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Tuesday | July 21, 2020

SCHOOLING IN THE TIME OF COVID-19

‘No right answer’: Parents grapple LCSD offers

with education options for children virtual learning
option after
parents express
concerns
Allison: ‘We want to
serve our people (and)
meet their needs’
BY TESS VRBIN
tvrbin@cdispatch.com

Christine Lawson helps her son Judah, 4, put on a cat costume while her other son Jonathan, 11, plays with his hamsters on
Saturday in their home classroom in Columbus. Christine has decided to homeschool her kids this year because of COVID-19.
She recently got her degree in teaching so she said she feels prepared to teach her kids, but she knows not all parents will
feel as well-equipped.
Safety, education, socialization all
factors as families decide between
learning at home or school
BY TESS VRBIN
tvrbin@cdispatch.com
Christine Lawson had
“tossed around the idea of
homeschooling” her two
sons in the past, but it is the
continuing COVID-19 pan-
demic that has convinced
her to do it.
Lawson and her older son,
who is 11, both have health
conditions that make her
wary of sending the boys
back to Lowndes County
School District in case they
unknowingly bring the vi-
rus home. Schools across
the state and nation closed
their doors and implemented
online learning from March
to May due to the pandemic,
and families throughout the
Golden Triangle have much
to consider when deciding
whether to send their chil-
dren back into school build-
ings next month.
For some, like Lawson,
the deciding factor is the
physical health and safety of
both the children and adults.
For others, it’s the children’s
social and emotional health.
Some families don’t have the
option of staying home and
supervising children’s learn-
ing. Others believe online
learning does not provide
sufficient education.
Lawson’s husband works
full-time, and she has both a
part-time job and a teaching
certificate, so she said she
understands her family is in
a privileged position.
“I don’t know many peo-
ple that work part-time from
home, have a high-risk child
and just got a (teaching) de-
gree,” she said. “I feel very
John Michael and Margaret Rollins pose for a portrait with their
children, Walker, 5, and Adeline, 3, on Saturday at their home
in Columbus. Walker will attend Heritage Academy in-person in
the fall and Adeline will go to Main Street Christian School.
sorry for parents, grandpar-
ents and kids that are being
forced to make much tough-
er decisions than me.”
LCSD’s board of trust-
ees announced Friday the
district will start the school
year with a “hybrid” learn-
ing method, then return to
a fully in-person traditional
method by week three. The
Claire Hassler/Dispatch Staff
Claire Hassler/Dispatch Staff
hybrid method will separate
students into two groups that
will alternate between in-per-
son and online learning.
Columbus Municipal
School District will imple-
ment a hybrid schedule —
with students splitting time
between in-person and vir-
tual learning — but allow
See EDUCATION, 3A
Lowndes Coun-
ty School District’s
decision Monday af-
ternoon to offer vir-
tual learning to all its
students, due to the
ongoing COVID-19
pandemic, came as
a big relief for Carli Hankey
Hankey.
The New Hope mother of two
would have otherwise chosen to
homeschool her second-grade
daughter instead of sending her
into LCSD’s traditional learning en-
vironment after two weeks of a “hy-
brid” environment next month. The
district’s initial plan, released Fri-
day, did not include online learning
after Aug. 20, except for students
with a doctor’s note confirming a
medical reason to stay home.
Students now have the option
of learning online without any spe-
cial circumstances or permission if
their families do not feel comfort-
able sending them back into school
buildings. Families have until July
31 to sign their children up for a vir-
tual or an in-person option.
Hankey and other parents told
The Dispatch they feel returning
to a traditional school environment
is too risky while cases of the virus
continue to increase in Mississippi.
Hankey said her daughter might
have qualified for the medical ex-
emption, but LCSD did not appear
to view virtual learning as a viable
option, stating in a survey admin-
istrators sent to parents that long-
term virtual learning did not mea-
sure up to face-to-face instruction.
Homeschooling materials are
expensive but seemed like a worthi-
er investment at the time, Hankey
said.
“(It would be) a strain on our
family financially, but it’s the safer
option because we have a newborn
as well,” she said.
Parents and guardians’ con-
cerns since Friday’s announcement
See LCSD, 3A

Pritchard, MDEQ will work to secure FEMA funding for county lake dam
County also extends face mask mandate through Aug. 3 depend on
the number
have fewer than 10, said
William McKercher, chief
amount of it is guaranteed
for the dam, and the coun-
BY TESS VRBIN of the Oktibbeha County program will divide $10 of dam proj- of the MDEQ dam safety ty would have to authorize
tvrbin@cdispatch.com Lake Dam, county and million among dams in ects in each division. Of those 60 proj- several studies of the dam
MDEQ officials decided need of repair and re- state. ects, the Oktibbeha dam and put up 35 percent of
County Engineer Missis - is one of the top five most the cost in order to be con-
Clyde Pritchard will work at Monday’s board of su- placement nationwide in
sippi will necessary according to sidered.
more closely with the Mis- pervisors meeting. September. One-third receive “a MDEQ, and the funding “The cost-benefit ratio
The Federal Emergen- of the $10 million will be Pritchard
sissippi Department of large por- will contribute to construc- doesn’t really add up for
Environmental Quality to cy Management Agency’s distributed evenly among tion” of the federal fund- tion as well as assessment. the time and money we’d
find funding sources for Rehabilitation of High states that need it, and the ing because it has 60 proj- Neither the federal have to spend to possibly
the possible replacement Hazard Potential Dam remaining two-thirds will ects while some states funding nor any specific See OKTIBBEHA, 3A

WEATHER FIVE QUESTIONS LOCAL FOLKS PUBLIC

1 What behavior do cats engage in that may
MEETINGS
promote healing, even while resting? Today: Starkville Board
2 Which muscle car rolled off the assembly line of Aldermen meeting,
in March 1964, selling over 400,000 in the first 5:30 p.m., City Hall
year of production? Today: Starkville-Ok-
3 Which stewed vegetable dish originated in tibbeha Consolidated
Nice, France? School District Board
Tristan Fulton 4 In which movie did Sandra Bullock and Melissa
McCarthy team up as Special Agent Ashburn and of Trustees meeting, 6
Fifth grade, Annunciation p.m., 401 Greensboro
Detective Mullins?

93 Low 74
5 Who ruled as king of Albania from 1928 to St.
High 1939 —Zig, Zog or Zug? July 28: OCH Regional
Chance p.m. t-storm Medical Center Board of
Answers, 6B
Full forecast on Trustees, 4 p.m.
page 3A. July 31: Starkville
Board of Aldermen work
session, 10 a.m., City
INSIDE Hall
Classifieds 6B Health 6A Aug. 3: Oktibbeha
Comics 3B Obituaries 4B County Board of Supervi-
Crossword 2B Opinions 4A sors meeting, Chancery
Dear Abby 3B Curtis Anderson lives in Starkville. Courthouse, 9 a.m.

DISPATCH CUSTOMER SERVICE 328-2424 | NEWSROOM 328-2471

2A TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2020 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com

Advocate: Mississippi gov’s

veto is ‘roadblock to justice’
Reeves said when he vetoed the Mississippi
Correctional Safety and Rehabilitation Act of
2020 he had received calls from law enforcement
officers and prosecutors concerned about the
release of inmates with violent histories
BY EMILY WAGSTER PET TUS
The Associated Press
JACKSON — People seeking
improvements in Mississippi’s trou-
bled prison system said Monday
that they want lawmakers to over-
turn the governor’s veto of a bill
that could make more inmates eli-
gible for parole.
Mississippi has one of the high-
est incarceration rates in the U.S.,
and its prison system came under
investigation by the U.S. Justice
Department in February, weeks af-
ter outbursts of violence led to the
death and injury of several inmates.
More than 50 inmates have died in
Mississippi prisons since late De-
cember, and multiple lawsuits say
that prisons are crowded and filthy.
“Gov. Tate Reeves has tried to
create a roadblock to justice,” Rukia
Lumumba, co-chairwoman of the
Mississippi Prison Reform Coali-
tion, said during an online news
conference Monday.
Republican Reeves on July 8 ve-
toed Senate Bill 2123, known as the
Mississippi Correctional Safety and
Rehabilitation Act of 2020.
The bill — which passed with
bipartisan support — said people
convicted of nonviolent offenses
could become eligible for parole af-
ter serving 25 percent of their sen-
tence. Those convicted of violent of-
fenses and sentenced between July
1, 1995, and June 30, 2014, would
have become eligible for parole af-
ter completing 50 percent of their
sentence or after 20 years, whichev-
er comes first.
The bill would have allowed
people convicted of most violent
offenses after July 1, 2014, to be-
come parole-eligible after serving
50 percent of their sentence served
or after 30 years, whichever is less.
The bill also would have allowed pa-
role hearings for those 65 and older
who have served 10 years of their
sentences.
The bill did not guarantee re-
lease, only the opportunity for in-
mates to apply to the state Parole
Board, which has members chosen
by the governor. Habitual offend-
ers, sex offenders and inmates sen-
tenced for capital murder would not
have been eligible for parole.
The Rev. Wesley Bridges of Law-
rence County, executive director
of Clergy for Prison Reform, said
Monday that people seeking chang-
es are “tired of broken promises by
incoming and outgoing governors
about what they’re going to do for
prison reform.”
“When it’s time to step up, they
buckle at the knees and succumb
to outside pressure from those
who care nothing about lives and
lives that are being lost in prisons,”
Bridges said.
Reeves, who became governor
in January, said when he vetoed the
bill that he had received calls from
law enforcement officers and prose-
cutors concerned about the release
of inmates with violent histories.
“While the spirit of Senate Bill
2123 is well-intentioned, I believe
the scope of its proposed expan-
sion of parole eligibility presents
problems that have not been fully
considered by all stakeholders and
as drafted would threaten public
safety,” Reeves wrote in his veto
message.
The Senate passed the bill 25-
17, with 10 senators absent or not
voting. The House passed it 78-29,
with two members voting present,
10 absent or not voting and three
seats vacant.
Overriding a veto takes a two-
thirds majority in the House and
Senate, which means several oppo-
nents would have to flip positions.
Advocates said Monday that they
are talking to legislators, but they
did not indicate whether they’ve
lined up enough support for an
override.
Legislators have been away from
the Capitol since July 1 and some
have had COVID-19. Leaders have
not said when the House and Senate
might return.

2 more Mississippi boards vote to keep Confederate statues

‘Our public buildings, landmarks, and
institutions should not conceal the
Ole Miss leader sorry for handling
truth about our shared history, and of Confederate monument
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS statue moved but not
should not be used as a backdrop to JACKSON — The
turned into an attraction.
Chancellor Glenn Boyce
glorify traitors to the United States’ University of Mississip-
pi chancellor apologized
said Tuesday that head-
stones won’t be erected
Brandon Jones, Mississippi policy director for the
Southern Poverty Law Center Action Fund Friday for how he han- because a recent survey
dled the relocation of a with ground-penetrating
BY EMILY asking Neshoba County Confederate monument radar showed that bod-
WAGSTER PET TUS supervisors to remove that has been a divisive ies are buried close to
The Associated Press the Confederate soldier symbol on the Oxford the surface.
statue. The figure stands campus, including plans “I must acknowledge
JACKSON — Super- outside the courthouse that critics said could that some aspects of the
visors in two Mississippi where a jury in 2005 con- create a shrine to Old execution of this project
counties voted Monday victed a reputed former South. have not been handled
not to move Confederate Ku Klu Klan leader, Ed- Workers moved the as well as I would have
monuments that stand in gar Ray Killen, of man- monument Tuesday from liked,” Boyce said in a
front of courthouses. slaughter in the 1964 a prominent spot near statement Friday.
One vote happened in killings of the three civil the university’s main He said he has met
Neshoba County, where rights workers — Michael administrative building during the past two
three civil rights workers Schwerner, James Chaney to a Civil War cemetery weeks with faculty mem-
were killed and buried in and Andrew Goodman. in a remote corner of the bers and students who
an earthen dam in 1964 “Our public buildings, campus. expressed concerns
in what the FBI called the landmarks, and institu- A proposal released about plans to beautify
“Mississippi Burning” tions should not conceal last month showed head- the cemetery, and he
case. The other happened the truth about our shared stones being added to takes those seriously.
in Lauderdale County, history, and should not be unmarked graves of Con- “I take responsibili-
where those civil rights used as a backdrop to glo- federate soldiers, which ty and apologize for the
workers had been based. rify traitors to the United surprised students and concerns that resulted,”
Confederate monu- States,” Brandon Jones, faculty who wanted the Boyce said.
ments have come under Mississippi policy direc-
increased scrutiny re- tor for the Southern Pov- further the false narra- museum after it moves
cently amid widespread erty Law Center Action tive that the Civil War government operations to
protests over racial injus- Fund, said in a statement was fought for something a different building. Su-
tice. Monday. other than to keep Black pervisors’ President Kyle
Black Empowerment “Confederate mon- people enslaved.” Rutledge said the statue’s
Organization was sup- uments are symbols of Lauderdale County is current location is “a fit-
ported by the Southern white supremacy,” Jones going to turn its current ting place,” WTOK-TV
Poverty Law Center in said. “They continue to courthouse into a history reported.
 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2020 3A

