Established 1879 | Columbus, Mississippi

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Sunday | February 14, 2021

City celebrates Franklin Academy bicentennial Mississippi Rep.

State’s first public school faced ‘the challenges Kabir Karriem
(D-Columbus) points
of change and time’ and ‘stood stronger for it’ out the house of
one of his teachers
BY THEO DEROSA front steps of Franklin Academy on Fri- at Franklin Acade-
tderosa@cdispatch.com day afternoon. “These are the names my during Friday’s
of the educators at this institution who, bicentennial cele-
In the shadow of his former school, along with others, profoundly impact- bration. “As we cele-
State Rep. Kabir Karriem stepped ed my life as a child many moons ago.” brate this 200th
to the lectern and began to read the anniversary and un-
Karriem, who attended elementary
names. veil this monument,
school at Franklin, was one of many we must be vigilant
Ms. Sanders. Ms. Barlow. Principal dignitaries on hand along with area in making sure that
Sanford. Ms. Kirby, who lived right on historians and Columbus Municipal quality education re-
the corner of Fifth Street North and School District representatives at the mains key, free and
Third Avenue North. school’s bicentennial celebration Fri- accessible to all
“Do any of these names sound fa- day. Franklin was officially chartered students,” Karriem
miliar?” Karriem (D-Columbus) asked by the Mississippi Legislature on Feb. said.
a socially distanced crowd outside the See FRANKLIN ACADEMY, 5A Theo DeRosa/Dispatch Staff

‘IT’S CONCERNING’
CLW general
manager Todd
Starkville-based United Way chapter faces Gale found dead
financial uncertainty fueled by pandemic near camp house
Board appoints Bernsen
as interim GM
BY SLIM SMITH
ssmith@cdispatch.com

Columbus Light and

Water General Manager
Todd Gale died Saturday
morning, Lowndes County
Coroner Greg Merchant
has confirmed.
According to a state-
ment issued by Merchant,
the Lowndes County Sher- Gale
iff’s Office received a 911
call at 9:59 a.m. reporting an accident on
Togo Road in south Lowndes County. An
adult male, later identified as Gale, 52,
was found a short distance from a vehicle
that had come to rest off the shoulder of
the road near his camp house.
Gale’s body was taken to the coroner’s
office and an investigation is pending,
Zack Plair/Dispatch Staff See GALE, 5A
Randy Davis of Starkville stands with his son Avery, 5, and his daughter Ariana, 3, at McKee Park on Saturday.
Davis is one of many residents of Oktibbeha, Choctaw, Webster and Winston counties who sought some type of
assistance from the United Way of North Central Mississippi in 2020. However, contributions to the organization are
falling to what Director Brittney Oliver called “concerning” levels.

BY ZACK PLAIR
zplair@cdispatch.com
R
andy Davis was running out
of options.
The 41-year-old Starkville
resident lost his job at an area
manufacturing plant in February
2020 and was surviving off his
401K as he fruitlessly looked for
work during the opening months
of the COVID-19 pandemic.
By July, the single father of
three had gained custody of his
two minor children — son Avery,
5; and daughter Ariana, 3. But by
then, Davis’ retirement savings
were exhausted and the light bill
was due.
Making things worse, his
parents had COVID, his father
hospitalized with a severe case.
programs at the
Boys and Girls Club
Jones joins
Dispatch staff
“Everything all hit in one and took parenting
whomp,” Davis said. “... And the classes at Emerson
backbone I had through my family
was suddenly no longer in a posi-
Family School.
By January, Davis as Starkville
bureau reporter
tion to help.” had a job working
Davis’ sister recommended he for a major retailer. Oliver
contact the United Way of North “They received
Central Mississippi, which serves me with open arms and love,” DISPATCH STAFF REPORT
Oktibbeha, Choctaw, Webster and Davis said of the United Way. “I’m
Winston counties. It was good very grateful to them.” Tyler B. Jones has
advice. Brittney Oliver, director for the joined The Dispatch staff
The chapter, with its headquar- United Way chapter, called Davis as its Starkville and Ok-
ters in downtown Starkville, pro- “one of our success stories.” He’s tibbeha County bureau
vided Davis immediate assistance one of thousands the chapter has reporter.
with his utility bill and facilitated helped over the years, in one way Her first day was Mon-
connections with partner orga- or the other. day.
nizations. He enrolled his son in See UNITED WAY, 3A On her beat, Jones will Jones
cover local government in
See JONES, 5A

INSIDE FIVE QUESTIONS CALENDAR LOCAL FOLKS PUBLIC MEETINGS

Church 6B 1 CRISPER (clustered regularly Feb. 15: Board of Super-
Classifieds 5B interspaced short palindromic Thursday visors, 9 a.m., chancery
Comics 7,8B
Crossword 3B
repeat) is the name for sequenc-
es of what?
through Saturday, courthouse

Dear Abby 4B 2 What mark does a bowler put Feb. 25-27 Feb. 16: Board of Alder-
men, 5:30 p.m., City Hall
Lifestyles 7,8A on a score sheet to indicate a ■ Virtual Magnolia Inde-
courtroom
Obituaries 4A strike — a diagonal line, an X or pendent Film Festival:
March 9: Starkville-Oktib-
Opinions 6A a large S? The Mag in Starkville
3 Which Asian city counted 35 beha Consolidated School
returns with independent
wild leopards roaming among its District Board of Trustees, 6
WEATHER estimated 20 million people in
films and shorts. Visit
magnoliafilmfest.com.
p.m., 401 Greensboro St.
2014, Beijing, Jakarta, Mumbai
High 36 Low 31
Cloudy and cold
or Tokyo?
4 What female vocalist with 200
million in record sales headlined
Full forecast on in Las Vegas for two months
page 3A. in 2015, singing hits like “We
Belong Together”?
5 Who said “A Canadian is a Becky Grava Davis teaches accounting
Canadian is a Canadian” when
speaking about citizenship in part time at EMCC and is a national board
2015? certified health and wellness coach at
Healthy Habits WP. She enjoys working with
Answers, 3A people and helping them be their best self.

DISPATCH CUSTOMER SERVICE 328-2424 | NEWSROOM 328-2471

2A SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2021
T
he or-
igin of
Frank-
lin Academy
goes back
to the char-
tering of
Columbus as
a Mississippi
town.
Columbus
was first
officially rec-
Rufus Ward
ognized as a
town on Dec.
6, 1819, but as the Town
of Columbus, Alabama.
It was not until Jan. 3,
1821, that Mississippi
Gov. George Poindexter
announced that “a con-
siderable population on
the waters of the Tom-
bigbee formerly attached suitable for corner posts to
to Alabama fall within
the limits of this state.”
That population on the
Tombigbee included the
Town of Columbus.
Columbus was then
charted as the town of
Columbus, Mississippi,
on Feb. 10, 1821, by an
act of the Mississippi
Legislature. Section 5 of
that act stated that there
“shall be established an
academy by the name of
Franklin Academy” to
be funded by the lease of
lots in the town.
The Legislature went
on to appoint eight com-
missioners to survey the
town and lease lots. This
commission became the
Trustees of Franklin
Academy and the first
governing body of the
town of Columbus. The
trustees/commissioners
held their first meeting
on June 4, 1821, and
elected William Cocke
president.
The record of that
first meeting is found in
the 1821-1835 Minute
Book of the Trustees of
Franklin Academy.
“The commissioners
appointed by the general
assembly of the state of
Mississippi for laying out
the town of Columbus in
Monroe County of said
state, met agreeably to the gled roof made of heart
act on the first Monday in
June 1821.
Members present: Wil-
liam Cocke, Silas McBee,
David Kincaid, William
Leech, John Deck, Thom-
as Townsend and Gideon
Lincecum, who proceeded
to ballot for their presi-
dent and William Cocke
was duly elected.
TODAY IN HISTORY
Today is Sunday, Feb.
14, the 45th day of 2021.
There are 320 days left in
the year. This is Valen-
tine’s Day.
Today’s Highlight in
History:
On Feb. 14, 2018,
a gunman identified as
a former student opened
fire with a semi-automatic
rifle at Marjory Stoneman
Douglas High School
Franklin Academy Turns 200
Resolved
— That the
president
shall notify
the citizens of
Columbus and
its vicinity by
advertisement
that they are
prohibited
from cutting
or otherwise
destroying the
green timber
of the 16th
section in which the town
is situated.
Resolved — That
Thomas Townsend and
Gideon Lincecum ...
are hereby authorized to
employ some persons to
get four hundred stakes
the lots as soon as may be
— the said posts to be let
to the lowest bidder.
Resolved — That
Joshua McBee be appoint-
ed to survey the town of
Columbus ... and be al-
lowed one dollar for each
lot, he paying all expenses
arising.
The commissioners
then adjourned to meet
on the 3rd Monday in this
month June 4th 1821.
— Wm Cocke President
The trustees met
again on July 13 to
accept a plat of the town
and name the streets.
Then on Aug. 8, they
met and directed, “that
the secretary advertise
in the Tuskaloosa paper
that a teacher qualified
to teach reading, writ-
ing, arithmetic, English,
Grammar & Geography
is wanted at Franklin
Academy.” The trustees
also appointed William
Leech, John Mims and
Richard Barry to provide
“the cheapest and best
plan for a school house.”
The specifications for
that first schoolhouse
were:
“A framed house 20
feet by 30 ... one story high
... 10 feet between the sills
& plates ... a good shin-
pine or cypress sawed raf-
ters & sheeting ... weath-
er-boarded with good pine
plank dressed and beaded
floor well laid with 1 ¼
plank- square front ... 2
doors one on each side
opposite each other in the
center of the house with
a window on each side of
each door ... the windows
near Fort Lauderdale,
Florida, killing 17 people
in the nation’s deadliest
school shooting since
the attack in Newtown,
Connecticut, more than
five years earlier.
On this date:
In 1778, the Ameri-
can ship Ranger carried
the recently adopted
Stars and Stripes to a
The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com
ASK RUFUS
Franklin Academy reconstructed from its original 1821
building specifications by the Late Sam Kaye, Colum-
bus architect and historian.
to contain 18 lights of 8
by 10 inch glass with good
shutters ... the house to be
built calculated to receive
a brick chimney at each
end 6 feet wide, the whole
to be finished in workman
like manner to be set on
light wood block 15 inches
height to be completed by
the first day of December
next …”
There was a rail
fence around the school
grounds and the open
green space by the
school became known
as Franklin Square.
That space soon be-
came an assembly place
for parades and public
assemblies. In 1828 the
trustees approved the
construction across the
north side of the school
of “a piazza built in a
manner to correspond
with the Academy viz a
Shingle Roof hewed &
posts & Sills with a good
Frame.”
On March 13, 1822,
the trustees established
the “Rules and Reg-
ulations for Franklin
Academy.” These rules
provided that tuition
would be paid by all
students living outside
of the Township. Begin-
ning in September 1822.
students living inside the
Township were required
to pay a discounted tui-
tion. However, paupers
were exempt from paying
any tuition. Among the
regulations were:
“Sec. 1st The price of
tuition for all scholars
foreign port for the first
time as it arrived in
France.
In 1876, inventors
Alexander Graham Bell
and Elisha Gray applied
separately for patents
related to the telephone.
(The U.S. Supreme Court
eventually ruled Bell the
rightful inventor.)
SOURCE: AP
Courtesy photo
living out of this Town-
ship shall be as follows
viz ... for spelling, read-
ing, & writing 3 dollars
per quarter ... English
Grammar, Geography,
and arithmetic 4 dollars
per quarter ... Latin
and Greek languages &
mathematics 5 dollars per
quarter ... in all cases to
be paid in advance
2nd The hours of
tuition shall be as follows:
from the 2nd of March
to the 22nd of September
the school shall open at
½ past 7 o’clock A.M.
and close an hour by sun
P.M. allowing 2 hours
intermission Noon. From
the 22nd Sept. to the
22nd March 8 O’clock
A.M. shall be the hour for
meeting and close an hour
be sun as before with an
intermission of an hour in
each day. ...
5th Punishment shall
be at the discretion of the
teacher provided ... that
no corporal punishment
shall be inflected on any
scholar above the age of
14 years all refractory
scholars above that age
shall be by him reported
to the trustees, who shall
reprimand, suspend or
expel as they may think
proper ...
7th It shall be the duty
of the scholars to keep
the school house and
yard clean, & the tutor
for that purpose shall see
that each one bears his
or her respective part in
that duty; provided, the
females be exempt from
sweeping the yard. ...
10th There shall be
allowed a vacation of four
weeks in a year, viz. Two
weeks commencing at the
first of July & the two last
weeks in December.”
Daniel Lawrence was
hired as the first teacher.
The students were both
male and female and had
to be at least 5 years old.
In 1824 Franklin student
Abraham Humphreys
was suspended for three
months for “improper
conduct toward some
of the female scholars.”
The earliest surviving
record of tuition being
received for individual
families is from 1829.
Interestingly two of the
families, Folsom and
Pitchlynn, with children
attending Franklin are
Choctaw or of Choctaw
descent.
The original structure
was replaced in 1835
by two brick buildings.
One building was the
male department and the
other the female depart-
ment. The buildings
were two stories with
two rooms on the second
floor and one large room
on the first floor. When
those buildings became
inadequate, a three story
brick structure was con-
structed in 1886. In 1938,
the current structure
was built.
William Cocke, the
president of the Franklin
Academy Board of Trust-
ees, was corresponding
with Thomas Jefferson,
an old friend from Vir-
ginia, about education
and Franklin Academy.
In an 1825 letter he men-
tioned that there were
“upwards of 60” scholars
attending the school.
Cocke exemplifies the
farsighted citizens who
in 1821 realized the
importance of public
education and founded
the first public school in
Mississippi.
Cocke, who was presi-
dent of the board from its
creation until his death
in 1828, is one of the
most notable figures in
the history of Columbus.
He had served in both
the Virginia Assembly
and the North Carolina
House of Burgesses
and was associated with
Daniel Boone in the set-
tlement of Boonesboro.
During the American
Revolution, he served as
a captain and one of the
“Overmountain Men”
under Col. John Sevier.
Upon Tennessee’s state-
hood, he became one of
the new state’s first two
U.S. senators. He served
under Andrew Jackson
in the Creek Indian War
and was the U.S. Chick-
asaw Indian agent from
1814 to 1817. He proba-
bly moved to the site of
Columbus during the
summer of 1818.
The story of Franklin
Academy is the story of
Columbus. The school
has a grand heritage and
continues to be a beacon
of education. Thanks
to Carolyn Kaye for
transcribing the 1821-
1835 Franklin Academy
Minute book.
Rufus Ward is a local
historian.
 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2021 3A

