom recommended cus-
tomers wear comfortable
clothes and shoes due
to the expected rain and
high temperatures this
week.
Dismuke’s daughters,
Shakarian and Shakeri-
an, waited in hoodies and
protective face masks to
receive their learner’s
permits.
“If it weren’t a need, I
wouldn’t be here, but it’s
something they need,”
Dismuke said.
Only 10 people at a time
were allowed inside both
the Lowndes and Oktib-
beha offices, and stickers
on the floor marked the
necessary distance be-
tween customers. DPS is
not requiring customers
to wear masks, but most
people at both locations
did.
While the office in Co-
lumbus was completely
closed before Monday,
the one near Starkville
had stayed open and only
offered two services: com-
mercial driver’s license
transactions and sex of-
fender registration, Beck-
om said.
Both locations now of-
fer new driver’s licenses
and state ID cards, learn-
er’s permit tests, rein-
statements, ignition-inter-
lock restricted licenses,
out-of-state transfers and
services for non-U.S. citi-
zens, according to a DPS
press release. Security
guard permits are avail-
able only on Wednesdays.
People will be allowed
to visit driver’s license
stations based on the
first letter of their last
names: A-E on Mondays,
F-L on Tuesdays, M-S on
Thursdays and T-Z on
Fridays. Walk-ins will
be allowed on “Walk-in
Wednesdays,” according
to the press release. Bec-
kom said the scheduling
should limit the number
of people at the offices at
one time.
Customers who want
to change their address
or renew or replace their
driver’s license or state
ID can do so either in per-
son or online at the DPS
website.
Gov. Tate Reeves is-
sued an executive order
in April allowing all driv-
er’s licenses, learner’s
permits, intermediate
licenses, security guard
permits and state IDs
with expiration dates be-
tween March 14 and June
30 to remain valid until
Aug. 3. Beckom said any
Mississippi resident trav-
eling out of state with
a previously expired li-
cense should have a copy
of the executive order
with them, and expired
firearm permits are still
valid until January 2021.
Columbus residents
Jeremy Montgomery and
Linda Harvey both chose
to renew their licenses
in person as soon as the
driver’s license office
opened, just to get it done
sooner than later despite
the extension.
“I don’t trust online,
giving my birthday, my
Social Security (number)
and driver’s license num-
ber to where people can
hack and steal your infor-
mation,” Harvey said.
Meanwhile, the line
outside the Oktibbe-
ha County station held
steady from 8 a.m. to
about 3 p.m. Monday
when it finally started to
shorten, Beckom said.
Like Dismuke, Bever-
ly Clay said she wouldn’t
have driven all the way
from Scooba to Starkville
and stood in a storm for a
couple hours if there were
a closer station for her
15-year-old son, Brody, to
get his learner’s permit.
“I own a business, so I
basically had to take off to-
day and bring somebody
in,” Clay said. “That’s why
we’re having to wait (here
and now), because we
can’t keep taking off.”
Sports
A MISSISSIPPI STATE GUIDE FOR THE 2020 MLB DRAFT
Mississippi State Bulldogs second baseman Justin Foscue (17) applies the tag on Louisville Cardinals infielder Lucas Dunn (7) in the third inning in the 2019 College World
Series at TD Ameritrade Park.
BY BEN PORTNOY
bportnoy@cdispatch.com
STARKVILLE — Af-
ter tying a program re-
cord with 11 players se-
lected in the 2019 MLB
Draft, the next wave of
Mississippi State players
will become pros as soon
as Wednesday night.
Heading into the
C OV I D -1 9 - s h o r t e n e d
2020 MLB Draft — down
from 40 rounds to five
— a number of current
Bulldogs and signees are
slated to hear their names
called.
With that, here’s what
to expect from the MSU
contingent this week:
Ban the Confederate flag? NASCAR could see the end of an era
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The familiar scene of
Confederate flags waved
by fans at NASCAR
tracks could soon be a rel-
ic of racing’s good ol’ boy
roots.
Bubba Wallace — the
lone black driver in the
sport — wants the stock
car series with deep ties
to the South to ban the
flag at its properties and
formally distance itself
from what for millions is
a symbol of slavery and
racism.
There are signs that
NASCAR is on its way to
that move. As the nation
grapples with social un-
rest following the death
of George Floyd in police
custody in Minneapolis,
the predominantly white
field of drivers united for
INF Jordan Westburg —
Junior
Mock Draft: Round 1,
Pick No. 29 (NBC Sports);
Competitive Balance A,
Pick No. 36 (DraftSite.
com)
At 6-foot-3, 203
pounds, Jordan Westburg
looks the part of a pro-
fessional ballplayer. His
movement at shortstop is
seamless, while his bat
offers a smooth stroke
scouts have fallen in love
with. The biggest prob-
lem? Consistency.
After hitting .294 with
21 doubles and 61 RBIs
despite notching multi-
hit games just six times
a video promoting so-
cial change. A black NA-
SCAR offi-
cial took a
knee before
S u nday ’s
race near
Atlanta in
what may
have been
a first for Wallace
the series,
and the governing body
vowed to do a better job
of addressing racial injus-
tice.
Wallace — who wore
a black T-shirt with the
words “I Can’t Breathe”
at Sunday’s race — seized
the moment and issued
his most compelling com-
ments yet on the topic of
race and racing: “My next
step would be to get rid of
all Confederate flags.”
“There should be no
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
over the final 30 regular
season games of 2019, an
appearance in the Cape
Cod League did wonders
for Westburg.
In 25 games with the
Hyannis Harbor Hawks,
he batted .326 with six
doubles, four home runs
and 14 RBIs after being
cut during Team USA try-
outs.
Westburg has the tools
to be an elite MLB player,
but he’ll have to find more
consistency at the dish.
What the analysts
told The Dispatch:
“Westburg is a little more
tools over performance,
but he also doesn’t have
a lot of reps in summer
individual that is uncom-
fortable showing up to
our events to have a good
time with their family that
feels some type of way
about something they
have seen, an object they
have seen flying,” Wallace
told CNN. “No one should
feel uncomfortable when
they come to a NASCAR
race. So it starts with
Confederate flags. Get
them out of here. They
have no place for them.”
Wallace arrived in the
sport hyped as a trailblaz-
er of sorts in a series that
has long lacked diversity
in the field. He finished
second in the 2018 Day-
tona 500, but has had
limited success and of-
ten needed patchwork
sponsorship deals to keep
racing. His biggest reach
for now is as an agent of
THE DISPATCH n CDISPATCH.COM n WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 2020
showcase, high-level
stuff. He’s continued to
improve and so there’s a
lot of teams that are mod-
el-driven and see his big
metrics in terms of exit
velocity, speed, size, raw
power, and then see his
improving stats. I would
say it could be as high as
pick No. 20, but it’s proba-
bly 25-30, 25-35 is where
he falls and he seems like-
ly to go and sign.”
— Kiley McDaniel,
ESPN
INF Justin Foscue —
Junior
Mock Draft: Round
1, Pick No. 21 (Draftsite.
change: The 26-year-
old Alabama native has
pushed the issue of race
to the front burner for
NASCAR.
“We want all to feel wel-
come at our events in the
future,” said Daryl Wolfe,
NASCAR executive vice
president and chief sales
and operations officer.
NASCAR has been
more open in recent times
to the eradication of the
Confederate flag. Former
chairman Brian France in
2015 tried to ban the fly-
ing of Confederate flags at
race tracks, a proposal too
broad to enforce and one
that angered NASCAR’s
core Southern-based fan
base.
Not everyone obliged
and fans staunchly de-
fended their Confederate
flags and raised them
com); Round 1, Pick No.
29 (NBC Sports)
For what Westburg
lacks at the plate, his
battery mate Justin Fos-
cue more than makes up
for. A three-year impact
player in Starkville, Fos-
cue could hear his name
called as early as the top-
10, though it’s more likely
he falls toward the middle
or end of the first round.
While he doesn’t have
the athleticism of West-
burg in the field, Foscue’s
bat is one that should
translate seamlessly. In
67 games last season, the
Alabama native hit .331
with 14 home runs and 60
RBI’s.
from their RVs.
“Now, it’s kind of a
middle finger,” NASCAR
historian Dan Pierce said.
But as Confederate
monuments are toppled
around the South and
calls for social justice con-
tinue to ring out, those
fans may have run out of
time.
Wallace will make an-
other statement Wednes-
day when NASCAR re-
turns to Martinsville
Speedway in Virginia. He
is driving a #BlackLives-
Matter paint scheme for
the Richard Petty Motor-
sports ‘ No. 43 Chevrolet.
“I think it’s going to
speak volumes for what I
stand for,” Wallace said in
a Twitter video. “We knew
the Martinsville race was
open, we did not spell
sponsorship for that, and
SPORTS LINE
662-241-5000
B
SECTION
Steven Branscombe/USA TODAY Sports
A high-floor, low-ceil-
ing type prospect, Foscue
is the safer of the pair be-
tween him and Westburg
and that may be reflected
on draft night.
What the analysts
told The Dispatch: “Fos-
cue’s got such a strong
hit tool projection, and
even if the power is an av-
erage tool for him at the
major league level, that’s
still the expectation of a
really high average, high
on-base hitter with 15-20
home runs — and if he
gets to that and he’s go-
ing to make some all-star
teams. The pressure is a
little bit more on Foscue’s
See MSU, 2B
it sparked an idea of, why
not run a #blackout car?”
The message is sim-
ple for Wallace: “Al lives
will not matter until black
lives matter.”
Wallace, though, con-
ceded he rarely gave the
Confederate flag much
thought.
“What I’m chasing is
checkered flags, and that
was kind of my narrative,”
Wallace told CNN.
Wallace is silent no
more. He has emerged
as NASCAR’s outspo-
ken leader in the wake of
Floyd’s death.
Floyd, a black man,
died after a white Min-
neapolis police officer
pressed his knee into
Floyd’s neck while Floyd
was handcuffed and
See NASCAR, 2B
2B WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 2020 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com

