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Thursday | June 25, 2020

‘It’s quite late to do that’: Many say Sanders’

apology for racist remarks ineffective
Sanders: Comments were ‘ill-spoken’ and not satisfy the local community.
Sanders made the racist
lumbus) and Lowndes County
NAACP President Lavonne
ments made during my board
service, the divisive impact of
created ‘divisive impact’ on the community comments to a Dispatch report-
er on June 15, after voting with
Latham Harris, called for his
full resignation from the board.
my comments cannot simply be
dismissed or overlooked. I deep-
BY YUE STELLA YU assimilated into American soci- the white majority 3-2 to leave a In a departure from his atti- ly regret putting Columbus,
syu@cdispatch.com ety. Confederate monument in front tude last week, Sanders, who Lowndes County, the Golden
In a letter he delivered to The of the Lowndes County Court- previously stood by his remarks Triangle and the state of Missis-
L o w n d e s house. and refused to comment on
Dispatch Wednesday, Sand- sippi in such a negative light.”
County Board He reaffirmed the comments whether he would apologize,
ers, who represents District 1, Sanders, who said he has
of Supervisors the next day when talking to said in the Wednesday letter he
called the comments “thought- worked “earnestly” on the board
President Har- The Clarion Ledger, saying: is sorry for the pain he caused
ry Sanders says less” and “carelessly spoken” “Hell, it’s what I think.” the community. for more than 20 years in the
he’s sorry for and apologized for the negative The comments sparked lo- “My ill-spoken words be- county’s interest, further called
comments he impact they’ve had on the com- cal protests and drew sharp trayed the trust of those who for the community to focus on
made more than a munity. criticism from local and nation- elected me in good faith and the present and the future, “set
week ago saying Sanders But many local leaders, some al leaders and organizations. angered and brought pain to aside our differences” and “cre-
Blacks have been “dependent” of whom have called for his res- Many, including District 5 Su- others,” the letter reads. “Re- ate an environment of unity and
since slavery and that they are ignation, told The Dispatch the pervisor Leroy Brooks, state gardless of the significant harmony.”
the only ethnicity that has not apology came too late and would Rep. Kabir Karriem (D-Co- contributions and accomplish- See SANDERS, 3A

Company files
Nearly-complete Partnership School suit against
to be ready for students in August insurance co.
for pandemic
losses
Plaintiff claims
company refused to pay
for ‘six-figure’ losses
after locations were
forced to close in March
BY ISABELLE ALTMAN
ialtman@cdispatch.com

A West Point business that

Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District Superintendent Eddie Peasant walks through a science lab
during a tour of The Partnership School on Wednesday in Starkville. Peasant said teachers will be able to adjust
the height of the tables depending on the lab activity.
Campus will educate
MSU students as well as
SOCSD grades 6-7
BY TESS VRBIN
tvrbin@cdispatch.com
Now that the Partnership School
is almost finished and ready to
open, it’s “a huge relief” for Eddie
Peasant, the Starkville-Oktibbeha
Consolidated School District super-
intendent.
The new building on the Missis-
sippi State University campus still
has some work left to be done, from
assembling the library shelves to
laying the grass turf on the field out-
side, but construction meetings are
a thing of the past. The school will
be ready to teach SOCSD sixth and
seventh graders in August, even
though the district’s plans to reopen
buildings are fluid as the COVID-19
The Partnership School, as shown on Wednesday in Starkville. Construc-
tion of the school was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic but should
be complete in August.
pandemic continues, Peasant said.
“It’s one less thing that we’ll have
to deal with, as far as construction
meetings and construction of the
building,” Peasant said.
Claire Hassler/Dispatch Staff
Claire Hassler/Dispatch Staff
Incoming Partnership School
Principal Julie Kennedy, the cur-
rent principal of Armstrong Middle
School, led a tour of the building
See PARTNERSHIP SCHOOL, 6A
oversees gymnasiums has filed a
class action lawsuit in federal court
against its insurance company, al-
leging the company is refusing to
pay for losses incurred by several of
the gyms earlier this year when they
temporarily shut down due to the
COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
Fountain Enterprises, a franchi-
see of Anytime Fitness, owns and
operates several Anytime Fitness
gyms in Alabama and Mississippi.
Four of those gyms — including a
location in West Point and another
in Fulton — were named in the law-
suit which Fountain filed against
Illinois-based Markel Insurance
Company in federal court in Illinois
Wednesday.
Diandra Debrosse Zimmer-
mann, an attorney with Birming-
ham-based Grant & Eisenhofer
which is representing the plaintiff,
said the business suffered “pretty
significant, six-figure losses” when
local and state governments began
restricting businesses in hopes of
curbing the virus’ spread.
The complaint says Fountain
Enterprises provided Markel with
notices of its losses and expenses
due to the pandemic and economic
shutdown on April 18, and that on
April 23, Markel responded it would
not cover the expenses.
“Businesses pay premiums, ob-
viously money they could put back
into their own businesses, to protect
them from exactly this type of situ-
See LAWSUIT, 6A

WEATHER FIVE QUESTIONS LOCAL FOLKS PUBLIC

1 Until the 1600s, French winemak- MEETINGS
ers used oil-soaked rags instead of July 6: Oktibbeha Coun-
which bottle accessories? ty Board of Supervisors
2 In the film “Pitch Perfect,” in which meeting, Chancery
singing style do the Barden Bellas Courthouse, 9 a.m.
perform? July 7: Starkville Board
3 Peanuts are categorized as which
type of plant? of Aldermen meeting,
Landen McGregory 5:30 p.m., City Hall
4 Which cosmetic gets its name
Third grade, Annunciation July 17: Starkville Board
from the Spanish or Italian word for

82 Low 68
“mask”? of Aldermen work ses-
High 5 A statue of which president is found sion, 10 a.m., City Hall
Partly sunny, t-storms likely
in Boston’s Public Garden? July 21: Starkville
Full forecast on Answers, 6B Board of Aldermen
page 3A. meeting, 5:30 p.m., City
Hall
July 21: Starkville-Ok-
INSIDE tibbeha Consolidated
Business 5B Dear Abby 3B School District Board
Classifieds 6B Obituaries 4B Frances Richards lives in Columbus. She of Trustees meeting, 6
Comics 3B Opinions 4A loves shopping with her daughter, going to p.m., 401 Greensboro
Crossword 6B church and playing with her grandkids. St.

DISPATCH CUSTOMER SERVICE 328-2424 | NEWSROOM 328-2471

2A THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2020 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com

Mississippi gov might not block

change to rebel-themed flag
Gov. Reeves said he still prefers having a statewide
election to let voters choose a new flag design
BY EMILY WAGSTER PET TUS
The Associated Press
JACKSON — Mis-
sissippi Republican
Gov. Tate Reeves
said Wednesday, for
the first time, that he
probably would not
stand in the way if
legislators muster a
large enough majori-
Reeves
ty to remove the Confederate battle
emblem from the state flag.
Amid the backdrop of national
protests over racial injustice, Mis-
sissippi is under increasing pres-
sure from business and religious
leaders, sports leagues and others
to divorce itself from a symbol that
many see as racist. It is the last
state to include the emblem in its
flag.
The state’s annual legislative
session is almost over, and it takes
a two-thirds majority of the House
and Senate to consider a bill after
the normal deadlines have passed.
“If they get those votes, a veto
would be pointless,” Reeves wrote
on Facebook. “The debate would be
over, and the flag would change.”
Reeves still said, though, that he
prefers having a statewide election
to let voters choose a flag design.
The governor’s statement came
hours after two of Mississippi’s oth-
er Republican officials proposed re-
placing Confederate emblem with
the words “In God We Trust.”
The Confederate battle emblem
has a red field topped by a blue X
with 13 white stars. White suprem-
acists in the Mississippi Legisla-
ture put it on the state flag in 1894
as backlash for the political power
African Americans gained during
Reconstruction after the Civil War.
Mississippi voters chose to
keep the flag in a 2001 statewide
election, but the design has re-
mained contentious. Elsewhere in
the country, debate has sharpened
as Confederate monuments and
statues recalling past slavery have
been toppled by protesters or de-
liberately removed by authorities
amid a groundswell against racial
inequities.
Mississippi Lt. Gov. Delbert
Hosemann said a new flag would
help future generations.
“In my mind, our flag should
bear the Seal of the Great State of
Mississippi and state ‘In God We
Trust,’” Hosemann said. “ I am open
to bringing all citizens together to
determine a banner for our future.”
Attorney General Lynn Fitch
said putting the religious phrase
on the flag would “reflect the love,
compassion and conviction of our
people.”
Legislative Black Caucus mem-
bers say lawmakers should remove
the Confederate emblem because
another statewide flag vote would
be bitter.
“The emotional distress that
the current flag perpetuates on
people of color extends throughout
the United States, casting us and
having people to claim that we are
backwater and retrograde,” said
the caucus chairwoman, Demo-
cratic Sen. Angela Turner Ford of
West Point.
Another Republican statewide
elected official, Auditor Shad
White, said Mississippi needs a
flag “that is more unifying than the
one we have now.”
“If there were a vote to remove
the Confederate imagery from our
flag, I would vote to remove it,”
White said Wednesday.
Republican state Sen. Chris Mc-
Daniel of Ellisville is among those
saying Mississippi should keep its
flag and people should resist efforts
to remove historical monuments.
“Whether you acknowledge it
or not, the American Left is wag-
ing war against us,” McDaniel
said Tuesday on Facebook. “They
consider the founding to be illegiti-
mate, our history to be tainted, and
our republic as inherently evil.”

Indictment: Threat to kill

Mississippi’s only Black US Rep.
52-year-old Brandon resident’s Mike Hurst in Jackson,
Mississippi, and U.S.
query about whether
Townsend has an attor-
arraignment is scheduled for today Capitol Police Chief Ste-
ven Sund.
ney who could speak for
him and whether pros-
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS initials B.T. Townsend, a resident ecutors suggested hate
The only member of of Brandon, is charged crime charges to the
JACK- Mississippi’s delegation with making a threat grand jury which indict-
SON — A with those initials is Dem- against public officials, ed him Tuesday.
federal in- ocrat Bennie Thompson, the statement said. It did Townsend’s arraign-
dictment ac- chairman of the House not elaborate on a possi- ment was scheduled
cuses a Mis- Homeland Security Com- ble motive. Thursday before U.S.
sissippi man mittee. “This should serve as Magistrate Judge Keith
of threaten- “On June 1, 2020, a lesson that anyone who Ball.
ing to kill Townsend placed a chooses to threaten to Case records were
Thompson
the state’s phone call to the office murder Members of Con- not yet available in the
only Black U.S. represen- of a Member of Congress gress will be prosecut- court’s online system.
tative and his staffers. and threatened to kill the ed,” Thompson said in an Thompson is the lon-
The indictment Congressman and his emailed statement. gest-serving member
against 52-year-old New- African-American staff- A spokeswoman for of Mississippi’s current
ton Wade Townsend ers,” said a news release the U.S. Attorney’s Of- congressional delegation
identifies the target of Wednesday from U.S. fice did not immediately after winning a 1993 spe-
his alleged threats by the Attorney U.S. Attorney respond to an emailed cial election.

Democrats confirm plans for nearly all-virtual convention

BY BILL BARROW cept the presidential nom- running mate, will take usual trappings of an
The Associated Press ination in person, but it re- place virtually, with dele- event that draws tens of
mains to be seen whether gates being asked not to thousands of people to
Democrats will hold
there will be a significant travel to Milwaukee. the host city to mark the
an almost entirely virtual
presidential nominating in-person audience there It’s the latest sign of start of the general elec-
convention Aug. 17-20 to see it. The Democratic how much the COVID-19 tion campaign. Not even
in Milwaukee using live National Committee said pandemic has upended during the Civil War or
broadcasts and online in a statement that official American life and the World War II did the two
streaming, party officials business, including the 2020 presidential elec- major parties abandon
said Wednesday. votes to nominate Biden tion, leading Biden and in-person conventions
Joe Biden plans to ac- and his yet-to-be-named the party to abandon the with crowded arenas.
 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2020 3A