Emergency management officials, utility

companies brace for possible winter storms
BY SLIM SMITH
ssmith@cdispatch.com
Emergency management
officials, utility companies and
schools are keeping a close eye
on the forecast as the Gold-
en Triangle braces for severe
weather.
The National Weather Ser-
vice in Jackson has placed the
Golden Triangle under a winter
storm watch for today through
Monday, with a combination of
freezing rain, sleet and snow
that could cause power outages
and hazardous road conditions.
The worst of the storm is
projected to arrive Monday eve-
ning, with a forecast of freezing
rain and low temperature of 13
degrees, conditions that could
extend well into Tuesday. An-
other possible storm could
arrive Thursday with chances
for snow, freezing rain on sleet
and at low temperature of 22.
Lowndes County Emergen-
cy Management Director Cin-
dy Lawrence said the county
has already been exposed to
the dangers of a winter storm.
“(Saturday) morning, we
had about 50 car crashes near
Crawford, mostly on the 45
(Alternate) overpass,” Law-
rence said. “They were mostly
fender-benders and no injuries,
but it’s a reminder of how dan-
gerous driving can be during
these winter storms.”
Utility companies are get-
ting ready for potential outag-
es.
“Right now, we’re making
sure all of our equipment is in
order and ready to go,” said
Starkville Utilities Depart-
ment General Manager Terry
Kemp. “The main thing we’ve
been doing up this point is our
scheduling. We’ve increased
our stand-by crews so that we’ll
have the crews ready to go as
soon as we get outage reports.”
In Lowndes County, both
the Columbus and county
schools won’t have to worry
about school Monday. They are
out for Presidents Day.
“We’re probably going to
make a decision about school
on Tuesday sometime Monday,
when we’ve got a better idea
of the conditions,” Lowndes
County School District Super-
intendent Sam Allison said.
“We’re prepared to go to all
virtual classes for Tuesday and
Wednesday depending on the
situation.”
Because of the hybrid
schedule at Columbus Munic-
ipal School District, only half
of the students attend classes
on Mondays and Tuesdays, so
the impact will be mitigated,
CMSD superintendent Cherie
Labat said.
“Since we already have Mon-
day off, we’ll continue to moni-
tor the situation,” she said. “We
can go all-virtual on Tuesday
if we need to. We’ll probably
make that decision Sunday
night or Monday morning.”
The Starkville-Oktibbeha
Consolidated School District
are not closed for the Monday
holiday, so it will have all vir-
tual classes on Monday and
Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Robinson Real
Estate, one of the largest rental
home management companies
in Lowndes County, issued a
notice to its tenants, remind-
ing them to cover all outdoor
faucets and leave indoor fau-
cets dripping during extended
periods when the temperature
remains below freezing.
Lawrence said the time to
prepare for the storm is now.
“In addition to covering
your pipes and leaving water
dripping inside, people should
be very careful if they are us-
ing space heaters,” Lawrence
said. “... When you leave the
room, turn it off. And don’t use
extension cords that aren’t rat-
ed safe for using space heaters.
Every time we have this really
cold weather, we have house
fires related to space heaters.
They can be very dangerous.”
Lawrence urged residents
to be sure to have ready-to-eat
food, warm clothing and blan-
kets ready and to check on el-
derly neighbors to make sure
they are prepared in the event
of power outages.
The Sunday-Monday winter
storm is part of a nationwide
storm that is expected to im-
pact 190 million people in the
U.S. more than half of the pop-
ulation, according to the Na-
tional Weather Service.

United Way
Continued from Page 1A

Uncertain times for
United Way
Oliver volunteered
with United Way, even
serving a stint as a board
member, after she moved
to Starkville in 2014 and
taught at Mississippi
State University. She
left for Marion County,
Florida, five years later
and briefly worked for
the United Way chapter
there.
When Oliver agreed
last June to rejoin the
United Way of North Cen-
tral Mississippi, this time
as director, she returned
to the same office suite
on the third floor of the
Regions Bank building
that has housed the head-
quarters for years.
That was one of the
few things that hadn’t
changed, she said.
An organization that
once funded $5,000
grants for 14 partner
nonprofits each year gave
much smaller grants to
only three in 2020, Oliver
said. A capital campaign
that once aimed to raise
$150,000 annually fell
well short of that mark
last year, though Oliver
didn’t offer more specif-
ics.
“It’s concerning,”
Oliver said of the or-
ganization’s financial
outlook. “We’re trying to
determine how to move
forward. … If nothing
changes, in the near
future, we will suffer
severe limitations to the
services we can provide.”
COVID-19 isn’t help-
ing.
Touch a Truck, an
event coordinated with
first responders that al-
lows children to see fire,
police and other vehicles
up close, was canceled
this year. That dealt a
blow to United Way’s
visibility and its literacy
awareness campaign.
Citywide Tailgate, a
huge fall football-cen-
tered event that helps
kick off the organiza-
tion’s capital campaign,
also couldn’t happen
safely.
“Direct-appeal”
fundraising, which has
been the organization’s
primary method, is
flagging, partly because
the pandemic has limited
in-person visits to homes
and businesses and also
due to general uncertain-
ty from would-be donors.
“Businesses are hurt-
ing,” Oliver said. “People
we would traditionally
ask for financial support
are now sometimes
people who need help
themselves.”
There are also those
who want to give, she
said, but because of the
length of the ongoing
pandemic, do so more
conservatively.
“People are a bit more
aware of the uncertainty,”
she said. “That’s really
hit us all.”
For sustainability, Oli-
ver is looking outside the
area for grants and “other
opportunities for invest-
ment” in the organiza-
tion. But to thrive, more
is needed locally.
“We have to have the
backing of our communi-
ties,” she said.
Reframing the
conversation
When people contact
United Way for help,
they are usually in “crisis
mode.”
If people need food,
United Way connects
them with one of 26 food
pantries in its four-coun-
ty network. If it’s utility
assistance related to
COVID-19, there are
special funds they use to
help with that.
Homelessness is
trickier, Oliver said,
since dedicated shelters
are few and far between.
Many times, United Way
works with area churches
to help get people tempo-
rary shelter.
“The first thing we
try to do is listen,” Oliver
said. “People really just
want to be heard, so we
let people share with us
what’s going on in their
world.”
After addressing im-
mediate needs, the orga-
nization connects people
with other partners, such
as Boys and Girls Club,
Sally Kate Winters and
Emerson, for educational
and other “quality of life”
resources.
“A lot of times, the
issues people are fac-
ing are not things that
happened overnight,”
Oliver said. “We want to
provide more than just a
band-aid.”
Just last year, the Unit-
ed Way chapter provided
more than $61,012 in
direct services for resi-
dents in the four-county
area, Oliver said. That
helped 1,550 families
either with utility bills,
living assistance or food,
much of the latter coming
through the United We
Feed program that helps
stock area food pantries.
United We Read, fo-
cused on literacy aware-
ness for youth, provided
residents 3,300 books
and other resources,
Oliver said.
But Oliver wants the
public to see United Way
as more than just the
annual food and book
drives that are often its
most visible elements.
That involves reframing ry for the Sturgis native, volunteer his time with
the organization as one who grew up tending the organization however
that addresses systemic livestock and growing he can.
issues and helps at-risk vegetables. “I’d like to be a
people break the “crisis” Last year, on his par- spokesperson for United
cycle. ents’ property in Sturgis, Way and how they helped
United Way is working he began raising a gar- change my circumstanc-
to launch more of its own den again, with every- es in a difficult time,”
programs toward that thing from okra, greens Davis said.
end, starting with one and strawberries to Without United Way,
focused on financial liter- peanuts and potatoes. His Davis said he isn’t sure
acy for low-income youth, children enjoy getting out how he would manage.
Oliver said.
in the garden too. If it went away, he can’t
Where the chapter “It gives us something imagine how it would
“has a long road ahead,”
to do, and we love to affect others in similar,
Oliver said, is showing watch it grow,” he said. or more desperate, situ-
United Way stands apart
Starting this year, ations.
from other nonprofits
Davis plans to donate “It’s a light you don’t
in its mission and is a
some of his vegetables want to dim,” he said.
“worthwhile cause” that
to United Way, as well as
“shows return on invest-
ment.”
She said the organi-
zation is offering more
fundraising opportunities
virtually and trying to re-
cruit more businesses to
give — either directly or
through regular pledges
from employees.
Oliver also is seeking
feedback from longtime
supporters who have
stuck with United Way, as
well as others who once
contributed but stopped.
“We want to know,
‘Why did you continue?’”
Oliver said. “Or, ‘Why
did you stop and how can
we reinitiate that engage-
ment?’
“We want people to
truly champion United
Way and get others in
their network on board,”
she added.
‘It’s a light you don’t
want to dim’
In his new job, Davis
works with plants.
That’s familiar territo-

Five
Questions:

1 DNA

2X

3 Mumbai

4 Mariah SOLUNAR TABLE

The solunar period indicates

Carey
peak-feeding times for fish and game.
Sun. Mon.
Major 3:21a 4:03a
Minor 10:13a 10:39a
Major 3:42p 4:23p
Minor 9:23p 10:18p
Courtesy of Mississippi Department
of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks

5 Justin
Trudeau
The Dispatch
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4A SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2021 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com

Trump acquitted: Senate votes 57-43 at impeachment trial

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — The
Senate on Saturday acquit-
ted Donald Trump of incit-
ing the horrific attack on
the U.S. Capitol, conclud-
ing a historic impeach-
ment trial that exposed
the fragility of America’s
democratic traditions and
left a divided nation to
come to terms with the
violence sparked by his
defeated presidency.
Barely a month since
the deadly Jan. 6 riot that
stunned the world, the
Senate convened for a rare
Saturday session to deliv-
er its verdict, voting while
armed National Guard
troops continued to stand
their posts outside the
iconic building.
The quick trial, the na-
tion’s first of a former pres-
ident, showed how peril-
ously close the invaders
had come to destroying
the nation’s deep tradition
of a peaceful transfer of
presidential power after
Trump had refused to con-
cede the election. Rallying
outside the White House,
he unleashed a mob of
supporters to “fight like
hell” for him at the Capitol
just as Congress was cer-
tify Democrat Joe Biden’s
victory. As hundreds
stormed the building,
some in tactical gear en-
gaging in bloody combat
with police, lawmakers
fled for their lives. Five
people died.
The verdict, on a vote
of 57-43, is all but certain
to influence not only the
former president’s politi-
cal future but that of the
senators sworn to deliver
impartial justice as jurors.
Seven Republicans joined
all Democrats to convict,
but it was far from the two-
third threshold required.
The verdict after the
uprising leaves unresolved
the nation’s wrenching
divisions over Trump’s
brand of politics that led to
the most violent domestic
attack on one of America’s
three branches of govern-
ment.
“Senators, we are in
a dialogue with history,
a conversation with our
past, with a hope for our
future,” said Rep. Made-
leine Dean, D-Pa.., one of
the House prosecutors in
closing arguments.
“What we do here, what
is being asked of each of
us here in this moment
will be remembered. His-
tory has found us.”
Trump, unrepentant,
welcomed the his second
impeachment acquittal
and said his movement
“has only just begun.” He
slammed the trial as “yet
another phase of the great-
est witch hunt in the histo-
ry of our Country.”
Though he was acquit-
ted, it was easily the larg-
est number of senators to
ever vote to find a pres-
ident of their own party
guilty of an impeachment
charge.
Voting to find Trump
guilty were GOP Sens.
Richard Burr of North
Carolina, Bill Cassidy of
Louisiana, Susan Collins
of Maine, Lisa Murkowski
of Alaska, Mitt Romney
of Utah, Ben Sasse of Ne-
braska and Patrick Toom-
ey of Pennsylvania.
The trial had been
momentarily thrown into
confusion when senators
suddenly wanted to con-
sider potential witnesses,
an hours-long standoff
Saturday that stalled the
momentum toward a vote.
Prolonged proceedings
would be politically risky,
particularly for Biden’s
new presidency and his
emerging legislative agen-
da. The trial came amid
the searing COVID-19 cri-
sis, and the Biden White
House trying to rush pan-
demic relief through Con-
gress.
Biden has hardly
weighed in on the proceed-
ings and was spending the
weekend with family at
the presidential retreat in
Camp David, Maryland.
Many senators kept
their votes closely held
until the final moments,
Republicans in particular-
ly now thrust into minori-
ty status. Democrats took
narrow control of the Sen-
ate with runoff elections in
Georgia on Jan. 5, the day
before the siege.
The nearly weeklong
trial has delivered a grim
and graphic narrative
of the riot and its conse-
quences in ways that sena-
tors, most of whom fled for
their own safety that day,
acknowledge they are still
coming to grips with.
House prosecutors
have argued that Trump’s
was the “inciter in chief”
stoking a months-long
campaign, and orchestrat-
ed pattern of violent rhet-
oric and false claims that
unleashed the mob. Five
people died, including a
rioter who was shot and a
police officer.
Trump’s lawyers coun-
tered that Trump’s words
were not intended to incite
the violence and that im-
peachment is nothing but
a “witch hunt” designed to
prevent him from serving
in office again.
Only by watching the
graphic videos — rioters
calling out menacingly
for House Speaker Nancy
Pelosi and Vice President
Mike Pence, who was pre-
siding over the vote tally
— did senators say they
began to understand just
how perilously close the
country came to chaos.
Many Republicans rep-
resenting states where the
former president remains
popular doubt whether
Trump was fully respon-
sible or if impeachment is
the appropriate response.
In closing arguments,
lead prosecutor Michael
van der Veen fell back on
the procedural argument
that Republican senators
have embraced in their
own reasoning of the case
what he said is a “phony
impeachment show trial.”
“Mr. Trump is innocent
of the charges against
him,” said Michael van der
Veen. “The act of incite-
ment never happened.”
The House impeached
trump on the sole charge
of incitement of insurrec-
tion one week after the
riot, the most bipartisan
vote of a presidential im-
peachment.
The delay Saturday
came as senators wanted
to hear evidence about
Trump’s actions during
the riot.
Fresh stories overnight
focused on Rep. Jaime
Herrera Beutler of Wash-
ington state, who said in
a statement late Friday
that Trump rebuffed a plea
from House Republican
leader Kevin McCarthy to
call off the rioters.
Fifty-five senators
voted for to consider wit-
nesses, including Susan
Collins of Maine, Lisa
Murkowski of Alaska,
Ben Sasse of Nebraska
and Mitt Romney of Utah.
Once they did, Lindsey
Graham of South Carolina
changed his vote to join
them on the 55-45 vote.
But facing a prolonged
trial with defense poised to
call many more witnesses,
the situation was resolved
when Herrera Beutler’s
statement on the call was
read aloud into the record
for senators to consider as
evidence. As part of the
deal, Democrats dropped
their planned deposition
and Republicans aban-
doned their threat to call
their own witnesses.
Impeachment trials are
rare, senators meeting as
the court of impeachment
over a president only four
times in the nation’s his-
tory, for Andrew Johnson,
Bill Clinton and now twice
for Trump, the only one to
be twice impeached.
Unlike last year’s im-
peachment trial of Trump
in the Ukraine affair, a
complicated charge of cor-
ruption and obstruction
over his attempts to have
the foreign ally dig up dirt
on then-campaign rival
Biden, this one brought
an emotional punch dis-
played in graphic videos of
the siege that laid bare the
unexpected vulnerability
of the democratic system.
At the same time, this
year’s trial carried similar
warnings from the prose-
cutors pleading with sen-
ators that Trump must be
held accountable because
he has shown repeatedly
he has no bounds. Left
unchecked, he will further
test the norms of civic be-
havior, even now that he
is out of office still com-
manding loyal supporters.
“This trial in the final
analysis is not about Don-
ald Trump,” said lead pros-
ecutor Rep. Jamie Raskin,
D-Md. “This trial is about
who we are.”

