Established 1879 | Columbus, Mississippi
CDISPATCH.COM
City under-budgeted debt payments by $1M+ in 2019
City officials blame former chief financial
officer for ‘negligently miscalculating’
what city would owe on debt
BY ISABELLE ALTMAN
ialtman@cdispatch.com
The city of Columbus paid
more than $1 million in excess
of what was initially budgeted
for general obligation bond debt
in 2019, according to the city’s
audit report for that year.
The city paid the extra
$1,384,372 with money from its
general fund, and city officials
A Starkville Utilities Department worker knocks ice from a power line at the corner of Raymond and West Main streets Thurs-
day afternoon before working to restore power to area residents. Crews worked overnight Wednesday and throughout most of
Thursday dealing with power outages caused by winter weather.
Mississippi Senate works to revise business incentives
State senator: Goal is to simplify state
incentives, based on how many jobs a
business creates and the types of wages
and benefits they provide
BY EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS
The Associated Press
JACKSON — The Mis-
sissippi Senate is pushing to
revise tax credits and other
incentives for business that
move to the state or expand
their existing operations.
Senators voted unani-
mously Thursday to pass
Senate Bill 2822, the Missis-
sippi Flexible Tax Incentive
INSIDE
Classifieds 7,8B
Comics 4B
Crossword 8B
Dear Abby 4B
Obituaries 4A
Opinions 6A
Religion 5B
WEATHER
High 40 Low 14
Mostly sunny, cold
Full forecast on
page 3A.
laid the blame for the incorrect
budgeting at the feet of former
Chief Financial Officer Milton
Rawle, who resigned in Febru-
ary 2019 and was arrested for
embezzlement in August 2020.
The audit was made public
after Wanda Holley, a certified
public accountant with Wat-
kins, Ward and Stafford in Co-
lumbus, presented it to the city
council on Feb. 3.
CREWS WORK TO RESTORE POWER
Act, also called MFLEX.
Republican Sen. David
Parker of Olive Branch said
the goal is to simplify state in-
centives, based on how many
jobs a business creates and
the types of wages and bene-
fits they provide. The MFLEX
proposal would require com-
panies that receive incentives
to provide health insurance
for their employees. Those of-
fering higher salaries would
FIVE QUESTIONS
1 In 2015 Scripps National
Spelling Bee winning word
“scherenschnitte” means “scis-
sors cuts” in what language?
2 What electronic music duo
famously said nothing after each
of four Grammy Award presenta-
tions in 2014?
3 The story of the legendary
figure Ragnar Lothbrok is the
basis of what TV series — “The
Borgias,” “The Tudors” or “The
Viking”?
4 What two punctuation marks
are superimposed to create an
interrobang?
5 What is the better-known
name of Tardar Sauce, the
frowning animal who became
an Internet sensation in a 2012
video?
Answers, 8B
DISPATCH CUSTOMER SERVICE 328-2424 | NEWSROOM 328-2471
Friday | February 19, 2021
General ob-
ligation bonds
are municipal
bonds backed
by the cred-
it and taxing
powers of the
issuing munic-
ipality rather
than a spe- Smith
cific revenue
source, and they are generally
used to fund street work and
other projects.
Mayor Robert Smith, current
CFO Deliah Vaughn and Chief
Operations Officer David Arm-
strong all said it was negligence
on the part of Rawle for not bud-
Parker Hosemann
get more favorable treatment
from the state.
Parker also said any busi-
ness receiving tax credits
would be required to file an
annual report to the state,
providing accountability to
the public. He said incentives
would be awarded based on
the number of jobs created,
not the number of jobs prom-
CALENDAR
Thursday
through Saturday,
Feb. 25-27
■ Virtual Magnolia
Independent Film
Festival: The Mag in
Starkville returns with
independent films and
shorts. Visit magnoli-
afilmfest.com.
Armstrong Holley
geting the proper amount of
money to pay the debt.
By law, municipalities are re-
quired to prepare a budget be-
fore the fiscal year begins Oct.
1, based on fiscal data and pro-
posed budgets from city depart-
ments. It is then the city coun-
Zack Plair/Dispatch Staff
ised. For example, he said if
a company says it has a goal
of creating 50 jobs but creates
45, the incentives would be
adjusted.
“This will be very easy for
you to explain, as a senator, to
someone who is considering
moving into your area,” Park-
er said. “Whereas now, the
application process for the
multiple incentives we have
are hundreds and hundreds
of pages that are — it’s a lot of
legalese, it’s a lot of difficult
paperwork to kind of navi-
gate.”
Republican Lt. Gov. Del-
bert Hosemann is pushing for
See INCENTIVES, 8A
LOCAL FOLKS
Roderick Chamberlin enjoys
writing books about reality.
FREE!
cil’s job to approve the budget.
The law also allows the city
council to revise the budget
throughout the fiscal year if it
appears certain budgetary es-
timates will be over or under
what was in the initial budget.
However, Armstrong and
Vaughn said Rawle should have
known exactly how much the
city would pay on the general
obligation bond in 2019 because
when cities take out loans, the
bank provides an amortization
schedule breaking down how
much the city must pay each
year until the debt is satisfied.
That amortization schedule
See AUDIT, 8A
JA of Columbus
starting Crown
Club for young
women
Application process
open online through
March 22
BY TYLER B. JONES
tjones@cdispatch.com
The Junior Auxil-
iary of Columbus is
creating a new proj-
ect, Crown Club, to
promote service and
leadership in young
ladies of Lowndes
County.
Crown Club is a Bowen
service-based organization for up-
coming high school sophomores
who live or attend school in Lown-
des County. Shannon Bowen, a pro-
visional member of JA, said Junior
Auxiliary developed this project be-
cause it wants to show young wom-
en how to create a positive change
within the community.
“Our goal as the JA chapter is to
empower these girls to make chang-
es in their communities where they
see a need,” Bowen said.
The program fosters interest
among its members in the social,
economic, educational, civic and
cultural conditions around them,
according to promotional informa-
tion the chapter provided.
Bowen said her JA provisional
class had to create a project to ful-
fill its service requirement. She and
her fellow provisional members had
heard of other JA Crown Clubs in
the state and decided to create a
Crown Club in Lowndes County as
their service project.
“Most of the JA projects that you
see around the community started
off as provisional projects like this
one,” Bowen said. “We chose to
take on this program, the Crown
Club, as our project, and we’re real-
ly excited about it.”
JA will be accepting 15 members
into the Crown Club this year, Bow-
en said, all upcoming sophomores
in high school. Members will serve
for two years. Those chosen must
maintain at least a 2.8 GPA and
must have lived in Lowndes Coun-
ty or attended a Lowndes Coun-
See JUNIOR AUXILIARY, 3A
PUBLIC
MEETINGS
Feb. 26: Starkville
Board of Aldermen
work session, 10
a.m., mayor’s con-
ference room
March 1: Oktibbe-
ha County Board of
Supervisors, 9:30
a.m., Chancery
Courthouse
March 2: Starkville
Board of Aldermen,
5:30 p.m., City Hall
March 9:
Starkville-Oktibbe-
ha Consolidated
School District
Board of Trust-
ees, 6 p.m., 401
Greensboro St.
2A FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com

Muddled promises on schools

pose political problem for Biden
Teachers’ unions support reopening schools once
officials are able to make the buildings safer, but
say they need the $130 billion included in Biden’s
proposed American Rescue Plan to make it happen
BY ALEX ANDRA JAFFE
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — President Joe
Biden is in a political firestorm over
how and when to get more schools
open amid the coronavirus pan-
demic, with Republicans seizing
on confusion surrounding Biden’s
goal to reopen a majority of schools
within his first 100 days to paint the
president as beholden to teachers’
unions at the expense of American
families.
His administration in recent
weeks has sent muddled and at
times contradictory messages
about Biden’s goal. On Tuesday
night, the president said his 100-
day goal was to have most elemen-
tary schools open five days a week,
seeming to conflict with his own
press secretary, who had said last
week that schools would be consid-
ered “open” if they held in-person
classes even one day a week.
Biden’s aides dismiss the con-
troversy as a flareup that will dis-
appear once the coronavirus is bet-
ter under control and more school
districts reopen, pointing to recent
polls suggesting the public so far
believes Biden is doing a good job
in handling the issue.
But there could be lingering
damage if Biden is seen to break
an early promise on an issue so im-
portant to so many Americans.
Teachers’ unions have said they
support reopening schools once
officials are able to make the build-
ings safer, but they need the $130
billion included in Biden’s proposed
American Rescue Plan to make it
happen. And even if the bill passes
Congress by the Democrats’ mid-
March deadline, it’s unclear wheth-
er districts would be able to make
changes in time to hasten school
openings before the end of Biden’s
first 100 days.
Dan Domenech, executive direc-
tor of the School Superintendents
Association, said teachers are will-
ing to go back to in-person learning
“only if this bill is passed, only if the
dollars get to the school districts in
time for them to be able to do the
work that they need to do in terms
of spacing, in terms of sanitizing,
and only if we get the majority of
our teachers vaccinated.”
“It’s possible. But at this stage,
at this point, it’s not probable,” he
said.
American Federation of Teach-
ers President Randi Weingarten
said in an interview she hopes
Biden will meet his goal, and has
said teachers should return to
school when COVID-19 mitigation
strategies are in place. But she
noted that with social distancing,
school still won’t feel normal.
“You’re not going to be able to
have every single child in every sin-
gle school in the normal way that
we think about normal school,” she
said.
Until the nation reaches herd im-
munity with the widespread distri-
bution of the vaccine, Weingarten
said, “we’re not going to be normal.”
This leaves Biden caught be-
tween teachers’ unions express-
ing caution towards his expanded
goal on reopening, and critics who
say just one day of classroom time
a week for a majority of schools is
far too little. Data from Burbio, a
service that tracks school opening
plans, recently reported that 66 per-
cent of K-12 students already are
learning in-person to some degree.

Jobless claims rise to 861,000 as layoffs stay high

Nearly 10 million jobs remain lost to COVID-19 pandemic
BY CHRISTOPHER
RUGABER
AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON — 700,000, even during the
The number of Americans
applying for unemploy-
ment aid rose last week to
861,000, evidence that lay-
offs remain painfully high
despite a steady drop in
the number of confirmed
viral infections.
Applications from laid-
off workers rose 13,000
from the previous week,
which was revised sharp-
ly higher, the Labor De-
partment said Thursday.
Before the virus erupted
in the United States last
March, weekly applica-
tions for unemployment
benefits had never topped
Great Recession of 2008-
2009.
The figures under-
score that the job market
has stalled, with employ-
ers having added a mere
49,000 jobs in January af-
ter cutting workers in De-
cember. Nearly 10 million
jobs remain lost to the
pandemic. Though the
unemployment rate fell
last month from 6.7 per-
cent, to 6.3 percent, it did
so in part because some
people stopped looking
for jobs. People who ar-
en’t actively seeking work
aren’t counted as unem-
ployed.
Still, fraudulent claims
for jobless aid in some
states and other issues,
including potential back-
logs of claims, may be
elevating the totals. Last
week, for example, Ohio
reported a huge increase
in applications and said
it had set aside about
half that increase for fur-
ther review out of con-
cern about fraud. And
this week, Ohio reported
that applications under
a federal program that
covers self-employed
and gig workers jumped
from about 10,000 to
over 230,000. That could
reflect a backlog of ap-
plications, because Ohio
hadn’t reported data un-
der that program until
two weeks ago.
Likewise, Illinois re-
ported this week that job-
less claims under its regu-
lar state program doubled
— from 34,000 to nearly
68,000.
“The unemployment
claims data remain a
mess,” said Stephen Stan-
ley, chief economist at
Amherst Pierpont.

‘Obviously a mistake’: Cruz returns from Cancun after uproar

Texas senator’s vacation during deadly winter storm what happened in Texas,”
he continued. “We want
drew criticism from leaders in both parties and was seen our power back, our water
on, and our homes warm.”
as potentially damaging to his future political ambitions Cruz told reporters
Thursday night that he
BY STEVE PEOPLES day. “In hindsight, I Cruz said in an earli- returned to the U.S. be-
AND JAKE BLEIBERG wouldn’t have done it,” he er statement Thursday cause he realized he need-
The Associated Press told reporters. that he accompanied his ed to be in Texas. He said
The Associated Press family to Cancun a day he had originally been
DALLAS — Texas Sen. and other media outlets earlier after his daugh- scheduled to stay in Mex-
Ted Cruz said his family reported that he had trav- ters asked to go on a trip ico through the weekend.
vacation to Mexico was eled out of the country with friends, given that “I didn’t want all the
“obviously a mistake” with his family as hun- school was canceled for screaming and yelling
as he returned stateside dreds of thousands of Tex- the week. about this trip to distract
Thursday following an ans were still grappling “Wanting to be a good even one moment from
uproar over his disappear- with the fallout of a winter dad, I flew down with the real issues that I think
ance during a deadly win- storm that crippled the them last night and am Texans care about, which
ter storm. state’s power grid. The flying back this after- is keeping all of our fami-
The Republican sen- trip drew criticism from noon,” Cruz wrote. lies safe,” Cruz said.
ator said he began sec- leaders in both parties “My staff and I are in “It was obviously a mis-
ond-guessing the trip and was seen as potential- constant communication take, and in hindsight, I
since the moment he first ly damaging to his future with state and local lead- wouldn’t have done it,” he
got on the plane Wednes- political ambitions. ers to get to the bottom of said.

Trump-McConnell feud threatens Republicans’ path to power

‘The Republicans are soft. They only
hit their own, like Mitch.’
Former President Donald Trump
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — tive outlets after nearly
Former President Don-
ald Trump is escalating
a political war within his
own party that could un-
dermine the Republican
push to fight President Joe
Biden’s agenda and ulti-
mately return to power.
A day after blistering
Mitch McConnell, the
Senate’s top Republican,
as a “dour, sullen and un-
smiling political hack,”
Trump repeated his base-
less claim on Wednesday
that he was the rightful
winner of the November
election in a series of in-
terviews with conserva-
a month of self-imposed
silence.
Trump also continued
to attack McConnell, ac-
cusing the Senate GOP
leader of failing to stand
up for Republicans after
McConnell blasted Trump
for inciting the Jan. 6 Cap-
itol riot despite voting to
acquit the former pres-
ident at his second im-
peachment trial.
“The Republicans are
soft. They only hit their
own, like Mitch,” Trump
complained on Newsmax.
“If they spent the same
time hitting (Senate Dem-
ocratic leader Chuck)
Schumer and (President
Joe) Biden, the Republi-
cans would be much bet-
ter off, that I can tell you.”
Republican officials
in several battlegrounds
carried by Biden, includ-
ing Georgia and Arizona,
have said the vote was fair.
Trump’s legal claims sur-
rounding the vote were re-
jected by judges across the
political spectrum, includ-
ing many appointed by the
former president. McCo-
nnell himself described
Trump’s contention as an
“unhinged falsehood.”
Leading GOP strate-
gists described the ex-
ploding feud between the
former Republican presi-
dent and the Senate’s most
powerful Republican as,
at best, a distraction and,
at worst, a direct threat
to the party’s path to the
House and Senate major-
ities in next year’s mid-
terms.
“I don’t think he cares
about winning,” Steven
Law, a McConnell ally who
leads the most powerful
Republican-aligned super
PAC in Washington, said
of Trump. “He just wants it
to be about himself.”
Law noted that Trump
lost several states where
Republicans face must-
win Senate elections in
next year’s quest to break
up Democrats’ control of
Congress, including in Ar-
izona, Georgia, Pennsylva-
nia and Wisconsin.
 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021 3A

