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Wednesday | February 5, 2020

Rudy Johnson replaced on EMCC board

Supes appoint former SPD chief despite
having two more months to take applications
BY TESS VRBIN
tvrbin@cdispatch.com
Two months before Rudy
Johnson’s term on the East Mis-
sissippi Community College
Board of Trustees is due to ex-
pire, Oktibbeha County supervi-
sors have already appointed his
replacement at the urging of a
former political rival.
Supervisors voted 3-2 on
Monday to appoint former
Starkville police chief Frank
Nichols to the board. He will
replace Johnson after his term
expires in April.
Johnson had expressed in-
terest to serve another term as
one of Oktibbeha County’s two
EMCC trustees. But District
3 Supervisor Marvell Howard
recommended Nichols on Mon-
day, and Super-
visors Orlando
wanted to remain on the board.
Johnson, who lives in District
Trainer (Dis-
trict 2) and Joe
3, ran unsuccessfully in last
year’s Republican primary for
Williams (Dis- supervisor. Had he won the pri-
trict 5) voted mary, he would have faced How-
with him. ard, a Democrat, in November’s
Board Pres-
general election.
ident John
“I think that’s because I ran
Montgomery of Johnson Nichols Howard
District 1 and against Marvell for supervisor,
Bricklee Miller of District 4 op- especially since the board had but that’s the way politics goes,”
posed Nichols’ appointment and just received a new applicant’s Johnson told The Dispatch in
said the board should have taken information that morning. reference to his not being reap-
the time to consider other candi- Montgomery said he wanted pointed to EMCC’s board.
dates before making a decision, to talk to Johnson about why he See EMCC, 3A

Aldermen issue
Area school districts emphasize WorkKeys bonds for park
projects on
4-3 vote
Another split vote
permits third Pride
parade with no
discussion
BY ZACK PLAIR
zplair@cdispatch.com

A 4-3 vote Tuesday

moved forward a reso-
lution for Starkville al-
dermen to issue up to
$25 million in general
obligation bonds for
park improvements,
including building
a tournament ready Sistrunk
sports complex at
Cornerstone Park off
Highway 25.
While issuing the
bonds themselves
Courtesy photo
seemed a housekeep-
From left, Columbus High School students Maliyah Ashford, Mya Burgin, John Radney, Marlon Dooley and Corvi- ing issue, as city vot-
on Hairston review practice questions for the WorkKeys exam, a workforce readiness test produced by the same ers last year approved
company that writes the ACT. Columbus Municipal School District has set a goal to have 100 students score a a 1-percent tourism Beatty
Silver of higher on the exam, and is one of several area districts that are increasingly emphasizing the importance tax increase to back
of WorkKeys and workforce readiness among students. them, debate swirled
around how to — and
CMSD implements Power of 100 club to encourage degree as college readiness, Chap-
man said.
what firm would —
underwrite them. Ul-
student interest in workforce readiness CMSD implemented the Pow-
er of 100, a club for students who
timately, the narrowly
approved resolution
BY ISABELLE ALTMAN Keys exam, a workforce readiness make Silver of higher on the Work- named the Raymond
ialtman@cdispatch.com test similar in format to the more Keys, with a goal of having at least James firm as under- Carver
academic-oriented ACT, and was 100 students in the club by the end writer without requiring a bid pro-
Columbus High School Principal now excited to meet representa- of this school year. cess for those services.
Craig Chapman tells a story about tives from area industries planning “(We’re) using the Power of 100 The bond resolution calls for a
a particular student who swung by to visit the schools. to name a group of students who repayment term of up to 30 years,
his office to ask, “When are the in- It’s just one example of students’ have done well in something,” Chap- something both Ward 2 Alderman
dustries visiting?” excitement around CHS’s push over man said. “Now we have so many Sandra Sistrunk and city financial
The student, one of the school’s the last two years to emphasize students who are eager to be a part consultant Nick Schorr said was
202 seniors, had taken the Work- workforce readiness to the same See WORKKEYS, 8A rare for municipal bonds. Most com-
mercial banks shy away from such
long-term bonds, they said, mean-
See ALDERMEN, 3A

Columbus council fires officer accused of tasering cuffed man

Howard had been disciplined for multiple offenses
BY ISABELLE ALTMAN
AND YUE STELLA YU
ialtman@cdispatch.com; syu@
cdispatch.com
COLUMBUS — The
Columbus City Council
voted unanimously Tues-
day to fire police officer
Toni Howard.
City officials did not
comment on the record
the reason for Howard’s
firing, but multiple sourc-
es with direct knowledge
of the situation said How-
ard deployed a taser on a
handcuffed suspect.
Howard was hired in
2015, according to re-
cords in the city’s human
resources department.
She was a patrol officer.
Howard had been dis-
ciplined
for several
Both Howard and her at-
torney, Rod Ray of Colum-
ing with Howard whether
to appeal.
breaches of bus, appeared before the CPD Chief Fred Shel-
CPD policy council during its regular ton declined to comment,
and at least meeting Tuesday, but the citing a department poli-
on suspen- appearance took place in cy not to comment on per-
sion in her executive session. sonnel matters.
four years Howard Ray told The Dispatch Howard was suspend-
at Colum- he respects the council’s ed for 14 working days in
bus Police Department. decision and is discuss- See HOWARD, 8A

WEATHER FIVE QUESTIONS CALENDAR LOCAL FOLKS PUBLIC

Audrey Abrams
Third grade, Annunciation
1 Which athlete, who retired in 2005, had the Friday and Saturday MEETINGS
nicknames “Prime Time” and “Neon Deion”? ■ Rotary Classic Rodeo:
Feb. 14:
2 At which university did funnyman and movie Starkville Board
This Starkville Rotary Club
start Chris Pratt pick up the Hasty Pudding of Aldermen
Man of the Year award in 2015? fundraiser features rodeo
3 In what 2012 time-travel thriller, starring action at 7 p.m. nightly at work session,
Bruce Willis and Emily Blunt, are mob targets the Mississippi Horse Park in 11 a.m., City
disposed of 30 years in the past? Starkville. On Friday, kids 12 Hall
4 Which city’s U.S. Mint, which makes more and under get in free. On Sat-
Feb. 17:
coins than any other mint in the world, fea- urday from 5-6:30 p.m., kids

71 Low 48
tures a “D” on each coin it produces? Oktibbeha
enjoy pony rides and a pet-
High 5 What woodwind instrument is sometimes ting zoo, free with admission County Board
Rain and thunderstorms
called a “licorice stick”? of Supervisors
Answers, 8B to the rodeo. Adult tickets are
Full forecast on $15 at the door, $12 in ad- meeting, 5:30
page 3A. vance. Saturday kids’ tickets p.m., Chancery
are $5 (3 and under attend Courthouse
INSIDE free). Get advance tickets
at Oktibbeha County Co-op,
Feb. 18:
Starkville Board
Classifieds 7B Food 5B RAM/Parker-McGill, Starkville
CVB and Tractor Supply in of Aldermen
Comics 4B Obituaries 4A
Crossword 8B Opinions 6A Starkville and Columbus. meeting, 5:30
Dear Abby 4B NATS 7A Visit mshorsepark.com. Kimberly Mallard loves traveling. p.m., City Hall

DISPATCH CUSTOMER SERVICE 328-2424 | NEWSROOM 328-2471

2A WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2020 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com

Trump uses State of Union

speech to campaign; Pelosi rips it
‘We are moving forward
at a pace that was
unimaginable just a
short time ago, and we
are never going back’
President Donald Trump
BY JONATHAN LEMIRE
The Associated Press
WA S H I N G T O N
— Standing before a
Congress and a na-
tion sharply divided
by impeachment,
President Donald
Trump used his State
of the Union address Trump
to extol a “Great
American Come-
back” on his watch,
just three years after
he took office decry-
ing a land of “Amer-
ican carnage” under
his predecessor.
The partisan dis- Pelosi
cord was on vivid dis-
play Tuesday as the first president
to campaign for reelection while
facing impeachment made his case
for another term: Republican legis-
lators chanted “Four More Years.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripped
up her copy of Trump’s speech as he
ended his address.
“America’s enemies are on the
run, America’s fortunes are on the
rise and America’s future is blazing
bright,” Trump declared. “In just
three short years, we have shattered
the mentality of American decline
and we have rejected the downsiz-
ing of America’s destiny. We are
moving forward at a pace that was
unimaginable just a short time ago,
Trump impeachment acquittal
on track ahead of Senate vote
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is on the verge of ac-
quittal by the Senate, an end to only the third presidential impeach-
ment trial in American history but coming at the start of a tumultuous
campaign for the White House.
A majority of senators have now expressed unease with Trump’s
pressure campaign on Ukraine that resulted in the two articles of im-
peachment. But there’s nowhere near the two-thirds support necessary
in Republican-held Senate for the Constitution’s bar of high crimes and
misdemeanors to convict and remove the president from office.
The outcome expected Wednesday caps nearly five months of re-
markable impeachment proceedings launched in Speaker Nancy Pelo-
si’s House, ending in Mitch McConnell’s Senate and reflective of the
nation’s unrelenting partisan divide three years into the Trump presi-
dency.
and we are never going back.” Trump appeared no more cor-
Holding out the nation’s econom- dial. When he climbed to the House
ic success as the chief rationale rostrum, he did not take her out-
for a second term, Trump’s speech stretched hand though it was not
resembled a lower-volume version clear he had seen her gesture. Lat-
of his campaign rallies, providing er, as Republicans often cheered,
something for every section of his she remained in her seat, at times
political base. shaking her head at his remarks.
When Pelosi left, she told report-
But while he tweets daily as-
sailing his impeachment, Trump ers that tearing up the speech was
never mentioned the “i-word” in his “the courteous thing to do consid-
78-minute speech. That followed ering the alternative.” Republicans
the lead of Bill Clinton, who did denounced her action as disrespect-
not reference his recent impeach- ful.
ment when he delivered his State Trump, the former reality TV
of the Union in 1999. Trump spoke star, added a showbiz flavor to the
from the House of Representatives, staid event: He had wife Melania
on the opposite side of the Capitol present the Presidential Medal of
from where the Senate one day later Freedom, the nation’s highest ci-
was expected to acquit him largely vilian honor, to the divisive conser-
along party lines. vative radio host Rush Limbaugh,
Pelosi, a frequent thorn in who recently announced he has ad-
Trump’s side, created a viral im- vanced lung cancer.
age with her seemingly sarcastic He stunned a young student in
applause of the president a year the gallery with a scholarship. And
ago. This time, she was even more he orchestrated the surprise tearful
explicit with her very text-ripping reunion of a solider from overseas
rebuke. with his family in the balcony.

