The Starkville Dispatch eEdition 2-12-14

8/13/2019 The Starkville Dispatch eEdition 2-12-14

1/20

WEATHER

AJ Rice

First grade, West Lowndes

High38Low31Rainy

Full forecast on

page 2A.

FIVE QUESTIONS

1What nickname is attached to thecircle of volcanoes around the PacificBasin?2What Queen hit did SylvesterStallone nearly use for the Rocky IIItheme son?3What is the largest humanitariannetwork in the world?4Who was famous for saying: All youneed to fly are lovely things and fairydust?

5How many carats is pure gold?

Answers, 10B

INSIDEClassifieds 9BComics 8B

Obituaries 5AOpinions 6A

DISPATCH CUSTOMER SERVICE 328-2424 | NEWSROOM 328-2471

ESTABLISHED1879 | COLUMBUS, M ISSISSIPPI

CDISPATCH.COM FREE!

WEDNESDAY | FEBRUARY12, 2014

LOCAL FOLKS

Charles Wilson is a bluesrecording artist from Chicago. Hehas lived in Columbus for oneyear.

CALENDAR

Thursday, Feb. 13Titans Herman Boone:Missis-sippi University for Womens GordyHonors Series welcomes CoachHerman Boone, an inspiration for themovie Remembering the Titans, at6 p.m. in Limbert Assembly Room inCochran Hall on campus. For more in-formation, contact Dr. Thomas Velek,[email protected], 662-241-6850,or visit web2.muw.edu/index.php/en/main-honors/.Chamber music:A MississippiState faculty recital features ShandyPhillips on violin, Sheri Falcone onclarinet, Denise Rowan on bassoonand Rosangela Sebba on piano at7:30 p.m. in the Giles ArchitectureBuilding on campus. Free to the pub-lic. For more information, contact theDepartment of Music, 662-325-3070.

PUBLIC MEETINGS

Feb. 14:Lowndes CountyBoard of Supervisors, Court-house, 9 a.m.Feb. 18:Columbus CityCouncil, municipal complex,5 p.m.Feb. 18:Columbus Munic-ipal School Board, Centraloffice, 6 p.m.Feb. 18: Starkville Board ofAldermen, City Hall Court-

room, 5:30 p.m.Feb. 27:Clay County Boardof Supervisors, Courthouse,9 a.m.Mar. 3:Lowndes CountyBoard of Supervisors, Court-house, 9 a.m.Mar. 3:Clay County Boardof Supervisors, Courthouse,9 a.m.

West

Alabama

news:

Page 4A

FOOD, 5BSPORTS, 1B

Move over chocolate theres more than one

way to celebrate

Relefords last-secondshot sends Alabama pastOle Miss in SoutheasternConference play

Be my (savory)Valentine

Crimson Uprising

BY SARAH FOWLER

[email protected]

A major cocaine ring basedout of Oktibbeha County hasbeen dismantled, according tothe Mississippi Bureau of Nar-cotics.

The investigation, called Op -

eration Queen Bee, focused ona group of Starkville-based co-

caine distributors who providednarcotics to the northern half ofthe state. Five people were ar-rested and more arrests are ex-pected, according to the MBN.

Sherita Garth, 37, ofStarkville, was arrested and

charged with three counts ofsale of cocaine and conspiracyto distribute cocaine. CalvinBaskin, 43, of West Point, was

arrested and charged with pos-session of cocaine, possessionof MDMA (Molly), conspiracyto distribute cocaine and pos-session of a firearm by a convict-ed felon. Dashiki Townsend, 31,of West Point, was arrested and

charged with possession of co-caine and conspiracy to distrib-ute cocaine. Timothy Gilliam,39, of Ecru, was arrested and

charged with possession of co-caine and conspiracy to distrib-ute cocaine, and Debra Walker,57, of Starkville, was arrestedand charged with possession ofa firearm by a convicted felonand running a large-scale gam-

bling operation.Operation Queen Bee also re-

sulted in the seizure of approx-imately 23 ounces of cocaine

worth an estimated street valueof $66,000. In addition to the co-caine, law enforcement seized$40,000 in cash, seven vehi-cles, six firearms, three moneycounters and paraphernalia.

Major Oktibbeha Co. cocaine ring busted

Micah Green/Dispatch StaffAn employee with Auto Mart LLC cleans up scattered items from a white Jeep Wrangler 4x4 after it plummeted down an embank-ment at the Lee Stokes exit on Highway 82 on Tuesday morning. The driver, identified as Tara Pugh of Reform, Ala., was ejectedwhen the vehicle rolled over. Pugh was transported to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle where she died shortly after 11a.m. from injuries to her chest and upper body.

BY SARAH FOWLER

sfow ler@cdispatch .com

Icy road conditions are to blame fora single-car accident that claimed thelife of a young mother Tuesday morn-ing.

Tara Pugh, 37, of Refor m, Ala., was

driving west on Hwy. 82 near Lee-Stokes Road at approximately 8:45

Tuesday morning when her 2000 JeepWrangler lef t the roadway af ter cross-ing an icy bridge, according to the Mis-sissippi Highway Patrol.

The Jeep rolled over, eject ing Pugh,before stopping at the bottom of theembankment. Pugh was transportedfrom the scene via ambulance to Bap-

tist Memorial Hospital-Golden Trian-gle. She died just after 11 a.m., accord-

ing to Lowndes County Corner GregMerchant. Her cause of death is due toinjuries to her upper chest and body.

It is unclear if Pugh was wearing herseatbelt at the time of the accident, butMerchant said, it doesnt appear thatshe was.

Pugh was heading to Columbus fora doctors appointment. She leaves be-hind a husband and two children underthe age of 10.

Skelton Funeral Home in Reform ishandling the arrangements.

BY CARL SMITH

[email protected]

The MississippiHouse of Representa-

tives passed a bill Tues-day that, if approved by

the Senate and signed by

Gov. Phil Bryant, would

honor Donald Zachari-

as by naming a portion

of Hwy. 25 after thelong-serving Mississippi

State University presi-

dent.

The legislat ion, HB

615, calls for the portion

of the highway that inter-sects with Old Hwy. 25 to

the Oktib-beha Coun-ty-WinstonCounty lineto be re-named theDr. DonaldW. Zacha ri -as Memori-

al Highway.If adopted, Mississippi

Department of Trans-portation would erectand maintain signagealong and approachingthe highway leading toStarkville.

A port ion of Hwy. 9 i nChoctaw County, fromthe Choctaw-Webster

line to Ackerman, wouldbe designated the Phyl-

lis A. Gra-h a m - S t e -ven B.M o s sMemorialHighway.

The bi lls ch ief author,Rep. Joey Hood. R-Acker-man, attempted to pass

similar legislation last

Mississippi House passes new road bill honoring ZachariasHood again pushing for Hwy. 25 designation honoring

long-serving MSU president

Zacharias

See ZACHARIAS, 8A

ALABAMA WOMAN DIES IN ROLL-OVER

Mother of two was traveling on icy Hwy. 82

Five arrested in Operation Queen Bee

See COCAINE, 8A

ONLINEROAD BILL:View House Bill615 at cdis-patch.com.

Chism, Ellissupport

Hollowaysearly transitionto conservatorStarkville-Oktibbeha

school consolidation

bills remain unchanged

this week

BY CARL SMITH

[email protected]

Two OktibbehaCounty representa-tives say they favorthe original languageof local school con-solidation bills thatcalled upon StarkvilleSchool District Su-perintendent LewisHolloway to lead thecounty school district in July.

As original ly filed, HB 833 andSB 2813 called for Holloways early

appointment as Oktibbeha Coun-ty School District conservator andgave him the power to issue notesthat would finance school repairs inboth districts before state-mandat-ed consolidation occurs in 2015.

Two bill substitutes were intro -duced last week which state thecounty system shall remain underMississippi Department of Edu-cation control until June 30, 2015,without explicitly calling for a newconservator.

Local Reps. Gary Chism,R-Columbus, and Tyrone Ellis,D-Starkville, both said they support

the bills as originally written andSee CONSOLIDATION, 8A

Holloway


2/20

THEDISPATCH www.cdispatch.com2A WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2014

DID YOU HEAR?

CONTACTING THE DISPATCH

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Periodicals postage paid at Columbus, MSPOSTMASTER, Send address changes to:

The Commercial Dispatch, P.O. Box 511, Columbus, MS 39703Published by Commercial Dispatch Publishing Company Inc.,

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Physical address:516 Main St., Columbus, MS 39701

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Five-Day forecast for the Golden Triangle

Almanac Data National Weather

Lake Levels

River Stages

Sun and MoonSolunar table

Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.