Sanders
Continued from Page 1A
When reached by The Dis-
patch, Sanders did not elaborate
on what those “differences” are
or why he decided to apologize.
He refused to comment any fur-
ther on whether he would resign
or step down as the board presi-
dent, but had told The Dispatch
last week he had no intention to
resign.
Supervisors respond
Most of the other supervi-
sors said Sanders’ apology did
not change their stances over
his comments. The four super-
visors reached an impasse last
week over Sanders’ refusal to
resign.
Brooks, among many leaders
urging Sanders to resign last
week, said the only way to create
“unity and harmony” within the
community is for Sanders to re-
tire from the board immediate-
ly. The remarks, he said, deeply
hurt the local Black community,
which accounts for 45 percent of
the county population, as well as
some white residents.
“The letter does nothing but
shows at least he’s willing to
(apologize), and it’s quite late to
do that,” Brooks said. “Lowndes
County has become a household
word throughout the country
for all the wrong reasons, and
the only way that we can restore
some of the dignity to our com-
munity is that he is no longer in
public office.”
Brooks previously said he
hoped the community could
gather at the courthouse if
Sanders does not resign by the
June 30 supervisors meeting. As
the day nears, Brooks told The
Dispatch Wednesday it will be a
“difficult” meeting for him but
declined to comment further.
Jeff Smith of District 4, who also
openly urged Sanders to resign,
told The Dispatch Wednesday
he would not change his mind.
District 2 Supervisor Trip
Hairston, who previously called
for Sanders to step down as the
board president, told The Dis-
patch Sanders’ apology does not
change his position but would
not elaborate on why. Hairston
asked for a special call meeting
last week to discuss the removal
of Sanders as president, but was
stopped cold without enough
support from other supervisors.
District 3 Supervisor John
Holliman told The Dispatch on
Wednesday he believes Sand-
ers’ letter was a sincere apology
and should be sufficient for the
board of supervisors and the
public to put the controversy be-
hind them. He said he would ad-
vise Sanders not to resign from
the board, nor to step down as
president.
Further, he chalked up Sand-
ers’ comments about Blacks be-
ing “dependent” to “a mistake.”
“I think Harry’s very re-
morseful over it,”
Holliman said.
“But you look
at what all Har-
ry’s done for this
county over the
last 20 or more
years. Then he
makes one mis- Holliman
take, and every-
body wants to crucify him for it.
I know it (his comments) came
at a bad time.”
Holliman acknowledged he
at least partially understands
the outrage from the public over
his colleague’s comments, as
well as the offense taken by Af-
rican Americans.
“I can see part of their point,”
Holliman said. “But it’s kind
of like, ‘He who is without sin,
cast the first stone.’ I don’t think
there are many of them who can
do that.”
Holliman also said he took
umbrage at The Dispatch re-
porter’s line of questioning
when Sanders made the now
infamous comments caught on
audio recording.
“(You can hear on the re-
cording) I turned around to
Harry and told him not to say
anything, and (Board Attor-
ney) Tim Hudson did too,” Hol-
liman said. “I don’t know why
she (the reporter) just kept on
pressing him.”
The only prompting The
Dispatch reporter said after
Holliman and Hudson told
Sanders not to say anything
was to tell Sanders he was still
on the record.
‘Keep your apology’
The apology, however, has
not changed a lot of hearts with-
in the community.
More than 100 community
members criti-
cized Sanders’
letter on Face-
book after The
Dispatch released
a copy of it online.
Some deemed the
letter “empty,”
“ u n a c c e p t a bl e ” Harris
and “a feeble at-
tempt to get back into people’s
good graces.” Many others
called for action, such as Sand-
ers’ resignation and a board-
wide diversity training.
Harris, representing the lo-
cal NAACP, called the apology
letter “crap” and a “true insult”
to the Black community.
“Keep your apology,” Harris
said. “All we want from Harry
Sanders is for him to go and re-
sign.”
Columbus Mayor Robert
Smith, in a Wednesday state-
ment addressed to The Dis-
patch, said Sanders’ apology
was “yet another slap on the
face” for the local community
and that he doubted the sinceri-
ty of the letter.
“Now that Mr. Sanders has
felt the sting of
backlash from
one of his closest
friends and oth-
ers in the commu-
nity and State, he
has seen the error
of his ways and
seeks to smooth Smith
over the wounds
he inflicted by claiming that his
comments were thoughtless,”
Smith wrote. “I wonder if the
majority of the voters of District
1 of this County will condemn
those words, uttered with obvi-
ous forethought and reaffirmed
24 hours later.”
Sen. Chuck Younger (R-Co-
lumbus) said he is glad Sand-
ers “finally came out and
apologized” for the “hurtful”
comments he made. But while
he hopes supervisors can get
back to business as usual, he
thinks more may be required of
Sanders before that can happen.
“It’s tough being an elected
official on any level,” Younger
said. “I think it would be good
if Harry stepped down as board
president. Really, I think that’s
inevitable.”
Asked if Sanders should con-
sider resigning, Younger said,
“Probably. If I were in his shoes,
I’d consider it.”
Younger said he hopes ev-
eryone can learn a lesson from
Sanders’ words and the local
reaction.
“Young people are watching
us, and we all need to be care-
ful what we do and say,” he said.
“Also, we all need to learn to for-
give and forget, even though I
know that’s a hard thing to do.”
Karriem, who called for
Sanders’ resignation, told The
Dispatch he will not support
any state legislation in favor of
Lowndes County until Sanders
is removed from the board. He
further encouraged the oth-
er Golden Triangle delegation
members to do so.
“I don’t believe (the commu-
nity) will heal until that last stat-
ue is removed,” Karriem said of
Sanders.
Rep. Dana McLean (R-Co-
lumbus) said she could not com-
ment at this time when reached
by The Dispatch this morning.
Joe Max Higgins, CEO of
The Golden Triangle Develop-
ment LINK, told The Dispatch
the organization believes the
letter “was not sincere” and that
it does not “change or remove
what Harry said.”
The LINK CEO previously
warned of the potential negative
impact of Sanders’ comments
on attracting businesses to re-
locate to the region. Following
Higgins’ comments, the LINK
last week issued a statement
condemning Sanders’ remarks
as “disturbing” and “abhorrent.”
Dispatch Managing Editor
Zack Plair contributed to this re-
port.

AREA ARRESTS
The following arrests
were made by Lowndes
County Sheriff’s Office:
n Javeune Barker, 22,
was charged with posses-
sion, sale, transfer of a
stolen firearm, conspiracy
to commit a crime-felony
and accessory after the Barker Carpenter Roby Beard Jones Ellis
fact.
n Stephen Carpen-
ter, 31, was charged with
grand larceny-more than
$500.
n Tyseauna Roby, 26,
was charged with conspir-
acy to commit a crime-fel-
ony and accessory after Culpepper Docher Dummitt Guyse Harris Johnson Jr.
the fact.
n Carlie Beard, 20,
was charged with identity
theft.
n Charles Jones, 47,
was charged with grand
larceny-more than $500.
n Dennis Ellis, 31, was
charged with possession Bogan Fondren Turner Lee Doss Knight
of methamphetamine, n Thomas Johnson Jr, n Da-
curfew violation, posses- 43, was charged posting vid Knight,
sion of marijuana in a
messages electronically 22, was
vehicle, resisting arrest
to cause injury. charged
and seatbelt violation.
n Steven Bogan, 52, with shop-
n Anthony Culpep-
was charged with sale of l i f t ing,
Cheap thrills.
per, 47, was charged with
cocaine. MDOC hold Go for a walk.
driving under the influ-
ence- fourth or subse- and proba-
Sanders Duck Carr
quent offense. The following arrests tion viola-
n Clintuan Docher, were made by the Ok- tion.
21, was charged with two tibbeha County Sheriff’s n Ledarius Sanders,
counts aggravated as- Office: 21, was charged with pos-
sault to manifest extreme n Dolton Fondren, session of schedule two
indifference to life. 23, was charged with a drug and possession of
n Jason Dummitt, 39, bench warrant. marijuana.
was charged with pos- n Temirah Turner, 32, n Jamario Duck, 21,
session of controlled sub- w as charges with child was charged with pos-
stance. abuse. session of stolen firearm,
n Michael Guyse, 33, n Rogers Lee, 41, was possession of marijuana
was charged with man- charged with aggravated in a vehicle, DUI other
slaughter. assault. and improper equipment.
n Valareio Harris, 37, n Michael Doss, 33, n Jarquavious Carr,
was charged with com- was charged with aggra- 18, was charged with pos-
mercial burglary. vated assault. session of stolen firearm.

Senate approves 200th federal judge nominated by Trump

BY MAT THEW DALY confirmed at this stage of a presidency
The Associated Press in four decades.
Cory Wilson was elevated to a seat on
WASHINGTON — The Senate has the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit
approved the nomination of a Mississip- Court of Appeal despite Democratic ob-
pi judge to a federal appeals court, the jections that he has a record of working
200th federal judge named by President to undermine voting rights of African
Donald Trump and confirmed by the Americans and other minorities. SOLUNAR TABLE
The solunar period indicates
peak-feeding times for fish and game.
Republican-controlled chamber. It’s the Approval came on a nearly party-line, Thur. Fri.
5:36a
Major 4:43a
highest number of judicial nominees 52-48 vote Wednesday. Minor 10:39a 11:47a
Major 5:10p 6:02p
Minor — 12:30a
Courtesy of Mississippi Department
of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks

CORRECTION
■ In Wednesday’s edition, The Dispatch incorrectly noted Flexsteel’s workforce.
The Dispatch
The Commercial Dispatch (USPS 142-320)
Published daily except Saturday. Answers to common questions:
It is 168. Entered at the post office at Columbus, Mississippi.
Periodicals postage paid at Columbus, MS Phone: 662-328-2424
POSTMASTER, Send address changes to:
The Commercial Dispatch strives to report the news accurately. When we print an The Commercial Dispatch, P.O. Box 511, Columbus, MS 39703 Website: cdispatch.com/help
error, we will correct it. To report an error, call the newsroom at 662-328-2424, or Published by Commercial Dispatch Publishing Company Inc.,
516 Main St., Columbus, MS 39703
Report a news tip: news@cdispatch.com
email news@cdispatch.com.
Opinion
4A THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 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

OUR VIEW

State health officer’s warning should be signal to re-double efforts

O
n Tuesday, Dr. Thom-
as Dobbs, the state’s
health officer told
Jackson Free Press he is “an-
ticipating an absolute disaster”
in the fall, when a second
surge of COVID-19 arrives.
When asked what Mississip-
pians should be preparing for
in the fall, he said, “Prepare
for not being able to get into
the hospital if you have a car
wreck, (to) have a heart attack
and there not be a ventilator to
put you on.“
His comments came on the
same day the state reported its
single highest day of reported
cases (611) and continued
hospitalizations (523).
Those numbers strongly
suggest many of us are not
being diligent enough in
protecting ourselves and our
neighbors.
Dobbs attributed the recent
increases to a cavalier attitude
among citizens, especially
younger citizens, who gener-
ally are asymptomatic and are
less inclined to observe the
precautions state and local
leaders have stressed must
be followed as restrictions are
eased.
The best means of arresting
the current increase in cases
and meaningfully mitigating
the dire predictions for the fall,
are the personal choices we
make.
By now, all of us know the
precautions, which are fairly
easy to take: Wash your hands
frequently, stay at home as
much as possible, practice so-
cial distancing and wear masks
when in public.
Wearing masks significant-
ly prevents transmission.
While younger, asymptom-
atic citizens are considered
major offenders, the truth is
likely that most of us are not
as vigilant today as we were at
the start.
Dobbs’ dire predictions
should serve as a reminder,
then, that we must renew our
commitment to following all
the measures we know are
effective safeguards. It’s no
time to be complacent. In fact,
the need for following these
precautions are as great as
they ever were.
What has been true all
along is still true today: It’s
really up to us how devastating
the virus becomes.

VOICE OF THE PEOPLE CARTOONIST VIEW

Responds to Fortenberry
and hopes local economic
opportunity can be addressed
I wrote a letter to Peter Imes;
he responded; you complimented
his response. All good. Each of us
has an opinion and the constitu-
tional right to speak it. However,
you stated, “of course she (Kathy
Read) and others, who believe
people of color are somehow
to blame for all issues such as
poverty and abuse by the police,
want the issue of race to not be
addressed.” You characterization
of me could not be further from
the truth. You cannot know what I
believe, so please, no labels.
Columbus does have a brain
drain, but I would submit the ex-
odus has less to do with race and
more to do with little economic op-
portunity after graduation. Many
of us remember when Leigh Mall
had all spaces leased. Look at it
now. Drive down almost any street
and count the closed business-
es. Then we should ask, “Why
would any business locate here?”
Maybe, just maybe, we will begin
to discuss issues such as this.
Calmer, more rational voices can
find solutions when we don’t view
every issue through the prism of
race. Then, hopefully, our chil-
dren of every color will be inclined
to stay here.
Kathy Read
Columbus
RACE IN AMERICAN
Reflecting on The 1619 Project
Believes Sanders’
apology isn’t enough
Lowndes County supervisor