Todd Gale
COLUMBUS — Rob-
ert Todd Gale, 52, died
Feb. 13, 2021.
Arrangements are
incomplete and will be
announced by Memori-
al Gunter Peel Funeral
Home & Crematory,
Second Avenue North
location.
Sanders Gillespie
WEST POINT —
Sanders Gillespie, 84,
died Feb. 4, 2021, at his
residence.
Graveside services
will be at 11 a.m. Mon-
day, at New Hope M.B.
Church Cemetery in
Artesia, with the Rev.
Thomas Rice officiat-
ing. Visitation will be
from 10:30-11 a.m. prior
to services at the ceme-
tery. Carter’s Mortuary
Services of West Point
is in charge of arrange-
AREA OBITUARIES
Kornegay
Arrangements are
incomplete and will be
announced by Lown-
des Funeral Home in
Columbus.
Samantha Cantrell
VERNON, Ala.
— Samantha Ann
Cantrell, 48, died Feb.
10, 2021, at Baptist Me-
morial Hospital-Golden
Triangle.
Memorial services
were Saturday at the
chapel of Otts Funeral
Home in Sulligent,
Alabama, with James
Godsey officiating.
Ms. Cantrell was
born Dec. 8, 1972, in
Columbus to William
Cantrell and Betty
Langford. She attended
school in Vernon and
Caledonia. Samantha
previously worked at
Generations of Ver-
Christi.
Funeral service were
last week in Kingsville,
Texas. Burial was
Saturday at Shuqualak
Cemetery in Shuqualak
with a procession held
prior. Cockrell Funeral
Home in Macon was
entrusted with arrange-
ments.
Mr. Russell was born
June 21, 1957, in West
Point to the late Helen
Buchanan and Marion
Donald Russell. He
served in the United
States Navy as an elec-
tronics technician and
as a computer specialist
in the Department for
Defense, working for
both NAS-Meridian
and NAS-Kingsville. He
was a scoutmaster for
Boy Scouts Troop 385
in Kingsville. Garry
was an active member
of Retama Park Baptist
Jackson Jr. will serve
as eulogist. A public
visitation will be held
Feb. 19 from 3-6 p.m.
at Lavender’s Funeral
Services in Aliceville,
Alabama.
Dexter Freeman
ALICEVILLE,
Ala. — Dexter Leon
Freeman, 38, died Feb.
8, 2021, in Saint Clair
County, Alabama.
A graveside
home-going celebration
service and interment
will be held at noon
Feb. 20 at Saint John
Baptist Church in Pa-
nola, Alabama. A public
visitation will be held
Feb. 19 from 3-5 p.m.
at Lavender’s Funeral
Services in Aliceville.

ments.
Mr. Gillespie was
born March 26, 1936,
in Starkville, to the late
Sanders Gillespie and
Rosy Bell Moody. He
was formerly employed
as railroad employee.
He is survived by his
wife, Vonika Gillespie;
children, Leon Billups,
Cameron Harrell, Justin
Harrell, Kevin Crockett
and Dorothy Hairston;
siblings, Charles Rob-
inson, Melvin Robin-
son, Betty Jean Smith,
Annie Dale Fulton and
Marva Louis Watford;
six grandchildren; and
eight great-grandchil-
dren.
Cathy Rueff
COLUMBUS —
Cathy Denise Rueff, 51,
died Feb. 10, 2021, at
Baptist Memorial Hos-
pital-Golden Triangle.
A memorial service
will be at 2 p.m. Sun-
day, Feb. 20, at the 7th
Day Adventist Church.
Memorial Gunter Peel
Funeral Home and Cre-
matory, College Street
location is in charge of
arrangements.
Cynthia Kornegay
COLUMBUS — Cyn-
thia Diane Honeycutt
non and Max’s Fried
Chicken.
She was preceded in
death by her grandpar-
ents, Sam and Mamie
Lou Langford and
Betty Jo Cantrell; and
partner, Lloyd Clanton.
In addition to her
parents, she is survived
by her daughters,
Kara Colburn and
Kaci Colburn, both of
Vernon; stepson, Kevin
Clinton of Vernon;
brother, James Cantrell
of Vernon; sisters, Traci
Hassell of Vernon and
Staci Stevenson of Fay-
ette, Alabama; grand-
father, Pete Cantrell
of Caledonia; and four
grandchildren.
Garry Russell
CORPUS CHRISTI,
Texas — Garry Kevin
Russell, 63, died Jan.
23, 2021, in Corpus
Church in Kingsville.
He is survived by
his wife, Paula Gayle
Russell of Kingsville;
daughter, Amanda
Hedtke of San Antonio,
Texas; son, Stephen
Russell of Kingsville;
brothers, David Russell
of Trussville, Alabama,
and Scott Russell
of Mountain Brook,
Alabama; and sister,
Donna Eaves of Carroll-
ton, Georgia.
Annette Walker
CARROLLTON, Ala.
­ Annette Walker,
— shop pro groups. Obtaining her Beauticians
55, died Feb. 12, 2021,
at Northport Medical
Center in Northport,
Alabama.
A home-going cel-
ebration service and
interment will be held
Feb. 20 in Fleming
Cemetery in Carrollton.
The Rev. Robert W.
Peggy Wilkerson
Peggy J. Wilkerson, 81, of
Petal passed away on February
9, 2021, at her home.
A private family service
will be held at Biloxi National
Cemetery.
Rayburn Cantrell
Mrs. Wilkerson was most
Visitation:
happy when she was with her
Sunday, Feb. 14 • 12-1 PM
Memorial Gunter Peel Chapel, family, whether ocean fishing,
College St. Location goose hunting, watching birds
Services:
Sunday, Feb. 14 • 1 PM
of all kinds, or shopping with her girls. She loved
Memorial Gunter Peel Chapel, to travel and meet new people. She was a proud
College St. Location Air Force wife for twenty-four years. It was her
Burial
Furnace Hill Cemetery way of serving her country. She also enjoyed
College St. Location many hours on her computer, working with paint
Cathy Rueff license was one of her proudest moments.
Services:
She was preceded in death by her parents,
Saturday, Feb. 20 • 2 PM
7th Day Adventist Church Albert Theodore Ash, Sr. and Madge Ash;
College St. Location her brother, Albert Theodore Ash, Jr; her
grandparents, Ethel “Mimmie” Fuqua, Albert
Moore Ash and Burt and Icena Belle Dees; and
memorialgunterpeel.com numerous aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews.
She is survived by her husband, Lawrence F.
“Fred” Wilkerson of Petal; her two daughters,
Barbara Odden (Greg) of Rugby, ND and
Janet Hanna (Mack) of Lake City, SC; five
grandchildren, Chris Upton (Becky) of SC,
Dustin Odden (Heidi) of WI, Josh Odden
(Gloria) of ND, Chance McKenzie (Michaela) of
SC and John Pollard (Angel) of SC; twelve great-
grandchildren; and her sister-in-law, Pauline
Ash.
Due to current cemetery regulations, the
family ask that in lieu of flowers, donations be
made to Heritage United Methodist Church at 3
Baracuda Dr. Hattiesburg, MS 39402.
Paid Obituary - Moore Funeral Services

Franklin Academy
Continued from Page 1A
A monument to the 200th anniversary of the charter of Franklin Academy was
unveiled in front of the school at Friday’s bicentennial celebration.
10, 1821, becoming the
first public school in the
state.
Two hundred years
later, the school is still in
operation. As a medical
sciences and wellness
magnet school, Franklin
serves 240 to 250 stu-
dents from kindergarten
through fifth grade.
But plenty has changed
over the past two centu-
ries as Franklin, Colum-
bus and Mississippi have
evolved and expanded.
“Over the years, the
school has not only
made history, but it has
witnessed 200 years of
accomplishments, chal-
lenges and, ultimate-
ly, change,” said Mona
Vance-Ali, archivist at the
Columbus-Lowndes Pub-
lic Library.
Franklin’s history,
significance
When Franklin was
founded, Vance-Ali said,
it was four years after
Mississippi became a
state. At the time, Co-
Gale
Continued from Page 1A
but Merchant said there
were no obvious signs of
trauma.
The news stunned
city leaders and CLW
board members.
“I don’t even know
what to say,” said board
member Jabari Edwards.
“It came totally out of no-
where. I was rabbit hunt-
ing this morning and
didn’t have a cell signal.
But later, when I got in
cell range, I saw all these
texts and missed calls. I
Jones
Continued from Page 1A
Starkville and Oktibbeha County, as well as write
pieces focused on the people, trends and issues that
impact the area.
Jones, 23, is a native of Vaughn in Yazoo Coun-
ty. She is currently a graduate teaching assistant on
news writing in the Mississippi State University De-
partment of Communication and is pursuing a mas-
ter’s degree in public policy and administration at
MSU.
The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com
Theo DeRosa/Dispatch Staff
lumbus was part of Mon- said U.S. Rep. Trent Kel-
roe County, and the first ly, who represents Mis-
building constructed at sissippi’s 1st Congressio-
Franklin was a 20-by- nal District.
30-foot unsealed wood It took until 1886 for
structure. In 1835, the Franklin to expand to a
one-room schoolhouse three-story brick build-
became two buildings, ing containing 14 rooms
separated by a wall: one and a chapel. In 1918,
for males and one for fe- the school became an
males. elementary school with
Additionally, Franklin the founding of Stephen
was an all-white school D. Lee High. The current
until the Jamison and two-story building was
Doughty families in- completed in 1939 by the
tegrated it in 1965, 11 Public Works Adminis-
years after the Brown v. tration.
Board of Education U.S. “Few institutions have
Supreme Court decision withstood the challeng-
and nearly 150 years after es of change and time,”
the school’s founding. A Vance-Ali said. “Franklin
school for African Amer- Academy is one of those
icans in Columbus was shining examples that
founded in 1869 and was has weathered the ups
christened Union Acad- and downs and only stood
emy in 1874; three years stronger for it.”
later, it became a branch Vance-Ali told The
of Franklin Academy. Dispatch that the estab-
“It is really amazing lishment of Franklin set
how much education has the bar for other com-
changed from a lack of munities to begin their
diversity in both sex and forays into public school-
race to now a public sys- ing in the state. Previous-
tem that allows everyone ly, most education was
the same opportunity,” either through private
made some phone calls, both a personal blow and
heard about Todd dying a blow to the city of Co-
and headed straight to lumbus as well.
his (camp house. I real- “Todd was a friend
ized it hadn’t happened of mine and we had a
there but down the road great working relation-
from his house. When I ship,” Smith said. “He
got to the area — it was did whatever he could
maybe a minute or two do to help the city of
from his house — the Columbus. Anytime you
sheriff’s department had went to him with an idea,
the road blocked off, but you knew if he could, if
I was close enough to it was legally possible,
recognize his truck.” he would do it. So this is
Mayor Robert Smith a great loss for the city
said Gale’s passing was of Columbus. He was
She earned her bachelor’s in journalism, with an
emphasis in public relations, from the University of
Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg. Jones also has
interned with Visit Hattiesburg in marketing and
communications.
“Reporting and writing have always been pas-
sions of mine, so I’m excited that I get to bring the
news to the public,” Jones said. “... I’m super eager
to start reporting on public service and local govern-
schools or in-home tutor-
ing.
“The concept of edu-
cation being for all was
relatively young and new
even in the country,” she
said. “It really became a
model for other schools
throughout the state and
was sort of at the fore-
front of a larger move-
ment across the nation of
opening up schools.”
Chuck Yarborough,
U.S. history teacher at
the Mississippi School
for Mathematics and
Science, said downtown
Columbus was laid out as
16th Section land in order
to fund Franklin. He said
the city — at the time, a
community of just 125
people — had the finan-
cial incentive and moral
imperative to invest in
public schooling.
“Education has always
been an economic devel-
opment catalyst,” Yarbor-
ough said.
Columbus Mayor Rob-
ert Smith, Mississippi
Speaker of the House
Philip Gunn and state
Sen. Chuck Younger
(R-Columbus) also is-
sued proclamations Fri-
day to commemorate
the bicentennial. So did
state Rep. Dana McLean
(R-Columbus), who be-
gan attending Franklin in
the first grade.
“This was quite a
daunting school for a lit-
tle 6-year-old,” McLean
said, “but I’ll tell you
what: It certainly started
my love of learning.
“What I hope for every
child in Mississippi is that
they feel the nurture and
that they feel that they
have a good start just
like I did here at Franklin
Academy,” she added.
Lt. Gov. Delbert Hose-
mann delivered a video
message to Friday’s at-
tendees to commemo-
rate the bicentennial.
Yarborough, Franklin
principal Kennetra Smith
and the CMSD board of
definitely an asset to the
city.
“My sympathies and
condolences go out to
his family,” he added.
“It’s a sad day.”
Edwards described
Gale as knowledgeable
and professional.
“He really knew the
job and how to do it,”
Edwards said. “He was
always willing to think
outside the box and
was receptive to new
ideas. Todd and I were
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2021 5A
trustees unveiled a stone We would have no direc-
monument in front of the tion in life — not even a
school. map to lead us.
In her closing re- “There are so many
marks, CMSD Super- names to list, but at the
intendent Cherie Labat end of the day, the Co-
stressed the emphasis of lumbus Municipal School
providing multiple path- District, and especial-
ways for the district’s ly Columbus High, has
students, such as going transformed me into a
to college, entering the man dedicated to preserv-
workforce or enlisting in ing and expanding the sa-
the military. cred truths we all hold so
“Education, in many dear.”
ways, is the fundamental Fellow CHS senior
right of all students to Avani Poindexter has
grow, prosper and learn had a similar experi-
valuable foundations to ence. Coming from a sin-
prepare them to be proud gle-parent household, she
citizens in this great said she was considered
state,” she said. an “at-risk student,” but
she said she didn’t want
Students thank district that to negatively define
for opportunities her academic accom-
plishments: participating
Jacob Badcock came
to Columbus as “kind of in student government,
a weird Northerner from sports and other lead-
ership programs. Poin-
Wisconsin with a bit of an
accent.” dexter is dual enrolled in
At Friday’s celebra- high school and college
tion, the Columbus courses, meaning she
High School senior got a can obtain her associate’s
chance to deliver the wel- degree by the end of her
come address and said senior year.
attending CMSD schools “As we look forward
had helped him in more to another two centuries
ways than academically. of public education in
“If it wasn’t for our Columbus and in Missis-
great teachers, none sippi, I want to say thank
of us would be who we you to everyone who has
are,” Badcock said. “We made the last two centu-
wouldn’t be where we are. ries possible,” she said.
Theo DeRosa/Dispatch Staff
Columbus Municipal School District board of trustees
president Jason Spears speaks during Friday’s Franklin
Academy bicentennial celebration. Chartered on Feb.
10, 1821, Franklin Academy is the oldest public school
in the state of Mississippi.
supposed to meet next added. “Anytime he had
week with the Colum- a ceremony or some-
bus School District and thing for an employee,
the Housing Authority he would always call and
on trying to add inter- ask the board members
net service. He wasn’t to come. He wanted the
afraid to try new things. board to be involved
I know he had a lot of re- with his people.”
spect from other manag- CLW’s board held
ers around TVA. He was a special-call meeting
someone who was really Saturday afternoon via
devoted to his job and phone and appointed
highly skilled at doing it. Comptroller Mike Ber-
“He loved the de- nsen as interim general
partment and loved his manager, effective im-
employees,” Edwards mediately.
ment here in Starkville.”
Managing Editor Zack Plair said Jones started
contributing immediately, and he looks forward to
seeing the fresh eyes and solid reporting she will
bring to the beat.
“Her energy, work ethic and attention to detail
have already made an impact in just her first week
on the job,” Plair said. “We’re very excited to have
her as part of the team.”
Opinion
6A SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2021
PETER BIRNEY IMES Editor/Publisher
BIRNEY IMES III Editor/Publisher 1998-2018
BIRNEY IMES JR. Editor/Publisher 1947-2003