Seniority, generosity may decide who enters college stadiums

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Athletic administrators at
schools with high ticket de-
mand for college football are
making plans to determine
who gets a seat if stadium ca-
pacities are reduced because
of concerns about the corona-
virus.
This is a particularly painful
task for athletic director Bill
Moos of Nebraska, which has
sold out every home football
game since 1962. The Corn-
huskers are a year-round pas-
sion in his state and the season
ticket renewal rate for the 2020
season is a robust 93%.
So which fans will gain en-
try to 85,000-seat Memorial
Stadium if capacity is reduced
by half or even 75%?
Moos and his staff are
weighing a number of vari-
ables, including whether all or
some of the seven scheduled
home games are played. How
much money the season-ticket
holder donates annually and
how long he or she has owned
the season tickets are also
factors to determine priority.
Moos is quick to point out that
doesn’t mean people down the
list would get shut out.
“If they haven’t been with us
for 40 years and given us a gen-
erous amount of money, they’re
still fans and there should be a
place for them as well,” he said.
Moos said it’s possible some
Husker fans would be allowed
to attend five games, some four,
some three and others two.
The ticketing dilemma is
just one wrinkle schools are
working through as college
football pushes toward some
kind of season. The complica-
tions of bringing students back
to school and ensuring they
are safe vary from state to state
and from campus to campus.
But most schools are planning
for games -- and putting fans in
the seats if they can.
“I’ve been in this industry
50 years and dealt with a lot
of stuff, but nothing like this,”
said Fred Maglione, a Phila-
delphia-area consultant in the
sports and live entertainment
industry. “Everybody’s trying
to figure this out. The real chal-
lenge is that you don’t just have
a Plan A and a Plan B. You’re
down to Plan Z. You have so
many different scenarios you
run through your mind every
day because the playing table
changes every day.”
At Alabama, the ticket re-
newal rate was 90% for 102,000-
seat Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Spokeswoman Jessica Pare
didn’t disclose how Alabama
would determine which fans
can attend other than to say dif-
ferent models are being looked
at and “our hope is not to have
to use those models.”
At Ohio State, where the re-
newal rate was 88%, athletic di-
rector Gene Smith has said he
could envision games played
with no more than 40,000 to
50,000 in 102,000-seat Ohio
Stadium. Consideration would
be given to parents and guests
of players, students and faculty.
A priority points system like-
ly would determine who else
gets in. That system awards
points for, among other things,
amount of money donated,
consecutive years as a season
ticket holder, and whether the
ticket holder is an alumnus or
letter winner in a varsity sport.
Clemson athletic director
Dan Radakovich said there
have been orders for 60,000
season tickets at 81,500-seat
Memorial Stadium, and no
priority system has been final-
ized. Arkansas has sold 31,000
season tickets and stopped sin-
gle-game sales until it’s known
how many fans will be allowed
in 76,000-seat Razorback Stadi-
um.
Moos said he expects to
know by mid July how many
Nebraska games will be played
and if the season will start as
scheduled. Then, once the sta-
dium capacity is established,
he’ll set into motion the plan
for how holders of the 70,000
season tickets will be accom-
modated.
Regardless of capacity,
Moos sees no end to the Husk-
ers’ ongoing NCA A record sell-
out streak, which stands at 375
games.
“If we are told, for example,
that we can have only have
30,000 in Memorial Stadium
and we get 30,000 — that’s a
sellout,” Moos said.
Maglione said ticket renew-
al rates might not be true indi-
cators of demand in the coro-
navirus era. He said some fans
who renewed after the virus
emerged in March might have
done so in order to hold their
seats for future seasons. They
might not plan to go to any
games this season.
“A lot of surveys I’m seeing
talk about how maybe the stu-
dents are ready to go back, but
are the 40-, 50- and 60-year-old
alums really going to be ready
to go back into even a 20 or
30,000 capacity stadium as op-
posed to full?”
To get the most people allow-
able into the stadium, Maglione
said, athletic departments like-
ly will need to secure confirma-
tions from those who plan to
attend. Space will open for fans
lower on the priority list if tick-
et holders with higher priority
don’t feel safe and stay away.
“You’re going to have to
raise your hand if you want to
go, I have a hunch,” Maglione
said. “Athletic departments are
going to have to be in commu-
nication with fans each week
to say who wants to attend and
then there’s going to be some
kind of priority system and/or
lottery system.”

A look at some of the top MLB draft prospects

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — Major
League Baseball’s amateur
draft begins Wednesday
night with the first of a
Switch-hitter was the ACC
freshman of the year and
followed that up last year
by hitting .288 with 10 HRs
and 40 RBIs and commit-
ting just five errors in 476
that sits in the low- to mid-
90s with great control to
go along with a solid cur-
veball and changeup. Went
3-0 with a 1.23 ERA and 48
strikeouts in 22 innings this
this season with his short, be the first righty select- field.
compact swing, hitting .448 ed.
and leading the country HESTON KJERSTAD, OF,
ROBERT HASSELL, OF, ARKANSAS
with 12 homers, 36 RBIs,
67 total bases and 28 runs.
INDEPENDENCE H.S. Arguably the best all-

EMERSON HANCOCK, RHP, (TENNESSEE)

pandemic-shortened five
rounds. Detroit has the No.
1 overall pick for the second
time in three years after
taking pitcher Casey Mize
in 2018.
Here’s a look at the top
college and high school
players who’ll likely hear
their names announced as
early selections:
PATRICK BAILEY, C, NORTH
CAROLINA STATE
Athletic catcher with
solid defensive skills was on
his way to a terrific junior
season with a team-lead-
ing six home runs and 20
RBIs while batting .296.
chances. Also threw out
33% of would-be basesteal-
ers. Likely the first catcher
drafted this year.
REID DETMERS, LHP,
LOUISVILLE
Last year’s ACC pitcher
of the year went 13-4 with a
2.78 ERA in 113 1/3 innings
while setting the school’s
season strikeouts record
(167) and tying the mark
for wins. Followed that up
by being the ace of the USA
Collegiate National Team
last summer, going 2-0 in
three starts while allowing
just one run in 12 innings.
Polished with a fastball
season. Likely to be second
lefty picked behind Texas
A&M’s Asa Lacy.
NICK GONZALES, SS/2B,
NEW MEXICO STATE
Slugging middle infield-
er has one of the best pure
bats in the draft, and it’s not
simply a product of being
inflated by New Mexico’s
high elevation. Hit a Divi-
sion I-leading .432 with 16
homers and 80 RBIs, and
capped his big year by win-
ning the Cape Cod League
MVP award while hitting
.351 in the wooden bat col-
lege summer circuit. Got
off to another torrid start
Lefty-hitting Hassell in the draft. Has a power-
GEORGIA is considered by many to ful left-handed swing that
Fireballing righty could
surpass outfielder Jeff Py-
burn (No. 5, 1980) as the
University of Georgia’s
highest-drafted player.
Went 8-3 last year with
a 1.99 ERA that ranked
eighth-lowest in school his-
tory. Was 2-0 with a 2.75
ERA, 34 strikeouts and
only three walks in 24
innings over four starts
this season. Has excellent
command of four pitches,
including his mid- to up-
per-90s fastball, a mid-80s
slider, solid curveball and
tough changeup. Likely to
around college outfielder
be the best pure hitter
among high school play-
ers. Vanderbilt recruit
will likely be the first high
school position player
from Tennessee picked in
the first round since out-
fielder Mike White went
19th overall to the Dodg-
ers in 1986. Draft stock
rose last spring and sum-
mer when he led the U.S.
national team and later hit
.514 at the under-18 World
Cup in South Korea. Also
a solid pitcher, but teams
envision him as an out-
fielder — likely in center
has produced every year
in college. The Southeast-
ern Conference freshman
of the year in 2018, he fol-
lowed it up by becoming
the first Arkansas player
with 50 or more RBIs in
his first two seasons since
Rodney Nye in 1998-99.
Kjerstad was leading the
Razorbacks in seven of-
fensive categories when
this season ended, in-
cluding batting average
(.448), homers (six) and
RBIs (20). Seventh in
school history in career
HRs with 37.