Weather knocks out water in Diverse group receives

parts of Mississippi, Louisiana Mississippi Governor’s
In Jackson, many people
had been without
running water to flush
toilets, take showers or
cook since Monday
BY LEAH WILLINGHAM
AND JAY REEVES
The Associated Press
JACKSON — Icy winter weath-
er has left most of the 161,000
residents of Mississippi’s capital
with little or no running water for
days, and the mayor says it’s un-
clear when water service will be
restored as freezing temperatures
have knocked out power and water
to parts of the Deep South.
The icy conditions are part of
a viciously cold spell that has also
devastated Texas, leaving hundreds
of thousands without electricity
there as temperatures plummeted
and cutting water supplies in many
areas.
In Mississippi’s capital of Jack-
son, many people had been without
running water to flush toilets, take
showers or cook since Monday.
Linda Weathersby, an admin-
istrative assistant at the mayor’s
office, lives in an apartment build-
ing for seniors in Jackson. The
building’s 85 residents have been
without water since Monday, and
the assistant manager was bringing
bottled water door-to-door to resi-
dents, she said. She also went out-
side to gather snow to melt so she
could flush her toilet.
“I’ve been out there getting wa-
ter, and my back’s hurting now,”
she said.
The city has made water avail-
able at fire stations and officials
are working to set up locations for
people to pick up water. But Weath-
ersby said she worries about elderly
people like her who won’t be able to
get to those locations. She said her
sister lost power Wednesday and
was still without it Thursday.
Arts Awards
Frigid temperatures cause some Ceremony set to be televised at
problems in Mississippi prisons 8 p.m. today on MPB
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
JACKSON — Days of freezing temperatures caused heating and
JACKSON — An acclaimed author, a prolific
songwriter and a group of small-town quilters are
cooking problems in some Mississippi prisons this week, Corrections among this year’s recipients of the Mississippi Gov-
Commissioner Burl Cain said. ernor’s Arts Awards.
A boiler malfunctioned in one unit at the Mississippi State Peniten- This is the 33rd year for the awards, and a cere-
tiary at Parchman, affecting heating, he said in a news release. Prison mony is usually held in Jackson. Gov. Tate Reeves
staff distributed blankets and thermal underwear, and about 20 inmates has limited the size of gatherings because of the
were moved to another area while repairs were made, he said. coronavirus pandemic, so the ceremony was re-
A water line broke at Central Mississippi Correctional Facility, but it corded. It is set to be televised at 8 p.m. Friday on
was fixed and meals are being served, he said. A natural gas line froze at Mississippi Public Broadcasting.
the privately run Marshall County Correctional Facility, shutting down The Mississippi Arts Commission said in a news
a kitchen, but workers grilled hot dogs, hamburgers and sausages for release that the awards are:
the inmates, who also got cold cuts, chips and fruit. Excellence in Literature: Jesmyn Ward is an
“Our superintendents, wardens and officers went above and beyond author and professor of creative writing at Tulane
the call of duty by driving all-wheel-drive vehicles to bring officers to University. Ward, who grew up in DeLisle, received
work over icy roads with no mishaps,” Cain said. the National Book Award for her novels “Salvage
Several Mississippi lawmakers, including Democratic Reps. John the Bones” and “Sing, Unburied, Sing.”
Hines of Greenville and Sonya Williams Barnes of Gulfport, said people Lifetime Achievement: Benjamin Wright is a
with loved ones in prisons had contacted them with concerns about con- songwriter, arranger, composer, musical director
ditions during the prolonged period of freezing temperatures. and performer from Greenville. Wright has worked
with artists including Michael Jackson, Justin Tim-
Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba PowerOutage.us, about 221,000 berlake, Outkast, The Temptations, Earth Wind
said officials didn’t know when wa- customers across Louisiana, Mis- & Fire, Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Mary J.
ter service would be restored. sissippi and Alabama were without Blige and Janet Jackson.
“This is one of the unfortunate power as of Thursday night with the Arts in Community: Tutwiler Quilters is a group
facts that I have to deliver,” he said. vast majority of the outages in Loui- that helps Black women in the Delta use their
“But I owe you honesty and I owe siana and Mississippi. quilt-making skills to support themselves and their
you truth so we can manage how we Ron and Laura Jenkins of Pres- families by earning money from their work.
prepare.” ton, Mississippi, lost power at Excellence in Media Arts: Arthur Jafa is a film-
Lumumba said public works around 6 p.m. Wednesday. They left maker and cinematographer who grew up in Tu-
crews were working to pump as pelo and Clarksdale. His work focuses on Black
their house at 7:30 a.m. Thursday
much water as they can to refill the identity. His short film, “The White Album,” which
and had to drive 90 miles (145 ki-
city’s tanks. The city is approach- explored white supremacy, received the Golden
lometers), stopping to cut their way
ing a critical shortage in chemicals Lion award at the 2019 Venice Biennale.
through fallen branches, before
used to treat the water, as road Excellence in Music: Nellie McInnis, also known
they found a store in Madison, Mis-
closures are making it difficult for “Nellie Mack,” is a Jackson native and professional
sissippi, with generators in stock. It bass player. She formed the jazz group Past, Pres-
distributors to make needed deliv-
eries, he said. But at the same time, took them 3 and half hours one way. ent & Future with Cassandra Wilson, Rhonda Rich-
more people were staying at home “Our whole day has been try- mond and Yvonne Evers. McInnis has performed
during the extreme weather so wa- ing to get this generator, moving with Henry Mancini, Ellis Marsalis, Dizzy Gilles-
ter usage was skyrocketing. limbs out of the road and traveling pie and Dorothy Moore.
“We are dealing with an extreme through all of the ice,” Ron Jenkins, Cultural Ambassador: Raphael Semmes is a
challenge with getting more water 67, said. “It’s pretty bad out there.” musician, songwriter and event organizer based in
through our distribution system,” Parts of Interstate 20 were at a Jackson. Semmes is a bass player and performed
he said. standstill in Louisiana, state police with blues and jazz artists such as John Lee Hook-
Power crews worked to restore said, and state wildlife agents used er, Mose Allison and Jewel Bass.
service to homes and businesses 4-wheel-drive trucks to get essen-
that were plunged into darkness tial employees, including some at a
across three states. According to veterans’ home, to work.

Moss Point mayor and wife to plead guilty to federal charges

Prosecutors: Pair raised money for mental health programs The indictment said
some of the money raised
in schools but spent it on themselves for expenses that paid for expenses of the
gala, but the rest did
included car payments and the purchase of a pet dog not go to the Moss Point
School District. Prosecu-
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS guilty were filed Tues- March 23, 2019, event in tors said the Kings used
day for Mario King and Moss Point. A solicitation money raised by the gala
GULFPORT — A Mis- Wednesday for Natasha said the “gala honors and for personal purchases,
sissippi mayor and his King. Their hearing is set supports organizations including the down pay-
wife intend to plead guilty for Feb. 24 in Gulfport. that are making a differ- ments to buy vehicles,
to federal fraud charges They are charged with ence for the mental health cash withdrawals and the
next week, according to conspiracy to defraud the community. Proceeds payment of credit card
court records. United States and aiding support the efforts of debts to buy a Biewer
Prosecutors said Moss and abetting wire fraud. mental health in the City terrier from a veterinary
Point Mayor Mario King Mario King is a Demo- of Moss Point with a focus clinic in Hattiesburg.
and his wife, Natasha R. crat and was elected may- on the Moss Point School Moss Point has a popu-
King, raised money for or in June 2017. He is not District, converting spac- lation of about 13,350. It is
mental health programs seeking reelection this es into a therapeutic and in coastal Jackson Coun-
in schools but spent it on year. innovative learning envi- ty, near the Alabama state
themselves for expenses According to an indict- ronment.” line. The city has about a
that included car pay- ment that was issued June The indictment said 22 percent poverty rate,
ments and the purchase 10 and unsealed July 10, the mayor and his wife according to the Census.
of a pet dog. Mario King and Natasha made a local television ap-
Documents showing King began soliciting pearance to promote the
the intention to plead money in late 2018 for a event.

Junior Auxiliary
Continued from Page 1A
ty school in the last six
months.
Ashleigh Guyton, an-
other JA provisional mem-
ber working on Crown
Club, said the organiza-
tion is looking for young
ladies from every school
in Lowndes County to en-
courage new friendships.
“We want to promote
this program county-wide
because we want to see
girls have friendships
beyond their school,”
Guyton said. “We want to
bridge the gap between
the schools and foster
friendships within each
area.”
Guyton also said rep-
resentation is important
to JA and the Crown Club,
and members want to pro-
mote diversity and inclu-
sion within their organi-
zation.
“We’re hoping to find
great girls from all differ-
ent backgrounds or eth-
nicities or races, and we
hope to promote commu-
nity within these girls,”
she said.
Bowen said Crown
Club will focus on such
skills as public speaking,
learning how to address
people professionally,
learning how to build re-
sumes and more.
“The number one skill
we hope they walk away
with though is to recog-
nize and make a change in
their community,” Bowen
said. “We as JA members
will encourage the girls
to serve the community,
which is what we do, but
now we will be mentors to
them encouraging them
to serve as well.”
Young women inter-
ested in Crown Club can
apply at the Junior Auxil-
iary of Columbus website.
The deadline to apply is
March 22. No applicants
will have to complete an
interview, just the applica- SOLUNAR TABLE
The solunar period indicates
tion with two references peak-feeding times for fish and game.
Day Day
and a writing sample. Major X:XXa X:XXa
X:XXa
Minor X:XXa
Major X:XXp X:XXp
Minor X:XXp X:XXp
Courtesy of Mississippi Department
of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks

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4A FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com

Vaccine delays leave grocery workers feeling expendable

‘Apparently we are not front-line workers
when it comes to getting the vaccine’
Dawn Hand, who works at a Kroger supermarket in Houston
BY ALEX ANDRA OLSON,
DEE-ANN DURBIN AND ANNE
D’INNOCENZIO
AP Business Writers
As panicked Americans
cleared supermarkets of toi-
let paper and food last spring,
grocery employees gained rec-
ognition as among the most in-
dispensable of the pandemic’s
front-line workers.
A year later, most of those
workers are waiting their turn
to receive COVID-19 vaccines,
with little clarity about when
that might happen.
A decentralized vaccine cam-
paign has resulted in a patch-
work of policies that differ from
state to state, and even county
to county in some areas, result-
ing in an inconsistent rollout to
low-paid essential workers who
are exposed to hundreds of cus-
tomers each day.
“Apparently we are not front-
line workers when it comes to
getting the vaccine. That was
kind of a shock,” said Dawn
Hand, who works at a Kroger
supermarket in Houston, where
she said three of her co-work-
ers were out with the virus last
week. She watches others get-
ting vaccinated at the in-store
pharmacy without knowing
when she’ll get her turn.
Texas is among several
states that have decided to
leave grocery and other essen-
tial workers out of the second
phase of its vaccination effort,
instead prioritizing adults over
65 and people with chronic
medical conditions.
Focusing on older adults is
an approach many epidemi-
ologists support as the most
ethical and efficient because
it will help reduce deaths and
hospitalizations faster. People
over 65 account for 80 percent
of deaths in the country, accord-
ing to the Centers for Disease
and Control Prevention.
“Our main goals with vac-
cines should be reducing
deaths and hospitalizations,”
said William Moss, executive
director of the International
Vaccine Center at Johns Hop-
kins University School of Public
Health. “In order to do that, we
need to begin vaccinating those
at the highest risks.”
But many grocery workers
have been surprised and dis-
heartened to find that they’ve
been left out of such policies,
in part because a CDC panel
had raised their expectations
by recommending the second
phase of the vaccine rollout —
1B — include grocery and other
essential employees.
Even when grocery workers
are prioritized, they still face
long waits. New York opened
up vaccines to grocery work-
ers in early January, along with
other essential employees and
anyone 65 and over. But limited
supply makes booking an ap-
pointment difficult, even more
so for the workers who don’t
have large companies or unions
to advocate for them.
Edward Lara had to close his
small grocery store — known
as a bodega — in the Bronx
for 40 days when he and his
employees contracted the vi-
rus last spring. He has tried for
weeks to get a vaccine appoint-
ment and finally figured out he
could register through the web-
site of a network of health care
providers, which will notify him
when a slot opens.
Lara’s father-in-law died of
the virus in March. His mother-
in-law died in November. Last
week, a friend who manages
his bodega’s insurance policy
also died. And a cousin in New
Jersey got the virus for a sec-
ond time, leaving him terrified
it could happen to him.
“Nothing to be done. Cross
my fingers and hope that God
protects me,” Lara said after
registering for the waitlist.

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Jimmy Ellis Jr.
COLUMBUS — The
Rev. Jimmy Ellis Jr., 81,
died Feb. 18, 2021, at
his residence.
Arrangements are
incomplete and will be
announced by Carter’s
Funeral Services of
Columbus.
Mary Carr
MACON — Mary
Alice “Deed” Thomas
Carr, 99,
died Feb.
8, 2021, in
Macon.
Grave-
side ser-
vices will
be at 11
a.m. Satur- Carr
day, at Mt.
Moriah United Method-
ist Church Cemetery,
with the Rev. Tyrone
Stallings Sr. officiat-
ing. Burial will follow.
Visitation is from 2-5
p.m. today, at Carter’s
Funeral Services. Car-
ter’s Funeral Services
of Macon is in charge of
AREA OBITUARIES
Carr Jr. and David Carr, Ernest Rogers In addition to his par- Flint, Michigan and dress, Eddie Childress,
both of Columbus, and ents, he was preceded Lisa Pennyman of Mr. Terry Childress off of
PHEBA — Ernest
Dorothy Carr Alexan- Dwayne Rogers, 53, in death by his sister, Morris, Michigan; Indiana and Mari Chil-
der of Chicago, Illinois; died Jan. 23, 2021, at Kathy Utroska. siblings, Ruby Hunt of dress of South Caroli-
sister, Mildred Thomas his residence. He is survived by Chicago, Illinois and na; four grandchildren;
Warren of Chicago; sev- Graveside services his wife, Elaine Far- Katherine Gibson of and 14 great-grandchil-
en grandchildren; and will be at 11 a.m. rar Turner; children, Detroit, Michigan; and
dren.
11 great-grandchildren. Saturday, at Oakland Steven Turner Jr. of 26 grandchildren.
Pallbearers will be DeKalb and Brent Memorials may be
Cemetery in Crawford, made to St. Jude Chil-
Louis Coleman, Willie with Michael Tate Turner of Collierville, Robert Childress dren’s Research 501 St.
Johnson, Ron Carr, officiating. Visitation Tennessee; and four WEST POINT —
Michael Carr, and Tim- grandchildren. Robert “Bob” Gene Jude Place, Memphis,
will be from 10:30-11
othy Carr. a.m. prior to services at Memorials may Childress, 71, died Feb. TN 38105 or National
the cemetery. Carter’s be made to Autism 17, 2021, at NMMC-Tu- Breast Cancer Founda-
Martha Ross Mortuary Services of Speaks, 1060 State pelo. tion P.O. Box 678572,
STARKVILLE — West Point is in charge Road, Second Floor, Graveside services Dallas, TX 75267-8572.
Martha Jean Ross, 67, of arrangements. Princeton, NJ, 08450, will be at noon Mon-
died Feb. 9, 2021, in Mr. Rogers was St. Jude Children’s Hos- day, at McPherson
Tupelo. born Aug. 10, 1967, in pital, 501 St. Jude Place, Cemetery, with the
Funeral services will Lowndes County, to Memphis, TN, 38105 or Rev. Maxine Kimbrel
be at 11 a.m. Saturday, Bettie Rogers and the Salem Cemetery Fund, officiating. Visitation
at Treaveler’s Rest M.B. late Frank Selvie II. He 23 Hunter St., Macon, will be from 2-4 p.m.
Church in Mathiston. MS, 39341. Sunday, at Robinson
was formerly employed
Burial will follow at as a professional truck Funeral Home. Robin-
Spring Valley Cem- driver. Carlos Draper son Funeral Home of
etery. Visitation will COLUMBUS — Car-
In addition to his West Point is in charge
be one hour prior to mother, he is survived los Tyree Draper, 21, of arrangements.
services at the church. by his wife, Anita Rog- died Feb. 11, 2021. Mr. Childress was
West Memorial Funeral ers; children, Ernest D. Funeral services will born May 24, 1949, in Todd Gale
Services of Starkville Rogers Jr. of Columbus be at noon Saturday, at Indianapolis, Indiana, Visitation:
is in charge of arrange- and Tyler Rogers of Word Church in Ma- to the late Carol Cliff- Saturday, Feb. 20 • 10-11:30 AM
2nd Ave. N. Location
ments. Pembroke Pines, Flori- con. Burial will follow ton and Elizabeth Elain Memorial Services:
She is survived by da; and siblings, Randy in Macedonia Ceme- Hughes Childress. Saturday, Feb. 20 • 11:30 AM
her children, Ronald tery. Visitation is from 2nd Ave. N. Location
Selvie, Terry Selvie and He was a graduate of 2nd Ave. N. Location
Ross of Maben, Teresa Dorothy Brown all of noon - 6 p.m. today, Perdue University and
Morton of Eupora and at Lee-Sykes Funeral
Crawford. a veteran of the United Steven Williams
Danny Ross of Maben; Home. States Navy. He was Visitation:
siblings, Martha Hunt Mr. Draper was
of Boston, Massachu-
Randy Wallace Sr. born April 13, 1999,
formerly employed Saturday, Feb. 20 • 12-2 PM
College St. Location
ETHELSVILLE, driving a mobile sono- College St. Location
setts, Linda Washing- to Carlean Draper gram bus with Indiana
Ala. —Randy Lynn
ton of Maben, Ethel and Franklin Dunlap.
Wallace Sr., 66, died State University and in Cathy Rueff
Cork of Mathiston, He was a graduate of remodeling. Memorial Services:
Dorise Clark and Glad- Feb. 18, 2021, at his Columbus High School
In addition to his Saturday, Feb. 20 • 2 PM
ys Robinson of Maben; residence. and attended East 7th Day Adventist Church
Arrangements are parents, he was preced- College St. Location
and 14 grandchildren. Mississippi Community ed in death by his wife,
incomplete and will be
announced by Lown-
College. Martha Childress; and Henry Vaughn
Ricki Smith des Funeral Home of
In addition to his brother, Kenneth Ray Incomplete
STARKVILLE — parents, he is survived Childress. 2nd Ave. N. Location
Columbus. by his siblings, Antonia
Ricki Burrell Smith, He is survived by
69, died Feb. 15, 2021, Draper of Birming- his children, Timothy
at Oktibbeha County Henry Vaughn ham, Alabama, Travis Wayne Kimbrel of West
Hospital. COLUMBUS — Hen- Draper of Columbus, memorialgunterpeel.com
ry Douglas Vaughn, 78, Point and Terry Lynn
A Celebration of Franklin Dunlap Jr. of Kimbrel of Columbus;
Life service will be died Feb. 19, 2021, at Milwaukee, Wiscon-
Baptist Memorial Hos- siblings, David Chil-
held at 10 a.m. Tues- sin, Monique Brewer
day, at Mathiston First pital-Golden Triangle. of Chicago, Illinois,
Baptist Church, with Arrangements are Tamika Buckhalter
Ken Parvin officiating. incomplete and will be of Starkville, Laquita
Burial will follow at announced by Memori- Dunlap of Milwaukee,
Memorial Garden Park al Gunter Peel Funeral Wisconsin and Gabriel
in Starkville. Visitation Home and Crematory, Spann of Austin, Texas.
will be from 5-7 p.m. Second Avenue North
Monday, at the church. location. Jannie Mckeown-Rodgis
Welch Funeral Home of STURGIS — Jannie
Starkville is in charge Steven Turner Sr. Bell Mckeown-Rodgis,
of arrangements. MACON — Steven 94, died Feb. 10, 2021.
Mrs. Smith was born Watt Turner Sr., 69, Graveside services
July 9, 1951, in Durant, died Feb. 14, 2021, at will be at 2 p.m. Sun-
St. Dominic’s Hospital