Education
Continued from Page 1A
the option of entirely online
learning, while Starkville-Ok-
tibbeha Consolidated School
District and West Point Consol-
idated School District will allow
families to choose the learning
environment they feel is best
for their children. WPCSD will
offer only traditional and virtual
learning for all students, while
SOCSD also offers a hybrid op-
tion for grades 10-12.
All four districts will imple-
ment social distancing, both
in buildings and on buses, and
require protective face cover-
ings and temperature checks
for everyone who enters school
buildings.
Even so, parents and teach-
ers both have several unan-
swered questions about what
school will look like, especially
since the number of students in
each school and classroom is
still to be determined.
“The teacher will have to
be in the classroom monitor-
ing students pretty much the
whole time, but we’re only able
to monitor so much,” said Shar-
icka Gray, a third-grade teach-
er at Fairview Elementary in
CMSD. “We’re going to do the
best we can, but there’s a lot of
uncertainty.”
Health and safety concerns
Statewide, there are nearly
44,000 cases of COVID-19 in
Mississippi and at least 1,358
deaths, as of Mississippi State
Department of Health’s records
Sunday. With the numbers
still increasing, Lorine Clark
and Mary Collier said they are
concerned about the virus’ po-
tential effect on them as older
adults, since both are raising
their grandchildren.
Clark and her husband’s
four grandchildren attend
three CMSD schools, and Col-
lier’s two grandchildren and
two foster children attend
three SOCSD schools. Both
said the continuing increase in
COVID-19 cases and deaths led
them to continue with virtual
learning.
Clark said she believes on-
line learning should be the only
option, as it was from March to
May when there were far fewer
cases and deaths.
“If we did it then, how come
we can’t go totally virtual now?”
she said. “I’ve signed (my
grandchildren) up for virtual.
I have three of them that have
underlying health conditions,
and I don’t really trust sending
them out there into an environ-
ment where they won’t be pro-
tected 100 percent. … They’re
still going to have to do stuff on-
line at home, so why put them at
risk two days a week?”
All four of Clark’s grandchil-
dren will learn virtually, and
so will Collier’s eleventh-grade
granddaughter. But Collier is
still deciding whether to sign
the other three children up for
virtual learning despite her
misgivings about reopening
school buildings.
“I’m not a teacher, I can’t re-
place a teacher, (so) I just hav-
en’t made up my mind,” Collier
said.
Natasha House, of New
Hope, and her two children all
have underlying health condi-
tions, so House will sign them
up for virtual learning. She
would prefer they go to school
in person but will not risk their
health, especially since they al-
ready get sick multiple times a
year, she said.
“It’s hard to keep (schools)
sanitized, and kids are going
to be kids, period,” said House.
“You can’t expect, especially
the younger ones, to not (be)
coughing and sneezing and
putting their hands in their
mouths.”
What’s best for the kids
Margaret Rollins, a moth-
er of two in Columbus, works
from home two days a week and
could supervise online learning
if schools have to close again,
she said, but she and her hus-
band prefer in-person learning
for their children.
Their 5-year-old son will
attend the private Heritage
Academy, and their 3-year-old
daughter will attend day care
three days a week at Main
Street Christian School.
Rollins said she did not want
to send her daughter to day
care five days a week but did
not want to keep her at home
either. Her daughter had a liv-
er transplant at 14 months old,
and “life’s been pretty normal
since,” Rollins said. She said
children with liver transplants
are not at a higher risk of
COVID-19 symptoms than oth-
er children, according to her
daughter’s doctors.
“I can’t in good conscience
keep her home and keep her in
a bubble because we fought so
hard for her to be able to live,”
Rollins said. “We’re scared,
we’re terrified of (COVID-19),
but we’ve got to let her live, be-
cause then what was the point
of us fighting so hard to keep
her alive? We’re kind of going
out on a limb of faith, and we’re
just praying and hoping.”
Jennifer Harper’s two teen-
agers are old enough to stay
home alone if need be, but they
will both attend West Point
High School in person, she
said. She homeschooled them
for two years in the past, and
was dissatisfied with virtual
learning by comparison at the
end of last school year, mostly
due to what she saw as a lack of
supervision from teachers.
“I don’t think (my children)
got anything out of the last two
months of school,” Harper said.
Worries and uncertainties
Anita Lindsey Bush, a bus
driver and teaching assistant
at SOCSD, is helping raise her
three grandsons. She shares
custody of one of them with his
other grandmother, who said
she wants him to learn online
only.
That would be an option if
Bush didn’t have to be at work
in person. She won’t be able to
leave a seventh-grader at home
all day, so he will attend the
Partnership Middle School in
person, she said.
The clashing of the custody
agreement and her grandson’s
safety puts Bush “between a
rock and a hard place right
now,” she said.
Similarly, Sharicka Gray is a
single mother, and she said she
feels she has no other choice
but to bring her 8-year-old
daughter into the hybrid learn-
ing environment at Fairview.
“If you have younger kids,
you really don’t have a choice,
and a lot of my teacher friends
have said their kids are coming
back into the buildings even
though a lot of us don’t neces-
sarily agree,” Gray said.
If COVID-19 exposure in her
classroom forced her to stay
home for 14 days, she wonders
if her daughter would have to do
the same, and how it might af-
fect her daughter’s classmates
and teachers. She also wonders
if the district has enough sub-
stitute teachers to step in for
quarantined teachers, she said.
Lawson said her worries
about students and teachers
keep her up at night. As a for-
mer assistant teacher at Cale-
donia Elementary, she said
she has “watched the flu rip
through a classroom despite
incredible sanitizing” and wor-
ries COVID-19 could be just as
bad, if not worse.
“If a kid drops a mask and
it’s not monogrammed ... (what
if) Suzy Q. picks it up and puts
it on?” she said. “If a kid falls
down and a teacher needs to
come to them, how does that
work (from six feet away)?”
Ultimately there is “no right
answer” because only individu-
al families know what is best for
them alone, Lawson said.
“I’m not living in fear,” she
said. “I’m just looking at the
inevitable train that’s approach-
ing us, waiting for the impact
and to see how much damage it
does.”

LCSD
Continued from Page 1A
prompted to principals and district four grandchildren has “How are you going to find a remote part-time
Superinten- staff, we want to serve our asthma and finds it diffi- make a kindergartener job since she does not
dent Sam people (and) meet their cult to breathe through keep a mask on?” Blanton have to homeschool, but
Allison to needs.” a protective face cover- said. “I have a hard time she will still be closely
take a sec- The board of trustees ing, which LCSD will re- making (my granddaugh- involved with her daugh-
ond look at will decide at the end of quire students to wear at ter) keep it on when we go ter’s virtual learning.
the district’s the fall semester if virtual school. to town, so how are they “I want her to have the
plans. He learning will still be an op- Blanton said she does going to keep it on all day best education possible,
met with Allison tion in the spring. Hankey House Blanton not believe virtual learn- at school?” but I also want her to be
other administrators and Natasha House, also a learning all the time and ing is the best option for Hankey said she might safe,” she said.
Monday morning and New Hope mother of two, they get the same certifi- all students, since some
then spoke with school both said the timeline was cate, diploma, education, need one-on-one inter-
principals before making their first question upon et cetera as the person action with teachers in
a new decision, he said. hearing the news. order to learn, but her
that is going to the cam-
“It’s not that we didn’t House shared Han- grandchildren will learn
want a virtual option,” he key’s distaste for LCSD’s pus school,” House said. online for their safety. She
said. “It was more that dismissal of virtual learn- Like Hankey, House believes the worst of the
we didn’t feel we could ing and said she sees it as also considered home- pandemic is yet to come
offer a virtual option that a legitimate form of edu- schooling, as did New and children should not
was comparable to the cation. Hope grandmother Fran- return to school in person
classroom, but in talking “People do virtual ces Blanton. One of her until at least September.

Oktibbeha
Continued from Page 1A
get a little bit of money,”
District 3 Supervisor Mar-
vell Howard told The Dis-
patch.
Pritchard found mud-
slides on the east side of
the dam levee in January
that indicated a potential
breach and would have
forced a mass evacuation
of the nearby residential
area. The county spent
more than $200,000 to
pump water over the levee
and relieve the pressure
on it, and the supervisors
narrowly voted in March
to allow Pritchard to draw
up potential plans to re-
place the dam, a project
estimated to cost about $8
million.
Pritchard said the
county “dodged a major
failure” and continues to
believe the only way to
avoid a similar or worse
situation in the future is
to replace the entire dam
instead of fixing parts of it.
He and Howard, who lives
just behind the levee, have
been searching for money
to replace the dam since
before the breach scare in
January.
The county owns the
dam, so if the supervisors
choose to replace it and
provide plans that con-
form to MDEQ dam safety
Howard Miller
rain in 24 hours could fill
the dam past capacity,
and twice that amount of
rainfall is possible in Ok-
tibbeha County. Addition-
ally, MDEQ reports dating
back to 1979 state that the
emergency spillways were
built too small, and the
slopes on both sides of the
levee have seen multiple
mudslides over the years.
Pritchard and Howard
said they both would pre-
fer the county not proceed
with additional studies of
the dam, including one
McKercher mentioned
that would basically X-ray
the spillways.
“(I don’t know) why we
would spend money on
an X-ray of something we
know we need to tear out
and replace with some-
thing three times that
big,” Pritchard said.
District 4 Supervisor
Bricklee Miller said she is
still skeptical that the dam
needs to be fully replaced
question the certainty of the fact that they work
Pritchard’s assessments, without having to have a
and Pritchard said he has mandate, that would be
done enough drilling to be the best thing,” she said.
sure there are cavities in The board then voted
the dam’s foundation. unanimously to extend
“A lot of it’s intuition the mask mandate for an-
and experience,” he said.
other two weeks and will
“That dam’s telling you it’s
revisit it again at the Aug.
going to fail. We’ve done
3 meeting.
the boring, we know what
the problem is, and the
only way to eliminate the
risk of this dam is to take
it out and replace it.”
Pritchard said he will
provide McKercher with
all the data he has collect-
ed on the dam since Janu-
ary so they can pursue po-
tential funding as a team.
Renewed mask mandate
Mississippi reached
a new record high num-
ber of positive COVID-19
coronavirus cases in one
day — with 1,251 state-
wide — on Sunday, said
Crystal Tate, regional pub-
lic health officer for the
Mississippi State Depart-
ment of Health’s northern
region.
However, Oktibbeha
County saw a slight down-
turn in positive cases over
the past week, she said.
District 1 Supervisor
and Board President John SOLUNAR TABLE
The solunar period indicates

standards, MDEQ will not instead of just repaired Montgomery asked Tate if peak-feeding times for fish and game.
Tues. Wed.
object to the replacement, and that she would need to the county’s requirement Major 1:37a 2:32a
Minor 7:17a 8:23a
McKercher said. see data proving the core for protective face cover- Major 2:05p 2:32a
All the analyses of of the dam is the problem. ings, enacted July 6, might Minor 8:57p 9:44p
Courtesy of Mississippi Department

Pritchard responded that have contributed to the

of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks
the dam so far have been
fixing the dam’s known de- downturn. Tate said it was

based on the assumption
that it is capable of re-
maining intact, Pritchard
said, but his own evalu-
ations have shown that
more than 20 inches of
If you don’t read The Dispatch, how are you gonna know?
ficiencies would “approach
the money it takes to take
it down to the core and re-
build it.”
Miller continued to
The Dispatch
a possibility.
“There’s a lot of push-
back about (mask) man- The Commercial Dispatch (USPS 142-320)
Published daily except Saturday. Answers to common questions:
dates, but if we could get Entered at the post office at Columbus, Mississippi.
the people to just buy into Periodicals postage paid at Columbus, MS Phone: 662-328-2424
POSTMASTER, Send address changes to:
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516 Main St., Columbus, MS 39703
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Opinion
4A TUESDAY, JULY 21, 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

LOCAL VOICES
‘A sight to behold’: You can dance now, John Lewis
I
first met John Lewis generation of leaders. time within SNCC, a juncture of heated to do a good job. I witnessed a lot that
in 1966 at the Student One of the great rewards debate about the effectiveness of the year; the entire organization effectively
Nonviolent Coordinating is the opportunity to interact nonviolent movement. Malcolm X, dead disbanded the next year. But I had no
Committee (SNCC) office in with luminaries of the civil over a year, was being hailed by many idea the trouble facing John Lewis of
Atlanta; he was smiling and rights and political world young activists as much as Martin Lu- that moment would have such a lasting
joking. I last saw him two present, such as Rep. James ther King. Stokely Carmichael and H. legacy beyond what appeared to be
years ago in Tunica, Miss.; E. Clyburn, Rep. Maxine Rap Brown were emerging as the lead- the demise of the peaceful change he
he was dancing. Waters and, of course, the ers of black activist youth. Out west, the championed.
The night I saw him danc- icon of icons, John Lewis. Black Panther Party was preaching a Yet I do remember noticing some-
ing, Rep. Bennie Thompson, His generation of Civil doctrine of gun-carrying self-defense. thing unique about his humility and
D-Miss., and I were leaning Rights Giants, slightly older Sit-in nonviolent types like John Lew- personality in that moment that stuck
into each other talking than mine, had served in is were going out of fashion. with me. And yes, the warm smile that
but struggling to hear one Wilbur Colom larger-than-life roles in a To the best of my recollection, John became his trademark.
another over the music when seminal struggle of U.S. his- Lewis (not an icon yet) was dropping It was the same personality and hu-
his eyes darted to the dance tory. They led the marches by the SNCC office to pick up some mility I saw on the dance floor in Tunica
floor. “Oh! goodness,” he said, turning and protests that created much of the personal items he had left in the office in 2018, more than 50 years later. John
our conversation on a dime. “John is American narrative after World War II. after having departed as chairman Lewis had marched with Martin Luther
going to start dancing.” None of his generation played a key role of SNCC — with a little push. I was a King Jr. and risen to the stature as close
“What?” I responded. for as long and as impactfully as John. volunteer, age 16, over in a corner oper- to sainthood as you can in America
“John is going to dance. You’ve never Bennie turned to the floor with a ating a mimeograph machine, a round without an ounce of pretentiousness.
seen him dance?” grin on his face as John Lewis worked tube used to copy things with a stencil Bennie said to me as the music volume
“No.” his way to the floor. John shook every before copiers became common. I was went up, “He loves to dance.”
“Oh, it’s a sight to behold,” Bennie hand that reached for him and posed having trouble when John walked over. With enviable enthusiasm John Lew-
said. for everyone who wanted a photo. He “Let me show you,” John said. is started making jerky-out un-rhyth-
Congressman Thompson annually stopped, not in the center, but on the “Thank you,” I responded. mic motions. Bennie Thompson bent
organizes a four-day public-policy insti- edge of the dance floor. I thought it was Then, despite being the former over laughing. “No one has the heart to
tute for the Congressional Black Caucus his wife with him at the time, but I later chairman of SNCC, he explained to tell him he can’t dance; we just let him,”
Institute in Tunica to address important learned that he just loved to dance with me all his tricks in operating what was the congressman said.
issues of the day. It has also evolved anyone who would go to the floor with essentially a hand-turned copying ma- John Lewis is dancing now, in perfect
into an enclave where young leaders are him. chine, not like he had been the chair- rhythm.
identified and nurtured. The conference Back when I first met John Lewis man of SNCC, but like he had been a Wilbur Colom is an attorney and busi-
is, in part, a boot camp for the next in the summer 1966, it was a turbulent low-level volunteer who only wanted nessman who lives in Columbus.