Japan quarantines cruise ship as toll of new virus grows

Tokyo Olympics organizers are closed completely. And
on the mainland, patients
worried about the disruption the were being treated in
health workers, some in
protective white jump-
suits, transferred 10 pa-

virus is causing ahead of the games,

which open in less than six months
BY FOSTER KLUG AND
MARI YAMAGUCHI
The Associated Press
TOKYO — Large
white sheets covering
them head-to-knee, peo-
ple infected with a new
virus were led by gloved
and masked officials
Wednesday off a Japa-
nese cruise ship that’s
being quarantined amid
growing worry about the
spread of an outbreak.
The quarantine of 3,711
people aboard the Dia-
mond Princess is part of a
global health emergency
that seems to worsen by
the day. The little-under-
stood new coronavirus
has killed 490 people in
mainland China, officials
said Wednesday. But it
has also spread panic and
discrimination around
the world as the number
of cases grow.
More than 1,800 peo-
ple on another cruise ship
were being screened in
Hong Kong after three
passengers on a previous
voyage were diagnosed
with the virus. Thou-
sands of hospital workers
in Hong Kong were strik-
ing to demand the border
with mainland China be
newly built or converted
hospitals while some at
overcrowded facilities sat
on the floor.
Tokyo Olympics orga-
nizers said they are in-
creasingly worried about
the disruption the virus
is causing ahead of the
games, which open in less
than six months.
As examples of an-
ti-Asian discrimination
mount, U.N. Secre-
tary-General Antonio
Guterres appealed for
“international solidarity”
and support for China and
other countries hurt by
the virus. He urged a stop
to any stigmatization of
innocent people.
In the port city of Yoko-
hama, just outside Tokyo,
tients from the Diamond
Princess cruise ship to a
Japanese coast guard boat
next to it. The 10, covered
in sheets to protect their
identities from cameras,
were taken to a dock and
put on ambulances bound
for hospitals for treatment
in isolation.
Health Minister Katsu-
nobu Kato said all the peo-
ple on board will be quar-
antined on the ship for up
to 14 days under Japanese
law. The ship had 2,666
passengers and 1,045
crew members. Tests
were pending on 273 peo-
ple who had symptoms or
had contact with a man
who was diagnosed with
the virus after leaving the
ship in Hong Kong.
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© The Dispatch

Tesla stock is soaring. Madness or visionary investing? Providing Our Clients Expertise With
Over 50+ Years Of Combined Experience

Tesla worth more than General Motors,
Ford and Fiat Chrysler combined
BY TOM KRISHER
AND CATHY BUSSEWITZ
AP Business Writers
DETROIT — Eight
months after it seemed
headed for the corporate
junkyard, Tesla is now
worth more than Gener-
al Motors, Ford and Fiat
Chrysler combined, even
though the Big Three to-
gether sell more cars and
trucks in two weeks than
Tesla does in a whole year.
In a reversal of fortune
analysts find amazing if
not nutty, the stock of the
electric vehicle and solar
panel maker has rocket-
ed to nearly $900, up over
30 percent in just the past
two days. It is now worth
five times what it was in
June, when there were
whispers of bankruptcy
surrounding the company
founded by the erratic vi-
sionary Elon Musk.
Among the world’s au-
tomakers, Tesla, with a
market value Tuesday just
shy of $160 billion, ranks
behind only Toyota, at
$232 billion.
Many investors see it
as justified for a company
that is leading the world
in electric vehicle sales
amid an expected global
transition from the inter-
nal combustion engine to
batteries.
Others see the meteor-
ic rise as just plain crazy
for a company that’s never
turned a full-year profit.
“It doesn’t seem to be
closely attached to reali-
ty,” said Gartner analyst
Mike Ramsey.
Tesla sold only 367,500
vehicles last year, com-
pared with millions at GM,
Ford or Fiat Chrysler. GM
alone sold 7.7 million, 21
times more than Tesla.
While the spectacular
run-up in the stock has
been attributed in part to
rising profits and other
encouraging signs from
Tesla, it has been ampli-
fied, paradoxically, by
the many investors who
have been “shorting” the
stock — that is, betting it
would drop. As the stock
goes up, these investors
are losing money, so they
try to limit their losses by
rushing in to buy, driving
the price even higher.
Just last spring, Tesla
seemed to be in trouble.
Its stock had fallen 40 per-
cent largely on concerns
that it was running out of
buyers for its high-priced
vehicles, which start at
nearly $40,000 and can
run well over $100,000.
Big debt payments
were looming, the com-
pany was burning cash
and losses were growing.
Its federal tax credit was
being phased out by the
end of the year, and com-
petitors were about to
launch their own electric
vehicles.
But sales emerged
stronger than many ex-
pected, production prob-
lems were vanquished,
and while Tesla lost $862
million in 2019, it turned
a profit during the last
two quarters of the year,
including $105 million in
quarterly earnings posted
last week.
Among the positive
news coming from the
automaker: Tesla said it
expects to exceed produc-
tion of 500,000 vehicles
this year at its factories
in Fremont, California,
and Shanghai. It appears
to have worked the kinks
out of making the Model
3 small car, the company’s
lowest-priced vehicle. And
it announced it will start
producing the Model Y,
a small SUV with broad
global appeal, sooner than
expected.

If you don’t read The Dispatch, how are you gonna know?
 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2020 3A

Aldermen
Continued from Page 1A
ing an underwriter with a
large capacity and custom-
er base — like Raymond
James, a nationwide com-
pany with a significant
footprint in Mississippi —
made them easier to sell.
By law, any term more
than 20 years requires the
participation of Missis-
sippi Development Bank,
which Schorr told The
Dispatch would operate
as a “conduit issuer.” As
underwriter, the Ray-
mond James firm would
actually sell the bonds to
institutional and retail in-
vestors on the open mar-
ket “across the country,”
he said.
However, fees associat-
ed with Raymond James’
services are not specified
in the city’s resolution,
and Schorr told the board
those would depend on
market conditions when
the bonds are sold, prob-
ably sometime in March.
At that point, Schorr, who
works for Government
Consultants, would advise
if those service fees were
fair market value.
That prompted Ward 5
Alderman Hamp Beatty,
and later Ward 1 Alder-
man Ben Carver, to openly
question Schorr on wheth-
er the city should request
proposals from other
firms.
“How do we approve
something (like this)
without knowing if we’re
getting the best price and
without a competitive bid
process?” Carver asked.
Schorr yielded to the
board’s discretion, saying
aldermen could pursue an
underwriter with or with-
out bids. But Sistrunk,
who moved to pass the
resolution and name Ray-
mond James as underwrit-
er, indicated a bid process
would be little more than
a formality and that most
potential bidders with the
capacity to underwrite
bonds of this magnitude
are out-of-state.
“This is a unique set
of bonds for us,” said
Sistrunk, referring to the
amount and lengthy re-
payment term. “There are
probably only a couple of
underwriters in-state who
would submit proposals.”
She told The Dispatch
after the meeting that any
savings seen from RFPs
would be marginal and the
service fees for underwrit-
ing would be similar to
“hiring a bond attorney.”
Ultimately, the res-
olution passed by a 4-3
roll-call vote, with Carv-
er, Ward 6 Alderman and
Vice Mayor Roy A. Per-
kins, and Ward 7 Alder-
man Henry Vaughn op-
posing.
Beatty, when his name
was called, reluctantly vot-
ed “yea,” giving the reso-
lution its needed majority.
Speaking to The Dis-
patch after the meeting,
Beatty, who earned a spot
on the board in May 2019
in the same special elec-
tion that passed the tour-
ism tax increase that will
fund the park projects,
said he supported the no-
bid resolution Tuesday to
“be a team player as much
as I can.”
“A lot of this was in mo-
tion before I ever came on
the board,” he said. “…
I think we made a good
decision tonight to issue
the bonds, and Raymond
James is certainly a rep-
utable company. I just
thought we at least needed
to bring up and discuss
whether to request pro-
posals.”
Carver, too, said he’s
happy with Raymond
James underwriting the
bonds. As a rule, though,
he supports a competitive
bidding process.
In another 4-3 vote —
again with Carver, Per-
kins and Vaughn opposed
— the board approved a
special event permit for
Starkville’s third annu-
al Pride parade, set for
March 21 downtown.
Mayor Lynn Spruill again
called for a roll-call vote on
the measure, but it went
forward otherwise with-
out discussion.
In 2018, a 4-3 aldermen
vote attempted to block
the inaugural Pride pa-
rade, organized by a group
formed on Mississippi
State University’s cam-
pus, but a federal lawsuit
the Starkville Pride group
filed against the city drew
national media attention
and ultimately forced the
board to reconsider.
In that instance, Ward
3’s David Little, who orig-
inally voted against allow-
ing the parade, abstained
in a re-vote and allowed
Spruill to break the tie to
move the parade forward
— in part because the
city’s legal liability insur-
ance was unlikely to cover
the costs of defending the
Starkville Pride suit. The
last two years, Little has
voted to approve the spe-
cial event permit for the
event.

Relay for Life 2020

AROUND THE STATE
176 dogs seized from breeding
operation in Mississippi
COLDWATER — A Humane So-
ciety director said 176 dogs were
removed Monday from a breeding
operation in north Mississippi after
investigators received a tip that the
animals were being kept in terrible
conditions.
Sandy Williams, director of the
Humane Society in Tunica County,
told The Associated Press that more
than 100 of the dogs were found in
kennels stacked ceiling-high in a
building the size of a one-car ga-
rage. She said many of the animals
had filthy, matted fur.
The stench of urine and feces
was so bad that “you just couldn’t
even breathe” before the building
was aired out, Williams said. “It was
horrible.”
The Tate County Sheriff’s De-
partment carried out a search war-
rant Monday at a home where the
dogs were kept in Coldwater, a town
of about 1,700 residents that is 35
miles south of Memphis, Tennes-
see.
Raffle tickets will be available for purchase through Monday,
Lowndes County, MS
20/20 Catch the Vision —
Find a Cure
Enter to win in our Valentine’s Day raffle
$10 per ticket
1 Raffle winner includes the following:
$50 Gift Certificate to Harvey’s Restaurant
1 Night Hotel Stay at the Hyatt Place in Columbus, MS
Leo’s Luxury Limos Ride - Hyatt Place to Harvey’s
and back to Hyatt Place
$65 Gift Certificate to Allegro MedSpa
Feb. 10th. Drawing will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 11th.
A member of the Relay Committee will contact the winner

EMCC
Continued from Page 1A
Johnson was first ap-
pointed to the board in
2010 and previously was
assistant director of EM-
CC’s Golden Triangle cam-
pus in Mayhew from 1980
to 1990. He is currently
executive director of the
Golden Triangle Planning
and Development District.
Howard told The Dis-
patch he had nothing
against Johnson and voted
to appoint him to his first
term 10 years ago.
“He’s done a wonderful
job on the board,” Howard
said. “I just felt like it was
time for a fresh look and
maybe some fresh blood.”
Appointing a new trust-
ee two months early gives
the person enough time
to become aware of the is-
sues facing EMCC before
starting the new term,
Howard said. The board
of trustees is comprised of
two members from each
of the counties EMCC
serves: Lowndes, Lau-
derdale, Oktibbeha, Clay,
Noxubee and Kemper.
Spencer Broocks, who
also works with GTPDD,
is the other Oktibbeha
trustee.
County Administra-
tor Emily Garrard said at
Monday’s meeting that
she asked for applications
for various boards to be
sent to her last year, but
supervisors said the appli-
cation process is informal
and simply involves noti-
fying a supervisor of the
desire to be considered.
Montgomery said he is
aware that Johnson want-
ed to stay on the EMCC
board, but Howard said he
was not. Montgomery and
Miller said there were at
least four other applicants
besides Nichols and John-
son.
Nichols retired Dec.
31 after 27 years with the
Starkville Police Depart-
ment and five years as
chief. He did not respond
to requests for comment.
Financial improvements
at EMCC
The annual indepen-
dent audit of EMCC’s
finances showed a $2 mil-
lion decrease in operating
expenses, from $50 mil-
lion in Fiscal Year 2018 to
$48 million in fiscal year
2019, Keith Evans of the
Meridian-based account-
ing firm Rea, Shaw, Giffin
& Stuart told the EMCC
Board of Trustees at a
Monday evening meeting
in Scooba.
Operating expenses
outpaced revenues by
more than $17 million,
but state and local appro-
priations covered all but
$55,000 in FY 2019 com-
pared to a $3.7 million
shortfall in 2018, Evans
said.
EMCC’s total fund bal-
ance increased by $3.2
million, from $42.6 million
to $45.9 million from FY
2018 to 2019.
The Dispatch reported
in August that EMCC’s
general operating fund
balance, which Evans said
is only a small part of the
overall fund balance, fell
from roughly $11 million
to only $710,844 by the
end of June 2018. Evans
said the general operat-
ing fund balance saw little
change from 2018 to 2019.
The Lowndes and Ok-
tibbeha county boards
of supervisors voted lat-
er in August to call for a
state audit into EMCC’s
finances. EMCC president
Scott Alsobrooks told The
Dispatch he is unsure of
whether the state audi-
tor’s office will fulfill the
requests, but Evans’ audit
will play a role if it does.
EMCC has saved
money through “cost
control” measures, espe-
cially in administration,
Alsobrooks said. The col-
lege did not fill positions
left open by retirements or
within 24 hours of drawing to claim the prize.
No response will result in a re-draw.
Tickets are available for sale at the following locations:
Westmoreland Dermatology Center
other departures and con- Gary’s Pawn & Gun (both locations)
solidated administrative Chris’ Pharmacy (both locations)
duties among those still The Commercial Dispatch
there, and the athletics Thank you for your support of Relay for Life 2020
department has been no
exception, he said.
“We’ve cut some ad-
ministrative slots but
have not eliminated any
coaches,” he said. “We’re
still coaching to the same
level.”
Alsobrooks estimated
athletic administrative
cuts have saved EMCC
between $100,000 and
$500,000. EMCC’s athlet-
ics spending racked up a
total $1.14 million deficit
in FY 2018.
Alsobrooks said in Oc-
tober that low enrollment
played a significant role
in EMCC’s financial woes.
Enrollment for the fall se-
mester was down 5 per-
cent, from 4,086 in 2018 to
3,882 in 2019. The board
will take a “deep dive” into
the factors behind declin-
ing enrollment at its next
meeting at Lion Hills Cen-
ter in Columbus in March,
Alsobrooks said.
The college worked
with the Legislature on
House Bill 378, which was
introduced Monday, to
allow out-of-state tuition
waivers.