MSU
Continued from Page 1B
bat, but in that same vein that’s
also his strongest tool.” — Brian
Sakowksi, Perfect Game
P JT Ginn — Sophomore
Mock Draft: Competitive
Balance Round A, Pick No. 36
(NBC Sports); Competitive
Balance Round A, Pick No. 37
(Draftsite.com)
JT Ginn is perhaps the big-
gest question mark of any Bull-
dog in this year’s draft. Having
undergone Tommy John sur-
gery before the pandemic end-
ed the 2020 campaign, Ginn’s
health is an obvious concern.
That said, assuming his arm
is on the mend and there haven’t
been any setbacks, the former
Brandon standout is a top-flight
talent.
After being selected in the
first round out of high school
by the Los Angeles Dodgers,
Ginn was named the National
Freshman of the Year by Perfect
Game and co-National Fresh-
man Pitcher of the Year by Colle-
giate Baseball Magazine during
his lone full season at MSU.
Between his past draft his-
tory and a dynamic freshman
campaign, it’d be a surprise if
Ginn spurned a major pay day
again.
What the analysts told
The Dispatch: “There’s a
high school kid named Dax
Fulton that is also coming off
Tommy John (surgery) and (he
and Ginn) are getting kind of
lumped together. There’s also
some conventional wisdom that
if a kid goes in the middle of the
first round, they have Tommy
John (surgery), the expectation
is 80-85 percent in terms of stuff
coming back. Tenth to 15th is
where a healthy Fulton and a
healthy Ginn would go. They’re
both in play from (pick No.) 25-
40. On talent it’s the 25-35 range.
So if either of them doesn’t go on
day one, I would expect them to
go in one of the first couple picks
on day two.” — Kiley McDaniel,
ESPN
OF Austin Hendrick —
High School
Mock Draft: Round 1, Pick
24 (CBS Sports), Round 1, Pick
No. 29 (NBC Sports)
Mississippi State fans
shouldn’t expect to see Austin
Hendrick next season. Rated
the No. 10 prospect in this year’s
draft by MLB.com, Hendrick is
set to be the first player asso-
ciated with MSU off the board
Wednesday night.
A hard-hitting left-hander
out of West Allegheny, Penn-
sylvania, he has some swing
and miss tendencies that could
drop him from the top-10 range
to the mid-to-late first round —
though he still profiles as one of
the best high school bats in this
year’s shortened draft.
What the analysts told The
Dispatch: “I think Hendrick
is one of the first two or three
(left-handed hitting high school
outfielders) off the board. He
reminds me of Bryce Harper
now...the left-hand hitting right
fielder who provides value in
the outfield, but whose profile is
built mostly around his power.
He takes a super violent swing,
and he’s got maybe the best raw
power of the prep class, at least
from the left side. That’s a guy
that’s going to hit and hit for
power.” — Brian Sakowski, Per-
fect Game
INF Blaze Jordan —
High School
Mock Draft: Competitive
Balance Round A, Pick No. 37
(NBC Sports); Round 2, Pick
No. 57 (Draftsite.com)
Blaze Jordan has been on
MLB radars for years. After
committing to Mississippi State
as a 13-year-old eighth-grader,
Jordan wowed onlookers with
his home run hitting prowess
as he belted seven long balls, en
route to the MLB High School
Home Run Derby.
Having reclassified to be el-
igible for the 2020 MLB Draft,
it’s likely Jordan ends up in pro
ball next season after finishing
his sophomore year at DeSo-
to Central hitting .440 with 46
RBIs and 10 home runs in just
37 games.
Expect his name to be called
somewhere in the middle of
Thursday’s second round.
What the analysts told The
Dispatch: “He’s got real, real,
real juice — all you’ve got to do
is pull-up YouTube and see that
he’s got a good chance to hit. I
think that he wants to get draft-
ed and somewhere in the second
round is probably most likely.
He’s got some things working in
his favor. He’s performed really
well and he’s obviously super
young having reclassified.” —
Brian Sakowski, Perfect Game
P Jackson Fristoe —
High School
Mock Draft: N/A
If there’s one MSU signee
outside of Jordan and Hendrick
to be selected this week it’s
Fristoe. A hard-throwing right
hander out of Kentucky, scouts
had limited time to see him
pitch this spring given the short-
ened season.
In a normal year, Fristoe
is a prospect that could be on
the fence about heading to
Starkville or turning pro. Given
there will only be five rounds
in this year’s draft, it’s a good
bet he ends up in the Bulldogs’
starting rotation next spring.
What the analysts told The
Dispatch: “He’s also got a big
(signing bonus) number. He
also is probably going to school.
He is polished enough, obvi-
ously, — he’s 19 — and being
from Kentucky I don’t think he
was seen at all this spring. But
I think he could be in the week-
end rotation, especially given
what happened this year. There
are some needs in the weekend
rotation and this guy is good
enough to take that spot.” — Ki-
ley McDaniel, ESPN
Other potential draftees:
OF Tanner Allen — Junior
OF Rowdey Jordan — Junior
UTIL Josh Hatcher — Junior
P Mikey Tepper — High
School
P Dylan Carmouche — High
School

NASCAR
Continued from Page 1B

saying that he couldn’t
breathe.
Wallace’s fellow driv-
ers have followed his lead
and broken with past pro-
tocols, where any hint of
rankling corporate spon-
sors often led to muted
responses to societal is-
sues.
“I think it’s one of
those things that some of
us are just ignorant about
and don’t really think
about it or worry about it,”
2017 Cup champion Mar-
tin Truex Jr. said Tues-
day. “And then you hear
somebody like Bubba
talk about it and how he
feels about it and it wakes
you up a bit. Yeah, I think
NASCAR is going to do
the right thing there.”
NASCAR took a hit
when driver Kyle Larson
was fired in April after
he uttered a racial slur
during a live-streamed
virtual race. But drivers
have forged ahead ready
to create what they hope
is a new legacy in the
sport.
Two-time Daytona 500
champion Denny Hamlin
said he would support
NASCAR taking a hard
line on the Confederate
flag.
“NASCAR’s going to
continue to make chang-
es and I’m sure they’ll
look at what flags they
want to fly in the infield,”
Hamlin said. “If you look
at all the haulers each
and every weekend,
they’ve got the American
flags flown all over the
top of them. That’s what
we salute when we do the
national anthem.”
Ryan Blaney, who is
tight with Wallace, said
he joined some of the
“peaceful protests” in
Charlotte, North Caroli-
na, and also called for the
end of the Confederate
flag.
“Bring your 50 stars
flag,” Blaney said.
2012 Cup champion
Brad Keselowski was
more reserved, saying:
“I’m not going to tell peo-
ple they need to get rid of
it. That’s not my right ei-
ther, but I certainly don’t
salute it or respect it.”
Brad Daugherty, the
lone black Cup Series
team owner in NASCAR,
told The Associated
Press he stood with Wal-
lace.
“After all this country
has gone through in the
last three months, I think
Bubba Wallace’s thought
of removing Confeder-
ate flags from NASCAR
events is an idea whose
time has come,” he said.
Earlier this year, the
Marine Corps mandat-
ed that all Confederate
flags, bumper stickers
and similar items be re-
moved from bases. Will
NASCAR be next?
“That core constituen-
cy that may have waved
the Rebel flag have waned
significantly in NA-
SCAR,” Pierce said. “It’s
not necessarily a cost-
ly stance I’d say they’re
making in terms of the
modern day fan that fol-
lows NASCAR.”