Dispatch
The
BIRNEY IMES SR. Editor/Publisher 1922-1947

ZACK PLAIR, Managing Editor

BETH PROFFITT Advertising Director
MICHAEL FLOYD Circulation/Production Manager
MARY ANN HARDY Controller

OUR VIEW
Todd Gale’s passing leaves Columbus’ light dimmer
A
ll across the city of Columbus on
Saturday, citizens were bracing
themselves for a blow from a
winter storm that was set to arrive on
Sunday and Monday.
But a different kind of blow landed
in our community Saturday as news
began to circulate of the Saturday
morning death of Columbus Light &
Water General Manager Todd Gale.
The details of Gale’s death are few.
All that is known officially is his body
was found around 10 a.m. on Togo
Road in south Lowndes County, a few
feet from his abandoned truck and a
couple of miles from his home. Lown-
des County Sheriff’s Office is investi-
gating the death.
But it is what is known about Gale
that we consider now. That is what
matters most and why our community
is so rocked by the news of his pass-
ing.
During his time as the leader of the
city’s primary utilities provider, Gale
developed a reputation for competen-
cy, enthusiasm and cooperation, a
man whose devotion to his duties was
beyond question.
News of his death was almost im-
mediately followed with recollections
from those who had dealt with him on
some matter or another. Some com-
mon threads emerged from all those
reminiscences.
First was his competence. Gale may
have been quiet by nature and never
one for self-promotion, but when he
spoke, his words carried the weight
of expertise. He was always prepared
to answer questions thoughtfully,
incisively. He knew his stuff.
He will also be remembered for his
open-minded enthusiasm. Whether
it was a request from Main Street
Columbus to help run lights along
the top of downtown buildings or the
school district and housing authority
advocating for CL&W to offer broad-
band internet service in poor city
neighborhoods, Gale always seemed
to be looking for a way to say “yes.”
And it was always the kind of “yes”
that was fiscally responsible and above
reproach - no shady deals or skirting
the rules.
It’s much easier to say, “no,” of
course because it never requires
anything of you. The status quo is
always a soft and safe place to land.
Gale didn’t choose that path of least re-
sistance, which is a credit to his work
ethic.
Finally, whether it was a home-
owner, business owner or the mayor,
Gale was accessible, willing to listen
and listen respectfully. Even from a
position of superior knowledge, he was
never known to condescend.
By all these qualities, it was obvious
Gale loved his job, his employees and -
yes - his customers.
CL&W will have a new general
manager. In the interim, the depart-
ment’s Comptroller, Mike Bernsen,
will run operations. Bernsen also has
a reputation for competency, which is
comforting.
But as we try to process Todd Gale’s
passing, we struggle to imagine a
permanent replacement who can rival
what Gale has achieved on our behalf.
His passing is first and foremost,
a terrible tragedy for his friends and
family.
But it is also a heavy blow to the
city of Columbus and its residents.
In his honor, let’s all consider ways
we can responsibly say “yes” more
to the people in our lives. He set an
example of what all can be done with
that approach.

VOICE OF THE PEOPLE

Disagrees with recent column on ‘debtors prisons’
I found the February 10 Mississippi Voices by Wyatt
Emmerich to be ridiculous. His thesis that our prisons
are overcrowded because cities fund their govern-
ments with fines from those who are less organized
and somewhat low on brain cells and start out commit-
ting a misdemeanor which then snowballs to getting
thrown in jail is not credible.
I got a chuckle out of Mr. Emmerich’s example, hy-
pothetical of course, for someone to get a parking tick-
et, “forgetting” to pay it, then can’t come to courthouse
to pay when he gets a summons because, get this, “he
has no transportation.” Then he gets a speeding ticket
a year later and is arrested and slapped with a big fine
to the city. How did he get a parking ticket in the first
place and then a speeding ticket if he didn’t have a car?
When I look at the arrest photos and descriptions of
crimes printed in this newspaper, I see violence, drug
dealing and possession, fraud and theft and multiple
DUIs. I must be missing something since I don’t see
arrests for outstanding parking tickets. The author
also wants to free up prison space by decriminalizing
drugs. This is like saying you decrease crime by just
saying something that is illegal and very serious,
drugs, in this case, are now legal so you’ve cut down on
crime.
William Ford M.D.
Columbus

ROSES AND THORNS
A rose to all the “good neighbors”
out there as we prepare for one, per-
haps two, winter storm events over the
course of the next four-to-five days.
The Golden Triangle is under a winter
storm watch Sunday night through
Tuesday night while another winter storm could
emerge on Thursday. Temperatures as low as 13 de-
grees overnight Monday and a forecast of a wintry mix
of freezing rain, sleep and snow could make roadways
hazardous, especially on Tuesday morning, and could
also lead to power outages. We urge citizens to take
preparations now - wrapping exterior water faucets
and keeping a low drip on indoor faucets when temps
are below freezing. We also urge you to check on
vulnerable neighbors, assisting them in preparing for
the worst-case scenarios. Wrap their exterior faucets,
inform them about keeping their interior faucets drip-
ping. Anticipating power outages, check to make sure
they have non-perishable, ready-to-eat food available,
candles/flashlights and warm blankets available. In
short, let’s take care of ourselves and each other.
A thorn to Mississippi Senate
Republicans, including Sen. Chuck
Younger of Columbus, who voted down
an amendment to the State’s Medicaid
renewal bill that would have expanded
Medicaid coverage to roughly 300,000
working families in the state. Since 2010, 38 states
have taken advantage of the opportunity to expand
Medicaid while absorbing only a small fraction of the
cost. Over that time, it has proven to be a viable pro-
gram. It’s a bargain for Mississippi, especially, which
currently covers 78 percent of Medicaid costs for the
747,000 people now enrolled. If the state expanded
Medicaid, the federal government would cover 90
percent of all enrolled. Expanding Medicaid would
create thousands of new jobs and be a life-line for rural
hospitals, whose patients often have no health care
coverage. Partisan stubbornness primarily prevents
our state from something that is both financially and
morally a step forward for our state.
A rose to Columbus business-
man Jim Mauldin for his decision to
preserve the historic elements of the
former Fred’s site on Fifth Street in
downtown Columbus. Fred’s has been
closed for two years, so Mauldin’s
plans to open a storage business in the location is a
psychological boost for downtown. Mauldin’s plans for
renovations will follow guidelines for buildings such
as this, which are protected by Mississippi landmark
status. That means the building won’t only be brought
back to life, but will honor the historical integrity of
the building. We welcome Mauldin to the downtown
business community.
PARTIAL TO HOME
From bleak to beautiful
T
his past week, a
friend, who is a lov-
er of trees, butter-
flies, hummingbirds and all
things in the natural world,
asked if I knew anything
about the live oaks lining
Airline Road near the Hu-
mane Society.
You might have driven
through them on the way
to Fairview Baptist to get
the COVID vaccine. Birney Imes
The half-mile-long rows
have merged to create a tunnel, as live oaks are wont
to do. The effect is dramatic. For the 30 seconds or so
it takes to pass through them, you are enshrouded by
nature.
Another such environment can be found in a Courtesy image
A 1973 advertisement for Backstrom Glass featured
remote corner of Noxubee County on Boswell Road a photo taken by Birney Imes of Beth Hickel. Hickel
off Magnolia Drive. That gravel way is thick with would later marry the photographer.
arching bodocks (Osage Orange, Bois d’arc). These
strange, gnarly trees with their thorns and bright-yel-
low heartwood have a gothic spookiness in contrast yard of the home of Jane and Goodwin Myrick (now
owned by Katherine and Michael Kerby). As it was
with the more finely textured quercus virginiana, or
then, the yard is dominated by a gigantic umbrella
Southern live oak.
magnolia.
As it happens, Beth has a vivid memory of the day
Beth remembers Columbus in those days lush
the Airline Road live oaks were planted.
with azaleas, dogwoods, wisteria and large, old trees.
It was 1973 and she was working as a picture fram-
I’d go out of my way to drive down Seventh Street,
er at Backstrom Glass, which was about 150 yards
she remembers. Ridge Road, College Street and
east of the oaks. Waterworks, too. Much of that beauty, the trees
She had run into the late Bill Backstrom at a especially, has fallen victim to storms, tree cutters
dance at the Trotter, possibly the annual Greek and indifference.
Festival. He’d asked what she was up to, and she told All was not beautiful, however. Bleak is the word
him she was waiting on a response from the federal she used to describe the strip of Airline where Back-
government to a job application to teach art at the strom’s Glass was located.
high school on the Choctaw Indian Reservation in Then, one morning on the way to work, she saw
Philadelphia. city workers planting shoulder-high trees along the
“While you wait, why don’t you come frame pic- road’s right of way.
tures for me?” Bill said. Bill was like that, a maverick. “That’s going to take a lifetime before they get any
At the time Beth was running around with a guy size at all,” she remembers thinking.
who had just taken up photography, and when Bill The best part of a lifetime has passed and those
asked his new hire for a picture to use in a newspaper small trees have become a natural wonder.
ad announcing her arrival, a picture taker was close Beth says she thinks about those young trees of
at hand. long ago every time she drives through the oaks.
Beth put on a long dress, and the photographer “It’s one of the lessons of life,” she says, “how a
posed her in a rocking chair next to a wall in his small act can, with time, grow into something mag-
grandmother’s house. A small framed picture — the nificent.”
photographer’s baby picture taken when he was 1 Do yourself a favor and drive out Airline Road and
year old — hung on the wall. go through “the tunnel.”
I was mimicking the pose James McNeill Whistler It might make you want to go home and plant a
used with his mother. Whistler called the painting, tree.
his best known, “Arrangement in Gray and Black, No You’ll enjoy watching it grow, and chances are it
1.” will be a thing of beauty in less than a lifetime.
Bill, without comment, used the picture in his ad. Birney Imes (birney@cdispatch.com) is the former
In those days, Beth rented the cottage in the back- publisher of The Dispatch.
Lifestyles LIFESTYLES EDITOR
Jan Swoope: 328-2471
THE DISPATCH n CDISPATCH.COM n SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2021 n 7A

Three
A safe, socially-distanced exhibitions
will feature
Valentine’s rush W students’
artwork
MUW UNIVERSITY RELATIONS

M
ississippi University for
Women is celebrating the
artistic achievements of
its students this month in three
exhibitions.
“Museum Studies: Anatomy
of an Exhibition” is on display
through March 12 at The W Gal-
leries. The annual “Juried Student
Exhibition” will be Feb. 17 through
March 12, also at The W Galleries.
The work of Audrea Powell, a se-
nior at The W, will be on display on
the third floor of Welty Hall. The
display of Powell’s recent artwork
will be up from Feb. 11 to April 23.
Beverly Joyce, director of The
W Galleries and a professor of art
history, said the exhibitions are
an opportunity to celebrate the
accomplishments of The W stu-
dents and to follow their continued
growth and maturation.
“The project was a challenge in
that students conducted traditional
research but had to think about
how to communicate their findings
in an object-based format,” Joyce
said.
“Museum Studies: Anatomy of
Tyler B. Jones/Dispatch Staff Exhibition” highlights the work
Whitney Wofford, owner of The Flower Company in Starkville, prepares a floral arrangement for Valentine’s Day. She and See EXHIBITIONS, 8A
her staff are busy at work while taking proper coronavirus precautions, all while dealing with higher than normal demand.

Florists say they are seeing more business this year due to pandemic
BY TYLER B. JONES
tjones@cdispatch.com
J presents talk on
ust like the week of Valentine’s Day every year, the
line ran outside the door Wednesday afternoon
at The Flower Company on Lampkin Street in
Starkville.
Flowers have always been a prominent part of
Valentine’s Day, and this year is no different aside from
everyone wearing a mask in line and only 10 people
being allowed into the store at a time. Because of the
need to stay socially distant, people are buying flowers
more than ever before, owner Whitney Wofford said,
Visiting loved ones and going on dates might not
be possible for some people this Valentine’s Day, but
buying flowers is an easy way to spread love, Wofford
The Orators
said. Many floral companies have had to adjust due to
the pandemic but are still operating while finding ways
to stay safe.
“COVID-19 has made it a bigger holiday, but it’s
also hard to figure out how to keep people safe,” Wof- Walker, Evers
Wednesday
ford said.
Scott Reed, owner of Petal Pushers in West Point,
said when Valentine’s Day falls on a weekend, people
typically do not buy flowers as much as they do if the
SPECIAL TO THE DISPATCH
holiday were to fall on a weekday, but he has an in-

T
as a way to express love to their friends and family crease in orders this year compared to Sunday Valen-
he Shackouls Honors
they might not have seen in a while. tine’s Days in the past.
College at Mississippi State
“Because of COVID-19, I think that it (the floral Reed said he and his team have still been able to
University presents “Mobi-
industry) is going to be bigger because people aren’t deliver flowers to their customers.
lizing in Mississippi: The Coura-
getting out as much,” Wofford said. See VALENTINE’S, 8A geous Lives of Margaret Walker
and Medgar Evers” Wednesday,
Feb. 17 at 4 p.m. in Griffis Hall on
the MSU campus. Limited seat-
ing is available for 25 people; the
program may also be accessed vir-
tually at WebEx: https://.msstate.
webex,com/meet/dmb361. Donna
Clevinger, professor of Philosophy
and senior faculty fellow with the
Honors College, will moderate.
The talk will concern two major
figures from Mississippi, Walker
and Evers, and their courage to
stay in the state and fight when
many African Americans were
migrating away from it.
This scholarly event is made
Tyler B. Jones/Dispatch Staff possible through the support of
Shown are arrangements at The Flower Company in Starkville. Flowers are in high demand this year, something MSU’s Shackouls Honors College
area floral shop owners attribute to the COVID-19 pandemic keeping people apart. and through its on and off campus
interdisciplinary partnership.
For more information, call 662-
325-2522