MISSISSIPPI VOICES LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Governor’s veto Voice of the people
hurts education Further thoughts on plans for the monument
Birney Imes’s July 19 column about our
courthouse monument made some good points
I have, local facilities are taking all required
precautions plus some and there are new cases
popping up. My question is, are the required

at critical time and cited some good points in Billy Hairston’s

earlier letter. Their comments show why the
quarantines working? I have not seen my
102-year-old mom since March; now she has
tested positive for COVID-19. My worry in all of

W
hat does Gov. Tate
Reeves have against
deaf and blind chil-
dren? Nothing, one assumes. So
why did he veto the appropria-
tion to operate the state schools
for the deaf and blind?
For that matter, what does he
have against school children in
general? Nothing, one assumes.
So why did he veto the $2 billion
appropriation to fund every pub-
Hob Bryan
lic school in Mississippi?
It’s odd. Because Gov. Reeves
was upset that the legislature didn’t fund a salary supple-
ment for certain teachers, he vetoed the funds which pay
the base salaries for all teachers. The veto didn’t get one
red cent to the program he’s concerned about, but it did
cut off all state money for every school in the state.
We’re three weeks into the fiscal year, districts have to
pay teachers, and, you know, pay things like utility bills.
There’s no word from Gov. Reeves about when, if ever,
they will get their state funds. He did, however, make
certain that the bureaucrats at the state department of ed-
ucation would get paid. Make sense now? Of course not.
Here’s what happened: The legislature failed to pro-
vide specific funds for $25 million in salary supplements
that certain teachers had earned. I think the legislature
made a mistake. It’s fine for Gov. Reeves to point that out
and to take the legislature to task. But after the issue
was raised, legislative leaders agreed to fund the supple-
ments as soon as they could get back in session, and Gov.
Reeves was informed of that.
Instead of claiming victory — as he was entitled to
do — Gov. Reeves inexplicitly vetoed all state funds
for local school districts. Out of five specific programs,
Gov. Reeves chose to veto three. He vetoed funds for the
schools for the deaf and blind. He vetoed the Chickasaw
Cession funds (a program for some school districts in
North Mississippi who, unlike other districts, don’t have
revenue from sixteenth section lands). And he vetoed the
entire Mississippi Adequate Education Program — the
$2 billion in state funds which is the state’s basic funding
program for public education.
However, he approved two other items: funds for the
state department of education and funds for vocational
programs at the state department. In other words, he
kept money flowing to Jackson bureaucrats, but cut off all
money for local districts.
The fiscal year began July 1. Schools are struggling to
decide how to educate children. They must try to deter-
mine how many teachers will actually be able to teach;
how many students will actually attend classes — if they
are offered; how to teach remotely; and what to do about
students without internet access and without home com-
puters.
Now, they don’t even know whether they will receive
state funds, and, if so, in what amount. Does the governor
plan to end the Chickasaw Cession program? If not, why
on earth did he choose to veto it?
Some say the governor plans to send some funds to
some districts by executive order. Even if this is possible,
so far (I’m writing this Saturday morning) there has been
no direct word from the governor about his plans, and
the legal basis for doing so is not certain. But this would
only be an attempt to mitigate the damage the governor
caused by his intemperate veto.
There’s a remedy for this mess. As soon as the legis-
lature can get back into session, we need to fund the $25
million program and we need to override this senseless
veto. That would give some stability to the schools —
including the schools for the deaf and the blind.
Hob Bryan is a member of the Mississippi State Senate
from Amory.
best place for the monument is near the Civil
War and Memorial Day markers in the south-
west corner of Friendship Cemetery.
People who know point out that installing the
monument there would be a giant mechanical
challenge. But putting it there connects it to
those two other monuments. It becomes part of
a museum. As Mr. Hairston said, putting it near
low gravestones elsewhere creates an out-of-
place eyesore, a puzzlement.
As some have suggested, let’s consider sep-
arating the figures from their three-step base
whose first step is 15 feet by 12 feet and leaving
the base where it is. This would reduce the
mechanical challenge and respond to the tower-
ing-eyesore warning, especially if we can’t use
that southwest corner of the cemetery. And the
blank base would be a place for a future tribute
that everyone can support - like the two at the
east end of the courthouse lawn and the one flag
flying above them. (Getting consensus on that
tribute would of course be a monumental task.)
To date, we are indeed moving toward Mr.
Imes’s hope that Lowndes County is “a rare
example of a community willing to grapple with
and resolve a perplexing moral issue.” We will
fulfill that hope when everything at the court-
house has the allegiance of every citizen.
George Hazard
Columbus
Points out state law protects monument
I read the opinion piece in The Commercial
Dispatch Sunday penned by Birney Imes. I know
better than to read liberal opinion pieces, but I
did it anyway. It seems that Mr. Imes is against
moving the Confederate Monument to Friend-
ship Cemetery. He prefers to just destroy it. It
makes you wonder if he is ignorant of the law
or just does not care about the law. Either way
the monument is protected by state law. Isn’t
it amazing how liberalism and lawlessness go
hand in hand? You see it on the news every day
and you’ll continue to see it until good people
take a stand. I don’t think it’s proper for the
editor of our local newspaper to be advocating
for lawlessness, but it is what it is. I do, however,
agree with him that the monument does not
need to be moved to Friendship Cemetery. That
would be an egregious waste of taxpayer money.
It needs to stay where it has been for 108 years!
Joe Young
Lowndes County
Editor’s note: Birney Imes is the former editor
and publisher of The Dispatch but still writes a
weekly column.
Concerned about erosion
of rights during pandemic
Now that face masks are part of our wardrobe,
if we want to participate in any activity outside
your personal home, like shopping, going to
church or out in the general public, I have a ques-
tion for you Dispatch readers. If they will prevent
the virus spreading, why were so many criminals
released from jail in New York, California and
other places? Wouldn’t it be safer to issue mask,
if they are the answer to the virus spread? What
or who are we to believe? Are we, the gullible
citizens being given some information that is not
true or we just misinformed?
There are area nursing homes dealing with
the new upsurge in cases. From information
this is the government has the power to control
our constitutional and God-given rights based on
some bureaucrat’s doctor’s opinion?
This whole thing has taken a political life of
it’s own. Power-hungry mayors and governors
are having a field day, church services forbidden,
beauty shops closed, fitness centers closed and
I could go on. Just look at California and New
York. Folks had better wake up or we will be
like the frog in the pot of cold water and the heat
is turned up gradually. The frog is cooked and
thinks he is having a warm bath.
But I have been trying to get public support
in local government for years and get “atta boy”
here and there for my letters, but no public active
vocal support. If change is going to be made and
control is given back to the public, you are going
to have to take a stand or our rights are going
to be taken away. Think about it! Get involved
or sit back and not complain. We need to band
together, this is serious if you love our way of life
and freedom. When the government comes to
get your gun and denies your freedom of speech
it’ll be too late. Stand up for your constitutional
rights.
God Bless America!
Lee Roy Lollar
Columbus
In response to White House turns on Fauci
Trump retweeted Woolery’s tweet that every-
body is lying about the coronavirus.
Game show host retweeted by Trump deletes
his account after announcing his son has corona-
virus.
After announcing his son had the coronavi-
rus, Woolery said it’s real and it’s here.
My son tested positive for the virus, and I feel
for of those suffering and especially for those
who have lost love ones, Woolery tweeted before
his account disappeared.
Trump said Fauci had made a lot of mistakes,
one of them not wearing a face mask.
When Fauci said this was around the time
Trump said only 15 Americans had the virus
now, and it would soon be zero.
Fauci went on to say, after the face mask deal,
it would have to be watched very closely, that it
could change fast.
Only Trump could blame someone else after
his colossal mistake he made.
Fauci is just one more person of many that
Trump will probably fire for telling the truth.
The truth exposes his lies. The media expos-
es his lies, and he calls them the enemy of the
people.
And our religious leaders think he is the cho-
sen one. If you don’t vote for Trump, you’re not a
Christian, coming from, of all people, Jim Baker.
James Hodges
Steens
A letter to the editor is an excellent way to
participate in your community. We request the tone
of your letters be constructive and respectful and
the length be limited to 450 words. We reserve the
right to edit letters for clarity, grammar and length.
While commentary on national issues is always
welcome, we limit candidate endorsements to one
per letter-writer. We welcome all letters emailed to
voice@cdispatch.com or mailed to The Dispatch,
Attn: Letters to the Editor, PO Box 511, Columbus,
MS 39703-0511.
 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2020 5A

Trump, Congress square off

over virus aid as crisis worsens
Senate Majority Leader’s aid package expected to Pence, Treasury Secretary Steven
Mnuchin and acting chief of staff
include $75B to help schools reopen and will likely Mark Meadows.
Mnuchin vowed passage by
replace an expiring $600 weekly unemployment month’s end, as a $600 boost in job-
less aid is set to expire, and said he
benefits boost with a smaller amount expected a fresh $1 trillion jolt of
business tax breaks and other aid
BY LISA MASCARO tunately, this is something that’s would have a “big impact” on the
AP Congressional Correspondent very tough.” struggling economy.
Lawmakers returned to a Capitol On Capitol Hill, McConnell faces
WA S H I N G T O N still off-limits to tourists, another
— President Don- not just pressure from the White
sign of the nation’s difficulty con- House but also splits within his
ald Trump acknowl- taining the coronavirus. Rather
edged a “big flareup” ranks, which have chiseled away at
than easing, the pandemic’s dev- his majority power and left him re-
of COVID-19 cases,
astating cycle is churning again, lying on Democrats for votes.
but divisions between
leaving Congress little choice but Mnuchin and Meadows will
the White House and
to engineer another costly rescue. meet privately Tuesday with Pelo-
Senate Republicans
Businesses are shutting down si and Senate Democratic leader
and differences with Trump
Democrats posed again, many schools will not fully Chuck Schumer.
fresh challenges for reopen and jobs are disappearing, The package from McConnell,
a new federal aid all while federal aid will expire in being crafted behind closed doors,
package with the days. is expected to include $75 billion to
U.S. crisis worsening Without a successful federal help schools reopen. It will likely
and emergency relief strategy, lawmakers are trying to replace an expiring $600 weekly
about to expire. draft one. unemployment benefits boost with
Trump convened “We have to end this virus,” a smaller amount. The cut in unem-
GOP leaders at the McConnell House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Ca- ployment assistance is designed to
White House on Monday as Senate lif., said Monday on MSNBC. ensure that jobless people do not re-
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell She said any attempt by the ceive a greater benefit than if they
prepared to roll out his $1 trillion White House to block money for were working. Regular state ben-
package in days. But the adminis- testing “goes beyond ignorance.” efits vary widely and the measure
tration criticized the legislation’s The political stakes are high for would peg the federal bonus pay-
money for more virus testing and both parties before the November ment to a percentage of the state
insisted on a full payroll tax re- election, and even more so for the benefit.
peal that could complicate quick nation, which now has registered McConnell’s package may also
passage. The timeline appeared to more coronavirus infections and a send a fresh round of direct $1,200
quickly shift. higher death count — 140,800 — cash payments to Americans be-
“We’ve made a lot of progress,” than any other country. low a certain income level, likely
Trump said as the meeting got un- McConnell and House GOP $75,000, and create a sweeping five-
derway. leader Kevin McCarthy huddled year liability shield against corona-
But the president added, “Unfor- with Trump, Vice President Mike virus lawsuits.

Head of the line: Big companies got coronavirus loans first

‘The program was structured to take advantage of
existing banking relationships that favored established
businesses. It was not designed for very small businesses.’
John Arensmeyer, CEO of the advocacy group Small Business Majority
BY JOYCE M. ROSENBERG
AP Business Writer
NEW YORK — Ever
since the U.S. govern-
ment launched its emer-
gency lending program
for small businesses on
April 3, there have been
complaints that bigger
companies had their loans
approved and disbursed
more quickly.
There is now evidence
to back up those com-
plaints.
An Associated Press
analysis of Small Business
Administration’s $659
billion Paycheck Protec-
tion Program shows that
nearly a third of the loans
approved in the program’s
first week ranged from
$150,000 to $10 million,
the maximum allowed. In
a second round of funding
that began April 27, such
loans made up just 7.4 per-
cent of the total.
The average loan size
fell from $257,240 on April
10 to nearly $105,000 as of
July 17, according to the
SBA.
The PPP made very
low-interest loans avail-
able to any business — or
any franchisee of a busi-
ness — with under 500
employees. The loans
would be forgiven if most
of the money was used to
keep employees on pay-
roll.
Larger companies with
connections to major na-
tional or regional banks
got priority treatment
in the program’s initial
phase, the data show,
while many smaller busi-
nesses said they were
turned away because the
banks required them to
have a checking account,
a credit card and a previ-
ous loan to be considered.
Some small businesses
submitted an application
but then heard nothing.
Small restaurants, retail-
ers and other companies
most in need were left
waiting and unable to pay
their employees, land-
lords or vendors. Many
learned not from their
bank but via news reports
that the initial $349 billion
in funding had run out in
less than two weeks.
“The program was
structured to take advan-
tage of existing banking
relationships that favored
established businesses,”
said John Arensmeyer,
the CEO of the advoca-
cy group Small Business
Majority. “It was not de-
“When we heard the
funds were exhausted, I
said, ‘Are you serious?’,
we tried to do everything
we could — we submit-
ted papers, contacted the
bank, and then nothing,’”
signed for very small says Cao, co-owner of
businesses.” Motoza, based in Austin,
It’s not clear how many Texas.
small companies have
failed because of the
pandemic. A survey con-
ducted for the National
Bureau of Economic Re-
search by researchers at
Harvard University, the
University of Chicago and
the University of Illinois
found 2 percent of small
businesses surveyed had
shut down permanently
in March, just after the
pandemic hit the U.S.
In theory, that means
100,000 of U.S. small busi-
nesses closed their doors
before the PPP was even
launched.
Andrew Cao applied
for a $72,500 loan for his
digital marketing compa-
ny with 10 full-time and
part-time employees the
day after the first round
opened.
Cao submitted his
application to Bank of
America, where his com-
pany had been a customer
for 10 years. Cao got two
phone calls telling him he
should submit his docu-
mentation, which he al-
ready had done, but could
get no information on his
loan.