City Hi Lo W Hi Lo W City Hi Lo W Hi Lo W

Weather(W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, i-ice, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms,r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow

Yesterday 7 a.m. 24-hr.Lake Capacity yest. change

The solunar

period schedule

allows planning days

so you will be fishing

in good territory or

hunting in good cover

during those times.

Temperature

Precipitation

Tombigbee

Yesterday Flood 7 a.m. 24-hr.River stage yest. change

Columbus Tuesday

High/low ..................................... 37/29

Normal high/low ......................... 59/36Record high ............................ 80 (1954)

Record low .............................. 13 (1971)

Tuesday ........................................... 0.21"Month to date ................................. 4.23"

Normal month to date ...................... 2.12"Year to date .................................... 6.27"

Normal year to date ......................... 7.48"

Thursday Friday

Atlanta 43 29 pc 52 31 s

Boston 36 32 sn 38 28 sn

Chicago 34 15 sf 23 6 c

Dallas 63 42 s 68 37 s

Honolulu 81 69 sh 78 70 sh

Jacksonville 56 33 pc 65 45 s

Memphis 49 33 s 52 27 pc

52

32

Thursday

Mostly sunny and

warmer

60

30

Friday

Partly sunny

57

34

Saturday

Mostly sunny

65

41

Sunday

Partly sunny and

pleasant

Aberdeen Dam 188' 163.51' -0.86'

Stennis Dam 166' 137.14' -0.86'

Bevill Dam 136' 136.34' -0.06'

Amory 20' 11.84' -0.92'

Bigbee 14' 6.63' -4.24'

Columbus 15' 6.80' -0.30'

Fulton 20' 11.55' -4.00'

Tupelo 21' 1.60' -0.20'

First

Mar. 8

New

Mar. 1

Last

Feb. 22

Full

Feb. 14

Sunrise ..... 6:41 a.m.

Sunset ...... 5:35 p.m.

Moonrise ... 3:52 p.m.

Moonset .... 4:56 a.m.

Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc.2014

Major ... 10:38 a.m.

Minor ..... 4:27 a.m.

Major ... 11:01 p.m.

Minor ..... 4:49 p.m.

Major ... 11:21 a.m.

Minor ..... 5:10 a.m.

Major ... 11:43 p.m.

Minor ..... 5:32 p.m.

ThursdayWednesday

Thursday Friday

Nashville 46 29 pc 47 19 sn

Orlando 65 42 pc 68 51 pc

Philadelphia 38 28 sn 40 27 pc

Phoenix 81 55 s 83 56 s

Raleigh 35 28 sn 49 32 pc

Salt Lake City 54 40 r 57 40 c

Seattle 52 41 r 49 38 r

Tonight

Patchy clouds and

cold

28

Wednesday

Celebrities react toShirley Temples deathBY DERRIK J. LANG

P Entertainment Writer

LOS ANGELES Thepraises of Shirley Templeare being sung by celebri-ties across Hollywood whoremembered her as Ameri-cas prolific little darling.

For the fifth time inits history, the ChineseTheatre planned to dimthe lights in its famousforecourt, which featuresTemples little hand- andfootprints, in tribute to thestar of such films as Curly

Top, Heidi and The Lit-tle Colonel.

Temple, known in herother life as Shirley TempleBlack, died Monday nightat her home near San Fran-

cisco at age 85. The cause of

death was not disclosed.Margaret OBrien, a fel-

low child star during thesame era, reminisced abouther unique bond with Black.The Meet Me in St. Louisactress said she and Blackwere able to communicateabout an experience thatwe couldnt share with oth-ers.

Although there were pe-riods of time that we wouldnot be able to speak, we ex-changed Christmas cardsevery year and tried to keep

in touch, said OBrien. Ithas hit me hard to think thatshe isnt going to be avail-able to call on for advice or acheerful word. I, as so manyothers, will miss her.

AP Photo/Richard Vogel

Flowers and a stuffed animal are left at the hand andfoot prints for Shirley Temple Black at the TCL ChineseTheatre in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles onTuesday.

Scene&SeenSOCCERFamily and friends bundled up to watch soccer at Heritage Acade-

my Monday afternoon.

Abby Asadi, Evie McIntyre, Margaret Lebrun, Mary Gardner, and Mixson Bateman

Taylor Dalrymple, Chatham Phillips, Laura Stennettand Natalie Hardy Katie and Lynne Beck

Tracy Allen and Clint Allen Sarah Asadi, Nikki Asadi, Diane Asadi and Tenja Lemmers

Rosemarie and Dr. James BrooksSam Vogel, Anna Weathers, Ryan Forrester and Chris-tine Vogel

Come hear

Rick Burgessof e Rick & Bubba Show

Friday, Feb. 216 p.m.

First Baptist Churchof Columbus

Ministry and Activities

Building

3000 Bluecutt Road

Sponsored by:Tickets are $10

includes meal catered by MugshotsPurchase them at:

First Baptist Church 202 7th St. N. Downtown ColumbusNew Life Christian Supplies 1920 Hwy. 45 N. Columbus

T

heDispatch


3/20

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MSU SPORTS BLOGVisit The Dispatch MSU Sports Blog for breaking

Bulldog news: www.cdispatch.com/msusports@WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2014 3A

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Which President lovedto wrestle and made it

into the WrestlingHall of Fame?

1

February 12, 2014

Deadline to enter 2/19

Which President loved to wrestle and made it into the Wrestling Hall of Fame?

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February 12, 2014

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BY PETE YOST

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON At-torney General Eric Hold-er called on a group ofstates Tuesday to restorevoting rights to ex-felons,part of a push to fix whathe sees as flaws in thecriminal justice systemthat have a disparate im-pact on racial minorities.

It is time to funda-mentally rethink laws thatpermanently disenfran-chise people who are nolonger under federal orstate supervision, Holder

said, targeting 11 statesthat he said continue torestrict voting rights forformer inmates, even aftertheyve finished their pris-on terms.

Across this country to -day, an estimated 5.8 mil-lion Americans 5.8 mil-lion of our fellow citizens are prohibited fromvoting because of currentor previous felony convic-tions, Holder told a sym-posium on criminal justiceat Georgetown University.

Now into his fifth yearas attorney general and

hinting that this yearmight be his last, Holdersurvived political con-troversies that, early on,placed him on the defen-sive. Now, he is doublingdown on the kinds of is-sues that have long heldhis interest during a ca-reer in law enforcement prison overcrowding, over-ly harsh mandatory drugsentences and school dis-ciplinary policies that hesays push kids into streetcrime.

Congress used to bethe place that highlight-

ed Holders

p roblems ,including aplan to tryterrorists inNew YorkCity and thefailed Jus-tice Depart-ment inves-tigation of gun smugglingin Arizona that ended inthe death of a border pa-trol agent.

Now, Holder is talkingabout partnering up withconservative lawmakers

like Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.,who shares concerns suchas mandatory minimumprison sentences that canput away low-level drugoffenders for decades. On

Tuesday, Holder took note

of the fact that Paul wasto be a participant in thecriminal justice sympo-sium later in the morning.

On a topic with racialovertones, Holder said2.2 million black citizens,or nearly one in 13 Afri-can-American adults, arebanned from voting be-cause of these laws, andhe said the ratio climbs toone in five in Florida, Ken-tucky and Virginia.

Although well over acentury has passed sincepost-Reconstruction states

used these measures to

strip African-Americansof their most fundamentalrights, the impact of felo-ny disenfranchisement onmodern communities ofcolor remains both dispro-portionate and unaccept-able.

The 11 states identifiedby the Justice Departmentas restricting voting rightsof former inmates are Ar-izona, Florida, Alabama,Iowa, Kentucky, Missis-sippi, Nebraska, Nevada,Wyoming, Tennessee andVirginia .

G urges restoring voting rights to ex-inmates11 states identified as restricting voting rights of formerinmates include Mississippi and Alabama

Holder

cdispatch.com

BY JEFF AMY


JACKSON Missis-sippi could be one stepcloser to setting up a trioof elite state law-enforce-ment strike forces.

House memberspassed House Bill 749 bya 69-48 vote Tuesday tocreate a strike force officeunder Attorney Generalim Hood.

Gov. Phil Bryant haschampioned the measureas a way of providing ex-

tra help to areas with seri-ous crime problems.