arrangements.
Mrs. Carr was born
April 2, 1919, in Mashu-
laville, to the late Willie
and Myrtle Lee Cot-
ton Thomas. She was
a homemaker and a
member of Mt. Mori-
ah United Methodist
Church.
In addition to her
parents, she was
preceded in death by
her husband, Willie
Martin Carr Sr.; and 11
siblings.
She is survived by
her children, Virgina
Carr Hall of Brooks-
ville, Mary Carr John-
son of Calumet City,
Illinois, Willie Martin
Steven Williams
to the late Frank and day, at Boyd Chapel
Betty Burrell. She was in Jackson. Cemetery. Visitation
a 1969 graduate of Du- Graveside services will be from 2-6 p.m.
rant High School and will be at 2 p.m. Sun- Saturday, at West Steven Douglas Williams, age 45, died
a graduate of Oxford day, at Salem Cemetery. Memorial Chapel. West Wednesday, February 17, 2021, at his residence
Cosmetology School. Cockrell Funeral Home Memorial Funeral in Columbus.
She was formerly em- of Macon is in charge of Home of Starkville is A visitation will be held at the 903 College
ployed as a beautician arrangements. in charge of arrange- Street location of Memorial Gunter Peel Funeral
and was a member of Mr. Turner was born ments. Home & Crematory, Saturday February 20, 2021,
First Baptist Church- Jan. 4, 1952, in Mem- She is survived by from 12:00 PM til 2:00 PM. Memorial Gunter
es of Mathiston and phis, Tennessee, to the her children, Geraldine Peel Funeral Home & Crematory, College Street
Starkville. late Simon Watkins Shields of Oklaho- location, has been entrusted with the arrange-
She is survived by Turner and Lucy Turn- ma City, Oklahoma, ments.
her husband, Roy Lee er. He was a graduate of Eyvonne Swanigan Mr. Williams was born on Friday, January 09,
Smith; daughters, Misti Noxubee High School of Louisville, Arthur 1976, in Columbus, to Doug Williams and the late
Garnett, Cristi Bolin, and a veteran of the Rogers, Belinda Rogers Deborah Burrus Williams. He was a painter.
and Betty Helen Dye; United States Army. He both of Stugis, Andrew In addition to his mother, he was preceded in
brothers, Bill Burrell was formerly employed Rogers Jr of Jackson, death by his sister, Lori Williams.
of Durant and Sammy as a military policeman Canos Rogers, Edna Survivors include his son, Brandon Williams
Burrell of Meridian; and a business owner. Matthews both of (Jalynn), Houlka, MS; father, Doug Williams, Co-
and nine grandchil- He was a member of Oklahoma City, Okla- lumbus, MS; sister, Lisa Williams; brother, Mi-
dren. Elon Baptist Church. homa, John Rogers of chael Williams; and brother, Derrick Williams.

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903 College Street • Columbus, MS
 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021 5A

US life expectancy drops a year in pandemic, most since WWII

CDC: Minorities suffered the biggest impact, also from heart disease, cancer
and other conditions.
million for the first time.
Life expectancy is how long
ple, to 72. It dropped 1.9 years
for Hispanics, to 79.9, and 0.8
with Black Americans losing nearly three “What is really quite strik-
ing in these numbers is that
a baby born today can expect to
live, on average. In the first half
years for white people, to 78.
The preliminary report did not
years and Hispanics, nearly two years they only reflect the first half of of last year, that was 77.8 years analyze trends for Asian or Na-
the year ... I would expect that for Americans overall, down tive Americans.
BY MARILYNN MARCHIONE years, according to preliminary these numbers would only get one year from 78.8 in 2019. For “Black and Hispanic com-
AP Chief Medical Writer estimates Thursday from the worse,” said Dr. Kirsten Bib- males it was 75.1 years and for munities throughout the United
Centers for Disease Control bins-Domingo, a health equity females, 80.5 years. States have borne the brunt of
Life expectancy in the Unit- and Prevention. researcher and dean at the Uni- As a group, Hispanics in the this pandemic,” Bibbins-Do-
ed States dropped a staggering “This is a huge decline,” said versity of California, San Fran- U.S. have had the most longevi- mingo said.
one year during the first half of Robert Anderson, who oversees cisco. ty and still do. Black people now They’re more likely to be in
2020 as the coronavirus pan- the numbers for the CDC. “You This is the first time the lag white people by six years frontline, low-wage jobs and liv-
demic caused its first wave of have to go back to World War II, CDC has reported on life ex- in life expectancy, reversing ing in crowded environments
deaths, health officials are re- the 1940s, to find a decline like pectancy from early, partial re- a trend that had been bring- where it’s easier for the virus
porting. this.” cords; more death certificates ing their numbers closer since to spread, and “there are stark,
Minorities suffered the big- Other health experts say it from that period may yet come 1993. pre-existing health disparities
gest impact, with Black Amer- shows the profound impact of in. It’s already known that 2020 Between 2019 and the first in other conditions” that raise
icans losing nearly three years COVID-19, not just on deaths was the deadliest year in U.S. half of 2020, life expectancy de- their risk of dying of COVID-19,
and Hispanics, nearly two directly due to infection but history, with deaths topping 3 creased 2.7 years for Black peo- she said.

COVID-19 legislation would scale US govt seizes over

up ability to spot virus mutations 10M phony N95 masks
Bill also calls for the CDC to organize a national That might not sound like much,
but the current rate is believed to
in COVID-19 probe
network to use genomic sequencing to track the be 0.3 percent to 0.5 percent. An-
alyzing 15 percent of positive sam-
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

spread of mutations, guide health countermeasures
BY RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — U.S. scien-
tists would gain vastly expanded
capabilities to identify potentially
deadlier coronavirus mutations
under legislation advancing in Con-
gress. A House bill headed for floor
debate would provide $1.75 billion
for genomic sequencing.
The U.S. now maps only the ge-
netic makeup of a minuscule frac-
tion of positive virus samples, a sit-
uation some experts liken to flying
blind. It means the true domestic
spread of problematic mutations
first identified in the United King-
dom and South Africa remains a
matter of guesswork.
Such ignorance could prove cost-
ly. One worry is that more transmis-
sible forms such as the UK variant
could move faster than the nation’s
ability to get the vaccine into Amer-
icans’ arms.
“You’ve got a small number of
academic and public health labs
that have been basically doing the
genomic surveillance,” said David
O’Connor, an AIDS researcher at
the University of Wisconsin. “But
there is no national coherence to
the strategy.”
The Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention is trying to shep-
herd those efforts, aligning with
the government’s own advanced
detection work, but the COVID-19
legislation would take the hunt to
another level.
Besides money, the House bill
that cleared the Energy and Com-
merce Committee last week calls
for the CDC to organize a national
network to use the technology to
track the spread of mutations and
guide public health countermea-
sures.
In the Senate, Wisconsin Dem-
ocrat Tammy Baldwin has intro-
duced legislation that would pro-
vide $2 billion. Baldwin says the
U.S. should be using gene-mapping
technology to analyze at least 15
percent of positive virus samples.
ples would expand surveillance by
at least 30 times.
“Variants represent a growing
threat,” said Baldwin. “At the start
of the COVID-19 pandemic, in-
creasing our testing capacity was
essential to our ability to track and
slow the spread of the virus — the
same is true for finding and track-
ing these variants.”
Genomic sequencing essential-
ly involves mapping the DNA of
an organism, the key to its unique
features. It’s done by high-tech ma-
chines that can cost from several
hundred thousand dollars to $1 mil-
lion or more. Technicians trained
to run the machines and computing
capacity to support the whole pro-
cess add to costs.
In the case of the UK variant first
detected in England, the changes
in the virus allowed it to spread
more easily and are also believed to
cause deadlier COVID-19 disease.
The Institute for Health Metrics
and Evaluation in Seattle reports
that transmission of the UK variant
has been confirmed in at least 10
U.S. states.
WASHINGTON — Federal agents have seized
more than 10 million fake 3M brand N95 masks in
recent weeks, the result of an ongoing investigation
into counterfeits sold in at least five states to hos-
pitals, medical facilities and government agencies.
The most recent seizures occurred Wednesday
when Homeland Security agents intercepted hun-
dreds of thousands of counterfeit 3M masks in an
East Coast warehouse that were set to be distribut-
ed, officials said.
Investigators also notified about 6,000 potential
victims in at least 12 states including hospitals,
medical facilities and others who may have un-
knowingly purchased knockoffs, urging them to
stop using the medical-grade masks. Officials en-
couraged medical workers and companies to go to
3Ms website for tips on how to spot fakes.
“Not only do they give a false sense of security,
how dangerous is the exposed individual without
any protective gear? They have no utility whatso-
ever,” Homeland Security Secretary Ali Mayorkas
said of the fake masks.
The masks do not come through 3M’s regular
distributors, they come from outside the normal
supply chain, officials said. But hospitals and med-
ical groups have increasingly gone around nor-
mal purchasing routines during mask shortages
in the global pandemic, officials said. They said
the scams are taking advantage of the panic over
masks.
Opinion
6A FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021
PETER BIRNEY IMES Editor/Publisher
BIRNEY IMES III Editor/Publisher 1998-2018
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Dispatch
The
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ZACK PLAIR, Managing Editor

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

OUR VIEW

A lesson from Texas

T
his week’s winter
storms have taken a toll
on Mississippians. At
its worst, tens of thousands of
residents suffered from power
outages at some point be-
tween Sunday and Thursday
evening.
While we don’t want to
appear insensitive to those
who lost their power, we can
point out unapologetically that
it could be worse: We could be
Texas.
The same winter storms
that knocked out power to
tens of thousands in Missis-
sippi is counted by the hun-
dreds of thousands in Texas.
Same storms. Different
results. And perhaps of most
importance, different reasons.
In Mississippi, the outages
were a delivery problem. In
Texas, it was a supply issue.
Here, our outages were
caused by fallen power lines
caused mainly by accumula-
tion of ice on the lines them-
selves or tree limbs, which
gave way and crashed onto
the power lines.
But in Texas, the issue was
more complex.
In Texas, the power grid
reached a breaking point
early Monday as conditions
worsened and knocked power
plants offline. Some wind tur-
bine generators were iced, but
nearly twice as much power
was wiped out at natural gas
and coal plants. Forcing con-
trolled outages was the only
way to avert an even more
dire blackout in Texas, which
it narrowly averted. Even so,
at one point almost 4.5 million
Texans were without power at
some point during the week.
Critics pointed out that
Ercot, the state agency that
regulates energy in Texas,
failed to demand that power
companies winterize the pow-
er grid infrastructure, which
while shrinking profits for
the power companies would
have protected the millions of
customers who rely on Ercot
to protect the public’s interest.
That proved to be a spectacu-
lar failure.
Power companies were
allowed to gamble with public
safety to protect their profit
margins.
But perhaps the biggest
risk Texas has taken was to
establish its own independent
power grid which allowed the
state to avoid federal regula-
tions that might have protect-
ed its citizens at the cost of
profits. In doing that, Texas
became an energy island, not
allowed to transmit power in
or out of the state.
That chicken came home
to roost this week. With its
power supply shut down, Tex-
as could not purchase surplus
power from other states.
The state was on its own.
We know how that turned out.
What happened in Texas
should be a warning to us
here in Mississippi, where
one of the most popular
political pastimes is railing
against federal regulation
and encroachment on state
sovereignty.
Texas protected the profits
of private companies while
allowing those companies
to gamble with an essential
service. In the end, it was
the public who paid the price
when the gamble failed.
When services the public
relies on are privatized, there
must be oversight, some
entity that will put the people
ahead of profits if a choice has
to be made.
After all, a private compa-
ny’s primary responsibility is
to its stockholders. Govern-
ment regulations ensure that
profits do not put the public
at risk.
Federal regulations may
sometimes go too far, but an
equal threat is they often do
not go far enough in protect-
ing the public’s interest.
So the next time a politi-
cian complains over “federal
over-regulation,” it’s worth
taking a closer look. Whose
interest is that politician real-
ly looking out for?
We know what that answer
was in Texas this week.

VOICE OF THE PEOPLE

Another perspective on gas prices
Earlier this week, a letter-writer sarcastically
thanked Joe Biden and Democrats for rising gas
prices.
With less than 30 days being president, it ap-
pears it’s a little early to blame the rise of the price
of gasoline on Biden, if that’s your intention.
At the beginning of the pandemic, Saudi Arabia
flooded the market with oil, with the price going
almost to nothing. Their intention, and they even
said so, was to bankrupt our shale producers,
which they did.
For the past six months, OPEC (10 oil producing
export countries, with the Saudi’s the biggest) has
been holding oil off the market, which is the main
reason for the price rise.
When Bush took us to war with Iraq, he stated
that Iraq’s oil would pay for the war. But, of course,
they didn’t. The same results as when Trump said
Mexico would pay for the wall.
It’s hard to imagine, but after all the cost in lives
and money by America, Iraq’s oil not only didn’t
pay for the war, but they are one of the countries
holding their oil off the market.
Trump deployed thousands of additional U.S.
troops and missile defense batteries to Saudi
Arabia in response to what Pentagon officials have
said is an increase threat from Iran to their oil
infrastructure.
Trump, at the time, said Saudi Arabia would
pay the cost of the troops being there. No one in
our government has found where Saudi Arabia has
paid anything.
Trump and the Crown Prince (MBS) of Saudi
Arabia are real close friends.
President Biden has promised to take a hard
line on Saudi Arabia, saying he would rip up the
dangerous blank check that Trump had written for
the Saudis, and he would make Saudi Arabia the
pariah that they are.
President Biden will have a check in the mail
shortly for $1,400 to help you on the high price of
gas, which was no fault of his.
James Hodges
Steens
TODAY IN HISTORY
Today is Friday, Feb. 19, the 50th day of 2021.
There are 315 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlights in History:
On Feb. 19, 1942, during World War II,
President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive
Order 9066, which paved the way for the relocation
and internment of people of Japanese ancestry,
including U.S.-born citizens. Imperial Japanese
warplanes raided the Australian city of Darwin; at
least 243 people were killed.
On this date:
In 1807, former Vice President Aaron Burr,
accused of treason, was arrested in the Mississip-
pi Territory, in present-day Alabama. (Burr was
acquitted at trial.)
In 1846, the Texas state government was for-
mally installed in Austin, with J. Pinckney Hender-
son taking the oath of office as governor.
In 1878, Thomas Edison received a U.S. patent
for “an improvement in phonograph or speaking
machines.”
In 1945, Operation Detachment began during
World War II as some 30,000 U.S. Marines began
landing on Iwo Jima, where they commenced a
successful month-long battle to seize control of the
island from Japanese forces.
In 1968, the children’s program “Mister Rog-
ers’ Neighborhood,” created by and starring Fred
Rogers, made its network debut on National Educa-
tional Television, a forerunner of PBS, beginning a
31-season run.
In 1976, President Gerald R. Ford, calling
the issuing of the internment order for people of
Japanese ancestry in 1942 “a sad day in American
history,” signed a proclamation formally confirm-
ing its termination.
In 2003, an Iranian military plane carrying
275 members of the elite Revolutionary Guards
crashed in southeastern Iran, killing all on board.
SOURCE: The Associated Press
THE WORLD
Is Biden prepared to lose Afghanistan?
I
s President Joe
Biden prepared to
preside over the
worst U.S. strategic
defeat since the fall of
Saigon in 1975?
For that may be
what’s at stake if Biden
follows through on the
2020 peace deal with
the Taliban to withdraw
all U.S. forces from
Afghanistan by May 1 Patrick Buchanan
— just two months from
now.
Consider. If the 2,500 Ameri-
can troops remaining in Afghan-
istan are pulled out, the entire
10,000-troop NATO contingent
departs.
This would write an end to the
Western military commitment.
And the likelihood the Kabul
government could then survive the
constant and increasing attacks
from the Taliban, as the latter now
control half of the country and
many roads leading to the capital,
is slim.
After all, an Afghan army that
could not defeat the Taliban a de-
cade ago, when 100,000 U.S. troops
were fighting alongside it, is not
going to rout the Taliban after the
Americans have gone home.
In short, if Biden does not
breach the terms of the deal the
Taliban and U.S. signed last year
and keep our troops there, he
would be inviting a repeat of Saigon out of Syria and Iraq?
‘75, with all that would mean for the
Afghans who cast their lot with us.
Biden knows what Saigon ‘75
was like. In his first Senate term,
Hanoi overran South Vietnam and
Saigon, and the boat people began
to flee in the thousands for their
lives into the South China Sea;
the Khmer Rouge overran Phnom
Penh. And the Cambodian geno-
cide began.
In Brussels, Wednesday, NATO
Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg
said that any NATO departure from achieve their goal in Afghanistan,
Afghanistan is “conditions based.”
What are Stoltenberg’s stated
conditions?
The Taliban “has
to reduce violence ...
negotiate in good faith
and ... stop supporting
international terrorist
groups like Al Qaeda.”
Yet, the May dead-
line looms, and if the
U.S. does not meet
it, Taliban attacks on
American troops in
Afghanistan could start
again, forcing Biden
to send more troops back into the
country to protect the U.S. logistics
and training personnel still there.
What makes this problematic is
that Biden has long been known as
a supporter of a smaller U.S. foot-
print and a swifter U.S. pullout than
were other advisers in the Obama
administration.
But if we fail to meet the May
deadline, what new deadline would
Biden set? And what guarantee is
there that we can ever, after with-
drawing, avoid an outcome like
South Vietnam — with the enemy
overrunning the capital after the
Americans have left?
If no president — Bush II,
Obama, Trump, Biden — is willing
to risk a strategic defeat on his
watch, then when can we ever end
our involvement in this longest
of the long wars? If Biden cannot
get our troops out of Afghanistan,
when, ever, do we get our troops
Given what is being said today
in Washington, and in Brussels by
NATO defense ministers meeting
there, Biden will likely decide to
follow in his predecessors’ foot-
steps. He will extend the May
deadline for months, kick the can
up the road, and leave in place
enough troops to prevent a collapse
of the Kabul government but not
enough to reverse the inevitable
outcome of this war.
Just as the Taliban are likely to
as they persist and we withdraw,
Bashar Assad appears to have pre-
vailed in his civil war in Syria, and
the Houthis have, after six years of
fighting, held off the Saudi inter-
ventionists and their U.S. allies in
Yemen.
A Biden decision to suspend a
final pullout of U.S. forces will be
well received by our foreign policy
elites. But the anti-intervention-
ist wings of the two parties are
growing in strength. And “America
First” retrenchment, which Donald
Trump championed in 2016, but
could not deliver as president, is
going to be represented in both
parties’ presidential primaries in
2023 and 2024.
America today is taking on
more of a load than this nation can
carry.
We are out to contain mighty
China, a peer competitor with four
times our population, across the
Indo-Pacific theater, including the
East China and South China seas
and Taiwan Strait.
We are containing Vladimir
Putin’s Russia, whose strategic
arsenal is comparable to our own
in Central and Eastern Europe. We
are fighting a war on terror in the
Middle East, supporting Sunnis
against Shiites, and containing
Iran in the Persian Gulf.
Our national debt is larger than
our national economy. We are run-
ning deficits unseen since the late
days of World War II. Our economy
has sustained crippling blows from
a year-long COVID-19 pandemic
that has taken the lives of half a
million Americans.
A migrant invasion appears to
be shaping up on our 2,000-mile
Southern border. Our country is
as divided as it has been since the
Civil War. And we seek to remain
the nation that writes the rules for
the world order in the 21st century.
Something’s gotta give.
Patrick J. Buchanan, a nation-
ally syndicated columnist, was a
senior advisor to presidents Richard
Nixon, Gerald Ford and Ronald
Reagan. His website is http://bu-
chanan.org/blog.
 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021 7A