IN THE GARDEN WITH FELDER WINTER READING

‘We’re here, and we’re trying’
W
hat’s the easiest To me, a Beds and
DIY veg and busy/lazy older containers are
herb garden for guy with an easier and more
newbies? aversion to ex- productive in
In the past year as I walk cess effort, it’s small spaces
my neighborhood I’ve seen a no-brainer to than long, skin-
so many new gardeners just plant stuff ny rows; I plant
giving it a go, often right in regular flow- two or more
out front as a proclamation: er beds in front compatible
“We’re here, and we’re of shrubs, and crops atop dou-
trying.” in big contain- ble-wide beds,
Luckily, a lot of the ers, using veg- mulch with
Felder Rushing
timid newbies were mostly gies and herbs leaves or bark,
successful, which is great; like ornamental
and when some-
it’s no fun learning to flowers. Or step
thing is harvested I dig in
expect and power through it up and make small but
the old mulch and cover
the pitfalls of growing stuff, efficient raised beds, with
with fresh mulch, then
dealing with bugs, blights, or without rigid sides. One
inclement weather and neighbor simply covered plant when I get around
animals. But we stick with rectangles of lawn with to it. You can even have Courtesy photo
multi-level raised beds, or From left, Joe Cook Elementary School first-graders Genesis Hill,
it, try figuring out what cardboard and leaves and Trenton Edwards and Alison Hernandez show off new books they re-
went awry, then with a sigh planted right through that. put pots in the middles.
ceived through a grant from My Book of Lowndes County in January.
rework dirt and replant. And it worked. See FELDER, 8A Each student got nine books to add to their personal home libraries.
8A SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2021
Valentine’s
Continued from Page 7A
“Delivery
looks different,”
Reed said. “We a
lot of times will
leave the flowers
on their front
porch and give
them a call when
we drop them Reed
off.”
Friday was the busiest day
for delivery, Reed said, but
his team will be out delivering
today as well.
The pandemic also has
affected growing season for
flowers this year. Many flow-
Felder
Continued from Page 7A
Occasionally for a new
area I rent or borrow a
big tiller for half a day,
which is far less expen-
sive than owning, with
no worries about storage
or keeping it in running
condition. Had I a bigger
garden I would probably
get a little lightweight
cultivator tiller, but
because my beds are so
compact I can work them
a bit at a time fairly easily,
using time-tested tool - a
shovel or spade, turning
fork, hand trow and rake
-- for which I am the only
moving part.
A lot of folks enclose
raised beds, but all you
really need to do is slope
and firm or even plant
flowers around the sides.
To keep things neat and
less muddy between beds
use mulch, old carpet
samples or a wide board.
Rather than fill beds
with store-bought soil, I
recommend digging your
native dirt a few inches
deep then add stuff to it,
like crumbled crackers in
a bowl of chili. It’s cheap-
er and works better than
all one or the other.
Last month I add-
ed a fence because a
soft-hearted neighbor
Exhibitions
Continued from Page 7A
of students that was
completed in the Mu-
seum Studies course in
the fall of 2020. Students
Lexie Ava, Maggie Ellis,
Hannah Moffett, Emma
Potter, MyKayla Rhodes,
Sarah Upchurch, Brianna
Williams and Georgia
Wood had to envision a
host museum that would
be an appropriate launch
for their exhibitions.
They then researched
their topics, selected the
objects for their exhibi-
tions, wrote explanatory
texts and developed
plans for visitor engage-
ment and the promotion
of their exhibitions. The
material provided the
basis for brochures to
entice potential ven-
ues. The students also
produced models of their
ideal exhibition spaces to
help them visualize their
exhibitions.
Due to space con-
straints, only some of
each student’s brochure
and some models are on
display.
Joyce and exhibitions
preparatory Chu-Ping
Wang edited and de-
signed the display
panels.
“This exhibition
shows a wide range of
interests that emphasiz-
es an interdisciplinary
approach to museum
studies,” Joyce said.
East Central Com-
munity College art
instructor Jeffrey Hodges
served as the juror
for the annual ‘Juried
Student Exhibition.” The
work of Ava, Wood, Jus-
tin Carson, Jacob Craft,
Grant Garrison, Sarah
Gilliland, Javonté Guy-
ton, Serenity Hardrick,
CALENDAR
Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 25-27
Virtual Magnolia Independent Film Festival —
The Mag in Starkville returns with independent films and shorts.
Visit magnoliafilmfest.com.
The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com
ers, such as lilies and Gerber is the traditional Valentine’s clue what it says, but we do Day could not happen at Petal
daisies, had shortages. Floral flower, we sell a lot of mixed know that it’s for his wife.” Pushers without his staff and
shops have also had problems arrangements because our Many floral shops have their hard work. During the
with delivery companies dis- team here just does a great job been preparing for Valentine’s busiest time of the year for
tributing the flowers on time. with those,” he said. Day for months. Some even florists, loyal and dedicated
“We’re missing 400 roses One Petal Pusher customer started on Feb. 15 of last year. employees are essential in
at the moment,” said Wofford has a specific order for his Reed said they look at sales creating a successful holiday.
on Wednesday, hopeful that wife every year, Reed said. records and product popular- “I’m thankful for a fantastic
these traditional Valentine’s This customer likes to keep ity to determine the expected team I have here,” Reed said.
Day flowers would show up by his message to her a secret so merchandise for the following “You really could not do the
today. that the love letter between year. volume you do for one holiday
While nothing says love the two is just for them. “It’s such a big holiday and in a short amount of time with-
like the red rose, Reed said, “He doesn’t want us to know such a big part of our busi- out a great team. We couldn’t
customers have been buying what the card says,” Reed said, ness, that you really have to make as many people happy on
many different types of flowers “so he reads it out to us in plan for it. We work on it all Valentine’s Day as we do with-
for this Valentine’s season. French and spells it out word year,” Reed said. out a great team and a great
“Even though the red rose for word. We really have no Reed said that Valentine’s community that supports us.”
Nothing sweeter than
having little flowers
around the edges, partly
for looks and partly to
attract more pollinators.
My favorites include com-
pact zinnias, but I also
tuck lantana, blue salvias
and other long-flowering
bee- and butterfly-friend-
ly somethings here and
there as well.
So it’s a regular year-
round thing, growing
stuff every which way
whenever the mood
strikes and the weather
is right, digging in old
mulch then planting
whatever is suitable
for the season, adding
fresh mulch, watering as
needed, harvesting and
repeating whenever I get
around to it.
Meanwhile, to keep
things cheery, I’m
painting pots and raised
beds and adding a simple
99.49%
scarecrow and birdhouse.
Felder Rushing/Courtesy photo
Sometimes figuring out what to plant is no trouble at all. If nothing grows, I’ll still
have something to smile
puts out cat food for over my cabbage, kale, about.
raccoons and ‘possums, broccoli and cauliflower Felder Rushing is
which later use my to foil caterpillar-causing a Mississippi author,
garden for after dinner moths; in the summer I columnist, and host of the of our customers
mints. Roaming cats also cover my squash as well, “Gestalt Gardener” on receive their paper on time.
treat my fresh soil as raising it only to hand MPB Think Radio. Email (Believe us. We track these things.)
their litter box. Yuck. I pollinate and harvest as gardening questions to
also drape insect netting needed. rushingfelder@yahoo.com. If you are unhappy with your delivery
please let us know. Our goal is 100%
customer satisfaction.
Call customer support at:
Anisha Hodges, Makaio of hair,” Powell said. have been used to create 662-328-2424
The Dispatch
Johnson, Amyah Kahey, “My favorite mediums, the illusion of a collage.
Henri Krogh, Cedric charcoal and pastel My goal was to showcase
Malone Jr., Kenya Sand- (color pigment with a the different skills I have
ers, Dylan Shows, Ro- binder in stick form), acquired at The W.”
miarale Thomas, Ketina
Tutton, Dominique Wells
and Clara Whitley will
compete for awards. The
W art faculty members
will determine the Over-
all Achievement Awards.
Powell, from
Starkville, will graduate
this semester with a
bachelor of fine arts in
art (emphasis in drawing
and painting and a minor
in psychology). She plans
to pursue a graduate
degree in art therapy.
Powell came to The W
after earning her asso-
ciate’s degree from East
Mississippi C.C.-May-
hew. At both institutions,
Powell’s talents and hard
work earned her numer-
ous awards, culminating
in The W’s Department
of Art and Design’s Over-
all Achievement Award,
which included a full-
year scholarship.
Last year, The W
President Nora Miller se-
lected Powell’s work for
a solo exhibition on the
third floor of Welty Hall,
outside the president’s
office. Joyce said The W
president has attended
the annual “Juried Stu-
dent Exhibition” for the
past several years and
has selected two to three
students for the Presi-
dent’s Exhibition Award.
In 2020, Upchurch and
Powell were selected.
Upchurch’s work was
featured during the fall
semester.
“This exhibition fea-
tures my female portraits
that focus on the beauty
Sports
VANDERBILT 72, MISSISSIPPI STATE 51
SPORTS LINE
662-241-5000
THE DISPATCH n CDISPATCH.COM n SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2021
B
SECTION

MSU ‘dejected’ after loss to SEC bottom-feeder Vanderbilt

BY GARRICK HODGE ed right now, obviously,”
ghodge@cdispatch.com MSU coach Ben How-
land said.
STARK VILLE — The Bulldogs were
Mississippi State hit a helpless to stop the
new low Saturday. 3-pointer, allowing Van-
Getting torched by derbilt to sink 13 Satur-
the highest-scoring trio day, 10 of which came
in the Southeastern in the first half. Despite
Conference against LSU shooting 65 percent
is one thing. Being run from the field at one
off your own court by point about 10 minutes
the SEC’s worst team is into the first half (and
another. somehow still managing
All too often, MSU to be down 11 points),
was disoriented and le- the Bulldogs’ offense
thargic, and maybe a went lifeless for the re-
little embarrassed, in its mainder of the contest.
72-51 loss at Humphrey You can thank 17 turn-
Coliseum to cellar dwell- overs and a 32 percent
er Vanderbilt. second-half shooting
“Our guys are very percentage for that.
dejected and disappoint- This coming against a
defense that is 196th
in defensive efficiency
according to KenPom.
com.
“We’ll (talk to the
players) tomorrow,”
Howland said. “Tomor-
row we’ll lift and meet,
we have to really come
back together here and
so some resolve and
bounce back from this
difficult week we just
experienced.”
With the obvious ca-
veat that no more than
1,000 fans are allowed
into the Hump because
of COVID-19 safety
protocols, the only au-
dible sounds from the Mississippi State athletics
stadium’s seats was Mississippi State was dismantled after a 72-51 loss to Vanderbilt on Saturday at
See MSU, 4B Humphrey Coliseum.

MSU softball MISSISSIPPI STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

opens season
with sweep of
doubleheader How Mississippi State guard Myah Taylor
BY THEO DEROSA
tderosa@cdispatch.com

STARKVILLE
As Annie Willis wound
—
reshaped her game and found her voice
and fired, Celeste Soliz
bounced up and down
on the balls of her feet in
the dugout, slapping her
hands against the black
rail.
All around her, Soliz’s
Mississippi State team-
mates were hardly mov-
ing, lulled into inertia by
the near-freezing tem-
peratures, stunned into
silence by a big fifth in-
ning from visiting Miami
(Ohio): seven runs and
counting, two runners
in scoring position, just
one out. The RedHawks,
who 15 minutes prior had
trailed 7-2, suddenly led
the Bulldogs 9-7 in the
first game of Saturday’s
season-opening double-
header at Nusz Park.
Then the Bulldogs
showed why Soliz was
able to keep her faith.
Willis recovered to get
out of the inning with-
out further damage, and
See SOFTBALL, 4B

PREP ROUNDUP
CCA girls
capture 2A Mississippi State athletics
Myah Taylor, a three-time Gatorade Player of the Year in Mississippi, told The Dispatch she has been confident in her game throughout
north state her junior season.

championship
BY THEO DEROSA
tderosa@cdispatch.com
STEENS — The Co-
lumbus Christian Acad-
emy girls basketball
team beat Lee Academy
(Arkansas) 48-25 on
Saturday afternoon to
win the MAIS Class 2A
north state tournament
in Steens.
Morgan Whitten had
13 points for the Rams.
CC DeVos had 10, and
Taylor Tipton and Faith
Yeates each had eight.
In Friday’s semifinal,
the Rams defeated Tuni-
ca Academy 57-31.
Foreman scored 23
points, Whitten had 12,
and Yeates had nine.
Foreman, DeVos,
Whitten and Tipton
were named to the
all-tournament team.
Columbus Chris-
tian will begin play in
the state tournament
on Tuesday at Benton
Academy.
MAIS Class 4A
north state tourna-
ment — at Pillow
Academy
See PREPS, 3B
BY BEN PORTNOY
bportnoy@cdispatch.com
STARK VILLE — Standing
alone on the left wing at Bud
Walton Arena, Myah Taylor
squared and fired.
With her right foot
squeezed tight into her ma-
roon sneaker and the skin on
her ankle tinted black and
blue due to an injury she suf-
fered in practice the day be-
fore, Taylor was a gametime
decision ahead of Mississippi
State’s Thursday night loss at
Arkansas. But after donning
a medical boot in the hours
prior to tipoff, she was given
the go-ahead, splashing home
a 3-pointer from the wing on
MSU’s second possession of
the contest.
Gutting through the swol-
len ankle, Taylor finished
with a career-high 22 points,
including a 5-of-12 mark from
beyond the arc. She herself
attempted more shots from
3-point range than an Arkan-
sas team that ranked No. 8
nationally with just under 10
made 3-pointers per game
heading into Thursday.
“She’s a warrior,” MSU head
coach Nikki McCray-Penson
said Friday. “She’s going to do
whatever she needs to do to
play in any game.”
In passing, Taylor is fo-
cused, tempered and even
keeled. She’s the quiet kid in
a class filled with boisterous
abilities like those of reigning
second team All-Southeastern
Conference selections Rickea
Jackson and Jessika Carter.
But for a team that’s strug-
gled in finding its identity,
Taylor is the steadying figure
amid a year that has amounted
to, at least by MSU standards,
a complete tear-down.
“I feel like I’m really confi-
dent in my game now,” Taylor
told The Dispatch on Wednes-
day. “Which I haven’t been the
past couple years.”
Her father, John, long held
she’d succeed on the hard-
wood from an early age. Bi-
weekly, he sat alongside Ja-
son Thompson, then the head
girls basketball coach at H.W.
Byers High School, at Kut-
tin’ Up Barbershop in Olive
Branch, talking his ear off
that Myah would play for him
someday.
As the years wore on and
Myah grew older, accolades
followed. In and around the
Memphis Area, everyone
knew her capabilities. Dou-
ble-teams and triple-teams
were thrust at her nightly in
MHSA A competition. All she
did was adjust. There were
nights she’d score as many
as 40 or 50 points. Other eve-
nings it was her eye-popping
assist totals that jumped off
the pages of local newspapers.
After averaging 13.7 points
and 6.2 assists per game and
a freshman, Taylor’s numbers
jumped progressively. She
peaked as a scorer during her
junior season, notching 26.2
points per night — an eight
point per game improvement
from the year prior. She fin-
ished her high school career
with a 3.31 assist-to-turnover
ratio, thrice earning Gatorade
Player of the Year in Missis-
sippi for her efforts.
“See the thing is, she drew
so much attention,” Thomp-
son, who left Byers for Olive
Branch and coached Taylor
her senior year, said. “Be-
cause it didn’t matter where
we played or who we played,
everybody, when she walked
in the building, knew Myah
Taylor and then they knew
about Olive Branch.”
Yet for as dominant an of-
fensive force as Taylor was
in her public school play,
there were bits and pieces of
the role she’s since carved at
MSU that shone in her A AU
endeavors.
Playing for Doug Bush and
the Alabama Southern Starz,
Taylor filled a more comple-
mentary role. Scorers like Au-
burn forward Unique Thomp-
son and Missouri guard Haley
Troup shouldered the load
Taylor otherwise took on at
Olive Branch. Instead, she
grew as a facilitator while
her quiet, but determined de-
meanor carried her to a level
of discipline and execution
that thrived under former
coach Vic Schaefer’s regime
upon arriving in Starkville.
“She was playing on an
A AU team with elite level,
high level players,” Bush said.
“And so it enabled her to then
showcase even more of her
playmaking skills and her
passing abilities and that sort
of thing maybe versus what
she did in high school, be-
cause you’ve got just more tal-
ent around you and it’s more
like a college team.”
Since arriving at MSU,
Taylor has been part of the
seismic shifts in expectations
that were mere pipe dreams
in previous decades. Red-
shirting her first winter on
campus, she was a member of
the 2018 Final Four team, one
that came an answered prayer
away from a national champi-
onship against Notre Dame.
Working behind first Mor-
See TAYLOR, 4B
2B SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2021
Party in a pandemic: NASCAR
fans power through at Daytona
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
DAYTONA BEACH,
Fla. — Sam Maxwell and
his band of Cleveland bros
packed up their 1997 Four
Winds motorhome with
105,000 miles on it, head-
ed south in the thick of
the pandemic and pinned
their hopes on a party.
Traveling on a bud-
get, the friends like to
hit a premier sporting
event each year, and this
week — thanks only to
interest spiked by playing
FanDuel — parked in the
infield grass at Daytona
International Speedway.
They came to soak in the
Daytona 500 atmosphere,
or whatever they found
among the campers kill-
ing time with games of
cornhole and flip cup.
“We’re still going to
have a party one way or
the other,” Maxwell said.
“Whether there’s 100 peo-
ple or just the four of us,
we’re still going to have
fun.”
The diehard Browns
fans brought the party
to them. They hit a thrift
store, plunking down $25
for a ratty sofa — perfect
to absorb spilled PBR —
and even plucked a key-
board out of a dumpster.
They blew up red bal-
loons and tied them to
a sign: “Moms Drink 4
Free!!!” Their plan to liv-
en up the bash was over-
heard by a neighbor, who
pressed her face against a
window screen and asked
if there was an age limit for
the moms.
At Daytona, in both
speed and celebrations,
there are no limits.
So one of the gang
waved her down and bust-
ed out the Fireball.
In the middle of a pan-
demic that has killed more
than 480,000 people in the
U.S., the carousing was
more casual than crazy
this week at Daytona as
race day approached. The
roughly 30,000 fans inside
the sprawling facility that
usually packs more than
100,000 are expected to
make Sunday’s Daytona
500 the largest-attended
single sporting event in
the nation since the coro-
navirus shut down much
of the sports world 11
months ago.
Mask wearing? Not so
much, and there’s more
space between stock cars
pack racing on the super-
speedway than there is be-
tween most campers.
“I’m not really too con-
cerned about it,” Maxwell
said.
The track made all the
usual window-dressing
moves to prove safety is a
priority, with temperature
checks, distanced seat-
ing, cashless concessions
and adherence to CDC
guidelines. Speedweeks,
the runup to the big race,
is actually sponsored by a
health care system head-
quartered in Florida and
COVID-19 testing infor-
mation sits above a link to
official travel packages on
the track’s website.
Yet in a week where Vic-
toria’s state government
imposed a five-day lock-
down — stripping the Aus-
tralian Open of fans while
play continues — Florida
is going for two: The Su-
per Bowl hosted 25,000
fans last week in Tampa,
about 150 miles south-
west of Daytona, and viral
videos showed throngs of
mostly mask-less fans and
packed sports bars as the
hometown Buccaneers
won it all.
NASCAR went down
this road last season when
Bristol had about 22,000
fans for its All-Star race
The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com
last July. Daytona is big-
ger, even with social dis-
tancing in place for the
grandstands, a manda-
tory mask order and no
access to garages or pit
row. Asked for comment,
the Florida Department of
Health in Volusia County
said “event planners im-
plemented several strate-
gies to maintain healthy
environments” and not-
ed access to the infield
was “limited to camping
customers and essential
staff.”
Those campers are
having a ball. Even if Tent
City — famous for its rau-
cous parties — has been
reimagined as a “Turn 3
drive-in” setup for the RV
crowd.
Mark Minadeo of Boca
Raton was attending his
ninth Daytona 500 and
bought a motorhome for
Speedweeks.
“This is ridiculous,”
he said of the view. “It’s
completely empty. A lot of
people don’t know what’s
going on. As you’re walk-
ing around as you ask
people who work at the
track, they’re like, ‘Yeah,
you can go over there and
watch the race.’”
Some traditions are in
start-and-park mode.
Revelers, park your
wheelbarrows. The
booze-fueled races —
some might say, the real
races at Daytona — are
an informal tradition of
dumping your buddy in
the belly of the barrow
then sprinting, stumbling
to the finish.
Dave Rotax of Bristol,
Vermont, drilled a hole
in his No. 9 Chase Elliott
wheelbarrow tire and
filled it with expanding
foam — consider it a sort
of steroid for wheels —
and had it on standby for
ambitious racers.
 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2021 3B