These elite forces willrespond to a specific high-crime area and hit gangsand drug dealers wherethey live, Bryant said in

his State of the State ad-

dress last month. Givelaw enforcement the au-thority and the resourcesthey need, and they willget the job done.

Democrat Hood andRepublican Bryant wouldjointly choose command-ers for groups of 12 to 15law enforcement officersin the northern, centraland southern parts ofthe state. Officers wouldbe loaned by city, countyand state law enforcementagencies. Proponents plan

to spend $1.5 million forovertime and equipment.

Opponents fear theplan could lead to abusesof authority or tramplelocal powers, especiallythose reserved for sher-

iffs.Theres not any ev-

idence that local lawenforcement will be in-volved, said Rep. CecilBrown, D-Jackson, whopersuaded House mem-bers to adopt a three-yearlimit on the bill.

Right now, state troop-ers and narcotics agentswho work for the statedont have general law en-forcement powers.

Everyone needs tounderstand were settingup a state police force in

this state, which is a ma-jor change of state policy,Brown said.

House Judiciary ACommittee ChairmanMark Baker, R-Brandon,said those fears were

overblown.He notedlanguage inthe bill thatsays a strike

force would only enter alocality by invitation.

The intent is to as-sist, Baker said. Its notto take over.

He got support fromtwo Mississippi Deltamembers DemocratChuck Espy of Clarksdaleand Republican TommyTaylor of Boyle whosaid their cities need helpto turn back rampantcrime.

Theyre trying to doeverything they can, the

county and the city, butthey need help, Espysaid.

The measures pros-pects are unclear in theSenate, where a similarbill died in a committee.

House OKs bill to create 3 elite strike forcesGov. Bryant has championed the measure as a way to

provide extra help to areas with serious crime problems

ONLINE:House

Bill 749:bit.

ly/1m3YQkz

BY EMILYWAGSTER PETTUS


JACKSON Missis-sippi Gov. Phil Bryant saidTuesday that he supportsproposals to require col-lection of DNA from peo-ple arrested and chargedwith violent crimes suchas murder.

Bryant said he believesDNA testing will helpsolve crimes and could ex-onerate innocent peoplewho are wrongly accused.

Under current Missis-sippi law, DNA is collect-ed only after someone isconvicted. Two similarbills, to allow collectionafter arrest, are workingtheir way through the leg-islative process.

I look forward to sign-ing them just as quicklyas they get to our desk,Bryant said during a newsconference in his Capitoloffice.

House Bill 68 passedthe House on Monday, andSenate Bill 2430 passedthe Senate Tuesday. Thetwo chambers will swapbills for more work.

A divided U.S. Su-preme Court ruled in aMaryland case last sum-mer that law officers can

take DNA from anyone ar-rested for a serious crime.Justice Anthony Kennedywrote for the five-justicemajority: Taking and an-alyzing a cheek swab ofthe arrestee DNA is, likefingerprinting and photo-

graphing, alegit imatepolice book-ing proce-

dure thatis reason-able underthe FourthA m e n d -ment.

The four dissentingjustices said the court wasallowing a major changein police power, and Jus-tice Antonin Scalia pre-dicted that limiting theDNA collection to arrestsfor serious crimes wouldnot last.

Because of todaysdecision, your DNA canbe taken and enteredinto a national databaseif you are ever arrested,rightly or wrongly, and forwhatever reason, Scal iawrote.

The bills in Mississip -pi are being promoted by

a victimsa d v o c a -cy group,DNA Saves,

which saysthe testingcan helpi d e n t i f ypeople whoc o m m i tmore thanone crime. The groupsays 27 states alreadyhave enacted laws simi-lar to the one proposed inMississippi.

Jayann Sepich, a NewMexico woman whose22-year-old daughterwas raped and killed in2003, is with DNA Saves.During a conference callwith Bryant on Tuesday,she thanked Mississippiofficials for considering anew law.

Really and truly,there are lives that will besaved, Sepich said.

Bryant: Collect DNA after certain arrestsUnder current law, DNA is collected

only after someone is convicted

ONLINE:DNA

Saves: bit.

ly/1eSbJsp

House

Bill 68:bit.

ly/1aSn7VD

Senate

Bill 2430:

bit.ly/NzUv9P

Bryant

BY JEFF AMY


JACKSON Missis-

sippi House members likeelected school superinten-dents so much that theyrenot even willing to let votersdecide if they want to keepelecting them.

Representatives reject-ed House Bill 825 on Tues-day, with 66 voting againstthe bill and 53 for it. It wouldhave asked voters to choose

in November whether theywant to retain their electedschool leader or switch toan appointed one. About 60of Mississippis 151 schooldistricts have elected su-perintendents.

But the issue isnt deadyet. Moments after theHouse action, the Senatepassed Senate Bill 2166.That stricter measurewould mandate appoint-ments beginning Jan. 1,2016, unless voters sign a

petition forc-ing a referen-dum to keepelections. TheSenate bill willmove to theHouse for consideration.

Critics say electedschool boards and electedsuperintendents can be-come locked in politicalconflict. They also warnfew candidates can meetelection qualifications insmaller counties.

House rejects appointed superintendents bill

ONLINE:House

Bill 825:

bit.ly/1ns-

MOwl

BY EMILY

WAGSTER PETTUS


JACKSON Missis-sippi lawmakers could re-quire community collegesand public universitiesto study ways to preventunplanned pregnanciesamong unmarried 18- and

19-year-olds.Senate Bill 2563 passed

the Senate 34-11 on Tues-day and eventually willmove to the House formore work.

It would require the two-and four-year colleges, bythis November, to proposepregnancy prevention pro-grams. Information could

be provided during studentorientation, for example.

The bills sponsor, Re-publican Sen. Sally Dotyof Brookhaven, said Mis-sissippi had 5,644 teenpregnancies in 2012. Mostof those 3,913 were to18- and 19-year-old wom-en.

Democratic Sen. Hob

Bryan of Amory said thatunwanted teen pregnancyis a serious problem, butthat the bill doesnt offer aserious solution. He saidfunding public educationand making health caremore readily availablethrough Medicaid expan-sion would be more effec-tive.

Bill seeks to address Mississippi teen pregnancy


4/20

THEDISPATCH www.cdispatch.comA WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2014

Columbus2430 5th St. N.662.327.4432

Starkville302 Hospital Road

662.323.8984

Walter N. Cosby, M.D.

Justin M. Garner, M.D.

R. Clayton Borden, M.D.

Do you ask people to repeat things?

Can you hear telephone callers clearly?

Do others complain that your

radio or TV is too loud?

Carrie SmithAu.D., CCC-A

Audiologist

Al AlexanderM.A., CCC-AAudiologist

If you have trouble hearing

consult an Audiologist!

Are YouHearing

Everything?

Folk Mountain GospelIn Concert

Saturday, February 15 4:30 p.m.

Columbus Seventh-DayAdventist Church

301 Brooks Road Columbus, MSOff North Lehmberg

All are welcome to join us for anevening of music and fellowship.

Don and Donna Mohl have beentraveling and sharing the love of Jesusthrough song since 1988. They sing oldhymns of faith, gospel tunes and sharesome of the songs they have writtenrelated to family values, and the loveof grace and Jesus. Their music is ablend of mountain style and folkstyle gospel and they play traditionaland biblical instruments such as guitar,harmonica, bowed psaltery, hammereddulcimer, mountain dulcimer, mandolinand zither.

The Dispatch

*Mississippi Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Co.*Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Co.*Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Co.

