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Monday | December 30, 2019

Monday profile
Sunday
storm causes
‘Go feed the strippers’ minimal
Local pastor’s wife once led a strip club
ministry in Nashville, Tennessee damage
Some rural customers
By Zack Plair
zplair@cdispatch.com experience power

S
ince January, Erin Stevens’ outages; no one
life has looked pretty stan-
dard by Southern Baptist reported injured
pastor’s wife standards.
As the wife of Todd Stevens, DISPATCH STAFF REPORT
who is about to reach the year
mark as pastor of Mount Vernon A severe thun-
Church in New Hope, Erin helps derstorm that rolled
with a backpack ministry that through the Golden
sends meals home with food Triangle Sunday eve-
insecure students at New Hope ning caused no inju-
Elementary. The church also ries and left minimal
ministers at laundromats — put- property damage,
ting quarters in machines, playing according to Oktib- Campanella
with children there and helping beha and Lowndes
families fold their clothes — and County officials.
operates the occasional “gas buy- The line of storms
down” at a local convenience store passed through the
where they give $5 to folks to help area between about
them at the pump. 4:30 and 5:30 p.m.,
All of these ministries feed the with the National
mission of turning the church out- Weather Service is-
ward, Erin said. They don’t take suing tornado warn- Lawrence
Bibles or gospel tracts, and they ings for all of Oktibbeha County
don’t ask the people they help for and the northern part of Lowndes.
anything in return — not even to
Oktibbeha County Emergen-
come to church.
cy Management Agency Director
“We want to show God’s love
Kristin Campanella said there
in practical ways with no strings
were reports of a downed tree and
attached,” Erin said. “We don’t
believe anyone is ‘the enemy.’ We some roof damage on Self Creek
believe (un-churched people) are Road west of Starkville but there
the mission field. The only way to were “no unmet needs.”
reach them is to offer something In Lowndes, EMA Director
genuine and show them uncondi- See Storm, 3A
tional love.
“We want the kind of church
that if we closed the doors tomor-
row, the community would miss
us,” she added.
One might say Erin earned her Under the capitol dome
bona fides in that outreach philos-
ophy long before she came to New
Hope and in a very unconvention-
al way. In her native Nashville,
Deanna Robinson/Dispatch Staff
Erin Stevens, the pastor’s wife at Mount Vernon Church in New Hope since
January, wrote a book about her time leading a strip club ministry in Nash-
Analysis: House
Tennessee, she fed and ministered
to strippers in their workplace at
ville, Tennessee.

least twice a month for five years.
“Not a lot of pastors’ wives like
to hang out at strip clubs,” Erin
said. “I love it.”
Todd surrendered to preach
in 2002 and continued his job in
electronic commerce at Adidas
Global while he attended semi-
nary. When he graduated in 2006,
he went into ministry full-time,
leaving his long-time job to pastor
a church.
The initially-reluctant Erin
ultimately accepted the transition
and said she began praying for the
way God wanted her to support it.
Her answer became clear by 2012:
“Go feed the strippers.” With her
conservative upbringing — raised
by churchgoing parents who didn’t speaker Gunn
bringing policy
even drink — Erin had no expo-
sure to the arena she was about to
enter. But that didn’t stop her.
“The way I see it, your past
does not define you,” she said. “No
matter who you are or what you’ve
proposals later
done, you are valuable to God and
to me.” First legislative session
See Stevens, 6A
of the four-year term
begins Jan. 7
By EMILY WAGSTER PET TUS
The Associated Press

Mississippi 2019 top news: Immigration raid, flood, election JACKSON

Mississippi House
Speaker Philip Gunn
—

By EMILY WAGSTER PET TUS
The Associated Press
JACKSON — Mississippi
residents’ lives in 2019 were
disrupted by a large-scale im-
migration raid and prolonged
flooding in the Delta. People
mourned the deaths of two
longtime elected officials,
and voters chose a new gov-
ernor.
A look at top stories of the
year:
■ Federal agents raided
seven poultry processing
plants in Mississippi on
Aug. 7, arresting 680 mostly
Latino workers in the largest
workplace sting in the U.S. in
at least a decade. The arrests
disrupted the lives of work-
ers’ families, including some
children who were starting
school when their parents
were taken into custody.
■ Two-term Republican
Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves won the
governor’s race Nov. 5 by de-
feating four-term Democratic
Attorney General Jim Hood.
Republicans also won the last
statewide office they didn’t
already have when two-term
state Treasurer Lynn Fitch
was elected to succeed Hood
as attorney general.
■ Parts of the lower Mis-
sissippi Delta remained
flooded for months, causing
hardships for farmers. Water
swamped 860 square miles
north of the Mississippi Riv-
er city of Vicksburg, an area
larger than the cities of New
York and Los Angeles com-
bined. High water along the
Mississippi River also re-
sulted in the opening of the
Bonnet Carre spillway that
protects New Orleans, and
the inundation of fresh water
in the Gulf of Mexico caused
problems on beaches of the
Mississippi Gulf Coast.
■ In late November, Mis-
sissippi started selling lot-
tery tickets for the first time,
joining most other states that
already had the games of
chance.
■ Former U.S. Sen. Thad
Cochran, who brought bil-
See Top news, 6A
has a broad idea
about what he wants
lawmakers to consid-
er in 2020. However,
he says he’s waiting
to see specific pro- Gunn
posals about teacher pay raises,
roads and bridges, health care and
other issues.
“We’re going to continue to look
at infrastructure, continue to look
at the budget, continue to look at
education — the things that are im-
portant,” Gunn said after a legisla-
tive budget meeting in December.
See Analysis, 6A

Weather Five Questions Calendar Local Folks Public

1 What island nation is the native Today meetings
home of the ring-tailed lemur? Jan. 27:
■ Music City Bowl watch party: The
2 Which actor played the role of Daw- Columbus-
son on the TV show Dawson’s Creek? Mississippi State Alumni Association
3 What international retail empire in Lowndes County hosts a Bowl watch Lowndes
was founded by 17-year-old Ingvar party at Buffalo Wild Wings, 2001 Convention and
Kamprad in 1943? Highway 45 N., Columbus. Kick-off is 3
4 How many of the 88 keys on a piano Visitors Bureau
Henry Borer p.m. Dutch treat. For more information,
are black — 36, 44, or 58? Board regular
Kindergarten, Annunciation contact Adrienne Morris, 662-312-2611
5 What blood type designates you as
meeting, 4

55 Low 34
a universal donor? or adriennemorris1999@gmail.com.
High Answers, 6B
p.m., CVB office
Sunny and cooler
Full forecast on
Tuesday Feb. 24:
■ Countdown to History: The Rotary Columbus-
page 3A.
Club of Columbus hosts this gala Lowndes
benefiting PolioPlus from 9 p.m.-1 a.m. Convention and
at Lion Hills Center in Columbus. BYOB;
Visitors Bureau
Inside mixers are provided. State of Shade will
Board regular
Classifieds 6B Dear Abby 5B entertain to ring in the new year. Tickets Andrew Tucker works at Spar-
Comics 5B Obituaries 5A are $30 (or $220 for a table for eight), klight and likes spending time meeting, 4
140th Year, No. 249 Crossword 4B Opinions 4A at 662tix.com. at the beach. p.m., CVB office

DISPATCH CUSTOMER SERVICE 328-2424 | NEWSROOM 328-2471

2A Monday, December 30, 2019 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com

Police: Parishioners kill man

who fatally shoots 2 at church
‘Places of worship are meant to be sacred, and I
am grateful for the church members who acted
quickly to take down the shooter ...’
The Associated Press
WHITE SETTLEMENT, Texas
— A man pulled out a shotgun at a
Texas church service and fired on
worshippers Sunday, killing two peo-
ple before he was shot to death by
congregants who fired back, police
said.
Authorities at a Sunday evening
news conference praised the two
congregants who opened fire as part
of a volunteer security team at West
Freeway Church of Christ in White
Settlement. It was unclear if the two
people who were killed were the two
who shot at the gunman.
“This team responded quickly
and within six seconds, the shooting
was over. Two of the parishioners
who were volunteers of the security
force drew their weapons and took
out the killer immediately, saving
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott
untold number of lives,” said Lt.
Gov. Dan Patrick, who also hailed
the state’s gun laws.
Britt Farmer, senior minister of
the church, said, “We lost two great
men today, but it could have been a
lot worse.”
Authorities said there were more
than 240 parishioners in the West
Freeway Church at the time of the
shooting.
White Settlement Police Depart-
ment Chief J.P. Bevering said the
gunman had sat down in a pew be-
fore getting up, taking out a shotgun
and firing at a parishioner, who was
killed. He said the church’s security
team then “eliminated the threat.”
Officials have not released the
names of the victims or the gunman.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Mat-
thew DeSarno said they’re working
to identify the gunman’s motive,
adding that he is “relatively tran-
sient” but had roots in the area.
DeSarno also said the gunman
had been arrested multiple times in
the past but declined to give details.
An elder at the church told the
New York Times that one of those
killed was a security guard who re-
sponded to the shooter, calling him
a dear friend.
“He was trying to do what he
needed to do to protect the rest of
us,” said the elder, Mike Tinius.
“It’s extremely upsetting to see
anyone committing violence,” he
said.
Tinius said he didn’t know the
gunman and that the shooting ap-
peared to be random.
Gov. Greg Abbott asked the state
to pray for the victims, their loved
ones and the community of White
Settlement, about 8 miles west of
Fort Worth.
“Places of worship are meant to
be sacred, and I am grateful for the
church members who acted quickly
to take down the shooter and help
prevent further loss of life,” Abbott
said in a tweeted statement.

Jewish leaders urge action after another ‘senseless’ attack

‘This is at least the 10th anti-Semitic
incident to hit the New York/New
Jersey area in just the last week.
When will enough be enough?’
Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — When
a suspect walked into
the home of a rabbi cel-
ebrating Hanukkah and
stabbed five celebrants it
was the latest in a week of
anti-Semitic attacks in the
nation’s most demograph-
ically diverse area — and
an incident that reverber-
ated across the country.
“Again, here we are:
mourning another act of
senseless anti-Semitic vi-
olence committed against
our community and pray-
ing for those who were
the victims of this hate,”
Anti-Defamation League
CEO Jonathan Greenblatt
said in a statement Sunday
following the attack a day
earlier in Monsey, New
York.
“This is at least the
10th anti-Semitic incident
to hit the New York/New
Jersey area in just the last
week. When will enough
be enough? These hei-
nous attacks make some-
thing abundantly clear:
The Jewish community
needs greater protection,”
Greenblatt said.
Since the Dec. 10 mas-
sacre at a kosher grocery
store in New Jersey there
have been 19 anti-Semitic
incidents in the U.S., in-
cluding 16 in New York
and New Jersey, accord-
ing to the ADL’s Tracker
of Anti-Semitic Incidents.
The tracker is a compi-
lation of recent cases of
anti-Jewish vandalism,
harassment and assault
reported to or detected by
the group.
Most concerning: Ten
of those incidents have
occurred in New York
since Dec. 23 and involved
assaults or threatened
violence. The ADL de-
fines assaults as incidents
where people’s bodies are
targeted with violence ac-
companied by evidence of
anti-Semitic animus or in a
manner that attacks Jews
for their religious affilia-
tion.
To put the week-long
toll in context, the New
York Police Department
recorded 19 hate-crime
felony assault complaints
in the first three quarters
of 2019.
The surge of high-pro-
file attacks on the Jewish
community, including
shooting rampages at the
Tree of Life synagogue
in Pittsburgh in October
2018, and at a synagogue
in Poway, California, in
April, have caused con-
sternation around the
country.

Trump retweets
post naming alleged
whistleblower
The Associated Press

WEST PALM BEACH,

Fla. — President Donald
Trump retweeted a post that
included the alleged name
of the anonymous whis-
tleblower whose complaint
ultimately led to Trump’s
impeachment by the House.
Just before midnight
Friday, Trump retweeted a
message from Twitter user
@Surfermom77, an account
that claims to be a woman
named Sophia who lives
in California. The account
shows some indications of
automation, including an
unusually high amount of
activity and profile pictures
featuring stock images from
the internet.
By Saturday morning,
the post seemed to have
disappeared on many users’
feeds, suggesting Trump
had deleted it, though it
could still be found in other
ways, including on a website
that logs every presidential
tweet.
The retweet then re-
appeared Saturday night.
Twitter told The Associated
Press that an outage with
one of its systems caused
tweets on some accounts,
including Trump’s, to be
visible to some but not oth-
ers.
Trump has repeatedly
backed efforts to unmask
the whistleblower. But his
Friday night retweet marks
the first time he has directly
sent the alleged name into
the Twitter feed of his 68
million followers.
 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com Monday, December 30, 2019 3A

NTSB: Poor condition of wreckage Mobile to decide key issue

will slow plane crash probe
‘There is no flight data recorder that we know of
at this time. We’ll obviously be looking at that, but
at this point there’s not a lot to go on.’
National Transportation Safety Board Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg
The Associated Press
The lack of a distress call and
flight data recorder coupled with
mangled and charred wreckage
will make finding the cause of a
fiery airplane crash in Louisiana
extremely challenging, federal offi-
cials said Sunday.
National Transportation Safety
Board Vice Chairman Bruce Lands-
berg said at a press conference that
it could take 12 to 18 months to fig-
ure out why the two-engine Piper
Cheyenne fell from the sky about
a minute after taking off from the
Lafayette Regional Airport on Sat-
urday.
The plane crashed near a post of-
fice and caught fire in seconds, leav-
ing the ground littered with burn-
ing wreckage. Five of the six people
on board were killed. The plane was
en route to the Peach Bowl playoff
game in Atlanta between LSU and
Oklahoma. Among those killed was
sports broadcaster Carley McCord,
the daughter-in-law of LSU coach
Steven Ensminger.
“We’ll be looking very careful-
ly at the pilot’s qualifications, the
training that they had, medical
certification and also the history
on the aircraft and its maintenance
records,” Landsberg said. “We have
two videos that have been turned
into us, and we will be analyzing
those.”
Landsberg said that he walked to
the crash site on Sunday morning
and found debris scattered about a
quarter of a mile.
It was a “very sobering situa-
tion,” he said.
Investigators said much of the
aircraft was crushed and consumed
by fire after it crashed. NTSB offi-
cials said they know of no distress
calls made by the pilot or of the ex-
istence of a flight data recorder.
“The avionics equipment on
board the aircraft was pretty badly
damaged,” Landsberg said. “There
is no flight data recorder that we
know of at this time. We’ll obviously
be looking at that, but at this point
there’s not a lot to go on.”
The airplane climbed to 900 feet,
then descended to 700 feet — a dan-
gerously low altitude in the area,
Landsberg said.
The plane went down in a part of
the city with a scattering of banks,
fast food chains and other business-
es. Three people on the ground
were also hurt. Local authorities
identified the sole survivor from the
plane as a 37-year-old man. He was
hospitalized but his condition was
not immediately known.
Lafayette is the fourth-largest
city in Louisiana with a population
of about 130,000, according to the
2018 census. It is located about 135
miles west of New Orleans.
on Amtrak future on Gulf Coast
Hurricane Katrina badly damaged
rail lines in 2005, and Amtrak
hasn’t resumed regular east-west
service since then
The Associated Press
MOBILE, Ala. — City leaders are preparing to
decide a key issue in restoring passenger train ser-
vice along the northern Gulf Coast, where Amtrak
hasn’t operated regularly since Hurricane Katrina.
Council members are scheduled to vote Tues-
day on whether to commit as much as $3 million
over three years to operate Amtrak trains through
the city, al.com reported.
Katrina badly damaged rail lines in 2005, and
Amtrak hasn’t resumed regular east-west service
since then. Although Mississippi and Louisiana al-
ready have dedicated money toward the project to
restart trains, Alabama has been a holdup, partly
because officials at Alabama’s main seaport in Mo-
bile worry passenger trains could interfere with
freight traffic.
Mobile’s commitment of money to match feder-
al funding wouldn’t be needed until 2023, the year
service connecting New Orleans to Mobile could
restart. The city faces a deadline of Jan. 6 for a de-
cision, with the vote set on New Year’s Eve.
“This investment is totally an offset for opera-
tional costs,” said Wiley Blankenship, chief execu-
tive of the Coastal Alabama Partnership and chair-
man of the 21-member Southern Rail Commission.