CORRECTION
■ In Sunday’s edition
of Roses and Thorns,
the schedule for the
Mississippi Universi-
ty for Women’s fourth
annual “Imagine, Inspire
Challenge Symposium”
was misreported. The
symposium is Thursday
and Friday. For Thurs-
day’s keynote address,
Texas-based artist Dario • Firestarter
Robleto will join MUW • Packing
alumna Dr. Doris A. Tay-
Materials
lor, director of regenera-
tive medicine at the Texas Extra • Shipping
Heart Institute, for a
conversation on the deep Newsprint Materials
• Art Projects
connections between art is a great, • Window
and science, focusing inexpensive solution for.... Cleaning
in particular on Taylor’s
groundbreaking research Visit
in trying to create a
SOLUNAR TABLE
Office at The solunar period indicates
peak-feeding times for fish and game.
functioning human organ. 516 Main Street Major
Wed.
9:10p
Thurs.
10:23p
Friday’s events include Columbus, MS Minor 3:15p 4:26p
9:39a 10:52a
six lectures, followed by a Major

Cost: 80¢/lb.
Minor 5:02a 6:16a
Q&A session with Robleto Courtesy of Mississippi Department
of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks

and Taylor.

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4A WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2020 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com

For first time in 4 years, US life expectancy rises — a little

CDC: On average, an infant born in 2018
expected to live about 78 years and 8 months
BY MIKE STOBBE
AP Medical Writer
NEW YORK — Life expec-
tancy in the United States is up
for the first time in four years.
The increase is small — just
a month — but marks at least a
temporary halt to a downward
trend. The rise is due to lower
death rates for cancer and drug
overdoses.
“Let’s just hope it contin-
ues,” said Robert Anderson,
who oversees the report re-
leased Thursday by the Cen-
ters for Disease Control and
Prevention.
The latest calculation is for
2018 and factors in current
death trends and other issues.
On average, an infant born that
year is expected to live about 78
years and 8 months, the CDC
said.
For males, it’s about 76 years
and 2 months; for females 81
years and 1 month.
For decades, U.S. life expec-
tancy was on the upswing, ris-
ing a few months nearly every
year. But from 2014 to 2017, it
fell slightly or held steady. That
was blamed largely on surges
in overdose deaths and sui-
cides.
Suicides continued to in-
crease in 2018, as did deaths
from the flu and pneumonia
during what turned out to be
an unusually bad flu year. But
declines in some other causes
of death — most notably cancer
and drug overdoses — were
enough to overcome all that,
according to the report.
Cancer is the nation’s No. 2
killer, blamed for about 600,000
deaths a year, so even slight
changes in the cancer death
rate can have a big impact. The
rate fell more than 2 percent,
matching the drop in 2017.
“I’m a little surprised that
rapid pace is continuing,” said
Rebecca Siegel, a researcher
for the American Cancer Soci-
ety.
Most of the improvement is
in lung cancer because of fewer
smokers and better treatments,
she said.
Also striking was the drop
in drug overdose deaths that
had skyrocketed through 2017.
The death rate fell 4 percent in
2018 and the number of deaths
dropped to about 67,400.
Deaths from heroin and
prescription painkillers went
down, however, deaths from
other drugs — fentanyl, co-
caine and meth — continued
to go up. And preliminary data
for the first half of 2019 suggest
the overall decline in overdose
deaths is already slowing down.
It’s still a crisis, said Kather-
ine Keyes, a Columbia Univer-
sity researcher. “But the fact
that we have seen the first year
where there’s not an additional
increase is encouraging.”
The national decline was
driven by dips in 14 states, the
CDC’s Anderson said. Those
include states where overdose
deaths have been most com-
mon, like Ohio, Pennsylvania,
Kentucky, and West Virginia.

In blessing annexation, Trump erodes an international norm

Israel is poised to annex a vast swath ers have hailed as a his-
toric achievement. The
the White House when
the plan was unveiled last
position that the territo-
ries were seized in a “de-
rounding Israel’s creation,
Egyptian forces took con-
of the occupied West Bank as part initiative has infuriated
the Palestinians, who see
month.
The Palestinians view
fensive war” in 1967 and
that Israel has “valid legal
trol of the Gaza Strip and
Jordan took over the West
of President Trump’s Mideast plan their aspirations for a vi-
able independent state in
the settlements in the
West Bank and annexed
and historical claims” to
them, which is widely dis-
Bank and east Jerusalem.

BY TAMER FAK AHANY
The Associated Press
Annexation, at its
heart, is a byproduct of
conflict. Almost never is it
an act of peace, though it
has been cast that way at
times throughout human
history.
Certainly not under
international law, which
describes it as the forcible
acquisition of territory by
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free of charge. Extended obit-
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wish to include, are available
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
proof of death. Please submit
all obituaries on the form
provided by The Commercial
Dispatch. Free notices must
be submitted to the newspa-
per no later than 3 p.m. the
one state at the expense
of another. It often formal-
izes military occupation.
The United Nations made
it illegal after World War
II.
Israel is poised to an-
nex a vast swath of the
occupied West Bank with
the blessing of President
Donald Trump’s Mideast
plan, which Prime Minis-
ter Benjamin Netanyahu
and his hawkish support-
day prior for publication Tues-
day through Friday; no later
than 4 p.m. Saturday for the
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and Monday publication. For
more information, call 662-
328-2471.
Gene Guyton
COLUMBUS —
Therell “Gene” Guyton,
73, died Feb. 5, 2020, at
danger of being bitterly
extinguished.
The plan would allow
Israel to keep all its Jew-
ish settlements in the
West Bank, where over
460,000 Israelis reside,
as well as the strategic
Jordan Valley. As for the
rest of the West Bank,
“the Israeli military will
continue to control the
entire territory,” Netanya-
hu proudly announced at
AREA OBITUARIES
Baptist Memorial Hos-
pital-Golden Triangle.
Arrangements are
incomplete and will be
announced by Memori-
al Gunter Peel Funeral
Home & Crematory
Second Avenue North
of Columbus.
Thad Cribbs
GUIN, Ala. — Thad
Lathan Cribbs, 40, died
Jan. 30, 2020, at Bap-
tist Memorial Hospi-
tal-Golden Triangle.
Services will be at
2 p.m. Saturday, at the
Otts Funeral Home
east Jerusalem — terri- puted.
tories seized by Israel in Israeli law allows the
the 1967 war — as a major government to extend
obstacle to peace. That sovereignty over any part
position is held by much of the British-ruled Pales-
of the international com- tine Mandate, which in-
munity, which views the cluded what is now Israel,
settlements as illegal. the West Bank and Gaza,
The Trump plan seems and where the British had
to brush aside interna- promised to establish a
tional law, effectively home for the Jewish peo-
saying Israel is a special ple, without specifying its
case. boundaries.
It adopts the Israeli In the 1948 war sur-
Durell Homan
Visitation:
Sunday, Feb. 9 • 12:30-2 PM
2nd Ave North Location
Services:
Sunday, Feb. 9 • 2 PM
2nd Ave North Chapel
Burial
Greenhill Memorial Gardens
Chapel of Sulligent, In addition to his
Alabama, with Johnny mother, he is survived Gene Guyton
Incomplete
Stewart officiating. by his children, Will 2nd. Ave. North Location
Burial will follow at Hollis of Vernon Al-
Shiloh Cemetery. Visi- abama and Arionna
tation will be from 6-8 Cribbs of Huntsville,
p.m. Friday, at the fu- Alabama; and siblings,
neral home. Otts Funer- Danny Moon Jr. of
memorialgunterpeel.com
al Home of Sulligent, Huntsville, Alabama
Alabama is in charge of and Mimi Moon of Tus-
arrangements.
caloosa, Alabama.
Mr. Cribbs was born
Nov. 6, 1979, in Monroe
County to Jacqueline
Cribbs. He was a 1998
graduate of Lamar
County High School
and a member of West-
side Church of Christ in
Vernon.