MSAUNP40946

(662) 328-7541Lowndes County Farm Bureau

101 Main Street, Columbus, MS

Real service.Real people.

msfbins.com

WEST ALABAMA NEWS

Lamar County HighSchool First SemesterHonor Roll

The following studentswere named to the LamarCounty High School firstsemester honor roll:

All A Honor Roll: 7th Grade:William Gable Allred, Ashley

Caroline Butler, Miranda Larea

Cantrell, Jonathan Dale Cunning-

ham, William Brady Dollar, Taylor

Madison Hawkins, Sunny Madi-

son Higgins, David Adam Hollis,

Peyton Anna Johnson, Keionna

Regine Lucky, Deonna Jmae

Miller, Makenzie Paige Newell,

Richard James Rogers, James

Thomas Shackelford, Dustin

K. Simpson, Tristin Tyler Slone,

Dustin Alan Smith, Robert Thom-

as Spencer III, Caitlyn Abigail

Stephens and Brianna Nicole

Sutton. 8th Grade:Haley Olivia

Carr, Denver Hampton Gentle,

Ali Madison Glasgow, AnnaKate McDaniel, Erica Brooke

Merchant, Kera Jean Price,

Daniel Allen Slone, Dylan Scott

Vann, Clevis Javan Welch, Alexis

Merrill Wharton and Tyler Allen

Wilkins. 9th Grade:Ashton Ma-

rie Berry, Jamie Renee Brown,

Susanna Elizabeth Butler, Jared

Peyton Harvill, Julia Nicole Irvin,

Andrew Cain Norton, Selena

Maegan Robinson and Christo-

pher Martin Shackelford.10th

Grade:Mary Katelyn Allen,

Mallory Nicole Bardon, Thomas

Hayden Duncan, Carrie Leanne

Gadell, Johnathon Kendall Gal-

loway, Hannah Katherine Taylor

and Anna Catherine White.11thGrade:Ryleigh Paige Bennett,

Anna Blakeney Butler, Tyler

Dale Cunningham, Molly Tanner

Edwards, Bonnie Abigail Oliver,

Darren Bryan Palmer, Micah

Faith Serpin, Sky-Lyn Faith West-

brook, Charles Steven Wilson

and Jessica Adrien Yielding.

12th Grade:Oksana Morales

Bahena, Breanna Kay Bradford,

Justin Wade Brown, Katlyn Nich-

ole Burton, Dallas Van Cocker-

ham, Caleb Lee Corbett, Kaly

Heavin Flora, Keaton Brooks

Galloway, Palley Remainder

Johnson, Kayla Diane McGee,

Madison Lee Norton, Jordan

Danielle Pennington, Jordyn

Storm Pinkerton, Kinsley Patton

Roberts, Brooklyn Lee Spencer,

Gregory Dustin Vann and Kristen

Shaina White.

A & B Honor Roll: 7th

Grade:Haigan Bradley Black,

Brittney Leigh Box, Taye Alan

Buchanan, Savannah Haven

Cruthirds, Richard Greer Dees,

Jakob Dawson Dubose, Brittany

Lashay Guyton, Sierra Faith

Hollis, Jada Justis Jackson,

Caleb Scott Lawrence, Victoria

Paige McNees, Danny Caden

Robinson and Madison Grace

Turner.8th Grade:Mallory

Hope Beasley, Joshua Devon

Cantrell, Rachel Lucile Corbell,

Ronald Deion Cribbs, Tamara

Elise Dubose, D.D. Necall Flake,

Kia Lashae Jones, Anthony Kyle

Morris, Cody Gray Pennington,

Colin Reed Pennington, Abby

Michelle Rayfield, Jacob Scott

Smith, Savannah Claire Sud-

duth, James Anthony Watkins,

Briana Danielle Westbrook,

Layla Rose Williams and Macy

Nycole Wilson. 9th Grade:

Keeli Rose Bobbitt, Destiny

Mechelle Faith Clay, Breianna

Marie Cyr, Buddy Charles Glover,

Jessica Renee Olive and Logan

Nicole Thomas. 10th Grade:

Antoni D. Amat, Jaeger AustinBarnes, Jonathan Trey Deason,

Ariel Dawn Hawkins, Ragan Lyn

McGee, Krystal Victoria Moore,

Hannah Lashane Newell, Jared

Ray Shelnut, Samuel Austin

Spann, Kaitlyn Nicole Stan-

dridge and John Devin Woods.

11th Grade:Mary Elizabeth

Baber, Louisa Cheyenne Bauer,

Kalee Sierra Beasley, Brittany

Kay Carr, Logan Ruth Dollar,

Sydney Alexis Dollar, Ty Austin

Herron, Savannah Leigh Hollis,

Jordan Noel Ives, Tanner Blake

Johnson, Christopher Luke Kelly,

Destini Delane Lucky, Joshua

Dakota Raine, Elijah Nickolas

Reeves, Sharaina Shyniece

Shelly, Kaitrin Nicole Sudduth,

Ethan Blake Sullivan, Alex Ste-

ven Wheeler, Collin Davis Wilson

and Terri Dawn. 12th Grade:

Caroline Morgan Ashby, Ryan

Andrew Barham, Nia Danielle

Blanchard, Christina Marinez

Casas, Kara Leeann Colburn,

Hannah Michelle Conwill, Jesse

Collin Corbett, Taylor Marie

Gann, Skye Brianna Gilmer,

Kaitlyn Lou Hannah Hassell, Tia

Diasuan Lang, Ciera Mahaley

Lowe, Richard Craig Million, Vic-

toria Louise Oglesby, Tyler Lee

Raine, Alea Grace Robertson,Sara Elizabeth Seripin, Jenee

Lachelle Sheehy, Jacob Matthew

Smith, Tiffany Breanna Taylor,

Katie Joyce Vice, Amber Lashae

Washington, Kristyn Danielle

Whitford and Janay Elexusa

Williams.

BY DAVID MILLER

Special to the Dispatch

MILLPORT, Ala. The Millport Town Coun-cil is one step closer tobeginning work on its citysewer system.

However, the announce-ment Monday of the favor-ite to lead engineering ofthe overdue repairs wasmet with skepticism byone of the towns council-men.

Mayor Icie Wriley deliv-ered news that CFM Groupof Tuscaloosa was select-ed from a pool of just twoengineering firms for the

$350,000 project that willimprove the citys wastewater treatment plant,which includes a systemof lagoons that currently

must be aerated by hand.Councilman Tim Fields

expressed skepticism overCFMs credentials, allud-

ing to a prior job the com-pany had performed ona basin used to keep ironout of the citys supply ofwater.

Weve been fouryears down the road with(CFM), Fields said. Imabout tired of fooling withthem.

Town clerk Lynette Og-den said the basin was nev-er completed.

Wriley assured thecouncil that before CFMwas selected, she spoke

with the firms manage-ment about past issues andwas assured a quality jobthis time around.

The selection process

entails achecklist ofcity bench-marks ande x p e c t a -tions, eachwith its own

weight inthe finalse lect ion .Money isnt discussed un-til the firm officially bidson the job.

The city will fund theproject with grant moniesfrom the Alabama Depart-ment of Economic Com-munity Affairs.

In other news, Wrileyannounced Waste Man-agement garbage contain-ers are available for pickupat the companys office in

Vernon. Pickup of the f reecontainers runs throughFeb. 28. Proof of residencyin the Millport city limits isrequired for pickup.

Millport chooses engineer for sewerSome criticize choice of CFM Group

Wriley

SCHOOL NEWS


5/20

COMMERCIAL DISPATCH

OBITUARY POLICY

Obituaries with basic informa-

tion including visitation and

service times, are provided

free of charge. Extended

obituaries with a photograph,

detailed biographical informa-

tion and other details familiesmay wish to include, are avail-

able for a fee. Obituaries must

be submitted through funeral

homes unless the deceaseds

body has been donated to

science. If the deceaseds

body was donated to science,

the family must provide official

proof of death. Please submit

all obituaries on the form

provided by The Commercial

Dispatch. Free notices must be

submitted to the newspaper

no later than 3 p.m. the day

prior for publication Tuesday

through Friday; no later than 4

p.m. Saturday for the Sunday

edition; and no later than 7:30a.m. for the Monday edition.

Incomplete notices must be re-

ceived no later than 7:30 a.m.

for the Monday through Friday

editions. Paid notices must be

finalized by 3 p.m. for inclusion

the next day Monday through

Thursday; and on Friday by 3

p.m. for Sunday and Monday

publication. For more informa-

tion, call 662-328-2471.

Bobby JonesJACKSON Bobby

Lee Jones, 62, died Feb.8, 2014, at his residence.

Services are Sat-urday at noon at NewHorizonChurch inackson.

Burial willfollow inAutumnWoodsCemetery.WesthavenMemo-rial Funeral Home inackson is in charge of

arrangements.Mr. Jones was born

in 1951, to the lateWilliam and Maryones. He was a 1969

graduate of R.E. HuntHigh School, where heserved as class presi-dent. He served in theU.S. Navy and gradu-ated from MississippiState University. He was

formerly employed withAT&T.

In addition to his par-ents, he was precededin death by his brother,Raeburn Van Jones.

Survivors include his

wife, Ruthie Mae Jonesof Jackson; daughters,Carley Artis of Suffolk,Va., and Tif fany Jonesof Jackson; brothers,Michael Jones ofAtlanta, William Jonesand Vicent Jones, bothof Columbus; sisters,Betty A nn Vonse ofColumbus and TonyaTurner of Atlanta ; andfive grandchildren.