Widespread power outages, icy

conditions hobble food supply
‘We’re looking at a food
supply chain problem like
we’ve never seen before,
even with COVID-19’
Texas Agriculture
Commissioner Sid Miller
BY ANNE D’INNOCENZIO
AND MAE ANDERSON
AP Business Writers
A series of winter storms and
widespread power outages grip-
ping Texas and other states not
used to such extreme low tempera-
tures are creating big challenges in
the nation’s food supply networks.
Grocery chains like Walmart
and Publix have been forced to
close some stores either because
of lack of power or lack of workers.
And at locations that remain open,
customers complain of long lines
outside and then empty shelves
once brimming with water, bread
and milk when they get inside.
Texas grocery chain H-E-B, for
example, closed some stores and
is limiting customer purchases
of items like brisket and propane
tanks.
The power outages have caught
plenty of people unprepared, like
Jon Reilly, who says he always
keeps a month’s supply of canned
food on hand for hurricanes. But
on Wednesday, his daughter and
wife waited 20 minutes in line out-
side of a grocery store in Corpus
Christi, Texas, only to come out
with bread and water. They found
no milk, cheese or meat. He’s also
running low on propane, which
he’s using to power up the outdoor
grill for cooking.
“We thought it was going to be
cold,” said Reilly. “We didn’t ex-
pect to not have power for a week.”
Rodney Giles, 35, of the Wood-
lands, Texas, went out to get steak
to grill for his family on Tuesday.
But he ended up waiting in line for
two hours outside his local H-E-B.
When he got inside, the only things
available were tofu, oat milk and
other things he didn’t want. But
after living through several hurri-
Texas prices for lodging, necessities
skyrocket amid winter storm
BY SEAN MURPHY
The Associated Press
Hotel rooms for $1,000 a night. Gasoline prices spiking. Even bottled
water prices doubling or tripling overnight.
Officials in Texas say the winter storm that knocked out power and
water to millions of residents is providing an opportunity for some un-
scrupulous merchants to take advantage of the situation by charging
exorbitant prices for essential supplies.
A system set up Wednesday in Houston for residents to report inci-
dents of price gouging received more than 450 complaints in less than
20 hours, said Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee, the chief civ-
il attorney for Texas’ largest county.
“The main types of things we’re seeing is hotels setting prices at ri-
diculous rates,” Menefee said. “We’ve seen allegations of packs of water
being sold for two to three times the normal price, or packs of water be-
ing divvied up and the individual bottles being sold at excessive prices.”
Dashawn Walker, 33, searched for a hotel room Tuesday night to
avoid the cold of his powerless Dallas apartment. After finding all the
rooms in Dallas booked, he ended up driving to an extended stay hotel
in the suburb of Lewisville only to pay $474 for a one-night stay.
“It’s crazy,” he said. “I mean why would y’all go up on the hotels in the
middle of a crisis? Like, dude, come on now. Everyone is just trying to
make it and they’re capitalizing off a crisis, and that’s so unfair to people
who really can’t afford it.”
canes and the pandemic, he hopes backfire in situations like snow-
the store’s stock will improve soon. storms and power outages when it
“Even during the pandemic here helps to have the extra inventory.
in March, the first day the shelves “Supermarkets just don’t have
were empty, but the next day they room, even if they could store gar-
were fully stocked,” Giles said. lic for three years,” he said.
Grocery retailers in Texas and Meanwhile, food suppliers are
in other parts of the South are having to scale back their oper-
used to hurricanes that can force ations or close down farms and
them to shut down for a few days. plants because of the outages.
But this week’s massive winter Texas Agriculture Commissioner
storms are wider reaching, wreak- Sid Miller issued a red alert earlier
ing havoc on roads and the entire this week, noting he’s getting calls
transportation infrastructure. The from farmers and ranchers across
coronavirus pandemic is only exac- the state reporting that the inter-
erbating the issue as stores have to ruptions in electricity and natural
limit the number of customers. gas are having a “devastating ef-
Michael Zimmerman, a partner fect on their operations.”
in the strategic operations practice In just one example, dairy op-
of global management consulting erations are dumping $8 million
firm Kearney, predicts it will take worth of milk down the drains
another two weeks before grocery every day because the plants that
shelves in the affected areas “look process that milk don’t have pow-
normal” again. He noted that gro- er, Miller cited in his statement.
cery chains run a very efficient “We’re looking at a food supply
operation, keeping in stock what chain problem like we’ve never
they need and relying on continu- seen before, even with COVID-19,”
ous flows of deliveries. But that can he said.

Democrats consider piecemeal

approach to immigration reform
Pragmatic approach is a clear in visas, more money to
process asylum applica-
recognition of past failures to deliver tions, new technology at
the southern border and
on a large-scale immigration overhaul funding for economic de-
velopment in Latin Amer-
BY ALEX ANDR A JAFFE immigration reform, I’m ican countries.
The Associated Press ready to move on piece- But advocates for ex-
meal, because I don’t pansive immigration say
WASHINGTON — want to end up with good
After decades of failed they could pursue small-
intentions on my hands er bills focused on citi-
attempts to pass com- and not have anything,”
prehensive immigration zenship for groups such
said Texas Rep. Henry as young immigrants
legislation, congressional Cuellar. “I’d rather have
Democrats and President brought to the U.S. by
progress.”
Joe Biden are signaling their parents as children,
The pragmatic ap-
openness to a piece-by- for agricultural workers
proach is a clear recog-
piece approach. nition of the past failures and other essential labor.
They unveiled a broad to deliver on a large-scale “I know what it’s like to
bill Thursday that would immigration overhaul — lose on big bills and small
provide an eight-year and how success could bills. The fear that people
pathway to citizenship for be even more difficult in a have experienced in the
11 million people living highly polarized, closely last four years deserves
in the country without divided Congress. every single opportunity,
legal status. There are The Democrats’ legis- every single bill to reme-
other provisions, too, but lation reflects the broad dy,” said Greisa Martinez
the Democrats are not priorities for immigration Rosas, executive director
talking all-or-nothing. changes that Biden laid for United We Dream, an
“Even though I sup- out on his first day in of- immigration advocacy
port full, comprehensive fice, including an increase group.

World leaders applaud US formal return to Paris accord

BY SETH BORENSTEIN Joe Biden told the Unit-
AP Science Writer ed Nations that America
wants back in. “A cry for
The United States is survival comes from the
back in the Paris climate planet itself,” Biden said
accord, just 107 days af- in his inaugural address.
ter it left. “A cry that can’t be any
While Friday’s re- more desperate or any
turn is heavily symbolic, more clear now.”
world leaders say they
Biden signed an ex-
expect America to prove ecutive order on his first
its seriousness after four
day in office reversing
years of being pretty
the pullout ordered by
much absent. They are
his predecessor, Presi-
especially anticipating an dent Donald Trump. The
announcement from the Trump administration
U.S. in coming months had announced its with-
on its goal for cutting drawal from the Par-
emissions of heat-trap- is accord in 2019 but it
ping gases by 2030. didn’t become effective
The U.S. return to the until Nov. 4, 2020, the
Paris agreement became day after the election, be-
official Friday, almost a cause of provisions in the
month after President agreement.
United Nations Sec-
retary-General Antonio
Guterres said Thursday
that the official Amer-
ican re-entry “is itself
very important,” as is
Biden’s announcement
that the U.S. will return
to providing climate aid
to poorer nations, as
promised in 2009.
“It’s the political mes-
sage that’s being sent,”
said Christiana Figue-
res, the former United
Nations climate chief.
She was one of the lead-
ing forces in hammering
out the 2015 mostly vol-
untary agreement where
nations set their own
goals to reduce green-
house gases.
8A FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021
Tywus Pippins, 14, and Evan Matocha, 14, skateboard near their homes Sunday in Columbus Sunday afternoon.
They have been friends for five years. “We skateboard everyday if the conditions are good,” Evan said. He is the
son of Todd and Kathyryn Matocha. Tywus is the son of Tony and Shaquanda Pippins.
Audit
Continued from Page 1A
is provided to city offi-
cials, including the mayor
and city council, as part of
the proposal that must be
approved before issuing
bonds.
“Once you receive the
debt schedule, it’s your
job to go through that debt
schedule and calculate
your interest payment and
your principal payments,
so that you can have your
amount to budget for the
year,” Vaugn said.
She said she did not
want to speak to why Raw-
le did not budget the mon-
ey correctly when he had
access to the schedule.
Armstrong said he thinks
Rawle simply didn’t pay
attention to it and budget-
ed the money incorrectly.
“I don’t think he inten-
tionally did it,” Armstrong
said. “He just very negli-
gently ... miscalculated.”
Moreover, budgeting
the amount incorrectly
also led to the city coun-
cil setting an insufficient
millage rate for the fund
used to pay for general ob-
ligation bonds.
The city has three
main accounts it supports
with property taxes: a
general account to pay
for operations and main-
tenance, a disability relief
fund for fire and police
officers and an account
to repay debt. For each
Incentives
Continued from Page 1A
the changes.
“We had someone in
our office looking at this
just recently, and we told
him ‘If you can tell me
how much you’re going to
pay your people and how
GATHERING SPEED
account, the council allo-
cates a number of mills,
which are used to calcu-
late property taxes.
For Fiscal Year 2020,
Vaughn recommended
the council raise the mills
by a 3.65 bump to account
for the debt service for its
general obligation debt.
The city also un-
der-budgeted repayments
for special bonds by thou-
sands of dollars, includ-
ing debt related to the
redevelopment of Burns
Bottom and the develop-
ment of Moore’s Creek
Crossing and University
Mall.
Rawle resigned his po-
sition in February 2019
after a 16-workday sus-
pension for failing to alert
council members of the
city’s steep deficit until
November 2018. The city
operated at a deficit ex-
ceeding $800,000 in both
FY 2017 and FY 2018,
plunging its general fund
balance to $2.3 million.
More than a year later, in
August 2020, Rawle was
indicted for allegedly em-
bezzling nearly $290,000
in city finances.
Rawle has pleaded
not guilty, and his case
is pending in Lowndes
County Circuit Court. His
attorney, Chance Fair of
Tompkins Law Firm in
Columbus, declined to
much you’re going to put
in the ground and how
much your soft costs are,
we can calculate your ben-
efits sitting here,’ and it
was wildly well received,”
Hosemann said.
The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com
comment on the case or
the audit.
Checks and balances
The audit also listed
“significant deficiencies”
in the city’s financial re-
cord-keeping, specifically
noting the city council
never approved the ille-
gal transfers Rawle is ac-
cused of making from the
city’s funds to his own ac-
counts, said Holley, who
prepared the audit report.
Armstrong, Vaughn
and Smith said the city
has implemented policies
to minimize the opportu-
nity for future embezzle-
ment by city officials and
ensure all disbursements
from the city’s bank ac-
counts are approved by
the council. Checks are
now signed not by the
CFO but by Smith and
Pat Mitchell, director of
human resources. Addi-
tionally, Smith approves
all transfers between city
bank accounts, and both
the CFO and COO hold
copies of those transfers.
“There’s not one per-
son who’s tasked with
everything,” Vaughn said.
“There’s more than one
person that’s looking at
everything. We’re trying
to make sure we have
our checks and balances
in place, (that) we have
Democratic Sen. Der-
rick Simmons of Green-
ville said the proposal
could provide transparen-
cy for the public.
“We’ve seen so many
situations where we’ve
Deanna Robinson/Dispatch Staff
more than one person in
place that knows what’s
going on.”
The city council also
receives copies of month-
ly claims dockets and has
to approve them, though
that has always been part
of city policy.
The audit also found
the city does not main-
tain adequate internal
control over its landfill
receipts and recommend-
ed city officials design
internal controls to mon-
itor those gate receipts.
Earlier this year, Vaugn
and Armstrong said, city
officials installed internet
connection at the landfill
and updated both its cam-
era system and comput-
er software system. The
new software synchro-
nizes landfill receipt data
with the city’s computer
system and allows man-
agement to review gate
receipts immediately.
The city has also installed
credit card capabilities
with the software, thus
lowering cash intake and
creating less opportunity
for human error, Vaughn
said.
Conflict disclosure:
Managing Editor Zack
Plair took part in editing
this article. He is currently
involved in legal proceed-
ings with the city of Colum-
bus.
given taxpayer dollars
away, and there’s just no
accountability,” Simmons
said.
The bill will move to
the House for more work
in coming weeks.
Sports
MISSISSIPPI STATE BASEBALL
SPORTS LINE
662-241-5000
THE DISPATCH n CDISPATCH.COM n FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021
B
SECTION

How a dismal summer in Maryland shaped Tanner Allen

BY BEN PORTNOY
bportnoy@cdispatch.com
STARKVILLE — Tan-
ner Allen sits behind a
webcam in the underbelly
of Dudy Noble Field far
different than how he be-
gan his Mississippi State
career. Patches of an in-
coming beard riddle his
cheekbones and coat his
chin. His hair is matted a
touch, though that’s more
a product of his continu-
ous ball cap-wearing ways
than age.
There’s a level of matu-
rity in his voice when he
speaks on expectations
for the 2021 campaign
and the lack of closure
MSU felt after sweeping
No. 4 Texas Tech in Biloxi
before the COVID-19 pan-
demic brought the entire
world to a halt last spring.
Now returning for a
season he was never sup-
posed to be in Starkville
for, he’s a part of a trio of
talented fourth-year ju-
niors, alongside Rowdey
Jordan and Josh Hatcher,
tasked with guiding MSU
to a third straight trip to
the College World Series.
But this isn’t a story
about present success or
prognostications on the
season to come.
Rather, it’s about past
failure. Incessant failure.
The kind of failure that
melts most and strength-
ens few.
During the summer
of 2017, Allen was a ba-
by-faced former high
school quarterback who’d
flipped his commitment
from LSU to MSU. Mere
months before his career
in Starkville would begin,
he was drafted by the
defending World Series
champion Chicago Cubs.
His gift? Being sent to
Maryland for a summer
in the Cal Ripken Colle-
giate Baseball League as
a member of the Bethesda
Big Train.
“This game will bring
you to your knees so fast,”
Allen said during MSU
media day on Feb. 3. “It’s Kittay/Bethesda Big Train
a very humbling game. Tanner Allen (8) struggled initially in his time as a member of the Bethesda Big Train,
See ALLEN, 3B but a late-season streak gave him confidence heading into his first fall at MSU.