For Tigers, top draft pick another chance to speed rebuild
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
DETROIT — The De-
troit Tigers are rebuild-
ing around an impressive
group of minor league
pitchers.
Now, it might be time
to add a star hitting pros-
pect to the mix.
Whether it’s Arizona
State slugger Spencer
Torkelson or somebody
else, Detroit has a chance
to add another potential
standout when it makes
the No. 1 selection in
Wednesday night’s draft.
Although the Tigers have
been vague about their
intentions, this is an op-
portunity to add a young
position player to an orga-
nization that has done a
better job stocking up on
Comics & Puzzles
DILBERT
ZITS
GARFIELD
CANDORVILLE
BABY BLUES
BEETLE BAILEY
MALLARD FILLMORE
pitching prospects lately.
“You’ve got to get the
best guy, that’s number
one,” Scott Pleis, Detroit’s
director of amateur scout-
ing, said recently. “And
then hopefully it falls into
your needs, also, and then
everybody’s happy.”
This year, the best guy
may be Torkelson, who
is ranked by mlb.com as
the No. 1 prospect in the
draft. Second on that list
is Vanderbilt’s Austin
Martin, another position
player. Texas A&M pitch-
er Asa Lacy is No. 3.
Torkelson, a junior
first baseman, has hit 54
home runs in 129 career
games at Arizona State.
On a conference call with
reporters Tuesday, gen-
eral manager Al Avila
FAMILY CIRCUS
The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com
was asked directly if the
Tigers were planning to
pick Torkelson. Not sur-
prisingly, the GM was coy
in his response.
“It’s a question we can’t
answer today,” Avila said.
It’s the second time
in three years Detroit is
picking first. The Tigers
took right-hander Casey
Mize with the top pick
in 2018, and he’s one of a
handful of highly touted
minor league pitchers in
their system. Matt Man-
ning and Tarik Skubal
have also achieved a good
bit of acclaim. If a season
is played this year, any of
them could end up in the
majors at some point.
Riley Greene, Detroit’s
top position player pros-
pect according to mlb.
com, is 19 and hasn’t
played above Class A yet.
“Obviously, there’s
been a lot of talk, and the
need for a bat and stuff
like that. We have a lot
of really good arms, and
knock on wood, they all
continue to stay that way,”
Pleis said. “It’s a tough
thing when you’re taking
these guys, because if
you start thinking more
need than anything else,
you’re going to pass a guy
that might be quite a bit
better. You have to be re-
ally careful when you do
it.”
In the past 15 years,
Tampa Bay, Washington
and Houston have also
had the No. 1 overall
pick multiple times in a
three-year period. Tam-
Dear Abby
D
EAR ABBY: I
divorced my
wife 20 years
ago, leaving behind
two daughters.
My older girl was
5 when I left, and
due to my ex’s lies,
I wasn’t able to see
them.
When my older
daughter turned
18, she contacted
me. She confessed
that she had
been forced to
lie in court, and
we reconnected. Dear Abby
At 19, she came
to me pregnant. She asked if I
would take her baby and asked
that I tell no one, especially her
mother. I agreed.
Last year, my daughter died
in a car wreck. My granddaugh-
ter will turn 4. Should I go against the age difference and the fact
my daughter’s wishes, tell my
ex and risk her taking her? Or
should I let things remain as
they are? My current wife and I
are the only people who know. —
SECRET IN VIRGINIA
DEAR SECRET: I urge you to
discuss this matter with a lawyer
because there may be legal ram-
ifications. Your former wife has
demonstrated she is the kind of
person who would force a child
to lie in a custody matter. Having
done it once, she’s capable of
doing something equally under-
handed. I am trying hard to come
up with a reason why you should
go against your daughter’s wish-
Horoscopes
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (JUNE
10). Love enfolds you this year!
Your cosmic birthday gift is a
surge of ambition that is well-
matched to your abilities, which
makes for a steady climb over
the next 10 weeks. Adjust to
new ways, and seize opportuni-
ty. Your optimism and reliability
will earn you a coveted place
in an organization, and praise
and pay to match. Virgo and Leo
adore you. Your lucky numbers
are: 6, 40, 1, 19 and 33.
ARIES (March 21-April 19).
New scenes invite you. You
won’t know what to say or how
to behave when you get there,
but go anyway. There’s no way
pa Bay and Washington
each took a pitcher and
a position player with its
two No. 1 picks. Houston
had the top pick three
years in a row, drafting
a position player and two
pitchers.
This year’s top pick
may be Detroit’s best re-
maining chance to accel-
erate its rebuild. The Ti-
gers have already traded
some of their most valu-
able players over the past
few seasons. They still
have Miguel Cabrera, but
his big contract and de-
clining production make
him difficult to move.
Left-hander Matthew
Boyd showed promise last
year and could bring back
some young players in a
deal at some point — but
es and disclose
this to your ex, and
I cannot think of a
single one.
DEAR ABBY:
I’m concerned
about my daugh-
ter. She’s 12 and
wants to hang out
with a 21-year-old
male volunteer
from her school.
His mother works
there, and I’ve
known their family
for a few years,
although we’ve
never socialized.
Recently, my
daughter said she wants to meet
him at a park to learn some
skateboard moves. She tries to
tell me it’s harmless, that he just
likes the skateboarding sport,
but I am uncomfortable about
that he works at her school. I
don’t know what to do. What’s
your advice in this situation? —
STUMPED IN CALIFORNIA
DEAR STUMPED: Although
the young man’s motives may
be pure, I do not think your
daughter should be meeting him
at the park without supervision.
Accompany her so you can gauge
the situation. Because he is
volunteering at her school, you
should first check to see if that
kind of fraternization is allowed
because it may not be, and it
could cost him his position.
DEAR ABBY: Am I awful
because I don’t sympathize when
around it; experience is the only
teacher here.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20).
There’s somewhere you see
yourself. This vision of you in
an improved state is growing
increasingly vivid. To change
your life, change the patterns
of behavior that have held you
from that place.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21).
There are good reasons to let
go of hard feelings. First of all,
they are heavy, and carrying
around unnecessary weight gets
tiring. You can take the lesson
and lose the burden. Writing or
talking about it helps.
CANCER (June 22-July 22).
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 2020 3B
it seems increasingly like
the draft is where Detroit
will need to make head-
way if it wants to add more
good prospects soon.
The coronavirus dis-
rupted the 2020 season
for both colleges and high
schools, so prospects
haven’t had as much of a
chance this year to help or
hurt their draft outlooks.
The lack of games over
the past couple months
has made preparing for
this draft different, but
that’s an issue every team
has to deal with.
The Tigers just have
more at stake, picking
No. 1 — and they also
have more to lose if player
development at the minor
league level is slowed be-
cause of the virus.
people put their business on the
internet? For example, I read
some comments on YouTube,
and this woman was talking
about how “all men cheat.” I
told her maybe it’s just all the
men she opens her legs to. My
account was suspended for a
week because of it.
Another time, a man was
talking about how none of his
many kids talk to him. I asked
what he had done to them that
none of them speak to him,
and he got mad. Abby, I’m not
looking for trouble. I feel that
if you can’t take someone not
kissing up to you, stop putting
your business out there. Am I
wrong? — STRAIGHTFORWARD IN
THE WEST
DEAR STRAIGHTFORWARD:
I think so. When traits were
handed out, it appears someone
forgot to give you a filter. I agree
that some people overshare
online and doing it comes with
a risk. However, your comments
weren’t helpful; in fact, they were
cruel. When a bee stings, its prey
tries to swat it away, and that’s
what’s happening to you. To
avoid trouble, curb your impulse
to comment, or be prepared to
deal with the consequences that
are sure to follow.
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.
Instead of providing all the
answers (exhausting!), you’ll
encourage others to find the
answers. This takes longer and
requires you to be OK with their
early-stage mistakes.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). The
truly confident aren’t thinking
about how their performance
looks or sounds. They just play
the moment. There are two
ways to get there. Either do a
thing a million times, or cease
to care what people think of
you.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22).
One stroke of luck will vanquish
10 worries. Magic like this
doesn’t come along every day,
although you’ll have two more
waves of this wand before the
month is through.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23).
Advice from the top will only
help if the person knows your
particular kind of journey. What
counts more is advice from
someone but one or two rungs
above you on the ladder.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov.
21). Everyone is fragile to some
degree and indestructible in oth-
er ways. It’s hard to tell on the
surface, though, because each
person’s shatterproof glass
parts are differently distributed.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec.
21). You’ll have a chance to
use an underappreciated talent,
not only satisfying but also a
reminder of how good life can
be when you’re doing what
you love. Appreciation is just a
bonus.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan.
19). Make no assumptions
about how to please people.
Your idea of a happy outcome is
different from someone else’s,
and it will be important to get
clear on the terms.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb.
18). What makes special things
special is their infrequency. A
treat every day isn’t a treat; it’s
a habit. An essential ingredient
to special treats: anticipation
and delayed gratification.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March
20). Among your most beautiful
cosmic gifts are compassion
and high-level empathy. Sure,
these talents sometimes cause
you pain. But today, they will
bring you nothing but joy.
Serves you right
SOLUTION:
Food LIFESTYLES EDITOR
Jan Swoope: 328-2471
THE DISPATCH n CDISPATCH.COM n WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 2020 n 4B

Lingering
effect familyfeatures.com
This Moroccan grape and grilled
chicken with grape vinaigrette com-
bines immune boosting grapes with
grilled chicken in a burst of flavors.

Flavor up and
support your
immune system
with grapes
FAMILY FEATURES

B
oosting immune function
through a healthy diet has
become an important new
focus for many people these days.
One key dietary recommendation
is to eat more fruits and vegetables
each day to improve immune func-
tion and prevent heart disease and
diabetes. When looking to guide
your family to healthier snacks
and meals or simply trying to mix
up your at-home menu, success
can be as simple as rethinking the
ingredients you choose to use, in-
cluding your favorite produce, such
as grapes, which help protect the
health and function of the body’s
cells. Grapes can be paired with
other healthy foods to enhance
Jan Swoope/Dispatch Staff flavor and nutrition, including dark
While some reduction in stock still seems apparent on visits to grocery stores, food supply chains on the whole leafy greens, cauliflower, broccoli,
have been fairly resilient during the COVID-19 pandemic.
whole grains, legumes and lean
proteins.
BY JAN SWOOPE get back to “normal.” primary purchasers of dairy and See GRAPES, 5B
jswoope@cdispatch.com Seeing more familiar levels of proteins have been shut down,”

A
few days ago I made the
dreaded periodic trip to
the grocery. After scoping
out the parking lot to gauge how
crowded the place was, I took my
chances. With mask and gloves,
I breached the entrance. After
discarding two or three carts with
wheels that wanted to drag me port
or starboard, I lucked out, then
retrieved my list that would effi-
activity may have lulled me into
expecting grocery shortages to
be a thing of the past. Surely we’re
no longer panic-buying. So, I was
somewhat surprised to find a few
items in short — or no — supply.
With that outing fresh in mind,
I was interested when a release
out of the University of Mississippi
arrived in my inbox. In it, food ex-
perts and registered dietitians of-
Taylor said. “When the restaurants
shut down, there was no vehicle to
change these delivery methods and
packaging such that it would hit
the retailers and then us consum-
ers.
“So, the producers stopped pro-
A protein-packed
ducing and the supply chain came
to a halt. Now that restaurants are
opening up, the supply chain is get-
salad for summer
ting back to normal, but it’s about FAMILY FEATURES
a three-week lag from the field to