Thomas Williams Sr.

COLUMBUS Thomas Williams Sr.,76, died Feb. 12, 2014, atBaptist Memorial Hos-pital-Golden Triangle.

Arrangements areincomplete and wil l beannounced by Memori-al Funeral Home.

Eva EggerCOLUMBUS Eva

Eugenia West Egger,96, died Feb. 11, 2014,at Trinity Healthcare in

Columbus.Services are

Thursday at 2 p.m.at Lowndes FuneralHome Chapel with RonMcDougald officiat-ing. Burial will followin Egger Cemetery inCaledonia. Visitation

is Thursday from noonuntil service at Lown-des Funeral Home.

Elonzo CrosslandCOLUMBUS

Elonzo Lee Crossland,78, died Feb. 11, 2014 athis residence.

Graveside servicesare Saturday 1 p.m.at Memorial GardensCemetery with JosephOyeleye officiating.

Arrangements are

incomplete and will beannounced by Memori-al Funeral Home.

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Thomas Williams Sr.

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The family of Donald Beard would liketo thank everyone for the food, love, and

support during our time of grief.

We would also like to extenda special thank you to the

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BY RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR


WASHINGTON Big retai lstores, hotels, restaurants and oth-er firms with lots of low-wage andpart-time workers are among themain beneficiaries of the Obama ad-ministrations latest tweak to healthcare rules.

Companies with 100 or moreworkers will be able to avoid thebiggest of two potential employerpenalties in the A ffordable Care Actby offering coverage to 70 percentof their full-timers.

That target is considerably eas-ier to hit than the administrationsprevious requirement of 95 percent,but the wiggle room is only good fornext year.

It will be very helpful to employ-ers, said Bill OMalley, a tax ex-pert with McGladrey, a consultingfirm focused on medium-size busi-nesses. This gives them a bit of atransition period to begin expand-

ing coverage on a gradual basis.There would be some cost savingsto employers who otherwise werenowhere near meeting the standardfor 2015.

It means that big companies, notonly medium-sized firms, can bene-fit from the new employer coveragerules that the Treasury Departmentannounced Monday. Under thoserules, companies with 50 to 99 work-ers were given an extra year, until2016, to comply with the health carelaws requirement to offer coverage.

I think its pretty significant be-cause the vast majority of the work-force is in large firms, said LarryLevitt, a health insurance expertwith the nonpartisan K aiser FamilyFoundation. It affects a much big-ger swath of the economy.

President Barack Obamashealth care law requires companieswith 50 or more employees working30 or more hours a week to offerthem suitable coverage or pay fines.

The so -called employer mandate

was wr itten into the law as a guard-rail to discourage employers fromshifting workers into taxpayer-sub-sidized coverage. Small businesseswith fewer than 50 workers are ex-empt. And more than 90 percent ofthe larger firms already offer healthcare.

But even if it directly impacts arelatively small share of companies,the mandate still represents a ma-jor new government requirementon businesses. At a time when theeconomy remains weak, implemen-tation has been fraught with politi-cal overtones. The requirement wasoriginally supposed to take effectin 2014, but last summer the W hiteHouse delayed it for a year. Thencame this weeks additional delayfor medium-size companies.

Wiggle room for big firms undernew health care coverage ruleCompanies with 100 or more workers will be able

to avoid the biggest of two potential penalties

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

JACKSON The dis-covery of what could be asmany as 1,000 graves onthe campus of the Univer-sity of Mississippi Med-ical Center has officialsrethinking the locationparking facilities and oth-er facilities.

UMMC had plannedto build a parking garageeast of the dental school.Officials tell The Clari-on-Ledger that testing inthe area revealed 1,000

graves. Officials believesome were patients fromthe Mississippi State Lu-natic Asylum a centuryago.

The former Mississip-pi Insane Asylum operat-ed on the site from 1855to 1935.

None have names,Dr. James Keeton, dean ofthe medical school, saidof the graves.

Paying for reburialselsewhere would costabout $3,000 apiece, or $3million total, he said.

We cant afford that,

Keeton said.New plans includebuilding the parking ga-rage next to the dentalschool, he said.

Others plans may haveto change, too.

Medical center offi-cials had hoped to usethe property west of thedental school for futureexpansion, but Keetonsaid they might have torethink that approach,because other bodies maylie beneath the earth

former slaves, TB victimsand possibly even CivilWar dead.

UMMC recently an-nounced construction of

the $11 million Ameri-

can Cancer Society HopeLodge on land that couldcontain more gravesites.

For that reason,UMMC officials saidboth the lodge and a newChildrens Justice Cen-ter would likely have tobe relocated on the 164-acre campus, where bothspace and parking seemto be growing scarce.

Discovery of graves affects hospital parking lot planOfficials believe some were patients

of Mississippi State Lunatic Asylum

Graco recalling nearly3.8M child car seats

BY DEE-ANN DURBIN

AND TOM K RISHER

AP Auto Write rs

DETROIT Gracois recalling nearly 3.8million car safety seatsbecause children canget trapped by bucklesthat may not unlatch.But the company hasdrawn the ire of federalsafety regulators whosay the recall should in-clude another 1.8 millionrear-facing car seats de-signed for infants.

The reca ll covers 11

models made from 2009through 2013 by Gra-co Childrens ProductsInc. of Atlanta. Its the

fourth-largest child seatrecall in U.S. history, ac-

cording to the NationalHighway Traffic SafetyAdminist ration, the gov-ernments road safetywatchdog.

The agency warnedthat the problem couldmake it difficult to re-move the child from therestraint, increasing therisk of injury in the eventof a vehicle crash, fire orother emergency.

Both the companyand NHTSA have re-ceived complaints aboutstuck buckles on theinfant seats, the agencysaid.

Children could become trapped by

buckles that may not unlatch


6/20


7/20


NEWS ABOUT TOWNNews About Townis a

public service of The Dispatch,available to non-profit, chari-

table, civic and governmentalgroups and schools. Entries

for dated events will run onWednesdays. Please limit

entries to 30 words. All entries

must be submitted in writingand are subject to editing.

New entries may be faxedto 662-329-8937; mailed to

News About Town, P.O. Box511, Columbus, MS 39703;

or e-mailed to [email protected] and

must be received by 10 a.m.Tuesdays. Include News About

Town in the subject line of youre-mail. Unchanging listings for

local clubs and support groupsare available as a community

resource at cdispatch.com.

CLUBSnFRIENDS

AND NEIGHBORS

The Friends and Neighbors

Club meets second Wednes-

days September-May at 10

a.m. at Lion Hills Golf Club,

Columbus (and fourth Wednes-

days June-August at restau-

rants). Contact Rhena Friloux,

662-549-8800 or Twyla Sum-

merford, 662-328-3381.

nGOLDEN TRIANGLE AA

Golden Triangle AA meets daily

for support. If you want to

drink, that is your business. If

you want to stop drinking, that

is our business. For informa-

tion, call 662-327-8941.

nAL-ANON MEETING

The Columbus Al-Anon Family

Groups meet for support Mon-

day and Thursday at 5:30 p.m.

When you dont know where to

turn because someone drinks

too much, Al-Anon Family

Groups can help. For informa-

tion, call 888-425-2666 or go

to msafg.org.

nSENIOR CRAFTSSenior Crafts meet at the

Starkville Sportsplex Tues-

days, 10-11:30 a.m. Crafts

are provided by the parks de-

partment. For information, call

Lisa Cox at 662-323-2294.

nTOPS

Take Off Pounds Sensibly No.

288 meets every Monday at

Community Baptist Church,

Yorkville Road East. Weigh-in

begins at 5:30 p.m. Contact

Pat Harris, 662-386-0249.

nTOPS


266 meets every Monday at

the Episcopal Church of the

Good Shepherd, 321 Forrest

Blvd. Weigh-in begins at 5:15

p.m. Contact Margaret Spray-

berry, 662-328-8627.

nTOPS


270 meets every Tuesday at

the Church of Christ Fellow-

ship Hall, 900 Main St. in

Caledonia. Weigh-in begins

at 5:15 p.m. Contact Lorene

Hawkins, 662-356-4838.

nQUILTING CLUB

Quilting Club meets in the

activities room adjacent to

the multi-purpose facility at

the Starkville Sportsplex on

Thursdays 10 a.m.-noon. Bringyour own project to work on.

For information, call Lisa Cox,

662-323-2294.