US adds ‘low yield’ nuclear
weapon to its submarine arsenal
BY ROBERT BURNS
AP National Security Writer
WASHINGTON — The
U.S. military has deployed
a new addition to its nucle-
ar arsenal — a long-range
missile armed with a nu-
clear warhead of reduced
destructive power. The
so-called low-yield missile
joins other, more powerful
weapons aboard stealthy
submarines prowling the
oceans.
The debut deployment
aboard long-range subma-
rines, known as boomers,
is a landmark in U.S. nu-
clear weapons policy. It is
the first major addition to
the strategic nuclear arse-
nal in recent decades and
is a departure from the
Obama administration’s
policy of lessening depen-
dence on nuclear weapons
in pursuit of a nuclear-free
world.
In confirming the mis-
sile deployment to The
Associated Press, the
Pentagon’s top policy of-
ficial asserted that the
weapon makes Americans
safer by making nuclear
war less likely. Critics,
including some Demo-
crats in Congress, call it
a dangerous excess that
increases the risk of war.
John Rood, the under-
secretary of defense for
policy, said in an AP inter-
view Monday that adding
the “low-yield” warhead,
known as the W76-2, to
submarines which tote
Trident II ballistic mis-
siles lowers the risk of
nuclear war. He said the
United States will con-
tinue its stated policy of
using nuclear weapons
only in “extraordinary
circumstances.” He also
said the warhead will
help the United States dis-
suade Russia from risking
launching a limited nucle-
ar conflict.
“This supplemental
capability strengthens
deterrence and pro-
vides the United States a
prompt, more survivable
low-yield strategic weap-
on,” Rood said, adding
that it supports the U.S.
commitment to deter at-
tacks against allies, and
“demonstrates to poten-
tial adversaries that there
is no advantage to limited
nuclear employment be-
cause the United States
can credibly and decisive-
ly respond to any threat
scenario.”
Durell Homan
Durell Homan, age 98, died
Sunday February 2, 2020, at
Vineyard Court Nursing Home
in Columbus.
Services will be held Sunday
February 9, 2020, at 2:00 p.m. at
the 716 2nd Ave North Chapel
of Memorial Gunter Peel Funer-
al Home with Rev. Jamie Cum-
mins officiating; burial with
U.S. Navy honors, will follow at Greenhill Me-
morial Gardens in Reform, AL. Visitation will be
held Sunday from 12:30 p.m. until service time at
the funeral home.
Mr. Homan was born on February 27, 1921 in
Millport, Alabama, to the late Lindsey Strickland
(Doc) Homan and Florence Kelly Homan. He was
a member of McBee Baptist Church and a U.S.
Navy Veteran. He was a retired employee of Bal-
dor Electric, and Shipley’s Donuts. He enjoyed
riding horses, gardening that he shared with the
community, and watching Alabama football. Mr.
Homan loved God, his family and his friends. In
addition to his parents he was preceded in death
by his wife Ruby Nell Bobitt Homan, his sisters,
Mozell Shaw, Lou Ellen Wilson, Helen McCool,
Aline (Obedie) Shelton, and Minnie (Stub) Hud-
son, and his brothers, Lewis Homan, and Jessie
Homan, and his son-in-law Joe Farley.
He is survived by his daughter, Mary Fran-
ces Farley; grandchildren, Lex Farley, Sandy
(Todd) Dyson, Jana (Bo) Rowland; great-grand-
children, Tiffany Thompson, Dusty Dyson,
Kelli Thompson, Allie Dyson, Erin Farley; and
great-great-grandchildren, McKinley Perkins
and Madeline Sanders
Pallbearers will be Lex Farley, Dusty Dys-
on,Bo Rowland, Kevin Rowland, Logan Sanders,
Dillon Mason and Ryan Mann.
The Homan family would like to extend a
heartfelt thank you, to the Staff at Vineyard
Court and Encompass Health.

Send in your News About Town event. Sign the online guest book at
email: community@cdispatch.com www.memorialgunterpeel.com
Subject: NATS 716 Second Avenue North • Columbus, MS
 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2020 5A

Biden’s poor showing in Iowa

shakes establishment support
Former vice president
was running fourth,
close to Minnesota Sen.
Amy Klobuchar
BY BILL BARROW
AND BRIAN SLODYSKO
The Associated Press
DES MOINES,
Iowa — Joe Biden’s
third presidential
bid enters a critical
stretch after a disap-
pointing finish in the
Iowa caucuses sent
the former vice presi-
dent on to New Hamp- Biden
shire with a skittish donor base,
low cash reserves and the looming
threat of billionaire rival Michael
Bloomberg and his unlimited per-
sonal wealth.
In New Hampshire on Tuesday,
Biden insisted he had a “good night”
in Iowa even as he trailed the top
moderate candidate, former Mayor
Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indi-
ana, and the leading progressive,
Bernie Sanders, according to initial
returns from 71 percent of precincts.
Biden was running fourth, close to
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar,
who just days ago polled in single
digits.
That leaves some establishment
Democrats, including some Biden
supporters, questioning his conten-
tion that he’ll reclaim clear front-run-
ner status in the race against Presi-
dent Donald Trump once the primary
fight moves beyond overwhelmingly
white Iowa and New Hampshire to
more racially diverse electorates.
And it’s a reminder of how Biden’s
previous presidential campaigns
Avalanche of issues takes out
Iowa plan for high-tech caucus
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
IOWA CITY, Iowa — What went wrong with the Iowa Democratic
Party’s high-tech plan to speed up the reporting of caucus night results?
Pretty much everything.
A little-known startup company was picked by party leaders to de-
velop a mobile app for reporting unofficial results, with key details such
as the name of the firm kept confidential. While security experts tested
the program, many of the people who needed to use it at 1,678 precinct
locations across Iowa had little to no training. And a “coding issue”
within the app muddied the results, prompting party officials to halt
reporting and move to a back-up system to verify the counts.
When it came time to launch the app on Monday night, there was
widespread confusion and frustration. It’s similar to the sort of chaos
election security experts had been warning about. But while much of
the attention has been on foreign interference like Russia’s effort four
years ago, the problems in Iowa highlighted how technical errors can
be just as serious. It also underscored the risk of relying on voting tech-
nologies that election integrity advocates consider unreliable.
“If I were prone to Twitter, I would use the hashtag #IToldYouSo,”
said University of Iowa computer science professor Douglas W. Jones,
an election security expert. “It looks like the worst-case scenario hap-
pened.”
never advanced beyond Iowa. to the possibility that Biden fal-
“If he came in fourth, yeah, that ters. Bloomberg, one of the world’s
could hurt,” said Bill Freeman, a wealthiest men with a net worth ap-
Biden donor from Nashville, Tennes- proaching $60 billion, isn’t asking for
see, who added that he hadn’t even money. He’s simply looking for sup-
considered such a possibility head- port that could cut off financial life-
ing into Monday’s caucuses. “That’s lines to Biden, whose campaign re-
a bad night, no matter how you spin ported just $9 million cash on hand
it.” to start the year.
Most precarious for Biden: Some That’s patronage Biden needs to
of the would-be donors he could remain competitive with Buttigieg,
win over with a strong showing are as well as Sen. Elizabeth Warren
giving new looks to Bloomberg, the and Sanders, who have raised mas-
former New York City mayor whose sive sums from small-dollar online
entire strategy of sitting out the four contributors who have been far less
early nominating states is pegged generous to Biden.

Liberal watchdog group hires Amnesty director as new CEO

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MONTGOMERY, Ala.
— The executive direc-
tor of Amnesty Interna-
tional USA will take over
as chief executive of the
liberal watchdog South-
minorities and the under-
privileged. A decade later
he won a $7 million judg-
ment against the United
Klans of America on be-
half of Beulah Mae Don-
ald, whose son was mur-
dered by KKK members
in Mobile.
Following the firing
of Dees, the group hired
Tina Tchen, a one-time
aide to former first lady
Michelle Obama, to ana-
lyze its workplace prac-
tices.

Have you checked the

ern Poverty Law Center,
which is trying to steady
itself after months of tur-

Classifieds?
moil that included the fir-
ing of its founder.
Margaret Huang, who
has led Amnesty Inter-
national for more than
four years, will begin
work in April at the Al-
abama-based nonprofit
organization, which an-
nounced her hiring Mon-

EmploymEnt
day.
The announcement
came 11 months after the
Southern Poverty Law
Center fired its founder,

BUSInESS
Morris Dees, for unspec-
ified reasons and its pres-
ident, Richard Cohen,
resigned. Other staffers

REntalS
also left, and the organi-
zation’s employees voted
to unionize in December.
The organization,
which listed $492 million

REal EStatE
in assets on tax forms for
2018, said it has 350 em-
ployees in offices in Ala-
bama, Florida, Georgia,

GaRaGE SalES
Mississippi, Louisiana
and the District of Colum-
bia.
The announcement
about Huang’s hiring
touted her experience as
a leader in the area of hu-
man and civil rights.
“Change in the South
mERchandISE
VEhIclES
is coming, and SPLC is ea-
ger to work collaborative-
ly with other social justice
advocates to ensure that
the change improves the
lives of all communities,”
Huang said in a state-
ment.
Karen Baynes-Dun-
commUnIty
SERVIcES
ning, a former judge, had
served as head of the
Southern Poverty Law
Center on an interim ba-

lEGalS
sis.
Dees founded the or-
ganization with a partner
in 1971 as a watchdog for

Art happens.
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MISSISSIPPI VOICES
Josh Norman and the importance of re-entry
B
asketball distinguished him the custody of the State of Mis- the Minnesota Department had custody of him for almost 8
haunted my from most players. sissippi. The Department of of Corrections that reduces years, and 10 months after his
thoughts last He taught me a lot Corrections controlled where reincarceration by 55% and release, he allegedly commit-
week. While the about basketball, he lived, what he did, and who increases the likelihood of ted a similar crime. With a
world mourned the but his life and he was around. MDOC’s stated securing employment within a lack of rehabilitative prison
tragic death of NBA death can teach all goal is to “meet offender’s year of release by 72%. Lastly, programming and re-entry
legend Kobe Bry- of us an important reintegration efforts through Professor Barkow cites studies assistance, didn’t the State of
ant, I grieved the lesson about the rehabilitation and support that show the effectiveness of Mississippi fail Josh? Didn’t it
death of a childhood current prison programs.” This means Josh drug and alcohol counseling fail his new victim, too?
basketball friend: crisis: the impor- should have been offered coun- for prisoners not only with re- I have fond memories of
Josh Norman. tance of successful seling services and educational cidivism but also with recovery Josh. He will forever be the
Josh, also known re-entry. or vocational opportunities, from relapse. “big kid” my 10-year-old self
as J-Rock, was Justin Brooks The last time placed in behavioral support Shamefully, with Josh, the looks up to. Sure, he made mis-
reportedly found I saw Josh was in groups, and provided relevant State of Mississippi did the takes, but none of us should be
hanging in his cell in Unit 29 at 2009. At only 15-years-old, he drug and alcohol treatment. exact opposite. During Josh’s judged by our worse actions.
Parchman. For many, his death was sentenced to 8 years for an He should have been offered incarceration, the corrections I hope Josh’s death leads the
was #11 on a troubling list of armed robbery. His indictment re-entry services and pro- budget was regularly and State of Mississippi to reflect
deaths in our prison system alleges he threatened to rob grams to help him transition repeatedly cut. There was less on how its shortcomings
this year. For me, his death was someone with a beer bottle. back into society. prison programming and less impact the lives of incarcerated
personal. The Circuit Court records As Rachel Elise Barkow drug and alcohol treatment, citizens. We need significant
Josh and I grew up together indicate his lawyer asked the writes in “Prisoners of Pol- which meant less re-entry budget increases for rehabili-
in Rolling Hills subdivision Court to transfer his case back itics,” these ideas have all services. There were fewer tative programming. Judges,
in Starkville, Mississippi. He to youth court for him to be proven to help re-entry. For guards, which meant less though given much discretion,
had one of the best basketball prosecuted as a juvenile. If he instance, a study by the security, less safety, and worse should be more merciful in
goals in the neighborhood; a was prosecuted in youth court, Washington State Institute conditions. their sentencing, especially for
crisp white net with a wooden it is likely that he would have of Public Policy tracked the Less than ten months after juveniles. Prison conditions
backboard and an NBA model received a less severe punish- costs and benefits of prison his release, Josh was arrested should never fall to the inhab-
rim. Josh’s house was a routine ment and would have been held programming for juvenile for armed robbery and bur- itable level of Unit 29, where
meeting spot after school for in a safer facility with better prisoners for decades and glary of a dwelling. He was Josh was held.
the neighborhood kids. We conditions. The Court, for an found they generate a positive accused of breaking into a Unfortunately, Josh’s re-en-
would play pick-up basketball unreported reason, did not return on investment through woman’s house and robbing try story is not unique, and as
until the streetlights came on. transfer the case. Instead, he reduced recidivism. Professor her with a gun. If the allega- of this year, his death is not
On the court, Josh was a fierce was sent to an adult prison. Barkow also points to studies tions of the arrest are true, of either. Let’s honor Josh. Let’s
competitor who also valued After serving close to 8 of cognitive-behavior thera- course, there is some personal right our wrongs, Mississippi.
fairness. He was somehow years, Josh was released in py programs that decrease responsibility for his actions, Justin Brooks is a native of
both tenacious and compas- April of 2018. During his for- recidivism by up to 50%, and but what about the prison Starkville and a second-year
sionate, a leadership style that mative years, he was entirely in a re-entry program run by system’s failure? The prison law student at UC Berkeley.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Voice of the people
Comments on a divided country
One of the points made in Everette Cribb’s
January 21 column in The Dispatch detailed
the connection President Trump has forged and
maintained with the working class. I have no
doubt that Mr. Cribb was right about that. I don’t
claim to understand it, but I sure do see it.
The problem is that Trump has forged such
bonds only with half the country. Some of us,
though dismayed that he won, were ready, back
in 2016, to give him a chance. We hoped that
he would display aspects of his personality not
evident during his campaign. To say that those
folks, me included, have been disappointed, is
putting it mildly. At least, I know it is in my case.
Argue that if you must, but there can be no
disputing that we are a divided country — shock-
ing news, right? I can provide no better examples
than the past two weeks of the impeachment
trial and last night’s State of the Union address.
I couldn’t watch it but knew I’d see clips of it for
days. Sure enough, I started my day watching
Trump refuse to shake Nancy Pelosi’s hand and
Pelosi’s over the top ripping up of his speech af-
ter he handed it to her as is customary at the end.
You can argue whether or not either of these
actions — or many others on both sides during
Trump’s address — are warranted. Warranted
or not, count me as one who thinks they hurt our MORALS
Why is it always sex?
country in the long run. Dividing us may be of
short term political interest, but it’s unquestion-
ably to our long-term national detriment.