ciently take me from one side of the
store to the other in what I hoped
would be quick order.
Early in the pandemic, we were
shocked to find once-full grocery
shelves sometimes bare of the
tried-and-true stock we were
accustomed to. At some point, the
sight became more familiar and
we went prepared to substitute,
or do without. Then, stay-at-home
guidelines were lifted; people be-
gan easing back out into the world.
Retail store parking lots had cars
in them once again. Bank lobbies
reopened. People were milling in
commercial businesses — some
behaving as though there was no
cause to be cautious at all. Maybe
it’s because we so badly want life to
fered some insight on supply chain
and maximizing food provisions.
Below are a few gleanings.
Supply, demand
To better cope with the im-
pact of the pandemic on the food
industry, consumers need to first
understand how the food sup-
ply-and-demand process functions,
advised Jim Taylor, UM associate
professor of hospitality manage-
ment and director of the online
master’s program in hospitality
management; and Laurel Lambert,
associate professor of nutrition and
registered dietitian via the release.
“There’s not really a food short-
age per se, but what happened
in the supply chain is all of these
the plate.”
The fear that there is no meat
and dairy in the pipeline has
caused retailers to increase prices
for consumers, Taylor said.
One national trend is consumers
connecting with local farmers for,
beef, for example. If two people
want to split meat from a cow, they
can buy it from a processor that
can ship the meat to them.
“It’s happening locally, but it’s
small-scale,” Taylor said. “It’s like
putting a Band-aid on the problem
until consumers start purchasing
foods at restaurants at a level they
did before and restaurants start
purchasing products comparable to
what they did in the past.”
See FOOD SUPPLY, 5B
A
salad can fill an empty stom-
ach for nearly any purpose,
from an al fresco snack to a
family appetizer. When combined
with protein like chicken, a salad
can become a full, nutritious meal
all on its own.
If you’re looking for a way to
take your salad from snack or side
to a savory main course, consider
this High-Protein Chicken, Onion
and Quinoa Salad with its own
handmade dressing. Ready in
less than 30 minutes, it calls for a
handful of everyday ingredients
including sautéed onions as a key
ingredient for added flavor.
In fact, onions can be called na-
ture’s ninja because of their many
“skills.” Onions add abundant
flavor to a wide variety of foods
with just 45 calories per serving as
See SALAD, 5B

Squash in the morning, squash at noon … let’s eat squash with a big brown spoon
Q
uarantine has beside the point.) husband’s diligence and atten- I’ve come up with a few ways to 2-3 medium summer squash, zucchi-
caused us to One of the things tion that this has happened, make our squash taste…well, ni, or a mix, sliced into rounds about
1/4 inch thick
do all kinds we’ve done that had and he is determined not to if not exciting, then at least dif- Salt and pepper, to taste
of things we’ve nev- never happened waste an iota of it. So we eat ferent. If you are finding a lot Garlic powder (optional)
er done before…or before is growing squash nearly every night. of squash or zucchini in your
at least, never done a garden. It’s great When I was a child, I had garden — or if you are taking (This is such a basic recipe that I
regularly. feel a little silly including it. But since
because it gives squash approximately one way: advantage of the bounty at the I didn’t have squash this way until
Who knew I’d be my sweet husband boiled, mashed, and mixed farmers market or grocery I was in my 20s, I thought maybe
the type of person something else to with an egg, some Velveeta or store — try a few of these. I someone else out there could use
who makes a big look at besides the cheddar, and cracker crumbs think you’ll be glad you did. it.) In a large skillet, heat butter over
breakfast every mess inside our to make a casserole that was Amelia Plair is a mom medium heat until melted and foamy.
Add onion to pan. Cook and mix for
single morning Amelia Plair home (see also: then baked. I’m not going to lie and high school teacher in a few minutes, until onion begins to
that includes both cooking all the to you: that squash casserole Starkville. Email reaches her at soften. Add sliced squash. Sprinkle
scrambled eggs and time) and the sweet was excellent, and I’d happily mamabadgerplair@gmail.com. liberally with salt and pepper. Let sit
something else, like homemade and loving (and loud) faces of eat it to this day. in pan until bottoms become golden,
about 5 minutes. Stir and taste. Add
biscuits or pancakes? (Answer: the people he lives with. However, I’d rather not
everyone who knows that I cope Our first foray into garden- cook my squash twice, and I’d
SAUTÉED SQUASH seasonings as desired and cook
until squash reaches your preferred
with stress by cooking and ing has also yielded quite a bit rather not turn on the oven at 2-3 tablespoons butter texture.
eating, that’s who. But that’s of squash. It’s thanks to my all if I can help it. To that end, 1/2 onion, chopped See BUTTER TOGETHER, 5B
 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 2020 5B

Food supply
Continued from Page 4B

Food prep reimagined
“Home cooking has
definitely increased
during this time,” Lam-
bert said. “I think people
will be challenged on
what to do with the left-
overs from the meals and
the leftover ingredients.
For example, what do
you do with the leftover
half-head of cabbage?
What about leftover egg
whites? When should
you freeze food or throw
it out?
“I also think they may
be shocked at their gro-
cery bill. So, shopping
more economically or
being more thrifty when
buying groceries may be
needed.”
An increasing number
of people are garden-
ing and growing their
own vegetables. As
the pandemic lingers,
Lambert said she sees
a tremendous need and
opportunity to educate
the public on what to do
with all the produce they
grow.
“People need to learn
how to can and freeze
produce and still main-
tain nutritional value and
texture,” she said. “With
an increase in home
cooking, there is also
the need for education
on food safety, knife han-
dling skills, food tem-
peratures and handling
to prevent food-borne
illnesses.”
Shop smart
Lambert shared
suggestions on making
food supplies last longer.
Most are from a Food
and Culinary Specialists
newsletter and include:
n Purchase shelf-sta-
ble foods, such canned
foods and foods like
dried beans and rice,
which will have the lon-
gest duration.
n Create a staples
list for each food stor-
age zone. Stock plenty
of foods with long shelf
lives so that a meal is
never far away.
n Repurpose ingre-
dients through the week
and batch cook. Find
ideas on meal planning,
including using apps or a
simple pen and paper.
n Look for sales, shop
seasonally, utilize dis-
count stores, grow your
own food.
n Consider sharing
food with family, friends
or neighbors.
n Buy store brands,
shop online and try not
to shop without a list.
At the store, look at unit
cost to help choose the
least expensive product.
n Use your freezer
to save meals and other
foods that might other-
wise go bad. Make sure
you can see all the food
you have on hand.
n Use clear contain-
ers, if possible. Label
and date food. Put older
food toward the front so
that it will be used first.
My previous weekly
grocery shopping is now
every two to two-and-a-
half weeks, by design.
On the whole, the
grocery supply chain has
been resilient. Perhaps
by the next time I shop,
it will be even more so.
Now, if they would only
open up more check-out
lanes. And, please, 6 feet
apart in that long line.
We all want this to be
over as soon as possible.

Butter Together
Continued from Page 4B
SQUOODLES
OR ZOODLES
A year or two ago, I bought
a special tool for making
spiralized vegetables. I finally
took it out for a test drive this
week and discovered that the
multitasking version I bought
works very poorly for this
particular task. I also don’t
really love using ALL squash
in place of the pasta; I felt
like I was getting ripped off.
So save your money: slice
the squash or zucchini thinly
and drop the slices into a
pot of boiling water for a few
minutes while you cook your
regular noodles. You can do
this in a separate pot or in
the pot along with the regular
noodles. You could also add
chunks of squash to the
sauce instead of the noodles
— just sauté it before you
add the meat to the pan, and
it will be soft enough to prac-
tically disappear in the sauce.
ZUCCHINI FRIES
There’s nothing like frying to
turn “ewww…squash” into
“mmmm…squash!” Sadly,
our youngest detests summer
squash so far, but she thinks
she loves zucchini because
she loved these “fries.”
2-3 medium zucchini or sum-
mer squash
Salt
Tempura mix, mixed accord-
ing to package directions
(I used some I bought on
a long-forgotten trip to the
Asian market)
OR homemade tempura mix:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup corn starch
1 egg about ¼ inch deep; when a at once, complete this step
3/4 cup water droplet of water sizzles madly in batches. When batter is
About half an hour before
on contact, the oil is ready.
Working in batches, coat the
set on one side of the fries,
turn them to cook the other
frying time, slice zucchini strips of zucchini in batter side(s). When batter is set
lengthwise into strips. Lay and drop into the hot oil. Do on all sides, remove fries to a
strips out onto a plate lined not overcrowd the pan; if your paper-towel lined plate. Taste
with several paper towels. pan cannot hold all the fries fries and salt if needed.
Salt strips liberally. Wait
about 20 minutes and then
turn strips over and salt the
other side and wait. (The salt
will draw out some of the
moisture and help the batter
stick.) Mix up tempura batter
ingredients in a shallow
bowl. Heat a large skillet
over medium heat. Pour oil