Preps
Continued from Page 1B

Starkville Academy
boys 64, Bayou Academy
50, Friday
The Starkville Acad-
emy boys pulled away
late to beat Bayou Acad-
emy in Friday’s Class
4A north state semifinal
at Pillow Academy in
Greenwood.
After being locked
in a 26 -26 tie, the Vol-
unteers outscored the
Colts 17-6 in the third
quarter and went on to
win, 64-50.
Randall Futral had
The Raiders girls also
lost 61-30 to North Delta
School in Friday’s semi-
final.
Wooten had 12
points, Briggs had six,
and Dabbs had five.
Oak Hill will host the
Class 3A state tourna-
ment beginning Tues-
day in West Point.
Marshall Academy
boys 51, Oak Hill Acade-
my 41, Friday
The Oak Hill boys
Friday
The Caledonia boys
finished in fourth place
in the MHSA A Class
4A, Region 2 tourna-
ment after a 73-66 loss
to Itawamba Agricultur-
al in Friday’s third-place
game in Fulton.
Jarvis Leigh scored
25 points to lead the
Cavaliers. Jeremy Em-
erson had 14, and Ja’Von
Hopkins had 11.
Issac Grady added
seven points for Cale-
donia. Tre Bohannon
cured the No. 3 seed in
the district and will go
on the road to face the
second-place team in
Region 8-1A — either
Salem or Lumberton —
in Tuesday’s Class 1A
first-round game.
MHSA A Class 3A,
Region 4 tournament
— at Hatley
Noxubee County girls
55, Houston 43, Friday
The Noxubee Coun-
ty girls won the Region Sudoku YESTERDAY’S ANSWER

Sudoku
lost Friday’s semifinal 4-3A tournament with a
16 points to lead the to Marshall Academy, scored six, and Jeremi- 55-43 win over Houston
Sudoku is a number- Yesterday’s answer
placing puzzle based on
Volunteers. Jawon Yar- 51-41. ah Dumas had three. on Friday at Hatley High 2 4 6 7 9 5 8 1 3
Sudoku
a 9x9 gridis witha several
num-
brough had 11, and Rett In the first round of
The Raiders’ third- School. ber-placing
given numbers.puzzleThe object 3 7 8 1 2 4 9 6 5

2021 Conceptis Puzzles, Dist. by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

Keenum and Wiggy Ball the Class 4A playoffs,
place game against Na’Kaiyla “Tootie” based onthe
is to place a 9x9
numbers 1 5 9 8 3 6 4 7 2
each had 10. Caledonia will play at
North Delta concluded Lockett had 28 points, grid
1 to 9with
in theseveral
empty spaces 8 6 2 3 5 1 7 4 9
Starkville Acade- Yazoo City on Tuesday.
after press time. 11 rebounds and four given
so that numbers.
each row, eachThe 4 9 5 2 6 7 3 8 1
my’s championship
The boys will also steals to lead the Tigers. object
column and each 3x3 the
is to place box
game against Magnolia MHSA A Class 1A,
numbers 7 3 1 9 4 8 5 2 6
Heights on Saturday
participate in the state
Region 5 tournament
Aaliyah Brandy had nine contains the1same to 9 number
in
9 2 4 6 7 3 1 5 8
tournament. points, 14 rebounds and the empty spaces so
evening concluded after — at McAdams only once. The difficulty 6 1 7 5 8 9 2 3 4
three steals, and Jakeia that each row, each
press time. West Lowndes girls 53, level increases from
MHSA A Class 6A, Walker had five points column and each 5 8 3 4 1 2 6 9 7
The Vols will begin Ethel 16, Friday Monday
3x3 boxtocontains
Sunday.
Region 3 tournament and 11 rebounds. Difficulty Level 2/12

play in the Class 4A state
tournament on Tuesday
at Hillcrest Christian
School in Jackson.
MAIS Class 3A
north state tourna-
ment — at Kirk Acad-
emy
Central Holmes Chris-
tian girls 63, Oak Hill
Academy 42
The Oak Hill Acad-
emy girls finished in
fourth place of the Class
3A north state tourna-
ment with a 63-42 loss to
Central Holmes Chris-
tian in Saturday’s conso-
lation game in Grenada.
Mary Beth Briggs
led the Raiders with 11
points, and Carley Woo-
ten and Morgan Dabbs
had nine each.
— at Germantown
Starkville boys 64,
Germantown 58, Friday
The Starkville High
School boys won the
MHSA A Class 6A, Re-
gion 3 tournament on
Friday in Madison.
The Yellow Jackets
beat host Germantown
64-58 in the tournament
final.
Starkville will have
a first-round bye in the
Class 6A playoffs and
will host a second-round
game Saturday.
MHSA A Class 4A,
Region 2 tournament
— at Itawamba Com-
munity College
Itawamba Agricultur-
al boys 73, Caledonia 66,
The West Lowndes
girls won the Region
5-1A championship with
a 53-16 win over Ethel in
Friday’s district tourna-
ment title game.
Tydajasha Hood had
15 points, and Averi
Sanders had 13.
The Panthers will
face the fourth-place
team in Region 8-1A —
either Salem or Richton
— in Monday’s first-
round game in Colum-
bus.
West Lowndes boys 49,
Ethel 45, Thursday
On Thursday, the
Panthers’ boys team
beat Ethel 49-45 in the
third-place game of the
5-1A tournament.
West Lowndes se-
the same number only once. The difficulty level
Kirsten Barnett add-
ed six points and four increases from Monday to Sunday.
rebounds for the Ti-
gers. Shadiamin Wilk-
erson had six points,
and Jamiya Dancy had
three points and two re-
bounds.
Noxubee County will
host Alcorn Central
on Monday in the first
round of the Class 3A
playoffs.
Houston boys 55, Nox-
ubee County 52, Friday
The Tigers’ boys
team came up just short
of beating Houston in
Friday’s 4-3A tourna-
ment final, falling 55-52.
Noxubee County will
host Amory in the first
round on Tuesday.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

LSU pulls away late, wins easy over No. 16 Tennessee

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BATON ROUGE, La.
— Cam Thomas scored
25 points, JaVonte Smart
added 20 and LSU beat
No. 16 Tennessee 78-65
on Saturday.
The Volunteers (14-5,
7-5 Southeastern Confer-
ence) trailed for most of
the game but were with-
in 50-46 nearly midway
through the second half.
Tennessee made just six
field goals over the final
12 minutes, though, and
the Tigers stretched their
lead as big as 17.
Thomas missed 10 of
16 field goal attempts, but
he was 11 of 11 at the foul
line. Smart knocked down
8 of 13 field goal tries, and
Darius Days had 14 points
for LSU (13-6, 8-4).
“We played probably
our best game to date,”
LSU coach Will Wade
said. “We got contribu-
tions from everyone. It
was a total team effort.
This is something we can
continue to build off of.”
Jaden Springer led the
Vols with 21 points. Santi-
ago Vescovi had 13 points
and Keon Johnson added
10 points.
After winning two
games in impressive fash-
ion against Kentucky and
Georgia, the Volunteers
struggled against the Ti-
gers.
“The inconsistency
is coming from our old-
er players,” Tennessee
coach Rick Barnes said.
“We shouldn’t be put-
ting the pressure on the
younger guys (freshmen
Springer and Johnson).
They are talented play-
ers, but we still need a
balance. Consistency has
to come from a group of
guys on both ends.”
LSU’s defense caused
problems for Tennessee
in the first half. The Vols
went almost nine minutes
without a field goal as
LSU grabbed a 28-16 lead.
Thomas and Smart com-
bined for 13 points during
the Tigers’ 16-4 run.
However, Tennessee
reduced its deficit over
the last four minutes be-
fore halftime when LSU
scored only three points
on a 3-pointer by Days.
The Tigers, who beat Mississippi State on Wednesday
in Starkville, beat the Volunteers on Saturday in Baton
Rouge, Louisiana.
Two 3-pointers by John-
son helped the Volunteers
pull within 31-26 by the
end of the half.
“We set the tone with
our defense,” Wade said.
“We were really, really ac-
tive on defense in the first
half. We got our hands on
a lot of balls.”
Tennessee trailed by
just one point less than
two minutes into the sec-
ond half. The Tigers an-
swered with a 13-5 run,
and both Thomas and
Days scored five points
as LSU took a 46-37 lead
with 15:06 remaining in
the game.
With their advantage
down to four points two
minutes later, the Tigers
got seven straight points
from Smart to build a dou-
ble-digit lead. A three-
point play by Smart put
LSU on top 57-46 with
11:21 left. The Tigers
were on top by double fig-
ures the rest of the game.
Big picture
Tennessee: The Vol-
unteers have lost four
of their last seven SEC
games.
LSU: The Tigers put
together back-to-back vic-
tories for the first time in
almost a month. The Ti-
gers have registered dou-
ble-digit victories against
Mississippi State and Ten-
nessee in their last two
games.
Vol-killer
For the third time in
his career, Smart played
a huge role in LSU knock-
ing off Tennessee. A sev-
en-point individual run by
Smart enabled the Tigers
all three free throws but
Kentucky completed a
long inbounds pass to end
the game.
Besides what would
have been John Calipari’s
first five-game slide in his
12 years at Kentucky (6-
13, 5-8 SEC), the Wildcats
prevented their first-ever
three-game losing streak
at 45-year-old Rupp Are-
na. They also denied the ACROSS
Tigers (11-11, 5-8) their 1 Fresh reaction
Photo by Gus Stark first season sweep. The 5 Amorous
Tigers are 2-50 inside archer
Rupp with their last win 10 Pan, for one
there coming in 1988. 12 Make amends
to take control in the sec- Jackson, a freshman, 13 Singly
ond half. As a freshman had his first double-dou- 14 Audacity
two seasons ago, Smart ble. Keion Brooks Jr. add- 15 Outfit
scored 29 points in an ed 12 points for Kentucky, 16 Be a con-
82-80 LSU victory in over- which shot 53% in the sec- tender
time. Last year, Smart ond half and made 8 of 13 18 TV’s Danson
scored 21 points in the from the arc after going 3
19 Tyler of
Tigers’ 78-64 victory over of 11 from long distance
Aerosmith
the Volunteers in Knox- in the first half.
Thor was 5 of 6 on
21 Confession
ville. list
3-pointers in scoring 24
points with nine rebounds 22 Pump thump
Up-and-down offense for Auburn. Allen Flani- 24 Deplete DOWN stuff
Another poor offen-
gan added 23 points and 25 Card for a 1 Ship poles 26 American
sive outing by Tennessee
Sbarife Cooper, averag- sweetie 2 Frasier’s ex shrubs
resulted in another SEC
ing 20.2 points per game 29 Trapper’s 3 Orbital point 27 Kidman of
loss for the Vols. Tennes- item
coming in, finished with 4 Signing need film
see made only 36% of its
14 points and eight assists 30 Flight units 5 Walking aid 28 Wears down
field goals while failing to
but on just 6-of-23 shoot- 32 Hackneyed 6 Salt Lake City 29 Tricky puzzle
crack the 65-point mark.
ing. Cooper, the freshman 33 Queen, e.g. player 31 Hide away
In all five of the Volun-
point guard who sat out 34 Barracks bed 7 Moon of 33 Garden areas
teers’ conference loss-
the first 11 games, has 35 Act part Uranus 36 Called once
es, they have scored 65
had his two lowest-scor- 37 Mary’s TV pal 8 Dream up 38 Sandwich
points or fewer. No Vols
ing games against Ken- 39 Goofed 9 Title papers choice
starter shot higher than
tucky. He scored 11 40 Company 11 Car gear
44% against LSU.
points in a 66-59 victory division 17 Deeply felt
on Jan. 16. 41 Romantic 20 Bank fixture
Kentucky 82, Boston and Mintz hit dozen 21 Brown shade
Auburn 80 consecutive 3-pointers 42 Stocking 23 Tops, as toast
LEXINGTON, Ky. — to give Kentucky its first makeup 25 Fastening
Isaiah Jackson scored lead. After Cooper replied
a career-high 18 points with a 3-pointer, the Wild-
and added 11 rebounds, cats went on a 19-6 run
Brandon Boston Jr. made that included two more
five 3-pointers and scored Boston 3-pointers and re-
17 points and Kentucky sulted in a 60-47 bulge.
edged Auburn 82-80 on Another Boston 3 made
Saturday to end a four- it a 14-point lead midway
game losing streak. through the second half.
Kentucky trailed the Kentucky missed its
entire first half, built a first eight shots with
14-point lead early in the Auburn going up nine
second and saw Auburn midway through the first
rally to tie before Davion half before the Wildcats
Mintz snapped the dead- scored seven straight.
lock with 33 seconds left. The Tigers again were
The Wildcats then went up nine after Flanigan
2 of 4 from the line while scored five consecutive
the Tigers missed their fi- points and led 36-30 at the
nal four shots, including a break.
block and two shots under Both head coaches
their basket. were called for techni-
JT Thor was fouled on cals, Calipari in the first
a 3-point try with 1.1 sec- and Bruce Pearl in the
onds remaining and made second.
4B SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2021 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com