Eagles MISSISSIPPI STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL

send Wentz
to Colts for The Fountain of Youth: How freshman Derek
draft picks
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

PHILADELPHIA —
Fountain cracked MSU’s gameday rotation
Carson Wentz helped
steer the Philadelphia
Eagles to the franchise’s
only Super Bowl title and
later received the richest
contract in team history.
He’s already gone
before that deal even
kicked in.
The Eagles agreed to
trade Wentz to the India-
napolis Colts, according
to a person familiar with
the deal. Philadelphia
receives a third-round
pick in this year’s draft
and a conditional sec-
ond-round pick in 2022
that can turn into a first-
round pick if Wentz plays
75% of the snaps this
year or 70% and the Colts
make the playoffs.
Wentz is coming off
the worst season of his
five-year career and was
benched for rookie Jalen
Hurts after 12 games.
He finished third in
NFL MVP voting in 2017
See WENTZ, 3B

MSU softball Mississippi State Athletics

adjusts After sitting on the bench the majority of his freshman year, Derek Fountain has cracked Mississippi State’s rotation. He had a career-
high 20 points on Feb. 10 against LSU. “He’s played a lot of minutes for us lately. Look for that to continue,” coach Ben Howland said.

schedule for BY GARRICK HODGE

Snowman
tournament
BY THEO DEROSA
tderosa@cdispatch.com
The Mississippi
State softball team will
have to wait two more
days to get back on the
field.
This weekend’s
Snowman (Alex Wilcox
Memorial) tournament
at Nusz Park has been
condensed to two days
from three because of
travel complications,
the Bulldogs announced
Thursday afternoon.
Mississippi State will
play one game apiece
against Stephen F. Aus-
tin, Southern Illinois,
Missouri State and Mis-
sissippi Valley State on
Sunday and Monday.
The Bulldogs were
originally slated for
two games against Mis-
souri State, two games
against Southern Il-
linois and one game
against Stephen F. Aus-
tin from Friday to Sun-
day.
Mississippi State will
open against the Lady-
jacks of SFA at 2 p.m.
See SOFTBALL, 3B
ghodge@cdispatch.com
STARKVILLE — Former
Holly Springs high school bas-
ketball coach Sylvester Kilgore
can’t help but chuckle when he
looks at an old photo from five
years ago.
Front and center are two of
his former pupils: Kendrick
Fountain and his little brother,
Derek. Kendrick is in the midst
of signing his National Letter
of Intent to play at Itawamba
Community College, while the
6-foot, eighth-grade version of
Derek is shown alongside his
sibling in support.
Those were the days Derek
was called “little D.” He was
primarily a point guard and had
been all his life.
Then he became, well, not
so little. By the time he was a
junior, Fountain had sprouted
nine inches. Maybe it was a mir-
acle growth spurt, but Kilgore
could’ve seen it coming a mile
away.
“Most of the time if he’s not
on the court, he’s unconscious,”
said Kilgore, who now coaches
basketball at South Panola. “He
does a lot of sleeping. That’s why
he grew so much. We would go
on recruiting trips or go on away
games, man, that guy would be
sleeping before we got out of the
dadgum parking lot. I’m not ex-
aggerating.”
Fountain’s change in stature
had a few Division I schools
foaming at the mouth. He
stayed at the point as an upper-
classman, but it was obvious to
anyone Derek would be a power
forward or small forward at the
next level. Mississippi State’s
Ben Howland started express-
ing interest in Fountain his
junior year, initially drawn to
a skill package embodied by a
player of that size.
Deciding to stay close to
home, he signed with the Bull-
dogs in June 2020.
Adjusting to the next level
Anyone who knows Fountain
usually describes him using the
adjective “competitor.”
“Derek is relentless,” said
Kenzaki Jones, who coached
Fountain his final year at Hol-
ly Springs. “We had a couple
graduates come back to Holly
Springs to shoot around, and
Derek took all of them on and
had a little talking back and
forth between all of them. He’d
always make some big plays
and show them he’s not backing
down from any challenge. He’s
got some grit in him.”
Just from taking recruiting
visits, Fountain knew he’d have
to live in the weight room once
he got to college after seeing
how his potential future team-
mates were built.
Since entering the program
this summer, Fountain has put
on about 18 pounds of muscle.
“I have much respect for Der-
ek,” MSU sophomore guard D.J.
Stewart said. “He works on his
game. He lives in the gym all
the time. With that being that,
I just have much respect for him
and his work ethic. He got his
time, and it’s paying off.”
When the Bulldogs started
practice in November, Fountain
wasn’t even one of their best 10
players on the floor. Both of his
high school coaches thought
he’d need an entire year of sea-
soning before he was ready for
any major college action.
Fountain was an after-
thought the first half of the sea-
son, spending his game days on
a stool spaced out 6 feet apart
from other players because of
COVID-19 protocols.
He wasn’t used to being the
low man on the totem pole. Un-
derstandably let down being rel-
egated to the bench, Fountain
said his role took some getting
used to.
“I realized it was really on
me,” Fountain said. “If I want-
ed playing time, I had to work
more, had to improve more.”
But, he embraced it. His frus-
tration over limited playing time
never carried over into any team
activity. Howland said he was
always engaged in every prac-
tice, regardless whether it was
running scout team or individ-
ual drills. Those closest to him
were also paying attention.
“As his former coach, it was
obvious he wasn’t playing a lot
but we stayed in constant com-
munication,” Kilgore said. “I
would tell him he has positive
body language and was very
engaged in the games. It’s not
like he knew the camera was on
him. That’s just a kid that wants
to get better.”
Getting his chance
Although he had played
in three games prior, Foun-
tain first raised eyebrows in a
game during garbage time in a
39-point win against Iowa State
on Jan. 30. The Holly Springs
native only played five minutes
but converted all three of his
shots and scored seven points.
At the time, Howland’s Bull-
dogs had been careless taking
care of the ball, so the coach
hinted Fountain could crack the
team’s nine-man rotation be-
cause his previous experience
at guard could assist in help-
ing against traps and opposing
presses. Fountain’s first mean-
ingful action came three days
later against Arkansas, where
he scored seven points in a loss
to the Razorbacks. Howland
didn’t sense any nerves from the
freshman, but Fountain admit-
ted there were a few. The quea-
sy feeling slowly disappeared
after seeing his first basket go
through the net, though.
One game later, he played
29 minutes, more than any he’d
logged in any of his previous
See FOUNTAIN, 3B
2B FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021
PREP BASKETBALL
Previewing the first round of MHSAA playoffs for area teams
BY THEO DEROSA
tderosa@cdispatch.com
Snow, ice and be-
low-freezing tempera-
tures wreaked havoc on
the first-round schedule
for the MHSAA basket-
ball playoffs.
Girls games were orig-
inally delayed from Mon-
day to Thursday, and boys
games were pushed from
Tuesday to Friday.
But several schools
chose to play their first-
round contests Saturday,
the final day to play the
games, leading to a hap-
hazard weekend sched-
ule.
On Wednesday, the
MHSAA announced
teams could play first-
round girls games Mon-
day and boys games
Tuesday. Schools that
could still play Friday and
Saturday will be allowed
to keep their matchups if
desired.
The Dispatch broke
down each area first-
round matchup. Times
will be listed for games
that have been resched-
uled to Monday and Tues-
day, with other game
times remaining in flux.
Girls
Class 5A: No. 3 Cleve-
land Central at No. 2 New
Hope
The Trojans earned
the second seed in Region
2-5A after a loss to Colum-
bus in the district champi-
onship game.
They earned a home
game against Region 3-5A
No. 3 seed Cleveland Cen-
tral on Thursday night.
The Wolves went 3-3 in
region play, splitting with
Neshoba Central, sweep-
ing Canton and getting
swept by Holmes County
Central.
Cleveland Central
opened its season with
a 63-30 win over Grena-
da, which split with New
Hope in two regular-sea-
son matchups.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Garza, Wieskamp help No. 11 Iowa beat No. 21 Wisconsin
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MADISON, Wis. —
Luka Garza got his points,
but a rare road victory at
Wisconsin was what mat-
tered.
Garza scored 30 points,
Joe Wieskamp had 17 and
No. 11 Iowa pulled away
to beat No. 21 Wisconsin
77-62 on Thursday night.
“As I’ve said before, I
didn’t come back to score
points, and I didn’t come
back to win awards,” said
Garza, who returned for
his senior season. “I’ve
won awards, I did that
last year. My main focus
this year is just winning
games.”
Garza raised his na-
tion-leading average to
24.7 points, making 11 of
19 shots, including 4 of 6
from three-point range,
and grabbing eight re-
bounds. Freshman Kee-
Alabama coach Nate Oats gets 3-year extension, big raise
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
TUSCALOOSA, Ala.
— Alabama basketball
coach Nate Oats has
received a three-year
contract extension and
a hefty raise amid the
program’s best season in
years.
Athletic director Greg
Byrne announced the new
deal Thursday. It will run
through March 14, 2027
and pay Oats $3,225,000
annually, up from $2.45
million in his previous
five-deal reached in
March 2019.
The Crimson Tide is
ranked eighth nationally
and has a sizable lead in
the Southeastern Confer-
ence entering the stretch
run of the regular season.
New Hope senior Anna Prince (24) prepares to pass the ball during the third quarter of a Feb. 2 home game
against Caledonia. The Trojans will face Cleveland Central at home in their first-round playoff matchup.
New Hope won four of
its final six regular-sea-
son games, beat the
Chargers in the district
semifinals and lost to the
Falcons in the title game.
The Trojans finished 3-3
in district play.
Last season, New Hope
won the district tourna-
ment and lost to Neshoba
Central in a second-round
playoff game.
Class 6A: No. 3 Horn
Lake at No. 2 Starkville —
5 p.m. Monday
After a 58-46 loss to
host and top seed Ger-
mantown in Friday’s Re-
gion 3-6A championship
game, the Starkville High
School girls return home
to host Horn Lake on
Monday.
The Eagles are the No.
3 seed in Region 2-6A.
They split with Oxford,
swept Southaven and
gan Murray had 12 re-
bounds for the Hawkeyes
(16-6, 10-5 Big Ten).
“He’s hard to contain,”
Wisconsin coach Greg
Gard said about Garza.
“Just because he’s worked
so hard to make himself
to that type of player he is,
and he plays so hard. You
watch him on the floor
and it’s all-out effort each
time down. And obviously
if he catches it, it’s a bas-
ket, a foul.”
“I think that’s the thing
that makes them really
go, in terms of their effi-
ciency, because they’re
No. 1 in the country now
in offense. They can rely
on throwing him the ball
and something positive
is going to happen 90% of
the time.”
Micah Potter had 23
points and 11 rebounds
for Wisconsin (15-8, 9-7),
It’s the highest ranking
for Alabama since the
2006-07 season.
“We feel like we have a
lot of positive momentum
going with our team and
have the program head-
ed in the right direction,”
Oats said in a statement.
“Our administration is
making a major statement
with this extension as we
all work on building a suc-
cessful program for the
long term.
“I know the winning
history we’ve had with
Alabama basketball, and
I feel like we can add to
that and accomplish great
things here.”
Alabama hasn’t been
ranked in the Top 10 in
mid-February since 2002.
The Tide is widely pro-
The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com
were swept by Hernando.
Starkville went 2-2
in district play, beating
South Panola twice but
losing to Germantown
twice during the regular
season. The other team
in the district, Greenville,
opted out of the season.
Horn Lake lost a Nov.
23 game to Pontotoc 73-
54, while Starkville lost to
the Warriors on Dec. 18
by just one point.
Class 3A: No. 4 Alcorn
Central at No. 1 Noxubee
County
The Tigers beat sec-
ond-seeded Houston for
the Region 4-3A champi-
onship on Friday at Hat-
ley High School.
That earned Noxubee
County the No. 1 seed
and a home date with Al-
corn Central of Region
1-3A on Saturday.
The Bears finished 1-5
Brad Davison added 15
points and D’Mitrik Trice
11. The Badgers lost con-
secutive games for the
first time this season.
Wisconsin had won 13
of the previous 15 games
against Iowa at home.
“I think we beat a real-
ly good team,” Iowa coach
Fran McCaffery said. “I
thought we shared the
ball, which is kind of a
staple of our team, but
I thought our man-to-
man was good again. We
mixed it, of course, but I
thought our man-to-man
was really good.”
Down 16 early in the
second half, Wisconsin
pulled to 49-46 on Brad
Davison’s 3-pointer with
9:17 remaining. Iowa hit
seven consecutive shots
to regain control, extend-
ing the lead to 68-54 when
Garza worked underneath
jected as a No. 2 seed in
the NCAA Tournament,
which would match its
highest in program his-
tory.
Alabama, which hosts
Vanderbilt on Saturday, is
two wins from clinching
the program’s first regu-
lar-season SEC title in 19
years.
Oats has a 33-20 record
in his first two seasons af-
ter leaving Buffalo for the
Tide.
He led Buffalo to three
NCAA Tournament ap-
pearances in four seasons
from 2015-19.
“We had great expec-
tations when we hired
Coach Oats,” Byrne said.
“He has exceeded those
expectations, and we
want to ensure he is com-
in district play, splitting
with Booneville but get-
ting swept by Amory and
Belmont.
Noxubee County went
undefeated in its region,
which also includes Ab-
erdeen, Hatley, Choctaw
County and Houston.
Na’Kaiyla “Tootie”
Lockett was named dis-
trict MVP, while Aaliyah
Brandy, Zacaree Rupert,
Kirsten Barnett and Zach-
ariah Averett were named
to the all-district team.
Jakeia Walker was named
the district’s defensive
player of the year.
Class 1A: No. 1 West
Lowndes def. No. 4 Salem,
forfeit
The Panthers are
moving on to the second
round after Salem forfeit-
ed.
First-round bye: Colum-
bus
for a layup.
“We know a team
like Wisconsin’s not go-
ing away,” Garza said.
“They’re top 20 in the
country for a reason. This
team is a Big Ten champi-
onship team. They won it
last year and they got all
their guys back, so they
know what it’s like to be
down and come back. We
knew they had a run in
them. They got hot from
three. We needed to do
a little better job in our
defense in stopping them
from shooting threes, but
nonetheless, we came to-
gether and made a run of
our own.”
Wisconsin hit just 4
of its first 30 shots, in-
cluding an astonishing
1 of 18 inside the arc, as
Iowa opened a 25-13 lead
on Weiskamp’s 3-pointer
with 7:18 left in the half.
pensated among the top
half of the SEC.
“We have put buyout
measures in place that
show the long-term com-
mitment between both
parties.”
Alabama didn’t release
details of the buyout. The
contract is pending for-
mal approval by the Board
of Trustees.
Michigan, AD Manuel
agree on 5-year
contract extension
ANN ARBOR, Mich.
— The University of
Michigan and athletic
director Warde Manuel
have agreed on a five-year
contract extension, short-
ly after the head of the
department negotiated
Theo DeRosa/Dispatch Staff
Boys
Class 5A: No. 3 Canton
at No. 2 Columbus — 6
p.m. Tuesday
The Columbus High
School boys finished sec-
ond behind New Hope in
Region 2-5A.
They will host Canton,
the No. 3 seed in Region
3-5A, on Tuesday.
The Tigers’ district
slate included a win over
Neshoba Central but two
losses each to Holmes
County Central and
Cleveland Central.
Both teams played
Louisville this season,
with the Falcons beating
the Wildcats 68-43 and
the Tigers winning 63-46.
Class 4A: No. 4 Caledo-
nia at No. 1 Yazoo City —
6 p.m. Tuesday
The Caledonia boys
beat South Pontotoc in
The Hawkeyes scored
the first seven points of
the second half to open a
43-27 lead before the Bad-
gers rallied.
Wisconsin hit just 4
of its first 30 shots, in-
cluding an astonishing
1 of 18 inside the arc, as
Iowa opened a 25-13 lead
on Weiskamp’s 3-pointer
with 7:18 left in the half.
The Badgers finished
13 of 34 from three-point
range, but 8 of 36 inside
the arc.
“In terms of the twos,
I’ll go through and evalu-
ate the shots,” Gard said.
“If there’s really poor shot
selection, we’ll talk about
that, if It’s a common
theme, but for the most
part, I thought we had de-
cent looks.”
Poll implications
Iowa could move up,
a new deal with football
coach Jim Harbaugh.
University of Michigan
President Mark Schlissel
recommended the move
to retain Manuel and the
school’s governing body
approved the agreement
Thursday.
Manuel played football
for the late Bo Schembe-
chler and was a part of
the Wolverines’ track and
field program. He was
hired by Michigan in 2016
after he was athletic di-
rector at Connecticut and
Buffalo, which he helped
establish as a Division I
program.
Facing a big decision
about Harbaugh’s future,
Manuel and Harbaugh
agreed last month to
terms of a five-year con-
last Wednesday’s Region
2-4A quarterfinal to make
the top four and thus se-
cure a playoff spot.
And the Cavaliers have
a road date at Yazoo City
on Tuesday for their trou-
bles.
The Indians went un-
defeated in Region 3-4A
play, sweeping Gentry,
Greenwood and Clarks-
dale. Yazoo City has lost
just twice since January,
close non-district defeats
to Canton and Forest Hill.
Class 1A: No. 3 West
Lowndes at No. 2 Salem
— 6 p.m. Tuesday
With just one loss,
West Lowndes entered
the Region 5-1A tourna-
ment last week as the dis-
trict’s No. 1 seed.
But the Panthers
missed out on a chance to
host its first-round game
after a one-point upset
loss to Nanih Waiya in
last week’s district semi-
finals.
Instead, West Lowndes
will make a long trip to Ty-
lertown to take on Region
8-1A No. 2 seed Salem on
the road Tuesday.
The Wildcats won six
straight games before los-
ing to Lumberton for the
third time this season in
the district final. Salem
swept Richton and Sacred
Heart but split with Res-
urrection Catholic.
Class 3A: No. 3 Amory
at No. 2 Noxubee County
— 6 p.m. Tuesday
By virtue of losing Fri-
day’s district champion-
ship to Houston, Noxubee
County earned the sec-
ond seed in Region 4-3A.
That gives the Tigers
a home game Saturday
against Amory, the No. 3
seed in Region 1-3A. The
Panthers lost to Nettleton
in the semifinals of their
district tournament be-
fore beating Belmont in
the consolation game.
First-round byes: New
Hope, Starkville
not only by beating a
ranked Wisconsin team,
but beating the Badgers
at home. Wisconsin has
dropped steadily in recent
weeks and could fall out
of the Top 25.
Big picture
Iowa: The Hawkeyes
remained in fourth place
in the Big Ten. The top
four teams get a dou-
ble-bye in the Big Ten
Tournament.
Wisconsin: After an
8-1 start, the Badgers
have been wildly inconsis-
tent. They have not won
consecutive games since
beating Indiana 80-73 in
double overtime Jan. 7.
Up next
Iowa: Hosts Penn
State on Sunday.
Wisconsin: At North-
western on Sunday.
tract that cut his former
teammates guaranteed
compensation and gives
him an opportunity to
make up for the financial
loss if he can start win-
ning championships.
Manuel brought back
Juwan Howard to Mich-
igan, where he was a
member of a class known
as the Fab Five, to lead
the basketball program
in 2019 after coach John
Beilein accepted an offer
from the Cleveland Cava-
liers.
Manuel is the president
of the National Associa-
tion of Collegiate Direc-
tors of Athletics and also
serves as a board member
for the Collegiate Women
Sports Awards.
 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021 3B