Grapes
Continued from Page 4B
Fresh California
grapes, for example,
make for an ideal snack
because they are tasty,
healthy, hydrating and
refreshing, but grapes
can also be used to make
good-for-you dishes that
are also satisfying and
delicious. Grapes of all
colors — red, green and
black — are a natural
source of beneficial
antioxidants and other
polyphenols. Plus, they
are naturally fat-free, cho-
lesterol-free and contain
virtually no sodium.
Grapes are prized for
their taste and crisp, juicy
texture, but fresh grapes
are also a heart-healthy,
hydrating snack choice.
Grapes contain more than
1,600 natural plant com-
pounds, including antiox-
idants and other polyphe-
nols, which help protect
the health and function of
the body’s cells. Grapes
can be paired with other
healthy foods to enhance
flavor and nutrition, in-
cluding dark leafy greens,
cauliflower, broccoli,
whole grains, legumes
and lean proteins
Try recipes like Mo-
roccan Grape and Grilled
Chicken Bowls with
Grape Vinaigrette, Spiced
Chickpeas and Grapes
with Yogurt, and Cauli-
flower Steaks with Grapes
to pair heart-healthy
grapes with other nutri-
tious ingredients and add
variety and fresh appeal
in the kitchen.
Visit cdispatch.com
and GrapesFromCalifor-
nia.com for more nutri-
tious family recipes.
MOROCCAN GRAPE
AND GRILLED CHICKEN
BOWLS WITH GRAPE
VINAIGRETTE
Servings: 4
Couscous:
1 cup Israeli couscous
2 tablespoons extra-virgin
olive oil to medium-high heat.
1/2 cup carrots, thinly sliced n Rub chicken breasts with
1/2 cup tomatoes, diced harissa paste, olive oil and
1/2 cup parsley, leaves only salt. Grill on both sides until
1 1/2 teaspoons ras el hanout just done. Set aside to cool.
(Moroccan spice blend) Slice into 1/4-inch slices.
1 teaspoon salt n To make vinaigrette: In
blender, puree green grapes,
Chicken: lemon juice, lemon rind, olive
2 chicken breasts (8 ounces
oil and cilantro until smooth.
each)
Add salt and pepper, to taste.
1 tablespoon harissa paste
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive n Toss couscous mixture with
oil vinaigrette and portion into four
1 teaspoon salt bowls. Top with sliced chicken,
red grapes and almonds.
Vinaigrette: Nutritional information per
serving: 590 calories; 30 g
1/4 cup green California
grapes protein; 44 g carbohydrates;
1 lemon, juice only 32 g fat (49% calories from
1 preserved lemon, rind only fat); 4.5 g saturated fat (7%
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil calories from saturated fat);
2 tablespoons cilantro, 65 mg cholesterol; 720 mg
chopped
sodium; 3 g fiber.
Salt, to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup red California grapes,
halved
1/2 cup sliced almonds,
toasted
n To make couscous: Cook
couscous in boiling salted wa-
ter. Drain, rinse with cold water
and combine with olive oil.
Add carrots, tomatoes, parsley
leaves, ras el hanout and salt.
Mix well and set aside.
n To make chicken: Heat grill

Salad
Continued from Page 4B
a source of dietary fiber,
vitamin C, vitamin B6,
potassium and other key
nutrients such as folate,
calcium and iron. They
are also rich in heart-
healthy nutrients and
have been shown to help
prevent some cancers.
Visit onions-usa.org
for more recipe ideas.
1/4 teaspoon pepper
n To make dressing: In bowl,
whisk vinegar, olive oil, lemon
juice, honey and Dijon mustard
until well combined. Set aside.
n In saucepan, bring quinoa
and broth to boil. Simmer,
covered, 12-15 minutes, or
until broth has been absorbed.
Cool completely.
n In medium skillet, heat
canola oil over medium-high
heat. Saute onion 3-5 min-
utes, or until softened and
translucent. Remove from
heat; cool completely.
n In large bowl, toss onion,
kale, apple, chicken, salt and
pepper with dressing. Stir in
cooled quinoa.
Nutritional information per
serving: 407 calories, 36.5 g
protein, 11.6 g fat, 39 g car-
bohydrates, 297 mg sodium,
4.2 g fiber.
(Source: National Onion
Association)

HIGH-PROTEIN
CHICKEN, ONION
AND QUINOA SALAD
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Servings: 6

Dressing:
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 1/2 cups red quinoa, rinsed

2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 white onion, sliced
3 cups baby kale
1 red skinned apple, chopped
2 cups cooked chicken,
chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt

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your church event!

Email
editorialassistant@
cdispatch.com

Subject:
Religious brief
6B WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 2020 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com