HEALTH NOTESnDIABETES SUPPORT

Diabetes Support Group class-

es (day and evening classes

available) are held each month

at Baptist Memorial Hospi-

tal-Golden Triangle. For infor-

mation, call 662-244-1596

or email info.goldentriangle@

bmhcc.org

nNUTRITION EDUCATION

Nutrition Education Classesfor congestive heart failure

meet the third Friday of every

month at 3 p.m., Baptist

Memorial Hospital-Golden

Triangle Classroom 5 For in-

formation, call 662-244-1597


bmhcc.org.

nPROSTATE SCREENING

Baptist Center for Cancer

Care offers free prostate PSA

screenings the last Friday of

every month from 8 a.m.-2

p.m. Locations rotate between

Columbus and Starkville. For

appointments, call 662-244-

4673.

nNUTRITION EDUCATION

Nutrition Education Classes

for diabetes meet the fourth

Wednesday of every month at

8:30 a.m., Baptist Memori-

al Hospital-Golden Triangle

Outpatient Pavilion. Physician

referral required. For informa-

tion, call 662-244-1597 or

email info.goldentriangle@

bmhcc.org.

nABUSE RECOVERY

GROUPDomestic Abuse Recovery

Groups meet every Thursday

at 6 p.m., through Safe Haven

Inc. Group counseling for rape

recovery is available. For infor-

mation, call 662-327-6118 or

662-889-2067.

nCHILDBIRTH CLASSES

Baptist Golden Triangle offers

childbirth classes on Tuesday

nights at 6 p.m. To register,

call the Education Department

at 662-244-2498 or email info.

[email protected]

nCPR CLASSES

CPR Classes are offered at

Baptist Golden Triangle twicemonthly, at 6 p.m. in the

Patient Tower. Preregistration

is required. Contact the Educa-

tion Department at 662-244-

2498 or email info.goldentrian-

[email protected].

nALZHEIMERS SUPPORT

The Alzheimers Columbus

Chapter Caregiver Support

Group meets every fourth

Thursday, 6 p.m., at Com-

forCare, 118 S. McCrary Road,

Columbus. For information,

contact Columbus Jones, 662-

244-7226.

nHEALTH FAIR

The Department of Health

and Kinesiology at Mississippi

University for Women hosts a

health fair in the Pohl Gym Feb.

13, 8:30 a.m. to noon.

nMOTHERS SUPPORT

GROUP

The OCH Regional Medical

Center hosts a support group

for expectant mothers Feb. 18,5:30-6:30 p.m. in the com-

munity room. For information,

call Paula Hamilton, 662-615-

3364.

nHOSPICE VOLUNTEERS

Baptist Memorial Hospice

seeks volunteers to assist in

the office and with families. For

information, call 662-243-1173


bmhcc.org.

REUNIONSnCLASS OF 1964

The Lee High Class of 1964

will celebrate their 50th

reunion April 4-5. For informa-

tion, call Bunk Harpole, 662-

327-1476.

OTHER EVENTSnLEE HOME VALENTINE

PARTY

The Stephen D. Lee Founda-

tion hosts its annual Valentine

gala Feb. 14, 7:30-10 p.m.

Proceeds support the historic

S.D. Lee Home. For reserva-

tions, contact Eulalie Davis,

662-328-3088.

nUCAC MEETING

Unlimited Community Agricul-

tural Cooperative meets Feb.

15, 8 a.m. at the BJ3 Center,

5226 Old West Point Road.

Agricultural programs and op-

portunities for small business-

es will be discussed. Contact

Orlando Trainer, 662-769-0071

or [email protected].

nWESLEY PANCAKE

BREAKFASTMississippi University for Wom-

en Wesley Foundation hosts a

pancake breakfast March 1,

7:30-10 a.m., at 224 11th St.

S., Columbus. $5/plate at the

door. Proceeds benefit chapel

renovation. For information,

contact Gail Griffith, 662-328-

1998.

nSQUARE DANCING

The Starkville Sportsplex offers

square dancing on Mondays,

7-9 p.m. in the activities room

adjacent to the multi-purpose

facility. For information, call

Lisa Cox at 662-323-2294.

nTUTORING PROGRAMHEARTS After-School Tutoring

Program seeks volunteers for

tutoring students K-5th grade.

For information, call 662-244-

8444 or email heartscolum-

[email protected].

We offer two locations and the

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BY MATTHEW BARAKAT


McLEAN, Va. The IRS on Tues-day lost a federal appeal in a legalbattle over its effort to institute com-petency exams and other new regula-tions for as many as 700,000 paid taxpreparers.

A three-judge panel of the U.S.Court of Appeals for the District ofColumbia unanimously upheld a low-er courts ruling last year that the IRSlacked authority to impose the new

rules without congressional authori-

zation.The regulations were challenged

by the Institute for Justice in Arling-ton, Va., a libertarian legal group that

has filed a variety of lawsuits chal-lenging occupational licensing laws.

It argued that the proposed regula-

tions for tax preparers were onerousand would have put thousands of

mom-and-pop tax preparers out of

business.Dan Alban, a lawyer for the insti-

tute who argued the case in front ofthe D.C. circuit, called the ruling aclear win both for tax preparers andtaxpayers and said it could havebroad implications for federal agen-

cies that attempt to issue regulationswithout a mandate from Congress.Congress never gave the IRS the

power to license tax preparers, andthe IRS cannot give itself that authori-ty, Alban said.

The IRS has said the rules areneeded to weed out ill-trained andincompetent tax preparers. It said ithad the authority to impose the reg-ulations under an 1884 law passed tohelp Civil War soldiers seeking com-pensation for dead horses.

IRS loses federal appeal onnew rules for tax preparersInternal Revenue Service wanted competency

exams, regulations for paid tax prep agencies


8/20


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BY JEFF AMY


JACKSON A plan topay community college tu-ition for recent Mississip-

pi high school graduateswho are not covered byother financial aid is ad-vancing.

Representatives passedHouse Bill 424 Tuesday bya vote of 115-4. It now goesto the Senate for more de-bate.

The bil l would set up atwo-year pilot program atall of Mississippis 15 com-munity colleges. Localgovernments and privatedonors are already run-ning such plans in 20 ofMississippis 82 counties.

Officials estimate itwould cost less than $4.5million a year more to payoutstanding tuition for thesystems 75,000 students.

The proposed lawwould offer the money toany Mississippi residentwho graduated from highschool, whether public,private or home school.

The student must beyounger than 21 and mustenroll within 12 monthsof graduation. The stu-dent would have to take afull-time slate of 15 credithours and maintain a 2.5GPA, or lose the schol-arship. If they met thosestandards, students wouldbe eligible for four semes-ters of free tuition.

The idea started at Me-ridian Community Col-lege using privately donat-ed money and has since

spread.Federal Pell Grants

typically cover tuition andbooks, at the states 15community colleges for

the poorest students. Themaximum Federal PellGrant award this year is$5,645. Any student whosefamily has an income of$24,000 or less qualifiesfor that full amount.

Any student whodoesnt receive a PellGrant is eligible for thestates Mississippi TuitionAssistance Grant, which

contributes $500 a year.Plus, most institutions of-fer other scholarships.

The Community Col-lege Board said 6,852 stu-dents would have been eli-gible for assistance in fall2012. The cost estimateof $4.5 million was builton maintaining a 2.0 GPA,so a requirement of 2.5 islikely to cut the price.

Because Pell Grantspay for the poorest stu-dents, the program islikely to benefit the more

affluent.

ONLINE:House Bill 424:bit.

ly/1ct2IBV

House passes plan to pay studentscommunity college tuitionPlan would pay tuition for recent

Mississippi high school grads not

covered by other financial aid

BY NATHAN GREGORY

[email protected]

West Point selectmen haveappointed Shay King to the cityschool districts board of trust-ees.

Selectman Gary Dedeauxsmotion in support of Kingpassed 2-1 with Jimmy Clarkin favor and Linda Hannah op-posed. The action took placeTuesday during the selectmens

meeting. Selectmen WilliamBinder and Keith McBrayerrecused themselves beforediscussion was held on the ap-pointment, citing conflicts ofinterest.

King is the director of lab-oratory services for North

Mississippi Medical CentersWest Point branch. She willreplace Diane Jack on March1. Jack had served more thanfour years on the board afterfiling an unexpired term of adeparting board member andbeing appointed for her firstterm in 2010. Jack was also thevice-chairman of the board, ac-cording to the school districts

website.Hannah initially made a mo-

tion to reappoint Jack. It failedfor lack of a second. Dedeauxand Clark both stated for the re-cord that their decision was noreflection on Jacks service.