I
Harry Sanders wrote a letter of
apology that appeared in yester-
day’s Dispatch. Specifically, he
apologized for the racially divisive
comments he made after the last
board of supervisors meeting on
June 15th.
This letter appears nearly nine
days after his troublesome com-
ments. It appears to me this was
not some epiphany but, rather,
evidence that even Mr. Sanders
now realizes its political necessity.
That makes it about eight days too
late. More importantly, he says
nothing of any attempt to look
inward, to critically examine his
comments; nothing to suggest
that he is even remotely now more
aware of how off-base his com-
ments were. I finished reading
thinking only that he was acutely
aware of the firestorm he’d caused
and was motivated to write out
of the personal inconvenience
caused by having his thoughts
become so glaringly public.
In the final line of his letter, Mr.
Sanders urged us all to “focus on
the present and to prepare for a
successful future” and expressed
his opinion that the county could
accomplish this goal “if we set
aside our differences and continue
to work together to create an envi-
ronment of unity and harmony.”
I believe Mr. Sanders left out
one requirement to achieve the
unity and harmony he describes
— that he not be involved. His
prior comments make it difficult
for me to believe he is capable
of helping to foster the unity
he describes. He might be, but,
personally, I am unwilling to roll
those dice. He said it himself in
the letter: “The divisive impact of
my comments cannot simply be
dismissed or overlooked.” I don’t
intend to.
I’ll say it one more time. Super-
visor Sanders should resign. He
should resign today.
Paul Mack
Columbus
n the wake of recent
Black Lives Matter
protests — in response
to the murder of George
Floyd at the hands of a
police officer and the
important dialog that has
resulted — I am inclined
to revisit The New York
Times’ controversial 1619
Project. This project prop-
agates a popular narrative,
which has taken hold Armstrong Williams that Blacks are eternally
among many in the media,
politics and education, to link the
foundational origins of the American
experiment not to the context of the
American Revolution of 1776 but to
1619, the year that enslaved Ango-
lans arrived on the shores of colonial
Jamestown, Virginia.
In this view, all of America’s
current institutions, public attitudes,
economics and social structures
— or, perhaps more pointedly, the
alleged horrors and woes therein —
are a result of slavery. Among other
claims, it credits slavery for the dis-
mal state of America’s prison system,
for suburban traffic congestion, for
the prevalence of obesity and diabe-
tes, even for capitalism itself. All this, unique to the American experiment.
even though many of this narrative’s
adherents belong to the most respect- the African continent from whence
ed, most lucrative institutions in the
country — which, is a testament to
the unique constitutional freedoms
that Americans enjoy.
Many who hear or read such
views are incredulous, including the
founders of the 1776 Project, who are
attempting to dispel the belief that
Black America’s destiny has been
shaped in the crucible of slavery and
racism.
Bob Woodson, the 1776 Project’s
founder, objects to the argument
that the “shadow of slavery and Jim
Crow” hangs over the destiny of
Black Americans. “Nothing is more
lethal,” he says, “than to convey to
people that they have an exemption
from personal responsibility.” The
1776 Project’s organizers, for exam-
ple, criticize the characterization of
America as a place in which all whites ers. They fully recognized that slav-
are villains and all Blacks
are victims. It is easy, they
argue, “to point to slavery
and Jim Crow and then be
done with your account of
Black American history.
But that is lazy thinking.”
In fact, despite what the
liberal media would have
you believe, many African
Americans have bitter-
ly fought the narrative
constrained by the atti-
tudes and structures of racism. Black
History Month usually marks an
occasion when African Americans
celebrate the many victories they
have achieved during their struggle
for equality, the genius of Black lead-
ers, artists, statesman and scholars
— in short, it has become a celebra-
tion of Black excellence not of Black
subjugation.
But tracing all of America’s insti-
tutions back to slavery misses that
mark. Slaves being brought to Ameri-
can shores, and settlers fighting wars
of expansion against Native American
groups, are almost beside the point.
Neither slavery nor conquest are
Indeed, those practices existed on
slaves arrived, and they were pres-
ent among the indigenous people of
America as well. What sets America
apart — what makes it a unique place
among the community of nations — is
certain aspirational ideals incorporat-
ed into a framework of laws and free-
doms centered around the primacy of
the individual vis-a-vis the state.
Was the American state, born out
of conflict in 1776, a perfect union at
the moment of its inception? Plainly,
it was not. But it was unique in that
it adhered to a set of laws and princi-
ples that enabled it to become more
perfect over time. To be sure, a major
fault line in the formation of the new
American state was the incongruous
institution of slavery. But, even at the
time, slavery was considered deeply
problematic among America’s found-
ery was incompatible with the ideals
of freedom, but they understood that
unifying the colonies in opposition
to the British monarchy necessitated
a compromise on slavery — which
was, by that time, a central part of the
economies of the five southernmost
colonies. Thus, viewing America’s
foundational impetus as solely a
product of slavery lacks nuance and
historical perspective.
Notably, nowhere in the American
Constitution is slavery endorsed as a
fundamental right or ideal.
Benjamin Franklin thought that
slavery was “an atrocious debasement
of human nature” and “a source of
serious evils.” John Adams, a lifelong
opponent of slavery, declared it a “foul
contagion in the human character”
and “an evil of colossal magnitude.”
James Madison called it “the most
oppressive dominion ever exercised
by man over man.”
Less than a century after our na-
tion’s founding, Americans threw off
the wretched institution at the cost
of much blood and treasure. More
than 100,000 Union soldiers died in
a war to free the slaves and unify the
country. Freedom, then, was no mere
afterthought, but an earnestly sought
ideal shared by whites and Blacks
alike.
Of course, historical antecedents
play a role in the way in which our
nation’s institutions were formed.
Admittedly, the legacy of slavery did
shape, to some extent, the struggles
and progress of Blacks in this coun-
try. But so does the legacy of freedom
passed down from the founders —
arguably, to a far greater extent. The
founders did not completely scrap all
of the institutions that had developed
in Europe over the centuries; they
kept English common law as the basis
of our legal system, for example. But
no one would argue that, because En-
glish common law remains a feature
of American jurisprudence, it follows
that British monarchy forms the basis
of American society.
Armstrong Williams is an American
political commentator, entrepreneur,
author, and talk show host.
 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com THURSDAY, JUNE 25 2020 5A

Impatience grows for cops’

arrests in Breonna Taylor’s death
‘They murdered that girl in her own house. We’re
going into July, and there’s been no justice served.’
BY DYLAN LOVAN
The Associated Press
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The outcry
has reverberated for weeks online
and at demonstrations nationwide:
Arrest the cops who killed Breonna
Taylor.
But three months after plain-
clothes detectives serving a war-
rant busted into her Louisville,
Kentucky, apartment and shot the
26-year-old Black woman to death,
only one of the three officers who
opened fire has lost his job. No one
is facing criminal charges.
Calls for action against the of-
ficers have gotten louder during a
national reckoning over racism and
Atlanta resident Ashley Kidwell
police brutality following George
Floyd’s death in Minneapolis. Offi-
cials there are prosecuting four of-
ficers involved, including bringing
a murder charge against the officer
who pressed a knee into Floyd’s
neck on May 25.
That has left people, from protest-
ers to celebrities, wondering why
justice is slow to come in Taylor’s
case.
“It’s definitely taking too long, it’s
definitely frustrating,” said Kirstia
Drury, 32, who joined street protests
in Louisville after Taylor’s death. “If
someone even so much as shot a po-
lice dog, they would’ve already been
convicted and halfway to prison.”
Taylor’s death March 13 has at-
tracted attention from stars like Liz-
zo, Jada Pinkett Smith and Beyoncé,
who wrote an open letter last week
urging Kentucky’s attorney gen-
eral to move swiftly. Millions have
signed an online petition demand-
ing justice for Taylor.
“They murdered that girl in her
own house,” said Ashley Kidwell,
who drove up from Atlanta to join
Louisville protests in early June.
“We’re going into July, and there’s
been no justice served.”
Attorney General Daniel Camer-
on, whose office is reviewing the in-
vestigation by Louisville police, has
declined to offer a timetable.
“An investigation of this magni-
tude, when done correctly, requires
time and patience,” Cameron, Ken-
tucky’s first Black attorney general,
said last week.
The FBI also is investigating the
officers’ actions and exploring po-
tential civil rights violations.

3 men indicted on murder charges in killing of Ahmaud Arbery

BY KATE BRUMBACK
The Associated Press
ATLANTA — Three
white men have been in-
dicted on murder charges
in the killing of Ahmaud
Arbery, a Black man fatal-
ly shot while running in a
neighborhood near Geor-
gia’s coast.
Prosecutor Joyette
Holmes announced
Wednesday that a grand
jury has indicted Travis
McMichael, Greg McMi-
chael and William “Rod-
die” Bryan Jr. on charges
including malice and fel-
ony murder in Arbery’s
death.
“This is another positive
step, another great step
for finding justice for Ah-
maud, for finding justice
for this family and the com-
munity beyond,” Holmes
said at a news conference
outside the Glynn County
courthouse in Brunswick
that was streamed online
by news outlets.
Arbery’s death has of-
ten been invoked during
protests against racial in-
justice that have broken
out across the nation since
George Floyd’s death last
month under a white Min-
neapolis police officer’s
knee.

Police overhaul dims, but House Democrats push ahead on vote

BY LISA MASCARO
AP Congressional Correspondent
WASHINGTON — A
policing overhaul may
have collapsed in Con-
gress, but House Dem-
ocrats are returning to
Washington for a daylong
debate on their sweeping
proposal that now serves
as a signal to voters after
the global outcry over the
death of George Floyd
and other Black Ameri-
cans.
The House is set to
vote Thursday evening
on the Justice in Policing
Act, perhaps the most am-
bitious proposed chang-
es to police procedures
and accountability in de-
cades. Backed by the na-
tion’s leading civil rights
groups, it is a legislative
effort that tries to match
the moment of massive
demonstrations filling
city streets for weeks. It
has almost zero chance of
becoming law right now.
On the eve of the
vote, President Donald
Trump’s administration
signaled he would veto
the bill. Senate Majority
Leader Mitch McConnell
has also said it will not
pass the Republican-held
chamber.
6A THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2020 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com

Market Street Festival canceled in light of pandemic

DISPATCH STAFF REPORT
The annual Market Street Fes-
tival held downtown has been can-
celed for this year due to health
and safety concerns around the
COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
Main Street Columbus repre-
sentatives announced the cancella-
tion in a press release this morn-
ing, calling it a “difficult decision.”
The 25th anniversary of the festi-
val will now be held on May 7-8,
2021.
“We can’t wait to celebrate our
community and friends together
next year in what is certain to be
the most anticipated Market Street
Festival yet!” Market Street Festi-
val Coordinator Amber Brislin said
in the release. “Heartfelt thanks
to all of our long-time volunteers,
vendors, sponsors, musical talents,
and supporters for your unending
support and love. We appreciate
the community for supporting our
decision.”
The event was initially sup-
posed to be held on May 1-2, and
was postponed to Sept. 11-12 when
the pandemic first began.
Main Street Columbus Director
Barbara Bigelow said it is “thank-
fully” the first time the event has
ever had to be canceled.
“I am sorry that this difficult de-
cision had to be made but we are
certain it is the right one,” she said
in the release. “We have always
been able to adjust to unexpected
circumstances.”
Columbus Mayor Robert Smith
said that while the event will be
missed, he supports the decision
to cancel.

Partnership School
Continued from Page 1A
Wednesday morning for
local media outlets, Peas-
ant, SOCSD spokesper-
son Nicole Thomas and
three members of the
district’s Board of Trust-
ees — Vice President
Sumner Davis, Assistant
Secretary Wesley Gordon
and board member John
S. Brown.
The building includes
a grand staircase, a de-
signed special education
room, some floor-to-
ceiling windows in both
classrooms and hallways,
SmartBoards in every
classroom and outdoor
space for both class in-
struction and other activ-
ities.
The school will also
serve as a training lab
for MSU’s College of Ed-
ucation, allowing MSU
students to observe
classroom teaching and
making university facul-
ty a resource for SOCSD
teachers and administra-
tors. The middle school
classrooms have desks
outside where MSU stu-
dents will sit and observe,
and teachers can block
the younger students’
view of their observers if
need be.
“You can pull the
screen up or down, and
when the screen is down,
you can still see in there
(from outside),” Kennedy
said.
The 123,000 square-
foot building was origi-
nally scheduled to open
in August 2018 before
rain delays pushed it to
November 2018, January
2019, August 2019 and
finally August 2020. The
project was funded by a
local $16 million bond,
a $10 million allocation
from the Mississippi Leg-
islature and cash and land
donations by MSU.
Construction first ran
into trouble in August
2017 when weather con-
cerns, primarily Hurri-
cane Harvey, drove up
the cost of construction
materials, causing an
overall increase of about
$2 million. The origi-
nal projected cost was
$27.5 million. When the
SOCSD board accepted a
bid from Columbus-based
West Brothers Construc-
tion in December 2017,
the full price became
$29,908,401.
AMS currently houses
grades 6-8. The Partner-
ship School will make
AMS the building for
grades 8-9 and Starkville
High School for grades
10-12.
‘Hands-on learning
experience’
The seventh-grade
classrooms and the MSU
offices and classrooms
are on the second floor,
while the first floor is
home to the sixth-grade
classrooms, library, gym,
cafeteria and band and
choir rooms.
In addition to required
core subjects like math
and English, the Partner-
ship School will offer “ex-
ploratory” elective cours-
es including robotics,
music, art, theatre and
the introduction to world
languages.
Most of these cours-
es are already offered
at AMS, Kennedy said,
except for the world lan-
guages classes and the
agriculture classes made
possible by a $900,000
grant from Blue Cross
Blue Shield, the largest
the organization has ever
awarded to a public school
district.
The grant, awarded
in February, funded the
Partnership School’s gar-
dens and mobile kitchens.
Sixth graders will have a
classroom designated for
Gardening and Overall
Wellness (GrOW), where
they will learn about nu-
trition, cooking, garden-
ing and other healthy
lifestyle choices. Seventh
graders will have their
own classroom “garden
pod,” an outdoor garden
space that will be incor-
porated into their course-
work across a variety of
subjects.
“We’re just excited to
be able to offer them a
hands-on learning experi-
ence,” Kennedy said.
The elective courses
will be offered for nine
weeks at a time for sixth
graders so they can ex-
plore their interests be-
fore they take yearlong
electives in seventh
grade, she said.
Both Peasant and Ken-
nedy said the electives
will help streamline stu-
dents’ progression into
Starkville High School’s
three career preparation
tracks, or “houses”: Tech-
nology, Engineering, Con-
struction (TEC); Health
and Human Services
(H2S); and Communica-
tion, Arts and Business
(CAB).
The Partnership
School is walking dis-
tance from multiple learn-
ing opportunities on the
MSU campus, such as the
Thad Cochran Research,
Technology and Econom-
ic Development Park, so
students will be able to
take field trips without
having to use the school
buses, Peasant told The
Dispatch.
He also said the edu-
cational component for
MSU students will be one
of a kind.
“(They will be) getting
a different experience
than they would in any
other teacher prep pro-
gram in that they’re work-
ing and learning here in a
school with real students
every day,” Peasant said.
Brown said he “would
have loved to have been
able to observe a class-
room and see how things
should run” when he was
working on his bachelor’s
degree in education from
MSU. He is the board’s
longest-serving member
and the only one who
has seen the Partnership
School grow from an idea
to a tangible reality.
“I would have liked for
(construction) to be fur-
ther along, but eventually
we’ll get there,” Brown
said.