Missionary priests help Hispanics in Mississippi Delta

Missionaries came to train lay The priests came to
train lay people, priests
in San Antonio to train
other priests. Zubel will
people, priests and others to provide and others to provide op- be stationed at St. Ge-
portunities for worship rard’s Parish in Baton
opportunities for worship and support and support. Katzenberg- Rouge, Louisiana, and
er is particularly pleased Katzenberger will be the
The Associated Press consists of two others, the to have helped Our Lady rector of the Shrine of St.
Rev. Mike McAndrew and of Victory parish in Cleve- Anne de Beaupre near
GREENWOOD — the Rev. Kevin Zubel. land establish a ministry Quebec City in Canada.
Catholic priests known as The Rev. Ted Dorcey for Hispanic residents. Magdalene Abraham
Redemptorists have spent recently departed for a “We have one there of Locus Benedictus said
five years expanding out- parish in Whittier, Cali-
reach to the Hispanic now, a very well estab- the Redemptorists have
fornia. lished and functioning been a tremendous help
community in the Missis-
Redemptorist mission- community,” he said. in the Delta. She said she
sippi Delta.
The missionary priests aries have been serving “That has turned into a hopes more priests and
are moving away for other from a residence at Locus real success. I think we members of religious or-
assignments, the Green- Benedictus Retreat Cen- leave the Hispanic minis- ders will come to help.
wood Commonwealth re- ter since shortly after it try in much better shape “We are actively look-
ported. opened in Greenwood in than when we got here.” ing to get more,” Abra-
“I think we made great 2014. McAndrew has sup- ham said. “We are con-
strides,” said the Rev. “Our goal is to get our- ported Hispanic families fident that God is going
Scott Katzenberger, lead- selves out of a job,” Kat- facing immigration prob- to send us more to work
er of the group, which now zenberger said. lems. He will be working here.”

Around the state

Coroner: Drug
overdoses kill 3 people
in 2 days in 1 county
PICAYUNE — A Mis-
sissippi coroner says three
people in a single county
died of drug overdoses last
weekend.
Pearl River County
Coroner Derek Turnage
said all three deaths are
believed to be from the
use of heroin laced with
the painkiller fentanyl, the
Picayune Item reported.
Turnage said the deaths
were reported Dec. 21 and
22.
He said they appeared
to be accidental and not a
form of suicide.
Turnage said he is wait-
ing for crime lab results to
verify whether the heroin
in each case contained fen-
tanyl.
Coroner releases name
Search on for of man killed by police
Mississippi man wanted in Hattiesburg
HATTIESBURG — Au-
in girlfriend’s death thorities have released the
PORT GIBSON — Au-
thorities in Mississippi
are searching for the boy-
friend of a woman found
shot to death and dumped
along the side of a road, a
county sheriff told news
outlets.
Warrants for kidnap-
ping and murder have
been issued for 31-year-
old Darion Hill, Claiborne
County Sheriff Frank
Davis told The Vicksburg
Post. Hill is accused in
the slaying of 21-year-old
Quawanda Hicks. She
was reported missing by
her mother on Dec. 23 be-
fore being discovered on
Thursday by men riding
four-wheelers, news out-
lets reported. Hicks’ body
has been taken to the state
crime lab for an autopsy.
Hill and Hicks had a
history of domestic dis-
putes, Davis told news out-
lets. The couple was last
seen together on Dec. 19.
Hill should be consid-
ered armed and danger-
ous and could be driving a
tan 2001 Chevrolet Tahoe,
police said.
name of a man who was
shot to death by a police of-
ficer in south Mississippi.
Lamar County Coroner
Cody Creel identified him
as Kenneth Collins, 46, of
Lumberton, news outlets
reported.
The shooting happened
on Dec. 22 off U.S. High-
way 98, near Turtle Creek Neal McCoy told WC-
Mall, when Hattiesburg BI-TV that he hopes the
police responded to a big numbers will be a fun
call for service. Hatties- way for people to celebrate
burg Police Department the city.
spokesman Ryan Moore “This is Tupelo’s front
said the man was armed. porch,” McCoy said. “So,
Moore said the man we wanted to place it here
was taken to a local hospi- to give people a place to
tal and died there. come and take a picture
The Mississippi Bureau and really have some pride
of Investigation is examin-
in our city.”
ing the shooting, as is the
McCoy said the big
usual case with shootings
numbers will remain in
that involve law enforce-
the park through Decem-
ment officers in the state.
ber 2020 before moving to
The name of the Hatties-
burg officer has not been the permanent location at
released. the Oren Dunn City Mu-
seum.
Art helps Tupelo
celebrate 150 years as
a city in 2020
TUPELO — A city in
northeast Mississippi is
making a bold statement
to celebrate its 150th anni-
versary.
An art piece consisting
of three big red numbers
— 1, 5 and 0 — has been
installed at a park near
City Hall in downtown Tu-
pelo. Each is 12 feet tall.
Tupelo was incorporat-
ed on July 20, 1870. The
city is planning a sesqui-
centennial celebration on
July 20, 2020.
Tupelo Convention and
Visitors Bureau Director

Storm SOLUNAR TABLE

Continued from Page 1A The solunar period indicates
peak-feeding times for fish and game.

Cindy Lawrence said the about 500 outages in the All 4-County custom- Major
Mon.
4:33a
Tue.
5:17a
storm felled one tree on Adaton area in Oktibbe- ers had power again be- Minor 11:52a 12:24p
5:38p
Major 4:55p
Charlie Jones Road near ha County, according to fore midnight, Turner Minor 10:07p 11:01p
Crawford, but there were spokesperson Jon Turn- added.
Courtesy of Mississippi Department
of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks

no other damage reports er. 4-County saw about Customers in

and no injuries.
4-County Electric
Power Association, which
serves rural customers
in both counties, saw
3,000 customer outages
in its nine-county service
area, most of which Turn-
er said were in Choctaw
County.
cdispatch.com
Starkville and Columbus
experienced minimal out-
ages, according to repre-
The Dispatch
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516 Main St., Columbus, MS 39703
Opinion
4A Monday, December 30, 2019
PETER BIRNEY IMES Editor/Publisher
BIRNEY IMES III Editor/Publisher 1998-2018
BIRNEY IMES JR. Editor/Publisher 1947-2003

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

ZACK PLAIR, Managing Editor

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

Possumhaw
Something has got to go
I recommend you
dispose of anything
that does not fall
into one of three
categories: Currently
in use, needed for
a limited period of
time, or must keep
indefinitely. — Ma-
rie Kondo author of
The Life-Changing
Magic of Tidying
Up Shannon Bardwell
Another Christ-
mas is behind us, and soon an-
other year. All the wrappings,
boxes, bags, ribbons, and bows
lay strewn across the floor,
crammed into garbage bags, or
neatly hand-pressed and folded
for another year. The gifts from
our wish lists are mostly ours
now and we must find a place
to store them. It would seem to
be an excellent time to say “out
with the old and in with the
new.” Some cold and wet days
urge us to stay inside and tack-
le those projects we’ve put off
for a rainy day. The
percentage of us
who like to declutter
our surroundings
are probably small
but once you declut-
ter you become so
pleased with your-
self, you’ll want to
do it again. There’s
always some area
you haven’t thought
of or an area that
tends to get clut-
tered up before you
know it.
Take that under-the-kitchen-
sink clutter. Of all the declutter-
ing I’ve done I’ve not thought
about under the sink until I was
on my hands and knees looking
for the drain cleaner, which
happened to be in the very
back hiding in a dark corner.
After taking care of the drain,
I pulled out every single item.
There were six aerosol cans of
wasp spray, two were almost
empty. Some very old mosquito
spray-very old, like six years
old. Empty furniture polish,
floor wax, the usual Windex,
409, Clorox spray, dish deter-
gent and so on. After taking
everything out I went to the ga-
rage where I maintain a small
section of cardboard boxes. I
pulled out three and labeled
them: cleaning most used,
bug spray and bombs, and
extra cleaning. It is no longer
necessary to crawl on the floor
to find a product. Just reach
for the item or lift the box out
with one hand. The declutter-
ing took no more than an hour
including walking to the garage
and back. Organizing saves a
lot of time and frustration.
One blogger I follow men-
tioned the “One box challenge.”
Pick out a nice size cardboard
box and roam around the
house looking for things you
don’t need. The blogger found
vacation souvenirs, odd drink-
ing glasses, old hairbrushes,
discarded make-up, broken
sunglasses, unworn jewelry
and other unnecessary odds
and ends to discard.
Over the holidays I chose
to declutter my bookshelves
which I’ve done several times
but of course I’m constantly
adding new books. I don’t think
there is a room in the house
that doesn’t have a bookcase.
I ruthlessly went through
the books stacking some for
library donations, some for
charity thrift stores, and some
for friends. Ah, it looks so
much better and of course now
there’s room for more books.
The next category, I’m still
working on. I have a chest full
of journals, like diaries, dating
back to my twenties. This will
take a lot longer but I’m going
through the journals re-intro-
ducing myself to my younger
self and then…I’ll kiss her
goodbye.
Shannon Rule Bardwell is a
writer, who lives in the Prairie.
Her e-mail is msdeltachild@
msn.com.

Letter to the editor Cartoonist view

Voice of the people
Wants more maintenance of rights of way
Twenty years ago we decided to move to downtown
Columbus. It didn’t take long to see that we were in a
throw-out area for those returning from fast food take
outs. We didn’t know which ward or district we lived so
I began calling city offices and no one knew for sure. I
wanted to complain about all the liter being thrown out
of passing vehicles so I began calling offices and finally
found someone who said we were in Ward 4. I then
called Ward 4 councilman and he gave me a cordial wel-
come to his ward but no help with our trash problem.
Well that turned out to be completely false about
being in Ward 4 , I learned the truth when I called the
Public Works Department about another problem:
the closing of Eighth Avenue North between Sixth
and Seventh streets. Turns out we were in Ward 5 and
District 5. Public works said they were told to dump a
couple loads of fill dirt half way up the block to com-
pletely close it. I talked with the Ward 5 Councilman
with no luck at all concerning liter problems and the
closed road. I did some more investigating and turns
out it was the Ward 6 Councilman who had the dirt
dumped because he thought the road was too danger-
ous and would cost $30,000 to repair — so it had to be
closed. Too bad that it is one of the two roads to connect
residents east of Seventh Street to the business part
of Highway 45. The other road is 18th Avenue North,
which needs all the relief it can possibly get.
It didn’t take a Phd to savvy how important it was
to reopen the closed block of Eighth Avenue. So with
help from a neighbor, Mr. Leigh, the city engineer
and the Light and Water Department we got the road
reopened. The city only had to repair the road surface
so the councilman’s $30,000 figure was an approximate
$29,000 exaggeration.
Now I said all that to say this: About a year ago I
began trying to get pot holes repaired on that same por-
tion of Eighth Avenue North. Our Ward 5 councilman
assured me that he’d get ’er done. It didn’t get done.
So a couple months ago I presented my case to
another office of our city government and was assured
that someone would personally talk to the boss of
the Public Works Department. Now I don’t know how
the gang in the “City Head Shed” go about making
their decisions with these small matters, but I reckon
somehow they came to the conclusion AGAIN that the
road was too dangerous and it’d be too expensive to fix
because the pot holes have not been touched and that
one block of Eighth Avenue North is now a one way
going from east to west. I imagine they think closing
half the road justifies not repairing the three areas that
two people could fix in about two hours. Somehow in
their decision-making session they forgot to consider
that any mandatory reduction of traffic flow will add to
the traffic on 18th Avenue, which is already one of the
busiest street in Columbus. It just doesn’t make sense.
I’d like to know why this road can’t be open for two way
traffic and the surface fixed and properly maintained.
I’d also like to know why we can’t get leaves picked up
from Highland Circle in front of the Highland House,
tree limbs cut that over-hang Seventh Street North,
shrubs cut that grow into the path of traffic, sidewalks
and potholes fixed. Also, why do we have an action line
if no one ever answers it? Lastly, why are our city offic-
es still closed every Friday? That was supposed to be a
temporary thing and it’s causing way too much over-
time, right? Wasn’t it the Mayor who said too much
overtime was causing a deficit in his budget? Well, why
not go back to five eight-hour work days? It’s the right
thing to do in my book and needs to happen but won’t
happen until those with the authority to do it will just THE STAFF OF THE DISPATCH
go ahead and do it. Hopefully in the next election that’s
just around the corner we can get some folks to run EDITOR/PUBLISHER Luther Shields Michael Floyd Slim Smith Timothy Wilson
who care more about the needs of “we the people” and Peter Imes Evie Vidrine Courtney Laury Jan Swoope
Bridget Walters Deanna Tess Vrbin
will do what’s best for the whole City. Robinson-Pugh
PRODUCTION
Raymond Gross PUBLISHER EMERITUS William Hudson
Columbus Birney Imes BUSINESS OFFICE MAILROOM Jamie Morrison
Lindsey Beck NEWS Christina Boyd Anne Murphy
Debbie Foster Isabelle Altman Joseph Ellis Tina Perry
A letter to the editor is an excellent way to participate ADVERTISING Jeffrey Gore
Mary Ann Hardy Theo Derosa Rodney Shows
in your community. We request the tone of your letters Amber Dumas Matt Garner Katrina Guyton
Eddie Johnson
be constructive and respectful and the length be limited Kelly Ervin Lisa Oswalt Garrick Hodge Doris Hill
to 450 words. We welcome all letters emailed to voice@ Melissa Johnson Jennifer Mosbrucker Quaylon Jones
cdispatch.com or mailed to The Dispatch, Attn: Letters to Beth Proffitt CIRCULATION Zach Plair Marquisto Miller
the Editor, PO Box 511, Columbus, MS 39703-0511. Mary Jane Runnels Christopher Dumas Ben Portnoy Bobby Williams
 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com Monday, December 30, 2019 5A

US strikes hit Iraqi militia blamed in contractor’s death

Secretary of State: Strikes send the message
that the U.S. will not tolerate actions by Iran
that jeopardize American lives
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The U.S.
carried out military strikes in
Iraq and Syria targeting an
Iranian-backed Iraqi militia
blamed for a rocket attack that
killed an American contractor,
Defense Secretary Mark Esper
said Sunday.
Secretary of State Mike
Pompeo said the strikes send
the message that the U.S. will
not tolerate actions by Iran that
jeopardize American lives.
“Precision defensive strikes”
were conducted against five
sites of Kataeb Hezbollah, or
Hezbollah Brigades, Defense
Department spokesman Jona-
than Hoffman said in a state-
ment earlier Sunday.
The U.S. blames the militia
for a rocket barrage Friday that
killed a U.S. defense contractor
at a military compound near
Kirkuk, in northern Iraq. Offi-
cials said as many as 30 rockets
were fired in Friday’s assault.
Esper said the U.S. hit three
of the militia’s sites in western
Iraq and two in eastern Syria,
including weapon depots and
the militia’s command and con-
trol bases.
U.S. Air Force F-15 Strike
Eagles carried out the strikes
and all the aircraft safely re-
turned to their home base,
Esper said. At the ammunition
storage facilities that were
struck, significant secondary
explosions were observed.
Pompeo, Esper and Gen.
Mark Milley, chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff, flew to
Palm Beach, Florida, after the
operation to brief President
Donald Trump.
Esper said they discussed
with Trump “other options that
are available” to respond to
Iran.
“I would note also that we
will take additional actions as
necessary to ensure that we
act in our own self-defense
and we deter further bad be-
havior from militia groups or
from Iran,” Esper, who was
accompanied by Pompeo and
Milley, said in a brief statement
to reporters in a ballroom at
Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort,
where the president is on a
more than two-week winter
break.