We all know this polarization was in place
long before Trump came on the scene. It is most
definitely not his fault. But, right now, he sure
is not helping. Worse, I don’t think he has the
slightest interest in even trying. And he is in a
better position than anyone else in the country to
unite us at least a bit more.
I’m ready to give someone else a chance. And
that’s also putting it mildly.
Paul Mack
Columbus
Disappointed with Pelosi’s actions
Dear Nancy Pelosi, do you realize how embar-
rassing you have become to our country? Don’t
you know you and the present elected Democrats
in our Congress are destroying our Democrat
Party and that your actions tonight during our
President’s best ever State of the Union address
show that you would like to do the same to our
country? Even CNN talkers are saying you have
made a “disaster” of the your party.
Well it’s plain to me and the entire country
that since you will not stand for his great accom-
plishments and the prosperous nation we’ve be-
come as a result of President’s Trump’s excellent
leadership, that you would also like to destroy us
as well.
Please watch a video of tonight’s speech and
pay close attention to the disgraceful spectacle
you made of yourself. The whole world was
watching you, Nancy. Shame on you.
One good thing you did without knowing it
at the time, was to stir up and feed our deter-
mination to reelect the greatest president since
George Washington. Also, on top of that, it made
every patriotic American’s desire to “drain that
swamp” — especially you and the other Dem-
ocrats up for reelection in our House of Repre-
sentatives — grow with leaps and bounds. Yes,
thank you for that, Madam Speaker!
Raymond Gross
Columbus
C
ertainly, if it’s
moral failures
you’re after, you
can take your pick.
Just last weekend,
after all, Republican
senators finally ad-
mitted that Donald
Trump is guilty of the
offenses for which he
was impeached. They
conceded this as they
prepared to acquit him. Leonard Pitts
Sen. Lamar Alex-
ander assured us the president
learned his lesson and won’t do it
again. This, even though he once
obstructed justice while being
accused of obstructing justice.
Meantime Trump, who has
made black athletes’ supposed
disrespect for the national anthem
a signature issue, demonstrated
his own deep respect as the song
was being performed prior to the
Super Bowl. He goofed around
and fidgeted like a 2-year-old on a
caffeine high while the grown-ups
stood solemnly, hands over their
hearts.
Such affronts to what is prop-
er and right are ubiquitous in
the Trump years. So naturally, a
prominent man of God decided
on Sunday that he’d had enough
and pronounced himself morally
offended.
By Jennifer Lopez’s backside.
Or maybe it was her frontside.
Or it could have been Shakira’s
backside or frontside. He wasn’t
really specific. All we know for
sure is that the evangelist Franklin indignation, in the evocation of
Graham took to social
media to declare that
our sense of “moral
decency” is “disappear-
ing before our eyes”
and that his Exhibit
A was the Super Bowl
halftime show in which
the two singers, clad in
skimpy outfits, gyrated
through a hits medley.
Graham saw this
as an example of the
“sexual exploitation
of women.” He declared himself
“disappointed” in the NFL and in
Pepsi, which sponsored the show.
And here, let us point out the
obvious. Namely, that Graham’s
professed concern about the
sexual exploitation of women is,
shall we say, inconsistent with
his lockstep support of Trump, an
adulterer, a consort of porn stars,
a credibly accused sex criminal
who once exhorted voters to turn
out for a credibly accused child
molester and a man whose most
famous quote is a boast about
grabbing women’s vaginas without
invitation or permission.
On all this, Graham is largely
mute, yet he bemoans “sexual ex-
ploitation” in a sexy dance routine?
Consider it superfluous proof
that the right wing has gone hy-
pocrisy blind.
But again, that’s the obvious
part. Here’s the less obvious part:
Why is it always sex? Why is it
that conservatives only ever see a
moral dimension, cause for moral
this most natural and common of
human activities?
Beg pardon, but is it not a moral
concern when you rip babies from
parents’ arms? When the planet
burns? When hate crimes spike?
When government steals ballots —
and thus, voices — from vulnera-
ble voters?
You’d think these would be
moral issues, yet somehow, the
right never frames them as such.
Congress robs the poor to give to
the rich, people are sick because
being healthy costs too much, a
black man in Mississippi is doing
12 years for possession of a cell-
phone ... and there is nary a flicker
of indignation from the likes of
Graham. But let a barely sheathed
buttock flicker across his screen,
and he’s apoplectic?
Lord, have mercy. No, seriously,
Lord. Have mercy.
Because, increasingly, this is
not only a nation with no moral
direction, but a nation that has no
idea what being moral even looks
like. Which is a sad crossroads for
a people who once saw themselves
as the embodiment — imperfect,
to be sure — of all in the human
experience that was brave and
good and hopeful and aspirational
and compassionate and free and
right. And Graham is “disappoint-
ed?”
Join the club.
Leonard Pitts Jr., winner of the
2004 Pulitzer Prize for commen-
tary, is a columnist for the Miami
Herald. Email him at lpitts@
miamiherald.com.