Lawsuit
Continued from Page 1A
ation,” Zimmermann said. ing equipment at least six the interests of a group.
“Fountain, like thousands feet apart and requiring Anytime Fitness has
of businesses national- extra deep-cleaning and more than 4,400 locations
ly, paid these premiums. sanitation measures, all of across the country, Zim-
They secured an all-risks which cost the gyms extra mermann said.
policy to make sure they expenses. “This is a national is-
had enough to keep their Zimmermann said sue,” she said. “We’re
businesses alive and pay Fountain is requesting a talking about thousands
their employees and han- trial for a jury to deter- and thousands of busi-
dle other matters when mine losses to be paid to nesses who have been
an emergency happens. Fountain Enterprises. left out in the cold during
Obviously we’re in quite She added since it is a a pandemic and it’s really
a stage of emergency. ... class action lawsuit, oth- shameful, because that’s
Markel’s turning their er Anytime Fitness gyms what they paid for.”
backs on their contractual may join the suit as plain- Markel representa-
obligations to our clients tiffs. Class action lawsuits tives did not respond to an
and businesses like our are lawsuits in which a email from The Dispatch
clients. They’ve been dev- few plaintiffs represent by press time.
astated. We just want them
to honor the terms of the
contracts and honor the
promises they’ve made to
the client.”
The Anytime Fitness
location in West Point
suspended business oper-
ations on April 3 in accor-
dance with restrictions
from the city, Clay Coun-
ty and Gov. Tate Reeves’
executive order closing
businesses deemed non-
essential, the complaint
said. The location also
froze billing to customers
from May 2-May14, and
was unable to recruit new
gym members or sell in-
store items, all of which re-
sulted in lost revenue. The
two Alabama locations
also temporarily closed
their doors.
The locations in both
West Point and Fulton re-
opened on May 11 under
“severe limitations on the
… use of the property,” in-
cluding limiting the num-
ber of customers in the
facility at the time, spread-
Sports
Former EMCC QB Neville finds second chance at Northern Illinois
BY THEO DEROSA
tderosa@cdispatch.com
Connor Neville says
a quick prayer before ev-
ery drive, asking for help
each time he steps onto
the field.
The former East Mis-
sissippi Community Col-
lege quarterback has long
placed an emphasis on re-
ligion, and it’s only gotten
stronger through three
eventful years playing
college football.
Faith has carried Nev-
ille through a position
switch, a string of person-
al losses, a pandemic and
an uncertain recruiting
process that he navigated
alone.
The Oregon native
played two seasons at
Washington State, includ-
ing a redshirt year, and
never saw the field. He
even transitioned from
quarterback to safety last
spring. Then he trans-
ferred to EMCC — her-
alded as “Last Chance U”
for players looking for a
final shot at playing Divi-
sion I — for a 2019 Neville
emerged with just two
scholarship offers from
FCS schools Mississippi
Valley State and Morgan
State.
As the months toward
the season wound down
and interest in Neville
came and went, the signal
caller turned to his faith
for confidence.
“God was speaking to
me, and he wanted me
to stay patient through-
out this process,” Neville
said.
On Thursday, that pa-
tience paid off when FBS
Northern Illinois called
with a scholarship offer.
Less than two days later,
Neville committed to join
the Huskies, finally feel-
ing like he’s found a new
home.
GOLF
5 players withdraw, 1
tests positive; nerves
frayed on coronavirus
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Brooks Koepka and
Webb Simpson were
among five players who
withdrew from the Trav-
elers Championship, four
of them out of a chain-re-
action abundance of cau-
tion over the coronavirus
that put the PGA Tour on
notice.
“The snowball is get-
ting a little bit bigger,”
Graeme McDowell told
The Associated Press af-
ter withdrawing Wednes-
day because his longtime
caddie, Ken Comboy,
tested positive for the vi-
rus.
The tour released re-
sults that showed three
positive tests at the TPC
River Highlands in Con-
necticut — Cameron
Champ and the caddies
for Koepka and McDow-
ell. There were no pos-
itive tests on the Korn
Ferry Tour event in Utah.
As it enters the third
week in its return from
the COVID-19 pandemic
that shut down golf for
three months, the tour
has administered 2,757
tests at PGA Tour and
Korn Ferry Tour events
in five states, with seven
positive results.
On the PGA Tour
alone, there have been
1,382 tests and four pos-
‘THAT’S WHERE I’M WANTED’
EMCC quarterback Connor Neville finished the 2019 season ranked seventh nationally in passing yards per game
but also tied for second in interceptions. Neville announced his commitment to Northern Illinois on Saturday.
“That’s where I want-
ed to play,” Neville said,
“because that’s where I’m
wanted.”
The hard way
Neville remembers the
first football camp he ever
played in, back when he
was 8 years old.
Partially, he said, be-
cause he “sucked”: Nev-
ille struggled so much
that a coach kicked him
out of a drill and out of the
camp.
Then his uncle, Raúl
Lozano, took Neville’s
hand, marched over to
the coach and cursed him
out.
“He’s gonna be better
than all these kids one
day,” Lozano proclaimed
of his nephew.
It was a moment Nev-
ille still remembers al-
most 15 years later.
“That really went a
long way with me, and it’s
something that I’ll never
forget,” he said.
itive results.
“It’s a low number on a
percentage basis, but ev-
ery number hurts,” PGA
Tour Commissioner Jay
Monahan said. “I think
we all need to remind
ourselves that we’re all
learning to live with this
virus.
“It’s pretty clear that
this virus isn’t going any-
where.”
Nick Watney was the
first player to test posi-
tive last week at the RBC
Heritage in Hilton Head
Island, South Carolina,
which was teeming with
people on summer vaca-
tion.
Champ tested positive
on Tuesday at the Trav-
elers and immediately
withdrew.
Four more players
withdrew even with neg-
ative test results.
Koepka said his cad-
die, Ricky Elliott, tested
positive and then took an-
other test that came back
negative. No matter. He
chose to withdraw, and
was especially gutted
that his younger broth-
er, Chase Koepka, with-
drew after earning a rare
chance to play through a
Monday qualifier.
When his brother
made it, Koepka ar-
ranged a house for him to
See GOLF, 2B
And when Neville first
received interest from
Northern Illinois, he told
Lozano, who had lived
in Chicago after moving
there from Mexico with
Neville’s mother. It was
the last good recruiting
news Neville ever got to
tell his uncle.
Lozano died this
spring, right around the
time when NIU sudden-
ly cut off communication
with Neville. His death
was one of three loss-
es that took a toll on the
quarterback in a short
span of time.
Neville’s former team-
mate at Washington State,
Bryce Beekman — a nice
guy who helped Neville
make the switch to safety
in the spring of 2019 —
died of an accidental over-
dose this March. Neville
also heard from a friend
about the death of a boy
he knew from his church
homeschool group — the
only person in the group
MISSISSIPPI STATE FOOTBALL
If Hill doesn’t play, where do Dawgs turn at RB?
BY BEN PORTNOY
bportnoy@cdispatch.com
STARKVILLE — son. Marks — a four-star
Whether Mississippi
State running back Kylin
Hill plays at all during the
2020 season remains a
mystery.
Just days after Hill
announced he would
not play this year unless
the Confederate battle
flag is removed from the
Mississippi state banner,
he’s gained widespread
acclaim for his use of his
platform as one of Missis-
sippi’s most prolific col-
lege athletes. That said,
should he not suit up in
the maroon and white,
MSU would have to re-
place perhaps its most
prolific offensive play-
maker.
As a junior, the Co-
lumbus native finished 41
yards shy of Anthony Dix-
on’s single-season rush-
ing record of 1,391 yards
and notched 10 touch-
downs on the ground. He
also added 18 catches for
180 yards and one score
— numbers that stand to
grow massively should
Hill partake in first-year
head coach Mike Leach’s
air raid offense.
With Hill’s future in
Starkville now likely up
to Mississippi state leg-
islators, the most logical
option to handle the load
are senior Kareem Walk-
er and sophomore Lee
Witherspoon.
who had ever been nice
to Neville and his twin
brother, Jonny.
Neville, who said he
also lost several people
close to him in 2019, had
to learn “the hard way”
to recover emotionally —
while trying to handle it
on his own.
“I don’t want to feel
sorry for myself or any-
thing because I don’t
want anybody to feel that
way toward me,” he said.
“It’s a bit tough seeing the
people that you love pass
away like they have, but
I’ve tried to find a way to
overcome that.”
Getting to continue his
football career helped.
Neville was overjoyed
when NIU reached out to
him again and asked him
to attend, and he hopes to
play in honor of the man
who was there from the
beginning of his football
career.
“Ultimately, I kind of
want to do this for my un-
Mississippi State running back Lee Witherspoon runs
the ball against Kansas State during the second quar-
ter Sept. 14 at Davis Wade Stadium. Witherspoon,
who has flashed a dynamic between-the-tackles
running ability, finished his inaugural campaign as a
Bulldog with 22 carries for 101 yards and one touch-
down and tacked on three receptions for 19 yards.
A junior college trans-
fer who took an academ-
ic redshirt last season,
Walker came to Starkville
as a one-time Michigan
running back and for-
mer four-star recruit in
the class of 2016. In five
games with the Wolver-
ines during the 2017 cam-
paign, he recorded 20
carries for 68 yards and
one touchdown in 2017.
Walker spent the
majority of his time in
Starkville last season
on the scout team, and
coaches raved about his
performance against the
first-team defense.
“I think our skill set
is kind of in line with
what we do really well,”
new MSU running backs
coach Eric Mele said of
this year’s running back
THE DISPATCH n CDISPATCH.COM n THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2020
Courtesy of JUCO Weekly
cle, too, because I really
wish he could be here to
watch me play,” Neville
said.
Getting the ball rolling
On Thursday, when
Neville officially got the
offer from Northern Illi-
nois coach Thomas Ham-
mock, the quarterback
cried when he got off the
phone.
He’d earned a second
shot to play at the highest
level of collegiate compe-
tition in a sport he’d been
devoted to since he start-
ed lifting weights with his
father and brother at age
10.
And though he tried
pursuing other passions
— Neville said he went
into college aiming to
build a reputation as “the
party kid” — he never
found anything like foot-
ball. While other people
found peace in surfing or
going to the beach, Nev-
ille stayed on the field.
Matt Bush/USA TODAY Sports
contingent. “So it’ll be
fun to see our guys catch
a ball in the flat and see
an SEC linebacker trying
to go one on one out there
in space.”
Behind Walker, With-
erspoon flashed a dynam-
ic between-the-tackles
running ability in limited
action as a freshman. He
finished his inaugural
campaign as a Bulldog
with 22 carries for 101
yards and one touchdown
and tacked on three re-
ceptions for 19 yards as
a freshman, and team-
mates compared his abil-
ity and running style to
that of former Georgia
standout and current
Cleveland Brown Nick
Chubb.
Other players that
could find themselves in
SPORTS LINE
662-241-5000
B
SECTION
“Football is the only
thing that makes me tru-
ly happy, truly peaceful,”
Neville said.
So when NIU ensured
Neville’s career could
continue at the FBS lev-
el, it didn’t take the quar-
terback long to make his
choice. He announced his
commitment to NIU on
Saturday morning.
“I didn’t want to waste
their time or waste my
time,” Neville said. “I
kind of wanted to get the
ball rolling on that.”
This fall, he and the
Huskies can prove them-
selves against Power Five
foes Iowa and Maryland
— where transfer quarter-
back Taulia Tagovailoa,
the younger brother of
Alabama star Tua Tagov-
ailoa, is a friend of Nev-
ille’s. In 2021, Northern
Illinois has a date with
Michigan.
Neville also has friends
at Mid-American Confer-
ence opponents Central
Michigan and Buffalo,
both of whom appear on
NIU’s schedule this fall.
“It’s really an amazing
opportunity to come back
to that level and play with
my friends again,” Neville
said.
Not concerned with re-
turning quarterbacks on
the Huskies’ roster — in-
cluding 2019 starter Ross
Bowers — Neville hopes
to compete for playing
time. He doesn’t expect
a spot to be given to him,
though; he wants to earn
it.
After all, Neville said,
playing for Northern Il-
linois is “an incredible
opportunity” — one that
he always had faith he’d
receive.
“It’s amazing when
any school wants to take
a chance on somebody,”
Neville said.
the fold are the freshman
tandem of Jo’quavious
Marks and Dillon John-
recruit out of Atlanta —
was the second-highest
rated player in MSU’s
2020 recruiting class af-
ter he totaled 1,961 yards
and 23 touchdowns on
168 carries as a senior de-
spite missing two games.
As for Johnson, he
arrives at MSU after a
standout career at St.
Joseph High School in
Greenville. Despite split-
ting carries during his
high school career with
Oregon commit Trey
Benson, he finished his
final high school season
with 1,665 yards and 24
touchdowns on just 120
carries.
“You have Kareem,
who is an older guy, Lee
Witherspoon — I think
all of us agree that kid is
going to be pretty special
— and now to add Jo’Qua-
vious and Dillon into the
fold — one a four-star guy
and the other a three-star
guy who should be a four-
star guy,” former coach
Joe Moorhead said of the
group in mid-December.
“I think those guys are
a great mix, and the one
thing in the system we’ve
had over the years is a
tremendous amount of
success from the tailback
position and kind of the
ingredients that you look
for.”
See BACKS, 2B
2B THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2020
Backs
Continued from Page 1B
Beyond Hill’s possible
boycott of the season,
this year also marks a
major transition in ide-
ology from Moorhead’s
regime to Leach’s. Im-
plementing his high-fly-
ing, pass-heavy offense,
running backs should
see their carries dip but
their catches climb. None
of the current running
backs is a proven receiv-
er, but both Marks and
Johnson seemingly have
some upside there.
“We’re not playing
phone booth football,”
running backs coach Eric
Mele said in February.
“You gotta catch every
pass. You don’t drop a ball
— that’s like fumbling
a handoff. So they gotta
understand that part of it
too. You catch it first and
then tuck, turn, get your
pads square to the de-
fender, make him miss or
run through the tackle.”
Mississippi State has
the pieces to mitigate a
Hill-sized hole, but losing
the Southeastern Con-
ference’s leading rusher
from a season a year ago
is a hit nonetheless.
Golf
Continued from Page 1B
stay in starting Tuesday,
so he had his brother stay
with him in the meantime.
Then, the brothers played
a practice round with Mc-
Dowell and British Open
champion Shane Lowry.
Both Koepkas said they
felt they should withdraw
because they were in close
contact with someone who
tested positive.
“I feel terrible for
Chase,” Koepka said.
“This course is made for
him, he’s playing as good
as I’ve ever seen him. And
I put him in that situation.
It’s one thing if I withdraw.
He doesn’t get this oppor-
tunity very often.”
Simpson, who won the
RBC Heritage last week
with a record score that
moved him to No. 5 in the
world, withdrew when he
learned a family member
had tested positive.
Monahan said the tour
would continue, and that
there was no set number
of positive tests that would
lead to golf shutting down
again.
“We feel like we’re on a
path that’s going to allow
us to continue to sustain
our return to golf,” Monah-
an said. “But rest assured,
there won’t be many sleep-
less nights. When you’re
working in a world of un-
certainty, these are the
things you worry about.”
Monahan sent a memo
to players that outlined
increased measures in its
health and safety proto-
cols. Those include test-
ing players before and
after they take charter
flights. Swing coaches
now face mandatory test-
ing each week and will be
considered part of the bub-
ble, and the fitness trailer
will be at tournaments to
keep players from going to
gyms.
He also said the tour
will no longer pay for play-
ers or caddies to be in
self-isolation for positive
tests if they have not fol-
lowed the health and safe-
ty plan.
“All of us have an ex-
traordinary responsibility
to follow these protocols,”
Monahan said, adding he
has been guilty at times as
he adjusts to a new way of
living. “For any individual
that does not, there will be
serious repercussions.”
He did not say what the
punishment would be. The
tour does not publicize dis-
ciplinary actions or fines.
McDowell says his cad-
die flew on a commercial
flight that was packed
from Dallas to Orlando,
Florida, after he missed
the cut at Colonial. That
Monday, they went to a
memorial service — along
with Elliott, who grew up
with McDowell in North-
ern Ireland, and McDow-
ell’s trainer — and then
they all drove six hours to
Hilton Head.
Manfred: ‘We owe it to our fans to be better’
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — Rob
Manfred knows many
fans were angered by the
financial fight between
Major League Baseball
and the players’ associa-
tion during a pandemic.
“We need to get back
on the field, and we need
to in a less-charged en-
vironment start to have
conversations about how
we — and the we in that
sentence is the commis-
sioner’s office, my staff,
the clubs and the MLBPA
and the players — can be
better going forward,” he
said Wednesday during
an interview with The As-
sociated Press. “We owe
it to our fans to be better
than we’ve been last three
months.”
Spring training was
cut short by the novel
coronavirus on March
12. The sides reached
an initial agreement on
March 26, which was to
have been opening day.
That deal called for play-
ers to receive prorated
salaries, get $170 million
in advances and receive a
guarantee of service time
in the event no games
were played this year.
When it became clear
the only way to start the
season was to play in emp-
ty ballparks, the sides
battled publicly over what
the agreement meant.
Owners said players
needed to accept addition-
al cuts and proposed an
82-game schedule start-
ing around the Fourth of
July. Players argued they
shouldn’t have to accept
less than the original deal
called for. But that agree-
ment didn’t bind Manfred
Baseball scrambles back into action amid lingering concerns
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Ron Gardenhire and
Dusty Baker are a little
uneasy. Jim Crane hopes
his Houston Astros can
play in front of fans at
some point.
As baseball scrambles
to start an abbreviated
season, the prevailing
mood is one of nervous
excitement.
“Is it a risk? Abso-
lutely,” said Gardenhire,
the 62-year-old manag-
er of the Detroit Tigers.
“There’s risk involved in
this. We all know it, and
we’re willing to go try
to do this thing. I would
never want to jump ship
with my team, but we’re
going to hopefully do ev-
erything right as far as
protocol goes, and take
care of each other and
keep everybody healthy
as best we possibly can.”
Major League Base-
ball set a 60-game sched-
ule Tuesday night, and
now the sport will try its
best to complete a season
and crown a champion
amid a coronavirus pan-
demic that still looms
over much of American
BRIEFLY
New York City
Marathon canceled
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — The
New York City Marathon
was canceled Wednesday
because of the coronavi-
rus pandemic, with orga-
nizers and city officials
deciding that holding the
race on Nov. 1 would be
too risky.
Organizers announced
the cancellation of the
50th anniversary edition
of the world’s largest mar-
athon after coordinating
with the mayor’s office
and deciding the race
posed too many health
and safety concerns for
runners, volunteers,
spectators and others.
“While the marathon
is an iconic and beloved
event in our city, I applaud
New York Road Runners
for putting the health and
The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com
to start the season with
no gate revenue.
Vitriol rose in base-
ball’s worst infighting
since the 7 1/2-month
strike of 1994-95 wiped
out the World Series for
the first time in nine de-
cades. The union rejected
the last proposal for a fi-
nancial agreement, then
finished protocols to play
in the pandemic on Tues-
day and promised players
will start reporting July
1 for a 60-game season
scheduled to start July
23 or 24, MLB’s briefest
since 1878.
“The focus here was
on a day’s wage for a day’s
worth of work,” union
head Tony Clark said
during a separate inter-
view with the AP. “That’s
what we believed was fair,
and that’s why we main-
tained the position that
we did.”
In the view of many,
the outcome left losers
on both sides. MLB al-
ready has experienced
four straight seasons of
declining average atten-
dance.
“In my opinion, it’s
a damn shame that the
ramifications of this are
going to be felt for a long
time,” said Cincinnati
catcher Tucker Barnhart,
the Reds’ player repre-
sentative. “I grew up a
baseball fan, I’m a base-
ball fan first, and I think
it sucks that it’s had to go
on the way that it is. But I
hope that getting out and
playing will kind of mask
some of the bruises that
the game as a whole has
taken over the last few
months.”
MLB intends to start
life. Players report to
camps July 1 — hard to
call it “spring training”
at this time of year — and
the regular season is sup-
posed to start about three
weeks later.
It already feels like a
whirlwind.
“We knew this was a
possibility so I think ev-
erybody is kind of ahead
of where they normally
would be for traditional
spring training,” Minne-
sota Twins reliever Tay-
lor Rogers said. “I don’t
know if I can speak for ev-
erybody because it’s easi-
er for the relievers. I don’t
know how the starters
are going to get ready or
stretched out. And then
the hitters, that’s a whole
different ballgame. I’m
sure it’s going to be diffi-
cult for them early. They
haven’t seen live pitching
in three months now.”
Aside from the accel-
erated timeline, other lo-
gistical issues could arise
as teams figure out how
to turn their home ball-
parks into training camps
following an uptick in
infections in Florida and
safety of both spectators
and runners first,” May-
or Bill de Blasio said in a
statement. “We look for-
ward to hosting the 50th
running of the marathon
in November of 2021.”
Last year’s marathon
included a world record
53,640 finishers, with half
marathon record-hold-
er Joyciline Jepkosgei of
Kenya winning her debut
at the 26.2-mile distance.
Geoffrey Kamworor won
the men’s event for the
second time in three
years to complete the
Kenyan sweep.
“Let’s not waste this
moment. Let us become
stronger athletes, stron-
ger communities and
stronger world citizens,”
2017 winner Shalane
Flanagan wrote on Insta-
gram.
“This I know, a setback
is just a setup for a come-
back. Please stay safe, vi-
sualize the streets of NYC
in your training for 2021
without fans in ballparks,
even in places where
government and medical
officials allow some spec-
tators.
“I think we need to
get on the ground run-
ning and get comfortable
that we can play games
in empty stadiums safely
before we move forward
fans,” Manfred said. “My
patience in that regard is
in part based on the fact
that there are so many
different situations. Some
places there looks like
there’s no prospect, oth-
er places they’re more
aggressive. I think we
need to be patient and
even where we have the
option, we need to make
sure that we know exactly
what we’re doing before
we jump into it.”
Owners decided to
go ahead with a season
despite the threat of a
grievance from the union,
which has claimed MLB
did not adhere to provi-
sions in the March 26
agreement requiring the
longest schedule econom-
ically feasible. That deal
also included additional
provisions such fans be-
ing allowed into all 30
ballparks and no relevant
travel restrictions.
“Every time you make
a decision like this, you
balance risk and reward,”
Manfred said. “I think
the clubs felt that the
most important objective
was to get the game back
on the field, and because
that was the most import-
ant objective, they were
prepared to bear what-
ever risk was associated
with a grievance that is
— let me be really clear
Arizona. The Tigers an-
nounced Wednesday they
would use Comerica Park
in Detroit, which obvi-
ously has less field space
than the team’s sprawling
spring training complex
in Florida. General man-
ager Al Avila said players
would have their time on
the field staggered.
The Texas Rangers,
who still haven’t played a
game in their new retract-
able roof stadium, plan
to use the home, visitor
and auxiliary clubhouses
to spread out players and
staff. The team also has
access to its former sta-
dium across the street,
even though the field was
converted for the XFL
and soccer.
Dick Williams, pres-
ident of baseball opera-
tions for the Cincinnati
Reds, said MLB is going
to charter jets to bring in
players from the Domin-
ican Republic, and that
teams are allowed to play
a small number of exhi-
bition games in July —
although he doubts any-
body will.
All of these issues
and work hard when no
one is looking, because
it always pays off,” she
wrote. “What’s the best
way to cope with disap-
pointment or grieve a lost
goal?? I say, go for a run.”
Those who registered
for the 2020 race will be
offered a full refund of
their entry fee or a guar-
anteed entry to either the
2021, 2022 or 2023 mara-
thon. The 2021 New York
City Marathon is sched-
uled for Nov. 7.
“Cannot wait to com-
pete in my next NYRR
event, when it is safe to
do so,” U.S. marathon-
er Emily Sisson tweeted
Wednesday, adding a
heart emoji.
Runners registered for
this year’s race and others
will be invited to partici-
pate in a virtual 26.2-mile
(42.2 km) race from Oct.
17-Nov. 1. Further details
will be released in July,
the event’s organizers
said.
about this: utterly without
merit.”
Clark would not direct-
ly respond when asked
whether lasting damage
had been inflicted.
“I think there is an
opportunity to move for-
ward, move our game for-
ward,” he said. “And as it
relates to the atmosphere
in general, the lines of
communication remain
open, and we’ll count that
as a positive in the days
ahead. ”
Because there was no
financial agreement, the
postseason is slated to
remain at 10 teams rather
than expand to 16. MLB
could attempt to make an-
other proposal for a larg-
er postseason.
“I would simply say
that if there’s interest to
discuss something, I’ll
be available to discuss it,”
Clark said.
He maintained the de-
cision by the executive
board to reject the last
plan Monday was not a
choice of a grievance over
a deal.
“The grievance was
not the focus, never has
been the focus,” he said.
“The goal, and that’s why
we sent across proposals,
was to attempt to find
common ground on an
agreement. We simply
were unable to do so.”
He would not address
last week’s one-on-one
meeting in Scottsdale,
Arizona, which Manfred
said produced a frame-
work for a deal and Clark
called merely a manage-
ment proposal. Manfred
has maintained Clark
promised to try to per-
suade players to accept it,
could become moot if
there’s a major outbreak
of the virus within base-
ball. Avila said one player
and one staff member for
the Tigers tested positive,
and there have been ex-
amples from other teams
as well. Gardenhire, who
has dealt with cancer and
diabetes, has concerns
about the virus, and Bak-
er, the manager of the As-
tros, is 71, putting him in
a category of older people
who could be particularly
vulnerable.
“I’m a bit nervous,”
he said. “I’ve seen the
reports in Houston how
COVID’s going up so I’m
going to have to really
be careful. I’ve got about
100 different masks. I’ve
got some gloves. I’ve read
all the reports on what to
do and how to stay good.
So in my mind and in my
heart I’m in good shape
and I’m ready to go.”
Even at age 29, Tigers
left-hander Matthew
Boyd considers himself
at risk because he’s had
asthma his whole life
— but he thinks he and
his teammates will act
The only other time
the New York City Mara-
thon was canceled was in
2012, when Superstorm
Sandy caused extensive
damage and strained the
city’s public safety re-
sources. Officials decided
just two days before the
race to call it off, angering
runners who had traveled
to the city from around
the world after assuranc-
es that the event would go
on.
The Sept. 27 Berlin
Marathon was also can-
celed on Wednesday,
joining other major mar-
athons to be scuttled be-
cause of the pandemic.
Last month, the Boston
Marathon was canceled
for the first time in its 124-
year history, with a virtual
race planned as a substi-
tute; the Tokyo Marathon
went on in March but with
only a couple hundred
elite runners instead of a
registered field approach-
ing 38,000.
then said a few hours lat-
er he could not get their
support.
“Rob can focus on his
side, and I’ll focus on
mine,” Clark said.
Clark defended the
union’s decision not to ac-
cept MLB’s offer to elim-
inate free-agent compen-
sation, which could hurt
several players’ value
next offseason.
“It was associated with
significant salary cuts,”
he said.
As baseball prepares
to resume, Manfred and
his staff have watched
European soccer leagues
carry on with closed-door
matches.
“We normally think
about our product as two
products, the live product
and the broadcast prod-
uct,” he said. “Given our
current situation, I think
that the goal is to make
the broadcast product,
because it’s the only one
we have, as entertaining
for fans as we possibly
can. We’re working close-
ly with the RSNs and our
national partners in an
effort to give the game a
zeal that will be satisfy-
ing to our fans without
having the normal crowd
noise and excitement
that’s created by that en-
vironment.”
Broadcasts possibly
may contain artificial
crowd noise.
“We’re still making
decisions about that,” he
said. “I like what they’ve
done in England and Ger-
many because I think it’s
innovative and I think
that the current situation
calls for us to try some
things that are different.”
responsibly. It will be
unusual following new
safety protocols that are
at times incompatible
with human nature on the
baseball field.
“It’s going to be differ-
ent not giving guys big
hugs and high fives and
stuff,” Boyd said. “Emo-
tion’s going to take over.
The second that we hit a
walk-off home run, every-
body’s probably going to
jump out and be like, ‘Oh
yeah, wait. Hold up.’”
There’s been no deci-
sion on whether fans can
attend games at some
point. Commissioner Rob
Manfred said the first or-
der of business is getting
comfortable with games
in empty stadiums.
Crane, who owns the As-
tros, is hoping that could
change eventually.
“We’ve still got to go
through the player proto-
col. They’re very focused
on that and the staff that’s
going to be associated
with the games once we
fire up,” Crane said. “I
think the intent at some
point is to get the fans in
the ballpark.”
MACC delays start of
football season two
weeks
East Mississippi Com-
munity College will be
starting its football sea-
son two weeks later than
normal and playing just
eight regular-season
games this year, the Mis-
sissippi Association of
Community Colleges an-
nounced Wednesday.
The MACC delayed
the start of the fall sea-
son from Aug. 27 to Sept.
10 and reduced its regu-
lar-season slate from nine
games to eight as a conse-
quence of the COVID-19
coronavirus pandemic.
The state will keep its
typical four-team playoff
schedule, with the MACC
championship game set
for Nov. 14.
EMCC, which went
6-4 last season, has not
yet announced its 2020
schedule.