Area obituaries Congressman John Lewis says

COMMERCIAL DISPATCH
OBITUARY POLICY
Obituaries with basic informa-
tion including visitation and
service times, are provided
free of charge. Extended
obituaries with a photograph,
detailed biographical informa-
tion and other details families
may wish to include, are avail-
able for a fee. Obituaries must
be submitted through funeral
homes unless the deceased’s
body has been donated to
science. If the deceased’s
body was donated to science,
the family must provide official
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the next day Monday through
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publication. For more informa-
tion, call 662-328-2471.
Wayne Myhre III
STARKVILLE —
SSgt. Wayne E. Myhre
III, 35, died Dec. 26,
2019.
Services will be at 1
p.m. Tuesday at Friend-
ship Baptist Church in
Sturgis. Visitation will
be from 10 a.m.-noon
prior to services at
Welch Funeral Home.
Welch Funeral Home of
Starkville is in charge
of arrangements.
SSgt. Myhre was
born Dec. 29, 1983, in
Starkville, to Wayne E.
Myhre II and Brenda Mr. West was born born June 30, 1960, in
Conner Grebner. He
was a 2002 graduate of
Feb. 3, 1947, in Mon-
roe County, to the late
Lowndes County, to the cancer is his latest battle
late W.B. Mitchell and The Associated Press
Starkville High School Albert A. and Luvada Martha R. Mitchell.
and attended Missis- Strickland West. He In addition to his par- ATLANTA — As a civil rights
sippi State University, was formerly employed ents, he was preceded activist at 25, John Lewis was beat-
Gadsden State Commu- with Amory Garment in death by his siblings, en so badly his skull was fractured
nity College and Jack- Company and attended William B. Mitchell and and the TV images from an Alabama
sonville State Universi- East Amory Baptist Clyde Mitchell. bridge in the 1960s forced a nation’s
ty. He was a member of Church.
He is survived by awakening to racial discrimination.
the Mississippi Army In addition to his As a congressman today at 79, Lewis
National Guard, serving parents, he was preced- his siblings, Arelya
J. Mitchell and Lloyd is facing a foe like none before: ad- Lewis
as a Forward Observer ed in death by his wife, vanced pancreatic cancer.
and an infantryman in Laura Faye Sheilds Mitchell, both of Co-
The veteran Democrat congressman from Geor-
Iraq. West; four brothers; lumbus, Karen Mitchell gia has fought many struggles in his lifetime. Yet,
In addition to his par- two sisters; and one of Agoura, California, he said, “I have never faced a fight quite like the
ents, he is survived by grandchild. Zelia M. Mitchell of one I have now,” announcing Sunday in Washing-
his wife, Kayla Wilson He is survived by Dallas, Texas, Vimla C. ton that the cancer was detected earlier this month
Myhre; children, Mary his daughters, Angela Mitchell of Cleveland, and confirmed in a diagnosis.
Payton Myhre, Conner Purser and Kereon Dwight E. Mitchell Lewis has had many battles, and this he views
Wayne Myhre, Laynee Ann West, both of of Holly Springs, Van as one more dawning. He was arrested at least 40
Kennedy Myhre and Hackelburg, Alabama, Mitchell of Atlanta, times in the civil rights era, several more times as a
Wesley Jay Brooks; and Shelia Faye West Georgia, Bert A. Mitch- congressman since being elected in 1986 and only
stepfather, Donald L. of Hamilton; brothers, ell of Tallahassee, Flor- recently he has been rallying to help reunite immi-
Grebner; stepmoth- Timothy Wayne West ida, Adrian Mitchell of grant families separated by the Trump administra-
tion.
er, Tammy Landrum of Mt. Vernon, Georgia Memphis, Tennessee,
Myhre; and siblings, and Lester Quitman The youngest and last survivor of the Big Six
and Mears A. Mitchell. civil rights activists, a group once led by the Rev.
Kristin Myhre Nyholm, West of Amory; sister,
Amanda Myhre Hum- Flora L. Bruff Roebuck; Martin Luther King Jr., Lewis made clear that he
phrey, Taylor Myhre nine grandchildren; has no plans to step aside from power while he un-
Putt, Karl M. Grebner and 11 great-grandchil- dergoes treatment.
and Daniel F. Grebner. dren. He said being elected to Congress “has been the
honor of a lifetime” and that he will continue work-
ing for his constituents from Capitol Hill.
Clemos West Menders Mitchell “I have been in some kind of fight — for free-
AMORY — Clemos COLUMBUS — dom, equality, basic human rights — for nearly my
Andrew West, 72, died Menders A. Mitchell, entire life,” he said.
Dec. 28, 2019, at North 59, died Dec. 28, 2019, Added Lewis: “I have a fighting chance.”
Mississippi Medical at his residence. He declined to say where he would receive can-
Center Hospice in Services will be cer treatment or what that would entail.
Tupelo. at 11 a.m. Tuesday at
Services will be at Carer’s Funeral Service Judy Studdard
noon Tuesday at Cleve- Chapel, with the Rev. Services:
Monday, Dec. 30 • 1 PM
land-Moffett Funeral Mildred Mitchell offici- 2nd Ave. North Location
Home, with Chris ating. Burial will follow Burial
Mitchell officiating. at Oak Grove M.B. Egger Cemetery
Caledonia, MS
Burial will follow at Church Cemetery. Vis-
New Hope Cemetery. itation will be one hour Donald Pickens Jr.
Visitation is from 5-8 prior to services at the Visitation:
p.m. today at the funer- funeral home. Carter’s Tuesday, Dec. 31 • 10-11 AM
2nd Ave. North Location
al home. Cleveland-Mof- Funeral Service of Services:
fettt Funeral Home of Columbus is in charge Tuesday, Dec. 31 • 11 AM
2nd Ave. North Chapel
Amory is in charge of of arrangements. Burial
arrangements. Mr. Mitchell was Chapel Hill Cemetery
Near Kennedy, AL

John R. Ford
Incomplete
2nd Ave. North Location

After brain surgery, Jimmy Carter Janice Cade

Incomplete

returns to hometown church College St. Location

Jeri Lynn Merrell

The Associated Press
PLAINS, Ga. — Former President
Jimmy Carter publicly appeared Sunday
at the Georgia church where he wor-
ships for the first time since undergoing
brain surgery in November.
The 95-year-old Carter and his wife
of more than 70 years, Rosalynn, attend-
ed services at the Maranatha Baptist
Church in Plains on Sunday, news out- Incomplete
lets reported. Parishioners also prayed 2nd Ave. North Location
for the Carters, who were nestled into
front-row seats at the church where Car-
ter famously has taught Sunday school.
The nation’s oldest-ever ex-president
underwent surgery last month at Emory memorialgunterpeel.com
University Hospital in Atlanta to relieve
pressure on his brain caused by bleed-
ing from a fall.
6A Monday, December 30, 2019 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com

Stevens
Continued from Page 1A
She started by taking
home-cooked meals ev-
ery two weeks. Soon, she
started including small
gifts with the meals,
mostly creature com-
forts like makeup. The
church’s women’s min-
istry got involved, too,
sewing the club workers
quilts and blankets for
Erin to take them.
Over time, it evolved
to club workers calling
her, sometimes in the
early morning hours, to
come help them.
Erin said she was
unexpectedly welcomed
into the environment
— proof, she said, that
God had sent her on the
mission. The bouncers,
whom she fed as often as
the strippers, called her
“the church lady.” They
parked her car, carried in
the food she brought and
looked after her while
she was in the club.
The general manag-
er even welcomed her,
becoming in some ways
Erin’s friend. However,
that friendship came with
some sobering realiza-
tions.
“Almost every time
I went, I spoke with the
general manager,” she
said. “He supported what
I was doing, but one day
in his office he showed
me a stack of resumes on
his desk. He told me, ‘For
every one you save, I’ve
got 10 more to replace
them.’”
And it wasn’t just sav-
ing them from the pole.
Erin said drug use and
prostitution were preva-
lent and she considered
herself on the front lines
of human trafficking in
the area.
What’s more, anyone
who left the lifestyle had
to give up as much as
$10,000 per month, often
in exchange for jobs that
paid $10 or $12 per hour.
That’s a hard sell, she
said, for single mothers
or women trying to pay
their way through school.
Still, seven dancers
did leave their jobs. They
became housekeepers,
musicians, motivation-
al speakers. One even
works on airplanes, Erin
said.
Some joined the
church, but they all
returned to the club with
Erin’s ministry.
“My most powerful
allies in that ministry,
besides the Holy Spirit,
were those girls who had
changed their lives,” she
said.
Todd and Erin wrote a
book about their experi-
ences, “How to Pick Up a
Stripper,” which Thomas
Nelson published in 2014.
The idea, Erin said, is to
get people to think about
the church’s purpose in a
different way.
“People get so caught
up in tradition,” Erin said.
“If we would just love like
Jesus loved, instead of
arguing about what He
said, we could change the
world.”
Erin said Mount Ver-
non has offered to help
if she wants to start a
strip club ministry in the
Golden Triangle. Wheth-
er she does, she said, is
up to God’s calling. In the
meantime, she still keeps
up with her friends in
Nashville, some of whom
still work in the club.
“I miss them, but I’m
still in contact with a
lot of them,” she said.
“They’re my friends on
Facebook.”

Analysis
Continued from Page 1A
“Job creation is probably
number one that is most
critical to the entire pros-
perity of the state.”
Gunn recently spon-
sored a forum to discuss
why people are moving
out of Mississippi to pur-
sue their careers. He said
he wasn’t sure whether
he will offer legislation to
try to curb the brain drain
problem.
The first legislative
session of the four-year
term begins Jan. 7, and
one of the first orders of
business will be for the
House to elect its leaders.
Gunn is a Republican
from Clinton who has
served eight years as
speaker, the presiding of-
ficer of the 122-member
House. He has enough
pledges of support to win
another term as speaker,
so the vote on opening
day should happen with-
out drama.
Gunn will have a new
counterpart on the other
end of the Capitol when
Republican Delbert Hose-
mann, the current sec-
retary of state, becomes
lieutenant governor after
winning a statewide elec-
tion in November. Hose-
mann will preside over
the 52-member Senate.
He and Gunn will alter-
nate years as chairman of
the Joint Legislative Bud-
get Committee.
Hosemann and most
other statewide elected
officials take office Jan. 9,
and the current lieutenant
governor, Republican Tate
Reeves, will be inaugurat-
ed as governor Jan. 14.
Hosemann has already
said he intends to an-
nounce senators’ commit-
tee assignments Jan. 10.
Gunn said he wants to
announce House commit-
tee assignments early in
the session, but he’s not
committing to a date. If he
takes longer than Hose-
mann, it’s with good rea-
son: Gunn’s task is more
complex because he has
more than twice as many
people to try to make hap-
py.
Both Gunn and Hose-
mann have been commu-
nicating with legislators
about their policy inter-
ests. Both say they are
keeping those in mind as
they set committee as-
signments. If someone’s
eyes glaze over at the mere
mention of farming, for ex-
ample, there’s no point in
putting that person on the
Agriculture Committee.
With their party con-
trolling both chambers,
Republicans will receive
the most coveted assign-
ments. Committees are
the first clearinghouse
for bills, deciding which
ones survive and which
die quietly with little or
no debate.
One issue that has
died with little discussion
the past few years is ex-
pansion of Medicaid, the
health insurance for the
needy, paid by federal
and state dollars. Under
the health care overhaul
that President Barack
Obama signed into law in
2010, states have the op-
tion of extending cover-
age to the working poor.
Mississippi is among the
14 states that have not
done so.
“I am not in favor of ex-
pansion in the traditional
sense of what they mean
by it,” Gunn said. “A lot of
people say ‘Medicaid re-
form.’ I don’t know what
they mean by reform, but
I’m willing to listen.”
The main group
talking about “reform”
rather than “expansion”
is the Mississippi Hos-
pital Association, which
unveiled its Mississippi
Cares proposal in 2019. It
envisions that low-income
people who become Med-
icaid recipients would
pay something for their
coverage, and hospitals
would also pay into the
program to cover other
costs.
Even if that type of
Medicaid change were to
win legislative approval,
it would likely hit a brick
wall with the new gov-
ernor. Reeves has said
repeatedly that he does
not want more people on
Medicaid.