CALENDAR Allen
Continued from Page 1B
Local Sports
Columbus United finds success in Starkville Once you think you’ve got it For the first time in his James Madison, was the clos- champs,” he said when asked
Three Columbus United Soccer Club teams won figured out, you realize you young life, Allen couldn’t fig- est in age, while Esposito and whether he’d forgo college.
their divisions at the Frostbite Tournament on Feb. 6-7 don’t have it figured out.” ure baseball out. Outman were upperclassmen “And again it’s such an hon-
at the Starkville Sportsplex. “Here’s a kid right out of at the time. or to be selected in the MLB
The United U11 boys, U11 girls and U12 boys all
ended up as champions, while the U10 girls and U12 nnn high school and he gets in the In Semones, Allen found an draft out of high school, and
girls were both finalists. lineup that day, in his mind equal. The pair lived together I look forward to going to
The U11 boys, coached by Jim Hicks and Jamie Not every player Sal Col- he’s thinking, ‘I gotta get two, at Crowley’s but spent a chunk school, putting some work in
Baucom, beat Saltillo FC on penalty kicks after the angelo coaches is drafted into three hits so I can stay in the of the summer at Semones’ ac- and hopefully be able to get
score was tied through two overtime periods. The team
professional ball. Hell, most lineup,’” former Big Train hit- tual home in Woodbridge. drafted again.”
will next play at the Tupelo Spring Classic on Feb. 27-28.
United’s U11 girls team ended up facing the U12 aren’t. But those that do — 186 ting coach Mario Porto said. On off days, they’d spend Allen capped his time in
girls team in the championship match, with the U11 players to be exact — paint a “And that’s hard. That’s a lot time fishing in a canoe on Bethesda as a minor part of
girls winning 6-2. The U11 girls are coached by McGee stunning portrait of a coach of pressure to put on yourself.” Montclair Lake. Allen also the Big Train’s eighth CRCBL
Ledbetter, and the U12 girls are coached by Danny Loyd and program that’s bred ma- Frustrated with his lack of broadened Semones’ televi-
and Jaz Romain.
championship team. A small
The U12 boys, coached by Dave Albertson and
jor-league talent for more than playing time and his evolving sion horizons. streak in which he notched
Will Starks, beat Tupelo Futbol Club–Amory 4-1 in their two decades. slump, Allen and Colangelo “Every time I came down- hits in three straight games
championship match. A former football and base- met beyond second base fol- stairs, he had the hunting during the final week of the
The U10 girls, coached by Allie McCulley, finished ball player at Virginia Tech lowing a game early that sum- channel on,” Semones joked. season gave him a semblance
as tournament finalists. They lost to the Meridian in the early 1990s, Colangelo mer for a heart-to-heart. Allen “I never knew there was a
Alliance but defeated Saltillo FC, Starkville Soccer As- of confidence as he spring-
sociation White and SSA Maroon. The team will play at
works as the director of stu- explained his angst. Colange- hunting channel till I met boarded toward his first fall at
the BFC Spring Kickoff from Friday-Sunday in Brandon. dent activities at C.D. Hylton lo expressed understanding him.” MSU.
The boys U10 team also competed in Starkville. High School in Woodbridge, but stood firm. If Allen carried Off-field camaraderie aside, “I felt like I was almost a
Chris Mackey and Curt Rogers coach the team. Virginia, during the school himself with pride and contin- Allen’s 3-for-38 slump allowed
Three United U8 Development Program teams also
sophomore,” he said of arriv-
year. But it’s in the summers ued on a steady path, Colange- doubt to fester. He’d been ing in Starkville. “I had a full
competed at the tournament. The two boys teams are
coached by John Tuggle and Jason Spears, and the
while serving as the Big lo assured, he would play. relegated to the bench as his summer of playing college
girls team is coached by Layla Wilson. Train’s manager that he’s be- “I would be so mad after a struggles persisted. Pinch-hit baseball.”
come a local legend. game not playing,” Allen con- opportunities came and went. Following his time with the
Applications open for CSO Scholarship In 22 years guiding the Big ceded. “I would stay at the A handful of starts were shuf- Big Train, Allen found an im-
Columbus Soccer Organization has announced the Train, Colangelo has overseen field all night long, hitting. fled into the mix as the Big mediate slot in the 2018 line-
inaugural CSO Collegiate Scholarship. The scholarship nine league titles. Players like When I get my opportunity, Train rode out to a 31-9 mark up, hitting .287 in 68 starts
will be awarded to students beginning college in the former Mississippi State star I’m about to show everybody.” and a No. 4 national ranking
fall of 2021. while helping MSU to the Col-
Hunter Renfroe and South- “And sure enough,” Col- by Collegiate Summer Base- lege World Series. The Ala-
The scholarship fund was established by generous
donations in honor of Marolyn Albertson, the grand- ern Miss alum Brian Dozier angelo told The Dispatch last ball, but Allen was, at best, a bama native upped the ante as
mother of Columbus United coach Dave Albertson. It played their summer ball un- week, “I’ll be damned if he did small part of that. a sophomore, bumping his av-
recognized her life and the important contributions that der his guidance. During the it.” Rather than pout, though,
the Albertson family has made to soccer in the area. erage to .349 with seven home
Ron Polk and John Cohen eras he kept his promise to Col-
To be eligible, an individual must have played soccer runs, 23 doubles and 66 RBIs.
in Starkville, multiple Bull- nnn angelo. Late into the night or
with CSO at U15 and above. Preference will be given In a normal year, Allen
to players who are playing soccer in college, though all dogs were sent to Bethesda for hours before first pitch, Allen
would be off playing mi-
applications are welcomed and encouraged. Included development. As Colangelo headed to- continuously roped baseballs
are four-year institutions, community colleges, and
nor-league ball in some re-
Allen was the latest and, co- ward the exit at Shirley Povich into the net beside Shirley Po-
workforce training programs. Individuals must show mote outpost of the United
incidentally, most recent MSU Field, the deafening silence vich Field.
institutional need. The award can be renewed for an ad- States this spring. But with
ditional three years after the initial award. Being a player
import to spend a summer in of the midsummer Maryland “The one thing about Tan-
COVID-19, a wrist injury and
with CSO means more than putting on your cleats for Maryland. night was emphatically bro- ner (is) he will adapt to (the
Perched in the press box ken by the cracking of wood pitching),” Kevin Raley, Al- the MLB draft shrinking from
a team. It means having the support of an organization
behind you — both as a player and as a student. behind home plate ahead of against leather. len’s high school coach at its usual 40 rounds to just five,
More information and an application can be found the CRCBL’s opening day In the batting cages, a quar- UMS-Wright Prep, said at the he’s back in Starkville with a
at columbusmssoccer.org.
in early June, team interns tet of Allen, James Madison time. “He may start out there a chance at a third career Col-
looked on with wonder at that infielder and Allen’s summer little slow, but I’m telling you it lege World Series appearance.
Major League Baseball summer’s squad. I was one of roommate Fox Semones and won’t be long before you’re go- Allen looks back on his
MSU product Moreland signs with A’s them. Sacramento State standouts ing to start seeing the reason time in Bethesda with fond
OAKLAND (AP) — The Oakland Athletics reached There were local products Vinny Esposito and James Mississippi State signed him.” memories despite an other-
a $2.25 million, one-year contract with first baseman wise forgetful few months on
and designated hitter Mitch Moreland pending a
from Maryland, UMBC, VCU Outman smacked baseballs
and James Madison. Some long into the night. nnn the diamond. He and Semones
physical, a person with direct knowledge of those
negotiations said Thursday. That person also spoke had come as far as California, Colangelo quipped he had still keep in touch in passing.
on condition of anonymity because the contract hadn’t due in part to Colangelo’s re- to turn the lights off to force Leaning up against the red Porto and Colangelo also keep
been finalized. lationship with coaches on the Allen and his teammates to brick of the home plate grand- tabs on Allen.
The Amory native and Mississippi State product will Speaking with reporters in
have ample opportunities to contribute and get at-bars
West Coast. leave some nights. Allen’s host stand early that summer, Al-
And then there was Allen, mom for the summer, Becky len and I traded words. No recent weeks, Allen noted how
on an Oakland team that has made the playoffs each of
the past three years. just a few weeks removed from Crowley, who also hosted Ren- more than two years apart, I’d he’s seen freshmen mimic his
The veteran utilityman, 35, batted .265 with 10 his high school graduation. froe and a slew of other MSU just completed my sophomore post-practice hitting routines
home runs and 29 RBIs in 42 games between Boston Starting the first four players over the years, said year of college before spend- in the batting cages below
and San Diego last season. Dudy Noble Field. Having
SOURCE: From Special Reports games of his Big Train career, she barely saw Allen most eve- ing May, June and July as a
he had a smooth stroke, but in- nings because he was always writing intern with the Big put on 10 pounds of muscle
consistent contact failed him. in the cages late. Train. since his time in Bethesda,
ON THE AIR A 1-for-4 debut was followed “After the games you say We’d met pregame for a he’s no longer the wide-eyed,
by a 2-for-4 encore that includ- hi, right?” Crowley explained. brief interview on his high free-swinging kid he once
Today was. Now, he’s older, beard-
NBA BASKETBALL ed a triple and a run. Then the “I can’t tell you how many school career and how his
6:45 p.m. — Chicago at Philadelphia, bottom fell out. times he would say hi, and time as a quarterback helped ed and a known commodity
ESPN Allen recorded just three then he talked to whoever he him on the diamond. Allen, whom MLB scouts are clam-
9:05 p.m. — Utah at LA Clippers, ESPN hits in his next 21 appear- was talking to to say, ‘Come then just 19 years old, was bering to watch.
ances. His batting average on, let’s go to the batting cag- days removed from being se- “The way you separate
bottomed out at .104 with a es.’” lected by the Chicago Cubs yourself is working smart,”
Saturday season-low slugging percent- Like any gathering that with the last pick of the 36th Allen said. “That’s what I
COLLEGE BASKETBALL (MEN’S)
age of .146. He was moved summer, Allen was the young- round in the 2017 MLB draft. learned in Maryland that sum-
11 a.m. — Michigan State at Indiana,
from starter to utility man to est of the late-night bunch. “It’s truly humbling be- mer. I’m gonna be the guy who
ESPN
pinch-hitter. Semones, then a sophomore at ing drafted by the defending puts in the extra work.”
11 a.m. — UCF at Tulane, ESPN2

Wentz
Noon — Kentucky at Tennessee, CBS
Noon — Connecticut at Villanova, FOX
Noon — Vanderbilt at Alabama, SECN
1 p.m. — Texas Tech at Kansas, ESPN Continued from Page 1B
1 p.m. — Missouri at South Carolina,
when he led the Eagles to an the playoffs in his only season code. ligaments in Week 14 and
ESPN2
11-2 record before a knee inju- in Indianapolis in 2020. After Receiver Parris Campbell watched Nick Foles lead the
2 p.m. — West Virginia at Texas, ABC
ry ended his season and Phil- Rivers retired, Wentz became was even more succinct on Eagles to a Super Bowl win
2:30 p.m. — Georgia at Florida, SECN
adelphia went on to win the an ideal replacement for the Twitter: “LETS WORK!!” over New England.
3 p.m. — Auburn at LSU, ESPN
Super Bowl. team. Wentz is entering the first A back injury ended
3 p.m. — Stanford at Washington
The deal reunites Wentz Brissett is about to become season of a four-year, $128 Wentz’s season early in 2018
State, ESPN2
with Colts coach Frank Reich, a free agent and the only oth- million contract extension he and Foles led the Eagles to a
4:30 p.m. — Seton Hall at Georgetown,
who served as Philadelphia’s er quarterback on the roster signed in June 2019. The Ea- playoff victory.
CBSSN
offensive coordinator his first is Jacob Eason, who never gles will absorb a significant Wentz started every game
5 p.m. — Louisville at North Carolina,
two seasons in the league. took a snap last season as a salary cap hit of $33.8 million in 2019 and helped the Eagles
ESPN
Press Taylor, an offensive as- rookie. in dead money on their 2021 win the NFC East with an
5 p.m. — Oklahoma at Iowa State,
sistant coach with the Eagles Wentz’s new teammates cap. Indy started the offsea- excellent four-game stretch
ESPN2
during Wentz’s tenure, also are already welcoming his ar- son with the second-most in December. He became
5 p.m. — Mississippi State at Ole
has joined Reich’s staff. rival. room under the projected cap. the first NFL quarterback to
Miss, SECN
The Colts are turning to “Let’s get to work!!! Wel- The Eagles traded up throw for 4,000 yards without
7 p.m. — Virginia at Duke, ESPN
their fourth starting quarter- come to Indy! Can’t wait to twice in the 2016 NFL draft a wide receiver having 500
7 p.m. — San Diego at Gonzaga,
back in Reich’s four years. see what the future holds in to select Wentz with the No. yards receiving and became
ESPN2
Andrew Luck retired abruptly the 317,” two-time All-Pro 2 overall pick. He started all the first to throw 20 or more
7 p.m. — Colorado at Oregon State,
before the 2019 season and linebacker Darius Leonard 16 games as a rookie and had touchdowns and seven or
ESPNU
Jacoby Brissett took over. wrote on his social media ac- a breakout sophomore sea- fewer interceptions in three
7:30 p.m. — Arkansas at Texas A&M,
Philip Rivers led the team to count, citing the city’s area son before he tore two knee straight seasons.
SECN

Softball
7:30 p.m. — Colorado State at Nevada,
FS1
9 p.m. — Arizona State at UCLA,
ESPN2 Continued from Page 1B
9 p.m. — California at Washington,
ESPNU Sunday followed by a 4:30 The Bulldogs’ Wednesday The full schedule for the sissippi Valley State — 7
NBA BASKETBALL p.m. matchup with the Salu- home game against South- tournament is below. p.m.
7:30 p.m. — Miami at LA Lakers, ABC kis of SIU. eastern Louisiana was also
The Bulldogs will take on canceled. Sunday Monday
Sunday the Bears of Missouri State The tournament was re- Missouri State vs. Ste- Stephen F. Austin vs. Mis-
AUTO RACING at 2 p.m. Sunday and face the named from the February phen F. Austin — 9 a.m. souri State — 9 a.m.
2 p.m. — NASCAR Cup Series: The Devilettes of MVSU at 4:30 Freezer to The Snowman in Missouri State vs. Missis- Stephen F. Austin vs.
Race at DAYTONA Road Course, p.m Sunday. 2019 to honor Wilcox, who sippi Valley State — 11:30 Southern Illinois — 11:30
Daytona Road Course, Daytona Beach, Mississippi State (2-0) died of ovarian cancer at a.m. a.m.
Fla., FOX won its season-opening age 18 in 2018 after playing Stephen F. Austin at Mis- Missouri State at Missis-
COLLEGE BASKETBALL (MEN’S) doubleheader on Saturday her freshman season for the sissippi State — 2 p.m. sippi State — 2 p.m.
Noon — Michigan at Ohio State, CBS against Miami (Ohio) before Bulldogs. The name is a ref- Southern Illinois at Mis- Mississippi Valley State
Noon — Cincinnati at Houston, ESPN Sunday’s game was canceled erence to Wilcox’s No. 8 jer- sissippi State — 4:30 p.m. at Mississippi State — 4:30
COLLEGE BASKETBALL (WOMEN’S)
due to inclement weather. sey number. Southern Illinois vs. Mis- p.m.
11 a.m. — North Carolina at N.C.