HOCKEY
Iginla headlines 2020 Hall class as 4th Black player elected
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Like most kids growing
up in Edmonton, Jarome
Iginla admired Oilers leg-
ends Wayne Gretzky and
Mark Messier. As a young
Black hockey player, he
paid particular attention
when he saw someone in
the NHL who looked like
him in Grant Fuhr.
Iginla idolized Fuhr,
cherishing their pictures
taken together over the
years, and soon will join
him in the Hockey Hall
of Fame. The longtime
Calgary Flames cap-
tain headlined the hall’s
six-person 2020 class
Wednesday, making it in
his first year of eligibility.
Iginla will be the fourth
Comics & Puzzles
DILBERT
ZITS
GARFIELD
CANDORVILLE
BABY BLUES
BEETLE BAILEY
MALLARD FILLMORE
Black player inducted af-
ter Fuhr, women’s hock-
ey pioneer Angela James
and Willie O’Ree. Iginla
and Fuhr are the only
Black NHL players en-
shrined for their on-ice
accomplishments, while
O’Ree was chosen in the
builder category in 2018
for breaking the league’s
color barrier 60 years ear-
lier.
“I didn’t view myself in
minor hockey as a Black
hockey player but I was
also aware that I was,”
Iginla said. “It really was
special to me to see the
Black players that were in
the NHL — to see Grant
Fuhr starring, to be able
to say to other people:
‘Look at Grant Fuhr. He’s
FAMILY CIRCUS
The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com
an All-Star.’ And to see
Claude Vilgrain and Tony
McKegney and to have
answers for the other
kids. It was very, very im-
portant for me following
my dreams.”
Iginla was the first
Black player to lead the
NHL in goals and points
and was the first Black
male athlete in any sport
to win a gold medal in
the Winter Olympics. A
first-generation Canadian
whose father is Nigerian
and mother is American,
Iginla owns one of the
biggest assists in Cana-
da’s history of internation-
al hockey. He passed the
puck to Sidney Crosby for
the “golden goal” at the
2010 Olympics in Vancou-
ver.
“The pressure in those
games, in the do-or-die
games especially, it’s
pretty awesome,” Iginla
said. “You’re playing for
your teammates. It’s for
your country. You feel
like so many people are
watching. You’re trying to
carry on the tradition.”
Iginla was joined in
the 2020 class by winger
Marian Hossa, defense-
men Kevin Lowe and
Doug Wilson, Canadian
women’s goaltender Kim
St. Pierre and longtime
general manager Ken
Holland.
In addition to two
Olympic gold medals in
three appearances, Iginla
won the Maurice “Rocket”
Dear Abby
D
EAR ABBY:
I have one
child, a
daughter, “Anna,”
I adopted at 19
months. She’s 41
now and has two
small children.
She had a normal
upbringing, al-
though her father
and I divorced
when she was 9.
She has chosen
to not have a
relationship with
him as an adult.
Anna has never
Dear Abby
married, nor has
she been in a relationship for
longer than four or five months.
According to a few counselors
I have seen, she has attach-
ment disorder.
Anna is very difficult. She’s
mean, says hateful things and
is an angry young woman. She
takes no responsibility for any
of her actions, and therefore
cannot keep a job, friends, etc.
for more than a few months.
She is also extremely negative.
If I try to say anything, she gets
angry, starts cussing, yelling
and slinging hate, and stops
contacting me for weeks at a
time.
We have nothing in
common. We live in separate
states, but I see her about
a half-dozen times a year.
When I do, I tiptoe around on
eggshells because of her short
fuse. Her attitude is starting to
rub off on her boys.
Horoscopes
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (June
25). Spiritual investigation
and development will lead you
to make some very practical
improvements. In the next 10
weeks, your interests shift and
friendship circle widens. The
influence of new people will lead
to lifestyle upgrades. The start
of 2021 has a romantic feel. Big
projects bring big money. Pisces
and Sagittarius adore you. Your
lucky numbers are: 9, 40, 22,
17 and 30.
ARIES (March 21-April
19). Because of the intercon-
nectedness of body, mind and
soul, the fitness of one area will
be communicated through the
other two. For vibrant benefits,
Richard Trophy twice as
the NHL’s top goal-scorer
and in 2002 won the Art
Ross Trophy for the most
points and Ted Lindsay
Award as MVP voted by
fellow players. He also
won the Canadian junior
Memorial Cup twice
and world juniors, world
championship and World
Cup of Hockey once each.
A power forward on
the wing with a prolific
scoring touch, Iginla had
625 goals and 675 assists
for 1,300 points in 1,554
regular-season NHL
games for the Flames,
Avalanche, Penguins and
Kings. He had 68 points
in 81 playoff games and
most notably led Calgary
to Game 7 of the Stanley
This is not
what I had
envisioned all
those years ago
when I adopted
her. I miss who
I thought she
would become.
Is there anything
I can do without
completely alien-
ating myself from
my grandsons,
which would
break my heart?
— TIPTOEING ON
EGGSHELLS
DEAR TIPTOE-
ING: I am sorry
your adoption did not turn out
as you envisioned. Your daugh-
ter is clearly troubled, and it is
not surprising that her attitude
has begun to affect her boys.
It is time you accept that,
as much as you wish to, you
cannot change another person,
and there’s nothing you can do
to “fix” her.
You mentioned that you
visit her every two months.
Perhaps you should consider
visiting fewer times than that.
Ask if she would let the grand-
kids come and visit Grandma
occasionally. However, if she
isn’t receptive, refusing to
engage with her is the price
you will have to pay for seeing
them and trying to cement a
relationship with them.
DEAR ABBY: I have been
dating a girl since high school.
We were high school sweet-
hearts, but now we are both
breathe energy into your weaker
modality.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20).
You will either commit complete-
ly to the task or will pretend that
you are completely committed
to the task, recognizing how im-
portant it is to everyone on the
team that you appear unified
and “all in.”
GEMINI (May 21-June 21).
It doesn’t matter if it’s a boss,
loved one or complete stranger
-- when someone asks you to do
something, you naturally default
to “yes.” This agreeableness
will be the start of an adventure.
CANCER (June 22-July 22).
Just like crunches build stom-
ach muscles, emotional stability
THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2020 3B
Cup Final in 2004.
Hossa was also elected
in his first year of eligibili-
ty and joins 2015 inductee
Chris Pronger as the only
players to go into the hall
while still under contract.
Like Pronger, Hossa qual-
ified because he hasn’t
played in three years; he
retired in 2018 because of
a skin disorder.
A skilled, two-way
winger, Hossa won the
Stanley Cup with Chicago
in 2010, 2013 and 2015.
He lost in the final in 2008
and 2009, had 149 points
in 205 playoff games and
finished with 1,134 points
in 1,309 regular-season
games with the Senators,
Thrashers, Penguins, Red
Wings and Blackhawks.
28. My girlfriend wants to get
married and have kids, but I do
not. I want to keep dating her.
I am scared to break up with
her because if I did, I wouldn’t
know what to do with my life.
Should I change, or should she
change? — STATUS QUO IN
COLORADO
DEAR STATUS QUO: I
hereby appoint you to be the
designated changer. You have
been so absorbed with this
romance you never took the
time to develop interests of
your own.
At the age of 28, many
women start thinking about
marriage and children. Doing
that is normal and rational.
However, because you don’t
feel ready to make a lifetime
commitment, you would be
making a huge mistake to allow
yourself to be pushed into it.
It is important that you
learn who you are before you
marry anyone. Accomplishing
this is a process that takes
time and a variety of experi-
ences, and you should embark
on that now. It would be unfair
to continue dating her at this
point because your paths are
going to diverge as each of
you learns to manage without
leaning on the other.
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.
can be exercised and built, giv-
ing you a core of strength that
is even more attractive than a
six-pack of abs.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22).
You’ve known both introver-
sion and extroversion and are
currently an “ambivert,” as
some situations make you feel
outgoing and others make you
feel closed up.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22).
What the others want may
not be desirable, possible or
convenient to you, but you’ll
hear them out anyway. This act
of kindness and respect has
repercussions of healing.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct.
23). There is little in life more
valuable than the unconditional
support of a true friend. You’ll
experience the pure love of an
exchange that is without motive
or expectation of reciprocity.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov.
21). In uncertain circumstanc-
es, it is only human to rely on
assumptions. Be superhuman
instead. Let go of what you
know and reserve judgment as
you try to absorb the truth in
front of you.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec.
21). For most people, if they
know how to start, then they’ll
dive right in. Not knowing where
to start leads to procrastina-
tion. You’ll have the opportunity
and privilege of leading the way.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan.
19). Too many choices can
be overwhelming, not enough
is boring. You’ll find your own
sweet spot of options, but don’t
assume it’s the same for all.
Some people can handle three,
others 23.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb.
18). Some thought patterns
are like riptides. It’s easy to get
carried away and fighting them
head-on can be futile. Relax and
be carried. Wait for the break —
it’s coming — and then you can
swim to the shore.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March
20). This is the time to relax
your expectations and accept
that your best is always relative
to the moment. You can push
yourself, but be kind about
it. There is no need to punish
yourself, ever.
Shrinking violet
SOLUTION:
4B THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2020 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com

