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Thursday | August 27, 2020

Area hotels brace for potential BUSINESS MOVES

WITH MARY

influx of Hurricane Laura evacuees Columbus

Malco prepares
for September
reopening
PLUS: Apex Performance
opens in Starkville
BY MARY POLLITZ
biz@cdispatch.com

T
he

movie the-
ater news
continues
this week.
After
closing
temporar-
ily in late
March, the
Columbus Mary Pollitz
Malco is
preparing for a Sept. 3 reopening
date.
As I said last week, along with
numerous businesses nowadays,
the movie industry has suffered
billions of dollars due to the
COVID-19 pandemic.
The movie schedule for the Co-
lumbus Malco, which will include
all new lineups, will be released
Aug. 31.
For COVID-19 precautions,
Malco employees will all have their
temperatures taken, will all wear
masks and gloves and sanitize
high contact surfaces every 30
Photos by Antranik Tavitian/Dispatch Staff
Pictured clockwise from top: Comfort Suites, Hampton Inn and Courtyard Marriott hotels in Starkville. Hotels all over the
minutes.
Golden Triangle are preparing for an influx of Hurricane Laura evacuees. The storm hit the Gulf Coast near the Louisiana/Tex- Moviegoers will be required
as border this morning as a Category 4 hurricane, with storm surge expected to reach 40 miles inland. to wear face masks in the lobby
but will be allowed to take them
off once in the auditorium. When
EMA directors: Local community shelters may open with limited capacity you’re picking your seat, be sure to
maintain at least six feet from oth-
BY YUE STELLA YU day after Katrina made landfall, think- Hurricane Center. The strong storms er groups, skipping a row between
syu@cdispatch.com ing the evacuation was temporary. brought massive power outages to the other guests.
Instead, he traveled to Baton Rouge, states, forcing many to evacuate further Moving to downtown, Rae’s
Aaron Duncan stared at the TV in Louisiana, stayed for a few months and inland for shelter, according to multiple Jewelry on Fifth Street is officially
disbelief after flooding brought by Hur- moved to Atlanta, Georgia, afterward. news outlets. The hurricane has since shuttered. After more than 50
ricane Katrina washed “Most of us took two to four days weakened to a Category 2 as it contin- years in business and a few weeks
over New Orleans — worth of clothing. … We expected to be ues to move north. of slashed prices from its going
the city he had just gone for that long,” he said. “Nobody ex- Across the Golden Triangle, hotels out of business sale, the Columbus
evacuated from and pected to see what we saw.” are preparing to see an influx of evacu- jewelry store has taken down its
once called home — in Now, Duncan — area manager of six ees from Texas, Louisiana and southern clearance signs and flipped the
2005. INSIDE hotels in Columbus and Starkville — is Mississippi. Amid the COVID-19 pan- open sign to closed.
“I was watching the n Laura blasts expecting evacuees to come to him. demic, several hotel managers told The This vacancy downtown means
news,” Duncan said. “I destructive, Hurricane Laura made landfall in Dispatch they have taken precautionary there’s prime real estate for anoth-
was like, ‘This can’t be life-threatening southwest Louisiana overnight as a Cat- measures — such as social distancing, er business venture to occupy.
Gulf Coast path. Speaking of business closures,
New Orleans.’” Page 3A egory 4 with winds up to 150 miles per deep cleaning and minimal in-person
Having packed hour, bringing an “unsurvivable storm contact — to welcome their guests, an East Columbus car lot is clos-
clothes that would last surge” that could penetrate up to 40 some of whom may come from the most ing.
just a few days, Duncan left his home a miles inland, according to the National See HOTELS, 6A See BUSINESS, 6A

New Mississippi cases still high, but virus hospitalizations declining

The number of patients hospitalized
with coronavirus in Mississippi
peaked this month at 978 on Aug. 7
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
JACKSON — Missis-
sippi is reporting a high-
er number of new cases
of coronavirus per capita
each day than any other
U.S. state, according to
Johns Hopkins Universi-
ty data analyzed by The
Associated Press. The
data was evaluated over a
14-day period.
However, data from
the state Department of
Health show the num-
bers of patients hospi-
talized in the state is
steadily decreasing. The
number of patients hospi-
talized with coronavirus
in Mississippi peaked
this month at 978 on Aug.
7. On Aug. 25, some 730
patients were hospital-
ized, or more than 200
fewer.
“We do continue to
see trends in decreasing
hospitalizations. ... Cer-
tainly, all good trends,
but we want to keep them
that way,” Mississippi’s
State Health Officer
Dr. Thomas Dobbs said
Tuesday. “I’m worried
about our future obvious-
ly, and want to make sure
we keep up the gains.”
The Health Depart-
ment said Wednesday
that Mississippi, with
a population of about 3
million, has had at least
80,110 reported cases
and at least 2,373 deaths
from COVID-19 as of
Tuesday evening. That’s
an increase of 904 con-
firmed cases and 58
deaths from numbers
reported the day before,
with 44 occurring be-
tween July 21 and August
18, and later identified
from death certificate re-
ports.
The true number of vi-
rus infections is thought
to be far higher because
many people have not
been tested and studies
suggest people can be
infected without feeling
sick. The virus causes
mild or moderate symp-
toms for most but can
be more severe or fatal
for some, especially old-
er adults and those with
underlying health condi-
tions.

WEATHER FIVE QUESTIONS CALENDAR LOCAL FOLKS PUBLIC

1 During which war was Valley Forge a Today and Friday MEETINGS
winter military encampment? Aug. 28: Starkville
■ COVID-19 testing: K-12
2 What appears to be melting in Board of Aldermen work
teachers and other school
surrealist painter Salvador Dali’s “The session, 10 a.m., City
Persistence of Memory”? staff in the Golden Triangle
can be tested for COVID-19 Hall
3 What does the acronym “GPS”
stand for? free of charge and without Sept. 1: Starkville
Miriam Edwards 4 Which Latin dance style is also the meeting any criteria today Board of Aldermen
name for a group of rattlesnakes? and Friday as a part of the meeting, 5:30 p.m.,
Fourth grade, Heritage
5 The colossal rotunda of which Mississippi State Health City Hall

90 Low 76
Roman temple is the largest unrein- Department’s drive-through Sept. 8: Oktibbe-
High forced concrete dome in the world? program. Today from noon ha County Board of
Partly sunny, chance t-storms Answers, 6B until 7 p.m. school personnel Supervisors meeting,
Full forecast on can obtain free tests at the
Chancery Courthouse,
page 3A. Oktibbeha County Health De-
9 a.m.
partment, located at 1203
Sept. 8: Starkville-Ok-
INSIDE Louisville St. in Starkville.
In Columbus, testing is tibbeha Consolidated
Business 5B Dear Abby 4B available during the same School District Board
Classifieds 6B Obituaries 5A hours Friday at the Lowndes Samantha Caldwell is a of Trustees meeting, 6
Comics 4B Opinions 4A County Health Department at sophomore elementary education p.m., 401 Greensboro
Crossword 6B 801 N. Lehmberg Road. major from Madison. St.

DISPATCH CUSTOMER SERVICE 328-2424 | NEWSROOM 328-2471

2A THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2020 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com

REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION

Trump’s big night: Expect talk

of GOP progress, Dem anarchy
Aides have signaled
Trump’s speech will
not be as dark as his
infamous ‘American
carnage’ 2016 address
BY JONATHAN LEMIRE
AND KEVIN FREKING
The Associated Press
WA S H I N G T O N
— Four years ago,
Donald Trump ac-
cepted the Repub-
lican Party’s nomi-
nation for president
with a dark conven-
tion speech that
painted a dystopian Trump
portrait of America in decline and
offered a singular solution: himself.
Though Trump has been presi-
dent for three-and-a-half years, his
rhetoric on the state of the nation
has remained bleak. And as he
prepares to deliver his second ac-
ceptance speech on Thursday, the
president faces a country in crisis,
one gripped by a once-in-a-century
pandemic, a battered economy, a
racial reckoning and a massive hur-
ricane taking aim at the Gulf Coast.
Though he will promise national
greatness, there was little expec-
tation he would deliver a message
designed to unify the divided elec-
torate.
In 2016, his message was “I alone
can fix it.” This time, while trailing
in the polls, he will offer himself as
the last remaining defense against
radical forces threatening the
American way of life.
Aides have closely guarded de-
tails of the address, which was be-
ing revised the night before Trump
was to speak from the White House
South Lawn. While Trump has
centered his recent stump speech
on anarchists that he depicts over-
running city streets, aides signaled
that Thursday’s speech will not be
as dark as his infamous “American
carnage” inaugural address.
Against a backdrop of patrio-
tism, Trump will describe America
as a work in progress, one that is
Pence defends police at convention
amid rising race tension
BY ZEKE MILLER, JILL COLVIN AND KEVIN FREKING
The Associated Press
BALTIMORE — Vice President Mike Pence force-
fully defended law enforcement but made no mention of
the Black Americans killed by police this year as he ad-
dressed Republican convention proceedings that unfold-
ed amid new protests against racial injustice following the
latest shooting.
Wednesday evening’s featured speaker, Pence argued
that Democratic leaders are allowing lawlessness to pre-
Pence
vail from coast to coast. He and others described cities
wracked by violence, though protests in most locations have been large-
ly peaceful.
“The American people know we don’t have to choose between sup-
porting law enforcement and standing with African American neigh-
bors to improve the quality of life in our cities and towns,” he said. He
assailed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden for saying there is
an “implicit bias” against people of color and “systemic racism” in the
U.S.
“The hard truth is ... you won’t be safe in Joe Biden’s America,” Pence
said. “Let me be clear: The violence must stop — whether in Minneap-
olis, Portland or Kenosha.”
Absent from Pence’s 37-minute speech: a direct mention of Jacob
Blake, the Black man who was wounded by police on Sunday in Keno-
sha, Wisconsin. There was also no reference to George Floyd, Breonna
Taylor or other Black people who have been killed by police this year,
spurring a new nationwide protest movement.
not perfect but has achieved much. to be for him,” said Ari Fleischer,
It’s an argument meant to offer a who served as White House press
contrast with Democrats whom the secretary for President George W.
president has described as not lov- Bush.
ing their country. In a similar vein, Fleischer said Trump should
aides said, Trump would speak to speak personally about his expe-
progress made on combating the riences with COVID-19 — includ-
coronavirus, which has been treat- ing friends lost to the virus. And
ed as something of an afterthought while much of the convention has
during much of the convention al- been about energizing Trump’s
though it is still killing 1,000 Amer- base, Fleischer also saw openings
icans a day. for Trump to address the public’s
But it is Trump’s handling of the concerns about social unrest and
pandemic that has sent him tum- crime, particularly after violence
bling in the polls and maximized erupted in Kenosha, Wisconsin,
the pressure around his speech. where a white officer shot a Black
And while aides recognize that few man seven times.
Joe Biden supporters are likely to “It strikes me that the choice
switch sides, their goal with the for Republicans, the choice for the
speech is to set up a permissions county, is that Biden is a good man
structure for Republicans who have who will do a lot of bad things to the
defected from Trump over his rhet- country. Trump is a pretty rough
oric or policies to come home. and boorish guy who has done and
“He needs to give those people will do a lot of good things for the
who don’t approve of him an excuse country,” Fleischer said.

Trump’s convention gives platform to some with fringe views

At the last minute, Republicans pulled a prerecorded
segment from one speaker after she directed her Twitter
followers to series of anti-Semitic, conspiratorial messages
BY JILL COLVIN
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — An
advocate of “household
voting” in which husbands
get the final say. A wom-
an who has argued that
school sex ed programs
are “grooming” children
to be sexualized by pred-
ators like Jeffrey Epstein.
A candidate who has ped-
dled in racist tropes and
bizarre QAnon conspiracy
theories.
President Donald
Trump has long surround-
ed himself with controver-
sial characters who hold
out- of - t he - ma i nst rea m
views. But the decision by
the party to elevate some
of those figures by featur-
ing them in prime-time
spots at the Republican
National Convention or in-
viting them to witness this
week’s events is drawing
new scrutiny.
Trump’s comfort with
the far-right fringe got un-
comfortable for his party
Tuesday. At the last min-
ute, Republicans pulled
a prerecorded speech by
“Angel Mom” Mary Ann
Mendoza from the pro-
gram, after she fired off
a now-deleted tweet di-
recting her followers to a
series of anti-Semitic, con-
spiratorial messages.
Mendoza, whose son
was killed in 2014 in a
head-on collision with
a drunken driver living
in the U.S. illegally, had
recorded remarks high-
lighting the president’s
fight against illegal im-
migration. But her spot
was pulled after the Daily
Beast reported that she
had promoted a thread
from a QAnon conspira-
cy theorist that was rife
with anti-Semitism and
claimed the Titanic was
sunk to kill opponents of
the Federal Reserve.
Mendoza, who has
made frequent appearanc-
es at the White House and
Trump campaign events
along with other “Angel
Moms,” apologized for
the tweet, writing that she
had “retweeted a very long
thread” without having
read every post and said
it didn’t reflect her “feel-
ings or personal thoughts
whatsoever.”
But the campaign
pulled the plug anyway.
“We have removed the
scheduled video from the
convention lineup and it
will no longer run this
week,” Trump campaign
spokesperson Tim Mur-
taugh said in a statement.
Republican Jewish Co-
alition executive director
Matt Brooks applauded
the decision, saying “her
views clearly disqualify
her from addressing the
convention.”
“We are pleased that
convention officials took
prompt action to make
sure the convention re-
flects who we are and our
values as a party,” he said.
Not pulled from the
schedule was anti-abor-
tion activist Abby Johnson,
whose past controversial
comments have surfaced
in recent days, along
with questions about her
journey from working at
Planned Parenthood to
her current advocacy.
In May, Johnson ad-
vocated for something
called “household voting”
in which each household
is given a single vote, and
said that, if differences
arise, women should defer
to their husbands.
“In a Godly household,
the husband would get the
final say,” she wrote.
Johnson also posted a
video on YouTube in June
in which she said she
would be fine with police
profiling her adopted bi-
racial son when he’s older
because “statistically, my
brown son is more likely
to commit a violent of-
fense over my white sons.”