Fountain
State, ESPN2
11 a.m. — Tennessee at Georgia,
SECN
1 p.m. — Ohio State at Michigan, Continued from Page 1B
ESPN2
2 p.m. — Kentucky at South Carolina,
five games combined, en route to scoring nine points and mak- first career start against Vanderbilt, only scoring two points and
ESPN
ing three of four shots in a victory against South Carolina. struggling against the Commodores’ double-team in a 21-point
2 p.m. — Mississippi State at Alabama,
“It was all about pulling the trigger. I should have pulled the loss.
SEC Network Plus
trigger (and played him) probably three weeks or a month ago,” “He finally played like a freshman,” Howland said.
3 p.m. — Texas A&M at Ole Miss, SECN
Howland said after MSU’s win against the Gamecocks.
His breakout game came at Humphrey Coliseum on Feb. But if his limited sample size is any indication, Fountain fig-
NHL HOCKEY ures to be a key factor in MSU’s program going forward.
2 p.m. — Philadelphia vs. Boston, Lake
10 against LSU. Fountain scored a career-high 20 points and
grabbed seven rebounds, albeit in a losing effort. “He’s played a lot of minutes for us lately. Look for that to
Tahoe, Nev., NBC
The momentum faded slightly after Fountain regressed in his continue,” Howland said.
4B FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021
NBA All-Star captains: It’s LeBron James vs. Kevin Durant
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The voters have spo-
ken: They wanted LeB-
ron James of the reigning
champion Los Angeles
Lakers to be an All-Star
captain, again.
So, he is. And Brook-
lyn’s Kevin Durant will
be his opposition.
James and Durant
were revealed Thursday
as the leading fan vote-
getters in the Western
and Eastern Conferences
for the All-Star Game,
meaning they’ll be cap-
tains for the matchup
in Atlanta on March 7.
James will start for the
17th time, extending his
record, and Durant is an
All-Star for the 11th time.
Only Kareem Ab-
dul-Jabbar (19) and Kobe
Comics & Puzzles
DILBERT
ZITS
GARFIELD
CANDORVILLE
BABY BLUES
BEETLE BAILEY
MALLARD FILLMORE
The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com
Bryant (18) have more West guard spot; Doncic
total All-Star selections got the nod because he
than James. got more fan votes. Fan
The other starters: votes counted for 50% of
Denver’s Nikola Jok- the starter selection pro-
ic and the Los Angeles cess; player votes count-
Clippers’ Kawhi Leon- ed as 25% of the total, and
ard join James as West votes from a media panel
frontcourt picks, Golden made up the other 25%.
State’s Stephen Curry Reserves will be an-
and Dallas’ Luka Doncic nounced Tuesday, to
are the starting guards be decided by voting
from the West, Milwau- by NBA head coaches.
kee’s Giannis Antetok- James — the leading
ounmpo and Philadel- overall votegetter this
phia’s Joel Embiid are year, with more than 5.9
alongside Durant as the million votes from fans
East frontcourt starters, — and Durant will then
while Washington’s Brad- pick their teams, with the
ley Beal and Brooklyn’s rosters for Team LeBron
Kyrie Irving are the East and Team Durant to be
starting guards. revealed March 4.
Doncic and Portland’s James is 3-0 since the
Damian Lillard were tied NBA went to a player-cap-
in the NBA’s weighted tain format, defeating
system for the second Curry’s team in 2018 and
FAMILY CIRCUS
Antetokounmpo’s team
in each of the past two
seasons. Quin Snyder of
the Utah Jazz will coach
James’ team in Atlanta;
Doc Rivers of the Phila-
delphia 76ers is currently
the frontrunner to coach
Durant’s team, with the
standings after Sunday’s
games to decide that
spot.
The starters were re-
vealed on the same day
the NBA and the Nation-
al Basketball Players As-
sociation announced de-
tails for the game, saying
it will generate more than
$2.5 million for histori-
cally Black colleges and
COVID-19 relief efforts.
The game has been
criticized by some of
the league’s top players,
James included, who
Dear Abby
D
EAR ABBY:
Our 11-year-
old has
learned to lie, and
we feel terrible
about it. Because
she has a sensory
processing disor-
der, clothes are
a useless gift be-
cause the seams
and fabric are of-
ten uncomfortable
for her. We have
repeatedly asked
family and friends
not to gift her Dear Abby
clothes, but her
grandmas are in
denial and often do it anyway.
Our sweet daughter has
decided that sparing their
feelings is more important than gift would be something she’s
asserting her own, and I’m
worried this behavior will teach
her that her feelings are less
important than other people’s.
How do we teach her to be po-
lite and honor her own feelings
and wishes without offending
well-meaning relatives who
cannot understand that she
doesn’t appreciate or value
these gifts? — MAMA BEAR IN
TEXAS
DEAR MAMA BEAR: Of
course your daughter should
be taught that her feelings —
and opinions — are important.
But accepting gifts graciously
Horoscopes
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Feb.
19). This year is a study in
contrasts. As it becomes clear
what you’re doing, who to
involve and how you feel about
it, your productivity soars. The
clear lines between what’s for
you and what’s not for you make
it easy to schedule and execute
plans. You’ll aim high with a
goal and meet it in May. Virgo
and Scorpio adore you. Your
lucky numbers are: 8, 13, 2, 28
and 17.
ARIES (March 21-April 19).
You want to know that someone
has your back and is willing
and able to enter into the spirit
of what you’re doing to some
extent, however pleasant or
unpleasant that may be. So you
test, and quite expertly!
voiced concerns about
having it during a pan-
demic. It also drew con-
cern from Atlanta Mayor
Keisha Lance Bottoms,
who made clear that fans
shouldn’t come to the city
for All-Star festivities
since there won’t be pub-
lic events surrounding
the game.
But the charitable ele-
ments were a major factor
in the league pressing on,
and Commissioner Adam
Silver said the game pro-
vides a platform to shine
light on HBCUs and the
ongoing need for resourc-
es in the fight against
COVID-19.
“NBA All-Star in At-
lanta will continue our
annual tradition of cele-
brating the game and the
greatest players in the
is proper eti-
quette. It is con-
sidered rude for
a recipient to tell
folks their gifts
are unwelcome or
unwanted.
It would not
be rude, however,
for YOU to run
interference by
reminding these
clueless grannies
about your daugh-
ter’s problem
and telling them
what has been
happening to
their impractical
gifts — that
they are given away, donated,
etc. because she cannot wear
them. A far more welcome
interested in or a gift card to
a store that carries items she
might like. Then suggest an
area of interest of hers they
may be unaware of. Also, for
“insurance,” request a receipt
be included with the gift.
DEAR ABBY: I’ve been dat-
ing my boyfriend for two years.
We’re in our 40s. I moved to
the city he lives in, but he’s
currently working in a differ-
ent state, and he has been
extremely stressed these last
few weeks. He’s paying rent
and utilities in our state as well
as the state he’s working in.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20).
The Spanish tradition of relaxing
at the table after a heavy meal
and talking for an hour or so is
called sobremesa, or “over the
table.” Your day offers a similar
opportunity to bond and share
information.
GEMINI (May 21-June
21). Various lessons will be
imparted, some seemingly more
useful than others. Take note,
regardless, to accommodate
unforeseeable applications that
will surely arise in the far-flung
future.
CANCER (June 22-July 22).
Just when you think you know
where everything belongs,
there’s a country cat on a
crosswalk; in the window of a
high-rise, the silhouette of a
world before a global au-
dience,” Silver said.
The game is bringing
back the format that was
used last year: a target
score to end the game,
something that will again
pay tribute to Bryant.
Each of the first three
quarters will start with
a 0-0 score, then will be
re-tallied for an untimed
fourth quarter. The lead-
ing total score through
three quarters will have
24 points — a nod to Bry-
ant’s jersey number —
added, and the first team
to hit that target wins the
game.
That last-shot-wins
format debuted last sea-
son, when Anthony Davis
made a game-ending free
throw to cap Team LeB-
ron’s 157-155 win.
He says he is overwhelmed
and wants to take a break —
from me! He also said he’s too
emotionally unstable right now
to continue our relationship.
I’m devastated. I know he and
his family have depression
issues, but I love him so much.
He’s unwilling to take any finan-
cial assistance from his family.
I don’t know what to do. I
don’t want to end our relation-
ship, but he’s refusing to talk
to me or discuss it. — OUT OF
OPTIONS IN OHIO
DEAR OUT OF OPTIONS:
After two years of dating and a
life-changing move to his city,
I can only imagine the turmoil
you are feeling at this turn of
events. The problems that are
stressing him out are real. Be-
cause he’s unwilling to talk to
you, and you can’t force him,
there is nothing you can do to
fix them.
If you plan to remain there
hoping things will change, set a
realistic time limit and stick to
it. If the deadline passes and
he still feels the same, then
realize how important it is for
you to live someplace where
you have the strongest emo-
tional support as you rebuild
your life. Write him a letter.
Tell him you will always be
there if he needs to talk, and
encourage him to check back
in with his doctor to address
the depression.
mouse, or, in today’s case, the
non-animal equivalent of these
things.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22).
Though it might be convenient
to be better and more widely
understood, you’re not willing to
trade validation for your right to
complexity. So those enigmatic
parts of you remain, mysterious
to all, even to yourself.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22).
When it’s your game, you’re
allowed to write rules, name the
prizes and dole out the hints,
too. Consider also that the most
popular and enjoyable games
tend to, once established, stay
consistent within their own
limitations.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23).
The innocence you once had
will not return. In its place is a
custom-made sword and shield,
which you will use to defend
the innocence of others, as you
understand its preciousness
more than anyone.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov.
21). You’ll get the sneaking
suspicion that someone is
trying to live vicariously through
you. It’s not a terrible dynamic,
as you are loved, tended to and
supported, though sometimes
held with too firm a grip.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec.
21). In a tweet of hope, author
Anand Giridharadas writes, “We
are falling on our face because
we are jumping high.” You’ve
recently fallen, and it was for a
good cause. Today’s risk will be
more temperate and graceful.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan.
19). Each emotion has its
preferred animation style. Joy
jumps. Melancholy settles.
Jealousy creeps. Today, you may
have feelings you can’t name,
but track their movement and
later it will come to you.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb.
18). Many who seek attention
are also looking for validation.
You don’t need that. You need
people who want what you can
offer. You focus not on showing
off but on showing enough
so that you can find your right
audience.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March
20). Just being where the
conversation goes down is an
initiation of sorts. All who wit-
ness are influenced and all who
weren’t there are outsiders on
the matter. It’s why you make
an effort to be involved.
See in the dark
SOLUTION:
 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021 5B

RELIGIOUS BRIEFS
Mississippi State School Ministry
Mississippi State School of Ministry will
be taking applications for enrollment into their
online degree granting program. Earn your
Certification, Associates, Bachelor, Master and
Doctoral Degree in Religious Studies. We are
an accreditation School of Ministry authorized
through State of Mississippi and Federal
Government. Our degrees are for ecclesiastical
purposes only. We accept transcripts and your
life experience also can also be used for de-
gree granting purposes. For further information
feel free to call 662-425-8443
Fellowship Dinner, Youth Service
Pleasant Ridge Faith Center, 923 Ridge
Road, hosts a fellowship dinner and youth
service every third Sunday.
Gospel Book Club
Friendship M.B. Church, 1102 12th Ave. S.,
invites the public to join its Community Gospel
Book Club from 6-7 p.m., on the fourth Friday
of each month, to study and share views of the
Holy Bible. Open to all ages and ethnicities.
For more information, call Barbara Mattison or
Lillian Murray, 662-570-5595.
Grief Support Group
Prayer for Youth
Every second and third Saturday, Pleasant
Ridge Faith Center hosts a prayer for the youth
from 2-3 p.m.
Prayer, Free Coffee
Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 2221
14th Ave. N., hosts free coffee and a prayer
community outreach service from 8-9 a.m.
every fifth Saturday. For information, contact
Jesse Slater, 662-328-4979.
Radio Program
Apostles Patrick Perkins invites the public to
tune in to WTWG, radio 1050 AM for Perfecting
the Saints Broadcast, Wednesdays 8:30 a.m.
Women Prayer, Worship Service
Church of the Eternal Word, 106 22nd St. S.,
holds a prayer and worship service every Thurs-
day from 5-6 p.m. Call Marie Nabors, 662-549-
4322 or 662-329-1234, for prayer requests.
Prayer Ministry
New Beginning Everlasting Outreach Ministry
invites the public to call in with their prayer
requests at 662-327-9843.

Reliable
The Oil of Joy for Grief and Mourning offers
a grief support group at 6 p.m. every second
Prayer Service
Church of the Eternal Word, 106 22nd St. S.,
Thursday of the month at United Christian Bap-
Columbus, holds prayer service Thursday nights
tist Church, 232 Yorkville Road East. “Making
5-6 p.m. Contact Marie Nabors, 662-549-4322.
your grieving journey easier.” For more informa-

information
Church service times: Sunday school 10 a.m.;
tion, call 662-327-0604 or e-mail unitedchris-
Sunday worship 11:15 a.m.; Tuesday Bible
tian@cableone.net.
study 7 p.m. For information, call Pastor District
Elder Lou Nabors, 662-329-1234.
Celebrate Recovery

Celebrate Recovery, the nation’s largest
Christian recovery program, meets Tuesdays at
6:00 p.m. at Meadowview Church, 300 Linden
Circle in Starkville. Millions have found help,
when we
Fitness Transformations
The Transformational Church, 2301 Jess
Lyons Road, hosts boxing lessons Mondays

need it most. 
healing, and support for hurts, habits, and and Wednesday from 5-7 p.m., weight-loss boot
hang-ups using our popular Biblical 12 step camp Tuesdays and Thursdays 5-7 p.m. and
program. both on Saturdays 9-11 a.m.

Recovery Room Youth Fellowship

New Life Assembly, 4474 New Hope Road
(near Dollar General) hosts Recovery Room, at
6:30 p.m. each Sunday. Find help, healing, and
support for any hurt, habit, or hang-up using
our Christ-centered 12 steps.
The Transformational Church, 2301 Jess
Lyons Road, hosts Youth Fellowship from 7-8:30
p.m. every Tuesday. Games, prayer, service,
food, and more. Transportation available. For
information, call Iris Roberson, 662-295-7456.
Protect freedom of the press.
freespeech.center

Survey: Black Americans attend

church and pray more often
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS worship are shifting across more likely to be among the

NEW YORK — Black
Americans attend church
more regularly than Ameri-
cans overall, and pray more
often. Most attend church-
es that are predominantly
Black, yet many would like
generations: Younger Black
adults, born since 1980, at-
tend church less often than
their elders, and those who
attend are less likely to do
so in a predominantly Black
congregation.
Among 30 Black pas-
99.49%
unaffiliated.
Survey responses were of our customers
collected from November receive their paper on time.
2019 through June 2020, (Believe us. We track these things.)
but most respondents
completed the survey by If you are unhappy with your delivery
Feb. 10, 2020, before the please let us know. Our goal is 100%