Top news
Continued from Page 1A
lions of dollars to his
home state of Missis-
sippi as chairman of the
powerful Appropriations
Committee, died May 30
at age 81. Cochran was a
Republican who served in
the U.S. House six years
before winning a Senate
seat in 1978. He won his
final term in a contentious
2014 election, and he re-
tired in April 2018, amid
health concerns. Anoth-
er prominent politician,
Democratic former Mis-
sissippi House Speaker
Billy McCoy, died Nov. 12
at age 77.
■ On Dec. 16, Curtis
Flowers walked out of
jail for the first time in
more than 22 years after
a judge set $250,000 for
him. Flowers has been
tried six times in the 1996
killings of four people at
a Winona furniture store.
Four convictions were
overturned and two trials
ended in mistrial. In June,
the U.S. Supreme Court
overturned Flowers’ 2010
conviction, saying the
district attorney had im-
properly excluded Afri-
can American residents
as potential jurors. By the
day of the bond hearing,
District Attorney Doug
Evans had not said wheth-
er he would try Flowers a
seventh time.
■ State College Board
trustees on Oct. 4 abrupt-
ly cut short their process
of searching for a new
chancellor at the Univer-
sity of Mississippi. Stu-
dents and faculty protest-
ed when trustees chose
the state’s former com-
missioner of higher edu-
cation , Glenn Boyce, who
originally led the search
and had said he would
not be a candidate for the
job. Throughout the year,
Ole Miss also continued
trying to distance itself
from Old South imagery.
Pro-Confederate groups
from outside the univer-
sity rallied at the monu-
ment Feb. 23, causing Ole
Miss basketball players to
kneel during the national
anthem, in protest of the
rally. On March 5, student
government leaders ad-
opted a resolution saying
that a Confederate mon-
ument should be moved
from the heart of the cam-
pus to a Confederate cem-
etery that is also on cam-
pus but in a remote spot.
In December, state De-
partment of Archives and
History trustees approved
plans for the move, and
the College Board could
consider the final level of
approval in early 2020.
■ Republican Gov. Phil
Bryant, in March signed
one of the strictest abor-
tion laws in the nation. It
would ban most abortions
once a fetal heartbeat can
be detected. That is at
about six weeks, before
many women even know
they are pregnant. The
state’s only abortion clinic
sued the state. In May, a
federal judge blocked the
law from taking effect. A
legal fight continued at
year’s end. In December,
the conservative 5th U.S.
Circuit Court of Appeals
ruled that a 15-week
abortion ban that Bryant
signed into law in 2018 is
unconstitutional, and Bry-
ant said the state would
appeal to the Supreme
Court.
■ After hearing exten-
sive testimony in a lawsuit
over Mississippi’s mental
health system, U.S. Dis-
trict Judge Carlton Reeves
said he will appoint an ex-
pert to oversee changes to
the system. Reeves said
attorneys for the federal
government proved the
state is doing too little to
serve people outside the
confinement of mental
hospitals.
■ Biloxi police officer
Robert McKeithen was
shot to death outside a
police station May 5. One
man, Darian Atkinson,
was charged in the killing
and several were charged
for allegedly helping him
after the fact. An Oxford
police officer, Matthew
Kinne, was charged with
capital murder after a
woman with whom he was
romantically involved,
Dominique Clayton, was
found shot to death in her
home May 19.

Send in your News About Town event.