US officials: No signs of foreign targeting of mail-in vote

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WA SH I NG T ON
— U.S. officials said
Wednesday there has
been no intelligence
to suggest that foreign
countries are working to
undermine mail-in voting
and no signs of any coor-
dinated effort to commit
widespread fraud through
the vote-by-mail process,
despite numerous claims
made by President Donald
Trump in recent months.
The officials at mul-
tiple federal agencies
stopped short of directly
contradicting Trump, but
their comments made it
clear they had not seen
evidence to support the
president’s statements
that voter fraud will be
rampant in the upcoming
election and that the ex-
pected surge in mail-in
ballots due to the coro-
navirus pandemic leaves
November’s presidential
election especially vul-
nerable to foreign inter-
ference.
Trump, for instance,
tweeted July 30 that mail-
in voting was proving to be
a “catastrophic disaster”
and added: “The Dems
talk of foreign influence in
voting, but they know that
Mail-In Voting is an easy
way for foreign countries
to enter the race. Even be-
yond that, there’s no accu-
rate count!”
But a senior official
with the Office of the Di-
rector of National Intelli-
gence, asked on a confer-
ence call with reporters
Wednesday about the
threat of foreign countries
manufacturing their own
ballots or amplifying dis-
information about the in-
tegrity of the vote-by-mail
process, said there was
no information or intelli-
gence that any adversary
was “engaged in any kind
of activity to undermine
any part of the mail-in
vote.”
A senior FBI official
said officials had not seen
to date a coordinated, na-
tionwide effort to corrupt
mail-in voting.
 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2020 3A

Laura blasts destructive, life-threatening Gulf Coast path

National Hurricane Center: Laura slammed
the coast with winds of 150 mph at 1 a.m.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LAKE ARTHUR, La. — Hur-
ricane Laura pounded the Gulf
Coast for hours with ferocious
wind, torrential rains and ris-
ing seawater as it roared ashore
over southwestern Louisiana
near the Texas border early
Thursday, threatening the lives
of people who didn’t evacuate.
Authorities had ordered
coastal residents to get out, but
not everyone did in an area dev-
astated by Rita in 2005.
Laura’s howling winds bat-
tered a tall building in Lake
Charles, blowing out windows
as glass and debris flew to the
ground. Police spotted a float-
ing casino that got loose and
crunched against a bridge. But
hours after landfall, the wind
and rain were still blowing too
hard to check for survivors.
“There are some people still
in town and people are calling ...
but there ain’t no way to get to
them,” Tony Guillory, president
of the Calcasieu Parish Police
Jury, said early Thursday morn-
ing over the phone as he hun-
kered down in a Lake Charles
government building that was
shaking from the storm.
Guillory said he hopes strand-
ed people can be rescued later
Thursday but fears that blocked
roads, downed power lines and
flooding could get in the way.
“We know anyone that stayed
that close to the coast, we’ve got
to pray for them, because look-
ing at the storm surge, there
would be little chance of surviv-
al,” Louisiana Lt. Gov. Billy Nun-
gesser told ABC’s Good Morn-
ing America.
With nearly 470,000 homes
and businesses without power
in the two states, near-constant
lightning provided the only light
for some.
The National Hurricane
Center said Laura slammed the
coast with winds of 150 mph at 1
a.m. CDT as a Category 4 hur-
ricane near Cameron, a 400-per-
son community about 30 miles
east of the Texas border.
“Unsurvivable storm surge
with large and destructive
waves will cause catastrophic
damage,” forecasters warned.
They said the storm surge could
reach 15-20 feet in Port Arthur,
Texas, and a stretch of Louisiana
including Lake Charles, a city of
80,000 people on Lake Calca-
sieu.
“This surge could penetrate
up to 40 miles inland from the
immediate coastline, and flood
waters will not fully recede for
several days,” the hurricane cen-
ter said.
Forecasters said Laura re-
mained a Category 2 hurricane
about 6 hours after making
landfall, with sustained winds of
100 mph. Its center was moving
north, about 20 miles north of
Fort Polk, Louisiana. Damaging
winds reached outward as far as
175 miles.
Dick Gremillion, the emer-
gency director in Calcasieu Par-
ish, said hours after landfall that
they hadn’t been able to get out
and look for damage.
“The wind is still over 50
mph. It’s going to have to drop
significantly before they can
even run any emergency calls.
We also need daylight,” Gremi-
llion said in an interview with
KPLC-TV.
More than 580,000 coastal
residents were ordered to join
the largest evacuation since the
coronavirus pandemic began
and many did, filling hotels and
sleeping in cars since officials
didn’t want to open mass shel-
ters and worsen the spread of
COVID-19.
But in Cameron Parish,
where Laura came ashore,
Nungesser said 50 to 150 peo-
ple refused pleas to leave and
planned to weather the storm in
everything from elevated homes
to recreational vehicles. The re-
sult could be deadly, since some
houses weren’t raised high
enough to withstand the mas-
sive storm surge.
“It’s a very sad situation,” said
Ashley Buller, assistant director
of emergency preparedness.
“We did everything we could to
encourage them to leave.”
Becky Clements, 56, didn’t
take chances; she evacuated
from Lake Charles after hear-
ing that it could take a direct hit.
With memories of the destruc-
tion almost 15 years ago by Hur-
ricane Rita, she and her family
found an Airbnb hundreds of
miles inland.
“The devastation afterward
in our town and that whole cor-
ner of the state was just awful,”
Clements recalled Wednesday.

Mississippi gov skipped mask at North

Carolina event, despite mandate
‘There’s public health risks to doing
large political gatherings, but in this
country ... we protect the right
to free speech’
BY LEAH WILLINGHAM
The Associated Press/ Report
for America
JACKSON — Missis-
sippi Gov. Tate Reeves
compared his attending a
crowded campaign event
over the weekend for a
North Carolina Republi-
can gubernatorial candi-
date — while not wearing
a mask — to people who
attended police brutality
protests outside the Gov-
ernor’s Mansion in Missis-
sippi in June.
“There’s public health
risks to doing large po-
litical gatherings, but in
Gov. Tate Reeves
this country — and we do
still live in America — we
protect the right to free
speech and we protect the
right to political discourse
and political events,”
Reeves said at a Tuesday
news conference.
Both North Carolina
and Mississippi have man-
dates for people to wear
face coverings in public
places to slow the spread
of the coronavirus. No
more than 10 people in-
doors and 25 outdoors are
allowed to gather in North
Carolina, under executive
orders from Democratic
Gov. Roy Cooper. In Mis-
sissippi, Reeves signed
executive orders banning
people from attending
gatherings with more
than 10 people indoors or
20 people outdoors.
On Sunday, Reeves was
one of more than 200 peo-
ple who attended a tightly
packed rally for Lt. Gov.
Dan Forest at the Rowan
County Fairgrounds in
Salisbury, North Caroli-
na, where few people wore
masks, the Salisbury Post
reported. Forest is run-
ning for governor against
incumbent Cooper.
Reeves said Tuesday
that he wore a mask 90
percent of the time while
in North Carolina and that
he only took his mask off
to speak at the rally in sup-
port of Forest. Both Mis-
sissippi and North Caroli-
na’s mask mandates allow
people to remove masks
temporarily while making
a speech or broadcast.
However, photos from
the event show Reeves sit-
ting at tables surrounded
by other people, posing for
photos next to attendees
and shaking hands with
Forest and others — all
while not wearing a mask.
When asked why he
did not wear a mask at
the event, Reeves brought
up protests around police
brutality and racial injus-
tice that happened in Jack-
son in June.
“There were literally
thousands and thousands
and thousands of people
outside the Governor’s
Mansion protesting, and
I defend their right to
do so,” he said. “But just
because you agree with
those that are protesting,
doesn’t mean that there
are not public health risks
to doing so.”

AROUND THE STATE

Mississippi lawmakers
sustain veto on felony
records bill
JACKSON — The Mis-
sissippi Legislature will
not challenge the gover-
nor’s veto of a bill that
would have let people get
more felony convictions
removed from their re-
cords.
The Legislature met
Monday, and the House
Judiciary B Committee
recommended that the
lawmakers not try to over-
ride Republican Gov. Tate
Reeves’ July 8 veto.
Current state law al-
lows a person to get one
felony conviction ex-
punged. House Bill 658
would have expanded that
to three.
Reeves wrote that the
bill was “well-intentioned”
but “would threaten pub-
lic safety.”
Mississippi Senate
confirms new state
revenue commissioner
JACKSON — The Mis-
sissippi Senate on Monday
confirmed an attorney as
the new commissioner of
the Mississippi Depart-
ment of Revenue.
Chris Graham has
worked in recent years
for the Legislative Budget
Office, helping senators
write spending plans for
state agencies. He previ-
ously worked for the state
Ethics Commission and
in private law practice.
Republican Gov. Tate
Reeves announced July
13 that he was nominat-
ing Graham to lead the
Department of Revenue,
and Graham has been
working in the job while
awaiting confirmation.
He succeeds Herb
Frierson, who retired as
commissioner July 1 after
four years in that job. Fri-
erson had a 42-year state
government career that
included time he served
as a legislator.
In addition to oversee-
ing the Department of
Revenue, the commission-
er serves in a group of ex-
perts that help legislators
predict how much money
the state might have avail- Telecommunications
able each year. That num- representative Christa Al-
ber is used as the basis for exander said Broadband
writing state budgets. is no longer a luxury, but
a necessity.
“You need it for tele-
Public Service health, teleworking,
Commission creates distance learning. Even
broadband committee going to school now, you
JACKSON — The Mis- don’t have a choice, you
sissippi Public Service have to do everything
Commission has created online and carry on,” she
a new committee that will said. “I’m happy to be
help identify internet con- a part of the group that
nectivity challenges in helps bring that to a reali-
the state amid the corona- ty for Mississippi.”
virus pandemic.
The pandemic has
highlighted the need for
more internet connectiv-
ity in the state, Southern
District Public Service
Commissioner Dane
Maxwell said.
“Mississippi’s a rural
state,” Maxwell said. “We
had been preaching this
before COVID-19. We’ve
been working on it be-
fore COVID-19, but it just
brought it to everybody’s
attention. People nowa-
days can’t operate with-
out the Internet and that
is our main focus.”

Bad boy! Dog costs Mississippi officials more than $7,000

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LIBERTY — A curious
dog got hold of a fiber op-
tic cable that ran between
county buildings in Mis-
sissippi, chewing it to
pieces and costing county
officials thousands of dol-
day. The wire was mostly amounts to more than
elevated but dipped to $7,000, from the owner,
the ground by the front according to Wroten.
door of the Justice Court His office first spent SOLUNAR TABLE
The solunar period indicates
building, where the dog $4,000 to establish two an- peak-feeding times for fish and game.
Thurs. Fri.
chewed it. tennae that send signals Major
Minor
7:56p
4:15p
8:55p
5:14p
The culprit was not to the cables, but it failed. Major 8:26a 9:24a
2:33a
caught in the act, but of- County supervisors then
Minor 1:38a
Courtesy of Mississippi Department
of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks
ficials saw “his running voted Tuesday to spend an