Classifieds
LEGALS
Call us: 662-328-2424
Legal Notices
NOTICE OF PUBLICATION
Bryan Jones, who was sen-
tenced for two counts of Sale
of Cocaine and one count of
Aggravated Assault in Lowndes STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
County, Mississippi, has ap-
plied for executive clemency.
Persons wishing to comment
should send information in writ-
ing to the above address with-
in fifteen (15) days after the
date of publication.
Bryan Jones was arrested in
2007, and subsequently con-
victed of two counts of Sale of sons having claims against
Cocaine and one count of Ag-
gravated Assault, following his
plea and sentenced to six (6)
years to serve in the custody of sissippi, within ninety (90) days Garage Auto Repair, Guntown,
Mississippi Department of Cor- from the first publication date
rections for each count of Sale of this Notice to Creditors. A
of Cocaine to run consecut-
ively to each other and one
count of Aggravated Assault to bar same.
serve ten (10) years in the cus-
tody of Mississippi Depart-
ment of Corrections to run con-
secutively to the two counts of
Sale of Cocaine.
Mr. Jones is by any measure
rehabilitated and ready have all
rights restored based on my
encounters and correspond-
ence with him. In addition, as
evidenced by the character let-
ters from family and friends,
Mr. Jones has demonstrated
his willingness to work well
within the rules, policies and
expectations of society. Mr.
Jones presents no danger to
himself, and is not a threat to
others. The retributive in-
terests of justice have been
fairly and adequately served.
PUBLISH: 5/20, 5/27, 6/3,
6/10, 6/17 & 6/24/2020
IN THE CHANCERY COURT OF
LOWNDES COUNTY, MISSIS-
SIPPI
IN RE: THE ESTATE OF ERN-
ESTINE W. COCKRELL, DE-
CEASED
JOHNNY FRANK COCKRELL, EX-
ECUTOR
CAUSE NO. 2020-0081-S
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
COUNTY OF LOWNDES
Letters of Testamentary have
been granted and issued to the claim.
undersigned upon the Estate of
ERNESTINE W. COCKRELL, de- This the 26th day of May
ceased, by the Chancery Court 2020.
of Lowndes County, Missis-
sippi, on the 27th day of April, /s/ Anthony Butler
2020. This is to give notice to
all persons having claims
against said estate to probate
and register same with the
Chancery Court of Lowndes
County, Mississippi, within
ninety (90) days from the first
publication date of this Notice
to Creditors. A failure to so pro- ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS
bate and register said claim
will forever bar same.
THIS the 18th day of May,
2020.
/s/ Johnny Frank Cockrell
Johnny Frank Cockrell
Executor
PUBLISH: 5/20, 5/27, 6/3 &
6/10/2020
The following vehicle has been
abandoned at Pull'em Auto Re- Interested bidders may secure p.m.), at the Southeast Door of
pair, 1811 Main Street, Colum- specifications from Sayonia
bus, MS, 39701.
Year: 2009
Make: Nissan
Model: Maxima
VIN# 1N4AA5AP2AC8083706
IF THIS VEHICLE IS NOT
CLAIMED IT WILL BE PUT UP
FOR SALE ON THE 29TH DAY
OF JUNE, 2020 at 7:00 A.M.
PULL'EM AUTO REPAIR,
COLUMBUS, MS 39701.
PUBLISH: 6/10, 6/17 &
6/24/2020
Just a click away!
One call will bring you results.
Legal Notices
IN THE CHANCERY COURT OF
LOWNDES COUNTY, MISSIS-
SIPPI
IN RE: THE ESTATE OF GAYRON
A. WITTKE, JR., DECEASED
RETHA M. WITTKE, EXECUTOR
CAUSE NO. 2020-0086-F
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
COUNTY OF LOWNDES
Letters of Testamentary have
been granted and issued to the sale on the 29th day of June
undersigned upon the Estate of 2020 at 7:00 a.m at TVG Body
GAYRON A. WITTKE, deceased, Shop, 305 Evergreen Dr., Aber-
by the Chancery Court of
Lowndes County, Mississippi,
on the 4th day of May, 2020.
This is to give notice to all per- PUBLISH: 6/10, 6/17 &
said estate to probate and re-
gister same with the Chancery
Court of Lowndes County, Mis- been abandoned at Moore's
failure to so probate and re-
gister said claim will forever
THIS the 18th day of May,
2020.
/s/ Retha M. Wittke
Retha M. Wittke
Executrix
PUBLISH: 5/20, 5/27, 6/3 &
6/10/2020
IN THE CHANCERY COURT OF
LOWNDES COUNTY, MISSIS-
SIPPI
IN THE MATTER OF THE ES-
TATE OF GLORIA JANE BUTLER, SUBSTITUTED TRUSTEE'S NO-
DECEASED
CAUSE NO. 2020-00090-PDE
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
COUNTY OF LOWNDES
Letters of Administration have
been granted and issued to the nominee for JTS & Co., its suc-
undersigned upon the Estate of cessors and assigns which
GLORIA JANE BUTLER, De-
ceased, by the Chancery Court office of the Chancery Clerk of
of LOWNDES County, Missis-
sippi, on the 26th day of May
2020. This is to give notice to
all persons having claims
against the estate of GLORIA
JANE BUTLER, deceased, to
Probate and Register their
claims with the Chancery Clerk GAGE INVESTMENT TRUST has
of LOWNDES County, Missis-
sippi, within ninety (90) days
from the first publication date
of this Notice to Creditors. A
failure to Probate and Register aforesaid Chancery Clerk's Of-
a claim will forever bar that
Anthony Butler
PUBLISH: 6/3, 6/10 & the terms of said deed of trust,
6/17/2020
STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
COUNTY OF LOWNDES
Sealed bids will be received by for the purpose of raising the
the Board of Education of
Lowndes County, Mississippi
until 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday,
June 17, 2020, at the office of sale.
the County Superintendent of
Education located at the
Lowndes County Central Office Brown, LLC, Substituted Trust-
in the Columbus, Mississippi
for the following bid items:
Bank Depository
Garvin, School Business Ad-
ministrator, Lowndes County
School District, 1055 Hwy 45
North, Columbus, MS 39701 or and best bidder for cash or cer-
call (662) 244-5000.
PUBLISH:
June 10 and June 17, 2020
All legal notices must
be emailed to
classifieds@cdispatch.com
The best place for personalized
advertising in your community.
Legal Notices
The following vehicles have
been abandoned at TVG Paint
& Body, 305 Evergreen Dr., Ab-
erdeen, MS 39730.
Year: 2015
Make: Nissan
Model: Altima
VIN# 1N4AL3AP9FC262072
Year: 2009
Make: BMW
Model: 528I
VIN# WBANU53509C118539
If these vehicles are not
claimed they will be put up for
deen, MS 39730. Contact TVG
Body Shop at 662-346-9426.
6/24/2020
The following vehicles have
MS, 38849.
Year: 2009
Make: Toyota
Model: Camry
VIN# 4T4BE46K19R088834
Year: 2009
Make: Chevy
Model: Tahoe
VIN# 1GNEC233X9R289984
IF THESE VEHICLES ARE NOT
CLAIMED THEY WILL BE PUT
UP FOR SALE ON THE 29TH
DAY OF JUNE, 2020 AT 7:00
A.M. MOORE'S GARAGE AUTO
REPAIR, 479 COUNTY ROAD
2578, GUNTOWN, MS 38849.
PUBLISH: 6/10, 6/17 &
6/24/2020
TICE OF SALE
WHEREAS, on November 12,
2009, Jason B. Willingham, a
married man and wife, Amber
Willingham executed a certain
deed of trust to Title & Closing
Services, Trustee for the bene-
fit of Mortgage Electronic Re-
gistration Systems, Inc. as
deed of trust is of record in the
Lowndes County, State of Mis-
sissippi in Book 2009 at Page
26773; and
WHEREAS, WILMINGTON SAV-
INGS FUND SOCIETY, FSB, AS
TRUSTEE OF QUERCUS MORT-
heretofore substituted Shapiro
& Brown, LLC as Trustee by in-
strument dated February 14,
2020 and recorded in the
fice in Book 2016 at Page
4602; and
WHEREAS, default having been
made in the terms and condi-
tions of said deed of trust and
the entire debt secured thereby
having been declared to be due
and payable in accordance with
WILMINGTON SAVINGS FUND
SOCIETY, FSB, AS TRUSTEE OF
QUERCUS MORTGAGE INVEST-
MENT TRUST, the legal holder
of said indebtedness, having
requested the undersigned
Substituted Trustee to execute
the trust and sell said land and
property in accordance with the
terms of said deed of trust and
sums due thereunder, togeth-
er with attorney's fees,
trustee's fees and expense of
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Shapiro &
ee in said deed of trust, will on
July 8, 2020 offer for sale at
public outcry and sell within
legal hours (being between the
hours of 11:00 a.m. and 4:00
the County Courthouse of
Lowndes County, located at
505 2nd Avenue North, Colum-
bus, MS 39701, to the highest
tified funds the following de-
scribed property situated in
Lowndes County, State of Mis-
sissippi, to-wit:
3.09 ACRES, MORE OR LESS,
lying in the Southwest Quarter
of the Southeast Quarter of
Section 32, Township 16
South, Range 17 West,
Lowndes County, Mississippi,
more particularly described as
follows:
Commencing at the Northwest
Corner of the Southeast
Quarter of said Section 32, run
thence South for 1534 feet;
thence South 89 degrees 23
minutes East for 353.0 feet to
POINT OF BEGINNING; thence
continue South 89 degrees 23
minutes East for 500.1 feet to
a point on the circumference of
a cul-de-sac at the end of a
public road known as Canon
Drive; thence Southeasterly
along said circumference and a
curve to the left (Delta = 13 de-
grees 33 minutes, Radius =
50.0 feet, Chord South 36 de-
grees 34 minutes East - 11.8
feet) for an arc distance of
11.8 feet to the northwest
corner of Lot 4 of an unrecor-
ded plat of the William W. Can-
ads.cdispatch.com
on property; thence South 17
degrees 59 minutes West
along the west line of said Lot4
for 297.41 feet to an existing
fence corner and the southw-
est corner thereof; thence
CUSTOMIZE YOUR AD:
North 88 degrees 46 minutes
West along a fence for 415.0
feet to a point that is 353.3
feet South 88 degrees 46
Featured ads $5 Sponsored ads $3
minutes East from a fence
corner at an existing 30-inch-
diameter gum tree; thence
Premium placement
North 00 degrees 05 minutes
West for 288.88 feet to the
on classifieds home page.
point of beginning.
I WILL CONVEY only such title
Highlight $3
as vested in me as Substi-
tuted Trustee.
WITNESS MY SIGNATURE on
Highlight your ad
this 28th day of May, 2020.
with
Shapiro a dash
& Brown, LLC of color.
SUBSTITUTED TRUSTEE
Shapiro & Brown, LLC
1080 River Oaks Drive, Suite
B-202
Flowood, MS 39232
(601) 981-9299
107 Canon Dr
Caledonia, MS 39740
20-025724
Publication Dates:
June 10, June 17, June 24 and
July 1, 2020
ee in said deed of trust, will on
July 8, 2020 offer for sale at
public outcry and sell within
Ads appear in The Commercial Dispatch,
legal hours (being between the
hours of 11:00 a.m. and 4:00
p.m.), at the Southeast Door of
the County Courthouse of
Lowndes County, located at
505 2nd Avenue North, Colum-
The Starkville Dispatch and Online
bus, MS 39701, to the highest
and best bidder for cash or cer-
tified funds the following de-
To place ads starting at only $12,
scribed property situated in
Lowndes County, State of Mis-
call 662-328-2424 or visit ads.cdispatch.com
sissippi, to-wit:
3.09 ACRES, MORE OR LESS, THE DISPATCH n CDISPATCH.COM n WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 2020 n 7B
lying in the Southwest Quarter
of the Southeast Quarter of
Section 32, Township 16
South, Range 17 West,
Legal Notices
Lowndes County, Mississippi, General Help Wanted Apts For Rent: West Apts For Rent: Other
more particularly described as
VIP
follows: JAMIE'S SALON is seeking
a barber, cosmetologist or
Commencing at the Northwest
Rentals
nail technician. Must have
Corner of the Southeast
Quarter of said Section 32, run clientele. Ask for Jamie,
thence South for 1534 feet; 662-327-3132.
thence South 89 degrees 23 Apartments & Houses
minutes East for 353.0 feet to THE COMMERCIAL
POINT OF BEGINNING; thence
continue South 89 degrees 23
DISPATCH seeks a motiv-
ated, contracted carrier for
1 Bedrooms
minutes East for 500.1 feet to
a point on the circumference of the Brooksville & Macon 2 Bedroooms
a cul-de-sac at the end of a
public road known as Canon
area. Excellent opportunity
to earn money for college. 3 Bedrooms
Drive; thence Southeasterly Must have good transporta-
along said circumference and a Furnished & Unfurnished
tion, valid driver's license
curve to the left (Delta = 13 de-
1, 2, & 3 Baths
& insurance. Delivers on
grees 33 minutes, Radius =
Sunday morning and Mon-
50.0 feet, Chord South 36 de-
grees 34 minutes East - 11.8 Fri afternoons. Apply at The Lease, Deposit
feet) for an arc distance of Commercial Dispatch, 516 & Credit Check
11.8 feet to the northwest Main Street in Columbus.
corner of Lot 4 of an unrecor- No phone calls please. viceinvestments.com
ded plat of the William W. Can-
on property; thence South 17
degrees 59 minutes West
327-8555
Rentals
along the west line of said Lot4
Need fast cash?
for 297.41 feet to an existing
fence corner and the southw-
est corner thereof; thence
North 88 degrees 46 minutes
West along a fence for 415.0
Ads starting at $25
feet to a point that is 353.3
Apts For Rent: North
feet South 88 degrees 46
minutes East from a fence
corner at an existing 30-inch- FOX RUN APARTMENTS
diameter gum tree; thence 1 & 2 BR near hospital.
North 00 degrees 05 minutes
$595−$645 monthly.
West for 288.88 feet to the
Military discount, pet area,
point of beginning.
pet friendly, and furnished
I WILL CONVEY only such title corporate apts.
as vested in me as Substi- 24−HOUR PROFESSIONAL
tuted Trustee. GYM. ON SITE SECURITY.
WITNESS MY SIGNATURE on
ON SITE MAINTENANCE. Sell your unwanted items in the classifieds today.
ON SITE MANAGEMENT.
this 28th day of May, 2020.
24−HOUR CAMERA
Shapiro & Brown, LLC SURVEILLANCE. Benji &
Ashleigh, 662−386−4446.
Shop Classifieds
SUBSTITUTED TRUSTEE
Shapiro & Brown, LLC
1080 River Oaks Drive, Suite Medical / Dental
B-202
Flowood, MS 39232
(601) 981-9299
107 Canon Dr
Caledonia, MS 39740
20-025724
Publication Dates:
June 10, June 17, June 24 and
July 1, 2020
Employment
Call us: 662-328-2424
General Help Wanted
CARPENTER NEEDED w/ at
least 4 yrs. of experience.
Ideal candidate will have an
eye for detail, be depend-
able, have good communic-
ation skills, reliable trans-
portation & basic tools. We
specialize in home remod-
els & new construction.
Call 662-312-3130 for info.
AREA BUSINESS
is seeking a mature,
motivated person who
enjoys interacting with
people, being outdoors
and multitasking. Skills
related to maintaining
equipment and/or farm
work are desired but not
required. Person needs to
be flexible enough to pitch
in where ever needed but
also keep their core
responsibilities in mind.
If you enjoy a different ex-
perience on the regular,
meeting new people and
believe in customer
satisfaction this job might
be for you.
Please submit resume to:
Blind Box 675 c/o The
Commercial Dispatch
PO Box 511
Columbus, MS 39703
CALEDONIA BUSINESS
needs General Laborer.
Valid driver's license,
transportation & experi-
ence helpful. Will train on
the job if needed. Call
Jesse & Beverly's Lawn
Service at 662-356-6525.
ADS STARTING AT
$12
Preferred placement in search
results and highlighted online.
Graphic $10.50
Enhance your ad with
an attention getter.
662-328-2424
8B WEDNESDAY, June 10, 2020 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com
Apts For Rent: Other Houses For Rent: North Lots & Acreage General Merchandise