email: community@cdispatch.com
Subject: NATS
Sports
Stellar shooting carries Bulldogs over Little Rock
By Theo DeRosa
tderosa@cdispatch.com
STARKVILLE — Mis-
sissippi State shot the
lights out.
The Bulldogs women’s
basketball team had just
put up a 25-point third
quarter against Little
Rock on Sunday, stretch-
ing its lead to 62-41. As
Queen’s “We Will Rock
You” streamed over the
Humphrey Coliseum
loudspeakers, the power
suddenly died, shrouding
the court in darkness for a
couple minutes until pow-
er was restored.
After a short delay, the
lights came back on, and
Mississippi State picked
up where it left off.
The Bulldogs kept add-
ing to their lead, scoring
27 points in the fourth
quarter, and went on to
beat the Trojans 89-50,
tying their best clip from
the field so far this sea-
son. Mississippi State
(12-2) made 35 of its 63
field goal attempts for
55.6 percent, and all 12
players who saw the floor
scored at least two points.
“I think we just shot it
well,” Bulldogs coach Vic
Schaefer said. “I do think
we got deep in the lane a
lot. I like the way we at-
tacked. We’d like to do
that every night.”
Mississippi State
found consistent success
with its inside game, as
post players Jessika Car-
ter, Yemiyah Morris and
Promise Taylor combined
to make seven of nine
shots. But it was the Bull-
dogs’ guards who proved
even more successful.
Freshman Aliyah
Matharu exploded in the
fourth quarter, scoring all
18 of her points in the pe-
riod and leading the Bull-
dogs in scoring. She fol-
lowed Schaefer’s plan for
offensive success., scor-
ing in the paint time and
time again in the fourth.
The Commercial Dispatch’s top 10 sports stories of the year
By Dispatch Staff
There was no shortage
of compelling sports sto-
ries in The Golden Trian-
gle in 2019.
But The Commercial
Dispatch was up to the
challenge of narrowing
down the top 10 stories
of 2019 as 2020 creeps
around the corner.
Multiple aspects of
each particular story
were considered, such as
newsworthiness, future
impact, proximity and
precedent.
The following stories
were voted on by the
newspaper’s staff, with
each member voting for
what they deemed the top
10 stories of the year. The
first story a writer picked
received 10 points, the
second story nine points,
and so on.
Plenty of subjectivity
was to be expected, as ev-
ident by the variety of sto-
ries on each participating
staff member’s ballot.
Nevertheless, here are
our top 10 stories of the
year along with a few hon-
orable mentions.
Honorable mentions
MUW women win US-
CAA championship
Joshua Pulphus hired
as Columbus coach, wins
four games in first year
Kylin Hill wins Coner-
ly Trophy, leads SEC in
rushing
Mississippi State’s Myah Taylor shoots ahead of the defense by Little Rock’s Kiana Anderson during the first
quarter Sunday at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville.
“I just tried to do
what he said, because it
worked,” Matharu said.
“Listening to him, it
works. I wasn’t listening
at first, but tonight proves
that attacking the basket
works.”
Schaefer said he wasn’t
surprised with
“I think there were
some folks out on the
floor that were looking
around, going, ‘Who is
this kid?’” Schaefer said.
“I’ve been seeing it for a
while now, and I told her
the other day in practice,
‘There’s nobody who can
guard you.’”
Matharu made seven
of her 13 shot attempts,
tied for second on the
team with five rebounds
Teaira McCowan and
Quinndary Weatherspoon
are drafted in WNBA and
NBA draft
Tyrone Shorter leaves
Noxubee County for Lou-
isville; Teddy Young leads
Tigers to state champion-
ship game in first year as
coach
Starkville basketball
wins MHSAA Class 6A
championship
New Hope, Caledo-
nia volleyball each make
state final four for first
time in school history
10. New Hope baseball
wins MHSAA Class 4A
championship
The New Hope base-
ball team got back where
it belonged in 2019.
The Trojans won their
eighth title in school his-
tory and broke a five-year
title drought by beating
Sumrall for the MHSAA
Class 4A championship.
New Hope hadn’t won a
baseball title since 2014.
Ryan Burt pitched a
one-hit, complete-game
shutout for the Trojans in
the second game of the
championship series to
give New Hope a 4-0 win.
Burt improved from an
early-season back injury
to get back into champi-
onship form.
For him and New
Hope, it was redemption
after Burt suffered a 1-0
loss to Vancleave in the
first game of the title se-
Mississippi state women’s basketball
and didn’t commit a sin-
gle turnover — a stat line
Schaefer loved to see.
“That’s the way this
kid can be,” Schaefer
said. “She can go on a tear
now.”
Mississippi State re-
ceived solid contribu-
tions from several play-
ers besides Matharu on
Sunday. Graduate guard
Jordan Danberry kept
up her consistency with
15 points, and freshman
Rickea Jackson continued
a solid stretch of play with
14 points.
Jackson has scored at
least 14 or more points
in six of the past sev-
en games and scored
all 14 points in the first
half Sunday. She used a
ries in 2018.
The Trojans won 11
straight games to close
their season with a 27-5
record. They swept all five
of their playoff opponents,
including 17-0 and 26-0
wins over first-round op-
ponent Gentry. New Hope
then beat rival Caledonia
in the second round, beat
Amory in the north semi-
final and beat Pontotoc in
the north final.
9. Jake Mangum breaks
all-time SEC hit record 8. Mississippi State
Alexa, play “Your
Love” by The Outfield. women’s basketball
Perhaps no song has makes third straight
become more synony- Elite Eight
mous with a player or
team in the past decade
than center fielder Jake
Mangum’s famed walk-up
tune.
After hitting a bloop
single to right field in an
April 27 game against
Georgia, a techno version
of the tune roared around
Dudy Noble Field after
Mangum broke Eddy
Furniss’ SEC all-time hits
record.
“Such a special player
the way he plays the game
and the way he gets a big
hit,” MSU coach Chris
Lemonis said at the time.
“The bigger the moment,
the bigger the hit.”
Mangum concluded
his career with 383 hits —
24 hits ahead of LSU’s An-
toine Duplantis, who also
surpassed Furniss’ mark
THE DISPATCH n CDISPATCH.COM n MONDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2019
smooth midrange game
for a majority of her scor-
ing against the Trojans
but wasn’t afraid to drive
to the basket when she
needed to.
“I’m getting more and
more comfortable with
it, especially being in col-
lege,” Jackson said. “In
high school, there was al-
ways a 5-5 girl on me, so
it was just easier for me to
not even really jump. But
here, I have to actually
jump and elevate over the
person and attack the bas-
ket first.”
Jackson’s efforts in the
first half buoyed the Bull-
dogs, who took a 37-23
lead into halftime. In the
third quarter, Danberry
and freshman Jayla Hem-
— as MSU was eliminat-
ed by Louisville in the
third game of the College
World Series. It was the
Bulldogs’ second straight
appearance in Omaha.
Following the season,
Mangum was selected in
the fourth round of the
MLB First-Year Player
Draft by the New York
Mets. He batted .247
with 18 RBIs and seven
extra-base hits for the
short-season single-A
Brooklyn Cyclones.
Before Vic Schaefer
took over the women’s
basketball program at
Mississippi State in 2012,
the Bulldogs had reached
one Sweet 16 in the team’s
39-year history.
Capping off his eighth
season in Starkville in
March, Schaefer earned
his third straight trip to
the Elite Eight riding the
frontcourt duo of Teai-
ra McCowan and Texas
A&M graduate transfer
Anriel Howard.
And while the Bull-
dogs were upset by No.
2-seed Oregon in the
NCAA Tournament, they
did manage to bring
home their first-ever SEC
Tournament title after
also capturing the con-
ference’s regular-season
title.
Jim Lytle/Special to The Dispatch
ingway provided a large
part of the Bulldogs’ scor-
ing.
“She does the things
that help you win,”
Schaefer said of Hem-
ingway, who finished
with six points and three
rebounds. “They don’t
stand out, but I see it. I’ve
seen it in practice. Really
proud of her today and
her continued growth.”
Junior Chloe Bibby,
who wasn’t in the start-
ing lineup as a result of
a recent concussion, also
contributed in the third.
Bibby went through a
non-contact practice Sat-
urday and was cleared for
contact Sunday, and she
went 2 of 5 from the field
for five points.
It wasn’t the national
title so many surrounding
the program have des-
perately yearned for over
the past few seasons, but
the 2019 season offered
a look at the elite consis-
tency Schaefer has built
during his time at MSU
after taking over a team
that had virtually no his-
tory in the sport before
his arrival.
7. MSU men’s basket-
ball reaches NCAA
tournament for first
time in a decade
The Mississippi State
men’s basketball team
broke out its dancing
shoes in 2019. For the
first time in 10 years, the
Bulldogs qualified for the
NCAA tournament after
finishing 23-11 overall
and 10-8 in SEC play.
Nevertheless, the No.
5-seeded Bulldogs had
a short stay in the Big
Dance, falling to No.
12-seeded Liberty 80-76
in their opening game.
MSU used a balanced
scoring attack all season,
with six players scoring
9.5 points per game or
more. Guards Quinndary
Weatherspoon and Lamar
Peters were the top two
scorers, averaging 18.5
and 11.9 points per con-
test, respectively.
Building on the mo-
mentum from a year ago,
MSU started 8-3 to open
the 2019-2020 campaign.
SPORTS LINE
662-241-5000
B
SECTION
Sophomore guard
Xaria Wiggins, who re-
placed Bibby and earned
her first career start,
struggled Sunday, going
1 of 6 from the field and
turning the ball over five
times.
“I need Xaria to play
better,” Schaefer said.
“Maybe the starting piece
was a little uncomfortable
for her, and she’s more
comfortable coming off
the bench. ... Xaria’s gon-
na be fine. She was upset
that she didn’t play well,
and I like that too. I like
people that care and want
to play well.”
Wiggins’ teammates
picked her up nicely, as
Mississippi State got 40
points from Matharu and
the bench unit Sunday.
Despite a few moments
early on where the Bull-
dogs’ defense lagged,
Schaefer was happy with
the performance.
“I got upset a little bit
just because I don’t think
we played very hard at
times,” he said. “I think
the film will show that,
and they’ll learn that. But
we scored 89 points and
held them to 50, and we’re
gonna take that every
night.”
The win wraps up
a solid nonconference
schedule for the Bulldogs
— Schaefer noted wins
against perennial NCAA
tournament teams as well
as losses to Stanford and
West Virginia — and be-
gins what he called the
“nightmare” of South-
eastern Conference play.
Mississippi State will host
Florida at 7:10 p.m. Thurs-
day at Humphrey Colise-
um to open its conference
slate.
“We’ll try to grow from
this, get better, move on,
and we’ve gotta get ready
now for the SEC,” Schae-
fer said.
T5. Heritage Academy
becomes “Titletown”
with baseball, basket-
ball, football crowns
Move over, Boston. In
2019, Heritage Academy
became the new “Title-
town.”
The Patriots won the
MAIS championship in
baseball, boys basketball
and football in 2019, com-
pleting an impressive title
trifecta.
In baseball, the Pats
swept Wayne Academy in
the MAIS Class 3A cham-
pionship to capture their
first title in school histo-
ry. Blayze Berry and Cole
Ketchum each pitched a
shutout of the Jaguars to
deliver the title to the Pa-
triots.
In boys basketball,
Heritage Academy won
the MAIS overall cham-
pionship by beating Hill-
crest Christian 81-52 in
Clinton. Senior Moak
Griffin scored 29 points
on 10-of-11 shooting from
the field to help the Pats
win the title.
In football, Heritage
Academy was simply
dominant, allowing fewer
than 10 points per game
and enacting a running
clock via the 35-point
mercy rule in nearly all
its games. The Patriots
capped their 14-0 season
— their first undefeated
campaign since 1986 —
See TOP 10, 4B
2B Monday, December 30, 2019
CALENDAR
Today
College Football
Mississippi State vs. Louisville, Music
City Bowl, 3 p.m.
Prep Girls Basketball
New Hope at Sulligent (Ala.), 6 p.m.
Prep Boys Basketball
New Hope at Sulligent (Ala.), 6 p.m.
Men’s College Basketball
Kent State at Mississippi State, 7 p.m.
Lyon College at MUW, 6 p.m.
Thursday
Women’s College Basketball
Florida at Mississippi State, 7:10 p.m.
Georgia at Ole Miss, 6:15 p.m.
Friday
Prep Girls Basketball
Itawamba Agricultural at Caledonia, 6
p.m.
Columbus at West Lowndes, 6 p.m.
Heritage Academy at Leake Academy,
3 p.m.
New Hope at Pickens County (Ala.), 6
p.m.
Noxubee County at Louisville, 6 p.m.
Starkville at Greenville, 6 p.m.
Starkville Academy at Winston Acade-
my, 6 p.m.
Oak Hill Academy at Central Holmes
Christian, 6 p.m.
Prep Boys Basketball
Heritage Academy at Leake Academy,
4:30 p.m.
Itawamba Agricultural at Caledonia, 6
p.m.
Columbus at West Lowndes, 7:30 p.m.
New Hope at Pickens County (Ala.),
7:30 p.m.
Noxubee County at Louisville, 7:30 p.m.
Starkville at Greenville, 7:30 p.m.
Starkville Academy at Winston Acade-
my, 7:30 p.m.
Oak Hill Academy at Central Holmes
Christian, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
Prep Girls Soccer
Starkville at Saltillo, 2 p.m.
Prep Boys Soccer
Starkville at Saltillo, 4 p.m.
Prep Girls Basketball
Tuscaloosa Academy at Heritage Acad-
emy, 3 p.m.
Oak Hill Academy at Winston Academy,
3 p.m.
Caledonia at Smithville Shootout, TBA
Prep Boys Basketball
Tuscaloosa Academy at Heritage Acade-
my, 4:30 p.m.
Oak Hill Academy at Winston Academy,
4:30 p.m.
Caledonia at Smithville Shootout, TBA
Noxubee County vs. Kemper County at
Newton Shootout, TBA
Starkville at Tangle on the Trail, Ponto-
toc, TBA
Men’s College Basketball
Auburn at Mississippi State, 3:30 p.m.
Ole Miss at Wichita State, 3 p.m.
Southern University at MUW, 4 p.m.
Women’s College Basketball
MUW at LSU-Shreveport, 2 p.m.
Sunday
Women’s College Basketball
Mississippi State at Georgia, 3 p.m.
Monday, Jan. 6
Prep Girls Basketball
Caledonia at Lamar County, 5 p.m.
Prep Boys Basketball
Caledonia at Lamar County, 6:30 p.m.
Women’s College Basketball
MUW at Southern, 5:30 p.m.
Ole Miss at Texas A&M, 6 p.m.
Meridian Community College at East
Mississippi Community College, 7:30
p.m.
Men’s College Basketball
Meridian Community College at East
Mississippi Community College, 7:30
p.m.
on the air
Today
COLLEGE BASKETBALL (MEN’S)
5:30 p.m. — Xavier at Villanova, FS1
6 p.m. — Yale at North Carolina, ACCN
6 p.m. — William & Mary at Elon,
CBSSN
7:30 p.m. — Seton Hall at DePaul, FS1
8 p.m. — Tulane at Memphis, CBSSN
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
11:30 p.m. — The First Responder
Bowl: Kentucky vs. Western Michigan,
Dallas, ESPN
3 p.m. — The Music City Bowl: Mis-
sissippi State vs. Louisville, Nashville,
Tenn., ESPN
3 p.m. — The Redbox Bowl: California
vs. Illinois, Santa Clara, Calif., FOX
7 p.m. — The Orange Bowl: Florida vs.
Virginia, Miami, ESPN
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
3 p.m. — Under Armour All-America
Game: Practice, Orlando, Fla., ESPNU
IIHF HOCKEY
8 a.m. — World Junior Championship:
Canada vs. Germany, Ostravice, Czech
Republic, NHLN
Noon — World Junior Championship:
Czech Republic vs. U.S., Ostravice,
Czech Republic, NHLN
NBA BASKETBALL
6 p.m. — Atlanta at Orlando, NBATV
9 p.m. — Phoenix at Portland, NBATV
NHL HOCKEY
6 p.m. — Ottawa at Pittsburgh, NHLN
Three matchups to watch in the Music City Bowl
BY BEN PORTNOY
bportnoy@cdispatch.com
NASHVILLE, Tenn. —
Postseason football is upon us.
After a 32-day layoff and an
eventful — for better or worse
— month of practices, Missis-
sippi State (6-6, 3-5 SEC) will
take on Louisville (7-5, 5-3
ACC) in the Music City Bowl
at 4 p.m. today.
With that, here are three
matchups to watch when the
Bulldogs and Cardinals meet
at Nissan Stadium:
Tommy Stevens vs. himself
This wasn’t exactly the sea-
son coach Joe Moorhead or
Tommy Stevens envisioned.
After succumbing to a litany of
injuries and inconsistent play,
Stevens was prepared to back
up freshman quarterback Gar-
rett Shrader today after the
latter was named the Music
City Bowl starter Dec. 20.
But after a mid-practice
dustup with junior linebacker
Willie Gay Jr. has left Shrader
unable to play, Stevens is set to
start his final collegiate game
with junior Keytaon Thomp-
son as the backup.
Throughout his eight ap-
pearances, Stevens has been
a staggering mix of brilliance
and ineptitude. For every 236-
yard, two-touchdown effort
against Louisiana, there have
been 6-for-11, two-intercep-
NFL
Pats to play in wild-card game; 49ers get NFC’s No. 1 seed
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Tom
Brady and the New En-
gland Patriots will be
playing in the postsea-
son a week earlier than
usual this year.
The defending Super
Bowl champs open the
playoffs during wild-
card weekend for the
first time since 2009
after they lost 27-24 to
Miami on Sunday and
Patrick Mahomes and
the Kansas City Chiefs
beat the Los Angeles
Chargers 31-21 to earn
a first-round bye.
“We didn’t play the
way we’re capable of
playing and it ended up
costing us,” Brady said.
“Just too many bad mis-
takes.”
The Patriots (12-4)
are the No. 3 overall
seed in the AFC and
will have to fix things
in a hurry as they host
Tennessee (9-7) next
Saturday night.
“We’ve got a game
next week, we’ve got
to get ready to go,” Pa-
triots safety Devin Mc-
Courty said. “Nobody
should feel sorry for us,
we shouldn’t feel sorry
for ourselves. Our goal
is to play in the playoffs.
We got a shot next week
at all of that.”
Pro Football
NFL Glance
AMERICAN CONFERENCE
East
W L T Pct PF PA
y-New England 12 4 0 .750 420 225
x-Buffalo 10 6 0 .625 314 259
N.Y. Jets 7 9 0 .438 276 359
Miami 5 11 0 .313 306 494
South
W L T Pct PF PA
y-Houston 10 6 0 .625 378 385
x-Tennessee 9 7 0 .563 402 331
Indianapolis 7 9 0 .438 361 373
Jacksonville 6 10 0 .375 300 397
North
W L T Pct PF PA
y-Baltimore
Pittsburgh
14 2 0 .875 531 282
8 8 0 .500 289 303
Cleveland
Cincinnati
6 10 0 .375 335 393
2 14 0 .125 279 420
West
W L T Pct PF PA
y-Kansas City 12 4 0 .750 451 308
Denver 7 9 0 .438 282 316
Oakland 7 9 0 .438 313 419
L.A. Chargers 5 11 0 .313 337 345
NATIONAL CONFERENCE
East
W L T Pct PF PA
y-Philadelphia 9 7 0 .563 385 354
Dallas 8 8 0 .500 434 321
N.Y. Giants 4 12 0 .250 341 451
Washington 3 13 0 .188 266 435
South
W L T Pct PF PA
y-New Orleans 13 3 0 .813 458 341
Atlanta 7 9 0 .438 381 399
Tampa Bay 7 9 0 .438 458 449
Carolina 5 11 0 .313 340 470
North
y-Green Bay
W L T Pct PF PA
13 3 0 .813 376 313
x-Minnesota 10 6 0 .625 407 303
Chicago 8 8 0 .500 280 298
Detroit 3 12 1 .219 341 423
West
W L T Pct PF PA
y-San Francisco 13 3 0 .813 479 310
x-Seattle 11 5 0 .688 405 398
L.A. Rams 9 7 0 .563 394 364
Arizona 5 10 1 .344 361 442
x-clinched playoff spot
y-clinched division
Sunday’s Games
Chicago 21, Minnesota 19
Atlanta 28, Tampa Bay 22, OT
Miami 27, New England 24
Green Bay 23, Detroit 20
Cincinnati 33, Cleveland 23
Kansas City 31, L.A. Chargers 21
N.Y. Jets 13, Buffalo 6
New Orleans 42, Carolina 10
Denver 16, Oakland 15
Tennessee 35, Houston 14
Dallas 47, Washington 16
The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com
tion games against Tennessee rusher with 1,347 yards and include more linebacker blitz-
in which he was benched at 10 touchdowns on the season. es and stunts up front, MSU
halftime. His 112.5 yards per game aver- earned nine sacks over its fi-
That said, Moorhead is age ranks second in the con- nal three games against Ala-
confident in his now finally ference. bama, Abilene Christian and
healthy former Penn State sig- For context, when Hill Ole Miss.
nal caller. faced a comparable defense Today, the Bulldog defen-
“He’ll go in and make plays at Arkansas — the country’s sive front will square off with
with his arm and his feet, and 111th-best unit — he raced for a Cardinal offensive line that
I know the guys have a ton of a season-high 234 yards and allows an average of three
confidence in him,” he said. three touchdowns. The Co- sacks per game — the 116th-
“(For) a graduate transfer, se- lumbus native is also riding a
best mark in the FBS this sea-
nior quarterback to have an hot streak of sorts, having hit son. Louisville opponents also
opportunity to lead his team to the 130-yard mark in four of reached the quarterback on
win in a bowl game, we’re very MSU’s previous five games. 12.7 percent of passing-down
excited about that.” Sitting 44 yards short of plays — good for 111th nation-
Facing a Louisville defense Anthony ‘Boobie’ Dixon’s sin- ally, according to Football Out-
that has been downright dis- gle-season program rushing siders.
mal this season (I’ll get to this record, Hill will have to to Further tantalizing for
in a minute), MSU can score eclipse the mark and carry the Shoop’s bunch, potential first-
in bunches if Stevens backs up Bulldog offense should MSU or second-round NFL draft
what should be a massive day have a chance at victory in pick and starting offensive
for junior running back Kylin Nashville. tackle Mekhi Becton has de-
Hill and the Bulldog rushing “Oh yeah, I need that,” Hill cided to sit out the bowl game
attack. quipped of reaching Dixon’s — leaving a Cardinal offen-
record. “For any player, that’s sive line that already allows
Kylin Hill vs. Louisville’s a big milestone. Especially an FBS-worst 9.67 tackles for
with all the big backs that
rush defense came through the university.
a loss per game shorthanded
To say Louisville’s defense against a Bulldog pass rush
If I get that, it would be a big coming off two of its best per-
has been bad this year almost
blessing.” formances of the year.
doesn’t do its inability to stop
anyone justice. In 12 games “Bowls are funny because
this season, the Cardinals MSU pass rush vs. Louisville it’s a month since the last
rank No. 107 nationally in to- offensive line game,” Shoop said. “Our guys
tal defense and an even worse While MSU’s pass rush have continued to practice
No. 115 against the run — the has been sporadic at best this hard, prepare hard. Half the
fourth-worst mark among season, defensive coordinator battle in a bowl game is desire
Power Five football teams. Bob Shoop has been able to to be there. I think our guys
Conversely, MSU running find new ways to attack op- have expressed and shown a
back Kylin Hill enters Mon- posing quarterbacks in recent desire to be here. Really ex-
day’s contest as the South- weeks. cited about this opportunity to
eastern Conference’s leading Adjusting his scheme to play together one more time.”
San Francisco play better. Everything for whoever we might Rodgers and the
earned the No. 1 seed gets harder from here play.” Packers (13-3) lost out
and home-field advan- on out.” Kansas City’s victo- on home-field advan-
tage in the NFC play- The last time New ry also locked Houston tage with San Francis-
offs with a 26-21 victory England played on wild- into the No. 4 seed, and
co’s win, but have the
at Seattle. Jimmy Ga- card weekend, it lost at the Texans (10-6) will No. 2 seed in the con-
roppolo and the NFC home to the Ravens. host the Buffalo Bills
ference.
West champion 49ers The Patriots have nev- (10-6) next Saturday.
“The NFC is wide
(13-3) held on and sent er made it to the Super Despite resting sev-
open,” Rodgers said.
Russell Wilson and the Bowl with Brady and eral starters, including
New Orleans routed
Seahawks (11-5) on the coach Bill Belichick quarterback Lamar
Carolina 42-10 to finish
road to open the play- while playing in the Jackson, running back
13-3 in the regular sea-
offs in the wild-card opening round. Mark Ingram, guard
round next Sunday at “We’ve got to move Marshal Yanda and son, but Drew Brees
Philadelphia. forward and get ready safety Earl Thomas, and Co. then had to
“It’s a good step in to go or the end of our Baltimore cruised past wait for the result of the
the right direction,” season will be next Pittsburgh 28-10 to ride 49ers-Seahawks game
Garoppolo said. “We’ve week if we don’t turn into the playoffs on a 12- to see what their playoff
got a long way to go, the page and play good game winning streak. path would be.
though.” football, way better “It’s the best team in The NFC South
The Titans clinched than today,” McCourty football in the regular champions will be the
their spot by beating said. “Nobody feels sor- season this year, but No. 3 seed and will host
Houston 35-14, elimi- ry for the Patriots not that doesn’t count for Minnesota (10-6) in the
nating both Pittsburgh getting a first-round anything in the next wild-card round next
and Oakland in the pro- bye in the playoffs.” season,” coach John Sunday.
cess. All three teams Meanwhile, the Harbaugh said. “In the Injury-ravaged Phil-
had a chance at the Chiefs (12-4) are the next season, we have adelphia (9-7) won the
playoffs, but Tennessee No. 2 seed and will be to obviously go to work NFC East with a 34-17
had the easiest path by able to watch the open- this week and become a win over the New York
needing to win — and ing round, along with better football team.” Giants, eliminating
got it against a Texans the top-seeded Balti- Green Bay earned
Dallas with the victory.
squad that rested sev- more Ravens (14-2). a first-round bye in
The Eagles, with their
eral starters, including “We’ll step back, the NFC playoffs with
second division title in
quarterback Deshaun the guys will come in a 23-20 victory at De-
Watson. tomorrow, we’ll have troit, the Packers’ fifth three years, will host
the Seahawks.
“I think it’s great a team meeting, I’ll straight win.
“This team, when it’s
when you can deter- give them a schedule “We’re hot,” quar-
crunch time this time
mine whether you get for what’s going on the terback Aaron Rodgers
of year, we get it done,”
to continue to play next week here during said. “But you’ve got to
Eagles defensive tackle
football,” Titans coach the bye week,” Chiefs start all over in the play-
Tim Jernigan said after
Mike Vrabel said. coach Andy Reid said. offs and it’s all great
“There was some great “The main thing is we football teams now, so his team finished the
effort, but we’re going get work done, but we the margin of error is schedule with a four-
to have to improve and rest up and get ready even smaller.” game winning streak.
Jacksonville 38, Indianapolis 20
Philadelphia 34, N.Y. Giants 17
Houston
Dallas
22 11 .667 —
21 11 .656 ½
American League
BALTIMORE ORIOLES — Designated RHP Mar-
VCU 85, Loyola (Md.) 51
Virginia 65, Navy 56
Baltimore 28, Pittsburgh 10 San Antonio 13 18 .419 8 cos Diplán for assignment. Agreed to terms with Virginia Tech 92, Md.-Eastern Shore 37
Memphis 13 21 .382 9½ MIDWEST
L.A. Rams 31, Arizona 24
San Francisco 26, Seattle 21 New Orleans 11 23 .324 11½
Northwest Division
RHP Kohl Stewart on a one-year contract.
CLEVELAND INDIANS — Designated C Eric
Arkansas 71, Indiana 64
Campbell 63, Ohio 55
Haase for assignment. Signed 2B César Hernán-
W L Pct GB Hartford 67, Northwestern 66
NFL Playoff Glance Denver 23 9 .719 — dez to a one-year contract. Illinois 95, NC A&T 64
Wild-card Playoffs Utah 20 12 .625 3 BASKETBALL
National Basketball Association
Iowa 93, Kennesaw St. 51
Saturday, Jan. 4 Oklahoma City 17 15 .531 6 Kansas St. 69, Tulsa 67
Buffalo at Houston, 3:35 p.m. (ESPN/ABC) Portland 14 19 .424 9½ NBA — Fined Charlotte G Terry Rozier $25,000 for Michigan 86, Mass.-Lowell 60
Tennessee at New England, 7:15 p.m. (CBS) Minnesota 11 20 .355 11½ throwing the game ball into the spectator stands. Michigan St. 95, W. Michigan 62
Sunday, Jan. 5 Pacific Division FOOTBALL Nebraska 73, Texas A&M-CC 52
Minnesota at New Orleans, 12:05 p.m. (FOX) W L Pct GB National Football League Nebraska-Omaha 81, S. Dakota St. 78
Seattle at Philadelphia, 3:40 p.m. (NBC) L.A. Lakers 26 7 .788 — CLEVELAND BROWNS — Fired coach Freddie Notre Dame 82, Alabama A&M 56
Divisional Playoffs L.A. Clippers 23 11 .676 3½ Kitchens. SE Missouri 74, Missouri Baptist 59
Saturday, Jan. 11 Phoenix 12 20 .375 13½ HOCKEY SIU-Edwardsville 96, Lindenwood University -
Sacramento 12 21 .364 14 Belleville 48
Philadelphia, Seattle or Minnesota at San Francis-
co, 3:35 p.m. (NBC) Golden State 9 25 .265 17½
American Hockey League
Saint Louis 77, Bethune-Cookman 67
AHL — Suspended Rockford F Nathan Noel one
W. Illinois 82, South Dakota 75
Houston, Buffalo or Tennessee at Baltimore, 7:15
p.m (CBS)
Saturday’s Games
Denver 119, Memphis 110
game. West Virginia 67, Ohio St. 59
ECHL
Sunday, Jan. 12
New England, Houston or Buffalo at Kansas City,
New Orleans 120, Indiana 98 ECHL — Suspended Fort Wayne D Kyle Haas
Wichita St. 84, Abilene Christian 66
SOUTHWEST
Toronto 113, Boston 97 one game.
2:05 p.m. (CBS) Chicago 116, Atlanta 81 SOCCER
Oklahoma St. 82, SE Louisiana 31
Sam Houston St. 75, Rice 61
New Orleans, Philadelphia or Seattle at Green Houston 108, Brooklyn 98
Bay, 5:40 p.m. (FOX) Cleveland 94, Minnesota 88
Major League Soccer
INTER MIAMI — Signed D Román Torres.
Texas Tech 73, CS Bakersfield 58
FAR WEST
Conference Championships New York 107, Washington 100
Sunday, Jan. 19
Miami 117, Philadelphia 116, OT
COLLEGE Colorado 99, Iona 54
AFC, 2:05 p.m. (CBS) AMERICAN — Named Marsha Harper women’s Harvard 71, California 63
NFC, 5:40 p.m. (FOX) Dallas 141, Golden State 121 soccer coach. Hawaii 91, Maine 51
Pro Bowl San Antonio 136, Detroit 109 SOUTHERN CAL — Fired defensive coordinator Kansas 72, Stanford 56
Sunday, Jan. 26 Milwaukee 111, Orlando 100 Clancy Pendergast and special teams coordinator N. Dakota St. 66, Denver 55
At Orlando, Fla. Phoenix 112, Sacramento 110 New Mexico 74, UC Davis 69
AFC vs. NFC, 2 p.m. (ESPN) L.A. Lakers 128, Portland 120
John Baxter.
VANDERBILT — Fired offensive coordinator
New Mexico St. 104, Northern New Mexico 30
Super Bowl Utah 120, L.A. Clippers 107 Oregon 98, Alabama St. 59
Sunday, Feb. 2 Sunday’s Games
Gerry Gdowski and defensive coordinator Jason Oregon St. 83, North Dakota 66
Tarver. San Diego 93, Whittier 67
At Miami Gardens, Fla.
AFC champion vs. NFC champion, 5:30 p.m. (Fox)
Oklahoma City 98, Toronto 97
Memphis 117, Charlotte 104 Santa Clara 92, Alcorn St. 57
Southern Cal 71, Florida Gulf Coast 58
College Basketball
New Orleans 127, Houston 112
Washington St. 65, Ark.-Pine Bluff 50
Denver 120, Sacramento 115
Pro Basketball L.A. Lakers 108, Dallas 95
Today’s Games Sunday’s scores Ole Miss 80,
NBA Glance Atlanta at Orlando, 6 p.m. Binghamton 98, Hartwick 45
EASTERN CONFERENCE Miami at Washington, 6 p.m. Boston U. 69, Merrimack 67
CCSU 89, Connecticut College 55
Tennessee Tech 63
Atlantic Division Brooklyn at Minnesota, 7 p.m. TENNESSEE TECH (3-10)
Lafayette 67, Sacred Heart 66 Clay 5-13 2-3 13, Davidson 2-6 1-1 5, T.Williams
Boston
W L Pct GB
22 8 .733 —
Milwaukee at Chicago, 7 p.m. Marshall 83, Duquesne 61 3-9 0-0 6, Allen 4-9 2-3 13, Vick 0-4 0-0 0, Sher-
Detroit at Utah, 8 p.m. Maryland 84, Bryant 70
Philadelphia 23 12 .657 1½ field 2-2 2-2 7, Golday 3-3 1-1 8, Kuimi 0-3 0-0 0,
Phoenix at Portland, 9 p.m. Penn St. 90, Cornell 59 Crosland 1-1 0-0 3, Sylla 1-5 0-0 2, Quest 0-1 0-0
Toronto 22 11 .667 1½ Tuesday’s Games Princeton 71, Lehigh 62
Brooklyn 16 15 .516 6½ Boston at Charlotte, 2 p.m. Siena 74, Holy Cross 62
0, Lolio 0-0 0-0 0, Ridenour 1-2 0-0 2, Smith 0-0
0-0 0, Wilkinson 2-2 0-0 4. Totals 24-60 8-10 63.
New York 9 24 .273 14½
Philadelphia at Indiana, 2 p.m. Stony Brook 81, Norfolk St. 65
Southeast Division
L.A. Clippers at Sacramento, 4 p.m. UConn 69, NJIT 47 OLE MISS (9-3)
W L Pct GB
Miami 24 8 .750 — Cleveland at Toronto, 6 p.m. SOUTH Shuler 8-12 2-3 20, Buffen 6-12 7-8 20, Tyree 4-10
Denver at Houston, 6 p.m. Alabama 90, Richmond 78 0-2 9, Crowley 2-3 1-2 5, Hinson 3-6 0-0 8, Sy 4-7
Orlando 14 18 .438 10
Charlotte 13 22 .371 12½ Golden State at San Antonio, 6 p.m. Auburn 86, Lipscomb 59
Chattanooga 72, Cumberland 42
3-6 11, Hunter 2-3 0-0 4, Collum 0-0 0-0 0, B.Wil-
Washington 9 22 .290 14½ Dallas at Oklahoma City, 7 p.m. liams 0-0 0-0 0, Miller 0-1 0-0 0, Curry 0-0 0-0 0,
Atlanta 6 27 .182 18½ Wednesday’s Games ETSU 117, Mars Hill 48
LSU 74, Liberty 57
McBride 1-1 0-0 3. Totals 30-55 13-21 80.
Central Division Orlando at Washington, 5 p.m.
W L Pct GB Portland at New York, 6:30 p.m.
NC State 72, Appalachian St. 60 Halftime_Tennessee Tech 32-31. 3-Point Goals_
Milwaukee 29 5 .853 — Northwestern St. 101, Champion Christian Coll. 61 Tennessee Tech 7-18 (Allen 3-6, Crosland 1-1,
Indiana 21 12 .636 7½
Minnesota at Milwaukee, 7 p.m.
Phoenix at L.A. Lakers, 9:30 p.m.
Ole Miss 80, Tennessee Tech 63 Golday 1-1, Sherfield 1-1, Clay 1-3, Davidson 0-2,
Chicago 13 20 .394 15½ Presbyterian 81, Kentucky Christian 56 Vick 0-4), Mississippi 7-23 (Hinson 2-4, Shuler
Detroit 12 21 .364 16½ Radford 90, Central Penn College 45 2-5, McBride 1-1, Buffen 1-4, Tyree 1-6, Miller 0-1,
Rhode Island 89, Middle Tennessee 62
Transactions
Cleveland 10 22 .313 18 Sy 0-2). Rebounds_Tennessee Tech 27 (Vick 5),
WESTERN CONFERENCE SC-Upstate 91, VMI 82 Mississippi 34 (Hinson 10). Assists_Tennessee
South Florida 60, FAU 58 Tech 13 (Davidson 4), Mississippi 22 (Shuler,
Southwest Division
W L Pct GB
Sunday’s moves UC Santa Barbara 85, Louisiana-Lafayette 77 Crowley 5). Total Fouls_Tennessee Tech 21, Mis-
BASEBALL UT Martin 92, Mount St. Joseph 72 sissippi 11. A_7,261 (9,500).
 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com Monday, December 30, 2019 3B