Workers protest racial inequality on day of national strike

Organizers: At least 20,000 workers
in 160 cities walked off the job
BY AARON MORRISON
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Work-
ers from the service in-
dustry, fast-food chains
and the gig economy
rallied with organized
labor Monday to protest
systemic racism and eco-
nomic inequality, staging
demonstrations across the
U.S. and around the world
seeking better treatment
of Black Americans in the
workplace.
Organizers said at least
20,000 workers in 160 cities
walked off the job, inspired
by the racial reckoning
that followed the deaths
of several Black men and
women at the hands of po-
lice. Visible support came
largely in protests that
drew people whose jobs in
health care, transportation
and construction do not
allow them to work from
home during the coronavi-
rus pandemic.
“What the protesters
are saying, that if we want
to be concerned — and we
should be — about police
violence and people get-
ting killed by the police
... we have to also be con-
cerned about the people
who are dying and being
put into lethal situations
through economic ex-
ploitation all over the coun-
try,” said the Rev. William
Barber II, co-chairman
of the Poor People’s Cam-
paign, one of the organi-
zations that partnered to
support the strike.
Barber told The As-
sociated Press that Mon-
day’s turnout showed the
importance of the issue to
the people willing to come
out during a pandemic to
make their voices heard.
“Sadly, if they’re not in
the streets, the political
systems don’t move, be-
cause when you just send
an email or a tweet, they
ignore it,” he said.
The Strike for Black
Lives was organized or
supported by more than
60 labor unions and social
and racial justice organiza-
tions.
6A TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2020 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com

Health
HEALTH TIP
n Take omega-3 and vitamin d supplements: A surprising number of people around the world are deficient in vitamin
D, including 42 percent of the US population. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is very important for bone health and
the proper function of your immune system. Vitamin D is found in very few foods, but fatty seafood generally contains
the highest amounts. Omega-3 fatty acids are another commonly lacking nutrient found in fatty seafood. They have many
important roles in the body, including reducing inflammation, maintaining heart health and promoting brain function.
Source: www.healthline.com

Health tips from Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen

Your diet choices can help
prevent Alzheimer’s
Leonardo da Vinci, Mohan-
das Gandhi, George Bernard
Shaw and the Nobel Prize-win-
ning mathematician Norbert
Wiener all were vegetarians.
Their genius was powered by
plants! If you want to keep your
brain sharp and avoid demen-
tia, yours should be too. That’s
the conclusion of researchers
who studied the MIND — or
Mediterranean-DASH Inter-
vention for Neurodegenerative
Delay — diet.
The MIND diet calls for
eating at least three servings
of whole grains and at least one
dark green leafy salad and one
other vegetable daily, along
with a glass of wine. Beans and
legumes should be eaten at
least every other day; poultry
and berries, at least twice a
week; fish once a week; and
for snacks, go nuts (an ounce a
day). The diet guidelines also
say it’s equally important to
avoid butter, cheese, fried or
fast food, and red meat. The
diet allows less than a serv-
ing a week for them. We say
NONE.
The researchers tracked al-
most 1,000 people ages 58 to 98
for four and a half years. They
found that reliably sticking to
the MIND diet reduced partic-
ipants’ risk of developing Alz-
heimer’s by 53 percent. It fell
by 35 percent if they followed
guidelines moderately well.
MIND reduces oxidative
stress and inflammation, and
the phytochemicals it contains
may help prevent the buildup of
beta-amyloid plaques, associ-
ated with Alzheimer’s. So if
you mind developing demen-
tia, adopt the MIND diet. For
detailed info, check out “Dr.
Oz Explains the MIND Diet”
at doctoroz.com and follow the
same basic advice in our book
“YOU on a Diet.”
Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of
“The Dr. Oz Show,” and Mike
Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness
Officer and Chair of Wellness
Institute at Cleveland Clinic.
To live your healthiest, tune
into “The Dr. Oz Show” or visit
www.sharecare.com.

HEALTH BRIEFS

Courtesy photo

Courtesy photo
Students enrolled in East Mississippi Community College’s Division of Nursing
Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle took the hospital system’s mission far and Allied Health participate in a March medical emergency simulation prior to the
beyond the walls of the hospital, especially during a pandemic by providing more than outbreak of the coronavirus. A drive-by graduation for students in the Paramedic,
80 electric fans to the Helping Hands fan drive. Through its annual employee ‘Fan Practical Nursing and Surgical Technology programs will take place July 25.
Drive’ in the month of June and into the first week of July this year, employees donat-
ed 11 new box fans and $1,272 to the United Way agency in Columbus. The cash will
be used to purchase roughly 70 additional fans for a total of about 81 new fans that
will be distributed to the needy in Lowndes County who do not have air conditioning or
must choose between running their air conditioning and buying food and/or medicine
each month. The cash was raised through a series of ‘fire sales’ by the Marketing
Department of surplus and some new hospital promotional items, vendor samples
and vendor donated items. If you are in need of a fan, please contact Helping Hands
at 662-328-8301. You must live in Lowndes County and present a current electric bill
to receive a fan. Helping Hands Director Nancy Guerry receives the cash and donated
fans from hospital Community Relations Coordinator Alden McGee on July 13.

Courtesy photo
Surgeon Dr. Woodrow Brand, left, performs robotic-assisted surgery at NMMC-West
Point. North Mississippi Medical Center-West Point now offers robotic-assisted
surgery with significant benefits, particularly for more challenging procedures.
NMMC-West Point recently acquired its first da Vinci surgical robot, which provides
surgeons like Dr. Brand with high-definition images, giving him a three-dimensional
view of the operating field and the ability to perform more complex tasks. The robot-
ic instruments offer surgeons flexibility beyond the limitations of their own hands.

Courtesy photo
Obstetrician-gynecologists Drs. Pranjal Desai and Sneha Desai, front row, also use
a da Vinci surgical robot to perform robotic-assisted hysterectomies, as well as use
the technology to treat uterine fibroids, endometriosis and infertility.

The Dispatch
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of our customers receive their paper on time. (Believe us. We track these things.)

If you are unhappy with your delivery please let us know. Our goal is 100%
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Sports ‘IT’S NOT TRENDING THE WAY WE WANT IT TO TREND’
SPORTS LINE
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THE DISPATCH n CDISPATCH.COM n TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2020
B
SECTION

COHEN SAYS DECISION ON FOOTBALL SEASON, FANS IN STANDS IS NEARING

BY BEN PORTNOY
bportnoy@cdispatch.com
STARKVILLE — De-
cision day is looming at
Mississippi State.
While fans were alert-
ed to a new mobile ticket-
ing service for sporting
events beginning this fall
with the 2020 football sea-
son in recent days, MSU
Athletic Director John
Cohen told The Dispatch
Monday any decision re-
garding whether those
fans will have the oppor-
tunity to use those tickets
could come in the next
few weeks.
Cohen, who previous-
ly told The Dispatch in
June that a decision re-
garding fan attendance
would have to be made
somewhere around Aug.
1, doubled-down on that
sentiment, though cur-
rent numbers suggest
things aren’t headed in a
positive direction.
“We hope that things
get better
instead of
worse,”
he said re-
garding the
ongoing
C OV I D -1 9
pa ndemic.
“For right Cohen
now, it’s
not trend-
ing the way we want it to
trend and we’re hopeful
that trend can change.”
With MSU’s scheduled
football season opener
against New Mexico on
Sept. 5 just more than a
month away, Cohen not-
ed it’s most likely going
to be up to the Starkville
city government on what
kind of crowds are po-
tentially allowed at Davis
Wade Stadium and not
the Southeastern Confer-
ence.
Having met with MSU
President Mark E. Kee-
num on Monday morning,
Cohen also said he and
the university president
have remained in contact
with local legislators on
the subject and that he
expects schools will have
to make a decision on
fan attendance on their
own rather than a confer-
ence-wide mandate.
“I wouldn’t anticipate
that capacity is something
that the league is going to
be extremely, heavily in-
volved in,” he said.
Should MSU’s atten-
dance be drastically af-
fected by legislators or
the ongoing pandemic,
there stands to be a major
financial hit to the athletic
department. According to
records obtained by The
Dispatch, $14.2 million
of the nearly $17 million
in ticket revenue MSU
reported to the NCAA
during the 2017-18 school
year came from the Bull-
dog football program
-- equating to almost 14
percent of the school’s
total athletic department
revenue. Thus, if Davis
Wade Stadium is limited
to between 50 and 25 per-
cent capacity this fall, the
MSU athletic department
could take a hit of up to
$10.6 million.
Other potential issues
brought on by a limited
football season includes
the scheduled renovations
on Humphrey Coliseum.
Cohen said Monday the
project, which was esti-
mated to cost in the $50
million range, could see
delays in its construction
schedule.
“What could be on
pause is the actual con-
struction and it’s going
to depend largely on
whether we have a foot-
ball season or not, quite
frankly,” he said. “That’s
something we’re all wait-
ing on. That’s something
we all anticipate. As soon
as we, a), know if we’re go-
ing to have a football sea-
son and, b), to what level
we’re going to be able to
have a football season, I
think there’s no question
that’s going to affect our
construction schedule.”
In an effort to get
ahead of the curve and
to help eliminate hand-
to-hand touching amidst
coronavirus concerns,
MSU did introduce the
aforementioned contact-
less ticketing system on
Monday as a new alter-
native to physical stubs
season ticket holders pre-
viously received.
Cohen said the proj-
ect, spearheaded by Ex-
ecutive Senior Associate
Athletic Director of the
Bulldog Club & Ticket
Operations Mike Richey
and Deputy Athletic Di-
rector of Development
Bo Hemphill, has been in
the works for a while and
will allow patrons more
flexibility in their game
day experiences. As part
of the new efforts, ticket
holders were also offered
the chance to opt out of
their 2020 season tickets
in exchange for a credit
toward 2021 tickets or a
refund.
“The touchless entry
we have now in all walks
of life,” he said. “Any-
one who’s ever used air
travel is fully aware of
See COHEN, 2B

NEW HOPE VOLLEYBALL

Hoping to build on historic year, New Hope volleyball knows expectations have changed
BY THEO DEROSA
tderosa@cdispatch.com
NEW HOPE — Last
fall, New Hope High
School head volleyball
coach Allison Woolbright
and assistant Becky
Hudgins took the Trojans’
starters to watch poten-
tial playoff opponents and
take note of what they did
best.
The advance scout-
ing gave New Hope the
preparation it needed to
reach the MHSAA Class
5A semifinals — marking
the Trojans’ first final four
appearance in state histo-
ry. But it was that same
preparation that Wool-
bright knew other schools
hadn’t made for her own
squad.
New Hope’s roster last
year featured no seniors,
and several eighth grad-
ers and freshmen saw
significant playing time.
Consequently, Woolbright
said, several teams under-
estimated the Trojans.
“I think when people
first looked at our roster
and saw so many young
players, no seniors, they
thought, ‘Oh, they don’t
have leadership’ — which,
that was totally false,”
she said. “They looked
at those younger girls
and thought, ‘Oh, well, if
they’re playing an eighth
grader as their setter, we
don’t have really anything
to worry about.’”
But the Trojans used
their talent to subvert
expectations all the way
to the final four, where a
straight-set loss to Long
Beach — a team from the
Mississippi Gulf Coast
that New Hope had never
seen play — ended their
dream season.
“We did things that
nobody thought we would
do,” sophomore Kensley
Woolbright said.
Now, a month from
the start of the 2020 cam-
paign, coach Woolbright
knows her team is getting
more respect — and, con-
sequently, more pressure,
as other schools have
surely taken note.
“I think this year they
know that we actually
have ability, and so I think
they’re going to probably
prepare a little differently
for us this season,” Wool-
bright said. “We know
that, and so we’ve got to
prepare for that as well.”
Since starting work-
outs June 1, New Hope
has been doing just that,
caught up in the long pro-
cess of getting ready for
the season to start in Au-
gust.
Woolbright said the
fact that her team couldn’t
get together after spring
break because of the
COVID-19 pandemic
meant the acclimation
period was harder than
normal.
“I feel like we’re all
kind of getting back in
shape, working off not be-
ing able to go to the gym
or anything and getting
ready to play a killer sea-
son,” senior middle block-
er Micaela Hudgins said.
To help overcome that,
Woolbright organized vir-
tual workouts, distributed
checklists for her players
and sent younger Trojans
video examples of the ex-
ercises she wanted them
to complete.
Though helpful, Austin Frayser/Dispatch file photo
Hudgins said, it couldn’t Sophomore Madyson McBrayer was one of the younger players who saw significant
time on the court for New Hope volleyball last year. The Trojans didn’t have a single
beat getting in shape as a
senior last year, but despite that, they still reached the MHSAA Class 5A semifinals. This
team. year will be about following that up with increased awareness on New Hope from other
See TROJANS, 2B schools.

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

When is a slump worse than a slump? When there are 60 games
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Just as sure as someone
could take advantage of this
year’s pandemic-truncat-
ed, 60 -game Major League
Baseball schedule to hit .400,
there are bound to be players
who end up with much worse
stats than they’d like.
A fter all, it’s harder for a
batter to make up for a bad
week or a pitcher to mask a
rough inning when there are
only about two months to
play instead of six.
And that could be trouble-
some in 2020, particularly for
those who can become free
agents next offseason.
“It definitely is going to go
through people’s heads. It’s
going to affect some guys.
In a regular season, 162
games, you’re going to have
hot streaks, you’re going to
have extra-cold streaks, and
in the end, it’s all going to
balance out,” said catcher
Kurt Suzuki, whose World
Series champion Washington
Nationals host the New York
Yankees in an opener Thurs-
day. “Now? ... You could go for
a slump for, what, 20 games,
and then you only have 40 to
pull yourself together.”
Think of it this way: In a
typical season, a full-time po-
sition player might get about
500 at-bats, so he would need
150 hits for a .300 average.
Add a 0 -for-15 stretch — that
batter is now 150 for 515 —
and the average drops to
.291.
A loose comparison: Some-
one with 180 at-bats in 2020
would need 54 hits for a .300
average. Tack on a 0 -for-15
patch — that batter becomes
54 for 195 — and a .300 hitter
transforms into a .277 hitter.
“You’re going to see really
good players that have really
bad years. It’s going to hap-
pen, not only position play-
er-wise, but pitcher-wise,”
said Milwaukee Brewers
outfielder Christian Yelich,
the 2018 NL MVP. “You don’t
have that large sample size
for everything to even out, so
if you get off to a tough start
or a bad start, you’re really
behind the eight ball.”
For pitchers, bounces
could be more dramatic.
If a pitcher with a 3.75
ER A over 60 innings were to
add one five-run inning, that
ER A balloons to 4.43.
Texas Rangers manager
Chris Woodward spoke to his
relievers about just that very
thing.
“They have one bad outing
in the beginning of the year
and they feel like their year
is over — and that’s in a 162-
game setting. ... If they give
up four or five — you know,
it could be three jam-shot
hits, a weak ground ball, and
they’ve given up five runs.
You know, they feel like it
takes them two months to
get those stats back to where
they want to,” Woodward
said. “So in this setting, in
60 games, they’re going to
almost feel the same way but
almost worse.”
In all seasons, players talk
about not wanting to try too
hard to get out of a rut, be-
cause that makes the task
harder.
With poor performances
carrying extra weight, the
mental strain could increase.
Miami Marlins manag-
er Don Mattingly hopes the
shortened season has the op-
posite effect.
His thinking: With so few
games, every club can feel
as if it is in contention for
the postseason, and that will
dominate players’ minds.
“Guys that can really hit,
they know it, and they don’t
panic. Guys who have never
really hit, they may hit early,
but usually if you have a cou-
ple of bad games, they panic
and start making changes
and things go bad. The same
with pitching. And I think the
pennant race changes that,”
said Mattingly, a career .307
hitter as a player for the New
York Yankees. “The fact ev-
erybody is in a pennant race,
your stats become less im-
portant. You have a tenden-
cy to forget yourself and be
more about the team.”
Perhaps.
Either way, Nationals
manager Dave Martinez de-
livered a simple message to
his players: Do not fret about
stats.
“I hear guys rumble about,
‘If I have one bad outing, my
ER A’s going to blow up and (it
will) be tough to get it down.’
Or: ‘If I go 0 -for-15, you
know, my batting average is
going to be ...’. You can’t wor-
ry about those things,” Mar-
tinez said. “You’ve really got
to focus on the task at hand
and go from there. That’s the
way I’m going to approach
this year: Worry about the
moment.”
2B TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2020 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com