CLUBS
n HIC A SHA BA HA
The Hic A Sha Ba Ha DAR Chaper meets
at 2 p.m. Feb. 6 at Cadence Bank in
Starkville. Program includes American His-
tory Essay winners and the Good Citizen
Award. For more information, call Amanda
Edwards, 662-324-0037.
n AARP COLUMBUS
AARP meets the first Wednesday of each
month at 10 a.m. in the Community Room
of Regions Bank, Main Street, Columbus.
Programs are geared to the needs and
interests of seniors 50 and up. For more
information, call 662-889-9496.
n AARP STARKVILLE
AARP Starkville meets the first Thursday of
each month at 10 a.m. in the Community
Room of Cadence Bank, West Main Street,
Starkville. Speaker will be Richard Hark-
ness with MSU Department of Plant and
Soil Science. For information, call Eileen
Carr-Tabb, 662-312-3431.
n EAST LIONS CLUB
The Columbus East Lions Club meets every
second and fourth Monday of the month at
65 Airline Road. For more information, call
662-549-3421 or 662-574-7552.
n HOST LIONS CLUB
The Columbus Host Lions Club meets
every Friday at noon at EMCC Lion Hills
Center for a buffet lunch and business
gathering.
n POSSUM TOWN TOASTMASTERS
Possum Town Toastmasters meet every
Friday at 7 a.m. at the Church of Christ,
Columbus. To become a better communica-
tor and leader, call 662-549-3483.
n POSSUM TOWN QUILTERS
Possum Town Quilters meet at 9:30 a.m.
the second and fourth Saturdays of each
month at the Rosenzweig Arts Center (low-
er level), 501 Main St., Columbus. Check
us out at possumtownquilters.blogspot.
com.
n LOWNDES REPUBLICAN WOMEN
Lowndes County Republican Women meets
the second Tuesday of each month at
the Lion Hills Center, 2331 Military Road.
Buffet line opens at 11:15 a.m., with call
to order at noon.
n GT QUILTERS GUILD
The Golden Triangle Quilters Guild meets
at 5:30 p.m. every third Thursday at the
Starkville Sportsplex Activities Building.
■ BREAKFAST WITH THE BULLDOGS
MSU alumni, friends are invited to Break-
fast with the Bulldogs on second Thurs-
days each month at Starkville Café. Dutch
treat breakfast 7:30 a.m. Contact Carol
Moss Read at carolmoss@bellsouth.net or
662-312-0637.
n TOPS
Take Off Pounds Sensibly No. 288 meets
Tuesdays at Community Baptist Church,
Yorkville Road East, Columbus. Weigh-in
begins at 5:30 p.m. Contact Pat Harris,
662-386-0249.
n TOPS
Take Off Pounds Sensibly No. 270 meets
Thursdays at 4370 Cal-Kolola Road,
Caledonia. Weigh-in begins at 5-5:30 p.m.
Contact Michelle Holliman, 662-386-3650.
n SENIOR CRAFTS
Senior Crafts meets at the Starkville
Sportsplex Tuesdays, 10-11:30 a.m. Crafts
provided by the parks department. For
information, call Lisa Cox, 662-323-2294.
n QUILTING CLUB
Quilting Club meets in the activities room
adjacent to the multi-purpose facility at
the Starkville Sportsplex Thursdays 10
a.m.-noon. Bring your own project to work
on. For information, call Lisa Cox, 662-
323-2294.
HEALTH NOTES
n 3D MAMMOGRAMS
Baptist Golden Triangle offers Hologic’s
new Genius 3D mammography exam to
better diagnose breast cancer. Funds from
Susan G. Komen Foundation are available
to cover cost of screenings or diagnostic
mammograms for those without insurance
or whose insurance does not cover the
test and who meet certain other criteria,
low-income, uninsured or underinsured
and living in Clay, Lowndes, Monroe or
Oktibbeha Counties. Call 662-244-1000
or visit goldentriangle.baptistonline.org to
see if you qualify. For appointment, call
Radiology scheduling, 662-244-2979 or
800-544-8762, ext. 2979.
n HEALTH SCREENINGS
The North Mississippi Medical Center
in West Point offers free blood pressure
screening and health information Feb.
3, and free body mass index and bone
density screenings Feb. 4. For more infor-
mation, call 662-495-9355 or visit nmhs.
net/west-point-wellness-center.
Slow-moving storm system prompts
fear of flooding in South
System also has the potential to spawn a few tornadoes
in parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama today
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS der a flood watch through
Friday morning, where
ATLANTA — A some rainfall amounts
slow-moving storm sys- could eclipse 5 inches,
tem could dump sev- according to the National
eral inches of rain in Weather Service.
some parts of the South, Heavy rains were al-
prompting flood watches, ready soaking large parts
forecasters said Tuesday. of Mississippi and Ala-
Two dozen counties in bama early Tuesday.
north Georgia will be un- The system also has
The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com
NEWS ABOUT TOWN
n COOKING DEMO
North Mississippi Medical Center’s Direc-
tor of Food and Nutrition Services Mary
Walker presents a cooking demonstration
of overnight oats at 10:30 a.m. Feb. 5. For
more information, call 662-495-9355 or
visit nmhs.net/west-point-wellness-center.
n OPEN HOUSE
The North Mississippi Medical Center in
West Point hosts open house from 7:30-9
a.m. Feb. 6. Games and refreshments
available. Charter members will take a
photo at 10:30 a.m. Feb. 7. For more
information, call 662-495-9355 or visit
nmhs.net/west-point-wellness-center.
n NATURAL HEALTH EXPO
The Homestead Education Center hosts a
Natural Health Expo from 10 a.m.- 2 p.m.
Feb. 8 at 607 Hospital Road in Starkville.
Fitness and food information, as well as in-
tegrative care and support will be provided.
Free admission. For more information, email
Andrea Bhatia, thehomesteadms@gmail.
com.
n CPR CLASSES
Baptist Golden Triangle offers 6 p.m. CPR
classes for the community in the Patient
Tower. Preregistration required. Call the
Education Department, 662-244-2498.
n CHILDBIRTH CLASSES
Baptist Golden Triangle offers Childbirth
and Breastfeeding classes each month, 6
p.m., in room 6, near the Gift Shop, $20.
For information or to register, call 662-
386-5592.
n CHILDBIRTH CLASSES
Emerson Family Center in Starkville offers
childbirth classes from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
every Tuesday. For more information, call
662-320-4907.
n CANCER SUPPORT
Baptist Cancer Center hosts a support
group for cancer survivors and their fami-
lies, noon-1 p.m. the third Friday of every
month. Lunch provided. For information
and location, call 662-244-2923.
■ DIABETES SUPPORT
Baptist Golden Triangle hosts day classes
for Diabetes Support on third Wednesdays
of each month, 10-11 a.m. in Patient Tower
room 6. For information, call Lacy Smith,
662-244-1392.
n CARING FOR THE CAREGIVER
This caregivers support group meets at
11:30 a.m. on last Thursdays at First
United Methodist Church, 602 Main St.,
Columbus. Adult Psychiatric-Mental Health
Nurse Practitioner Patricia Malone of Bap-
tist-Golden Triangle is the speaker Jan. 30.
All are welcome. A study of the book “No
Act of Love is Ever Wasted: The Spirituality
of Caring for Persons with Dementia” is
underway.
n ABUSE RECOVERY GROUP
A Domestic Abuse Recovery Group meets
Thursdays at 6 p.m. through Safe Haven
Inc. Group counseling for rape recovery is
available. For information, call 662-327-
6118.
n BAPTIST VOLUNTEERS
Baptist Golden Triangle seeks caring, com-
passionate volunteers to help in a variety
of hospital settings. For information, call
Lisa Bowers,662-244-1165.
n DRUG/ALCOHOL INTERVENTION
Narconon offers drug and alcohol interven-
tions. For free screenings or referrals, call
1-800-431-1754.
n GOLDEN TRIANGLE AA
Golden Triangle AA meets daily for support.
If you want to drink, that is your business.
If you want to stop drinking, that is our
business. For information, call 662-327-
8941.
n AL-ANON MEETING
The Columbus Al-Anon Family Groups
meet Mondays and Thursdays at 5:30
p.m. When you don’t know where to turn
because someone drinks too much, we can
help. For information, call 888-425-2666
or go to msafg.org.
OTHER EVENTS
n FREE TREE GIVEAWAY
Lowndes Co. Soil and Water Conservation
District will be giving away free trees from
8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Feb. 6 at 2282 MLK Jr.
Dr., Columbus. One bundle per person.
For more information, call 662-328-5921,
ext. 3.
n BASEBALL/SOFTBALL
REGISTRATION
Lowndes Recreation Summer Baseball
and Softball Programs registration is open
through Feb. 22 at the Recreation office,
17 Airline Road (rear of Driver’s License
Building). Wee-Ball for ages 3-12, T-ball,
coach-pitch, baseball and fast-pitch soft-
ball available. $60/$70 online registration.
All games at Lake Lowndes State Park.
Call 662-328-0885 or visit lowndesrecre-
ation.com.
the potential to spawn a
few tornadoes in parts of
Louisiana, Mississippi
and Alabama on Wednes-
day. Damaging wind
gusts and hail will also be
threats.
Large parts of Louisi-
ana, Mississippi, Alabama
and the Florida Panhan-
dle were in an area most
Tell your child a bedtime story.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2020 7A
n JOB/LIFE SKILLS TRAINING
The Christian Women’s Job Corps-Golden
Triangle, 207 S. Lafayette St., Starkville,
is accepting applications for its spring
semester of job and life skills training.
Classes begin Feb. 4. For more informa-
tion, call 662-722-3016 or email cwjcgt@
hotmail.com.
n VALENTINE’S GALA
The Stephen D. Lee Foundation hosts its
10th Valentine’s Day Gala from 7-10 p.m.
Feb. 14 at the Stephen D. Lee Home,
316 Seventh St. N., Columbus, featuring
special desserts and floral arrangements.
Contact Eulalie Davis, 662-328-3088, for
information and reservations.
n SAFE HAVEN VOLUNTEERS
Safe Haven Inc. seeks community vol-
unteers. Trainings are held every three
months. If you or someone you know would
like to volunteer, contact Joyce Tucker,
662-327-6118; Cequeila Bigbee, 662-435-
1806; or email 1deliveredin2014@gmail.
com.
n HOST FAMILIES
Ayusa, a nonprofit organization that
promotes global learning and leadership
through cultural exchange and leadership
programs for high school students from
around the world, is taking applications for
American families in the Northeast Missis-
sippi area interested in hosting internation-
al high school students for the 2020-2021
school year. Call Amy Benjamin, 662-205-
6867, or email, abenjamin@ayusa.org.
n MINORITY CAUCUS
SCHOLARSHIPS
The Mississippi Association of Supervisors
accepts scholarship applications through
March 15 from all graduating high school
seniors for the Minority Caucus Scholar-
ship. For applications or information, visit
mssupervisors.org/minority-caucus.
n JA SCHOLARSHIPS
Junior Auxiliary of Columbus accepts schol-
arship applications from Lowndes County
graduating high school seniors through
Feb. 7. For applications or more informa-
tion, visit jacolumbus.org/applications or
email jacolumbusscholarships@gmail.com.
n JIM SPRUIELL SCHOLARSHIP
The Health Care Foundation of North
Mississippi accepts applications for the
Jim Pruiell Memorial Scholarship from high
school seniors preparing to enter college
or individuals currently in the workforce
and pursuing a career in emergency health
care. For applications or information, visit
nmhs.net/youth-education.
n BOOK SALE
The Friends of the Starkville Library Book
Sale is the first Monday of each month at
the Starkville Public Library, 326 University
Drive.
n ENVIRONMENTAL MEETING
Memphis Town Community Action Group
meets fourth Tuesdays at 6 p.m. to
discuss issues related to the Kerr-McGee
site. For information, contact Leon Hines,
662-574-6109.
n 50 DRESSES MINISTRY
Reach1 Teach1 Ministries’ 50 Dresses
Ministry Program to the Golden Triangle
area helps those in need of a dress or
suit for a job search. Donations accept-
ed. Call Regional Coordinator Cequeila
Bigbee, 870-627-2859 or e-mail 1delivere-
din2014@gmail.com.
n WALKING GROUP
J.L. King Center’s Families First of Oktib-
beha County invites the community to join
its Walking Group at 6:30 a.m. Monday-Fri-
day at Westside Park, 700 N. Long St.,
Starkville.

n EFFECTIVE PARENTING
Family Resource Center, Columbus
campus, 1575 Second Ave. N., offers free
effective parenting classes, with insight
on child safety, appropriate discipline,
effective communication and more. For
information, call 662-368-3603.
n FREE COMPUTER CLASSES
Emerson Family Center, Starkville, offers
free computer classes 1-3 p.m. Tuesdays.
Call 662-320-4607.
n FREE TUTORING
Family Resource Center, 1575 Second
Ave. N., Columbus, offers free tutoring,
computer use and printing services for
pre-K-eighth grade. Limited slots. Call 662-
368-3603.
n PARENT CAFÉ
Emerson family Center, Starkville, offers
Parent Café meetings 11 a.m.-noon every
Monday. For more information, call 662-
418-5193 or visit fcp-parentcafe.com.
n TENN-TOM WATERWAY MUSEUM
The Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway
Transportation Museum, 318 Seventh St.
N., Columbus, is open for tours Monday-Fri-
day, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. School field trips, civic
clubs, church groups encouraged. For
group tours, call 662-328-8936 or 662-
574-5794.
at risk of severe weather
on Wednesday. The area
is home to more than 9
million people and in-
cludes several large cities
such as New Orleans and
Birmingham, Alabama.
The threat of severe
weather shifts east on
Thursday, when damag-
ing storms will be pos-
sible across northern
Florida and large parts of
Georgia, South Carolina
and North Carolina.
8A WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2020 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com

PARTNERSHIP BANQUET AND AWARDS

Austin Frayser/Special to The Dispatch

LEFT: The Idea Shop, a makerspace located downtown, was recognized as Partner of the Year at the Greater Starkville Development Partnership’s annual banquet and
awards Tuesday night at the Mill at MSU Conference Center. Michael Lane, the shop’s director, accepted the honor. RIGHT: Son and father duo Jimmy and Richard Linley,
of Northeast Mississippi Exterminating, were awarded the R. Clay Simmons Exemplary Enterprise Award. Other award winners included Babel Street, Industry of the Year;
Starkville Parks and Recreation, Crystal Pineapple Tourism Award; College View Apartments, Best New Development; and teachers of distinction Niki Mulrooney (Overstreet
Elementary) and Dane Peagler (Starkville High).

WorkKeys
Continued from Page 1A
of this, they’re speaking
about it. ... Talking about,
‘What can I do? How can I
be a part of this?’”
Columbus Municipal
School District Super-
intendent Cherie Labat
said emphasizing work-
force readiness skills is
becoming as important,
if not more important,
than pushing the ACT
in a district where many
students will not attend
a four-year college after
graduation.
“In a high school
that doesn’t have the
socio-economic back-
ground as our particular
district, one in three stu-
dents in America will go
to college,” Labat said.
“... In districts of poverty,
that number may go from
one in seven to one in 10.
They don’t have that op-
tion and are not going to
college, so what are we
really preparing them for
if they don’t have a trade,
don’t have a skillset or an
assessment that could
open the door for an op-
portunity to higher wag-
es and a better standard
of living?”
Labat Allison
She’s not the only area
superintendent to think
so.
“Everybody’s not
going to college,” said
Lowndes County School
District Superintendent
Sam Allison. “I think
in Mississippi we want
to treat everybody like
they’re going to college
for an education, and
that’s not really fair.”
Like CMSD, LCSD is
increasingly emphasiz-
ing WorkKeys for high
school seniors.
“In the Golden Trian-
gle area, we’re … blessed
and inundated with a lot
of industry,” said Lown-
des County Career Tech
Center Director Susan
McClelland. “With that
being said, I think it just
helps children to be pre-
pared to move right into
the workplace, especially
if they have that Silver or
higher score.”
At both CMSD and
LCSD, all seniors are re-
quired to take the Work-
Keys along with the ACT,
thanks to grants from
the Golden Triangle De-
velopment LINK, which
helps area districts fund
the exam. McClelland
and English
teacher
Eva Marie
Lee, who
teaches
Wo r k K e y s
readiness at
CHS, both
said multi- McClelland
ple area in-
dustries at least will con-
sider the WorkKeys when
making a hire — and
that’s if they don’t out-
right require them, like
Yokohama in West Point.
Lee said that goes
for more than major in-
dustries like Paccar and
Steel Dynamics.
“You’ve got the banks,”
she said. “You’ve got
small stores like Beans
and Cream. ... All kinds
of business areas are go-
ing to be looking at them
for this.”
More seniors taking
exam area wide
The WorkKeys is pro-
duced by the same com-
pany that produces the
ACT and awards scores
Bronze, Silver, Gold and
Platinum, with Platinum
as the highest.
The exam has three
parts, said Lee: applied
math, which tests stu-
dents on things like ge-
ometry and the ability to
calculate discounts; work-
place documents, which
includes things like work-
place policies, letters and
memos; and graphic liter-
acy, which tests students’
ability to read charts and
data.
Unlike with some aca-
demic tests, she and Mc-
Clelland said, the student’s
overall score is whatever
the lowest of their scores
on the three tests was —
meaning a student who
scores a Gold on applied
math and graphic literacy,
but a Silver on workplace
documents receives a Sil-
ver overall. That said, the
students can retake just
the section they want to
do better on and get that
higher score.
CMSD offers Work-
Keys classes for some
students and otherwise
includes WorkKeys prepa-
ration in English classes,
with math coaches com-
ing in to help students
with the applied math
section. CHS also imple-
ments a WorkKeys boot-
camp within two weeks
before students are set to
take the exam, Lee said.
That way, if there’s any-
thing students are strug-
gling with, teachers and
coaches at the boot camp
can focus on that.
LCSD students take
the exams at their home
high schools — not
through the CTC, Mc-
Clelland said — and work
with guidance counselors
who set up practice exams
to prepare students for
the exams. Allison said
between 400 and 500 se-
niors in the district take
the exam every year.
At Starkville-Oktibbe-
ha Consolidated School
District, while not all se-
niors are required to take
the WorkKeys, an increas-
ing number of seniors
are doing so, said Lenora
Hogan, director of the
district’s Millsaps Career
and Technology Center.
Hogan said all stu-
dents who complete the
two-year program at the
Career and Technology
Center take the exam
— between 60 and 90
students each year — as
do any seniors who want
to take and whose ACT
scores show they have the
aptitude to score a Gold or
higher on the WorkKeys.
An increasing number
of students have been do-
ing that each year.
“In (the 2016-2017
school year), we had 68
students to take it,” Hogan
said. “... This past year we
had 153 to take it.
“Every year, after
(students) leave, I’ll have
them come back and say,
‘Man, Dr. Hogan, I wish I
had taken the WorkKeys.
Now I’m having to pay to
take it because I want this
job,’” she said.