lars in an attempt to get it
fixed.
The cable connected
a courthouse and a near-
by Justice Court build-
ing in Amite County,
Tim Wroten, the county’s
sheriff, told the Enter-
prise-Journal Wednes-
mate” through the secu-
rity camera, Wroten said.
The sheriff has a sus-
pect in mind but lacks
evidence to hold up his
charge. If officials knew
who the troublemaker
was, the county could
seek damages, which
additional $3,600 to get a
new cable.
Amite County Justice
Court Judge Roger Ar-
nold said it’s his first time
hearing a case like this.
“I did hear the sus-
pect was still at large,” he
quipped.
The Dispatch
The Commercial Dispatch (USPS 142-320)
Published daily except Saturday. Answers to common questions:
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Opinion
4A THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2020
OUR VIEW
Between ‘nothing to see here’ and ‘run for the hills’
L
ife experience informs us that
when an official says, “There’s
nothing to see here folks, move
along,” there is almost always some-
thing to see, something that stops us
in our tracks and prompts questions.
Now, a little over a week into the fall
semester at Mississippi State, concern
over the ability to manage COVID-19
among the student population has
grown. We feel these questions are
justified.
Within a week of classes, the uni-
versity has reported 70 students have
tested positive for the virus, prompting
the school to quarantine students at
one of the two Starkville hospitals it
has designated for that purpose.
Meanwhile, OCH Regional Medical
Center has confirmed it has treated
MSU students for the virus in its
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Voice of the people
Points out Starkville tax increases
2018 budget: 25.58 mils;
$6,000,000 ad valorem
2019 budget: 26.62 mils; $6,730,000
ad valorem
2020 budget: 28.13 mils; $7,388,551
ad valorem
2021 budget: 30.13 mils; $8,162,217
ad valorem
Since this mayor and board have
been elected, the ad valorem taxes
have gone up 36 percent if the two
mil taxes are approved. Also, we have
had two increases in water and sewer
rates. Remember 25 percent of the
property is reappraised each year.
Bob Smith
Starkville
TODAY IN HISTORY
Today is Thursday, Aug. 27, the
240th day of 2020. There are 126 days
left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On August 27, 2008, Barack
Obama was nominated for president
by the Democratic National Conven-
tion in Denver.
On this date:
In 1776, the Battle of Long Island
began during the Revolutionary War
as British troops attacked American
forces who ended up being forced to
retreat two days later.
In 1858, the second debate be-
tween senatorial candidates Abraham
Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas took
place in Freeport, Ill.
In 1908, Lyndon Baines John-
son, the 36th president of the United
States, was born near Stonewall,
Texas.
In 1949, a violent white mob
prevented an outdoor concert head-
lined by Paul Robeson from taking
place near Peekskill, New York. (The
concert was held eight days later.)
In 1963, author, journalist and
civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois
died in Accra, Ghana, at age 95.
In 1964, President Lyndon Baines
Johnson accepted his party’s nomina-
tion for a term in his own right, telling
the Democratic National Convention
in Atlantic City, New Jersey, “Let us
join together in giving every Ameri-
can the fullest life which he can hope
for.”
In 1979, British war hero Lord
Louis Mountbatten and three other
people, including his 14-year-old
grandson Nicholas, were killed off the
coast of Ireland in a boat explosion
claimed by the Irish Republican Army.
In 1989, the first U.S. commercial
satellite rocket was launched from
Cape Canaveral, Florida — a Delta
booster carrying a British communi-
cations satellite, the Marcopolo 1.
In 1998, two suspects in the
bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Ken-
ya were brought to the United States
to face charges. (Mohamed Rashed
Daoud al-’Owhali (moh-HAH’-mehd
rah-SHEED’ dah-ood ahl-oh-WAHL’-
ee) and Mohammed Saddiq Odeh
(sah-DEEK’ oh-DAY’) were convicted
in 2001 of conspiring to carry out the
bombing; both were sentenced to life
in prison.)
In 2005, coastal residents
jammed freeways and gas stations as
they rushed to get out of the way of
Hurricane Katrina, which was headed
toward New Orleans.
SOURCE: AP
emergency room, but has yet to admit
any students into the ICU unit, where
there is a limited supply of beds.
University and hospital officials are
putting up a unified front in efforts to
reassure students, their parents and
broader community that the situation
is well under control and they are
prepared for any contingencies that a
continued spread of the virus might
produce.
We have no reason to question
those institutions’ insistence that they
are managing the current situation.
But to suggest, as both university and
hospital officials claim, that the po-
tential that our contingencies cannot
be easily overwhelmed creates a false
sense of security and, we fear, compla-
cency.
Officials certainly have an obliga-
CARTOONIST VIEW
CAMPAIGN 2020
What Trump and his convention must accomplish
T
his week is the
launch of the
Republican Na-
tional Convention, and
it’s a pivotal moment for
President Donald Trump
and the Republican Party.
It’s Trump’s opportunity to
highlight his forward vision
for the country and to tell
the American people how
he’ll lead us through the
coronavirus pandemic. Armstrong Williams to offer solutions for the ris-
Republicans need to
put forth solutions for
American workers and
During the
small-business owners who
continue to be impacted
Republican
by COVID-19. Demo- National
crats failed to work with
Republicans on another Convention,
much-needed stimulus
bill, all while passing a Republicans
$25 billion USPS stimulus
bill for mail-in voting. For and Trump
Democrats, this is all about
politics and not about pass- need to offer
ing legislation to support
Americans who are out solutions for
of work and need unem-
ployment money or small the rising
businesses that have run
out of PPP funding and are
crime and
being forced to close their
doors for good.
looting that’s
During the Democratic
National Convention, they
wreaking
made an emotional appeal
to voters, telling them the
havoc across
sky is falling. But if that isthe United
true, then why didn’t they
offer any substantive policy States.
positions to correct course?
They railed against Trump and Repub-
licans for everything wrong in Ameri-
Dispatch
The
tion to reassure the public. But they
also have the responsibility of being
forthright in their assessments.
The truth is that there is a point
where both the university and our
health care systems can be over-
whelmed. It is a threshold that can be
breached with stunning quickness, in
fact.
While it is true that because of the
age demographic of college students
few who contract the virus will re-
quire hospital care, it’s important to
remember these students do not live
in a bubble. They come into frequent
contact with other members of the
community who may be vulnerable
to the worst aspects of the virus. A
student with COVID may not wind up
in the hospital, it is true. But it is also
true that he may send someone else to
ca and the world. Yet, they
did not provide specifics for
what they would do to fix
these perceived problems.
The Democrats’ failure to
offer any substance is an
opportunity for Republicans
and Trump to do the exact
opposite.
During the Republican
National Convention, Re-
publicans and Trump need
ing crime and looting that’s
wreaking havoc across the
United States. Commu-
nities and businesses are
being destroyed because of
Democrats’ soft-on-crime
policies.
Republicans need to
talk about Democrats’
continued leftward push
and calls for socialism, and
the effect that would have
on the United States. They
need to talk about how,
under Democratic leader-
ship, capitalism will come
to an end and social welfare
programs will bankrupt the
country. To draw a contrast,
Republicans can talk about
opportunities under capi-
talism that help lift people
out of poverty. They need
to talk about how, under
a capitalist system, every-
one has a chance to thrive
and reach their version of
the American dream. In
essence, they need to give
people hope, which is what
so many desperately need.
Trump has to strike to the right bal-
Make Your Voice Heard
Write The Dispatch: voice@cdispatch.com
PETER BIRNEY IMES Editor/Publisher
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ZACK PLAIR, Managing Editor
BETH PROFFITT Advertising Director
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MARY ANN HARDY Controller
the hospital. Already, the hotel space
provided for MSU students is almost at
half capacity. A reminder: We are only
in the second week of classes.
The university and hospital should
do all they can to reassure the public,
but not at the expense of portraying
an accurate view of the crisis before
them.
They should trust that the public
can handle the truth because under-
standing the real threat before us is
good public health policy.
We believe we are past the point of
“there’s nothing to see here.” We also
believe that we have not reached the
point where it’s “run for the hills.”
We are somewhere between those
two poles.
University and hospital officials
should be willing to acknowledge that.
ance and differ from Biden in that he
can talk about how great the economy
was before COVID-19 and how, under
his leadership, he can help America
turn the page on the virus and get the
economy running again. He needs to
lean into the economic gains made
during his presidency, and he has to
illustrate that only under Republican
leadership will those gains return.
Republicans also have an opportuni-
ty to talk directly to Americans, partic-
ularly America’s minority citizens, to
offer them opportunities. Many com-
munities across the United States have
depended on Democratic leadership
for decades, and yet, poverty persists.
Republicans need to speak directly to
those voters about their realities and
not about emotionalism. It’s not about
liking Trump or Republicans, it’s about
people’s well-being and way of life. For
many urban minorities, their lives are
worse than they were before.
This convention has to be about the
future and moving forward. A presi-
dent running for reelection has to tell
the American people what he has done
and what he continues to do to make
the country work for all of its citizens.
President Trump can draw a clear con-
trast between his plans and the plans
proposed by Democrats.
This election is one of the most piv-
otal in our nation’s history. America is
at a crossroads, and voters must decide
between embracing socialism, lawless-
ness and open borders or capitalism,
faith, family, community and oppor-
tunity. T his is what the Republicans’
message needs to be: opportunity for
all Americans.
Armstrong Williams is an American
political commentator, entrepreneur,
author, and talk show host.
 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2020 5A

New federal virus testing advice sparks criticism, confusion

New guidance says it’s not necessary
for people who have been in close
contact with infected people, but
don’t feel sick, to get tested
BY MIKE STOBBE
AP Medical Writer
NEW YORK — U.S.
health officials sparked
criticism and confusion
after posting guidelines
on coronavirus testing
from the White House
task force that run count-
er to what scientists say is
necessary to control the
pandemic.
The new guidance says
it’s not necessary for peo-
ple who have been in close
contact with infected peo-
ple, but don’t feel sick, to
get tested. It was posted
earlier this week on the
website of the Centers for
Disease Control and Pre-
vention.
The CDC previously
had advised local health
departments to test people
who have been within 6
feet of an infected person
for more than 15 minutes.
Across the country,
public health experts
called the change bizarre.
They noted that testing
contacts of infected peo-
ple is a core element of
public health efforts to
keep outbreaks in check,
and that a large percent-
“We are seeking
clarification from CDC
task force.
However, Dr. Anthony
age of infected people —
the CDC has said as many
about its recent guidance
around testing,” said a
Fauci, the country’s top
infectious disease expert
as 40 percent — exhibit no spokesman for Michi- and perhaps the best
symptoms. gan’s health department. known task force mem-
“The recommendation Federal officials said ber, said Wednesday he
not to test asymptomatic the new recommendation wasn’t part of the discus-
people who likely have was issued by consensus sion that green-lighted
of the White House virus the change.
been exposed is not in
accord with the science,”
said John Auerbach, pres-
ident of Trust for Amer-
ica’s Health, a nonprofit
that works to improve U.S.
preparedness against dis-
ease.

Does a face mask protect me, or just the people around me?
Experts: Masks important because may still spread out, masks were required