those congregations to
become racially diverse.
There is broad respect for
Black churches’ histori-
cal role in seeking racial
equality, coupled with a
widespread perception
they have lost influence in
recent decades.
Those are among the
key findings in a compre-
hensive report released
Tuesday by the Pew Re-
search Center, which sur-
veyed 8,660 Black adults
across the United States
about their religious experi-
ences. It is Pew’s first large-
scale survey on the topic.
Among Black adults who
go to religious services, 60
percent attend churches
where the senior clergy and
most or all of the congrega-
tion are Black, Pew found. It
said 25 percent are part of
multiracial congregations,
and 13 percent are part of
congregations that are pre-
dominantly white or anoth-
er ethnicity.
Pew said patterns of
The Dispatch
coronavirus outbreak and customer satisfaction.
tors and religious leaders the racial-injustice protests
interviewed by Pew, some
that spread after the death Call customer support at:
predicted further shrink-
of George Floyd in May at 662-328-2424
age of predominantly Black
the hands of Minneapolis
churches and an increase in
police.
multiracial congregations.
“I don’t think there
should be a Black Church,”
said Dr. Clyde Posley Jr. of
Antioch Baptist Church in
Indianapolis. “There isn’t a
Black heaven and a white
heaven. … A proper church
will one day eschew the la-
bel of Black Church and be
a universal church.”
The survey found that 66
percent of Black Americans
are Protestant, 6 percent
are Catholic and 3 percent
identify with other Chris-
tian faiths — mostly Jeho-
vah’s Witnesses. Another 3
percent belong to Islam or
other non-Christian faiths,
Some 21 percent are not
affiliated with any religion
and instead identify as athe-
ist, agnostic or “nothing in
particular.” Black Ameri-
cans born since 1980 are far
6B FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com
Classifieds
LEGALS
Call us: 662-328-2424
Legal Notices
STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
COUNTY OF LOWNDES
NOTICE OF SALE
WHEREAS, the following ten-
ants entered into leases with
FRIENDLY CITY MINI-WARE-
HOUSES for storage space in
which to store personal prop-
erty and
WHEREAS, default has been
made in the payment of rent
and FRIENDLY CITY MINI-WARE-
HOUSES pursuant to said
Leases is authorized to sell the
personal property to satisfy the
past due and any other
charges owed to it by the fol-
lowing tenants.
NOW THEREFORE, notice is
hereby given that FRIENDLY
CITY MINI-WAREHOUSES will of-
fer for sale, and will sell at auc-
tion to the highest bidder for
cash all personal property in
storage units leased by the fol-
lowing tenants at FRIENDLY
CITY MINI-WAREHOUSES 903
Alabama St. Columbus, MS.
Auctions will begin at 8:30
A.M. on the 5th day of March,
A.D. 2021 at 308 Shoney
Drive, Columbus, MS and will
continue to all FRIENDLY CITY
MINI-WAREHOUSE locations in
the following sequence: 903
Alabama Street, Columbus,
MS; 44 Beatty Road, Colum-
bus, MS; 4504 Highway 69
South, Columbus, MS. All auc-
tions are with reserve and
therefore all units can be with-
drawn from the sale at any
time by the auctioneer/man-
ager.
Title to the personal property to
be sold is believed to be good,
but at such sale, FRIENDLY
CITY MINI-WAREHOUSES will
convey only such title as is ves-
ted in it pursuant to its lease
with the following and its al-
lowed under Mississippi Code
Annotated Section 85-7-121 et
seq (Supp 1988).
LaShana C. Scott - E372
Patricia Wilson - E360
Britany Stegall - E72
Jonathan Durrah - E353
Britney Sand - E203
Shelby Barnhill - E19
Robert Wright - E82
WITNESS MY SIGNATURE on
this the 4th day of February,
A.D. 2021.
FRIENDLY CITY
MINI-WAREHOUSES
By: C.H.L.
Publish: 2/5, 2/12 &
2/19/2021
Advertisement for Bid
MSMS Request for Proposals
E-Rate Category 2 Project
Sealed Bids may be mailed to
the Office of Purchasing. The
bid opening will be held in the
Office of Purchasing, Whitfield
Hall, Columbus, MS at 2:00
p.m. Wednesday, March 3,
2021 at which time they will be Terry Brown - B40, B48
publicly opened and read. Spe-
cifications may be obtained
from:
Office of Purchasing
Whitfield Hall
1100 College Street, MUW
1628
Columbus, MS 39701
Telephone (662) 329-7126
purchase@muw.edu
Mississippi University for Wo- 2/19/2021
men reserves the right to re-
ject any or all bids.
PUBLISH: 2/12 & 2/19/2021
Legal Notices
IN THE CHANCERY COURT OF
LOWNDES COUNTY, MISSIS-
SIPPI
IN THE MATTER OF THE ES-
TATE OF ANNIE JONES, DE-
CEASED
ROBERT L. JONES, PETITIONER
CAUSE NO. 2021-0018-DE
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
COUNTY OF LOWNDES
Letters Testamentary have
been granted and issued to the
undersigned upon the Estate of
Annie Jones, deceased, by the
Chancery Court of Lowndes
County, Mississippi, on the 5th
day of February, 2021. This is
to give notice to all persons
having claims against said es-
tate to probate and register
same with the Chancery Clerk
of Lowndes County, Missis-
sippi, within ninety (90) days
from the first publication date
of this Notice to Creditors. A
failure to so probate and re-
gister said claim will forever
bar that claim.
This the 8th day of February
2021.
/s/ Robert L. Jones
ROBERT L. JONES, Executor
PUBLISH: 2/12, 2/19 &
2/26/2021
STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
COUNTY OF LOWNDES
NOTICE OF SALE
WHEREAS, the following ten-
ants entered into leases with
FRIENDLY CITY MINI-WARE-
HOUSES for storage space in
which to store personal prop-
erty and
WHEREAS, default has been
made in the payment of rent
and FRIENDLY CITY MINI-WARE-
HOUSES pursuant to said
Leases is authorized to sell the
personal property to satisfy the
past due and any other
charges owed to it by the fol-
lowing tenants.
NOW THEREFORE, notice is
hereby given that FRIENDLY
CITY MINI-WAREHOUSES will of-
fer for sale, and will sell at auc-tions are with reserve and
tion to the highest bidder for
cash all personal property in
storage units leased by the fol-
lowing tenants at FRIENDLY
CITY MINI-WAREHOUSES 44
Beatty Road, Columbus, MS.
Auctions will begin at 8:30
A.M. on the 5th day of March,
A.D. 2021 at 308 Shoney
Drive, Columbus, MS and will
continue to all FRIENDLY CITY
MINI-WAREHOUSE locations in
the following sequence: 903
Alabama Street, Columbus,
MS; 44 Beatty Road, Colum-
bus, MS; 4504 Highway 69
South, Columbus, MS. All auc- Sharon Little - N276
tions are with reserve and
therefore all units can be with- Tammy Bailey - N227
drawn from the sale at any
time by the auctioneer/man-
ager.
Title to the personal property to
be sold is believed to be good, Anna Cantrell - N110
but at such sale, FRIENDLY
CITY MINI-WAREHOUSES will
convey only such title as is ves-
ted in it pursuant to its lease
with the following and its al-
lowed under Mississippi Code
Annotated Section 85-7-121 et
seq (Supp 1988).
Chris Herring - B27
WITNESS MY SIGNATURE on
this the 4th day of February,
A.D. 2021.
FRIENDLY CITY
MINI-WAREHOUSES
By: C.H.L.
Publish: 2/5, 2/12 &
One call will bring you results. 662-328-2424
Just a click away!
Legal Notices
Advertisement for Bid
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Sealed Bids may be mailed to
the Office of Purchasing. The
bid opening will be held in the
Office of Purchasing, Whitfield
Hall, Columbus, MS at 2:00
p.m. Wednesday, March 3,
2021 at which time they will be
publicly opened and read. Spe-
cifications may be obtained
from:
Office of Purchasing
Whitfield Hall
1100 College Street, MUW
1628
Columbus, MS 39701
Telephone (662) 329-7126
purchase@muw.edu
Mississippi University for Wo-
men reserves the right to re-
ject any or all bids.
PUBLISH: 2/12 & 2/19/2021
STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
COUNTY OF LOWNDES
NOTICE OF SALE
WHEREAS, the following ten-
ants entered into leases with
FRIENDLY CITY MINI-WARE-
HOUSES for storage space in
which to store personal prop-
erty and
WHEREAS, default has been
made in the payment of rent
and FRIENDLY CITY MINI-WARE- tions in accordance with the
HOUSES pursuant to said
Leases is authorized to sell the Bottom) of the City of Colum-
personal property to satisfy the bus, Mississippi.
past due and any other
charges owed to it by the fol-
lowing tenants.
NOW THEREFORE, notice is
hereby given that FRIENDLY
CITY MINI-WAREHOUSES will of- 4th day of May, 2021, in the
fer for sale, and will sell at auc- second floor County Court
tion to the highest bidder for
cash all personal property in
storage units leased by the fol- bus, Mississippi, and in case
lowing tenants at FRIENDLY
CITY MINI-WAREHOUSES 308
Shoney Drive Columbus, MS,
at 8:30 am on the 5th day of
March, A.D. 2021 and will con- ded in the Amended Complaint
tinue to all FRIENDLY CITY
MINI-WAREHOUSE locations in
the following sequence: 903
Alabama Street, Columbus,
MS; 44 Beatty Road, Colum-
bus, MS; 4504 Highway 69
South, Columbus, MS. All auc- are required to file the State-
therefore all units can be with- Miss. Code Ann. §11-27-7,
drawn from the sale at any
time by the auctioneer/man-
ager.
Title to the personal property to the 25th day of January, 2021,
be sold is believed to be good, and the name and address of
but at such sale, FRIENDLY
CITY MINI-WAREHOUSES will
convey only such title as is ves- 7120, Tupelo, Mississippi
ted in it pursuant to its lease
with the following and its al-
lowed under Mississippi Code
Annotated Section 85-7-121 et er pleading but you may do so
seq (Supp 1988).
Dantez Fisher - N215
Susan Mackay - N11, N62
Kitty Davis - N64, N65
Hiyoshida McGee - N141
Lashea Atiana Stagat - N161
Hank Johnson - N132
Onterrio Lowery - N34
Jakala Brown - N246
WITNESS MY SIGNATURE on
this the 4th day of February,
A.D. 2021.
FRIENDLY CITY
MINI-WAREHOUSES
By: C.H.L.
Publish: 2/5, 2/12 &
2/19/2021
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Legal Notices
IN THE SPECIAL COURT OF EM-
INENT DOMAIN
LOWNDES COUNTY, MISSIS-
SIPPI
COLUMBUS REDEVELOPMENT
AUTHORITY PLAINTIFF
VS.
WILLIE JAMES WEBBER, ET AL.
DEFENDANTS
NO. 2021-0001-ED2
SUMMONS BY PUBLICATION
TO: UNKNOWN HEIRS-AT-LAW
AND DEVISEES OF JAMES
WEBBER, DECEASED, AND
MARY ALICE WEBBER, DE-
CEASED, AND ALL OTHER PER-
SONS OR ENTITIES HAVING A
LEGAL OR EQUITABLE IN-
TEREST IN REAL PROPERTY
LOCATED AT 517 NORTH 4TH
STREET IN COLUMBUS, MS,
BEING LOT 4, BLOCK 23 OF
FISHERMENS ADDITION,
NORTH OF MAIN
You have been made Defend-
ants in a lawsuit filed in this
Court by the Columbus Re-
development Authority to con-
demn by eminent domain cer-
tain real property located at
517 North 4th Street, Colum-
bus, Mississippi, and being Lot
4 of Block 23, Fishermens Ad-
dition, North of Main. The prop-
erty is necessary to renew and
redevelopment blighted condi-
Urban Renewal Plan (Burns
You are summoned to appear
and defend against the
Amended Complaint or petition
filed against you in this action
at 9:30 o’clock a. m. on the
courtroom of the Lowndes
County Courthouse in Colum-
of your failure to appear and
defend, a judgment will be
entered against you for the
money or other things deman-
or petition.
You are hereby further given
notice that not less than ten
(10) days prior to the date of
the trial on May 4, 2021, you
ment of Values pursuant to
which shall be treated as
pleadings in this action. The
date of the filing of the
Amended Complaint herein is
the attorney for the Plaintiff is
Martha Bost Stegall, P. O. Box
38802. Other than the State-
ment of Values you are not re- the Estate of John Whitt
quired to file an Answer or oth-
if you desire.
Issued under my hand and the ninety (90) days of the date of
seal of said Court, this 2nd day the first publication of this No-
of February, 2021.
TERESA BARKSDALE, CLERK
SPECIAL COURT OF EMINENT
DOMAIN,
LOWNDES COUNTY, MS
BY: Ann Marie Langford, D.C.
Publish: 2/5/21, 2/12/21 and
2/19/21
STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
COUNTY OF LOWNDES
NOTICE OF SALE
WHEREAS, the following ten-
ants entered into leases with
FRIENDLY CITY MINI-WARE-
HOUSES for storage space in
which to store personal prop-
erty and
WHEREAS, default has been
made in the payment of rent
and FRIENDLY CITY MINI-WARE-
HOUSES pursuant to said
Leases is authorized to sell the
personal property to satisfy the
past due and any other
charges owed to it by the fol-
lowing tenants.
NOW THEREFORE, notice is
hereby given that FRIENDLY
CITY MINI-WAREHOUSES will of-
fer for sale, and will sell at auc-
tion to the highest bidder for
cash all personal property in
storage units leased by the fol-
lowing tenants at FRIENDLY
CITY MINI-WAREHOUSES 4504
Highway 69 South, Columbus,
MS. Auctions will begin at 8:30
A.M. on the 5th day March,
A.D. 2021 at 308 Shoney
Drive, Columbus, MS and will
continue to all FRIENDLY CITY
MINI-WAREHOUSE locations in
the following sequence: 903
Alabama Street, Columbus,
MS; 44 Beatty Road, Colum-
bus, MS; 4504 Highway 69
South, Columbus, MS. All auc-
tions are with reserve and
therefore all units can be with-
drawn from the sale at any
time by the auctioneer/man-
ager.
Title to the personal property to
be sold is believed to be good,
but at such sale, FRIENDLY
CITY MINI-WAREHOUSES will
convey only such title as is ves-
ted in it pursuant to its lease
with the following and its al-
lowed under Mississippi Code
Annotated Section 85-7-121 et
seq (Supp 1988).
Brett Johnson - H46
Tristen Johnson - H8
Angela Johnstone - H7
WITNESS MY SIGNATURE on
this the 4th day of February,
A.D. 2020.
placement
CITY
Publish: 2/5, 2/12 &
2/19/2021
STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
COUNTY OF LOWNDES
NOTICE OF SALE
WHEREAS, the following ten-
ants entered into leases with
FRIENDLY CITY MINI-WARE-
HOUSES for storage space in
which to store personal prop-
erty and
To place ads starting at only $12,
call 662-328-2424 or visit ads.cdispatch.com
WHEREAS, default has been
made in the payment of rent
and FRIENDLY CITY MINI-WARE-
HOUSES pursuantTHE DISPATCH
to said n CDISPATCH.COM
Leases is authorized to sell the
personal property to satisfy the
past due and any other
charges owed to it by the fol-
Legal Notices
lowing tenants.
NOW THEREFORE, notice is
hereby given that FRIENDLY
CITY MINI-WAREHOUSES will of-
fer for sale, and will sell at auc-
tion to the highest bidder for
cash all personal property in
storage units leased by the fol-
lowing tenants at FRIENDLY
CITY MINI-WAREHOUSES 4504
Highway 69 South, Columbus,
MS. Auctions will begin at 8:30
A.M. on the 5th day March,
A.D. 2021 at 308 Shoney
Drive, Columbus, MS and will
continue to all FRIENDLY CITY
MINI-WAREHOUSE locations in
the following sequence: 903
Alabama Street, Columbus,
MS; 44 Beatty Road, Colum-
bus, MS; 4504 Highway 69
South, Columbus, MS. All auc-
tions are with reserve and
therefore all units can be with- ruary, 2021. This is to give no-
drawn from the sale at any
time by the auctioneer/man-
ager.
Title to the personal property to Lowndes County, Mississippi,
be sold is believed to be good, within ninety (90) days from
but at such sale, FRIENDLY
CITY MINI-WAREHOUSES will
convey only such title as is ves- will forever bar the same.
ted in it pursuant to its lease
with the following and its al-
lowed under Mississippi Code
Annotated Section 85-7-121 et
seq (Supp 1988).
Brett Johnson - H46
Tristen Johnson - H8
Angela Johnstone - H7
WITNESS MY SIGNATURE on
this the 4th day of February,
A.D. 2020.
FRIENDLY CITY
MINI-WAREHOUSES
By: C.H.L.
Publish: 2/5, 2/12 &
2/19/2021
IN THE CHANCERY COURT OF
LOWNDES COUNTY, MISSIS-
SIPPI
IN RE: MATTER OF THE ES-
TATE AND THE LAST WILL AND
TESTAMENT OF JOHN WHITT
MURPHREE, DECEASED
SHERRY DIANE ALLEN, EX-
ECUTOR
CAUSE NO. 2020-0185
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Letters Testamentary were is-
sued to me as Executor of the
Last Will and Testament of
John Whitt Murphree, de-
ceased, by the Chancery Court
of Lowndes County, Missis-
sippi on the 21st day of
September, 2020.
Notice is hereby given to all
persons having claims against
Murphree to have the same
probated and registered by the
Chancery Clerk of Lowndes
County, Mississippi within
tice, or they will be forever
barred.
WITNESS MY SIGNATURE, this
the 9th day of February, 2021.
/s/SHERRY DIANE ALLEN
SHERRY DIANE ALLEN, EX-
ECUTOR
PUBLISH: 2/12, 2/19 &
2/26/2021
All notices must be
emailed to
classifieds@
cdispatch.com.
Preferred placement in search
results and highlighted online.
Graphic $10.50
Enhance your ad with
an attention getter.
n FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021 n 7B
Legal Notices
IN THE CHANCERY COURT OF
LOWNDES COUNTY, MISSIS-
SIPPI
IN THE MATTER OF THE ES-
TATE OF LARRY B. MAXEY, DE-
CEASED
LINDA B. MAXEY, ADMINIS-
TRATOR
NO. 2021-0008-PDE
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Letters of Administration have
been granted and issued to
Linda B. Maxey, Administrator
of the Estate of Larry B. Maxey,
deceased, by the Chancery
Court of Lowndes County, Mis-
sissippi, on the 10 day of Feb-
tice to all persons having
claims against said estate to
Probate and Register same
with the Chancery Clerk of
this date. A failure to so Pro-
bate and Register said claim
THIS the 10 day of February,
2021.
/s/ Linda B. Maxey
Linda B. Maxey
PUBLISH: 2/12, 2/19 &
2/26/2021
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
CAUSE NO.: 2021-0017-S
THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
LOWNDES COUNTY
Letters of Administration have
been granted and issued to the
undersigned upon the estate of
MARTHA ANN SLEDGE, de-
ceased, by the Chancery Court
of LOWNDES County, Missis-
sippi, on the 1st day of Febru-
ary A.D., 2021. This is to give
notice to all persons having
claims against said estate to
Probate and Register same
with the Chancery Clerk of
LOWNDES County, Mississippi,
within ninety (90) days from
this date. A failure to so Pro-
bate and Register said claim
will forever bar the same.
This the 9th day of February,
2021.
PUBLISH: 2/12, 2/19 &
2/26/2021
IN THE CHANCERY COURT OF
LOWNDES COUNTY, MISSIS-
SIPPI
IN RE: MATTER OF THE ES-
TATE OF TRAVIS ALLEN GANN,
DECEASED,
ANN GANN,
ADMINISTRATOR
CAUSE NO. 2020-0226-S
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Letters of Administration were
issued unto me upon the Es-
tate of Travis Allen Gann, De-
ceased, by the Chancery Clerk picnic grounds, play-
of Lowndes County, Missis-
sippi on the 11th day of
November 2020.
Notice is hereby given to all
persons having claims against good driving record. EOE.
the Estate of Travis Allen Gann Send resume’ or apply @
to have the same probated and following:
registered by the Chancery
Clerk of Lowndes County, Mis-
sissippi within ninety (90) days vices, Inc.
of the date of the first publica- 3600 W Plymouth Rd
tion of this Notice, or they will
be forever barred.
WITNESS MY SIGNATURE, this R & D Maintenance Ser-
the 9th day of February, 2021. vices, Inc.
/s/ANN GANN
ANN GANN, ADMINISTRATOR
PUBLISH: 2/12, 2/19 &
2/26/2021
Sell idle items
with a quick action
classified ad.
ADS STARTING AT
Legal Notices
IN THE CHANCERY COURT OF
LOWNDES COUNTY, MISSIS-
SIPPI
IN THE MATTER OF THE ES-
TATE OF TAMMY W. LIEBLING,
DECEASED
ALLISON P. WOOLBRIGHT, AD-
MINISTRATOR
KENNETH G. WOOLBRIGHT PE-
TITIONERS
CAUSE NO: 2018-0111-F
AND ANY AND ALL UNKNOWN
HEIRS-AT-LAW OF TAMMY W.
LIEBLING, DECEASED DEFEND-
ANTS
SUMMONS BY PUBLICATION
THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
TO: ANY AND ALL UNKNOWS
HEIRS AT LAW OF TAMMY W.
LIEBLING, DECEASED
NOTICE
You have been made a Defend-
ant in the Complaint filed in
this Court by Allison P. Wool-
bright as Administrator and
Kenneth G. Woolbright seeking
to determine the heirs-at-law of
Tammy W. Liebling, Deceased.
Your are summoned to appear
and defend against said Com-
plaint at 9:00 o’clock A.M. on
the 15th day of March, A.D.
2021 in the Courtroom of the
Lowndes County Courthouse at
Columbus, Mississippi, and in
case of your failure to appear
and defend, a judgment will be
entered granting the relief
sought in the Complaint for
money or other things.
You are not required to file an
answer or other pleading, but
you may do so if you desire.
Issued under my hand and seal
of said Court this the 1st day
of February A.D. 2021.
CINDY E. GOODE CHANCERY
CLERK OF LOWNDES COUNTY,
MS
BY: /s/ Tina Fisher
DEPUTY CLERK
PUBLISH: 2/5, 2/12 &
2/19/2021
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
position will be respons-
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
Columbus or Pickensville:
R & D Maintenance Ser-
Columbus, MS 39701
Dennis:
53 Lock & Dam Road
Dennis, MS 38838
Let your fingers
do the walking.
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inthe classifieds!
$12
8B Friday, February 19, 2021 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com
Medical / Dental Apts For Rent: West Houses For Sale: New Hope

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© The Dispatch

DEPOSIT
AND Ads starting at $12
CREDIT CHECK
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