Softball
Continued from Page 1B

No. 20 Mississippi State A two-run home run by

scraped across enough of-
fense for a dramatic 10-9
comeback win to avoid a
season-opening shocker
in Starkville.
And in the second con-
test of the day, the Bull-
dogs (2-0) left no doubt.
Paced by back-to-back
home runs in the first
inning by Mia Davidson
and Fa Leilua, Mississippi
State beat the RedHawks
10-3 to sweep Saturday’s
doubleheader.
“It’s kind of special,”
senior designated play-
er Carter Spexarth said.
“It’s the first time after
339 days. We were just
super excited to get back
out there.”
In Game 1, a walk-off
walk by sophomore Paige
Cook in the bottom of the
seventh gave the Bull-
dogs the victory. Cook
took a 3-1 pitch high for
a bases-loaded free pass,
scoring Fa Leilua from
third base, shortly after
a clutch two-out single by
Spexarth scored Chloe
Malau’ulu to tie the game
9-9. Spexarth led Missis-
sippi State with three hits
in the contest.
“I think there were
some nerves there ear-
ly on, but really proud of
the fight and the finish
to come back there in
the seventh,” Mississip-
pi State coach Samantha
Ricketts said.
It was a much-needed
spurt of offense by the
Bulldogs after ace pitch-
ers Emily Williams and
Mississippi State senior designated player Carter Spexarth had the tying hit for the Bulldogs in the first game of
Saturday’s doubleheader at Nusz Park in Starkville. The Bulldogs beat Miami (Ohio) 10-9 and 10-3 in the twin bill.
Willis faltered in the top
of the fifth on a 30-degree
day at Nusz Park.
Miami’s Kaylee Juarez
followed a two-run homer
in the second inning with
a two-run double with one
out, prompting Ricketts
to pull Williams for Willis.
The Troy transfer didn’t
fare much better, walking
Allie Cummins with the
bases loaded and giving
up RBI singles to Mor-
gan Lott and Jada Dotson.
Then Mackenzie Moore
laced a two-run double
past the glove of Segars
in left to give Miami the
lead.
The Bulldogs got a
run back in the sixth on a
two-out, two-strike single
by Montana Davidson. In
the seventh, Malau’ulu
singled with one out, Fa
Leilua walked with two
down, and Spexarth laced
a base hit to right. She fin-
ished a game-high 3 of 5.
“She gets overshad-
owed a little bit because of
Mia and Fa in front of her,
and that’s why she’s so
important to our lineup,”
Ricketts said. “If you’re
going to pitch around
Mia and Fa, you’ve got to
have someone who can do
some damage, and she’s
really embraced that role.
She is such a clutch hitter
for us.”
Spexarth also drove in
the game’s first run in the
first on a nearly identical
single to right with the
bases loaded, the only hit
in a four-run first inning
for the Bulldogs. Cook
added a three-run home
run — the first long ball
of her college career — in
the fourth inning.
“We’ve had a lot of
underclassmen banging
on the door, looking for
a chance,” Ricketts said.
“Really, going into the
weekend, we weren’t sure
who was going to get the
nod if everybody was
healthy. I think she really
did a great job of taking
advantage of her opportu-
nity and really had some
Courtesy of Mississippi State Athletics
really mature at-bats.
She’s really a gamer.”
Cook also played a role
in Game 2, chopping a
grounder to third base in
the bottom of the first in-
ning and bringing home
a run as Moore mishan-
dled the ball. It was the
Bulldogs’ third run of
the frame as Davidson
launched her first homer
of the season to left field
and Leilua went deep to
left center two pitches
later.
“It felt like normal,”
Ricketts said. “It felt like
we were back and just the
two of them doing what
they do best on a tough
pitcher.”
Miami’s Kate Kobayashi
halved the deficit in the
third inning, but MSU
promptly recouped the
pair of tallies in the bot-
tom of the frame. With
the bases loaded, Jackie
McKenna hit a chopper
on the infield, and the
RedHawks, trying to
get the forceout at home
plate, threw it away. Two
Bulldogs came around to
score.
McKenna doubled
home a run in the fifth,
and MSU added three
more runs in the sixth on
a sac fly, a double and a
wild pitch.
Alyssa Loza pitched
the first 4.2 innings for
the Bulldogs in the night-
cap, and Grace Fagan
went the rest of the way.
Mississippi State’s
series finale with the
RedHawks, scheduled
for 11:30 a.m. Sunday at
Nusz Park, was canceled
Saturday night because of
incoming winter weath-
er. The game will not be
made up.
Dawg notes
Starting shortstop
Madisyn Kennedy injured
her ankle in practice this
week and did not play Sat-
urday. Sophomore Aqua-
na Brownlee, who started
at shortstop in Saturday’s
first game, was injured
dropping down a bunt for
a base hit in the third in-
ning. Mia Davidson filled
in at shortstop for the first
time in her MSU career.

Taylor
Continued from Page 1B
gan William and later
Jazzmun Holmes, Taylor
carved out a niche as a
pass-first point guard
rarely tasked with tak-
ing a shot of her own.
Within Schaefer’s sys-
tem, it was exactly as
he’d commanded. But in
practice, it masked the
offensive ability Taylor
had shown at the high
school level.
Hired in April to re-
place Schaefer, who de-
parted for Texas, first-
year head coach Nikki
McCray-Penson has
challenged Taylor to
closer mimic the game
she flashed as a prep
standout. Amid a global
pandemic and a roster
of players unfamiliar
with their new head
coach, McCray-Pen-
son’s and Taylor’s bond
started with Zoom calls,
progressing toward
meetings and has since
evolved into a nightly
phone call between play-
er and coach.
Sometimes they talk
basketball. Other times,
they discuss life. It’s
this balance that’s seen
Taylor pushed beyond
preconceived ceilings
of past seasons as she’s
learned to be more vocal
amongst her teammates
when needed.
“Whether it’s in a low
shot clock situation, or
when the game’s on the
line, she’s got to have
a voice to where when
she says, ‘Give me this
ball,’ they know to get
this ball to her,” Mc-
Cray-Penson explained
Wednesday. “So I think
it started with her find-
ing her voice.”
In McCray-Penson’s
dribble-drive, up-tempo
system, Taylor is tasked
with taking and mak-
ing more shots. Taylor
has done that, and then
some. Her points, as-
sists, field goal percent-
age, free throw percent-
age, 3-point field goal
percentage and 3-point
attempts are all up.
Taylor’s 21 makes from
3-point range are also
nearly double as many
as she made in her first
two seasons combined.
The former Olive
Branch star hasn’t com-
pletely abandoned her
past roles, though. Her
assist-to-turnover ratio
currently sits at 2.9. Tay-
lor is also on pace to sur-
pass her rebounding to-
tal from a season ago in
nearly 13 fewer games.
But personal acco-
lades aside, Taylor re-
mains keyed on the
moment at hand. Final
Fours and Elite Eights
are things to reflect on
later in life. At this sec-
ond, she’s the leader
of a team with a shaky
NCA A tournament ré-
sumé riding a four-
game losing streak. In
the 2020 -21 squad, Tay-
lor sees promise. It’s a
matter of molding that
promise into on-court
productivity, the same
way she reshaped her
own game to fit with
what’s asked of her.
“Me, personally, it’s
great evolving as a play-
er,” she said. “But we’re
not winning right now,
so that’s what I’m focus-
ing on right now.”

MSU
Continued from Page 1B
NBA Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen’s
squeals of delight coming five rows
from the court after watching his
son, Scotty Pippen Jr., slice through
the Bulldogs’ defense with 18 points
and nine assists. Pippen Jr. was
the brightest star of the day, scor-
ing 18 points and nearly reaching
a double-double with nine assists.
The Vanderbilt star scored 16 of his
points in the first half, but f lour-
ished in the passing game distrib-
uting six assists in the second half
to wide open teammates after MSU
opted to double-team him in the fi-
nal 20 minutes.
“He was really good today,” How-
land said. “He really gave them con-
fidence as a team. We really started
to double him in the second half and
he went right around the double.”
It was obvious enough to anyone
watching Vanderbilt ’s dismantling
of the Bulldogs, but MSU (11-11, 5 -8
SEC) will not be getting its name
called on Selection Sunday barring
an unexpected SEC tournament run.
A fter an encouraging 4 -2 start to
SEC play, a 1- 6 record in conference
play since has hinted the Bulldogs
are closer to the team picked to fin-
ish 12th in the league in the presea-
son poll than the upstart, very young
team that gave fans a glimmer of
hope in December.
“I was telling (the guys) we have
to keep pushing and we have to start
to believe,” MSU sophomore point
guard Iverson Molinar said. “ We
have to stay positive and I’m trying
to stay positive myself and not let
my inner emotions affect my team-
mates.”
Molinar was the only MSU play-
er in double figures, as the sopho-
more contributed 19 points on a 9 of
13 shooting effort. D.J. Stewart and
Deivion Smith both had nine points
apiece but were a combined 7-of-21
from the field.
Vanderbilt (6 -10, 2-8) closed the
first half on a 17- 0 run before Smith
hit a shot at the buzzer, taking a 45 -
30 advantage into the break.
“ There’s no question we strug-
gled to score today,” Howland said.
“I thought they’re doubling of the
ball was an issue for us and we did
not handle that well during that 17- 0
run.”
MSU is back in action at 8 p.m.
Tuesday against Auburn in a road
matchup.

Dear Abby

D
EAR ABBY: I had a friend
I would talk to every day
while I was doing my deliv-
eries for work. We had anywhere
between six and 25 conversa-
tions a day. For months it was
never an issue. All of a sudden, I
got blocked on her social media,
and her boyfriend (my husband’s
good friend) sent me a message
telling me to leave her alone! I
felt blindsided since it was out
of the blue with no warning or
any discussion between her and
me about the amount of time we
were talking.
Well, they are using my Dear Abby
Disney+ streaming service, and I
feel like they are taking advan-
tage of me. I’m not allowed over to their house
anymore or to talk to her, but my husband is
welcome anytime. I pay for the
Disney+ out of my personal mon-
ey. Would it be so bad if I removed
her from my account and changed
my password? — TALKED OUT IN
OHIO
DEAR TALKED OUT: To talk
to someone 25 times a day was
excessive. Your friend had things
she had to do besides keep you
company on your route. It’s pos-
sible that instead of telling you it
had become too much for her, she
complained to her boyfriend about
it, and he decided to take action
on her behalf.
The way this was handled is
regrettable. That your husband
continues to socialize with them
while you are being ostracized is also regret-
table. Because the friendship is now over
and the streaming account is paid for out of
your personal money, I see no reason why you
shouldn’t remove her access to it.
DEAR ABBY: My brother says whatever is
on his mind without regard for anyone else’s
feelings. He brags about not having health
insurance and says his doctors will see him for
$10, which, believe it or not, they do. He brags
about not having life insurance and says his
kids will have to deal with his funeral expenses
when he dies. He has spent thousands on the
house he recently purchased, so money isn’t
the problem.
He doesn’t believe in giving gifts, nor even
sending a card. He is my only sibling, and over
the years I have given him more than you can
imagine. On a recent visit to pick up something
he had asked my husband for, he began insult-
ing me without provocation. It escalated to him
calling me several vulgar names. To avoid a
confrontation, I went into the house. What do
I do to put my brother in his place so he will
stop? — SISTER OF A JERK
DEAR SISTER: Stop tolerating it! Quit giving
things to your brother and doing him favors.
Make a conscious effort to spend less time (or
any time) in his presence. It should be clear
that your efforts have not been appreciated,
so do yourself a favor: Spend time with people
who do treat you well, appreciate what you do
for them and reciprocate.
DEAR READERS: On this day of love, I want
you to know how much I value the relationship
I have with you. Wishing you all a happy Valen-
tine’s Day. ... WITH LOVE, ABBY
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren,
also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded
by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear
Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440,
Los Angeles, CA 90069.