infected people can be contagious

even if they don’t have symptoms
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Does a face mask pro-
tect me, or just the people
around me?
It likely provides pro-
tection for both.
Studies on the new
coronavirus and other
germs show wearing a
mask helps stop infected
people from spreading
disease to others. Evi-
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Frank Porter Sr.
FOLEY, Ala. —
Frank Porter Sr., 73,
died Aug. 23, 2020, in
Foley, Alabama.
A celebration of life
was at 2 p.m. Wednes-
day, at First Baptist
Church Gulf Shores.
Pine rest Funeral
Home of Foley, Ala-
bama was in charge of
arrangements.
Mr. Porter was
born Dec. 15, 1946,
in Columbia, South
Carolina.
He is survived by
his wife, Reba Brown
Porter; children, Frank
Porter and Randy
Porter; sister, Pat
McCullough; and four
grandchildren.
Memorials may be
made to the Building
Fund at First Baptist
Church Gulf Shores,
2200 West 1st St., Gulf
Shores, AL, 36542.
Robert Sykes III
COLUMBUS — Rob-
ert Pookey Sykes III,
59, died
Aug. 18,
2020, in
Pine Bluff,
Arkansas.
Grave-
side
services
Sykes III
will be at
11 a.m.
Friday, in Memorial
Gardens Cemetery,
dence also suggests that
masks may offer some
protection for the people
wearing them.
The virus spreads from
droplets people spray
when they cough, sneeze
or talk. Surgical or cloth
face masks can block
most of those particles
from spreading.
While some droplets
AREA OBITUARIES
with Rayfield Evins Jr.
officiating. Visitation is
from 2-5 p.m. today, at
Carter’s Funeral Ser-
vice Chapel. Carter’s
Funeral Services of
Columbus is in charge
of arrangements.
Mr. Sykes was born
Jan. 31, 1961, in Colum-
bus, to the late Richard
Miller and Catherine
Sykes Jordan. He was
a graduate of Caldwell
High School. He was
formerly employed
as a truck driver for
Heartland Express and
a member of Soutside
M.B. Church.
He is survived by
his children, LaQuan-
da Hayden, Quinton
Hayden both of Colum-
bus and Delvon Hayden
of Dallas, Texas; sib-
lings, Rickey L. Sykes
of Huntsville, Alabama,
Trinettee Dempsey of
Monroe, North Caroli-
na, Annie Miller Isom
of Sawagin, Michigan,
Leo Bailey of Detroit,
Michigan, Gloria
Smith, Richard Miller
and Pete Lane all of
Columbus; and two
grandchildren.
Jewell Porter
MERIDIAN — Jew-
ell Porter, 84, died Aug.
26, 2020, at Regency
Hospital.
Arrangements are
incomplete and will be
announced by Lown-
des Funeral Home of
Columbus.
Otis Richardson
Services:
Friday, Aug. 28 • 10 AM
2nd Ave. N Location
Burial
North Union Cemetery
2nd Ave. N Location
Jane Niles
Services:
A private memorial
service will be held.
2nd Ave. N Location
Nellie McCrory
Incomplete
College St. Location
memorialgunterpeel.com
wearing a mask could
reduce the amount, pro-
viding a benefit to others.
and infection clusters oc-
curred, Gandhi noted that
most workers who devel-
Carolyn Hester
Research shows people
don’t get as sick when ex-
oped COVID-19 had mild
illness or no symptoms.
Carolyn Lulu Hipp Hester,
86, formerly of Lawrenceburg
posed to smaller amounts Research on a differ- and currently of Spring Hill,
of virus, said Dr. Monica ent coronavirus has also TN, died Monday, August 24,
Gandhi, a virus expert at found low infection rates 2020, at 8:30 PM in the evening
University of California, among people who fre- after a fall and an extended
San Francisco. quently wore masks in illness at the home of her son.
And masks may pro- public. She was surrounded by family
tect the people wearing Experts say masks are in whose care she had spent her
them by reducing the particularly important remaining months.
amount of droplets from with the new coronavirus
Born in Tula, Mississippi, a community close
others that might make because infected people
to Oxford, Carolyn grew up the only child of
contact with them. can be contagious even
the late Louis Howard Hipp and the late Roxie
In two U.S. food pro- if they don’t have symp-
cessing plants where toms.
Dell Harris Hipp near Potlockney Creek. After
graduating Valedictorian of her high school
class she earned Bachelor’s degrees in both
English and Bible from Blue Mountain College
in Mississippi. After college she worked for the
Baptist Sunday School Board (now Lifeway)
before marriage took her from that job which she
was very proud of.
Lendle Sanderson parents, he was preced-
Married to the late Harvell Alonzo Hester for
BEAVERTON, Ala. ed in death by his wife,
over 62 years his work with Southern Airways
— Lendle F. Sander- Pamela Sanderson; and
had them living briefly in Albany GA, Dothan
son, 77, died Aug. 25, sister, June Oliver.
AL, Memphis TN and Atlanta GA before settling
2020, at North Missis- He is survived by
in Columbus MS from 1972 until 1987. They
sippi Medical Center his children, Crystal
then resided in Lawrenceburg, TN for the last 30
Gilmore of Amory. Cantrell of Beaverton, years until Harvell died in 2018 when she moved
Funeral Services Alabama and Serena
to Willow Springs Assisted Living to be near her
are at 1 p.m. today, at White of Booneville;
son and his family in Spring Hill, TN. She spent
Otts Funeral Home siblings, Q.T. Sand-
2 years at Willow Springs where she developed
Chapel, with Glenn erson of Hamilton,
many close friends of the staff and residents. Her
Alabama and Bob
Hughes officiating. final two months she lived with her son and his
Sanderson of Win-
Burial will follow in family where she was an enjoyable personality
field, Alabama; four
Pleasant Ridge Ceme- and welcome addition.
grandchildren; and six
tery. Visitation is one In Columbus, Carolyn worked as a counselor’s
great-grandchildren.
hour prior to services secretary at Caldwell High School from 1974
Pallbearers will
of the funeral home. until 1987. She enjoyed the work and was very
be Heith Cantrell,
Otts Funeral Home of active at First Baptist Church in Columbus for
Sonny Roberts, Justin
Sulligent is in charge the entire time they lived there.
Mauney, Brian Haith-
of arrangements. In 1987, with another job transfer, the Hesters
cock, Stuart Sanderson
Mr. Sanderson was settled in Lawrenceburg, TN on Wesley Chapel
and Stacy Sanderson.
born Jan. 15, 1943, Rd. Sometime after that she got a job as a church
in Marion County, secretary at Leoma Baptist Church where she
Alabama, to the late Nellie McCrory worked for almost a decade. She believed that
Thirston Sanderson COLUMBUS — Nel- a church secretary was a Called position and
and Mittie Emerson. lie McCrory, 86, died she beat out 12 other candidates for the position
He attended Byrd and Aug. 26, 2020, at her because of that.
Hamilton Schools and residence. After that, her final job, she and Harvell
was formerly employed Arrangements are traveled extensively in their Fifth Wheel travel
in the concrete busi- incomplete and will be trailer both independently and as members of
ness. He was a mem- announced by Memori- the Davy Crockett Good Sam Club which they
ber of Pleasant Ridge al Gunter Peel Funeral belonged to for two decades where she held
Baptist Church. Home and Crematory the position of Club Secretary for many years.
In addition to his College Street location. She served as Statewide Secretary for the TN
Good Sams for several years and they traveled
Otis Richardson
throughout over 30 states including Alaska.
She was a member of the Highland Park
FCE until its demise for over 20 years and
Otis Lee Richardson, age 89, of Columbus, MS, held many leadership positions there from
passed away August 25, 2020, at his residence. Secretary to President. She faithfully attended
Funeral services will be Friday, August 28, Immanuel Baptist Church and was a member
2020, at 10:00 AM at Memorial Gunter Peel of Rose Martin’s Sunday School Class and
Funeral Home Chapel 716 2nd Ave. North location Keith Durham’s Training Union Class, both of
with Rev. James Black and Rev. Ron Thomas which she was very proud of. She served on the
officiating. The interment will follow at 1:00 PM Lawrenceburg Friends of the Library Committee
at North Union Cemetery in Bellefontaine, MS. for several years.
Mr. Richardson was born October 13, 1930, She will always be remembered for her
in Bellefontaine, MS, to the late Joe Evans and unfailing practice of sending friends and loved
Christine Pounds Richardson. He served in the one’s cards or notes on their birthdays and
United States Air Force and served 18 months anniversaries. She kept a calendar full of dates
in Germany. Otis Lee married his wife, Pat, and would typically send out a card or two each
while he was stationed at Reese Air Force Base day which were much appreciated by their
in Lubbock, TX. He was a farmer and cattleman recipients. She served on the Immanuel Baptist
until they moved to Columbus, MS, in 1963 and Church Bereavement Committee and both
put in Shirley’s Minit Mart on Hwy 45 North. He before and after that time was forever making
went into the laundry business later in life and and taking dishes to families who suffered loss.
owned Coin-Op-Laundry. He was listed in Who’s She was an avid reader and averaged three or
Who in Mississippi in 1974 and Outstanding more books a month for many years before the
Americans in the South in 1975. He was loved Lord took her. She will be remembered as a
and respected by so many he had helped. kind, generous, opinionated, smiling woman
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in with a great capacity for Bible knowledge as well
death by his sister, Shirley Simmons; brother, as English syntax and grammar who loved her
family and especially her two grandchildren.
Billy Richardson; and nephews, Frankie
Simmons, John Simmons and Andy Bill Smith. She is survived by her son, Brooks (Mary)
He leaves behind his wife of 67 years, Pat Hester; and two grandchildren, Louis Judson
Richardson; son, Richard Richardson; grandson, Hester (18) and Rachel Naomi Hester (14);
Joseph Richardson; and great grandsons, Justin plus numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews.
Richardson and Gavin Richardson. Memorials may be sent to the American Cancer
Pallbearers will be Justin Richardson, Gavin Society. Though Carolyn did not have cancer she
Richardson, Bo Harris, Jay Harris, Drew Stanton lost her father and many friends to this disease
and Douglas Scallions. and it was a cause she felt passionately about.
Donations and memorials may be made to the Funeral services will be held Thursday, August
charity of the donor’s choice. 27, 2020, at 3:00 PM in the afternoon at Neal
Funeral Home with visitation to begin at 1:00
PM. Burial will be in Gum Springs Cemetery,
Lawrenceburg, TN. Arrangements are being
handled by Neal Funeral Home 231 N. Military
Sign the online guest book at Ave. Lawrenceburg, TN 38464 Telephone 931
www.memorialgunterpeel.com 762 9447.
716 Second Avenue North • Columbus, MS Paid Obituary - Neal Funeral Home
6A THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2020 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com

Damage from big hurricanes

rising for many reasons
In the last three years, the United States has had
seven hurricane disasters that each caused at
least $1 billion in damage, totaling $335 billion
BY SETH BORENSTEIN
AP Science Writer
A destructive storm is rising
from warm waters. Again.
America and the world are get-
ting more frequent and bigger mul-
tibillion dollar tropical catastrophes
like Hurricane Laura, which is men-
acing the U.S. Gulf Coast, because
of a combination of increased coast-
al development, natural climate cy-
cles, reductions in air pollution and
man-made climate change, experts
say.
The list of recent whoppers
keeps growing: Harvey, Irma, Ma-
ria, Florence, Michael, Dorian. And
hurricane experts have no doubt
that Laura will be right there with
them.
It’s a mess at least partially of
our own making, said Susan Cutter,
director of the Hazards and Vulner-
ability Institute at the University of
South Carolina.
“We are seeing an increase of in-
tensity of these phenomena because
we as a society are fundamentally
changing the Earth and at the same
time we are moving to locations that
are more hazardous,” Cutter said
Wednesday.
In the last three years, the United
States has had seven hurricane di-
sasters that each caused at least $1
billion in damage, totaling $335 bil-
lion. In all of the 1980s, there were
six, and their damage totaled $38.2
billion, according to the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminis-
tration. All those figures are adjust-
ed for the cost of living.
The Atlantic is increasingly
spawning more major hurricanes,
according to an Associated Press
analysis of NOAA hurricane data
since 1950. That designation refers
to storms with at least 111-mile-per-
hour winds that are the ones that do
the most damage. The Atlantic now
averages three major hurricanes
a year, based on a 30-year running
average. In the 1980s and 1990s, it
was two.
The Atlantic’s Accumulated Cy-
clone Energy — a measurement
that takes into account the number
of storms, their strength and how
long they last — is now 120 on a 30-
year running average. Thirty years
ago, it was in the 70s or 80s on av-
erage.
Some people argue the increase
is due to unchecked coastal devel-
opment, while others will point to
man-made climate change from the
burning of coal, oil and gas. In fact,
both are responsible, said former
Federal Emergency Management
Agency chief Craig Fugate.
“There’s a lot of factors going
on,” he said.
When it comes to hurricane risk,
a major factor is “the amount of stuff
in the way of natural peril and the
vulnerability of the stuff in the way,”
said Mark Bove, a meteorologist
who works for the insurance firm
Munich Re U.S.
One factor that increases the pos-
sibility that there will be “stuff in the
way” of a major storm is that federal
disaster policy and flood insurance
subsidize and encourage people to
rebuild in risky areas, Fugate said.
After storms, communities “al-
ways say they are going to rise from
the ashes,” and, too often, they build
the same way in the same place for
the same vulnerability and the same
outcome, Fugate said.
In addition, some places, like
Houston, don’t limit development
in areas that could serve as flood
control zones if left empty and al-
low development that’s not disaster
resilient, said Kathleen Tierney, for-
mer director of the Natural Hazards
Center at Colorado University.
Now add in the meteorology.
Scientists agree that waters are
warming, and that serves as hurri-
cane fuel, said NOAA climate scien-
tist Jim Kossin. A study by Kossin
found that, once a storm formed,
the chances of its attaining major
storm status globally increased by 8
percent a decade since 1979. In the
Atlantic, chances went up by 49 per-
cent a decade.

Hotels
Continued from Page 1A
dangerous COVID-19
hotspots among southern
states.
At Courtyard by Marri-
ott in Starkville, for exam-
ple, the 104-room facility
has a mask requirement
for all guests and employ-
ees, Duncan said. The ho-
tel disinfects high-touch
areas and rooms between
stays, practices six-feet
social distancing in its
lobby areas and provides
hand sanitizers for guest
use, he said.
If his hotels are booked
up, Duncan said he will
communicate with other
hotels in the area to find
the evacuees a place to
stay within a reasonable
price range.
“You have someone
who has little in posses-
sion,” Duncan said of
evacuees.
Jordan Gillentine,
general manager for
LaQuinta Inn and Suites
in Starkville, said sev-
eral guests from Lake
Charles, Louisiana, have
already booked rooms at
the 90-room hotel. The
hotel takes similar steps
to slow the virus spread,
he said.
“With football season
being shifted later in the
year, it opens up the op-
portunity for us to accept
large groups like that,”
he said. “We are ready to
welcome them with open
arms if they so choose.”
Sharon Jones, general
manager at Best West-
ern Executive Suites in
Columbus, told The Dis-
patch the 73-room hotel
allows for cars to pull up
directly in front of individ-
ual rooms and self-check
in. Due to the pandemic,
the lobby area is closed,
she said. Instead of a
morning buffet, the hotel
now serves pre-packaged
breakfast.
Mixed bag of emotions
The occupancy rate
at Best Western now sits
at 40 percent, mainly be-
cause of the pandemic,
Jones said. An influx of
evacuees, she said, could
give the hotel’s business a
boost.
But, Jones said, she
has mixed feelings about
that.
“You don’t want to see
it happen that way be-
cause people are leaving
their homes not knowing
what to expect,” she said.
For hotels that strug-
gle to stay afloat as the
pandemic slams the
hospitality industry, Gil-
lentine said the influx —
although due to unfortu-
nate reasons — may help.
“Obviously, you hate
to see anyone from any-
where have to evacuate
from their home, so the
reason for the travel is
unfortunate,” he said.
“But … it does help us
after what we’ve been
through over the last sev-
eral months with a drastic
decrease in travel and ho-
tel stays. It will somewhat
help us bridge the gap.”
Having evacuated
during a hurricane him-
self, Duncan said he un-
derstands what evacuees
are going through. But for
hotel employees, a higher
occupancy rate may mean
more hours worked to
make a living, he said.
“It is unfortunate going
through that. … You have
guests that are here that
don’t want to be here,” he
said. “(But) employees
can work more hours …
to support their families.”
Community shelters
may open with limited
capacity
Greg Michel, executive
director for the Mississip-
pi Emergency Manage-
ment Agency, said during
a Wednesday press con-
ference the state does not
expect a large number of
evacuees, although it is
preparing to open shel-
ters in case there is a
growing need.
During a pandemic, he
said, the state may have
to open more shelters to
accommodate the same
number of evacuees it
would have accommodat-
ed in normal times.
Lowndes County
Emergency Services Di-
rector Cindy Lawrence
told The Dispatch the
county is in talks with the
Red Cross to staff rough-
ly 12 community centers,
which can be used to shel-
ter evacuees if MEMA
tells the county to open
them. The shelters usual-
ly house 75 people each,
she said, but they will op-
erate at 25 percent of their
normal capacity amid the
pandemic.
To minimize the risk of
infection, Lawrence said
she recommends evacu-
ees to stay in hotels if they
have the resources. Com-
munity shelters, she said,
are used as a “last resort.”
Torrey Williams, di-
rector of West Point Clay
County Emergency Man-
agement Agency, told
The Dispatch the county
will also partner with the
Red Cross to provide shel-
ters if needed. The county
currently has four desig-
nated shelters, with three
in the city and one outside
city limits. Similarly, the
shelters will also operate
at a 25-percent capacity,
he said, and will require
mask-wearing and pro-
vide hand sanitizers.
Williams said it is con-
cerning that many of the
evacuees could come
from COVID-19 hotspots.
“The information
about someone may not
be available and the per-
son may not be truthful
about them having the
virus,” he said. “That
certainly complicates ev-
erything, because if they
don’t tell you they have it,
you won’t know.”
To minimize the risk of
infection, Williams said
he also recommends hotel
stays. For those who have
to stay in shelters, he said
there will be temperature
checks and question-
naires at the entrance. He
is also contemplating the
idea of separating evacu-
ees according to their risk
level.
“Maybe (set up) a high-
risk, a medium-risk and a
low-risk category, then
put them at different shel-
ters so we can keep that
risk down low,” he said.