Three members of the

five-member board reside with-in the city limits and are nom-inated by selectmen. Qualifiedvoters elect the other two, whoreside outside city limits but inthe school district.

Four brownfields underassessment

Last year, the city of West

Point was awarded $400,000 inbrownfield assessment fundingfrom the Mississippi Depart-ment of Environmental Quality.Now, four abandoned sites inWest Point are being reviewedto determine the likelihood ofenvironmental contamination

being present.Melanie Busby, grant ad-

minister for the city, said NorthSide School, West Side School,the old Mary Holmes Collegecampus and property wherethe Sara Lee plant was are eachundergoing Phase One site as-sessment, which is the identifi-cation of risks.

Brownfields are parcels

where the presence of a haz-ardous substance can compli-cate redevelopment or reuse.Brownfield grants provide taxincentives to developers of upto 150 percent of what theyspend to revitalize such a sitein a tax credit.

Phase Two of the process in-volves test ing to see i f the pos -sible risks identified in PhaseOne are present at the sites.The grant will be split evenlyon both phases.

Mary Holmes College closedits doors in 2005, while SaraLee closed down its West Pointplant in 2007.

West Point selectmen appoint King to school boardMotion to re-appoint

incumbent Jack fails

without second

CocaineContinued from Page 1A

MBN Interim DirectorSamuel Owens said hisagency believes the sus-pects distributed morethan $1 million dollarsworth of cocaine through-out the state.

The U.S. Drug Enforce-ment Administration,U.S. Bureau of AlcoholTobacco and Firearms,Oktibbeha County SheriffDepartment, Clay Coun-ty Sheriffs Department,

Chickasaw County SheriffDepartment, West PointPolice Department, NorthMississippi NarcoticsTask Force and Mississip-pi Highway Patrol assistedin the investigation.

Go Dawgs!

ConsolidationContinued from Page 1A

Holloways early appoint-ment.

Both pieces ofStarkvi l le -Okt ibbehaCounty consolidation leg-islation remain in theirrespective chambers.SB 2818 is listed No. 77on the Senates calen-dar Wednesday, whileHB 833 is No. 75 on theHouse calendar. Chismlamented the Housesspeed in tackling pend-ing legislation, alludingto the 8 p.m. Thursdaydeadline for bills to moveforward.

He also said the provi-sion to name Holloway asOCSDs conservator thisyear could be again add-ed later on in the legisla-tive process.

It can come backwhen it goes to confer-ence and not have a prob-lem on our side, Chismsaid. It makes sense thats my frame of mind.

To me, thats theproper thing to do, Ellisadded. Why spend thatmoney for another con-servator during the tran-sition?

Ellis said he wouldmeet again with keyHouse Education Com-mittee members todayabout the future of thatchambers bill.

A cal l to Sen. GaryJackson, R-French Camp,went unreturned Tues-day. He also representsa portion of OktibbehaCounty.

Language preservingprior Commission onStarkville ConsolidatedSchool District Structurerequests was preservedin both committee substi-tutes, including calls forfuture attorney generalrepresentation involvingthe districts desegre-gation orders and theextension of an expiring

2016 school board seatinto 2017; however, theSenate version maintainslines allowing reverse ref-erendum mechanisms forbond issuances that theHouse version drops.

The Senate substitutealso directs OCSD Con-servator Margie Pulleyto issue notes for repairsand renovations to bothsystems campuses assoon as practicable afterpassage and allows herto issue bonds for similarupgrades from July 1 toJune 30, 2015. Holloway

would then have the abil i-ty to issue bonds through2024 as the consolidatedschool district s leader.

Due to the varyinglanguage of each bill, aconference committeeis expected to form andhammer out differences ifboth chambers pass theirrespective substitutes aswrit ten.

West Point chief says he may

review false alarm policy

BY NATHAN GREGORY

[email protected]

West Point PoliceChief Tim Brinkley re-ceived approval fromselectmen to review thedepartments policy onfalse alarm calls and

make a recommendationon possible changes to itin a future meeting.

During a departmenthead report Tuesday atthe selectmen meeting,Brinkley said his de-partment has respondedto 875 calls in the pastmonth, 90 of which werefalse alarms. He said thedepartments statementof purpose indicates of-ficers are required toremain on scene until akeyholder to a residenceor business arrives andit is determined that

no burglary has takenplace. That is costingthe department in moreways than one, Brinkleysaid, and he wants to re-view the policy.

Were spending a lotof time, a lot of moneyand a lot of resources on

home false alarm calls,Brinkley said. It luresour officers into a senseof complacency.

Selectmen also autho-rized Brinkley to applyfor a grant that wouldprovide funding for pa-trol car cameras. If theMississippi Departmentof Highway Safety ac-cepts Brinkleys appli-cation, the agency willmatch 75 percent of a$23,705 grant that Brin-kley said can be used toinstall Pro-Vision cam-

era sys-tems infive patrolcars. Thecity wouldp r o v i d ethe re-m a i n i n gp o r t i o n .Brinkley said the sys-tems would be valuabletools for officers duringtraffic stops.

We havent had cam-eras in our patrol carsfor quite some time, hesaid. It wont allow usto put a camera systemin every car, but it willallow us to put camerasin the cars that are onpatrol, and I think thatsa good start.

Selectmen also ac-cepted the resignationof officer Dustin Tudoreffective Feb. 24 andauthorized the hire offull-time officer WilliamCade and part-time offi-cer Patrick Culley.

Brinkley

Police department has responded

to 90 false alarms in last month

ZachariasContinued from Page 1A

year, but his efforts fellshort when the legislationdied in conference. Hoodrepresents a portion ofOktibbeha County.

Zacharias, the sec-ond-longest serving MSUpresident, died March 3 ofcomplications from multi-

ple sclerosis after an ex-tended illness. He was 77.Hood gained Oktib-

beha County Board ofSupervisors support for apotential road designationthat same month. His at-tempt was tacked onto aseparate road designationbill last year, HB 1290,

which wentt h r o u g htwo jointHouse-Sen-ate con-f e r e n c es e s s i o n sbefore April4 when the

m e a s u r edied on the calendar.In October, Hood

pledged to file anothersimilar bill this term.

I dont feel like thereare any roadblocks (to HB615s passage), so I dontforesee any problems inthe Senate, he said.

The designation wouldbe the second such localhonor for MSU familymembers in the last threeyears. A 2011 designationhonored longtime radiobroadcaster Jack Cristilscareer and dedication tothe university by naming

a portion of Hwy. 182 afterthe legendary voice of theBulldogs.

Dr. Zacharias meantso much to the MSU fam-ily, Hood said last year.We should honor himand his legacy for theuniversity and the city ofStarkville.

Hood


9/20


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WASHINGTON The House

voted overwhelmingly Tuesday torestore full cost of living increasesto pension benefits for younger mil-itary retirees, responding eagerlyto election-year pressure from vet-erans groups.

The Senate debated a similar billas lawmakers hastened to reversecourse on the most controversialcut contained in budget legislationapproved less than two months ago.

Approval of the measure wasnever in doubt in the House, where

the final vote was 326-90.Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick, R-Pa.,

said the bill would protect thepromises that this nation has made

to our veterans. He called on Con-gress to care for those who haveborne the battle and to send thatmessage to all who can hear it.

Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., ar-gued that overturning last yearsrelatively modest change in pen-sions would eventually cause mili-tary readiness to erode as the Pen-tagon struggles to adjust to budgetrestrictions.

Weve got to make some hard

choices. This bill doesnt do it. Itpunts in every conceivable way, hesaid.

Under the bill in the Republi-can-controlled House, a cut in costof living increases for military retir-ees under age 62 would be eliminat-ed before it is scheduled to take ef-

fect 2015. The $7 billion cost of themeasure would be more than offsetby extending pre-existing cuts inMedicare and other governmentprograms for an additional year,through 2024.

The change to cost of l iving ben-efits was part of a budget bill thatCongress approved late last year,and several lawmakers in bothparties said at the time they wouldattempt to reverse it quickly in thenew year.

House approves military pension billUnder the bill, a cut in cost of living increases for

military retirees under age 62 would be eliminated

BY BRETT ZONGKER


CHEVY CHASE,Md. Change is com-ing quickly to the BoyScouts of America afteryears of turmoil and de-bate over its membershippolicy, with an openly gay17-year-old in Maryland

achieving the highestrank of Eagle Scout.