Lakers’ James: ‘Nothing is normal in 2020

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LAKE BUENA VIS-
TA, Fla. — LeBron James
keeps hearing the same
questions. How’s it going?
How’s the bubble?
He now has a one-size-
fits-all answer.
“I just say it’s 2020,”
James said. “Nothing is
normal in 2020.”
That’s not entirely true.
The NBA is a few weeks
from playoff mode, and
James -- just like normal
— has himself and the Los
Angeles Lakers squarely
star died along with his
13-year-old daughter Gi-
anna and seven others on
the morning of Jan. 26 —
particularly hard.
“A day doesn’t go by
when I don’t think about
him,” James said. “A day
doesn’t go by where our
organization does not re-
member him and think
about not only Kob, but
Gigi, (his wife) Vanessa
and their girls. They are a
part of this family.”
Lakers coach Frank
Vogel has seen play-
off-season James three
that come playoff time,
we’ll see that all being
done at an enhanced lev-
el.”
James will have a big
say in whether the Lakers
win that title. By the time
the season resumes July
30, the ballots will be cast
to determine whether he
or Milwaukee’s Giannis
Antetokounmpo — the
two frontrunners — wins
the NBA MVP award.
James is almost mathe-
matically assured of win-
ning his first assist title;
he cannot be caught by
was a lot of conversation
about, you know, ‘LeBron
can do those things in the
East but if he ever came to
the West, what can he do?’
I heard all of that, and to
have our team at the top of
the Western Conference
and playing the way that
we were playing at that
time and the way I was
playing, you know, that’s
definitely a good feeling.”
NOTES: The league
said 346 players had been
tested on the NBA cam-
pus since last leaguewide
coronavirus results were
Sudoku YESTERDAY’S ANSWER

in the mix to compete for

championship. It is a rare
bit of normalcy for a play-
er who appeared in eight
times before — never
liking how those expe-
second-place Trae Young
of Atlanta no matter what
announced July 13, with
no positives. ... Houston
Sudoku
Sudoku is a number-
placing puzzle based on
Yesterday’s answer
Sudoku
a 9x9 gridis witha several
num- 7 4 9 5 1 8 6 3 2
riences went. Vogel was happens at Disney. And coach Mike D’Antoni said
coaching Indiana and his the Lakers, barring all- guard Russell Westbrook, ber-placing
given numbers.puzzleThe object 1 5 8 3 2 6 4 7 9

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

consecutive NBA Finals three best seasons there out collapse, will be the who revealed last week based onthe
is to place a 9x9
numbers 2 6 3 7 9 4 1 8 5
from 2011 through and saw the Pacers matched No. 1 seed in the Western that he tested positive for grid
1 to 9with
in theseveral
empty spaces 6 1 2 9 7 3 8 5 4
including 2018, and for a up with James and the Mi- Conference. coronavirus, was flying given
so that numbers.
each row, eachThe 4 8 7 2 6 5 3 9 1
franchise that has won 16 ami Heat in the Eastern By any measure, it’s in Monday and rejoining object
column and each 3x3 the
is to place box
numbers 3 9 5 4 8 1 7 2 6
championships. Conference playoffs. been a good year on the the team. “I know he’ll be contains the1same to 9 number
in
8 2 4 6 5 7 9 1 3
Everything else about the empty spaces so
Heat in 6 in 2012. Heat court for James. ready,” D’Antoni said. ... only once. The difficulty 9 7 6 1 3 2 5 4 8
this year has been most that each row, each
in 7 in 2013. Heat in 6 in A weird year, but a Sacramento announced level increases from
column and each 5 3 1 8 4 9 2 6 7
abnormal. A pandemic 2014. good year. Time will tell that Marvin Bagley III Monday
3x3 boxtocontains
Sunday. Difficulty Level 7/20

suspended play. David
Stern, the NBA’s com-
missioner emeritus, died.
Kobe Bryant, who was
the third-leading scor-
er in NBA history until
James passed him on Jan.
25, died in a helicopter
crash the following day.
And now James, the Lak-
ers and 21 other teams
are at Walt Disney World,
separated from the rest of
the world, trying to sal-
vage a season and decide
a champion.
James took Bryant’s
death — the Lakers’
This time, Vogel is gen-
uinely and understand-
ably eager to see James at
playoff time.
“Obviously, it’s been
great having LeBron on
our side after years of go-
ing against him,” Vogel
said. “But in particular,
when we get to the play-
off environment, I’ve just
seen how he is this year
in some of the bigger reg-
ular season games, how
he’s more mentally locked
in, more vocal, more mak-
ing sure everybody else is
locked in. And I anticipate
if it’s a great year. He
believes the bubble will
work and sees no reason
yet why this NBA exper-
iment would fail. And
while he detests being
away from his family and
his inner circle, he’s using
this chance to be locked
in to focus on the oppor-
tunity.
“As far as the MVP
race, I think I’ve shown
what I’m capable of doing,
not only individually but
from a team’s perspec-
tive, us being No. 1 in the
West,” James said. “There
was having an MRI to de-
the same number only once. The difficulty level
termine how badly he in- increases from Monday to Sunday.
jured his right foot in prac-
tice Sunday. The Kings
will be without De’Aaron
Fox (ankle), Richaun
Holmes (extended quar-
antine for rules violation)
and Alex Len (coronavi-
rus, returned to practice
Monday) for their exhi-
bition opener against Mi-
ami on Wednesday. Harri-
son Barnes (coronavirus)
is also still away from the
team and Bagley’s status
seems most unclear now
as well.

Freeman prayed ‘Please don’t take me’ during COVID-19 fight

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ATLANTA — Freddie
Freeman doesn’t know if
he has time to be ready
for the Atlanta Braves’
opener.
Following a scary
journey in his battle with
COVID-19, Freeman is
grateful to even have a
chance.
On Saturday, the four-
time All-Star revealed he
had a high temperature
of 104.5 degrees early in
his battle with the disease
and prayed for his life.
“I said a little prayer
that night,” Freeman said
in a video conference call.
“I’ve never been that hot
before. My body was re-
ally, really hot. ... I said
‘Please don’t take me’ be-
cause I wasn’t ready.”
Freeman said the fe-
ver was down to 101 the
following morning and
broke two days later. He
said Saturday was his
ninth consecutive day
without symptoms, which
also included body aches,
chills and a temporary
loss of his senses of taste
and smell. He said two
other members of his
household, his wife and
aunt, are recovering after
positive tests.
“I feel great,” he said.
“I only lost one pound. ... I
didn’t lose any strength.”
Freeman reported to
Truist Park for a workout
on Friday only about an
hour after receiving his
second negative test for
the coronavirus, which
earned him medical clear-
ance to play.
The Braves plan to
give Freeman as many
at-bats as possible be-
fore the season. He had
a run-scoring triple over
the head of right fielder
Ronald Acuña Jr. in Sat-
urday night’s intrasquad
game and also caught a
foul popup over his shoul-
der.
Freeman’s apprecia-
tion of being back with
the team was obvious.
The Braves posted video
on the team’s Twitter ac-
count of Freeman, carry-
ing his bat and glove, say-
ing “This is wonderful” as
he walked out of the dug-
out and looked out at the
field on Friday.
“I feel like I’m a kid in
a candy store again,” he
said Saturday. “You forget
sometimes how much you
love this game. I did truly
miss it. I was so excited
when I got to the yard.”
The Braves are thrilled
Freeman is back.
“Obviously when you
get your best player back
it’s a positive thing and a
good thing,” manager Bri-
an Snitker said. “I’m excit-
ed for him and us, too.”
Freeman set career
highs with 38 home runs
and 121 RBIs last season
to help Atlanta win its sec-
ond straight NL East title.
He placed fourth in the
MVP voting in 2018.
Freeman’s return was
well timed. Free agent
outfielder Yasiel Puig
tested positive for the
coronavirus after agree-
ing to sign with Atlanta.
The positive test voided
the deal.
Puig had been seen as
a replacement for Nick
Markakis, who opted
out for the seaso n after
talking on the telephone
with Freeman.
“Unfortunately that
was my worst day,” Free-
man said, adding he
didn’t try to influence
the decision by Markakis
when the two spoke again
days later.
“He just wasn’t into it
and I totally, totally get it,”
Freeman said.
ACROSS
Asked what he’s look-
ing to see from Freeman,
1 News article
Snitker said, “I don’t 5 End table
think I have to look for lights
anything. If he’s out there 10 Copenhagen
he’s going to be ready.” natives
Freeman said his legs 12 Find darling
were sore on Saturday 13 1969 Bobby
after his workout on Fri- Sherman hit
day. The Braves open the 15 Yale student
season next Friday at the 16 Hosp. hook-
New York Mets. ups
17 Farrow of film
18 Money, in
slang

Cohen
20 Days gone by
21 Whoop it up
22 Words of 42 Full of info 19 Happening
Continued from Page 1B understanding 43 Fencing 20 Wine grape
a similar type of system. So we but Cohen preached patience made sooner than later,” he said. 23 Astronomer sword 24 How corn is
thought it’s the right time.” as there is still time, albeit not “... It’s getting closer, there’s no Hubble planted
At present, circumstances much, before any major motions question about it. More informa- 25 Hamlet DOWN 25 New Zealand
for a normal football season must be made at MSU and in the tion is better and we’re gonna 28 Kind of switch 1 Loafed around discoverer
have become increasingly bleak SEC. use all the information at our 31 Quarreling 2 Suit worker 26 Peter of “The
in recent weeks as the Big Ten “I think it’s still a little too ear- disposal to make the best deci- 32 “The Wind 3 Whole Stunt Man”
and Pac-12 have already shifted ly to tell, although we know some sion we can for the Southeastern in the Willows” 4 Got together 27 Sash setting
to conference only schedules, decisions are going to have to be Conference.” character 5 Statutes 29 Get a big
34 Pop’s boy 6 Commotion head

Trojans
35 Eastern “way” 7 Poppas’ wives 30 Fake front
36 Top card 8 Commend 33 Tightly
37 1986 Billy 9 Capitol group packed
Continued from Page 1B Joel hit 35 Low card
11 Like Bill Mur-
40 Unaccompa- ray in “Ghost- 38 Print units
“Working out on your own is fun, but team workouts just pick them up because that could be you the next
nied busters” 39 Unclose, to
together — it’s easier with the community,” Hudgins play,” Kensley said. “You just want to keep everyone in
said.
41 Taters 14 1975 ELO hit poets
a good spirit, good attitude, because it helps you keep
She and outside hitter Daylyn Nettles are New going on the court.”
Hope’s two returning seniors from last season. Especially with everybody returning, Kensley said,
“I’m really excited to have both of them back,” Wool- keeping up New Hope’s great chemistry from last sea-
bright said. “I hate that this is going to be their last son to this one will be critical.
year.” “We just loved one another so much, and we just
Fellow senior Maci Coleman will return to the team had a really special bond,” she said. “To be able to keep
after sitting out last year. She will play along the back that, I definitely think we can make it back and possibly
row, Woolbright said. go even further.”
“We’re hoping that we can utilize her some as well,”
Hudgins echoed her coach in noting that the Trojans’
Woolbright said.
success depends on how they adjust to the increased
One of the Trojans’ strengths in 2019 was youth, as
preparation New Hope will see from its opponents after
freshmen Madyson McBrayer and Kensley and eighth
grader Annie Woolbright — among others — played catching them by surprise last fall.
big parts on the varsity team. This year, their coach “I think we showed them what we can be and what
said, they’ll have to continue to step up. we’re made of, and this year, hopefully, they’ll be ready,”
“A lot of young talent, but I like that, because that Hudgins said. “We still have the momentum. We’re still
means we have some talent for the next few years com- ready. We still want to win, and we want to get further
ing up, so that’s a good thing,” coach Woolbright said. than last year.”
She complimented the leadership shown by older If the Trojans can do that — and Hudgins expects
and younger players alike, including Nettles, Hudgins they will — it would be a second straight dream season
and Kensley — who stressed the importance of com- and the ideal way to close out her high school volleyball
munication among teammates after good and bad career.
points alike. “We got to make a lot of memories last season, and
“When someone messes up or makes a bad play, we I’m hoping we get to make some more,” Hudgins said.