Virus cases surge among the young, endangering older adults

‘The virus hasn’t
changed. We
Mississippi tops 1,000 deaths from COVID-19 as cases rise
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS are ignoring safety guidelines by having dated that people wear masks in public in
have changed our JACKSON — Mississippi has sur-
large gatherings and not wearing masks. only a few counties that have had larger
“It’s not a joke. Really bad things are go- outbreaks than other parts of the state.
behaviors. Younger passed 1,000 deaths from the new corona- ing to happen,” Dobbs told The Associated The Health Department said Wednes-
virus, according to numbers released by
Press. day that Mississippi has had at least 23,424
people are more the state Health Department on Wednes-
Republican Gov. Tate Reeves had cases and 1,011 deaths from the coronavi-
day.
likely to be out and The numbers showed the second-high- COVID-19 news briefings several times a
week for more than two months. He has
rus as of Tuesday evening. That was an in-
crease of 526 cases and 22 deaths from the
est single-day increase in cases in Missis-
taking a risk.’ sippi. The highest single-day number was not had one this week. numbers reported a day earlier; the deaths
Ali Mokdad, professor the day before. In early June, Reeves lifted most of include 12 that occurred between May 30
of health metrics sciences The state health officer, Dr. Thomas the restrictions he had put on businesses and June 14 with information from death
at the University of Dobbs, had said Tuesday that Mississippi weeks earlier to try to slow the spread of certificates arriving later. Mississippi has
Washington in Seattle is seeing a surge of cases because people the highly contagious virus. He has man- a population of about 3 million.

BY CARLA K. JOHNSON
AND TAMAR A LUSH
The Associated Press
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. —
Coronavirus cases are climb-
ing rapidly among young adults
in a number of states where
bars, stores and restaurants
have reopened — a disturbing
generational shift that not only
puts them in greater peril than
many realize but poses an even
bigger danger to older people
who cross their paths.
In Oxford, Mississippi, sum-
mer fraternity parties sparked
outbreaks. In Oklahoma City,
church activities, fitness class-
es, weddings and funerals seed-
ed infections among people in
their 20s, 30s and 40s. In Iowa
college towns, surges followed
the reopening of bars. A clus-
ter of hangouts near Louisiana
State University led to at least
100 customers and employees
testing positive. In East Lan-
sing, Michigan, an outbreak
tied to a brew pub spread to 34
people ages 18 to 23.
There and in states like Flor-
ida, Texas and Arizona, young
people have started going out
again, many without masks, in
what health experts see as irre-
sponsible behavior.
“The virus hasn’t changed.
We have changed our behav-
iors,” said Ali Mokdad, profes-
sor of health metrics sciences
at the University of Washington
in Seattle. “Younger people are
more likely to be out and taking
a risk.”
In Florida, young people
ages 15 to 34 now make up 31
percent of all cases, up from
25 percent in early June. Last
week, more than 8,000 new
cases were reported in that age
group, compared with about
2,000 among people 55 to 64
years old. And experts say the
phenomenon cannot be ex-
plained away as simply the re-
sult of more testing.
Elected officials such as
Florida’s governor have argued
against reimposing restric-
tions, saying many of the newly
infected are young and other-
wise healthy. But younger peo-
ple, too, face the possibility of
severe infection and death. In
the past week, two 17-year-olds
in Florida died of the virus.
And authorities worry that
older, more vulnerable people
are next.
“People between the ages 18
and 50 don’t live in some sort
of a bubble,” Oklahoma City
Mayor David Holt said. “They
are the children and grandchil-
dren of vulnerable people. They
may be standing next to you at
a wedding. They might be serv-
ing you a meal in a restaurant.”
The virus has taken a fright-
ful toll on older people in the
U.S., which leads the world in
total deaths, at over 120,000,
and confirmed infections, at
more than 2.3 million. Eight
out of 10 deaths in the U.S.
have been in people 65 and
older. In contrast, confirmed
coronavirus deaths among
18- to 34-year-olds number in
the hundreds, though disease
trackers are clamoring for
more accurate data.
For months, older adults
were more likely to be diag-
nosed with the virus, too. But
figures from the Centers for
Disease Control and Preven-
tion show that almost as soon
as states began reopening, the
picture flipped, with people 18
to 49 years old quickly becom-
ing the age bracket most likely
to be diagnosed with new cas-
es.