Business
Continued from Page 1A
Triangle Auto Sales,
301 Alabama St., is
selling its last car after
50 years of business.
The lot, building and few
remaining cars are all up
for sale.
The Dispatch could
not reach the owner by
press time today.
Keeping with the car
trend, Starkville has a
new performance shop
open now.
Apex Performance,
9829 Hwy. 25 S., is ready
to service and upgrade
your vehicle to a higher
performance.
Apex owner Benjamin
Shurden, who is also the
owner of Parrish Towing,
has turned his passion
into a full-on business
venture.
“We specialize in high
performance,” Shurden
said. “We can tune just
about anything that’s
newer than a (2005 vehi-
cle). … I take your stock
calibration and I put my
own calibration on there
and I make vehicles
more efficient and more
powerful.”
On average, he said
he can tune your vehi-
cle and give your car a
12-percent increase in
power and increase up to
two miles per gallon.
“I tune every aspect
of it,” Shurden said. “I’ve
been a gear-head and a
car guy and built race
cars most of my life, so
automotive is kind of in
me. … I built a rapport
for custom tunes on the
side, so instead of it be-
ing side work, I just went
public with it.”
Apex is open Monday
through Friday 8 a.m.-5
p.m.
If you’re like me and
you’re not quite mechan-
ically inclined, Shurden
is inviting the public
to check out what high
performance tuning can
actually do to a vehicle.
On Oct. 3, he’s invit-
ing the public to a big
cookout and a chance to
see cars that have 600 to
700 horsepower. Be sure
to stay up to date with
Apex’s Facebook page
for more updates and
public events.
“We’re going to (have)
all the vehicles that
we’ve done tune work
on and the public,” he
said. “We’ll see what the
turnout is. I’ll grill 100
hamburgers if I have to.
We’re going to give the
kids in the local area a
chance to see some cool
cars.”

If you don’t read The Dispatch, how are you gonna know?
Sports MISSISSIPPI STATE FOOTBALL
SPORTS LINE
662-241-5000
THE DISPATCH n CDISPATCH.COM n THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2020
B
SECTION

WHAT CHARLES CROSS’ DEVELOPMENT

MEANS FOR MSU’S OFFENSIVE LINE
BY BEN PORTNOY
bportnoy@cdispatch.com
STARKVILLE — Williams, who spent the
Charles Cross’ time is
coming at Mississippi
State.
A five-star recruit in
the class of 2019 and the
No. 27 overall player ac-
cording to the 247Sports
Composite, Cross arrived
on campus last January
with an heir of potential
few players in the history
of the program have pos-
sessed, but a body that
wasn’t college ready.
After appearing in
games against Southern
Mississippi, Kansas State
and Texas A&M a season
ago, Cross is now slated
to take over the left tack-
le spot vacated by third
round NFL Draft Pick
Tyre Phillips heading into
the middle of fall camp.
“He’s like a pit bull,”
MSU offensive line coach
Mason Miller said Tues-
day night. “When he
gets his hands on you, he
doesn’t surrender.”
Baby-faced and a Charles Cross’ time is coming at Mississippi State. The offensive lineman will now likely take over the left tackle
slim 260 pounds when
he arrived on campus a
season ago, Cross has
evolved and matured into
a 290-pound behemoth
in the trenches. Bless-
ed with quick feet and
an athleticism that far
exceeds what a player of
his size should be capa-
ble of, he earned rave re-
views from former coach
Joe Moorhead’s staff.
Ex-offensive line
coach Marcus Johnson
— who’s now working
under Eliah Drinkwitz
at Missouri — noted it
would take time to get
spot vacated by third round NFL Draft Pick Tyre Phillips heading into the middle of fall camp.
Cross’ body prepared for
the rigors of a Southeast-
ern Conference sched-
ule, but that he profiled
as a “superstar.”
“To be honest with
you guys, I don’t think
I’ve ever been around
a true freshman with
his ability, along with
his mental capacity,”
Johnson said last Au-
gust. “Such a mature
young man for his age.
He doesn’t act like a
freshman at all. Doesn’t
really joke around, he’s
real business-mind-
ed — kind of similar to
(former MSU lineman)
Deion Calhoun. I think
that’s one of the rea-
sons Charles is ahead of
the other freshmen, be-
cause he’s been here go-
ing on nine months and
he’s learned with some
pretty good players.”
“He’s showing so much
more talent than when he
first got here,” sophomore
defensive tackle Nathan
Pickering added. “He’s
quicker, stronger. I mean,
he’s a way better player
from when he first got
here, I can tell you that.”
With incumbent cen-
ter Darryl Williams and
Phillips off to the NFL,
coupled with Stewart Re-
ese’s transfer to Florida,
MSU is left with three
starting positions to fill
along its offensive line,
albeit with ample talent
to spare. Senior tackle
Greg Eiland and guards
Dareuan Parker, LaQuin-
ston Sharp and Scott
Lashley all landed in the
Courtesy of Mississippi State Athletics
top 10 at their respective
positions in ESPN NFL
Draft Insider Todd Mc-
Shay’s 2021 positional
rankings that dropped
Wednesday morning.
Former Under Ar-
mour All-American
Kwatrivous Johnson also
figures to play a role
along this year’s line.
According to Miller,
Johnson — who’s played
in just two career games
due to redshirting and
suspension — is current-
ly running with the No.
1 offense at right tackle.
The biggest question
mark comes at center.
better part of his MSU
career at guard, shift-
ed inside as a senior to
replace Elgton Jenkins.
Now tasked with replac-
ing the vocal leader of
the Bulldogs’ line a year
ago, Miller said Tuesday
that junior James Jack-
son and LSU transfer
Cole Smith are battling
to fill the spot.
“I’m very, very hard
on our centers,” Miller
said. “You’re going to
get some tongue lash-
ings. (Smith has) taken
it very well — so has
James — they both have.
I’m very proud of what
they’ve done. We did
some good things again
in the protection today
but we’ve got to continue
to get better.”
For Cross, he’s earned
praise from Miller for his
ability to remain even-
keel practice-to-prac-
tice in fall camp’s first
week-and-a-half. Given
that consistency coupled
with the mass he spent
more than a year build-
ing, Cross’ rise gives
way to an offensive line
that could go as many
as 10 or 12-deep this fall
and a future that his re-
cruiting rankings and
onlookers believe could
lead to an NFL future.
“It’s different but
I’m ready for it,” Cross
said during Wednesday
night’s media availabil-
ity. “I’m preparing my-
self to the best of my
ability to do my job at a
high level.”

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

Increased depth,
Tigers think returning talent will take them strong offense could
back to title game — and with a win this time take West Lowndes
football to new heights

Dispatch file photo

Noxubee County running back Damian Verdell carries the ball during a playoff game against Coahoma Agricul-
tural on Nov. 8 in Macon. Verdell and the Tigers made the MHSAA Class 3A title game last year and think they
can win it this season.
BY THEO DEROSA
tderosa@cdispatch.com
MACON — Noxubee
County football coach
Teddy Young often re-
minds his players what
it’s going to take in order
to return to the top.
“If we’re going to get
back where we need to
go,” Young tells the Ti-
gers, “our defense is go-
ing to have to carry us
again.”
Defense, after all,
won Noxubee County
five Mississippi High
School Activities Asso-
ciation titles in a 10-year
span, as the Tigers won
titles in 2008, 2012, 2014,
2015 and 2017. Last sea-
son, it was defense that
got Young’s team to the
championship game, but
the Tigers lost that con-
test to Jefferson Davis
County, 25-15.
So Young knows that
it’ll take another season
of dominant defense —
plus a strong year from
the Noxubee County of-
fense — to not only get
back to where the Tigers
were last year but to win
the sixth title in school
history.
And just over a week
from the team’s season
opener against Shannon
on Sept. 4, he’s got his
players believing that just
might happen.
Dispatch file photo
“We’re going back
to the ’ship, and we’re
going to bring the gold
ball home this time,” se-
nior running back Bobby
Shanklin said.
Shanklin’s confidence
is spurred by the return
of every member of a
strong offensive line, the
talented skill position
players Noxubee County
brings back on offense
and the Tigers’ eight re-
See TIGERS, 3B
Jherquaveus “Qua” Sanders will be hard to replace at
West Lowndes, but the Panthers will try. Coach Anthony
King said he didn’t realize how much Sanders, now a
freshman at Jones College, did for the Panthers until
King watched Sanders fly around the field in game tape.
BY THEO DEROSA or four deep at every po-
tderosa@cdispatch.com sition. The team usually
hovers around 30 players;
West Lowndes foot- this year’s sits at 34.
ball coach Anthony King That always meant
knows his players need a most of West Lowndes’
break. starters played on both
This year, the Panthers offense and defense with
might just catch one. little rest during each
As a Class 1A program contest.
in the Mississippi High But thanks to a sol-
School Activities Asso- id crop of ninth graders
ciation, West Lowndes poised to make an im-
has never had rosters pact, King’s team is pre-
large enough to go three See PANTHERS, 3B
 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2020 3B

Unusual starting goalies making big impact in NHL playoffs

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Even though Anton
Khudobin left a backup
goaltending role with Bos-
ton for a similar position
with the Stars, he walked
into the Dallas locker room
looking like a starter.
Jaroslav Halak left a
net-sharing situation with
the Islanders for what ap-
peared to be a backup job
with the Bruins and quick-
ly showed Boston he could
shoulder whatever load was
required.
Now in the second round
of the playoffs, Khudobin
and Halak have each been
thrust into a prominent role
in their mid-30s. They are
joined by Colorado’s Pavel
Francouz and Vegas’ Rob-
in Lehner as unexpected
starters who are making
the most of their chances
in an unusual NHL postsea-
son.
“Not surprised by it for
Doby, not surprised by it for
Jaro: two good goaltenders
getting an opportunity and
here we are,” said Bruce
Cassidy, who has coached
Khudobin and Halak with
Boston. “Both teams are
very comfortable in front
of their backups, and that
matters, too. You can’t be
nervous out there if you
don’t trust your goaltender.”
One of the most com-
mon phrases among play-
ers and coaches since
hockey resumed is having
trust in both goaltenders
for a given team. Khudo-
bin, Halak, Francouz and
Lehner have proven that to
be more than a cliche while
taking over under different
circumstances.
Khudobin hadn’t made
a single start in the Stan-
ley Cup playoffs until this
month, when Dallas starter
Ben Bishop was deemed
“unfit to play.” Khudobin
won six of his first nine
starts with a 2.49 goals-
against average and .921
save percentage.
“When I play more, I
feel better,” said Khudo-
bin, with his fifth NHL or-
ganization. “It’s a different
scenario right now playing
every other day, but at the
same time it’s playoff. You
can’t think about it — just
have to prepare and just go
play.”
Dallas coach Rick Bow-
ness knew all about Bishop
from his time as an assis-
tant with Tampa Bay. Since
the Stars signed Khudobin
to a short-term deal paying
him roughly half of what
Bishop makes, Bowness
has watched the journey-
man backstop them to the
playoffs in 2018-19 and lead
the league in save percent-
age this year when the sea-
son was stopped.
Playoff Khudobin is just
the continuation of that.
“What we’re seeing,
we’re not surprised,” Bow-
ness said. “We’ve grown
to expect stellar play from
him from the moment we
signed him.”
Vegas has grown to ex-
pect the same from Lehner,
a trade deadline acquisition
from Chicago who has sur-
passed Marc-Andre Fleury
as the starter in the play-
offs. Lehner has started
eight of 10 games, prompt-
ing a tweet from Fleury’s
agent criticizing coach Pe-
ter DeBoer that was later
deleted.
Fleury commended
Lehner as “a very good
goalie.” And Lehner said he
and Fleury laughed about
it, leaning on his experi-
ences with the New York
Islanders and Blackhawks
to move past the drama.
“I’m used to this stuff,”
said Lehner, who has a 2.34
GAA and .909 save per-
centage. “I went to Long
Island, (Thomas) Greiss
was kind of a fan favorite
there, then I go to Chi-
cago and you play with
(two-time Cup winner
Corey) Crawford and you
compete as best you can.

Panthers
Continued from Page 1B

pared to give its stars
much-needed breathers
when they need them
this fall.
“Our depth level is a
lot better than it was last
year,” King said. “We
should be able to play
four quarters now.”
After an 8-3 regular
season in 2019 on the
heels of a 2-9 campaign
in 2018, the breather
West Lowndes will be
able to give its key play-
ers could hint at even
more improvement to
come. The Panthers
broke a long postseason
drought before losing
to Biggersville in the
first round of the Class
1A playoffs, and King
expects more progress
this fall.
“We should do exact-
ly what we did last year
and be a little bit better,”
he said.
That improvement
must come without
standout Jherquaveus
“Qua” Sanders, who
graduated and com-
mitted to play at Jones
College. King said he
didn’t realize how much
Sanders brought to the
team until he rewatched
game tapes and saw the
dynamic playmaker fly-
ing all over the field at
running back, wide re-
ceiver and quarterback.
“Qua Sanders will be
a tough replacement be-
cause he did a lot for us
last year,” King said.
Junior Marquez Shel-
ton will be this year’s
version of a do-it-all
player for the Panthers,
able to line up at wide-
out and defensive back.
He’ll also play the
role of backup quarter-
back, slotting in behind
returning starter Mel-
vin Crawford at the po-
sition.
“Melvin’s got three
years of experience, so
we’re hoping that will
pay off big time this
year,” King said.
The Panthers also
return running back
Marcquez Holliday and
a veteran offensive line
of Royquavious Wil-
liams, Jeremiah Harris,
Fredrick Rice, Cameron
Brooks and Victor Bar-
nett.
“The line pretty
much consists of all ju-
niors and seniors, so
I think we’re going to
have a pretty good of-
fensive line,” King said.
“I think we could be one
of the biggest offensive
lines, like we were last
year.”
Barnett, the team’s
right tackle, said West
Lowndes still needs
to shore up its sec-
ond-team offensive
line, but the Panthers’
experience is driving
the starting lineman to
work hard.
“With the seniors
coming in, we’re going
to get even better, put
more effort forth,” he
said.
King brought in for-
mer Noxubee County
and Louisville head
coach M.C. Miller as
defensive coordinator
this year, a huge addi-
tion for West Lowndes.
Miller said at Monday’s
practice that it’s his first
time coaching Class 1A
football and that he was
still taking a “wait and
see” approach with the
team.
“They’re looking bet-
ter and better, but we
still have a long way to
go,” Miller said.
Friday’s two-quar-
ter home scrimmage
against McAdams
should help West Lown-
des evaluate where it
stands. King said he’ll
pore over the game film
to see how his offensive
and defensive linemen
are coming off the ball
and make any necessary
adjustments before the
Panthers’ Sept. 4 season
opener at Class 3A Kem-
per County.
King said he expects
a close game against
McAdams, which West
Lowndes beat 12-8 on
the road last season. He
remembers a well-pre-
pared team with plenty
of success running the
ball, though the Bull-
dogs’ roster might be
depleted with many
students doing virtu-
al learning because of
COVID-19.
“We’ll have to see
what they have on Fri-
day,” King said.
But despite the un-
certainty of how they’ll
look in the scrimmage,
the Panthers feel pretty
confident that with their
strong offense and a vet-
eran coach leading their
defense they’ll be able
to make strides from
last year’s excellent sea-
son.
“I think we’re in good
shape,” Miller said.