NHL goalies scrambling to regain groove after 4-month break
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
With no ice time avail-
able during the NHL’s
four-month pandem-
ic-forced break, Pitts-
burgh Penguins goalie
Tristan Jarry had little
choice but to let his game
go to the dogs.
Diesel and Kitty, his
two English mastiffs, to
be specific.
“That was something I
did almost every day, take
the dogs downstairs and
play street hockey with
them,” Jarry said.
“We didn’t really have
anyone to shoot on us
over the break and I was
just playing catch with
my girlfriend at home and
playing with the dogs.
... That was all we could
mimic” he added. “I usu-
Comics & Puzzles
DILBERT
ZITS
GARFIELD
CANDORVILLE
BABY BLUES
BEETLE BAILEY
MALLARD FILLMORE
ally would just stick-han-
dle around, and they
would chase me around
and try to grab the ball.”
The dog days are most
certainly over for Jarry
and his counterparts. The
Penguins are among the
24 teams entering their
second week of training
camp in preparation for
the league’s expanded
playoff format that will be
played in Toronto and Ed-
monton, Alberta, starting
on Aug. 1.
And goalies, with vary-
ing degrees of on- and
off-ice preparation, are
playing catch-up to regain
their groove.
“As a shooter, you
don’t really need a goal-
ie to work on your shot,”
Toronto’s Frederik An-
dersen said. “But I think
FAMILY CIRCUS
The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com
as a goalie, you definitely
need someone to shoot at
you.”
Skaters could practice
their shots in driveways,
patios or basements.
Goalies had no way to
replicate facing a 100 mph
slapshot, the speed of the
game, angles and dealing
with the jostle of bodies in
front of a net.
“It’s probably all of the
above, but I think the one
major thing obviously is
speed and traffic, people
in front of you, the ability
to find the puck,” Dallas
Stars goalie coach Jeff
Reese said. “Would we
like them to be in mid-
season form? That would
be great. But compete is
going to make up a lot for
that. And we’ve got two
veteran guys that certain-
ly compete hard.”
Reese was referring to
starter Ben Bishop, who
was able to hit the ice al-
most daily in Dallas, and
backup Anton Khudobin,
who had limited ice time
while spending most of
the break in his native
Russia.
Khudobin worked out
regularly instead of tak-
ing time off to rest as he
would during a normal
offseason.
“To me, it was like I
would be on injury and
the guys would be playing
hockey,” said Khudobin,
who managed to get some
ice time with former
NHL player Alexander
Semin. “And I would
just be getting back into
shape and keep working,
working, working, and
Dear Abby
D
EAR ABBY: I
have come
into contact
with my first and
forever love again
after 30 years.
We have had a
few encounters
throughout the
years. When they
happened, we fell
right back into our
comfort zone.
We both
have current
relationships with
others that are
not satisfying. We Dear Abby
have both had
failed relationships as well. No
relationship I have ever been
in compares to the one I have
with this man. He’s successful
and buries himself in his work.
Even though he never says it, I
know in my heart he has hidden
feelings toward me as well.
This man has held my heart
my entire life. I never stopped
loving him. Do I finally tell him
how I feel and risk possibly
losing him forever, or should
I remain silent and enjoy the
encounters we have when they
happen? — WANTS IT ALL IN
PENNSYLVANIA
DEAR WANTS IT ALL: I think
you should finally let this man
know how you feel about him. If
you do, it will either enable him
to tell you he feels the same
as you do, or stop you from
fantasizing about a relationship
that will never happen. If he
Horoscopes
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (July
21). There’s nothing you have
to do this year. It’s all on your
plate because you want to taste
it. Your power is on the rise
through the next three months,
and you’ll use it very well.
The commitments you make
will cement your place in an
organization, and you’ll be very
important to your group. Virgo
and Capricorn adore you. Your
lucky numbers are: 9, 3, 33, 14
and 28.
ARIES (March 21-April
19). Since a person is only as
beautiful as the mind he or she
inhabits, education is the best
whenever I’m cleared to
play, here we go.”
Some coaches may
lean more on their goal-
ie tandems. That will be
especially true for each
conference’s top four
teams, who can ease in
their goalies during a
three-game round-rob-
in series to determine
first-round playoff seed-
ing.
Assured a first-round
spot is a plus for Ava-
lanche coach Jared Bed-
nar, who will take his
time choosing between
Philipp Grubauer, who
hasn’t played since be-
ing sidelined by a lower
body injury in mid-Feb-
ruary, and Pavel Fran-
couz, who went 7-2-2 in
taking over the starting
job.
is satisfied with
the status quo, it
doesn’t necessar-
ily mean these en-
counters will end,
but at least you
will know them for
what they are.
DEAR ABBY:
My mother has
no faith in me,
mostly because I
have a disability.
Even though it’s
not that bad, she
still doesn’t think
I can do anything
hard. Although
I’m almost 40,
she still tells me what to do and
criticizes me in any way she can,
including my parenting. I can’t
spend a day with her without
wanting to come home and take
a bat to the walls.
I have a lot of anger inside,
and I don’t trust her because
she tends to tell her friends
or family things I would rather
were kept private. What can I
do about this? — IRRITATED IN
ILLINOIS
DEAR IRRITATED: If this is
any comfort, I receive letters
with the same complaint as
yours from readers who don’t
have disabilities. If your children
are healthy and doing well and
your mother’s criticisms are
baseless, my advice is to tune
your probably well-meaning but
overbearing mother out. Be-
cause she discusses things you
confide in her with others, quit
beauty investment anyone could
make. Tonight, you’ll add spe-
cialness to the lives of others.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20).
It’s your week to get straight in
your own mind what value you
bring. Once you do this, it’s not
long before the rest of the world
pays you accordingly. First, the
payment comes in energy. Then,
it comes in dollars.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21).
Brevity flatters almost anything
you pick up today. Make
quick work of your tasks and
conversations and you’ll breeze
through without getting en-
snarled in a farrago of details.
TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2020 3B
“I like the options that
we have.” Bednar said.
“I think both guys are
potential starters for us,
and we’ll make our deci-
sion as we enter Game
1 of the playoffs and not
before then.”
Columbus coach John
Tortorella doesn’t have
the luxury of time, giv-
en the Blue Jackets open
their best-of-five series
against the Maple Leafs
in Toronto.
“I don’t profess to
know or want to know
about goalies. I just want
them to stop the puck,”
Tortorella said of hav-
ing to decide between
Joonas Korpisalo and El-
vis Merzlikins, who have
both missed time due
to injury this season.
“We’re going to wing it.”
telling her anything you don’t
want broadcast. It’s easier than
trying to muzzle her. You might
also consider seeing your moth-
er less often, which could save
your walls and the wear and tear
on the bat you’re tempted to
use after those encounters.
DEAR ABBY: I would like to
propose a new word for general
use. It’s “wasband.” Definition:
male to whom I am no longer
married. Reason: “Ex” seems a
pejorative term. I didn’t want to
add that burden to the baggage
our kids may have picked up.
I have used it since the mid-
1990s. I began to think of a new
term when I was in a social situ-
ation with my wasband, his wife
and mutual friends. I bumped
into a colleague and wasn’t
quick enough to think of a polite
term for my former husband,
so I could only introduce him
as “the father of my children.” I
think “wasband” is a less awk-
ward term. What do you think,
Abby? — LOVER OF LANGUAGE
IN WASHINGTON
DEAR L.O.L.: I think it is
clever. The term is listed in
the Urban Dictionary, and
because you started using it so
early shows you are one smart
cookie.
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.
CANCER (June 22-July 22).
Avoid making a case for what
you can’t do. You have no idea,
really, what you are capable of
and will not know until after you
have already accomplished it.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). The
winds of responsibility blow
you along the sea of life. You
move as long as you put up your
sail and let them push you. If
you want to switch directions,
you’re going to need something
different: a motor.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22).
You’re becoming profoundly
aware of what you really want. In
fact, it’s hard to avoid. Reason
has taken a back seat, and
your desire is running the whole
show today.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23).
It would be very easy to become
indulgent today, so ward off this
potential. If you give something
away for everything you bring in,
you’ll be organized and efficient.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov.
21). You have values you don’t
even know about. The way that
you find them is by noticing
and wondering about your own
behavior, some of which will
surprise you today.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec.
21). If someone perceives you
as being above them, it is only
human nature to want to bring
you down a notch. This is why
the best leaders are always
humble and as hardworking as
those being led.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan.
19). Even though you feel very
good when you’re productive,
it’s important to note that your
worth doesn’t come from your
productivity. Do it for the joy it
brings you and others.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb.
18). “I can resist anything but
temptation,” said Oscar Wilde,
and even though you have
strong power of resistance, you
will be tested by the delicious
things on offer today.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March
20). Deferred dreams are
submarines, invisible below
the water’s surface with the
power to torpedo anything that’s
sailing smoothly. Surface your
aspirations. They are safer that
way.
Short and sweet
SOLUTION:
4B TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2020
With tears, Congress honors Lewis, ‘conscience of the House’
Georgia Rep. John Lewis, 80, died Friday, several months
after he was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WA S H -
INGTON —
The House
on Monday
stood for an
emotional
moment of
silence for
Georgia Rep. Lewis
John Lewis, the civil rights
icon who died last week
from pancreatic cancer.
COMMERCIAL DISPATCH
OBITUARY POLICY
Obituaries with basic informa-
tion including visitation and
service times, are provided
free of charge. Extended
obituaries with a photograph,
detailed biographical informa-
tion and other details families
may wish to include, are avail-
able 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 pro-
vided by The Commercial Dis-
patch. Free notices must be
submitted to the newspaper
no later than 3 p.m. the day
prior for publication Tuesday
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 re-
ceived 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 informa-
tion, call 662-328-2471.
Wanda Powers
STARKVILLE —
Wanda Powers, 63, died
July 6, 2020.
Graveside funeral
services are at 1 p.m.
today, in Boyd Cem-
etery. Visitation was
from 1-6 p.m. Monday
at West Memorial Fu-
neral Home. West Me-
morial Funeral Home of
Starkville is in charge
of arrangements.
She is survived by
her siblings, Dorothy L.
Rogers, Lillie A. John-
son, Elizabeth Powers,
Margie C. Stoney and
Jesse Y. Powers.
Roy Lewis
COLUMBUS — Roy
Mitchell “Mitch” Lewis,
54, died July 13, 2020,
at Bapist Memorial Hos-
pital-Golden Triangle.
Funeral Services
were held Thursday at
Oliver Funeral Home
Chapel, with Chris
Ray officiating. Burial
followed at Mt. Moriah
Cemetery in Webster
County. Oliver Funeral
Home of Eupora is in
charge of arrange-
ments.
UK coronavirus vaccine prompts
immune response in early test
BY MARIA CHENG
AP Medical Writer
LONDON — Scientists
at Oxford University say
their experimental coro-
navirus vaccine has been
shown in an early trial to
prompt a protective im-
mune response in hun-
dreds of people who got
the shot.
British researchers
first began testing the
vaccine in April in about
1,000 people, half of whom
got the experimental vac-
cine. Such early trials
are designed to evaluate
safety and see what kind
of immune response was
provoked, but can’t tell if
the vaccine truly protects.
In research published
Monday in the journal
Lancet, scientists said that
Speaker Nancy Pelosi
gaveled the House to or-
der, calling on “all who
loved John Lewis, wher-
ever you are, rise in a mo-
ment of silence in remem-
brance of the conscience
of the Congress.”
Several people on the
dais wept as the House
stood in silence, heads
bowed. When Pelosi tried
to move on, those gath-
Mr. Lewis is sur-
vived by his son, Mi-
chael Lewis; and sister,
Tracy Carson.
Pallbearers were
Taylor Carson, Scott
Oglesby, Michael
Hayes, Aubrey Bigham,
Chris Stockman and
Todd Jenkins.
Willie Harris Jr.
COLUMBUS — Wil-
lie B. Harris Jr., 60, died
July 13,
2020, at
his resi-
dence.
Ser-
vices
will be
at 1 p.m.
Wednes- Harris Jr.
day, at
Vibrant Church, with
the Rev. Clifford Reyn-
olds officiating. Burial
will follow in Memorial
Gardens. Visitation is
from 2-5 p.m. today, at
Carter’s Funeral Ser-
vices. Carter’s Funeral
Services of Columbus
is in charge of arrange-
ments.
Mr. Harris was born
July 15, 1959, to the late
Woodrow McBride and
Thelma Harris. He was
a member of Vibrant
Church.
He is survived by his
wife, Tangiel Harris;
children, Latesha
Harris Short, Willie
B. Harris Jr., Brittany
Harris, Brandi Harris
and Latasha Gordon
Brown; siblings, Bennie
Harris, Jacqueline
Turner, Johnny Harris,
Diane Thomas, Marcus
Harris, Bettie Walker
and Hiyon Harris; and
four grandchildren.
Gwen Stewart
SULLIGENT, Ala. —
Gwen Jackson Stewart,
63, died July 15, 2020,
at DCH of Tuscaloosa.
Funeral services
are at 1 p.m. today, at
Otts Funeral Home
Chapel, with the Rev.
Andre Evans officiat-
ing. Visitation is one
hour prior to services
at the funeral home.
Otts Funeral Home of
Sulligent is in charge of
arrangements.
they found their experi-
mental COVID-19 vaccine
produced a dual immune
response in people aged
18 to 55 that lasted at least
two months after they
were immunized.
“We are seeing good
immune response in al-
most everybody,” said Dr.
Adrian Hill, director of the
Jenner Institute at Oxford
University. “What this vac-
cine does particularly well
is trigger both arms of the
immune system,” he said.
Hill said that neu-
tralizing antibodies are
produced — molecules
which are key to blocking
infection. In addition, the
vaccine also causes a reac-
tion in the body’s T-cells,
which help by destroying
cells that have been taken
over by the virus.
The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com
vanced pancreatic cancer.
The son of sharecroppers,
losi said of their conversa-
tion Thursday. “We never
to pay their respects. The
Capitol is closed to the
Lewis survived a brutal
police beating during a
talked about his dying un-
til that day.”
public during the corona-
virus pandemic.
ered interrupted with sus- 1965 civil rights march She recalled on “CBS
tained applause. in Selma, Alabama. He This Morning” how the
“Our hero, our col- represented Georgia in civil rights icon also
league, our brother, our the House since 1987, and threw his clout to wom-
was known for his kind- en’s rights, LGBTQ rights
friend received and an-
ness and humility. and many other causes.
swered his final summons
“Our nation has indeed “He always worked on
from God almighty,” said
lost a giant,” said Rep. the side of the angels, and
Rep. Sanford Bishop, the Tom Graves, R-Ga. now he is with them,” Pe-
dean of the Georgia dele- Earlier, Pelosi choked losi said.
gation. up recalling their last con- It was not yet clear
Lewis, 80, died Friday, versation the day before whether Lewis’s casket
several months after he he died. would lie in the Capitol
was diagnosed with ad- “It was a sad one,” Pe- Rotunda to allow people
AREA OBITUARIES Charlie Holmes
Incomplete
Mrs. Stewart was Charlie Holmes Sr. her husband, Darrell College St. Location
born Dec. 19, 1956, in Pritchett; and siblings,
COLUMBUS —
Sulligent, to the late Charles David Homes Carolyn Hulett, Joe
Hyde Hackman and Vir- Sr., died July 20, 2020, Ross and Gaylon Ross.
ginia Mae Jackson. She at Baptist Memorial She is survived by
was formerly employed Hospital-Golden Trian- her children, Carla
with Detroit Slacks, NA- gle. Pritchett and Anthony
CCO and Jack Rabbit Pritchett; siblings,
Arrangements are
Slims. She was a mem- Charles Ross, Ron
incomplete and will be
ber of Greater Victory Ross and Terry Ross; memorialgunterpeel.com
announced by Memori-
Church of God. six grandchildren; and
al Gunter Peel Funeral
In addition to her
Home and Crematory
11 great-grandchil-
parents, she was pre- dren.
College Street location.
ceded in death by her
Mary Perkins
siblings, Trinidell Jack-
son Christian, Curly Linda Pritchett
B. Jackson and Dennis HAMILTON — Lin-
Hackman. da Ross Pritchett, 79, Mrs. Mary Frances Perkins, age 76 of
She is survived by died July 19, 2020, at Caledonia, MS, passed away Friday, July 17,
her children, Toya Baptist Memorial Hos- 2020, at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Columbus.
Stewart and Genevalyn pital-Golden Triangle. Mrs. Perkins was born March 10, 1944, in
Services will be at
Stewart; siblings, El- Vernon, AL, to the late Lester and Della Collins.
bert Charles Hackman, 11 a.m. Wednesday, at She was a loving housewife, and her greatest
Beck Hackman, and Tisdale-Lann Memori- hobby was watching her grandson, Bryant, grow
Opal Fail Hackman; al Chapel, with Robert up. Mrs. Perkins was very much a family woman,
eight grandchildren; Moore officiating. and was loved by all that met her.
and two great-grand- Burial will follow in In addition to her parents, Mrs. Perkins
children. Center Hill Cemetery.
was also preceded in death by her son, Bryan
Visitation will be one Perkins; her granddaughter, Ashley McCool; and
Henry Black hour prior to services, her brother-in-law, Billy Perkins.
MILLPORT, Ala. — at the funeral home. There was a private family graveside service
Henry Black, 68, died Mrs. Pritchett was held Sunday, July 19, at 2 PM, at Furnace Hill,
July 19, 2020, at DCH of born Feb. 16, 2020, in with Don Harding officiating.
Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Carruth, Missouri, to Survivors include her husband of 56 years,
Memorial services the late Raymond Ross Wilburn “Doc” Perkins; one daughter and son-
will be at 10 a.m. Fri- and Viola Thompson in-law, Tammy and Mike McCool; one grandson,
day, at Millport Baptist Ross. She was formerly Bryant McCool; her brother-in-law, Randy
Church. Burial will fol- employed as an interi- (Kathy) Perkins; her sister-in-law, Martha
low in Bethlehem Meth- or designer and was a Spencer; and a host of nieces and nephews.
odist Church cemetery member of Hamilton Paid Obituary - Chandler Funeral Home
of Fayette, Alabama. Baptist Church.
Dowdle Funeral Home In addition to her
of Millport is in charge
of arrangements.
parents, she was
preceded in death by Hilda Ratliff
Hilda Pearl Ratliff, 95, of Columbus, MS, left
this life for her Heavenly home on July 16, 2020
at Baptist Memorial Hospital.
A private, family graveside service was held
Monday, July 20, 2020, at Memorial Gardens
Cemetery with Rev. Byron Benson officiating.
Arrangements were entrusted to Memorial
Gunter Peel Funeral Home & Crematory, 2nd
Avenue North location.
Mrs. Ratliff was born August 14, 1924, in
Sunflower County, MS, to the late Jeff and
Alma Jennings Whitten. She was a graduate of
Linn High School where she was honored as
the Valedictorian of her senior class. Hilda was
James Kitchens
married to James E. Ratliff, who passed in 2016.
During their 72 years of marriage, they traveled
the world as he served in the United States Air
Force, living in 16 different places, including
Mr. James Walsie Kitchens, 88, passed away Bermuda and Japan. Mrs. Ratliff was the
on Friday, July 17, 2020, at Oktibbeha County Secretary and Treasurer of Ratliff Air Services
Hospital in Starkville, MS. until her retirement in 1988.
Graveside services were held at 10:00 A.M. While in Japan she found a love and
on Monday, July 20 th , at Sunrise Cemetery in appreciation for Japanese culture and art. Hilda
Noxapater, MS, with Rev. Brian James Thrasher was featured in the Commercial Dispatch in 2017
and Rev. Brandon Frazier officiating. Interment for her collection of Japanese furniture, art and
was in Sunrise Cemetery. Porter Funeral Home porcelain Geisha dolls that she made by hand
was in charge of arrangements. during her time there. Hilda enjoyed playing
Mr. Kitchens was born December 21, 1931, bridge, bowling and spending time with her
in Noxubee County, MS, to Velia and Bennie friends and family. She was a proud member of
Kitchens. He worked for many years for Taylor East End Baptist Church. She listed her greatest
Machine Works as a welder and in the research accomplishments in life as being a mother and
and development department. He was a member grandmother.
of the United Pentecostal Church in Starkville. In addition to her parents and her husband,
He was a proud veteran of the United States
Marine Corp. He was a member of the United
Mrs. Ratliff was preceded in death by three
sisters, Wilna, Mavis and Joyce and one brother
Steel Workers Union, and he loved hunting,
fishing, and his time spent at Taylor Machine
Guyton.
Survivors include her sister, Jean Norrell
Works. He and his wife, Lila, lost their home in of Jackson, MS; sons, Bobby Gerald Ratliff of
the tornado that passed through Louisville in Jackson, MS, Michael James Ratliff of Columbus,
2014, and then moved to Starkville to be near MS; granddaughters, Shannon Ratliff Russell
their children.
and her husband Ted of Walkertown, NC,
He was preceded in death by his parents; and Hilary Ratliff Delling and her husband Trevor
a brother, Joseph L. Kitchens.
of Austin, TX, Hannah Ratliff of Cleveland, OH,
He is survived by his wife, Lila Quinn and Stephanie Ratliff of Jackson, MS; and great-
Kitchens of Starkville; two daughters, Debra
grandsons, Luke Russell and Matthew Russell.
Kitchens (Boyd) Thrasher and Anita Kitchens Memorials may be made to East End Baptist
Howard, both of Starkville, MS; two sisters, Church, P.O. Box 8480, Columbus, MS, 39705.
Doris Hindman of Louisville and Allegra Condolences and memories can be sent to the
Kitchens of Palatka, FL; four grandchildren, family at RememberingHildaPearl@gmail.com
William (Michelle) Thrasher, Jr., Brian (Kristy)
or P.O. Box 1061 Columbus, MS, 39703.
Thrasher, Toni Howard and Michelle Starns; five The family would like to express their heartfelt
great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild; gratitude to Sarah Sanders for her endless love
and a host of nieces and nephews. and support.
Pallbearers were William Thrasher, Brian
Thrasher, Joseph Thrasher, Austin Thrasher,
Conner Thrasher and Dale Dickerson.
Memorials may be made to the Wounded
Warrior Project.
To sign the guest register, go to www. Sign the online guest book at
porterfuneralhome.net www.memorialgunterpeel.com
716 Second Avenue North • Columbus, MS
Paid Obituary - Porter Funeral Home