MISSISSIPPI STATE FOOTBALL

‘HE GREW ME UP’

An inside look at the bond between MSU receiver JaVonta Payton and his mother
BY BEN PORTNOY
bportnoy@cdispatch.com
NASHVILLE, Tenn. —
Tameka Payton glided out
of her silver Dodge Car-
avan, took five steps and
paused.
Standing on a patch
of grass on the back side
of Shelby Park along the
banks of the Cumberland
River, Payton turned and
exclaimed, “This is where
it all started.”
While the field where
her son, Mississippi State
junior receiver and Nash-
ville native JaVonta Pay-
ton, grew up playing has
since been replaced with
two little league-sized
baseball fields, the park
served as a place of solace
for the mother and child
pairing in their youths.
For Tameka, or ‘Miss
Tameka’ as she’s often
referred to, it was a safe
zone. A place where she
could cheer boisterously
for the eldest of her 12
kids while leaving the
past realities of the Nash-
ville projects behind her.
In JaVonta’s case, the
field was a haven of sorts.
From the time he began
playing football at age 5,
his energetic demeanor
and natural athletic abili-
ty allowed him to bob and
weave his way through
any Pop Warner defense
in his path.
“He was always the
fastest kid on the field,”
Stephanie Mosley, JaVon-
ta’s youth football coach,
told The Dispatch.
Today, the mother and
child combination will
join together on the side-
lines once more as MSU
takes on Louisville in the
Music City Bowl. And
though Nissan Stadium
— the home of the Ten-
nessee Titans and the site
of the game — is a far cry
from the field at Shelby
Park, the contest offers a
homecoming for a parent
and child pairing that was
forced to grow up in uni-
son.
“It was a journey,”
Tameka told The Dis-
patch. “I persevered, kept
my head up, did what I
needed to do, and my chil-
dren are doing what they
need to do.”
***
There’s long been a
deeper level to Tame-
ka and JaVonta Payton’s
bond.
Giving birth to JaVonta
at just 16 years old, Tame-
ka was forced to drop out
of high school to support
her newborn son. Bal-
ancing a job at Wendy’s
with motherhood, the
time proved trying as she
bounced between homes,
taking shelter on whatev-
er friends’ couch or floor
was available to her.
“He grew me up,”
Tameka told The Dis-
JaVonta Payton’s mother Tameka started out by having a friend make custom T-shirts with her son’s name,
number and picture to wear at his football games at Hillsboro High School. Soon, though, she moved on to ne-
on-green sweatshirts, and the whole Hillsboro cheering section joined the gang.
patch. “Having a child
at 16, you don’t have a
choice — you’re grown at
that point. No, not legally,
but you’re grown at that
point.”
While Tameka en-
dured the growing pains
of teenage motherhood,
JaVonta endured growth
of his own — notably
under the guidance of
his godbrother, Nantam-
bu-Akil Fentress and his
father, McKinley Young
Jr.
Fentress — five years
Payton’s senior — and
Payton were stalwarts at
the Andrew Jackson Boys
and Girls Club — or the
“B+G” for short. One gen-
eration after Royce Fen-
tress, Nantambu’s dad
and the director of opera-
tions at the Boys and Girls
Club, mentored Payton’s
parents, the younger Fen-
tress did the same.
“He truly wanted to do
the right thing when I saw
him interacting with his
peers and lead by exam-
ple,” said Fentress, who
went on to play football
at Miami. “So I said, ‘I’m
going to take this young
kid under my wing,’ and
sure enough, we kept in
touch.”
“They helped me be-
come a good man and a
good brother to my little
sister,” Payton added of
the Fentresses.
With Fentress guiding
Payton within the con-
fines of the Boys and Girls
Club, it was Young who
ascertained his early love
for football. Placed in rec-
reational leagues when he
was 5, Payton flashed a
knack for the game.
Speaking with The Dis-
patch last week, Young
— who coached Payton
“I got along with every-
body when I used to come
up (to Starkville) for the
weekends,” JaVonta told
The Dispatch. “When I
came on my official, that
was the first game I took
my mom to, and they en-
joyed themselves and
loved it. We all felt like
this was a great opportu-
nity for me.”
Now a year into his
tenure at MSU, JaVonta
has found a new family in
his teammates and coach
Joe Moorhead, while Hol-
lis helps Tameka keep
tabs on her son when he
misses the occasional call
home.
“Now I have Andrea
locked in my phone,”
Tameka said. “She has
turned into my sis-
ter-child, I call her so
much.”
***
After a brief walk
around the baseball fields
at Shelby Park, Tameka
Courtesy of Tameka Payton
Payton returned to the
car.
In the backseat, 3-year
old Carlyle was asleep in
in youth league and at claim, she hoped to add Perched on a barstool
his carseat with a pair of
Hillsboro High School a new element as JaVonta in the center of the Mis-
stuffed animals clutched
— recalled the first-ever grew older. Calling up sissippi State football tightly in his miniature
highlight he recorded of an acquaintance in the recruiting lounge in the hands.
his son. Roughly 7 years T-shirt printing business, underbelly of Davis Wade One row behind him,
old at the time, Payton she devised a plan to print Stadium, Andrea Hollis 6-year old TJ and four-
fielded a kickoff return, custom shirts bearing heard her phone ring. year old Therrian poked
dodged and ducked his JaVonta’s name, number Monitoring the in- and prodded each other in
way through about five and picture, among oth- coming FaceTime calls jest. “We’re going to see
defenders and outpaced er designs. After a few from Mississippi State ’Vonta!” TJ exclaimed,
the entire coverage team rounds of T-shirts caught commits during the early referencing his eldest
down the sideline and into on during JaVonta’s early signing period, Hollis was brother.
the end zone for a score. high school career, Tame- surrounded by Bulldog Heading out of the park
“We knew from a ka took things a step fur- football coaches, players and onto the highway,
young age he was going to ther. and athletic department Terrence Sawyer — Pay-
be special in something,” Seeking a fix for the officials as they awaited ton’s fiancé and the father
Young said. “He was just chilly fall nights high news on each new signee. of four of her children —
fast, athletic.” school football in Tennes- As the room fell silent steers the family minivan
While Young sup- see bring, she employed in anticipation of another down Interstate 40. Tame-
ported and coached Pay- her T-shirt maker to de- recruit calling in, Tame- ka peered out the window.
ton from the sidelines, sign a neon-green sweat- ka Payton was revealed Nearly two dozen cranes
his mother became his shirt with JaVonta’s name- to onlookers on the big and high-rising construc-
biggest supporter off sake. Before long, the screen at the front of the tion sites pierce the Nash-
the field. Noted for her entire Hillsboro cheering room. ville skyline.
presence at every game, section donned the fluo- “Oh my god, it was so “It’s changed,” she
Tameka’s car was littered rescent tops. embarrassing,” Payton said.
with magnets and painted “We were in those quipped. Things have changed,
words of encouragement stands cheering those While the call lasted indeed. Tameka is no lon-
as an ode to her eldest kids on, and you could not just a few moments, it of- ger a 16-year-old fighting
child. miss us,” Tameka said. fered a look at the family to find a place to sleep at
And though her su- both Tameka and JaVon- night with her infant son.
perfandom drew wide ac- *** ta have developed since Rather, she’s a battle-test-
the latter’s arrival in ed mother of 12 who com-
Starkville. pleted her GED in 2010
Following a switch and remains her kids’ big-
from running back to re- gest advocate.
ceiver his junior season As for JaVonta, he’s set
at Hillsboro, Payton’s re- to conclude his first sea-
cruiting profile soared. son in Starkville as a ma-
Listed as a three-star re- jor contributor on offense
cruit by 247Sports.com, and special teams.
he initially signed with “I believe everything
Ole Miss, but a discrepan- happens for a reason,”
cy between his ACT score Tameka said. “He’s on a
and his grades forced him journey.”
to spend two seasons at Today, that journey
Northwest Mississippi makes its way to the Pay-
Community College. tons’ backyard at Nissan
After notching 840 Stadium. And though
yards and 11 touchdowns thousands of fans will
at Northwest, Payton pack the stands, Tameka
sought a familial atmo- and the countless friends
sphere in which he and and family who’ve re-
Courtesy of Tameka Payton
his parents, particularly quested tickets to watch
JaVonta Payton is the eldest of Tameka Payton’s 12 his mother, were comfort- JaVonta should be easy to
children, born when his mother was just 16 years old. able. MSU checked the find — simply look for the
“He grew me up,” Tameka said. boxes. neon sweatshirts.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Shuler, Buffen help Ole Miss defeat Tennessee Tech