Tigers
Continued from Page 1B

turning starters from
a defense that allowed
an average of under 20
points a game all sea-
son, including 8.2 in five
postseason contests.
This year, Shanklin
issued a proclamation
that might be bolder
than his prediction of a
state title for the Tigers:
Noxubee County won’t
even allow seven points
in a game, he said.
“Our defense is go-
ing to be raw,” Shanklin
said.
With defensive line-
man Travorus Hatch-
er leading the way, it
doesn’t sound so far-
fetched. Hatcher, who
already has scholarship
offers from Western Il-
linois, UT Martin and
South Alabama, among
other schools, is set
to reprise his role as a
team leader and a star
on the line.
“I think he’ll be one
of the best D-linemen to
come through (Noxubee
County),” Young said.
“He has that potential.”
Hatcher said that he
wasn’t even playing to
his full ability last year,
susceptible to oppo-
nents who pulled run
plays away from him and
let him overrun the play.
“I think last year,
most teams used my ag-
gression against me, so
I had to watch for that,”
Hatcher said.
So he worked over the
offseason with several
players, including his
cousin, former Noxubee
County and Mississippi
State standout Jeffery
Simmons — now with
the NFL’s Tennessee
Titans — on refining
his technique, slowing
down and penetrating
the gap to make the play.
The result, coupled
with a step up in lead-
ership, have Hatcher’s
coach excited about
what the defensive tack-
le will do for the Tigers
this year.
“I’m expecting him
to have a great year,
and I’m expecting him
to lead us to the state
championship and win it
this year,” Young said.
Young pointed to se-
nior linebacker Trillo
Brown, senior safety
Zack Andrews, senior
cornerback Mushune
Walker Jr. and junior
outside linebacker
Chaunssey Triplett as
some of the other differ-
ence-makers on defense
for Noxubee County.
But he also said the
Tigers’ success will de-
pend on their O-line,
which featured mostly
unproven players get-
ting game experience
for the first time in 2019.
Now, senior left tackle
Ma’teo Chandler, senior
left guard Jordan White,
senior center Colby Dix-
on, sophomore right
guard Bryson Kelly and
senior right tackle Rick-
ie Hunt will have anoth-
er year together on the
line.
“If we can handle
business up front and
our defense does what
they did last year, I think
we have a good chance
to get back and win it,”
Young said.
Shanklin returns at
running back with fel-
low senior Damian Ver-
dell behind him. Junior
Demone Cunningham
will play tight end with
senior Macardi Johnson
as the Tigers’ No. 1 re-
ceiver.
Chrishaad Rupert will
be Noxubee County’s
starting quarterback, al-
though he is new to the
position after playing
wideout last season. But
despite Rupert’s inex-
perience, Shanklin and
Hatcher said they both
feel comfortable with
the senior as their signal
caller this fall.
“I know it’s going to
be different, but he’s go-
ing to get it done OK,”
Hatcher said.
After all, Young did
the same last year when
he called on lineback-
er Marlon Windham to
start at quarterback. A
pitcher for the Noxubee
County baseball team,
Windham performed
admirably as the Tigers’
leader, and he has gone
on to play for Coahoma
Community College.
“It’s hard to replace
him — just the simple
fact that he was more
than just a quarterback,”
Young said. “He was
our leader offensively,
defensively — he was
the leader of the team.
When stuff got hard, ev-
erybody followed him.
It’s going to be hard
to replace him, but as
a group effort, I think
we’ll get the job done.”
Noxubee County will
get its first shot at prov-
ing that Friday when the
Tigers travel to Louis-
ville for a two-quarter
scrimmage that will, for
all intents and purpos-
es, feel like a real regu-
lar-season contest.
“It’s still a big rivalry,
so I know my kids will
get up for the game,”
Young said.
The scrimmage will
give the coach a chance
to evaluate his Class 3A
team against the Class
4A power, which has
just as much strength on
its D-line as the Tigers
have on the other side.
“That’s going to be a
great matchup: their de-
fensive line versus our
offensive line,” Young
said.
He acknowledged
he wasn’t sure how the
Tigers would fare after
a long layoff caused by
COVID-19. Essentially,
Young said, Noxubee
County had no spring
and half a summer to
work, and the Tigers are
still acclimating to the
heat and getting used
to things after starting
practice in pads Aug. 17
“We haven’t played
against anybody since
December, haven’t hit
anybody else. I’m look-
ing forward to seeing
what kind of team we’ll
have,” Young said.
According to both
him and Hatcher, Nox-
ubee County will have
quite a good one. The
lineman said the Tigers
are more mature, more
focused, more talented
and — most importantly
— as ready as ever.
“We’re up for the chal-
lenge for every team,”
Hatcher said. “(Class)
6A, 5A — it doesn’t mat-
ter what ‘A’ it is; we’re
just up for the challenge.
We’re Noxubee — we
don’t back down from
anything.”
2B THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2020 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com

PRO BASKETBALL

Boycott: NBA playoff games called off amid player protest

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LAKE BUENA VIS-
TA, Fla. — Making their
strongest statement yet
in the fight against racial
injustice, players from six
NBA teams decided not to
play postseason games on
Wednesday in a boycott
that quickly reverberated
across other professional
leagues.
Also called off: Some
games in Major League
Baseball, Major League
Soccer and the three
WNBA contests, as play-
ers across four leagues
decided the best way to
use their platform and
demand change was to lit-
erally step off the playing
surface.
Players made the ex-
traordinary decisions to
protest the shooting by
police in Kenosha, Wis-
consin on Sunday of Jacob
Blake, a Black man, ap-
parently in the back while
three of his children
looked on.
Kenosha is about 40
miles south of Milwaukee.
That city’s NBA team,
the Bucks, started the
boycotts Wednesday by
refusing to emerge from
their locker room to play
a playoff game against the
Orlando Magic.
“There has been no
action, so our focus today
cannot be on basketball,”
said Bucks guard Ster-
ling Brown, who joined
teammate George Hill in
reading a statement on
the team’s behalf. Brown
has a federal lawsuit
pending against the city
of Milwaukee alleging
he was targeted because
he was Black and that his
civil rights were violated
in January 2018 when of-
ficers used a stun gun on
him after a parking viola-
tion.
Other games that were
not played: NBA playoff
games between Oklaho-
ma City and Houston, and
the Los Angeles Lakers
and Portland along with
three WNBA games,
three MLB games and
five MLS matches. Two
members of the St. Lou-
is Cardinals sat out their
team’s game with the
Kansas City Royals as
well.
The NBA’s board of
governors have called a
meeting on Thursday to
discuss the new develop-
ments, said a person with
knowledge of the situa-
tion. The person spoke to
The Associated Press on
condition of anonymity
because the meeting plan
was not revealed publicly.
“The baseless shoot-
ings of Jacob Blake and
other black men and
women by law enforce-
ment underscores the
need for action,” the NBA
Coaches Association said
in a statement. “Not after
the playoffs, not in the fu-
ture, but now.”
The statement by the
Bucks also called for state
lawmakers to reconvene
and take immediate ac-
tion “to address issues of
police accountability, bru-
tality, and criminal justice
reform.”
“I couldn’t agree more.
Thank you, Bucks,” Wis-
consin Gov. Tony Evers
tweeted.
The NBA did not
say when Wednesday’s
games would be played or
if Thursday’s schedule of
three more games involv-
ing six other teams would
be affected. NBA players
and coaches met for near-
ly three hours Wednesday
night to determine next
steps, including whether
the season should contin-
ue. They did not come to a
consensus, a person with
knowledge of the meeting
told AP.
“We fully support our
players and the decision
they made,” Bucks own-
ers Marc Lasry, Wes
Edens and Jamie Dinan
said in a joint statement
after Milwaukee players
decided to not take the
floor. “Although we did
not know beforehand, we
would have wholeheart-
edly agreed with them.
The only way to bring
about change is to shine
a light on the racial injus-
tices that are happening
in front of us.”
Added Jeanie Buss,
the Governor of the Lak-
ers, in a tweet: “I stand
behind our players, today
and always. After more
than 400 years of cruelty,
racism and injustice, we
all need to work together
to say enough is enough.”
Several NBA players,
including the Lakers’
LeBron James, tweeted
out messages demanding
change. Some teams did
the same.
“We weren’t given ad-
vanced notice about the
decision but we are hap-
py to stand in solidarity
with Milwaukee, Jacob,
and the entire NBA com-
munity,” Orlando guard
Michael Carter-Williams
said. “Change is coming.”
Magic players and ref-
erees were on the court as
if the game was happen-
ing, unaware that Milwau-
kee did not intend to take
the floor. The National
Basketball Referees As-
sociation said it “stands in
solidarity” with the play-
ers.
“Players have, once
again, made it clear —
they will not be silent on
this issue,” National Bas-
ketball Players Associa-
tion Executive Director
Michele Roberts said.
The NBPA is expected
to be part of Thursday’s
meeting with the board of
governors.
Demanding societal
change and ending racial
injustice has been a major
part of the NBA’s restart
at Walt Disney World.
The phrase “Black Lives
Matter” is painted on the
arena courts, players are
wearing messages urging
change on their jerseys
and coaches are donning
pins demanding racial
justice as well.
Many players wres-
tled for weeks about
whether it was even
right to play, fearing that
a return to games would
take attention off the
deaths of, among oth-
ers, Breonna Taylor and
George Floyd in recent
months.
Taylor, a 26 -year-old
Black woman, was fatally
shot when police officers
burst into her Louisville,
Kentucky apartment
using a no-knock war-
rant during a narcotics
investigation on March
13. The warrant was in
connection with a sus-
pect who did not live
there and no drugs were
found. Then on May 25,
Floyd died after a white
Minneapolis police offi-
cer pressed a knee into
the Black man’s neck
for nearly eight minutes
— all captured on a cell
phone video.
Hill said after Blake’s
shooting that he felt
players shouldn’t have
come to Disney.
“We’re the ones get-
ting killed,” Los Ange-
les Clippers coach Doc
Rivers, who is Black,
said in an emotional
speech Tuesday night.
“We’re the ones getting
shot. We’re the ones
that we’re denied to live
in certain communities.
We’ve been hung. We’ve
been shot. And all you
do is keep hearing about
fear. It’s amazing why we
keep loving this country
and this country does
not love us back. And it’s
just, it’s really so sad.”
Players from Boston
and Toronto met Tuesday
to discuss boycotting
Game 1 of their Eastern
Conference semifinal
series, which had been
scheduled for Thursday.
NBPA officers were part
of those meetings, and
Miami forward Andre
Iguodala — one of those
officers— said around
2:15 p.m. that he did not
believe a boycott plan
had been finalized.
Things apparently
moved quickly: Less
than two hours later, the
Bucks wouldn’t take the
floor.
“When you talk about
boycotting a game, ev-
eryone’s antenna goes
up,” Iguodala said. “It’s
sad you have to make
threats like that — I
wouldn’t say threats
— but you have to be
willing to sacrifice cor-
porate money for people
to realize there’s a big
problem out there.”
Professional sports
has seen both strikes
and lockouts in the past,
almost always over sal-
ary disputes. But this
wouldn’t seem to classify
as a strike, even though it
was initiated by players,
since their dispute is not
with the NBA. Boycott,
meanwhile, is defined as
the act of refusing to en-
gage in an action, usual-
ly to express disapproval
with some condition.