Biden, lawmakers warn
of foreign interference in election
‘... There’s not much I can do about it
now except talk about it, and expose
it, but it is a serious concern. It is
truly a violation of our sovereignty.’
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — terfered in the 2016 presi-
Democratic presidential
candidate Joe Biden said
he is putting Russia and
other foreign govern-
ments “on notice” that he
would act aggressively as
president to counter any
interference in U.S. elec-
tions. The statement came
hours after Democratic
leaders issued a new warn-
ing that Congress appears
to be the target of a foreign
interference campaign.
Biden said in a state-
ment Monday that he
would treat foreign inter-
ference as “an adversar-
ial act that significantly
affects the relationship
between the United States
and the interfering na-
tion’s government.” He
criticized President Don-
ald Trump for not doing
enough in response to
Fauci to throw 1st pitch at Yankees-Nationals opener
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WA S H -
INGTON —
Dr. Anthony
Fauci, the
c ou nt r y ’s
top infec-
tious dis-
ease expert,
will throw Fauci
out the ceremonial first
pitch at the first game of
Major League Baseball’s
pandemic-delayed regu-
Is it safe to go to the gym during the coronavirus pandemic?
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Is it safe to go to the
gym during the coronavi-
rus pandemic?
It depends on where
you live and the precau-
tions you and the gym
take.
If cases of COVID-19
are poorly controlled
where you live, experts
say it’s best to stay away.
But if you live in an area
where the spread is being
contained, there are ways
to minimize risk when go-
ing for a workout.
To ensure everyone
stays at least 6 feet apart,
gyms should take steps
such as moving ma-
chines, blocking off areas
and limiting the number
of people allowed inside,
U.S. intelligence agencies’
assessment that Russia in-
dential election.
“If any foreign power
recklessly chooses to in-
terfere in our democracy,
I will not hesitate to re-
spond as president to im-
pose substantial and last-
ing costs,” Biden said.
The new alarms give a
renewed urgency to con-
cerns that foreign actors
could be trying to influ-
ence the vote or sow dis-
information. Biden said
last week that he had be-
gun receiving intelligence
briefings and warned that
Russia, China and other
adversaries were attempt-
ing to undermine the pres-
idential election. Biden
gave no evidence, but he
said that Russia was “still
engaged” after 2016 and
that China was also in-
volved in efforts to sow
lar season.
The Washington
Nationals announced
Monday that Fauci — a
self-described fan of the
reigning World Series
champions — accepted
the team’s invitation to
have the pregame honor
Thursday night.
The Nationals host
the New York Yankees to
open the season nearly
four months after it origi-
says Dr. Marybeth Sex-
ton, an assistant professor
of infectious diseases at
Emory University.
Avoiding the locker
room, bringing your own
water bottle and using
hand sanitizer also helps
reduce risk, Sexton says.
The U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Pre-
vention also suggests
checking in online, rather
than in person, and seek-
ing activities that are out-
doors instead of indoors
when possible.
Gym staff should be
cleaning exercise ma-
chines between uses and
regularly wiping down
other frequently touched
areas with products that
kill viruses.
And experts say face
The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2020 5B
‘Men’s rights’ lawyer eyed in
shooting of NJ judge’s family
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
A self-described “anti-feminist” lawyer found
doubts in the American
electoral process.
the threats, though they
describe them as serious dead in the Catskills of an apparent self-inflicted
During an online fund-
raiser Monday night,
and specific.
“We are gravely con-
gunshot wound is the prime suspect in the shooting
of a federal judge’s family in New Jersey, the FBI said
Biden added: “It’s going to cerned, in particular, that Monday.
Roy Den Hollander, who received media attention
be tough, there’s not much Congress appears to be
I can do about it now ex- the target of a concert- including appearances on Fox News and Comedy
Central for lawsuits challenging perceived infringe-
cept talk about it, and ex- ed foreign interference
pose it, but it is a serious campaign, which seeks ments of “men’s rights,” was found dead Monday in
concern. It is truly a viola- to launder and amplify Sullivan County, New York, two officials with knowl-
tion of our sovereignty.” disinformation in order to edge of the investigation told The Associated Press.
And in an interview on influence congressional The FBI said Den Hollander was the “primary
MSNBC, Biden said Rus- activity, public debate, subject in the attack” and confirmed he had been
sian President Vladimir and the presidential elec- pronounced dead but provided no other details.
Putin “knows I mean what tion in November,” wrote Found among his personal effects was information
I say.” Pelosi, Schumer, House about another judge, New York Chief Judge Janet Di-
The Democratic lead- Intelligence Committee Fiore, a state court spokesperson said.
ers said in a letter to FBI Chairman Adam Schiff, A day earlier, a gunman posing as a FedEx deliv-
Director Christopher D-Calif., and Virginia ery person went to the North Brunswick, New Jersey,
Wray on Monday that Sen. Mark Warner, the top home of U.S. District Judge Esther Salas, and started
they are concerned that Democrat on the Senate shooting, wounding her husband, the defense lawyer
Congress appears to be Intelligence panel. Mark Anderl, and killing her son, Daniel Anderl.
the target of a “concerted
foreign interference cam-
paign” to influence the
2020 presidential election.
They asked Wray for an
all-members, classified
briefing on the matter be-
fore the August recess.
The letter from House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi,
Senate Democratic lead-
er Chuck Schumer and
the top Democrats on
the House and Senate
intelligence committees
contains no details about
nally was scheduled to be-
gin. Spring training was
halted in March because
of the COVID-19 outbreak
and teams resumed pre-
paring to play this month.
In their new release
about Fauci’s role at the
opener, the Nationals
refer to him as “a true
champion for our coun-
try” during the pandemic
“and throughout his dis-
tinguished career.”
coverings should be worn
at the gym whenever pos-
sible.
Sexton also suggests
bringing a backup mask.
If the one you’re wearing
gets really damp with
sweat, she says it might
not be as effective.
Even for those being
careful, gyms pose a risk.
Many are indoors, where
ventilation is limited and
social distancing can be
challenging. In an ongo-
ing pandemic, if you can
manage to break a sweat
without returning to the
gym just yet, that’s the
best option, according to
Sexton.
“If you can exercise by
yourself outside, that’s
safer than being at the
gym,” she said.
Classifieds
LEGALS
Call us: 662-328-2424
Legal Notices
INVITATION FOR BIDS FOR
SALE OF FOREST PRODUCTS
ON STATE LANDS
Bids will be received by the
Mississippi Department of
Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks at
3319 Lake Lowndes Road,
Columbus, Mississippi 39702,
up to and not later than 11:00
A.M., August 6, 2020 for the
purchase on a per ton, pay-as-
cut basis of all timber, stand-
ing or down, designated for cut-
ting at Lake Lowndes State
Park, Sections 3 and 10, Town-
ship 19 South, Range 17 West,
Lowndes County, Mississippi.
Each bidder is expected to
make his own cruise and to bid
accordingly.
Before bids are submitted, full
information concerning the tim-
ber, the conditions of sale and
the submission of bids should
be obtained from Carl Branson,
Forester (662-417-2611,
Carl.Branson@wfp.ms.gov). The
right to reject any and all bids
is reserved.
PUBLISH: 7/14, 7/21, 7/28 &
8/4/2020
State of Mississippi
County Of Lowndes
NOTICE OF SALE LIQUIDATION
WHEREAS, the following ten-
ants entered into leases with
The Grove Mini Warehouses for
storage space in which to store
personal property and
WHEREAS, default has been
made in the payment for rent
and The Grove Mini Ware-
houses pursuant to said
leases is authorized to sell the
personal property to satisfy the
past due rent and other
charges owed to it by the fol-
lowing tenants:
Apryl Sherrod
A16
$165.00
Lonnie Sander
A32
$483.80
Eldwyien Donald
A33
$176.95
Tammy Crimm
A38
$261.95
Cyretha Ball
A40
$236.95
Marissa Perkins
B25
$296.95
Renise Lyshon
B35
$296.95
Cheryl Ferghson
C13
$400.65
NOW, THEREFORE, notice is
hereby given that The Grove
Mini Warehouses liquidation
sale will take place at 510
Lehmberg Road, Columbus, MS
39702 on July 24, 2020 at
10:00 A.M.
PUBLISH: 7/7, 7/14 &
7/21/2020
Notice to Bidders
Sealed bids will be received in
the office of the General Man-
ager, City of Columbus, Missis-
sippi, Light and Water Depart-
ment, until 10:00 a.m. on Au-
gust 6, 2020, for “58’ ROW
Aerial Device & Chassis.”
Specifications may be ob-
tained by dialing (662) 328- PUBLISH: 7/21 & 7/24/2020
7192 ext. 121. Any questions
regarding bid should be direc-
ted to Marcus Rushing at (662) IN THE CHANCERY COURT OF
243-7440. LOWNDES COUNTY, MISSIS-
SIPPI
Bids should be signed by an
authorized agent of the com-
pany and delivered to 420 4th
Avenue South, Columbus, MS
or mailed to General Manager’s
office, P.O. Box 949, Colum-
bus, MS 39703 and should be
clearly marked on the outside
of the envelope “58’ ROW Aeri-
al Device & Chassis.”
Columbus Light & Water re-
serves the right to reject any
and/or all Proposals and to
hold proposal for a period of
30 days or until after the
monthly Board of
Commission’s meeting before
award or rejection.
No bidder may withdraw a pro-
posal for a period of thirty (30)
days after the date set for
opening of proposals.
City of Columbus, Mississippi
Light and Water Department
Todd Gale
General Manager
Publish: July 21, 2020
July 22, 2020
IN THE CHANCERY COURT OF
LOWNDES COUNTY, MISSIS-
SIPPI
IN THE MATTER OF THE ES-
TATE OF JOHNNIE WILL CUN-
NINGHAM, DECEASED
JAMES EARL CUNNINGHAM,
EXECUTOR
NO. 2020-0113-RPF
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Letters Testamentary have
been granted and issued to
James Earl Cunningham, Ex-
ecutor of the Estate of Johnnie
Will Cunningham, deceased, by
the Chancery Court of Lowndes
County, Mississippi, on the 9th
day of June, 2020. This is to
give notice to all persons hav-
ing claims against the estate
to Probate and Register same
with the Chancery Clerk of
Lowndes County, Mississippi,
within ninety (90) days from the
One call will bring you results.
date of first publication of this
Notice. A failure to so Probate
and Register the claim will
forever bar the same.
THIS the 10th day of June,
2020.
NINGHAM, DECEASED
JAMES EARL CUNNINGHAM,
EXECUTOR
NO. 2020-0113-RPF
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Letters Testamentary have