US citizens likely to be left out as Europe reopens borders

BY LORNE COOK
The Associated Press
BRUSSELS — Amer-
icans are unlikely to be
allowed into more than 30
European countries for
business or tourism when
the continent begins next
week to open its borders
to the world, due to the
spread of the coronavi-
rus and President Donald
Trump’s ban on Europe-
an visitors.
More than 15 million
Americans are estimated
to travel to Europe each
year, and such a decision
would underscore flaws
in the Trump administra-
tion’s handling of the pan-
demic, which has seen
the United States record
the highest number of in-
fections and virus-related
deaths in the world by far.
European nations ap-
pear on track to reopen
their borders between
each other by July 1.
Their representatives in
Brussels have been de-
bating what virus-relat-
ed criteria should apply
when lifting border re-
strictions to the outside
world, which were im-
posed in March to stop
all non-essential travel to
Europe.
In recommendations
to EU nations on June 11,
the European Commis-
sion said “travel restric-
tions should not be lifted
as regards third coun-
tries where the situation
is worse” than the aver-
age in the 27 EU member
countries plus Iceland,
Liechtenstein, Norway
and Switzerland.
That is likely to rule
out people living in the
United States, where new
coronavirus infections
have surged to the high- 121,000 dead. The virus
est level in two months, outbreaks in Brazil, India
according to figures com- and Russia are remark-
ably high too, and it’s also
piled by Johns Hopkins
unlikely that the EU will
University. After trend-
let their citizens in.
ing down for well over a
month, new U.S. cases
have risen for more than
a week.
The U.S. on Tuesday
reported 34,700 new cas-
es of the virus, bringing
its total to more than 2.3
million cases and over

AREA OBITUARIES Brad Lamar

COMMERCIAL DISPATCH
OBITUARY POLICY
Obituaries with basic informa-
tion including visitation and
service times, are provided
free of charge. Extended obit-
uaries with a photograph, de-
tailed biographical information
and other details families may
wish to include, are available
for a fee. Obituaries must be
submitted through funeral
homes unless the deceased’s
body has been donated to
science. If the deceased’s
body was donated to science,
the family must provide official
proof of death. Please submit
all obituaries on the form
provided by The Commercial
Dispatch. Free notices must
be submitted to the newspa-
per no later than 3 p.m. the
day prior for publication Tues-
day through Friday; no later
than 4 p.m. Saturday for the
Sunday edition; and no later
than 7:30 a.m. for the Monday
edition. Incomplete notices
must be received no later than
7:30 a.m. for the Monday
through Friday editions. Paid
notices must be finalized by 3
p.m. for inclusion the next day
Monday through Thursday; and
on Friday by 3 p.m. for Sunday
and Monday publication. For
more information, call 662-
328-2471.
De’Riyh Smith
COLUMBUS — In-
fant De’Riyh L. Smith
died June 17, 2020, at
Baptist Memorial Hos-
pital-Golden Triangle.
Graveside services
will be at 1 p.m. Fri-
day, at Union Ceme-
tery. Carter’s Funeral
Services of Columbus
is in charge of arrange-
ments.
Infant De’Riyh was
born June 17, 2020, in
Columbus to Ricon-
ya Hill and Deandra
Smith.
Jean Hendreson
CALEDONIA —
Jean C. Henderson, 60,
died June 21, 2020, at
her residence.
A private family
memorial service will
be at noon, Saturday,
at Lowndes Funeral
Home Chapel, with
Robert B. Henderson
officiating. Lowndes
Funeral Home of Co-
lumbus is in charge of
arrangements.
Mrs. Henderson
was born Oct. 31, 1959,
in Kemper County, to
the late Calvin Ross
Barefield Jr. and Mae
Carolyn Gully “Tootsie”
Barefield. She was for-
merly employed as an
account payable clerk
with Baptist Memo-
rial Hospital-Golden
Triangle.
She is survived by
her husband, Robert
B. Henderson; chil-
dren, Marcus Brian
Henderson of Cullman,
Alabama and Michael
Ryan Henderson of
Chattanooga, Tennes-
see; siblings, Dickie
Barefield and David
Barefield both of Pres-
ton; and three grand-
children.
Memorials may be
made to American
Cancer Society, 1380
Livingston Lane,
Jackson, MS 39213.
Oscar Heubel
VERNON, Ala. — ­ Private family
Oscar Joseph Heubel,
70, died June 24, 2020,
at DCH Regional Med-
ical Center of Tuscalo-
osa.
A memorial service
will be held at a later
date. Lowndes Funeral
Home of Columbus is
in charge of arrange-
ments.
Mr. Heubel was
born August2, 1949, in
Terra Haute, to the late
Walter and Clew Tag-
gart Heubel. He was a
veteran of the United
States Army and was
formerly employed with
NAPA Auto Parts and
T&S Auto Parts.
IN addition to his
parents, he was pre-
ceded in death by his ceded in death by her Visitation:
son, Dwayne Heubel; husband, Pearce Tay- Sunday, June 28 • 1 PM
2nd Ave. North Location
and siblings, George lor; son, Wade Taylor; Memorial Services:
Sunday, June 28 • 2 PM
Heubel, Walter Heubel and one great-grand- 2nd Ave. North Location
and Paul Heubel. child.
He is survived by his She is survived by Charles D. Young
wife, Carolyn Young her children, Ginger Memorial Services:
Heubel; daughter, Joc- Sunday, June 28 • 2 PM
Taylor, Gail Long, Sovereign Grace Baptist Church
elyn Denny; siblings, Dwight Taylor and 2nd Ave. North Location
Carole Elbrink and
Elizabeth Fountain;
Joanna Hobgood; and
siblings, Marion Wales,
three grandchildren.
Wanda Forsythe, Bar-
bara Roberts, Mildred
Jewel Taylor Gurley and Leslie Tot- memorialgunterpeel.com
BEAVERTON, Ala.
ten; 14 grandchildren;
— Jewel Taylor, 87, died
and 34 great grandchil-
June 22, 2020, at her
residence. dren.
funeral services were
at 2 p.m. Wednesday,
at Otts Funeral Home
Chapel, with Danny
Hollis and Ricky Kend-
rick officiating. Burial
followed in the Gilmer
Addition of Sulligent
City Cemetery. Otts Fu-
neral Home of Sulligent
is in charge of arrange-
ments.
Mrs. Taylor was born
Oct. 21, 1932, in Arkan-
sas, to the late Madison
and Lelia Totten. She
was formerly employed
with McCoy Manufac-
turing and HealthTex
and was a member of
Life Church.
In addition to her
parents, she was pre-

Who would be the first to get a COVID-19 vaccine?

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Who would be the first
to get a COVID-19 vac-
cine?
Probably people in the
country where the first
effective vaccine is devel-
oped.
About a dozen different
vaccines are in various
stages of testing world-
wide, including in Britain,
China and the U.S. This
week, Dr. Anthony Fau-
ci, the top U.S. infectious
disease expert, said he is
cautiously optimistic there
will be a COVID-19 vac-
cine by the end of the year
or early 2021.
Several wealthy coun-
tries have already ordered
millions of doses of those
experimental vaccines.
Britain and the U.S., for
example, have invested in
a vaccine candidate being
developed by Oxford Uni-
versity and produced by
AstraZeneca. If it works,
U.K. politicians have said
Britons will be vaccinated
with it. The U.S. expects to
start stockpiling it this fall
and also has invested in
other vaccine candidates.
Groups including the
vaccine alliance GAVI are
also working to buy dos-
es for poor countries and
AstraZeneca has agreed
to license its vaccine to
India’s Serum Institute for
the production of 1 billion
doses. The World Health
Organization is drafting
guidelines for the ethical
distribution of COVID-19
vaccines.
How vaccines are dis-
tributed within a country
will vary. Last week, U.S.
officials said they were
developing a tiered sys-
tem for that. The system
would likely prioritize
groups at greatest risk of
severe complications from
COVID-19 and key work-
ers.
 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com THURSDAY, JUNE 25 2020 5B

Business
BUSINESS MOVES WITH MARY

New hangout opening in Possum Town

PLUS: Starkville Wellness nology while visiting
Wales last year. After
Frequency Facebook
page.
Center open in Starkville experiencing the ener-
gy benefits themselves,
Also, there’s a new li-
quor store in Starkville
BY MARY POLLITZ the Buckners wanted — well a new name and
biz@cdispatch.com to bring the Natural owner at least.
Energy Optimization Ruby Liquor opened

P
ossum Town Hangout, 1469
Hwy. 69, is slated to open
July 1, pending inspection.
The new business on Highway
69, just past the Sprint Mart by
Yorkville Road, will be a new space
and hangout in the coming weeks.
Owners Tiffany Jordan and
Penny Butler will serve customers
barbecue, nachos, burgers, pizzas
and a slew of specials throughout
the week. The restaurant/hang out
will also feature foosball, arcade
games, pool tables and more in an
attempt to attract area youth for
some good old-fashioned fun.
Possum Town Hangout will be
a smoke-free and alcohol free zone
that can be a family atmosphere for
everyone.
Keep up with Possum Town
Hangout on Facebook for the latest
updates. Once open, hours will be
noon to 11 p.m., but those hours
are subject to change once school
is back in session.
Over in Starkville we’ve got a
new wellness center open.
The Well Frequency held its
grand opening June 19 at 6056
Hwy. 182 W., near Horsefeathers
Antique Mall.
Owners Diane and Robert Buck-
ner first witnessed frequency tech-
(NEO) technology to
Starkville.
The wellness center
offers clients NEO
sessions for maximum
relaxation for 52 min- Mary Pollitz
utes. It offers a relaxing
room with recliners for those to
meditate, relax, read and even
socialize while the NEO machine
uses advanced frequency technol-
ogy to utilize the water’s natural
ability for healing mind, body and
soul.
During its soft opening, Diane
Buckner said clients continually
raved how the treatments helped
their stress, sleep and sometimes
even physical pain.
“We knew this was incredible
but we’ve been pleasantly sur-
prised,” Buckner said. “We have
just been in tears. It was phenom-
enal. People call us and are telling
us just how it’s affected them.”
Each session is $70, but The
Well Frequency is offering an
introductory special for 15 percent
off — just use INTRO15OFF when
booking an appointment.
Keep up to date for additional
information, research and videos
that detail the benefits of water-fre- releases further away, we may have
quency technology with The Well
near the end of May on
Highway 12, replacing
Corky’s. Anuj Shahi
purchased Corky’s
liquor store and said
he’s been making
renovations and aims to
increase the store’s selection.
Check out the new owners at
Ruby’s at 630 Hwy. 12 Monday
through Saturday 10 a.m.-10 p.m.
In other news, Starkville’s movie
theatre has postponed its open-
ing. Seth Parsley, UEC Starkville
manager, posted an update for all
movie-goers on Starkville Strong’s
Facebook page.
According to his post, UEC
plans to open July 10 featuring
older movies such as: Wonder
Woman, Aquaman, The Goonies,
The Conjuring and Harry Potter
and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Those
movies will be $5 per ticket all day,
every day.
Ticket prices will return to nor-
mal with the release of new movies.
The first movie expected to release
is Disney’s Mulan on July 24.
“All of this is subject to change,”
Parsley’s post read. “If movie
studios keep pushing their movie
to follow suit.”