The Associated Press
OXFORD — Devontae Shul-
er, despite scoring 20 points
and adding five rebounds and
five assists, was pleased but not
satisfied with his performance
Sunday as Mississippi defeated
Tennessee Tech 80-63.
“My foot is not 100 percent
yet and that’s held me back,”
said Shuler, who has played
with nagging heel injuries for
two seasons. “I’m probably
80 percent and it hurts, but
I had time to rest it over the
break and that helped.”
Shuler finished 8 of 12 from
the field, and KJ Buffen and
Khadim Sy added 20 and 11
points, respectively. Ole Miss
(9-3) shot 18 of 26 (69 percent)
from the field in the second half
and out rebounded the Golden
Eagles 37-30, including a game-
high 10 rebounds by Blake Hin-
son.
Buffen had 16 second-half
points to highlight a decisive
23-6 run as Ole Miss built an
insurmountable 67-47 lead with
6:38 left. In the four-minute
surge, Shuler had two baskets,
two rebounds, a blocked shot,
an assist and forced two Ten-
nessee Tech turnovers that led
to easy baskets.
Jr. Clay and Darius Allen led
Tennessee Tech (3-10) with 13
points apiece, including four
rebounds and three assists by
Clay. The Golden Eagles led 32-
31 at halftime, but finished 24 of
60 (40 percent) from the field,
including 7 of 18 (39 percent)
from 3-point range.
“We’re having a hard time
starting games and that’s new
to me,” Ole Miss coach Ker-
mit Davis said. “Credit Ten-
nessee Tech and (Coach) John
Pelphrey for that. He’s a great
friend and a great coach. But
we aren’t where we need to be
yet defensively and with our
toughness.”
Big picture
Tennessee Tech: The Gold-
en Eagles kept it interesting,
leading early in the second half
before falling off the pace in the
final 15 minutes. Considering
Pelphrey’s club had significant
contributions from eight soph-
omores and freshmen, the per-
formance was encouraging as
Ohio Valley Conference play
begins this week.
Ole Miss: The workmanlike
win sets up a road game with
11-1 Wichita State that holds
NCAA Tournament implica-
tions for both teams. The Reb-
els also face a January South-
eastern Conference slate that
includes four road games.
“I think Wichita State will
be in the Top 25 this week, and
they would be the fifth Top 25
team at some point that we’ve
played,” Davis said. I think
they’re a team that could win
the SEC Championship.”
Share and share alike
The Rebels had 22 assists
on 30 field goals, including five
apiece from Austin Crowley
and Shuler. Ole Miss had nine
players with at least one assist,
including three apiece from
Breein Tyree and Hinson and
lead the SEC with an average of
16.3 per game.
Up next
Tennessee Tech: Visits
Eastern Kentucky in the Ohio
Valley Conference opener for
both teams on Thursday.
Ole Miss: Visits Wichita
State on Saturday.
4B Monday, December 30, 2019 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com

Top 10
Continued from Page 1B
with a 55-10 win over rival
Starkville Academy in
Jackson.
Not a bad year on Mag-
nolia Lane.
T5. Three MSU football
players selected in the
first round of 2019 NFL
draft
History was made on
April 26. For the first time
at MSU, three players
were selected in the first
round of the NFL Draft.
The Bulldogs’ three first-
round selections were
tied with Clemson and Al-
abama for the most in the
baseman Edouard Julien
threw wild on a routine
grounder, allowing the
tying run to score. Then
MSU walked off with an
infield single by Marshall
Gilbert.
The Bulldogs lost their
next two games — the
first to Vanderbilt and the
second to Louisville —
and were eliminated from
the CWS with a record of
51-13, but the way they
started their appearance
will always be remem-
bered by the Bulldog
faithful.
It was Mississippi
State’s second straight
14 straight games after
a Week 2 loss to Louis-
ville, staying hot all the
way through to their re-
cord-tying 11th MHSAA
championship.
Harris, Cannon, Orr,
Mays and others will have
graduated, but if West
Point can win its fifth
straight title next year, it
will take the overall lead
and match the longest
streak by any Mississippi
public school — South Pa-
nola, which shares the re-
cord of 11 with the Green
Wave, won five straight
titles from 2003 to 2007.
2. MSU outlasts Ole
doubters of his ability
to succeed in Starkville
would have to “drag my
Yankee ass out of here.”
Say what you will about
Moorhead, the Bulldogs
and the program as a
whole this season, but the
2019 season finale was
one for the ages.
1. “Tutorgate” scandal
shakes up MSU athletic
department
Sudoku
YESTERDAY’S ANSWER
While it’s far from the
most positive story of the
year, it’s difficult to un-
derstate how massively
Sudoku
Sudoku is a number-
placing puzzle based on
Sunday’s answer
Sudoku 8 2 6 1 3 7 5 4 9
the “Tutorgate” scandal a 9x9 gridis witha several
num-
ber-placing
rocked the MSU athletic given numbers.puzzleThe object 1 4 9 2 5 6 7 8 3

2019 Conceptis Puzzles, Dist. by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

nation. CWS appearance. The based onthe a 9x9
department to its core just is to place numbers 7 5 3 4 8 9 6 1 2
Defensive lineman Jef- Bulldogs won their first Miss to win Egg Bowl grid
weeks ahead of the 2019 1 to 9with
in theseveral
empty spaces 5 3 7 8 9 4 2 6 1
fery Simmons was taken two games in the 2018 given
event but were eliminated
In a game that is per- football season. so that numbers.
each row, eachThe 6 8 2 5 7 1 9 3 4
16th overall by the Ten- petually weird, wild and Following an NCAA in- object
column and each 3x3 the
is to place box
with two straight losses numbers 9 1 4 6 2 3 8 5 7
contains the1same to 9 number
in
nessee Titans, defensive wonderful, the 2019 ver- vestigation into academic
lineman Montez Sweat to eventual champion Or- sion of Mississippi State’s the empty spaces so 2 7 1 3 6 8 4 9 5
misconduct by a part-time only once. The difficulty
was picked 26th by the egon State. annual contest against that each row, each 3 9 8 7 4 5 1 2 6
athletic department tutor, level increases from
Washington Redskins Ole Miss offered arguably 10 football players and column and each 4 6 5 9 1 2 3 7 8
Mondayboxtocontains
Sunday.
and defensive back Johna- 3. West Point achieves the most absurd ending in one men’s basketball play- 3x3 Difficulty Level 12/28

than Abram went to the
Oakland Raiders at pick
27.
Entering Week 17,
Simmons played in eight
games for the Titans
(starting seven) and re-
corded 29 combined tack-
les and two sacks, while
Sweat played in 15 games
and notched five sacks.
Abram was injured in the
preseason and missed the
entire 2019 season.
4. MSU baseball makes
second straight College
World Series
Mississippi State’s
first College World Series
game under coach Chris
Lemonis was a wild one.
The Bulldogs trailed
Auburn 4-1 heading into
the bottom of the ninth
of their opener in Oma-
ha, but MSU rallied. With
the Diamond Dawgs
down 4-3, Auburn third
“four-peat,” ties
record with 11th state
championship
Brandon Harris spoke
it into existence.
All season long, the dy-
namic West Point senior
back was confident: The
Green Wave would pull
off the “four-peat” by win-
ning the MHSAA Class
5A football championship
for the fourth time in a
row.
Harris and West Point
made it happen, beating
a Picayune team that had
yet to lose a game 38-26
in Hattiesburg to cap off a
15-1 season. Senior backs
Dantariyus Cannon and
Jimothy Mays joined Har-
ris to form a deadly trio on
offense, and an array of
skilled defensive players
led by linebacker Tyron
Orr shut down opponents
on defense.
The Green Wave won
the game’s 118-year histo-
ry.
After notching what
should have been the ty-
ing score on a 2-yard pass
from quarterback Matt
Corral, Rebels freshman
receiver Elijah Moore
hiked his leg to imitate
a dog urinating on a fire
hydrant — an ode to for-
mer Ole Miss receiver DK
Metcalf’s end zone cele-
bration two years prior.
And while the moment
provided ample comic re-
lief, it cost the Rebels 15
yards and, ultimately, the
game when kicker Luke
Logan’s 35-yard extra
point sailed wide right
to give MSU a one-point
victory and get the team
bowl eligible for the 10th
straight year.
Also lost in the sheer
insanity of the Egg Bowl’s
ending, coach Joe Moor-
head backed up the con-
test by declaring any
er were found to have had the same number only once. The difficulty level
coursework completed by increases from Monday to Sunday.
the aforementioned tutor
for cash considerations.
Among other major im-
plications, each football
player was docked eight
games this season —
leaving coach Joe Moor-
head’s squad with a crip-
pling depletion of depth
— while the men’s basket-
ball player, later identified Sunday’s Cryptoquote:
as junior point guard Nick
Weatherspoon, was sus-
pended for a combined 20
games between this sea-
son and last.
And while the in-sea-
son suspensions have now
run their course, the ram-
ifications of Tutorgate will
persist into next season,
as the football and men’s
basketball programs will
face a loss of scholarships
and a reduction in the
number of official visits
permitted for either team
among other sanctions.

Contacting the Sports Department

If you need to report game scores or statistics, you can call us at 662-327-2424 ext. 126. If you need to reach
sports editor Garrick Hodge, email him at ghodge@cdispatch.com. If you need to reach sports writer Ben
Portnoy, email him at bportnoy@cdispatch.com or sports writer Theo DeRosa, email him at tderosa@cdispatch.
com.

Game Coverage / Results

High school football coaches who don’t speak to a reporter from The Dispatch are asked to email information
to the sports department from their games. The Dispatch will include its prep football coverage in Sunday’s
edition, so we will contact coaches Friday night or Saturday to get details. Coaches, please let us know what is
the best time for us to contact you. ACROSS
1 Packing box
6 God with a
hammer
10 Dance record
11 Puts on the
payroll
13 Hollywood
deal maker
14 Rewrite for the
screen
15 Mover’s truck
16 Uncooked
18 Black goo
19 Lionel Richie
song
22 Print mea-
sures Sunday’s answer
23 God of war 45 Endures company
24 Garlic unit 24 Competed in a
27 Ocean chasm DOWN regatta
28 Annoy 1 Long for 25 Center, for one
29 Opposite of 2 One of Lear’s 26 From bygone
post- daughters days
30 Programmer’s 3 Add a change 27 Weapons
goof to store
35 Dripping 4 Malleable metal 29 Letter before
36 Compete 5 Radical omega
37 Gorilla or 6 Liquefies 31 News item
gibbon 7 Concealed 32 Desert spots
38 Hirsch of “Into 8 Speaker’s skill 33 Dizzying
the Wild” 9 Does some designs
40 Said with a roadwork 34 Trappers’
twang 12 Emphasis wares
42 Matt of movies 17 Wagon puller 39 Smoked
43 Wide awake 20 Flat salmon
44 Waiting room 21 Record 41 As done by
call