Howard
Continued from Page 1A
2018 after she pointed a taser at
a handcuffed Lowndes County
Adult Detention Center inmate
who she had taken to Baptist
Memorial Hospital-Golden Tri-
angle. The incident occurred
in September 2017 after the
inmate, whose feet were also
shackled, had spent several
minutes threatening her and
using profane language.
Also cited in Howard’s 2018
suspension was an incident
when she left her assigned beat
without her supervisor’s autho-
rization to practice traffic stop
training with other officers at
another location. That occurred
two days before she pulled her
taser on the inmate.
Howard appealed the sus-
pension before the city’s Civil
Service Commission which ulti-
mately ruled not to change the
punishment.
Conflict disclosure: Managing
Editor Zack Plair took part in ed-
iting this article. He is currently
involved in legal proceedings with
the city of Columbus.
Sports MISSISSIPPI STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL
SPORTS LINE
662-241-5000
THE DISPATCH n CDISPATCH.COM n WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2020
B
SECTION

BULLDOGS’ FIVE-GAME SEC WIN STREAK ENDS WITH LOSS AT KENTUCKY

BY GARRICK HODGE
ghodge@cdispatch.com
Ben Howland was
right.
Monday afternoon,
the fifth-year Mississip-
pi State men’s basketball
coach told reporters his
team had “no chance”
against No. 15 Kentucky
if the Bulldogs didn’t play
a complete 40 minutes.
Well, they didn’t.
MSU started slow for
the fourth straight con-
test, trailing the Wild-
cats by eight at halftime
Tuesday at Rupp Arena.
In previous contests, the
slow starts hadn’t been
an issue, as the Bulldogs
(14-8, 5-4 SEC) shot a
combined 59 percent in
second halves in their five
SEC wins. Against UK
(17-5, 7-2), MSU shot 41
percent after halftime en
route to a 80-72 loss.
After the defeat, the
Bulldogs had their five-
game SEC winning streak
snapped and have now
lost 14 straight contests
to the Wildcats.
MSU, which hasn’t
beaten a ranked team on
the road since 2010, shot
31 percent in the first half
and found itself staring
at a 31-23 deficit at the
break.
“We just had a hard
time scoring, and espe-
cially scoring around the
basket,” Howland said
postgame.
Following a game in
which he scored a ca-
reer-high 20 points, D.J.
Stewart scored 10 of his
15 points in the first half.
The Bulldogs missed a
few open looks from long
range early and shot 2
of 7 from beyond the arc
in the half. MSU limited
Kentucky to one 3-point-
er in the first half, but the
Wildcats converted 43.8
percent of their shots.
UK opened a 14-point
lead with 10 minutes re-
maining, but the Bulldogs
trimmed the lead to six af-
ter Tyson Carter drilled a
3-pointer with 4:30 left to
play. Alas, Kentucky re-
took a double-digit lead,
sealing the win.
Despite not making
a single 3-pointer in the
second half, the Wildcats
cashed in at the charity
stripe, converting 31 of
35 free throws, includ-
ing 16-of-16 in the final
2:20. Nick Richards was
a handful all night for the
visitors, scoring a game-
high 27 points on 7-of-10
shooting and 13 of 15 free
throws. The forward also
grabbed 11 rebounds for a
double-double.
“He’s one of the domi-
nant bigs in all of college
basketball,” Howland
said.
Immanuel Quickley
was only 3 of 11 from the
floor but converted 14
straight free throws en
route to scoring 21 points.
Robert Woodard II
contributed 16 points on
a 6-of-10 shooting effort,
but SEC Player of the Year
Candidate Reggie Perry
had his worst offensive
effort in conference play,
only converting 4 of 16
field goals for 14 points.
Junior point guard Nick
Weatherspoon also had
an off night, going 2 of 11
and scoring nine points in
the loss.
The Bulldogs shot 5 of
16 from beyond the arc
and 36.8 percent from
the floor. Transition de-
fense continues to be a
problem as well, as Ken-
tucky scored 25 fastbreak
points.
Mark Zerof/USA TODAY Sports MSU is back in action
Kentucky forward Nick Richards shoots the ball against Mississippi State forward Reggie Perry in the second half at 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Tuesday at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. Richards had 27 points Tuesday to lead all scorers. against Vanderbilt.

MISSISSIPPI STATE FOOTBALL PREP BASKETBALL

Breaking down MSU’s 2016 recruiting class four years later Sanders helps West
BY BEN PORTNOY
bportnoy@cdispatch.com Lowndes boys pull ranked second among
SEC corners according

away from Ethel

STARKVILLE — Dantzler to nine games
Mike Leach is walking
into a win now situation.
While previous coach
Joe Moorhead won 14
games and two Egg
Bowls during his tumul-
tuous tenure at Missis-
sippi State, the fan base
grew weary of off the field
issues. A gift-wrapped
2018 roster that finished
8-5 with a loss to Iowa in
the Outback Bowl didn’t
help things either.
But with Moorhead’s
time up, Leach heads
into his first season in
Starkville with the senior
foundation of his squad
having been laid by cur-
rent Florida coach Dan
Mullen and the 2016 re-
cruiting class — a group
that finished ranked
No. 28 nationally in
247Sports.com’s compos-
ite rankings.
And though Leach’s
air raid offense and in-
coming defensive coordi-
nator Zach Arnett’s 3-3-5
scheme differ vastly from
the past two regimes’ on-
field strategies, the sec-
ond-to-last class of the
Mullen era should anchor
The Pirate’s first year at
MSU.
Mississippi State linebacker Erroll Thompson tackles
Tennessee running back Tim Jordan during the first
half Oct. 12 at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennes-
see.
Everything checked out
For a class that ranked
No. 11 in the SEC, Mullen
pulled in plenty of star
power with the 2016 class.
Headlining the group
was No. 18 overall pros-
pect Jeffery Simmons
— tied for the sec-
ond-highest rated player
to ever sign with MSU
in 247sports.com history.
Simmons carried some
baggage entering his col-
lege career after a video
of him punching a woman
during a fight emerged
in March of 2016. That
said, he was a stand-up
citizen during his time in
Starkville and was named
a first team All-SEC per-
Bryan Lynn/USA TODAY Sports
former in 2018 by ESPN,
Pro Football Focus and
the Coaches as a junior in
2018. Simmons was later
selected by the Tennes-
see Titans with the 19th
overall pick in the 2019
NFL Draft.
Behind Simmons,
cornerback Cameron
Dantzler and linebacker
Erroll Thompson became
stalwarts for the MSU
defense. Dantzler start-
ed all 13 games as a red-
shirt sophomore and was
named a second team
All-SEC performer after
recording 43 tackles, two
tackles for loss, one sack,
two interceptions and 11
passes defended. His 41.1
passer rating allowed also
to PFF. Injuries limited
in 2019, but he’s expected
to be drafted in the first
three rounds of April’s
NFL Draft.
As for Thompson, he
comprised one third of
the prolific linebacking
corps that included 2017
signee Wille Gay Jr. and
Leo Lewis the past two
seasons. An old-school
thumper, Thompson
spurned home-state Al-
abama at the last minute
to sign with Mullen. A
captain in 2019, he fin-
ished last season with 84
tackles — 3.5 for a loss
— two passes defended,
one forced fumble and
one fumble recovery and
will be MSU’s most expe-
rienced returning defend-
er after he opted to skip
the draft and remain in
school for his final year of
eligibility.
The major remaining
hits from the 2016 class
come in the form of for-
mer East Central Com-
munity College tight end
Jordan Thomas and wide
receiver Osirus Mitchell.
Thomas came to MSU as
the No. 1 rated junior col-
lege tight end and record-
See RECRUITING, 2B
BY THEO DEROSA
tderosa@cdispatch.com
Jherquaveus Sanders
got it right.
Watching fellow West
Lowndes senior Albert
Plair fail to finish a dunk
late in the third quarter
of Tuesday’s home game
against Ethel, Sanders
took his time when the
opportunity came his
way.
Early in the fourth
quarter, Sanders found
himself with the ball
and without a defender
in front of him. He ap-
proached the rim straight
on with a little less speed
than his teammate, leapt
and threw down a power-
ful two-handed slam, fir-
ing up the Panthers fans
in attendance.
“I think the crowd
was kind of waiting on
it,” West Lowndes coach
Donta Yates said. “We
missed a couple earlier.
The crowd feeds off that,
and as long as they put
it in the basket, it’s fine
with me.”
Sanders’ dunk did
more than just fire up the
crowd: It was the start of
a furious 18-0 West Lown-
des run that stretched the
Panthers’ lead from eight
to 26 points in the span of
just a couple of minutes.
West Lowndes (9-8) car-
ried that momentum to a
70-44 win over Ethel on
Tuesday.
“Whenever you can
score back to back and
not give up any points,
that’s huge,” Yates said of
the spurt. “That’s always
fun. I hope we can do that
more often.”
The Panthers have
certainly found more of
that type of success since
the start of the district
section of their schedule.
West Lowndes is 8-1 in
district games, rebound-
ing from a 1-6 start to the
season. The team’s only
district loss came Jan. 17
at Ethel — a shorthanded
West Lowndes squad lost
66-52.
But from the start
Tuesday, West Lowndes
flipped the script. The
Panthers jumped out to a
9-2 lead early in the first
quarter, picking up a 19-8
See PREPS, 2B
2B WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2020 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com