COLEMAN
HOUSE FOR RENT BY
OWNER. 220 Mclemore
RENTALS Road, Columbus. 1750sqft
TOWNHOUSES & APARTMENTS Brick house in quiet neigh−
borhood. 3 bedrooms & 2
1 BEDROOM full baths. No HUD,
Columbus City school
2 BEDROOMS district. $1000/mo with
3 BEDROOMS 1 mo deposit. Serious
inquiries only please. Call
LEASE, 662−574−3202 to see the
© The Dispatch
1.75 ACRE LOTS.
Good/Bad Credit Options. WHITE POSTER BOARD
$0.50 each − 24"x23"
ON THE WEB
Good credit as low as 10%
down, $299/mo. Eaton Visit 516 Main Street
or call 662−328−2424
Visit www.cdispatch.com
Land, 662−361−7711.
for a printable copy of
Waterfront Property Lawn & Garden these puzzles.
NEWLY RENOVATED three
HAYES DAYLILIES
bedroom, two 1/2 bath
Open mornings. M−S.

house or make application. home in private community 1069 New Hope Rd. Call
DEPOSIT with community boat 662−251−6665.
landing. Property sits on
AND Tibbee Creek and is
CREDIT CHECK
Real Estate
conveniently located to

Vehicles
West Point, Columbus, and
662-329-2323 Starkville. Home has a
screened in back patio with
Ads starting at $25 a deck that overlooks
Ads starting at $12
2411 HWY 45 N Tibbee Creek. $198,800.
662−549−2768
COLUMBUS, MS Houses For Sale: New Hope
Autos For Sale
Houses For Rent: North 16 WIDNER IN NEW HOPE
2004 FORD T−BIRD. Two
Garage Sales
Newly remodeled. 3BR/
2BA home. Approx. 1,500 tops, hard & soft. Little
HOUSE FOR RENT over 100k mi. Excellent
2−3 Bedroom w/ 1.5 Bath sqft. Has 25’x30’ wired
metal shop w/ roll−up front Condition. Call Holly at
Fenced in yard. $675.
662−549−9555. & side door. $158,500. Two free signs Eaton Motor Company in
662−549−9298. Houston, 662−705−1143.
Ask for Glenn or text.
Garage Sales: New Hope
Houses For Sale: Other
2019 STRAWBERRY ST.
Th/Fri 9a−2p & Sat. 8a−12
Purses, jewelry, h/h items,
Community
antiques & collectibles.
Ads starting at $12 Sudoku YESTERDAY’S ANSWER

Travel & Entertainment

Sudoku
Sudoku is a number- Yesterday’s answer
Merchandise PUBLIC CATFISH POND
placing puzzle based on
Sudoku
a 9x9 gridis witha several
num- 3 5 7 4 2 1 6 9 8
@ 130 Hillcrest Drive. ber-placing
given numbers.puzzleThe object 9 6 4 7 5 8 3 1 2

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

Ads starting at $12 based onthe a 9x9
Open Tues−Sat, 7a−5p is to place numbers 1 8 2 9 3 6 7 5 4
Bargain Column
662−386−8591
Call for pricing.
grid
1 to 9with
in theseveral
empty spaces 4 9 1 2 6 5 8 3 7
given
so thatnumbers.
each row, each The 5 2 3 8 7 9 1 4 6
Ladies Ring, Size 9 with object
column and each 3x3 the
is to place box
numbers 8 7 6 1 4 3 9 2 5
Read local. contains the1same to 9 number
in
large garnet stone and 4
small topaz stones. the empty spaces so 2 4 9 6 1 7 5 8 3
Sterling Silver. $15. only once. The difficulty 7 3 8 5 9 2 4 6 1
cdispatch.com that each row, each
662−497−4626. level increases from
column and each 6 1 5 3 8 4 2 7 9
Monday
3x3 boxtocontains
Sunday. Difficulty Level 6/09

the same number only once. The difficulty level

Massage Hand Shower.
Peerless. New never used. Five Questions: increases from Monday to Sunday.
4 spray settings including
Pause function. $10.

1 Caspian Sea
662−497−4626.

Purses 3 Rockwear Hobo

2 Michael
purses, excellent condition
$20. 662−245−3635

General Merchandise Douglas

2018 40FT Gooseneck
3 Canada
Trailer w/ 5ft dovetail, 12
ton axles, 10−4inch straps
& tarps. $7,000.
662−251−3001.

4 Ralph Lauren
MERCHANDISE
Collectibles, Santas,

5 Internet of
snowmen, longaberger
baskets, antiques, lamps,

Things (IoT)
some furn., & pewter.
ads.cdispatch.com Call 662−312−6207

ACROSS
1 Climber’s
descent
7 Glade grazer
11 Change over
time
12 Jane of fiction
13 Hold back
14 Feudal farmer
15 Necklace
parts
17 Like Solomon
20 Pound
resident
23 Squid’s squirt
24 “Understood!”
26 Cunning
27 Sedan or DOWN home
SUV 1 Warning color 22 Convenient
28 Relatives 2 Broad st. 24 Less friendly
29 Keep at it

Service Directory
3 Poker prize 25 Argon or
31 Termination 4 Site ethane
32 Go piece 5 Wicked 30 Looks of
33 Order to Spot 6 Singer Horne scorn
34 Breakfast 7 Tyrant 33 Bed boards
choice 8 Hole in the 35 Tombstone
Promote your small business starting at only $25 37 Small dog, for head name
Carpet & Flooring Electrical General Services Lawn Care / Landscaping short 9 Mess up 36 Open space
39 Mideastern 10 Game caller 37 Some music
CARPET INSTALLATION. HILL’S PRESSURE JESSE & BEVERLY’S peninsula 16 Soccer or 38 Time to
Re−Stretch & Repair also WASHING. Commercial/ LAWN SERVICE 43 Finished
avail. I accept select jobs. Residential. House, Mowing, cleanup, softball prepare
Call Walt, 662−574−8134. concrete, sidewalks & landscaping, sodding, 44 Come back 17 Bits of smoke 40 Except
mobile washing. Free est. & tree cutting. 45 Darlings 18 Bay 41 Hot blood
662−386−8925. 662−356−6525 46 Stuck, in a 19 Shoot up 42 Linking word
way 21 Panda’s
PRESSURE WASHING LAWN CARE
Commercial & residential. Mowing, weed eating,
MOUNTING TV’S AND Bricks, concrete & siding. blowing, etc.
HIDING WIRES Call for quote, Free estimates.
Mount TV: 662−295−6880. Reasonable prices.
$60/TV (mount not incl) 662−549−3790
Mount TV & hide wires:
$120/TV (mount not incl) CHAPTER 7 BANKRUPTCY
DAVID’S CARPET & Johnny Beamon $545 plus Filing Fee Painting & Papering
UPHOLSTERY 662−251−8472 CHAPTER 13 BANKRUPTCY
CLEANING All Attorney Fees Through The Plan QUALITY PAINTING.
1 Room − $50 General Services Ext/Int Painting.
2 Rooms − $70 Jim Arnold, Attorney Sheet Rock Hang, Finish &
3+ Rooms − $30 EA A & T TREE SERVICES 662-324-1666 • 601-656-6914 Repair. Pressure Washing.
Rugs−Must Be Seen Bucket truck & stump 104 South Lafayette Street, Starkville Free Estimates. Ask for
Car Upholstery Cleaning removal. Free est. specials! Larry Webber,
Available Serving Columbus 662−242−4932.
662−722−1758 since 1987. Senior SKILLED CRAFTSMAN. Any
citizen disc. Call Alvin @ kind of work! We can build,
242−0324/241−4447 paint, drywall, clean, SULLIVAN’S PAINT
SERVICE
Childcare "We’ll go out on a limb for pressure wash & cut grass.
Special Prices.
you!" Reasonable rates. Safe &
Emmanuel’s Christian Reliable. 662−386−3658. Interior & Exterior Painting.
662−435−6528
Academy−Child care WORK WANTED:
AVAILABLE SOON For ages Licensed & Bonded. Lawn Care / Landscaping
6 weeks to 12 years old. Carpentry, minor electrical,
emmanuelsca@yahoo.com minor plumbing, insulation, Jake’s Mowing
or text 662−245−6998 painting, demolition, Mowing, Weed−eating, Got leaky pipes?
gutters cleaned, pressure Blow off walks, Trim shrubs Find a plumber in the
Are you a painter? washing, landscaping, Free quote. Great pricing. classifieds.
cleanup work, moving help. Call, text, leave message.
Advertise here! 662−242−3608. 662−570−8815