US inmates got virus relief checks, and IRS wants them back
BY REBECCA BOONE
The Associated Press
BOISE, Idaho — Hun-
dreds of thousands of dol-
lars in coronavirus relief
payments have been sent
to people behind bars
across the United States,
and now the IRS is asking
state officials to help claw
back the cash that the fed-
eral tax agency says was
mistakenly sent.
The legislation au-
thorizing the payments
during the pandemic
doesn’t specifically ex-
clude jail or prison in-
mates, and the IRS has
refused to say exactly
what legal authority it has
to retrieve the money. On
its website, it points to the
unrelated Social Security
Act, which bars incarcer-
ated people from receiv-
ing some types of old-age
and survivor insurance
benefit payments.
“I can’t give you the le-
gal basis. All I can tell you
is this is the language the
Treasury and ourselves
have been using,” IRS
spokesman Eric Smith
said. “It’s just the same
list as in the Social Secu-
rity Act.”
Tax attorney Kelly
Erb, who’s written about
the issue on her website,
says there’s no legal basis
for asking for the checks
back.
“I think it’s really disin-
genuous of the IRS,” Erb departments to intercept
said Tuesday. “It’s not a payments to prisoners
rule just because the IRS and return them.
puts it on the website. In
fact, the IRS actually says
that stuff on its website
isn’t legal authority. So
there’s no actual rule —
it’s just guidance — and
that guidance can change
at any time.”
After Congress passed
the $2.2 trillion corona-
virus rescue package in
March, checks of up to
$1,200 were automatically
sent in most cases to peo-
ple who filed income tax
returns for 2018 or 2019,
including some who are
incarcerated. A couple of
weeks later, the IRS di-
rected state correction

BUILDING PERMITS
City of Columbus
June 15-18, 2020
■ Dillard Trulove Trust; 513
18th Avenue North, Suite 4;
Signage for Finance; Anchor
Sign Company
■ Taylor & Cooper Properties
LLC; 133 Magnolia Road;
Demolition; Same
■ Charles F Perkins; 232
Dogwood Road; Addition and
repairs; Old South Renovation
Company
■ Sarah W Collie; 807 18th
Street North; Electrical; Nell
Jones Electrical Contractors
■ Juanita Fields; 2302
Washington Avenue; Electrical;
Jimmie Chism
■ Anthony O’Neal; 2403 11th
Avenue North; Electrical; Guer-
ry Electrical LLC
■ Columbus Educational
Foundation Inc; 625 Magnolia
Lane; Electrical; Mark Thomp-
son Electric
■ Leigh Enterprises LP; 1204
Highway 45 North; Electrical;
Mark Thompson Electric
■ Sarah W Collie; 807 18th
Street North; Mechanical;
Andy’s Heat & Air
■ Ables Investments LLC; 47
Eagle Cove; Plumbing; Ralph
Shaw Plumbing
■ Marcel Pilate; 1002 Moss
Street; Plumbing; Ralph Shaw
Plumbing
■ Ken Smith Jr; 222 Waverly
Road; Plumbing; Ralph Shaw
Plumbing
■ Jimmy Stephenson; 414
21st Street South; Plumbing;
P&H Plumbing
■ Jimmy Stephenson; 2412
4th Avenue; Plumbing; P&H
Plumbing
■ Leah Aguilar; 810 Spruce
Street; Plumbing; Klutts
Plumbing
■ Eddie Usery; 601 21st
Avenue North; Plumbing; Roto
Rooter
■ Mary Beth Walden; 305
Hospital Drive; Plumbing;
Weathers Air Conditioning
■ Param Inc et al; 600 7th
Avenue North; Plumbing; P&H
Plumbing
Lowndes County
June 24, 2020
■ Drewery, Kevin; 12556 Hwy
12 E.; construct storage/
shop; Owner
■ William, Mosby; 1126 Hwy
373; construct s/f residence;
Owner
■ Boggard, John; 453 Ander-
son Grove Road; construct
deck; Owner
■ Edwards, John & Frenchie;
758 Garth Road; addition to
s/f residence; Owner
■ Maclean, Sonya; 1724
Westbrook Road; construct
storage/shop; Owner
■ Maclean, Sonya; 1724
Westbrook Road; construct s/f
residence; Owner
■ Lemm, Floyd & Ginger; 62
Artesia West Point Road; con-
struct s/f residence; Owner
LOCAL GAS PRICES
Source: gasbuddy.com
COLUMBUS
1.74 CHEVRON
488 US-45 S & Frontage Rd.

BUSINESS BRIEF 1.78 MURPHY USA

1913-A US-45 N & 19th Ave.

NMMC-West Point hires 1.79 SHELL

166 W Plymouth Bluff

Thomas and Eldridge

WEST POINT — STARKVILLE
North Mississippi Medi-
cal Center-West Point has 1.69 SPRINT
308 Hwy 12 E & S Montgomery

1.69 WALMART
hired urologist Kenneth
R. Thomas, M.D., and 105 Market St. & MS-12
Eldridge Thomas
Catherine “Shelli”
Eldridge, FNP-C. Dr. the West Point hospital’s 1.74 MURPHY USA
1012 MS-12 near MS-25

Thomas has served on medical staff since 2016.

Classifieds
EMPLOYMENT
CALL US: 662-328-2424
General Help Wanted
WANTED: Qualified
Automotive Technicians
Call for details.
662-574-4221
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.
Experienced weed-eater,
$10-12/hour. Valid driver's
license, transportation &
experience helpful. Call
Jesse & Beverly's Lawn
Service at 662-356-6525.
ORGANIST POSITION at St.
David Anglican Church in
Mayhew, MS, to provide
music for Sunday service &
occasional special ser-
vices. Knowledge/experi-
ence with Anglican Liturgy
helpful, but not necessary.
The 1928 Book of Com-
mon Pray & the 1940 Epis-
copal Hymnal are used.
(318)527-9213 for info.
THE COMMERCIAL
DISPATCH seeks a motiv-
ated, contracted carrier for
the Brooksville & Macon
area. Excellent opportunity
to earn money for college.
Must have good transporta-
tion, valid driver's license
& insurance. Delivers on
Sunday morning and Mon-
Fri afternoons. Apply at The
Commercial Dispatch, 516
Main Street in Columbus.
No phone calls please.
You’ll find the best deals
when you advertise
and shop here!
ads.cdispatch.com
SERVICE DIRECTORY
PROMOTE YOUR SMALL BUSINESS STARTING AT ONLY $25
Carpet & Flooring
DAVID’S CARPET &
UPHOLSTERY
CLEANING
1 Room − $50
2 Rooms − $70
3+ Rooms − $30 EA
Rugs−Must Be Seen
Car Upholstery Cleaning
Available
662−722−1758
General Services
WORK WANTED: Licensed
& Bonded. Carpentry, minor
electrical, minor plumbing,
insulation, painting,
demolition, gutters
cleaned, pressure washing,
landscaping, cleanup work.
662−242−3608.
ADS APPEAR IN THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH,
THE STARKVILLE DISPATCH AND ONLINE
To place ads starting at only $12,
call 662-328-2424 or visit ads.cdispatch.com
THE DISPATCH n CDISPATCH.COM n THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2020 n 6B
Houses For Rent: North
RENTALS HOUSE FOR RENT BY
OWNER. 220 Mclemore
MERCHANDISE
Road, Columbus. 1750sqft
ADS STARTING AT $25 Brick house in quiet neigh− ADS STARTING AT $12
borhood. 3 bedrooms & 2
Apts For Rent: North full baths. No HUD, General Merchandise
Columbus City school
FOX RUN APARTMENTS district. $1000/mo with 2018 40FT Gooseneck
1 & 2 BR near hospital. 1 mo deposit. Serious Trailer w/ 5ft dovetail, 12
$595−$645 monthly. inquiries only please. Call ton axles, 10−4inch straps
Military discount, pet area, 662−574−3202 to see the & tarps. $7,000.
pet friendly, and furnished house or make application. 662−251−3001.
corporate apts.
24−HOUR PROFESSIONAL HOUSE FOR RENT FREE HORSE MANURE,
GYM. ON SITE SECURITY. 2−3 Bedroom w/ 1.5 Bath mixed with sawdust.
ON SITE MAINTENANCE. Fenced in yard. $675. By appointment. Will load.
ON SITE MANAGEMENT. 662−549−9555. West Lowndes.
24−HOUR CAMERA Ask for Glenn or text. 662−364−6990.
SURVEILLANCE. Benji &
Ashleigh, 662−386−4446. Mobile Homes for Rent
Sudoku
WHITE POSTER BOARD
Apts For Rent: West RENT A CAMPER! $0.50 each − 24"x23" YESTERDAY’S ANSWER
CHEAPER THAN A MOTEL! Visit 516 Main Street
VIP Sudoku
Utilities & cable included,
from $145/wk − $535/mo
or call 662−328−2424 Sudoku is a number- Yesterday’s answer
placing puzzle based on
Rentals
Columbus & County School
locations. 662−242−7653 Lawn & Garden Sudoku
a 9x9 gridis a several
with num- 5 7 4 8 1 6 9 2 3
or 205−442−2011. ber-placing
given numbers.puzzle
The object 1 8 9 3 7 2 6 5 4
2020 Conceptis Puzzles, Dist. by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
Apartments & Houses HAYES DAYLILIES
Open mornings. M−S. based onthe
is to place a 9x9
numbers 2 6 3 5 4 9 7 1 8
grid
1 Bedrooms 1 to 9with
in theseveral
empty spaces 6 5 1 9 2 3 4 8 7
REAL ESTATE
1069 New Hope Rd. Call
662−251−6665. given
so thatnumbers.
each row, eachThe 9 4 8 7 6 5 1 3 2
2 Bedroooms Wanted To Buy object
column is andtoeach
place
3x3 the
box 7 3 2 4 8 1 5 6 9
3 Bedrooms ADS STARTING AT $25 numbers
contains the1sameto 9 number
in
USED COMPUTER. Must the empty spaces so 8 2 5 1 9 7 3 4 6
Furnished & Unfurnished only once. The difficulty 3 9 6 2 5 4 8 7 1
Houses For Sale: New Hope
work good. 806 Shiloh Dr. that each row, each
662−889−6619. level increases from
1, 2, & 3 Baths column and each 4 1 7 6 3 8 2 9 5
Monday
3x3 boxtocontains
Sunday.
Lease, Deposit One person’s junk,
NEW CONSTRUCTION Difficulty Level 6/24
!
NEW HOPE SCHOOLS the same number only once. The difficulty level
& Credit Check FOR SALE SOON
is another person’s increases from Monday to Sunday.
treasure
This 4 bedroom beauty is
viceinvestments.com almost ready. Take
327-8555 advantage of historic low
interest rates. Hardwood,
Apts For Rent: Other granite, security and more.
Call P & D Builders, Inc.
@ 662−328−0770.
Builder/Broker/Owner.
Lots & Acreage
1.75 ACRE LOTS.
Good/Bad Credit Options.
Good credit as low as 10%
down, $299/mo. Eaton
Land, 662−361−7711.
FIND YOUR
Waterfront Property GOLDEN DEAL WITH
GARAGE
NEWLY RENOVATED three
bedroom, two 1/2 bath
home in private community
with community boat
landing. Property sits on
Tibbee Creek and is
SALES
conveniently located to
West Point, Columbus, and
Starkville. Home has a
screened in back patio with
a deck that overlooks
Tibbee Creek. $198,800.
VEHICLES
COLEMAN 662−549−2768
ADS STARTING AT $12
RENTALS
Autos For Sale
GARAGE SALES
TOWNHOUSES & APARTMENTS
1 BEDROOM 2004 FORD T−BIRD. Two
2 BEDROOMS tops, hard & soft. Little
3 BEDROOMS TWO FREE SIGNS over 100k mi. Excellent
Condition. Call Holly at
Eaton Motor Company in
LEASE, Garage Sales: New Hope
© The Dispatch
Houston, 662−705−1143.
DEPOSIT 73 CONCOURSE Rd. Sat.
AND 7a−until. Women’s/girl’s/
CREDIT CHECK men’s clothes & shoes,
home & xmas decor, party
supplies, books & more.
COMMUNITY
662-329-2323 ADS STARTING AT $12
2411 HWY 45 N Buy, sell, trade,
Travel & Entertainment
COLUMBUS, MS or rent.
PUBLIC CATFISH POND
@ 130 Hillcrest Drive. ACROSS
Open Tues−Sat, 7a−5p
662−386−8591 1 Canary’s home
Call for pricing. 5 Nova —
11 Weary sigh
12 Mount St. —
Five Questions: 13 Easter lead-in
Looking for goods 14 Waiting to bat
15 Contract
or services? 1 Corks language
17 “Give — rest!”
18 Broadway
2 A cappella worker
22 Mint output
24 Long look
25 Easter item
3 Legume 26 Quick taste
27 Oil barrels
Find it in the 4 Mascara
30 Is furious
32 Old photo tint
33 French friend
3 Joining forces
4 Will topic
5 Oxford, e.g.
28 Treat badly
29 Cup’s partner
30 Run into
6 Official count 31 Affairs
classifieds!
34 Ordered to
come 7 Senior 35 Clutter
5 George 38 Evergreen 8 Course peg 36 Different
9 Business abbr. 37 Not natural, in
Washington tree
41 Hideous 10 Demand a way
42 Comes up 16 Put down 38 Spotted
43 Trick 19 Ending a 39 Old hand
44 They come to conversation 40 Carnival city
court 20 Buffalo’s lake
45 Raced 21 Workout
count
22 Dosages, for
DOWN
General Services General Services Lawn Care / Landscaping 1 Ref’s decision short
A & T TREE SERVICES SAM’S LAWN SERVICE 2 Out of the wind 23 Shrek, for one
CHAPTER 7 BANKRUPTCY
Bucket truck & stump $545 plus Filing Fee No lawn too large or too
removal. Free est. small. Mowing, trimming &
Serving Columbus CHAPTER 13 BANKRUPTCY weedeating.
since 1987. Senior All Attorney Fees Through The Plan Call 662−243−1694
citizen disc. Call Alvin @ Jim Arnold, Attorney Painting & Papering
242−0324/241−4447
"We’ll go out on a limb for 662-324-1666 • 601-656-6914
you!" 104 South Lafayette Street, Starkville QUALITY PAINTING.
Ext/Int Painting.
SKILLED CRAFTSMAN. Any Sheet Rock Hang, Finish &
kind of work! We can build, Repair. Pressure Washing.
paint, drywall, clean, Free Estimates. Ask for
pressure wash & cut grass. specials! Larry Webber,
Reasonable rates. Safe & 662−242−4932.
Reliable. 662−386−3658.
SULLIVAN’S PAINT
Lawn Care / Landscaping SERVICE
Special Prices.
Garage Door Services JESSE & BEVERLY’S Interior & Exterior Painting.
M&M Garage Door, LLC LAWN SERVICE 662−435−6528
Offering competitive prices Mowing, cleanup,
landscaping, sodding,
and quality service.
Available for all of your & tree cutting.
garage door needs. 662−356−6525
Call us today for your free
consultation. Lawn Care
662−251−4904 Mow, Trim, Edge and Blow.
Free Estimate.
Call 662−574−1225.
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