Freeman’s 2-run HR lifts Braves to sweep of slumping Yankees

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ATLANTA — The
Atlanta Braves have re-
newed hopes their start-
ing pitching can carry
them through the second
half of a shortened sea-
son.
The New York Yankees
have renewed worries
that injury problems will
be a season-long problem.
Freddie Freeman hit
a two-run homer in the
sixth inning off Chad
Green and the Braves, led
by another strong start
from Max Fried, rallied
to beat the Yankees 2-1
on Wednesday night to
sweep a doubleheader.
The Yankees have lost
five straight and saw out-
fielder Aaron Judge ag-
gravate his strained right
calf. The second game of
the twinbill was Judge’s
first since being activated
from the injured list, and
he left in the middle of the
sixth inning.
“Obviously he’s very
frustrated,” manager Aar-
on Boone said.
Boone said Judge’s
calf “tightened up again”
while running to sec-
ond base following his
fourth-inning single. He
said Judge will be evaluat-
ed on Thursday.
“It doesn’t seem to be
overly serious but enough
that we needed to get him
out of there,” Boone said.
In the opener, Ian An-
derson dazzled in his big
league debut, holding the
Yankees hitless into the
sixth inning and ending
Gerrit Cole’s 20-game
winning streak as the
Braves won 5-1.
Masahiro Tanaka was
dominant, allowing only
three hits in five scoreless
innings as he left the sec-
ond game with a 1-0 lead.
Green (2-1) allowed an
infield single to Dansby
Swanson with two outs in
the sixth before giving up
Freeman’s homer, an op-
posite-field shot over the
385-foot mark in left field.
Fried (5-0) allowed
four hits and one run in
six strong innings. Mark
Melancon pitched the sev-
enth for his fifth save.
The Yankees scored
their only run off Fried in
the fifth. Miguel Andujar
singled to left, moved to
third on a double down
the third-base line by
Erik Kratz and scored on
Tyler Wade’s flyball to left
field.
Fried had the only
wins by a Braves starter
before Anderson’s impres-
sive outing.
Ronald Acuña Jr. cel-
ebrated his return to the
lineup by leading off the
opener with a 473-foot
drive against Cole.
Anderson (1-0) gave a
depleted Atlanta rotation
a huge boost. The 22-year-
old right-hander, the third
overall pick in the 2016
draft, didn’t allow a hit until
Luke Voit connected for his
team-leading 11th homer
with one out in the sixth.
That was the only hit
Anderson allowed in six
innings. He struck out six
and walked two. Anderson
opened the game with two
strikes to Mike Tauchman
and never seemed rattled.
“Early on definitely
there were some nerves
going but I think it was a
good nervousness and ex-
citement to prove myself a
little bit,” Anderson said.
Anderson was promot-
ed to the majors on Tues-
day before his scheduled
debut was postponed be-
cause of rain. He showed
up with a new beard that
surprised manager Brian
Snitker.
“I didn’t recognize
him,” Snitker said. “When
he came in the office with a
mask on, I didn’t know who
the hell he was.”
Dansby Swanson and
Marcell Ozuna also hom-
ered off Cole (4-1), who
suffered his first loss in the
regular season since May
22, 2019, with Houston.
“It seemed to be a little
bit feast or famine in terms
of good command for a pe-
riod of time and then some
bad command in some bad
spots,” Cole said.
Cole was trying to be-
come the first AL pitcher
to win 21 straight regu-
lar-season decisions. The
all-time record is 24 by
Carl Hubbell, followed by
Roy Face (22) and Cole,
Roger Clemens, Jake Ar-
rieta and Rube Marquard
tied at 20.
Cole had been unbeat-
en in 28 consecutive reg-
ular-season starts — Cle- bleheaders in five days. day. The Mets will be the Yankees hitting first, as
mens holds the mark with They play twinbills at Yan- designated home team in they are makeup games
30. Cole’s only loss in 15 kee Stadium against the the second game of each originally planned for the
months had come in the
World Series opener last Mets on Friday and Sun- doubleheader, with the Mets’ Citi Field.
year with Houston against
Washington.
The Yankees newcom-
er gave up five runs on five
hits with nine strikeouts in
five-plus innings.
“A couple of pitches
back and it’s very much a
dominant, Gerrit outing,”
Boone said.
Cole was lifted after
giving up a double to Free-
man and a walk to Ozuna
with no outs in the sixth.
Nick Markakis hit an RBI
double off Luis Cessa.
Acuña pulled a 97 mph
fastball into the left-field
seats to open the first. It
was Acuña’s longest ho-
mer and the longest by
any Braves batter at Tru-
ist Park, which opened in
2017.
Swanson hit a two-run
homer after Cole walked
Acuña in the third inning.
With two outs in the in-
ning, Ozuna crushed his
eighth homer 469 feet to
left-center.
DOLLAR DEAL
The Yankees acquired
catcher Rob Brantly from
the San Francisco Giants
for $1. Brantly was desig-
nated for assignment on
July 28 and assigned to
the Giants’ alternate site
on Aug. 1. He will report
to the Yankees’ alternate
site.
Boone said the 31-year-
old Brantly, a career .228
hitter in six seasons,
“gives us some protection
as we head into the trade
deadline” on Monday.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Yankees: Boone said
OF Giancarlo Stanton
(strained hamstring) is
running at “about 70 per-
cent” and beginning to
add baseball activities to
his rehabilitation routine.
Braves: The outfield
received a boost with the
returns of Acuña (wrist)
and Markakis (possible
exposure to COVID-19).
Acuña missed two weeks.
VISITING AT HOME
The Yankees were play-
ing the first of three dou-
4B THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2020
NFL players concerned, ‘sick and tired’ of racial injustice
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Bradley McDougald is
angry. He’s downright frus-
trated and sad.
The New York Jets safe-
ty is also extremely wor-
ried.
Within the confines
of the team’s facility, Mc-
Dougald is a respected pro
football player whose main
concern is stopping the
offense. When he heads
home and turns onto the
main road just a few hun-
dred yards away, he goes
on the defense. His guard
goes up just as it has most
of his life.
“Guys are sick and tired
of being sick and tired,” Mc-
Dougald said Wednesday
during a video conference
call.
Comics & Puzzles
DILBERT
ZITS
GARFIELD
CANDORVILLE
BABY BLUES
BEETLE BAILEY
MALLARD FILLMORE
He has seen the video
of Jacob Blake in Kenosha,
Wisconsin, and he doesn’t
want to end up like him. Or,
George Floyd. Or, Breonna
Taylor. Or, the countless
other Black men and wom-
en who have been victims
of police brutality or social
injustice.
“Me personally, I’m hurt
by the whole situation,”
McDougald said. “I’m an
African-American man and
that easily could’ve been
me. As soon as I walk out of
1 Jets Drive, I’m just anoth-
er black man — and I don’t
know how the cops are go-
ing to see me.
“I have dreads and tat-
toos and I’m bigger than
the average male, but I don’t
know how that cop is going
to view me, and the attitude
FAMILY CIRCUS
The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com
and aggression he’s going
to give me.”
Blake, 29, was shot, ap-
parently in the back, on
Sunday as he leaned into
his SUV, three of his chil-
dren seated inside. The
shooting was captured on
cellphone video and ig-
nited new protests in the
U.S. three months after the
death of George Floyd un-
der the knee of a Minneap-
olis police officer touched
off a nationwide reckoning
over racial injustice.
“I just don’t understand
how somebody could –
somebody who is unarmed,
family in the car — how he
could be a threat,” Dolphins
safety Kavon Frazier said.
“I just don’t understand.
We’re lost. We’re scared.
I’m scared. I drive a pretty
nice car and I’m scared if I
get pulled over, that could
happen to me.”
The Detroit Lions can-
celed their practice Tues-
day, protesting the incident
involving Blake, and racial
injustice. The players and
coaching staff discussed
what happened and then
filed out of the team’s prac-
tice facility. They used a
dry-erase board to address
the media with the words:
“The world can’t go on” and
“We won’t be silent!! One
pride.”
The rest of the NFL saw
what the Lions did, and has
come together with their
own discussions about so-
cial issues and how they
might be able to affect
change.
“At this time, everybody
Dear Abby
D
EAR ABBY:
My fiance
and I have
begun planning
our wedding for
next year. We
have both been
married before,
so family doesn’t
think we should
have a “big”
celebration. Mom
actually told me
that it can’t be
as special as my
first one.
While lying
in bed the other
Dear Abby
night, we were
discussing how to address
people’s opinions because we
don’t want our wedding day to
be full of people complaining
about being there, choices we
made regarding our celebra-
tion and thinking they need to
give us a gift. We would like to
include a “disclaimer” saying
something like, “If you’re
not truly happy for us, stay
home!” I realize that etiquette
would not allow us to do it. Do
you have any suggestions for
our situation? — OUR “BIG
DAY”
DEAR “BIG DAY”: Many
couples today have been
married more than once. Your
mother was correct when she
told you this second wedding
should be more low-key than
Horoscopes
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Aug.
27). You’ll be focused but
not serious. You’ll attract
people who want to get things
accomplished and laugh at the
same time. The next 10 weeks
see you wheeling and dealing
yourself into a prime position.
You’ll notice who wants your
happiness more than you want
it yourself. That’s a love you can
count on and build a life around.
Scorpio and Leo adore you. Your
lucky numbers are: 8, 40, 18,
2 and 39.
ARIES (March 21-April 19).
Nice isn’t always good, and not
nice isn’t always bad. There are
many reasons people have for
doing what they do and for be-
ing in the mood they are in. Stay
needs to come together and
join hands and love each
other for what we are and
the privilege we have in
the short period of time we
have on Earth,” said Chiefs
coach Andy Reid, who is
white. “As opposed to walk-
ing in fear, to walk with
strength and pride. And if
we do that, we’ll be a great
example to the world.”
Eagles coach Doug Ped-
erson, who is also white,
thought what the Lions did
was “a great sign of unity,
a sign of strength and sup-
port as a team.” He said his
team will continue the dia-
logue among players and
staff.
“It’s just where we are as
a country,” he said. “You’ve
got to put football aside.
This is human life, and this
the first. Rest
assured that no
one will attend
your wedding
who doesn’t
want to be there
because atten-
dance is not
compulsory.
I’m glad you
recognize that
the “disclaim-
er” would be
inappropriate. If
you prefer your
guests forgo
giving you a gift,
convey that by
having some-
one else deliver it VERBALLY
— such as your mother or
members of your wedding
party — when guests call to
ask where you are registered.
The wording should be: “They
only want you to share in their
happiness on this special
day. No gift is expected or
required.”
DEAR ABBY: I have been
married more than 40 years.
We are now retired and
moved to a small town a few
years ago. My problem is my
husband does almost nothing
to help out around the house.
I do the housekeeping, shop-
ping, cooking, bill paying and
most of the extensive outdoor
upkeep. Although I was the
primary breadwinner during
aware of the bigger picture.
TAURUS (April 20-May
20). Doing only what you like
provides you with but a bland
palate of satisfactions. Incorpo-
rate what you dislike, and you’re
onto something. But it really
starts to get interesting when
you dive into what you despise.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21).
A sense of vulnerability is in
there somewhere, but if you’re
not paying attention, then you’ll
miss it and the gift it wraps
around — namely, the ability to
connect deeply to the humanity
in others who know the feeling.
CANCER (June 22-July 22).
As for those things you do but
cannot link to any tangible gain,
in those actions are clues,
is about all our lives, and
these guys have a message.
They have a platform. They
have something that needs
to be said, and so I’m here,
obviously, to listen, to listen
to their ideas and their com-
ments and the things that
they’re dealing with every
single day.
“So for the Lions to do
that and to show a sign of
unity I think is a very pow-
erful message in our soci-
ety today.”
McDougald, who spoke
hours before three NBA
playoff games were post-
poned as players around
that league chose to boy-
cott in their statement
against racial injustice,
cited the peaceful protests
across the country over
the last several months.
our marriage, my husband
thinks his “work” is now over.
He watches TV all day long,
but when he does want to get
out and do something, it must
always include me. I’m sick of
his face at this point. I’m sure
I’m short-tempered at times
because everything falls on
my shoulders. When I ask him
to do something or offer my
“two cents,” he accuses me
of nagging and won’t talk to
me for days.
I hate this life! I don’t think
he would go to a marriage
counselor because he feels
I’m the problem. I think I want
a divorce, but I don’t want this
lazy bum to get half of every-
thing I’ve earned and saved.
Help! — IRKED IN IDAHO
DEAR IRKED: You have my
sympathy, but you created this
“monster” by tolerating your
husband’s laziness and con-
trolling nature all these years.
Because he won’t talk to a
marriage counselor doesn’t
mean that you shouldn’t. It’s
important you learn coping
skills to deal with his passive
aggression, which is what
the silent treatment is. If a
licensed therapist can’t help
to relieve the pressure on you,
then make an appointment
with a lawyer to discuss what
options you may have short
of divorce. I’m crossing my
fingers that you have some.
strands of spiritual DNA, truths.
Examine those actions through
a microscope and find miniature
maps of your heart.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). If
something is important, then
it’s worth fighting for. Fighting
for unimportant things doesn’t
really happen. If there’s a fight
over something that seems triv-
ial, it’s only because that’s not
what the fight is really about.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22).
You’ll spend so much of your
time in the service of others
that when you come back to
home base, you may feel like
you need to reacquaint yourself
with who you are and what you
want.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct.
23). When your group faces a
problem, you face it, too. Even
if just one other person has a
problem, you’ll be willing to take
it on personally because you
believe, at a very core level, in
justice for all.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov.
21). Part of you has been
making plans without the other
part. Get all sides together for
a sit-down talk aimed at naming
a few common goals. You’re as
powerful as you are unified.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec.
21). People will get emotionally
invested in things you might not
have expected them to involve
themselves with. Step back and
ask, “What’s at stake? What’s
really going on here?”
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan.
19). Not everything you’ve
believed has come through or
come true but don’t let that
stop you. Put your faith in a
loved one, in yourself or in the
wonders of life in general. You’ll
have reasons to believe anew.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb.
18). The atoms that make up
our cells are mostly space, so
we are mostly space, and the
other matter is mostly space,
too. Echo the theme. Purge the
unnecessary. Spaciousness
brings fulfillment.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March
20). When you can’t be knowl-
edgeable (no one can know
all things, and if they could,
they’d be insufferable) then be
versatile. The ability to adapt
and respond is more important
than the ability to know and
stand correct.
Blood is thicker than water
SOLUTION:
 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2020 5B

Business
TikTok CEO resigns amid US pressure to sell app
Resignation follows Trump’s order
to ban video app unless its parent
company sells its U.S. operations to
an American company within 90 days
BY ZEN SOO
AP Technology Writer
HONG KONG — Tik-
Tok CEO Kevin Mayer
resigned Thursday amid
U.S. pressure for its Chi-
nese owner to sell the
popular video app, which
the White House says is a
security risk.
In a letter to employees,
Mayer said that his deci-
sion to leave comes after
the “political environment
has sharply changed.”
His resignation follows
President Donald Trump’s
order to ban TikTok un-
less its parent company,
ByteDance, sells its U.S.
operations to an American
company within 90 days.
“I have done signifi-
cant reflection on what
the corporate structural
changes will require, and
what it means for the glob-
al role I signed up for,” he
said in the letter. “Against
this backdrop, and as we
expect to reach a resolu-
tion very soon, it is with a
heavy heart that I wanted
TikTok in 2017, then
bought Musical.ly, a video
to let you all know that I service popular with teens
in the U.S. and Europe,
have decided to leave the
company.” and combined the two. A
Bytedance is currently twin service, Douyin, is
in talks with Microsoft for available for Chinese us-
the U.S. firm to buy Tik- ers.
Tok’s U.S. operations. TikTok gained im-
mense popularity via its
Mayer, a former Disney
fun, goofy videos and ease
executive, joined TikTok
of use, and has hundreds of
as CEO in May.
millions of users globally.
TikTok thanked Mayer.
“We appreciate that the But its Chinese owner-
ship has raised concerns
political dynamics of the
about potential censorship
last few months have sig-
of videos, including those
nificantly changed what
critical of the Chinese gov-
the scope of Kevin’s role
ernment, and the risk Bei-
would be going forward, jing may access user data.
and fully respect his deci-
sion,” the company said in
a statement.
ByteDance launched