been granted and issued to
James Earl Cunningham, Ex-
ecutor of the Estate of Johnnie
Will Cunningham, deceased, by
the Chancery Court of Lowndes
County, Mississippi, on the 9th
day of June, 2020. This is to
give notice to all persons hav-
ing claims against the estate
toLegal Noticesand Register same
Probate
with the Chancery Clerk of
Lowndes County, Mississippi,
within ninety (90) days from the
date of first publication of this
Notice. A failure to so Probate
and Register the claim will
forever bar the same.
THIS the 10th day of June,
2020.
Estate of Johnnie Will Cunning-
ham
By: /s/ James Earl Cunning-
ham
James Earl Cunningham, Ex-
ecutor
OF COUNSEL:
John W. Crowell (MSB 7906)
Crowell Gillis & Cooper, PLLC
Post Office Box 1827
Columbus, MS 39703
PHONE: (662) 243-7308
jcrowell@cgclawpllc.com
Publish:
07/21/20
07/28/20
08/04/20
The following vehicles have
been abandoned at
Auto Mart LLC
1009 Gardner Blvd
Columbus, MS 39702
or
Jim’s Towing and Recovery LLC
1020 ½ Gardner Blvd
Columbus, MS 39702
2005 Acur RL
VIN # JH4KB16585C015300
2013 GMC Yukon
VIN # 1GKS1KE04DR109660
2005 Nissan Sentra
VIN #3N1CB51D05L496369
If not claimed they will be sold
on JuLY 29, 2020, at 10 AM at
1020 1/2 Gardner Blvd.,
Columbus, MS by Auto Mart
LLC or Jim’s Towing. They will
be sold for monies owed for
the tow bill, storage fees, and
all other expenses incurred to & Pickensville, AL, for
process the claims.
Witnessed this the 16th day of Tom Waterway Project,
July, 2020.
Auto Mart LLC
Jim’s Towing & Recovery LLC
Publish: 7/21 and 7/28/2020 screen & have valid driver’s
STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
COUNTY OF LOWNDES
NOTICE OF SALE
WHEREAS, the following ten-
ants entered into leases with J For Pickenville:
& J Mini Storage for storage
space in which to store person- 1623 Lock & Dam Road
al property and
WHEREAS, default has been
made in the payment of rent
and J & J Mini Storage pursu-
ant to said Leases is author-
ized to sell the personal prop-
erty to satisfy the past due and
any other charges owed to it by
the following tenants.
NOW THEREFORE, notice is
hereby given that J & J Mini
Storage will confiscate after Ju-
ly 31st, 2020 & sell for cash
all personal property in stor-
age units leased by the follow-
ing tenants at J & J Mini Stor-
age:
Candie Diggs
Unit A24
Michael Murphy
Unit C3
Wanda Hamby
Unit C5
Sandra Lipsey
Unit D5
Mark Frady
Unit D12
WITNESS MY SIGNATURE on
this the 17th day of July, 2020.
J & J Mini Storage
By: A.D.
IN THE MATTER OF THE ES-
TATE OF ROSIE MAE LEWIS
CLAY, DECEASED
CAUSE NO. 44CH1:19-pr-
00212-RPF
KIMBLER GEAN DAVIS PETI-
TIONER
SUMMONS BY PUBLICATION
THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
TO: All Unknown Heirs at law of Commercial Dispatch, 516
Rosie Mae Lewis Clay, De-
ceased
You have been made a Defend-
General
ant Helpsuit
in the Wanted
filed in this
Court by Kimbler Gean Davis,
Petitioner, seeking to determ-
ine the heirs of Rosie Mae
Lewis Clay, close the estate
and disburse proceeds in the
above-referenced cause. Other
Defendants in this action are
the unknown heirs at law of
Rosie Mae Lewis Clay, De-
ceased.
You are summoned to appear
and defend against the peti-
tion filed in this action at 9:00
a.m. on August 27, 2020 in
the Courtroom of the Chickas-
aw County Chancery Building
located 330 West Main,
Okolona, Mississippi, and in
case of your failure to appear
and defend, a judgment will be
entered against you for relief
demanded in the petition.
You are not required to file an
answer or other pleading, but
you may do so if you desire.
Issued under my hand and the
seal of said Court, this the
15th day of July, 2020.
CHANCERY CLERK OF
LOWNDES COUNTY, MS
BY: Shantrell W. Granderson
(SEAL) Deputy Clerk
Publication Dates: 7/21, 7/28
& 8/4/2020
IN THE CHANCERY COURT OF
LOWNDES COUNTY, MISSIS-
SIPPI
IN THE MATTER OF THE ES-
TATE OF ROSIE MAE LEWIS
CLAY, DECEASED
CAUSE NO. 44CH1:19-pr-
00212-RPF
KIMBLER GEAN DAVIS PETI-
TIONER
SUMMONS BY PUBLICATION
THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
TO: All Unknown Heirs at law of
Legal Notices
Rosie Mae Lewis Clay, De-
ceased
You have been made a Defend-
ant in the suit filed in this
Court by Kimbler Gean Davis,
Petitioner, seeking to determ-
ine the heirs of Rosie Mae
Lewis Clay, close the estate
and disburse proceeds in the
above-referenced cause. Other
Defendants in this action are
the unknown heirs at law of
Rosie Mae Lewis Clay, De-
ceased.
You are summoned to appear
and defend against the peti-
tion filed in this action at 9:00
a.m. on August 27, 2020 in
the Courtroom of the Chickas-
aw County Chancery Building
located 330 West Main,
Okolona, Mississippi, and in
case of your failure to appear
and defend, a judgment will be
entered against you for relief
demanded in the petition.
You are not required to file an
answer or other pleading, but
you may do so if you desire.
Issued under my hand and the
seal of said Court, this the
15th day of July, 2020.
CHANCERY CLERK OF
LOWNDES COUNTY, MS
BY: Shantrell W. Granderson
(SEAL) Deputy Clerk
Publication Dates: 7/21, 7/28
& 8/4/2020
Employment
Call us: 662-328-2424
General Help Wanted
Clean Up and Mowing Crew
Taking applications for job
opening in Columbus, MS
Ground Maintenance
Laborer, to work on Tenn-
maintaining parks, picnic
areas & playgrounds. Must
be 18 years or older, pass
pre-employment drug
license with good driving re-
cord. EOE. Send resume’
or apply at following:
For Columbus:
R&D Maintenance Services
3600 West Plymouth Road
Columbus, Ms. 39701
R&D Maintenance Services
Carrollton, AL. 35447
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
MOUNT TRUCKING is hir-
ing a flatbed driver in the
Columbus area. Family-
owned. Get more out your
check & more home time.
We work for you!
*Home every weekend
*50 cent a mile *1099
Tyrone Washington
901-230-4659
mounttrucking@yahoo.com
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
Main Street in Columbus.
No phone calls please.
Ads appear in The Commercial Dispatch,
The Starkville Dispatch and Online
General Help Wanted
SERVICE TECHNICIAN for
local pest control company.
Applicant must be organ-
ized, dependable, work well
with the public, and have
good driving record with
valid driver's license.
Drug test required.
Apply at 107 Gardner Blvd.
No phone calls.
Rentals
Ads starting at $25
Apts For Rent: North
FOX RUN APARTMENTS
foxruncompany.com
1 & 2 BR near hospital.
$595−$645 monthly.
Military discount, pet area,
pet friendly, and furnished
corporate apts.
24−HOUR PROFESSIONAL
GYM. ON SITE SECURITY.
ON SITE MAINTENANCE.
ON SITE MANAGEMENT.
24−HOUR CAMERA
SURVEILLANCE. Benji &
Ashleigh, 662−386−4446.
Very large, very nice 2bd,
2ba apartment. Lots of
closets, washer dryer
included. Fenced, covered
parking. Perfect for two
roommates, or a couple
with kids. $675.00 662−
364−1610
Apts For Rent: South
Two large, very nice, 2br,
1ba apartments in
downtown Columbus. First
floor with washer/dryers
and private parking. One of
the best locations in
downtown. $875.00 662−
364−1610
Apts For Rent: West
VIP
Rentals
Apartments & Houses
1 Bedrooms
2 Bedroooms
3 Bedrooms
Furnished & Unfurnished
1, 2, & 3 Baths
Lease, Deposit
& Credit Check
viceinvestments.com
327-8555
Apts For Rent: Other
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.
To place ads starting at only $12,
call 662-328-2424 or visit ads.cdispatch.com
THE DISPATCH n CDISPATCH.COM n TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2020 n 6B
Apts For Rent: Other
Garage Sales Vehicles
COLEMAN
RENTALS Two free signs Ads starting at $12
TOWNHOUSES & APARTMENTS
1 BEDROOM Estate Sales Motorcycles & ATVs
2 BEDROOMS 2005 HONDA 250 REBEL
3 BEDROOMS 36 Honeysuckle Lane. Black, red, and gray.
Chairs, recliners, bar 1,428 miles. $1500.
LEASE,
© The Dispatch
stools, dishware, sizes 662−364−0120.
14−18 womens shoes
DEPOSIT & clothing, antique
AND
glassware, antique
Community
dolls, music boxes and
CREDIT CHECK decorative items. You
won’t want to miss this
662-329-2323 one! Sat, 8:30−2:30pm
662−364−3259 Ads starting at $12
2411 HWY 45 N Good Things To Eat
COLUMBUS, MS
One person’s junk,
!
CANNING TOMATOES,
is another person’s
$15/box, gone soon. Peas
treasure
Houses For Rent: North
& okra coming soon. 662−
251−1000 or 662−855−
HOUSE FOR RENT
0085.
2−3 Bedroom w/ 1.5 Bath
Fenced in yard. $675.
Travel & Entertainment
662−549−9555.
Ask for Glenn or text.
PUBLIC CATFISH POND
@ 130 Hillcrest Drive.
HOUSE FOR RENT. Open Tues−Sat, 7a−5p
56 Mason Dr. No HUD. No
662−386−8591
pets. 3BR/1.5BA. Asking
Call for pricing.
$760/ per month. Dep.
$760. 662−549−9298.
Houses For Rent: West FIND YOUR
GOLDEN DEAL WITH It’s a classified
1187 MOTLEY Rd.
rule-of-thumb:
GARAGE
2b/1ba. Nice quiet area. 8
−10 min from downtown.
References required. Call We tell readers
SALES
662−497−4428 or 662−
361−1483. what they need
Mobile Homes for Rent to know to buy
what they need.
Merchandise
3BR/2BA Trailer, New
Hope school dist. $650/
mo & $650 dep. No pets,
Five Questions:
no drugs, no partying. Call
b/w 10a−9p. 662−386− Ads starting at $12
4292. NO TEXT MGS.
Appliances
1 Purring
RV/MOBILE HOME SITE
CENTRAL AC UNIT. Only
East or West Columbus or
near CAFB, Caledonia used 1 day, too small for
space. Revolv brand, 2.5
schools. 601−940−1397.
btu, 208−230 voltage.
2 Ford
$900. Crawford, MS.
662−497−2754.
Real Estate
Mustang
General Merchandise
Ads starting at $25 2018 40FT Gooseneck
3 Ratatouille
Trailer w/ 5ft dovetail, 12
Houses For Sale: New Hope ton axles, 10−4inch straps
& tarps. $7,000.
HILLCREST SUBDIVISION 662−251−3001.
NEW HOPE SCHOOLS
4 “The Heat”
Brand new & move−in
Shop
ready! 4 Bed, 2 Baths,
Granite, tile hardwood &
more. Historically low
Classifieds 5 Zog
interest rates. Call Emily C.
Moody, 662−574−3903,
662−328−0770.
Long & Long Real Estate
Builder/Broker/Owner
SHOP SAFE
Lots & Acreage
1.75 ACRE LOTS. Good/
Bad Credit Options. Good
SHOP AT HOME
credit as low as 20% down,
$499/mo. Eaton Land,
662−361−7711.
You’ll find the best deals
when you advertise
and shop here!
ads.cdispatch.com
SHOP IN COMFORT WITH
THE DISPATCH CLASSIFIEDS
General Services Lawn Care / Landscaping Tree Services
HILL’S PRESSURE JESSE & BEVERLY’S A & T TREE SERVICES
WASHING. Commercial/ LAWN SERVICE Bucket truck & stump
Residential. House, Mowing, cleanup, removal. Free est.
concrete, sidewalks & landscaping, sodding, Serving Columbus
mobile washing. Free est. & tree cutting. since 1987. Senior
662−386−8925. 662−356−6525 citizen disc. Call Alvin @
242−0324/241−4447
Painting & Papering "We’ll go out on a limb for
you!"
QUALITY PAINTING.
Ext/Int Painting. Tree Services
Sheet Rock Hang, Finish &
Repair. Pressure Washing. J&A TREE REMOVAL
Free Estimates. Ask for Work from a bucket truck.
specials! Larry Webber, Insured/bonded.
662−242−4932. Call Jimmy Prescott for free
estimate, 662−386−6286.
SULLIVAN’S PAINT
SERVICE
Special Prices.
Interior & Exterior Painting.
662−435−6528
Grow your
Got leaky pipes?
business in the
Find a plumber in the
Are you a painter?
service directory.
classifieds.
Advertise here!
662-328-2424