On Monday night, BoyScout Troop 52 of ChevyChase, one of the nationsoldest, formed a circle

and gave Pascal Tessiersustained applause andsome handshakes andpats on the back. Hisachievement comes justweeks after the organi -zation lifted its ban ongay youth and may makehim the first publicly gayEagle approved under the

new policy.Scoutmaster DonBeckham walked to themiddle of the Scout circleafter a series of announce-ments about supplies for

the nextc a m p o u tand an-n o u n c e dthe 17-year-old Tessierwas offi-cially thetroops new-est Eagle.For Tessier, it representssix years of work, 27 mer-it badges and projects inservice, leadership andoutdoor skills. He put all

that at risk, though, toadvocate publicly againstthe Scouts ban on gays.

A Scout is brave,Beckham told the troop,quoting from the Boy

Scout Law after present-ing Tessier his Eaglebadge.

To be a leader, thereare going to be situationswhere you are going tohave to stand up for whatyou believe is right,Beckham said. You maybe asked to make person-al sacrifices, to potential-ly give up your dreamsbecause you are helpingto make something hap-pen that is important for

a lot of other people. ...And when its a principlethat you believe in, useyour Scout training andstand up for what is rightbecause a Scout is brave.

Gay Md. teen achieves Eagle ScoutFirst publicly gay Eagle Scoutapproved under the new policy

Tessier

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BRUSSELS Bel-gium, one of the very fewcountries where euthana-

sia is legal, is expected totake the unprecedentedstep this week of abolish-ing age restrictions onwho can ask to be put todeath extending the

right to children for thefirst time.

The legislation appearsto have wide support inthe largely liberal country.

But it has also aroused in-tense opposition from foes including a list of pedi-atricians and everydaypeople who have stagednoisy street protests, fear-

ing that vulnerable chil-dren will be talked intomaking a final, irrevers-ible choice.

Backers like Dr.

Gerland van Berlaer, aprominent Brussels pe-diatrician, believe it isthe merciful thing to do.The law will be specificenough that it will only ap-

ply to the handful of teen-age boys and girls whoare in advanced stages ofcancer or other terminalillnesses and suffering

unbearable pain, he said.Under current law,they must let nature takeits course or wait untilthey turn 18 and can askto be euthanized.

Belgium set to extend right-to-die law to children


10/20


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Wheres

theMoney?

BY JIM KUHNHENN


WASHINGTON It wasonce the backbone of the HouseRepublican majority thehard-line stand that broughtPresident Barack Obama to thenegotiating table and yieldedmore than $2 trillion in deficit

reduction.On Tuesday, it abruptly van-

ished, the victim of Republicandisunity and a president deter-mined not to bargain again.

During the summer budgetnegotiations in 2011, HouseSpeaker John Boehner had in-sisted that any increase in the

nations borrowing limit bematched dollar for dollar withspending cuts. It became theBoehner Rule, a mantra offiscal discipline. And while itdidnt always live up to its tit-for-tat formula, it helped drivebudget talks and kept deficitreduction at the fore of the Re-

publican agenda.But there are limits to Re-

publican power, and on Tuesdayinevitability finally caught up tothe speaker.

Boehner let Congress voteon a measure to extend the na-tions borrowing authority for13 months without any spend-

ing conditions a clean billthat was an unequivocal victoryfor Obama. It passed 221-201,with only 28 Republican votes.The Senate still has to approvethe extension, but thats con-sidered a mere formality in theDemocratic-controlled cham-ber.

Bedrock GOP principle dropped in debt ceiling vote


11/20

SECTION

BSPORTS EDITOR

Adam Minichino: 327-1297

SPORTS LINE

662-241-5000Sports THE DISPATCH n CDISPATCH.COM n WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2014

Oswalt

College Basketball

Major League Baseball

College Baseball

See BRACEWELL, 4B

See OSWALT, 2B

See GATORS, 2B

See DOGS, 2B

See TIDE, 3B

Mississippi State Athletic Media Relations

Ben Bracewell (4) returns for his senior season at MississippiState this season.

BY JANIE MCCAULEY


Right-hander Roy Oswalt re-tired from baseball on Tuesday

after 13 major league seasonsthat had him criss-crossing the

country with time in the Ameri-

can and National Leagues.Oswalts agent, Bob Garber,

confirmed Oswalts retirement

and said the pitcher wouldcome to work for his agency.

Oswalt, 36, had a 163-102 ca-

reer record with a 3.36 ERA. Hisbest season came with Houston

in 2004, when he went 20-10

with a 3.49 ERA. The durablestarter a three-time All-Starand 2006 NL championship se-ries MVP went over 200 in-nings seven times in his careerbut dealt with injuries in recentyears.

He was 0-6 with an 8.63ERA in nine outings and sixstarts for Colorado last year. Hesigned a minor league deal withthe Rockies in May 2013 andmissed time with a strained lefthamstring.

Texas Rangers manager

Ron Washington was thrilled

to acquire Oswalt in the mid-dle of the 2012 season, when

he went 4-3 witha 5.80 ERA in 17appearances withnine starts.

He joinedthe Rangers onJune 22, 2012,but didnt knowif the team justplanned to tradehim away. Wash-

ington often said Oswalt hasbeen a pro in handling a tough,

unclear situation that called for

him to be used primarily out ofthe bullpen.

That was after Oswalt spenttwo stints on the disabled listduring 2011 with Philadelphiabecause of lower back inflam-mation. He went 9-10 with a 3.69ERA in 23 starts for the Philliesthat year, and his 139 inningspitched were his fewest since2003. He didnt go more than 59innings in his last two years.

A 23rd-round pick by Hous-ton in the 1996 amateur draft,Oswalt pitched his first nine-

plus seasons for the Astros

(2001-10) and then played forPhiladelphia (2010-11), Texas(2012) and the Rockies lastyear.n Ryan joins Astros: At

Houston, Hall of Fame pitcherNolan Ryan rejoined the Hous-ton Astros on Tuesday as an ex-ecutive adviser.

Ryan worked as a special as-sistant to the general managerin Houston from 2004 until hebecame president of the Tex-as Rangers in 2008. He added

Weir native Oswalt retires after 13 major-league seasons, 163 wins

Bracewell looks to keep promise on moundBY MATTHEW STEVENS

[email protected]

STARKVILLE In front ofat least 100 fathers and sons ata fall baseball camp, Ben Brace-well found himself making apromise to Mississippi Statepitching coach Butch Thomp-son.

In a joking way, Bracewellcommitted himself to pitch 100

innings in the 2014 season, afeat he hasnt come close to inhis five-year MSU career on themound.

Its become a running jokearound the locker room thathere I am standing in front of

hundreds of father and sonssaying Im going to do this,Bracewell said. Thats a lot ofinnings for anybody but wellhave a really good season if Ican just make every start Imsupposed to.

Bracewells largest inningaccumulation of innings waslast season when he totaled30 2/3 innings in 21 gameslast season in a relief role. The

6-foot right-hander is hopingto be a Saturday innings eaterin the starting rotation for the2014 Bulldogs club headinginto his final year of eligibility.

I feel bad sometimes thatI made Ben Bracewell do that

as a funny thing to do but thenagain, I dont ever think weveseen him at complete health,MSU pitching coach ButchThompson said.

Bracewell is expected tomake his first start in the 2014season in one of the Saturdaydoubleheader games againstHofstra at Dudy Noble Field.

Bracewell was consideredone of the best high school

power arms in state of Alabamajust three years ago. The powerpitcher came to MSU after post-ing a 15-0 record with a 0.47earned run average while hold-ing opposing hitters to a .108

BY MATTHEW STEVENS

[email protected]

STARKVILLE Georgiamens basketball coach MarkFox says he doesnt like to andwont play much zone defense.

Mississippi State coach RickRay isnt buying that story.

In his coaching tenure atNevada and Georgia, Foxs de-fensive style has been definedby the man-to-man techniquewith long, athletic defenders.This strategy would certainlybe accepted by the home teamin Humphrey Coliseum whenMSU (13-10, 3-7 in Southeast-ern Conference) hosts Georgiafor a 8 p.m. tip. The homestand-ing Bulldogs will be lookingto a snap a five-game losingstreak.

In Mondays media telecon-ference, Fox said he resistsplaying zone defense whenever

possible.With all the zone weve

seen this season, Ill believethat one when I see it Wednes-day night, Ray said to localmedia Monday. Normallycoaches would prefer to notplay any form of zone but thenagain, coaches will do anythingto win through the course of agame.

Georgia (12-10, 6-4) is thirdin the SEC in

Documents

The Starkville Dispatch eEdition 2-12-14