BUILDING PERMITS
College Street; plumbing; Pt Road; set up mobile home;
City of Columbus Klutts Plumbing owner
Aug. 17-21, 2020 ■ BH Properties LLC; 2414 ■ Alaina Coleman; 715 Old W.
■ Janice Norris Swoope et al; College Street; plumbing; Pt Road; move mobile home;
2502 Main Street; demolish Klutts Plumbing Morgan Trucking Express
office addition; same ■ Albert Blake; 1520 22nd ■ Donald Newman; 1718 Bor-
■ Ollie and Annie Harris; 2507 Street North; plumbing; Bowen der Springs Road; construct
23rd Ave North; reroof; excel- Backhoe storage/shop; owner
lent roofing ■ Mike Smike; 94 Winfrey Dr.;
■ Tyrone and Jennifer Porter;
74 Stokes Road; Restore ga-
Lowndes County remodel s/f residence; South-
er Custom Renovations
rage (storage only); same Aug. 26, 2020
■ Charles and Tammy Lam-
■ Dick Leike; 407 8th Ave ■ Harold Larkin, 121 Sanders
Lane; construct storage/shop; bert; 1431 Phillips Hill Road;
South; slab and awning; Chuck set up mobile home; Mason’s
Bigelow owner
■ Randle and Marilyn Burris; Electrical
■ Kenny and Lena Knight; 924
1089 Mill Road; construct ■ Charles and Tammy Lam-
Ruffin Road; install 14’x24’
storage; owner bert; 1431 Phillips Hill Road;
shed; same
■ Paar and Cindy Colvin; 273 move mobile home; Pontotoc
■ Columbus Redevelopment
Pickensville Road; addition to Mobile Home
Authority; 319 5th Ave North;
s/f residence; owner ■ Irish Townsend; 380 Eulie
Burn s/f residence; Columbus
■ Mike Buchwald; 422 Quail Dr.; construct s/f residence;
Fire and Rescue
■ Gloria White Davis et al; Ridge; construct pool; owner Bostick Construction
1416 10th Ave North; demol- ■ Brent Childers; 2601 Jess ■ Josh and Holli Hodge; Cale-
ish s/f residence; Columbus Lyons Road; construct carport; donia-Steens Road; construct
Public Works owner s/f residence; Kevin Clark
■ Wade J. Wilson Jr.; 1205 ■ Spencer House; 112 Main Construction
Shady Street; demolish s/f St.; construct storage/shop; ■ Clint Hanson; 615 Wo-
residence; Columbus Public owner odridge Pl; construct s/f
Works ■ Alaina Coleman; 715 Old W. residence; owner
■ George Woodrick Jr.; 709
21st Street North; electrical;
Guerry Electric LLC
■ Floyd Robert; 125 Juanita
Street; electrical; Guerry
Electric LLC
■ Britney Hall; 1911 Short
Main Street; electrical; Jimmie
Chism
■ Antioch Missionary Baptist
Church; 2304 7th Avenue
North; electrical; Jimmie
Chism
■ Jason and Eli Taylor; 2217
Bell Avenue; electrical; Vertis
Lee
■ Jessie Petty; 1219 20th
Street North; electrical; Living-
ston & Sons
■ Parkwood Developers LLC;
222 Waverly Road; electrical;
Malone Electric
■ William Nance Jr.; 712 13th
Street North; electrical; same
■ Huckleberry Rentals Inc.;
3933 Highway 45 North; me-
chanical; Patterson HVAC
■ Michael and Robin Balthis;
1182 Island Road; mechani-
cal; Patterson HVAC
■ O C Murray Jr.; 819 22nd
Street North; plumbing; Tabor
Plumbing
■ BH Properties LLC; 2422
College Street; plumbing;
Klutts Plumbing
■ BH Properties LLC; 2418
Classifieds
ADS APPEAR IN THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH,
THE STARKVILLE DISPATCH AND ONLINE
To place ads starting at only $12,
call 662-328-2424 or visit ads.cdispatch.com
THE DISPATCH n CDISPATCH.COM n THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2020 n 6B

Houses For Rent: Other Motorcycles & ATVs

EMPLOYMENT 3BR/2.5BA, CUSTOM−

BUILT−HOUSE ON 40
REAL ESTATE MERCHANDISE 2005 HONDA 250 REBEL
MOTORCYCLE.
ACRES. 10 minutes from Black, red, and gray.
CALL US: 662-328-2424 CAFB, 5 minutes from West ADS STARTING AT $25 ADS STARTING AT $12 1,428 miles. $1500.
Point. Very private. CH/A. 662−364−0120.
General Help Wanted Fenced backyard. Ceramic Commercial Property For Sale Burial Plots
tile throughout. Pets Trucks, Vans & Buses
NOWETA'S Flower Shop is negotiable. No HUD. MILITARY QUICK STOP for 4 BUIAL PLOTS
accepting applications for $1,200/mo + $1,200 dep. lease or sale. High traffic in Friendship Cemetery.
an experienced Floral 864−634−4192 count. Busy location. South West corner. $2000
Designer. EXPERIENCE Possibly some owner Call 662−574−5420
REQUIRED. Apply Mon-Fri, financing. B.F. at 662−329
2-4pm or Sat 9am-12pm IDEAL FOR 1 OR COUPLE! −3833 or 662−889−0837. General Merchandise
at 1325 Main Street. 2BR/1BA w/ workshop.
No phone calls please. Caledonia school area. No FOR SALE: Side by side
HUD. No pets. $675 dep + Lots & Acreage white whirlpool refrigerator
$687 rent, incl trash. with icemaker, 25 cuft,
Restaurant / Hotel 662−386−5000. 1.75 ACRE LOTS. great cond, $300.
Good/Bad Credit Options. Lazyboy Queen Sofa Exceptional one−owner
CAFE UNIQUE: Part-time Good credit as low as 20% Hidabed, exc cond, $250. maintained Ram 3500
Prep cook and dish washer down, $499/mo. Eaton
Sudoku
Recliner, good cond, $50. w/5.9L Cummins
wanted. 15-20 hours per NEAR
525
CAFB:
Co−Op
3BR/2BA
Rd,
@
Columbus. Land, 662−361−7711. 662−386−4707 or engine, automatic YESTERDAY’S ANSWER
week. Apply in person @ 94 662−356−6352. transmission & spray−
1600sqft, quiet area,
Airline Rd. or call 662-327- Columbus City Schools.
Sudoku
Sudoku is a number- Yesterday’s answer
in Bedliner. Truck has
0840 or 662-386-1554 for ALL appliances, washer/ LOWNDES COUNTY, MS: 203,000+ miles, but
more information. Leave placing puzzle based on
VEHICLES
36 ACRES ON GATLIN RD. runs like new and looks
message if no answer.
dryer, pool table, & dining
room furn incl. Large Excellent timber & building great! $12,000. Sudoku
a 9x9 gridis witha several
num- 2 9 5 3 8 7 1 4 6
sites. $72,000. For more 662−574−4640 ber-placing
given numbers.puzzleThe object 3 1 6 5 9 4 2 7 8

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

private lot close to golf
Transportation course. $850/mo + dep. info, call 205−799−9846 based onthe
is to place a 9x9
numbers 4 8 7 6 1 2 9 5 3
or 205−695−2248. ADS STARTING AT $12 grid
1 to 9with
in theseveral
662−574−1711.
empty spaces 7 2 1 9 6 8 5 3 4
PART TIME Shuttle Bus given
so thatnumbers. The
Drivers needed for Stark- Mobile Homes for Rent Autos For Sale Five Questions: object
each row, each 9 4 8 2 5 3 6 1 7
column and each 3x3 the
is to place
GARAGE SALES 1 American
ville area. CDL with pas- box 5 6 3 4 7 1 8 2 9
senger endorsement req. 3BR/2BA Trailer, New 2012 RED Cadillac CTS numbers
contains the1same to 9 number
in
6 3 9 7 2 5 4 8 1
Contact Cory 314-422-
2020, ggaoil@yahoo.com
Hope school dist. $650/
mo & $650 dep. No pets,
Coup, 3.5 engine, loaded,
65k hwy mi only, new tires, Revolutionary the empty spaces so
only once. The difficulty
that each row, each 1 5 4 8 3 6 7 9 2
TWO FREE SIGNS
no drugs, no partying. Call fully serviced & well− War level increases from
column and each
Monday
8 7 2 1 4 9 3 6 5
boxtocontains
Sunday.
maintained. $32,000.
2 Clocks
b/w 10a−9p. 662−386−
4292. NO TEXT MGS. Garage Sales: Other 662−726−1649. 3x3 Difficulty Level 8/26

RENTALS HOUSE MOVING SALE! 1999 Mercedes C−280. 3 Global

the same number only once. The difficulty level
increases from Monday to Sunday.
Positioning
China to crystal, kit/BR, One owner, 127,000 miles
ADS STARTING AT $25 kid/adult toys & more. and well maintained. Safe
Come find a treasure!
Sat, 8/29, 8am−6pm.
and reliable transportation
for your student or family. System
4 Rumba,
Apts For Rent: North 52 Oakmont Dr, Macon $2,995. 662−425−2345
FOX RUN APARTMENTS 1
Looking for a new home? or rhumba
Read local. cdispatch.com
& 2 BR near hospital.
$595−$645 monthly.
Military discount, pet area,
Let us help, shop here. 5 Pantheon
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.

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

ACROSS
1 Baby bull
5 Israeli port
10 Test type
11 Bear, perhaps
12 Silicate
mineral
13 Laptop’s kin
14 Massachu-

SERVICE DIRECTORY
setts
16 Country
bumpkins
20 Makes furious
23 Waiter’s
PROMOTE YOUR SMALL BUSINESS STARTING AT ONLY $25 reward
COLEMAN Building & Remodeling General Services General Services Lawn Care / Landscaping
24 BLT base
RENTALS 25 Cast
TOWNHOUSES & APARTMENTS
A & T TREE SERVICES WORK WANTED: Licensed JESSE & BEVERLY’S 27 Hockey’s 3 Like some 22 Indiana city
1 BEDROOM Bucket truck & stump & Bonded. Carpentry, minor LAWN SERVICE Bobby lingerie 25 Sports period
removal. Free est. electrical, minor plumbing, Mowing, cleanup, 28 Stopped
2 BEDROOMS Serving Columbus insulation, painting, demo− landscaping, sodding, 4 Camera parts 26 Franklin’s wife
3 BEDROOMS since 1987. Senior lition, gutters cleaned, & tree cutting. 29 Salary deter- 5 Track trials 28 Grant’s
citizen disc. Call Alvin @ pressure washing, land− 662−356−6525 miner 6 “Tiny Alice” successor
LEASE, 242−0324/241−4447 scaping, cleanup work. 32 Traveler on
© The Dispatch

"We’ll go out on a limb for 662−242−3608. playwright 30 Steal

DEPOSIT you!" SAM’S LAWN SERVICE foot 7 Suffering 31 Walking aids
AND MAINTENANCE PROS HILL’S PRESSURE
No lawn too large or too
small. Mowing, trimming &
36 Leatherneck 8 Clinic cost 33 Colosseum
CREDIT CHECK Specializing in:
DUMP TRUCK HAULING. WASHING. Commercial/ weedeating. 39 Space sight 9 Gallery fill setting
Residential Carpentry,
Slag − $400 Residential. House, Call 662−243−1694 40 Skips a 11 Doesn’t 34 Tied
662-329-2323
Electrical, Painting, concrete, sidewalks &
Appliance Repair & Minor Clay Gravel − $250 mobile washing. Free est. ceremony budge 35 Crazy talk
Plumbing. Free estimate. Available for hauling any Painting & Papering
materials. Columbus. Call 662−386−8925. 41 Foreboding 15 Bakery buy 36 Ryan of
2411 HWY 45 N Call 662−570−5570.
Walter, 662−251−8664. QUALITY PAINTING. sign 17 Coup d’— movies
COLUMBUS, MS Carpet & Flooring Ext/Int Painting. 42 Airport areas 18 Seedy joint 37 Imitating
Sheet Rock Hang, Finish &
Repair. Pressure Washing. 43 Monthly bill
Are you a
19 Went fast 38 Nonsense
Houses For Rent: East Free Estimates. Ask for DOWN 20 Resting on
1607 SHEPHARD RD. painter? specials! Larry Webber,
662−242−4932.
1 Rooster topper
2 Verdi piece
21 Director
Ephron
$750/month. Plus
deposit.3br/1ba.
No pets. No HUD. SULLIVAN’S PAINT
Call 662−889−2031 SERVICE
Special Prices.
Interior & Exterior Painting.
662−435−6528
DAVID’S CARPET &
UPHOLSTERY
Tree Services
CLEANING Advertise
FALL SPECIAL
4 Rooms − $99 here to J&A TREE REMOVAL
Have a rental property? Work from a bucket truck.
List it here for fast results.
Carpet − Rugs − Cars
Call for more info! grow your Insured/bonded.
ads.cdispatch.com 662−722−1758 business. ads.cdispatch.com
Call Jimmy Prescott for free
estimate, 662−386−6286.

Buy. Sell. Discover. In the Classifieds section.

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