Horoscopes
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Feb. 14).
You’re so attractive as you buzz
with creative energy. You’ll get the
resources you need to fully express
a vision. The best part of this is
slipping into a position to hire and
help people. Your professional efforts
will earn handsomely, and your
amateur efforts will net a wealth of
knowledge, adventure and friendship.
Scorpio and Aries adore you. Your
lucky numbers are: 1, 44, 36, 28
and 11.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). Being
close always has its unique chal-
lenges, though lately more so. While
you don’t need any extra incentive
to figure out how to be close, it adds
sweetness to your journey.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20).
Books tell one version of romance
and witnessing real relationships
tells another. But firsthand experi-
ence is the only way to really learn
love, as the heart can’t be fed on
secondhand knowledge.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You
become aware of the stories you
tell yourself about love, how you’ve
known it, what you expect from it,
what it should look like, how it should
move through your life, and more.
Keep or change these according to
your goals.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). You
have a big variety pack of love to
share, a custom version for those
close to you and even those in outer
circles will receive something a little
unique in every interaction with you.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). What’s
important is that you move relation-
ships forward without hesitation,
overthinking beforehand or ruminat-
ing afterward. Love warriors like you
lunge forward in courage and faith.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). The
romantic traditions are so old, no
one remembers or knows exactly how
they came to be or what purpose they
originally served, but none of that
matter now, only that they are up-
held. They are the glue of the group
or relationship.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Feeling
safe and entirely wanted allows you
to bring your whole self to love. And
when this is the case in a relation-
ship of any kind, it ignites a magic
spark that makes the relationship
burn brighter than the sum of its
parts.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21).
Interacting in group settings give you
perspective on love and relation-
ships, even if this comes in the form
of a group video or text. You’re at
your most playful and attractive when
performing for an audience.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21).
Love comes alive in your world as
you flex your mental and emotional
muscles while fully inhabiting the
moment. From a place of calm obser-
vation, you’ll find and seize opportuni-
ties for connection.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19).
Use the element of surprise as you
express what’s in your heart. This
makes it fun for you, too. You’re at
your exciting best when you’re kicking
things up a notch.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Oh,
the joy of reciprocal love! You’ll get
the evidence that someone loves you
back. Even better will be the feeling
of delivering your own evidence of
love and creating just the effect you
were going for.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20).
There’s much you want to do today
and you can’t do it all, which is good
news. You can pick just the things
that make your heart beat faster and
set yourself up for love’s thrill.
Classifieds
LEGALS
Call us: 662-328-2424
Legal Notices
NOTICE OF SUBSTITUTE
TRUSTEE’S SALE
STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
COUNTY OF LOWNDES
WHEREAS, default has oc-
curred in the performance of
the covenants, terms and con- position will be respons-
ditions of a Deed of Trust
dated May 25, 2004, ex-
ecuted by THERESA GIVENS,
conveying certain real property picnic grounds, play-
therein described to W STEW-
ART ROBISON, as Trustee, for
WALTER MORTGAGE COM-
PANY, Original Beneficiary, to
secure the indebtedness
therein described, as same ap- Send resume’ or apply @
pears of record in the office of
the Chancery Clerk of Lowndes following:
County, Mississippi filed and
recorded June 14, 2004, in
Deed Book 2004, Page 17561 vices, Inc.
; and
WHEREAS, the beneficial in-
terest of said Deed of Trust
was transferred and assigned
to U.S. Bank National Associ-
ation, not in its individual capa- 53 Lock & Dam Road
city but solely as trustee of
NRZ Pass-Through Trust XVIII;
and
WHEREAS, Rubin Lublin, LLC
has been appointed as Substi-
tute Trustee; and
NOW, THEREFORE, the holder
of said Deed of Trust, having
requested the undersigned so
to do, as Substitute Trustee or have good transportation,
his duly appointed agent, by vir- valid driver's license & in-
tue of the power, duty and au-
thority vested and imposed
upon said Substitute Trustee
shall, on March 30, 2021 with-
in the lawful hours of sale
between 11:00AM and 4:00PM Main Street in Columbus.
at the southeast front door of
Courthouse proceed to sell at
public outcry to the highest and
best bidder for cash or certi-
fied funds ONLY, the following
described property situated in
Lowndes County, Mississippi,
to wit:
COMMENCING AT A CREO-
SOTE FENCE CORNER POST
RECOGNIZED AS THE NORTHW-
EST CORNER OF THE NORTH-
EAST QUARTER OF THE NORTH-
WEST QUARTER OF SECTION
20, TOWNSHIP 18 NORTH,
RANGE 16 EAST, LOWNDES
COUNTY, MISS., AND RUN
THENCE S.47°34`58"E. FOR
3,530.40 FEET TO AN IRON
PIN ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF
ELLIS STREET FOR A POINT OF
BEGINNING; THENCE RUN
S.05°23`53"E. ALONG A
FENCE FOR 170.33 FEET TO
AN IRON PIN; THENCE RUN
N.84°36`07"E. FOR 141.50
FEET TO AT IRON PIN; THEN
RUN N.05°23`53"W FOR
170.33 FEET TO AN IRON PIN
ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF ELLIS
STREET; THENCE RUN
S.84°36`07"W. ALONG THE
SOUTH SIDE OF SAID STREET
FOR 141.5 FEET TO THE POINT
OF BEGINNING, CONTAINING
FIFTY-FIVE HUNDREDTHS
(0.55) OF AN ACRE, MORE OR
LESS, AND BEING SITUATED IN
THE EAST HALF OF SECTION
20, TOWNSHIP 18 NORTH,
RANGE 16 EAST, LOWNDES
COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI.
PROPERTY ADDRESS: The
street address of the property
is believed to be 130 ELLIS ST,
ARTESIA, MS 39736. In the
event of any discrepancy
between this street address
and the legal description of the
property, the legal description
shall control.
Title to the above described
property is believed to be good,
but I will convey only such title
as is vested in me as Substi-
tute Trustee.
THIS LAW FIRM IS ATTEMPT-
ING TO COLLECT A DEBT. ANY
INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL
BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE.
Rubin Lublin, LLC
428 North Lamar Blvd, Suite
107
Oxford, MS 38655
rlselaw.com/property-listing
Tel: (877) 813-0992
Fax: (470) 508-9401
PUBLISH: 02/14/2021,
03/07/2021, 03/14/2021,
03/21/2021, 03/28/2021
cdispatch.com
Government
Employment
Call us: 662-328-2424
General Help Wanted
GROUND MAINTENANCE
LABORER Job opening in
Columbus & Dennis, MS
and Pickensville, AL, for
Grounds Maintenance
Laborer, to work on Tenn-
Tom Waterway Project. This
ible for the cleaning of facil-
ities, maintaining parks,
grounds & wildlife areas.
Must be 18 years or older,
pass drug screen, & have
valid driver's license with a
good driving record. EOE.
Columbus or Pickensville:
R & D Maintenance Ser-
3600 W Plymouth Rd
Columbus, MS 39701
Dennis:
R & D Maintenance Ser-
vices, Inc.
Dennis, MS 38838
THE COMMERCIAL
DISPATCH seeks a motiv-
ated, contracted carrier for
the Caledonia area. Excel-
lent opportunity to earn
money for college. Must
surance. Delivers on
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Commercial Dispatch, 516
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Rentals
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Apts For Rent: North
2−3BR/1BA DUPLEX,
Apt B, newly renovated with
bonus room. HUD
accepted. 662−425−6954.
802 17TH ST. N.
2 bed/ 1 bath, all electric,
ceramic tiled bath, carpet,
appliances. $475/Mth.
Credit check. Call Long &
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THE DISPATCH n CDISPATCH.COM n SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2021 n 5B
Apts For Rent: West Mobile Homes for Rent Lots & Acreage
Vehicles
VIP
RENT A CAMPER!
CHEAPER THAN A MOTEL!
Rentals
Utilities & cable included,
from $145/wk − $535/mo Ads starting at $12
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or 601−940−1397.
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w/ gate, Dovetail, new, w/
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Furnished & Unfurnished Ads starting at $25
Community
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Lease, Deposit
& Credit Check Ads starting at $12
203 ACRES
viceinvestments.com PRIME TIMBERLAND Pets
327-8555
$270,000
Exc deer, turkey hunting
Good Investment ABCA Registered Border
Collie Puppies $400.00
Apts For Rent: Other (615)719−8329
205−399−1542
www.brownvalleyfarm.com
Houses For Sale: New Hope
Boxer/Lab Puppies
Storage House converted 2 males and 2 females
into a small house. $400. 662−361−4081
Plumbing and Electrical
already installed.
REGISTERED DACHSHUND
Small kitchenette and
bathroom. $6,000. puppies for sale.
678−368−0631 Ready to go now!
Call 205−596−3264.
Lots & Acreage
Houses For Sale: Other
1.75 ACRE LOTS: Good/
Bad Credit Options. Good
credit as low as 20% down,
$499/mo. Eaton Land,
662−361−7711.
Restricted residential lot,
very nice, over 3 acres with
some trees. Callaway
Estates off Taylor Thurston
COLEMAN
Road. $35,000. Call Long
& Long, 662−386−2023.
RENTALS
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2 BEDROOMS
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LEASE,
© The Dispatch
Burial Plots
DEPOSIT
4 PLOTS @ FRIENDSHIP
AND CEMETERY: Lot #78,
CREDIT CHECK grave spaces 1, 2, 3 & 4.
Will sell separately.
662-329-2323 Call for more info,
870−265−1533.
2411 HWY 45 N Sporting Goods
COLUMBUS, MS ED SANDERS GUNSMITH
Open for season!
Houses For Rent: North Tue−Fri: 9−5 & Sat: 9−12
Over 50 years experience!
COLONIAL TOWNHOUSES. Repairs, cleaning, refin−
2 & 3 bedroom w/ 2−3 ishing, scopes mounted &
bath townhouses. $650 to zeroed, handmade knives.
$750. 662−549−9555. Located: Hwy 45 Alt, North
Ask for Glenn or text. of West Point, turn right on
Yokahama Blvd, 8mi & turn
Mobile Homes for Rent left on Darracott Rd, will
see sign, 2.5mi ahead
3BR/2BA MH in New Hope. shop on left.
$650 dep + $650/mo. 662−494−6218.
No pets, quiet area. Leave
voicemail with full name &
Whether you’re buying or selling
message, 205−712−6697.
we’ve got what you’re looking for.
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Service Directory
Promote your small business starting at only $25
General Services General Services General Services Painting & Papering
A & T TREE SERVICES NEWELL’S PLUMBING & WORK WANTED: Licensed SULLIVAN’S PAINT
Bucket truck & stump HANDYMAN SERVICE & Bonded. Carpentry, minor SERVICE
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Serving Columbus experience. Lowest rates in insulation, painting, demo− Interior & Exterior Painting.
since 1987. Senior the area, Guaranteed. lition, gutters cleaned, 662−435−6528
citizen disc. Call Alvin @ 662−242−5005. pressure washing, land−
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I am a Caregiver for the
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Local delivery, 14 yd truck. $545 plus Filing Fee caring, light housekeeping
Backhoe & Dozer work. LAWN SERVICE offered. Call or leave msg,
Mobile Home Pads & CHAPTER 13 Fall Cleanup, Tree Cutting, 662−570−8175.
Driveways. Concrete work. BANKRUPTCY Landscaping, Sodding &
Bush Hogging
662−497−1388 All Attorney Fees Through The Plan
662−356−6525
Jim Arnold, Attorney
HANDYMAN−CERTIFIED IN
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plumbing, decks, roofing, Please visit our website: QUALITY PAINTING BUSINESS HERE!
drywall, painting, concrete, jimharnold.com Ext/Int Painting Ads starting at $25
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6B SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2021 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com

Religion
The ultimate valentine
I was deeply ed from me, private. much the Lord Jesus had to ad- an amazing picture of what’s he wants us to entrust ourselves
moved by this Who are they, I ask just in accommodating himself involved. Half your heart moves to him, accepting him as the
incident in Richard myself, he and this to us? To enter time, landing on oxygen-poor blood into the Savior we need.
Selzer’s book, Mor- wry mouth I have this pale blue speck in his vast lungs to purify it. The other half See the two sides here: “The
tal Lessons: Notes on made, who gaze universe. To become human, pumps the rejuvenated blood wages of sin is death, but the
the Art of Surgery. at and touch each live in poverty, be falsely ac- into the body to sustain life. gift of God is eternal life in
“I stand by the other so generously, cused, betrayed, crucified. And They illustrate history’s two Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom
bed where a young greedily? The young all this for love, even for those greatest events. Christ’s death 6:23). Christ gave his life for us
woman lies, her face woman speaks. ‘Will who would never love him back. for us, like the right side of the to do what we couldn’t do—pay
postoperative, her my mouth always be “Give me your heart” (Prov heart, deals with the pollution our sin debt. Then he rose
mouth twisted in like this?’ she asks. 23:26), he asks. What else can of our sin; his resurrection life again, conquering death, and
palsy, clownish. A ‘Yes,’ I say, ‘it will. It we give him that isn’t already in us, like the left side, provides when we receive him he gives
tiny twig of the fa- Jabe Nicholson is because the nerve his? Friendship with God is the life as it was meant to be. his life to us, flowing through
cial nerve, the one to was cut.’ She nods greatest offer ever made, shock- But it isn’t automatic. Jesus, us so we can live joyfully and
the muscles of her mouth, has and is silent. But the young ing because we aren’t his type. the consummate gentleman, obediently in God’s eternal
been severed. She will be thus man smiles. ‘I like it,’ he says, The evening news—and our offers a choice. True love is friendship. Happy Valentine’s
from now on.…[T]o remove the ‘It’s kind of cute.’…[H]e bends own souls—tell us how much always a choice. And like all Day!
tumor in her cheek, I had to cut to kiss her crooked mouth and damage we’ve done on our end. healthy relationships, he asks Jabe Nicholson of Starkville
the little nerve. Her young hus- I am so close I can see how he Is there any way back into such two things. First, honesty: has a 45-year career in publish-
band is in the room. He stands twists his own lips to accommo- a relationship? agreeing that I’m the sinner he ing. He and his wife have seven
on the opposite side of the bed date to hers, to show her that That’s the ultimate valentine! died for. After all, we don’t even children and a passel of grand-
and together they seem to dwell their kiss still works.” Of course, God isn’t asking come up to our own standards, kids. Reach him at jabe@uplook.
in the evening lamplight, isolat- Will we ever understand how for our physical heart, but it is let alone God’s. Second, trust: org or visit www.uplook.tv

For our complete church directory listing, visit us online at www.cdispatch.com/religion

Churches likely have modified service types and hours. Please contact a church before attending a service due to changing COVID restrictions.

Where the Spirit of the Lord is F eatured C hurch

“There is Liberty”
Ke nne th Mo ntg o m ery www.memorialgunterpeel.com
Proudly serving our community 716 Second Ave. N. • Columbus, MS • 662-328-4432
for over 30 years 903 College St. • Columbus, MS • 662-328-2354

2500 Military Road Suite 1

Columbus, MS
662-328-7500 WEST REALTY COMPANY
westrealtycompany.com
Don West, Broker/Owner

FLINT HILL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH — 80 Old Honnoll Mill Rd., Caledonia. Sunday
Worship Service 9:30 a.m. Sunday School 10:30 a.m. John Longmire, Pastor.

If you would like your church to be the featured church of the week,
submit a photo by emailing it to community@cdispatch.com.
Photos should be horizontal and high quality.
• RECYCLING SINCE 1956 •
Specializing in industrial accounts The Dispatch will publish photos at no charge as space permits.
662-328-8176 973 Island Rd. 1-800-759-8570

R Free Estimates
LER OO 1721 Hwy 45 N
EE FIN Licensed
& Insured Columbus, MS
W H INC. G ®

COMMERCIAL 662.848.0919
“A Family Business Since 1946” RESIDENTIAL Monday-Saturday 10am-8pm
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Support Our Community Churches When Caring Counts... SHELTON’S TOWING, INC. TRINITY PLACE
by advertising here.
Call Beth, Mary Jane,
Since 1960 RETIREMENT COMMUNITY
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schedule your ad. FUNERAL HOME & CREMATORY 1024 Gardner Blvd. 300 Airline Road • Columbus, MS • 327-6716
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Hunting • Fishing
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Line Of Clothing For You And Your Family
If it Jimmy Linley • Richard Linley
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crawls, Columbus
Check Out Our Boot & Cap Section
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call... 662-329-9992 201 Pollard Rd., Starkville

BRISLIN, INC. Insurance Services:

Young
Sales • Service • Installation Shelton Cleaners Personal
Auto Insurance Agency
Residential • Commercial • Industrial Home GEORGE F. YOUNG
Since 1956 3189 Hwy 45 N. • 328-5421 Commercial Office-662.570.1688
www.brislininc.com Final Expense Cell-662.251.3563
1702 6th St. N. • 328-5361 gfyoung08@gmail.com
4051 Military Road • 662-328-5814 1205 Gardner Blvd.,Columbus, MS

APAC-MISSISSIPPI, INC.
Michael Bogue & Employees
Lake Norris Rd. 328-6555

INDUSTRIAL SERVICES, INC The McBryde Family

Hwy. 45 Alt. N., West Point n 662-494-4344
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Jarrett’s Towing This ad space can be yours

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5209 N. Hwy 182 E. • Columbus, MS 39702
329-2447 We unlock Telephone: 662-327-1467 Call today 328-2424
If no answer 251-2448 cars P.O. Box 1278 • 1616 7th Ave. S., Columbus, MS 39703 to schedule your ad.

If you need to change your church’s online listing or would like to add
your church information, call 328-2424 or email changes to tinap@cdispatch.com
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8B SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2021 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com

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