NFL
Browns fire Kitchens after disappointing season
The Associated Press
BEREA, Ohio — Fred-
die Kitchens made a great
first impression. Every-
thing after that was un-
derwhelming.
Kitchens, who famous-
ly crowed “if you don’t
wear brown and orange,
you don’t matter” at his
introductory news confer-
ence less than a year ago,
was fired Sunday night by
the Cleveland Browns fol-
lowing a season in which
he failed to lead a talented
team to a .500 record —
let alone the playoffs.
Kitchens was dis-
missed shortly after the
Browns returned to team
headquarters following
Comics & Puzzles
DILBERT
ZITS
GARFIELD
CANDORVILLE
BABY BLUES
BEETLE BAILEY
MALLARD FILLMORE
a 33-23 loss to the lowly
Cincinnati Bengals (2-14),
who ended Cleveland’s
disheartening season and
an inglorious 16-game
run for the former run-
ning backs coach who
was hoping for more time.
The Browns (6-10)
didn’t come close to meet-
ing expectations. Neither
did Kitchens.
Owners Dee and Jim-
my Haslam decided one
season was enough for
Kitchens and parted ways
with the 45-year-old, who
is the ninth coach fired by
the Browns since 1999.
Kitchens was a surprising
hire a year ago. He had
no previous head coach-
ing experience, but his
FAMILY CIRCUS
The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com
successful eight-game head coach,” the Haslams
stretch as the team’s of- said in a statement. “Our
fensive coordinator and focus is on hiring an ex-
relationship with quarter- ceptional leader for this
back Baker Mayfield sent football team and we will
his stock soaring. take a comprehensive ap-
But Mayfield re- proach to this process.
gressed in his second We are excited about the
season and Kitchens core players we have to
was plagued by numer- build around and develop
ous mistakes as a rookie and we look forward to
season coach with game bringing in a strong head
management and an in- coach that will put this
ability to get Cleveland’s group of players in the
offense rolling among his best position to succeed.”
most notable flaws. Kitchens is the fifth
“We thank Freddie for coach fired since 2012 by
his hard work and com- the Haslams, who have
mitment to this organiza- shown little patience in
tion but did not see the a failed attempt to resur-
success or opportunities rect one of the league’s
for improvement to move proudest franchises.
forward with him as our Cleveland hasn’t
Dear Abby
D
EAR ABBY:
I’m a wid-
ower who
was very happily
married. I have
decided to re-en-
ter the dating
game. I met a
very nice widow,
and we connect-
ed. As I was
lonely, it made
a big change for
the better in my
life. The lady I
matched up with
is a wonderful,
caring person,
Dear Abby
and we enjoy
being together doing what
dating folks do. We’re thankful
to have found each other.
She had met a man she
enjoyed being with some
years ago, but it was of short
duration because he died. She
told me they had a nice, but
platonic relationship. My prob-
lem is how often she speaks
about him. Something reminds
her of him, and she wants to
talk about it. I can understand
that he might come up once
in a while, but last month she
mentioned him a dozen times.
I don’t think she does it to
make me jealous, but I find it
annoying.
I tried a few times subtly
suggesting it would be better
if she didn’t mention him. I’m
not sure she understands it
Horoscopes
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Dec.
30). One of your birthday
presents from the stars is
the reminder that you are so
admired and loved. You’ll hear
sweet words said to you when
it matters and even sweeter
things when it doesn’t. You’ll
give precisely what’s most need-
ed in the first months of 2020
and receive proof of apprecia-
tion in many forms. Aquarius
and Pisces adore you. Your
lucky numbers are: 8, 2, 22, 18
and 11.
ARIES (March 21-April 19).
Yes, there’s a problem, but
how do you know if it’s yours?
Whether you caused it or have
the power to solve it is irrele-
vant. Bottom line: The problem
Monday, December 30, 2019
had a winning record
since 2007 and has gone
through seven coaches in
that 12-year span.
The Browns were a
trendy pick to make the
postseason under Kitch-
ens after acquiring star
wide receiver Odell Beck-
ham Jr. in a blockbuster
trade in March from the
New York Giants. They
paired him with Mayfield,
who broke the league
rookie record for touch-
down passes in 2018.
But the May-
field-to-Beckham connec-
tion was never consistent
with Kitchens also han-
dling play-calling duties.
The Browns were also
one of the league’s most
could undermine
our relationship.
What to do? —
WORRIED WID-
OWER IN NEW
ENGLAND
DEAR WID-
OWER: Address
this with your
lady friend as
frankly as you
have to me. If
she values the
relationship she
has with you, she
will stop “raising
the dead” in
conversation.
DEAR ABBY:
My sister did something that
really bothered me. My niece
(her daughter) took us to a
restaurant she had heard was
really good. In this restaurant,
you order and pay for your
meal first. My niece paid for all
the meals, and we sat down at
our table to await our food.
My niece had to leave the
table momentarily before our
order was ready. While she
was gone, my sister said I
should reimburse her daughter
because she couldn’t afford to
pay for all the meals.
I have never mooched off
anyone in my life. The $10 my
niece spent is the only time I
can remember anyone buying
me dinner in my adult life other
than on my birthday. My niece
has a job that I know for a fact
is yours when you claim it.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20).
Avoid rhetorical questions. If
it’s not meant to be answered
literally and it’s only stirring up
drama, why ask? For instance,
a question like “What’s wrong
with you?” isn’t particularly
helpful.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21).
To articulate your ideas well and
listen carefully to the ideas of
others will be the cornerstone
of today’s success. By the end
of a conversation, you should
be as well-versed in the other
person’s points as you are your
own.
CANCER (June 22-July
22). Don’t be afraid of silence,
especially the pauses inside of
5B
penalized teams for much
of the year. Injuries were
also a problem, but there
were numerous self-in-
flicted issues — none
bigger than star defensive
end Myles Garrett being
suspended indefinitely for
ripping off Steelers quar-
terback Mason Rudolph’s
helmet and hitting him
in the head with it during
the closing seconds of a
Nov. 14 home game.
The Browns got a rare
win over their archrivals
that night to move back
into playoff contention,
but Garrett’s loss of con-
trol was a poor reflection
on Kitchens and his staff.
pays at least three times as
much as mine does. She has
several pets, and I’m sure she
spends a lot more a month on
pet food than the cost of my
meal. I don’t think my sister
should have made an issue of
it. What do you think? — IRRI-
TATED IN NORTH CAROLINA
DEAR IRRITATED: I agree
with you. You were an invited
guest and, as well-meaning as
your sister may have been, she
should have stayed out of it. I
hope you will overlook her poor
manners.
DEAR ABBY: This past
weekend I was walking at the
mall and encountered a gen-
tleman in a wheelchair. I was
walking down a long, graduat-
ed slope as he was coming up.
I offered to assist him, and he
politely declined.
My question is, what is
the proper thing to do when
offering to assist? Is it rude,
and is someone offended
when offered a helping hand?
— JUST TRYING TO HELP
DEAR JUST TRYING: I don’t
think it is ever offensive to
OFFER a helping hand. What
can be counterproductive is
when a good Samaritan does
something without first ASK-
ING — such as grabbing the
arm of a sightless person and
attempting to help the individ-
ual across a street — which
can be not only frightening but
possibly unnecessary.
conversation. It’s a good indica-
tor of comfort, confidence and
harmony. People are consid-
ering one another instead of
talking over one another.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22).
Regardless of your role today,
you’ll approach it like a boss.
You’ll assess the situation and
evaluate accordingly. You’ll man-
age your resources and advise
the next move.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22).
It’s good to know what you’re
doing and the effect it’s having
and then leave it at that without
judging yourself. Judgment
would take you from the relaxed
state of self-awareness to a
tense state of self-conscious-
ness.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23).
You want your home to be the
hub, where friendships bond
and love grows. To this end, the
day has a domestic focus on
creating comfortable, accommo-
dating surroundings.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov.
21). This item has been linger-
ing on your list forever, not be-
cause you’re lazy but because
you’re not sure how to tackle
it. Alas, there’s no perfect way.
Just throw yourself into it and
you’ll figure it out.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec.
21). Meaningful relationships
require compromise, vulnera-
bility and good old-fashioned
showing up for people where
you wouldn’t necessarily choose
to go otherwise.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan.
19). Brilliant ideas will pop into
your head today, as will untrue
and unhelpful thoughts. Now
that you’re aware of the variety
and range you’ll be dealing with,
it should be easier to tell the
difference.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb.
18). Building muscles is the
same no matter which kind
you’re building, physical, mental
or emotional. Each time you
push through resistance, you
get stronger.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March
20). You’re in the mood to take
charge, not because you think
you should be the authority but
because you want people to
feel comfortable, relaxed and
included, and you know just how
to make that happen.
Thinking outside the box
SOLUTION:
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
MAIN STREET MINI STORAGE
for storage space in which to
store personal property and
WHEREAS, default has been
made in the payment of rent
and MAIN STREET MINI STOR-
AGE pursuant to said Leases is
authorized to sell personal
property to satisfy the past due
and any other charges owed.
NOW THEREFORE, notice is
hereby given that MAIN STREET CH&A, 1 story, W/D,
MINI STORAGE will offer for
sale, and will sale at auction to from downtown.
the highest bidder for all per-
sonal property in storage units NO PETS. 662−574−8789.
leased by the following ten-
ants at MAIN STREET MINI
STORAGE, 1702 Main Street,
Columbus Ms., on January 18,
2020 at 9:00 am.
Property to be sold is believed
to be good, but at such sale,
MAIN STREET MINI STORAGE
will convey only such title as is
vested in it pursuant to its
lease with the following and al-
lowed under Mississippi Code
Annotated Section 85-7-121 et
seq (Supp 1988.)
A-18 A. Webber
A-20 A. Webber
E-7 ???
E-14 K. Sanders
E-4 S. Mills
E-15 ???
H-1 A. Harris
F-3 T. Billups
WITNESS MY SIGNATURE on
the 6th day of May, 2019.
MAIN STREET MINI STORAGE
PUBLISH: 12/16, 12/23, &
12/30/2019
Employment
Call us: 662-328-2424
General Help Wanted
THE COMMERCIAL DIS-
PATCH seeks a motivated,
contracted carrier for the
Brooksville & Macon area.
Excellent opportunity to
earn money for college.
Must have good transporta-
tion, valid driver's license
& insurance. Delivers on
Sunday morning and Mon.-
Fri. afternoons. Apply at
The Commercial Dispatch,
516 Main Street in Colum-
bus. No phone calls
please.
Rentals
Ads starting at $25
Apts For Rent: North
FOX RUN APARTMENTS
1 & 2 BR near hospital.
$595−$645 monthly.
Military discount, pet area,
2004 35’ Coachman RV in
pet friendly, and furnished
New Hope Park Does tiny
corporate apts.
24−HOUR PROFESSIONAL
home living appeal to you?
Do you want a safe, quiet,
GYM. ON SITE SECURITY.
yet friendly neighborhood
ON SITE MAINTENANCE.
ON SITE MANAGEMENT.
close to New Hope
shopping and schools?
24−HOUR CAMERA Come see our clean and
SURVEILLANCE. Benji & cozy RV home, complete
Ashleigh, 662−386−4446. with a new front deck.
Electric, water, and
STUDIO APARTMENT FOR garbage included at an
RENT. Hwy. 45 between affordable monthly rate.
Columbus & CAFB. References required,
No pets. No smoking. please. :−) $500.00
$400 rent & $400 deposit. 601−310−3528
662−328−2340.
Apts For Rent: East 3BR/2BA Trailer, New
Hope school dist. $500/
1 ROOM/1 BATH. Utilities mo & $500 dep. No pets,
incl. $385/mo. 1 person
only. 662−328−8655.
no drugs, no partying. Call
b/w 10a−7p. 662−386−
Apts For Rent: South
4292. NO TEXT MGS.
TWO ONE−BEDROOM,
downtown loft apartments
available. Wood floors, tall
ceilings, lots of windows.
Nice apartments in great
locations. $700.00.
662−364−1610.
Apts For Rent: West
VIP
Rentals
Apartments & Houses
1 Bedrooms
2 Bedroooms
3 Bedrooms
Furnished & Unfurnished
1, 2, & 3 Baths
Lease, Deposit
& Credit Check
viceinvestments.com
327-8555
Have a rental property?
List it here for fast results.
ads.cdispatch.com
Apts For Rent: Other
DOWNTOWN: 2BR/1BA
historic district, 1 block
$575/mo. + $575 dep.
Peaceful & Quiet area.
COLEMAN
RENTALS
TOWNHOUSES & APARTMENTS
1 BEDROOM
2 BEDROOMS
3 BEDROOMS
LEASE,
© The Dispatch
DEPOSIT
AND
CREDIT CHECK
662-329-2323
2411 HWY 45 N
COLUMBUS, MS
Commercial Property For Rent
FOR RENT LOCATED NEAR
DOWNTOWN. 3,000 sq. ft.
truck terminal, 9,500 sq.
ft. shop & 3,200 sq. ft.
office/shop. Buildings can
be rented together or
separately. All w/ excellent
access & Hwy. 82 visibility.
662−327−9559.
RESTAURANT SPACE
AVAILABLE. 1200 sq. ft.
$1100/mo. Serious
inquiries only. 662−328−
8655 or 662−574−7879.
Houses For Rent: North
3BR/1.5BA. Single garage,
nice neighborhood, 3 min.
from CAFB. 1058 S.
Perkins Rd. $780/mo.
504−813−1200.
Houses For Rent: East
4BR/2.5BA BRICK HOME
located on large lot w/ 2
car garage. Fresh paint &
tile floors in kitchen & ED SANDERS GUNSMITH
OPEN FOR SEASON!
bathrooms. $1,200/mo +
dep. 770−658−7726.
Houses For Rent: Caledonia Over 50 years experience!
2BR/1BA. Caledonia area.
1 yr lease. $650 rent plus
dep. No pets. No smoking.
662−574−0227 or Located: Hwy 45 Alt, North
662−356−4958. of West Point, turn right on
Mobile Homes for Rent
Yokahama Blvd, 8mi & turn
left on Darracott Rd, see
sign, 2.5mi ahead, shop on
1909 ROBERSON ST. 3BR/
left. 662−494−6218.
2BA, $650/mo + $650
dep. No smoking. No pets.
No HUD. 662−549−3328.
New Hope Mobile Home
Park 2 prime lots open
− BRING YOUR HOME!
Andrews Mobile Home
Park has 2 prime
mobile home/RV lots
for rent in quiet heart of
New Hope. Roll your
new home right in.
Availability limited, so
act fast and be a part of
our friendly established
community! Application
& references required.
Lot 1 − small lot
between great
neighbors, ideal for long
−term RV. We will
prepare electric pole.
$175/month includes
water and sewer. First
month free with 6
month lease and
deposit.
Lot 6 − oversized lot
ideal for 16 x 80 or
double wide, $185/
month includes water
and sewer. We will
prepare site. First
month free with
minimum 12 month
lease. Please call Pam,
601−310−3528.
LOCATED ON HWY. 373,
Columbus. $400.00.
662−729−5029.
One call will bring you results. 662-328-2424
or place your ad online at ads.cdispatch.com
Office Spaces For Rent
OFFICE SPACE FOR
LEASE. 1112 Main St.,
Ste. 5. 3700 sq. ft.
Plenty of private parking.
662−327−9559.
Real Estate
Ads starting at $25
Commercial Property For Sale
SENSATION ADULT
STORE/SMOKE SHOP
For Sale. 662−549−4760.
Houses For Sale: Caledonia
FSBO: 3BR/2BA ON 2.5
ACRES. 1600 sqft.
Completely remodeled.
$178,000. 662−386−
7113.
Lots & Acreage
WINTER SPECIAL. 1.75
acre lots. Good/bad credit.
10% down, as low as
$299/mo. Eaton Land.
662−361−7711.
Garage Sales
Two free signs
Estate Sales
Estate Sale January 3 & 4.
134 Adams Road (Highway
69 South) Friday 8:00 until
4:00 Saturday 8:00 until
1:00 Antique Furniture,
Dishes, TV, chest freezer,
washer & dryer, quilts and
more. 205−394−4941
Estate Sale: 1200
Nottingham Rd, Starkville,
12/29−31, 8−5 daily.
972−824−6298
Merchandise
Ads starting at $12
Firewood / Fuel
FIREWOOD FOR SALE.
Various lengths.
662−295−2274.
General Merchandise
WANTED FREON R12.
We pay CA$H.
R12 R500 R11.
Convenient.
Certified professionals.
refrigerantfinders.com/ad
312−291−9169
Sporting Goods
9−5: Tues−Fri &
9−12: Sat.
Repairs, cleaning,
refinishing, scopes
mounted & zeroed,
handmade knives.
Community
Ads starting at $12
Good Things To Eat
THE TOMATO HOUSE
Vine−ripened hydroponic
tomatoes & more! Available
now! 16132 Hwy 45 N,
Macon, next to Noxubee Co
High School. 662−352−
1270 or 662−425−9116.
Personals
LOOKING FOR FAMILY
MEMBERS of James
Thomas, born 1/29/1914.
Deceased 10/29/1980.
Moved from Columbus, MS
to Bessemer, AL. Call Bell
Jones, 205−643−1366.
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Service Directory
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Building & Remodeling General Services Plumbing
HOME REPAIRS & WORK WANTED:
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concrete, electrical & demolition. Landscaping, Licensed Plumber
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