Recruiting
Continued from Page 1B

ed at least two catches in
seven of 13 games as a
senior — finishing as the
Bulldogs’ third-leading
receiver following a move
to receiver following a
string of injuries at the
position.
Mitchell was the last
and lowest-rated player to
sign with the Bulldogs as
the No. 160 ranked pros-
pect in the state of Florida
in 2016. Ranking aside,
he led the team with 430
yards and six touchdowns
and finished second on
the roster with 29 recep-
tions in 2019 and stands
to be a major beneficiary
of Leach’s air raid offense.
Other hits in this class
should also include of-
fensive linemen Stewart
Reese, Dareuan Parker
and Greg Eiland — all of
whom started for the Bull-
dogs in 2019 and should
do so again in 2020. Ei-
land and Parker have
notbaly out-played their
recruiting rankings as
the No. 67 and 87 players
in Mississippi in the 2016
class.
Lastly, Copiah-Lin-
coln Community College
prospects Tre Brown and
Lashard Durr proved to
be solid rotational pieces
throughout their time at
MSU. Durr concluded his
career with 36 tackles and
four pass breakups and
one interception in 25 ca-
reer games — including
13 starts — while Brown
notched 21 tackles, one
forced fumble and one
fumble recovery in 26 ap-
pearances.
Might want a redo
Attrition is always
natural with any signing
class and MSU suffered
very little in its 19-player
2016 group.
Three-star tight end
Christian Roberson was
ultimately recruited over
in ensuing classes and
transferred to Charlotte
ahead of the 2019 season.
Three-star athlete Ja-
mal Couch was the high-
est-rated departure in the
2016 class — leaving MSU
for East Tennessee State
University in 2018. The
No. 346 ranked player
nationally, Couch record-
ed just 18 receptions for
304 yards and four touch-
downs during parts of two
seasons in Starkville.
Other departures in-
cluded South Bend, Indi-
ana safety John Michael
Hankerson and Eight
Mile, Alabama, receiver
Reggie Todd. Two of the
Bulldogs’ four lowest rat-
ed signees in the class,
Hankerson and Todd
were both dismissed from
the team for varying legal
issues.
Of those who re-
mained, Dontea Jones
came to MSU as the na-
tion’s No. 1-ranked tight
end, but Mullen’s and
Moorhead’s varying of-
fensive schemes have left
him with little ability to
make an impact during
his career.
Miami native Korey
Charles has been mostly
relegated to special teams
duty during his time at
MSU and likely won’t be a
part of the secondary ro-
tation in 2020.
Jury is still out
Safety C.J. Morgan
is hard to label a miss
given he’s suffered inju-
ry issues and spent two
years behind first round
NFL Draft pick Jonathan
Abram, but the four-star
prospect out of Bossier
City, Louisiana has been a
mixed bag throughout his
four years at MSU. With
the departures of safety
Jaquarius Landrews and
nickelback Brian Cole,
Morgan could rewrite
this narrative should he
rebound from the torn
ACL that ended his 2019
campaign.
Marquiss Spencer and
Kobe Jones are similarly
hard to tab given both
came to MSU with con-
siderable hype as four-
star recruits and top-300
prospects. And though
neither has been remote-
ly close to the playmaker
Simmons was during his
three years, both were
productive replacements
for he and fellow first
round draft choice Mon-
tez Sweat this past sea-
son and should help bol-
ster a Bulldog defensive
line that was startlingly
young and inexperienced
in 2019.
Conclusions and a 2020
outlook
In all, Mullen’s second-
to-last class was littered
with playmakers and sol-
id role contributors as 12
of the 19 signees graded
out as productive or bet-
ter players during their
careers, while three re-
main up in the air.
Simmons concluded
his time as a Bulldog as
arguably the most dom-
inant defensive player in
school history and if not
for an ACL tear during
pre-draft training likely
would have found himself
inside the top 10 picks.
Dantzler too could
sneak into the back end of
the first round come this
April’s draft depending
on his combine testing.
Back in Starkville,
with Leach breaking in
his patented pass-heavy
offensive scheme, Mitch-
ell, Parker, Reese and
Eiland should all be ben-
eficiaries of the coaching
change in 2020.
And though Leach
has been known as an
offensive guru, his de-
fenses have struggled
throughout his 18-year
head coaching career.
With offensive growing
pains seemingly inevita-
ble, Thompson, Jones and
Spencer become all the
more important in keep-
ing the Bulldogs in games
while the potent passing
attack gets its feet under-
neath it.

Preps
Continued from Page 1B

advantage by the end of
the period. Sanders and
freshman Darrell Brooks
combined for 14 points
in the first quarter alone
and 23 in the first half,
giving West Lowndes a
37-19 halftime lead and
showing Tuesday wasn’t
going to follow the same
pattern.
“This time, the team
came together,” Sanders
said. “Everybody locked
in. We got the win. We did
what we needed to do.”
Ethel fought back,
though, closing the gap
to single digits early in
the fourth quarter thanks
to strong 3-point shoot-
ing and stellar play from
Sacarrio Merritt and Izik
Stewart. Merritt scored
17 points, and Stewart
had 10.
But Sanders’ dunk
brought the lead back to
10 points and jump-start-
ed a run in which Brooks
and sophomore Decam-
by Willis each played big
roles. The Panthers ran
up and down the floor
seemingly at will, never
settling down to run of-
fensive sets when they
could cash in at the rim or
draw fouls.
“We’re a transition
team,” Yates said. “When
you can run and get
layups and easy baskets,
that’s what we’re looking
to do.”
Sanders, who followed
his dunk with four more
points on a pair of free
throws and a layup during
the Panthers’ big run,
finished with 20 on the
night. After he helped
lead the team to the MH-
SAA Class 1A semifinals
last season, where the
Panthers lost to Okolona,
Sanders will need even
more performances like
Tuesday’s as the games
go by.
Friday is West Lown-
des’ final regular-season
game, a home contest
against Noxapater; the
district tournament starts
next week. As the season
wraps up, Yates knows
what he’s got in the se-
nior.
“Qua’s one of our se-
nior leaders,” Yates said
of Sanders. “He under-
stands my expectation of
him and that the team is
looking for him to lead.”
On Tuesday, Sanders
certainly delivered.
West Lowndes girls 49,
Ethel 14
The West Lowndes
girls knew what they
needed to work on after
being eliminated by Ethel
57-56 in the first round of
last year’s Class 1A play-
offs: defense.
Over the summer, ju-
nior guard Averi Sanders
said, the Panthers worked
on their footwork day af-
ter day, trying to get their
defensive skill where it
needed to be.
“We know if we want
to further our season this
year, we’ve got to play
some strong defense,”
West Lowndes coach Ta-
keea Bozeman said.
Tuesday was more
proof that all that practice
has paid off.
West Lowndes (19-0)
locked in, delivered one
of its best defensive per-
formances of the year and
served a bit of revenge to
the school that knocked
the Panthers out of the
playoffs with a dominant
49-14 win Tuesday.
“It just brought up our “It’s gonna feel great,”
spirit to keep going and Bozeman said. “It’s gonna
play hard throughout the feel a little sad because
whole thing,” Sanders they won’t be here with
said of that memorable me anymore next year, so
loss. it’ll be a lot of mixed emo-
Sanders, back for a tions.”
few weeks now after a
high ankle sprain, made
an early impact to get
a somewhat lethargic
West Lowndes offense
into gear. The Panthers
couldn’t connect on shot
after shot in the first few
minutes, but Sanders was
the exception. She hit a
pair of free throws and lat-
er stole the ball and laid it
in to give West Lowndes
a 4-2 lead — but she still
acknowledged her team’s
early offensive struggles
early on.
“We’ve gotta work on
that and get better with
that, because we’re gonna
play harder teams down
the line,” Sanders said.
But for the other 28
minutes or so, West Lown-
des played its style nearly
flawless basketball: forc-
ing turnovers, contesting
shots inside and running
out to find open shooters
outside or cutters at the
rim.
Sanders finished with
eight points, while senior
Marvaysha Seals and
junior Tydajasha Hood
played big scoring roles
as they typically do for the
Panthers. Seals had 12
points, and Hood matched
Sanders with eight.
West Lowndes is one
win away from an unde-
feated regular season,
which it could close out
Friday at home against
Noxapater in what Boz-
eman knows will be an
emotional senior night for
her team.

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 con-
tact coaches Friday night or Saturday to get details. Coaches, please let us know
what is the best time for us to contact you.

PREP BASKETBALL ROUNDUP
BRIEFLY
College Football
Leach finalizes first MSU coaching staff
Saddler scores 28 as Columbus girls beat Noxubee County
STARKVILLE — Mike Leach has finalized his first
staff at Mississippi State. Columbus 54, Columbus boys 65,
Noxubee Co. 50 Noxubee County 59
Per a news release, Leach has hired all 10 of his
allotted on—field assistants. Of those, running backs MACON — The Co-
coach Eric Mele, offensive line coach Mason Miller,
inside receivers coach David Nichol, outside receivers BY THEO DEROSA
coach Steve Spurrier Jr., special teams coordinator Matt
Brock, cornerbacks coach Darcel McBath and defensive
tderosa@cdispatch.com
line coach Jeff Phelps followed Leach from Washington
State. MACON — The Co-
Rounding out the staff are defensive coordinator lumbus girls beat Nox-
Zach Arnett (San Diego State), safeties coach Jason ubee County 54-50 on
Washington (Texas) and associate head coach/nickel-
Tuesday in Macon.
backs Tony Hughes — the lone on—field holdover from
previous coach Joe Moorhead’s time in Starkville. Aniya Saddler
Leach did not hire an offensive coordinator, as he
will run the offense.
scored 28 points, re-
corded seven steals
Spurrier Jr. — the son of legendary Florida coach
and grabbed five re-
Steve Spurrier — is the lone import with Southeastern
Conference coaching experience. He spent time as an bounds for the Falcons.
offensive assistant at South Carolina from 2005 to 2015.
The full list of coaches is as follows:
DJ Jackson added nine
Eric Mele — Running Backs
points for Columbus.
Mason Miller — Offensive Line Aadijah Williams
Dave Nichol — Inside Receivers had 13 points for Nox-
Steve Spurrier Jr. — Outside Receivers ubee County, and
Zach Arnett — Defensive Coordinator
Tony Hughes — Associate Head Coach/Nickel- Na’Kailya Mason had
backs 12.
Matt Brock — Special Teams Coordinator/Outside The Falcons will
Linebackers play West Point in the
Darcel McBath — Cornerbacks
Jeff Phelps — Defensive Line opening game of their
Jason Washington — Safeties district tournament at
4 p.m. Feb. 11 in Gre-
Women’s College Basketball nada.
Jackson named SEC Freshman of the Week
Mississippi State forward Rickea Jackson was
named the Southeastern Conference Freshman of
the Week for the second time this season, the league
NBA ROUNDUP
LeBron scores 36 with 3-point outburst
announced Tuesday.
Jackson averaged 23 points per game in the
Bulldogs’ wins over Auburn and Georgia, making 18 of
30 shots from the field over the two-game span.
Against the Tigers, she had 22 points on 10-of-14
shooting and added four rebounds and a steal. She THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
topped that performance by setting a new career high
with 24 points against Georgia, adding two rebounds, LOS ANGELES —
two blocks, two steals and an assist. LeBron James scored
Jackson leads Mississippi State in scoring with
13.9 points per game and has scored at least 15 points 19 of his 36 points in the
12 times this season. In conference play, she leads all fourth quarter while hit-
SEC freshmen in scoring and is second in field goal ting five 3-pointers in an
percentage. incredible three-minute
Mississippi State will face No. 23 Tennessee at 5:30
p.m. Thursday in Knoxville, Tennessee. span, propelling the
Los Angeles Lakers to
Men’s College Basketball a 129-102 victory over
the San Antonio Spurs
MUW drops road game at Lyon College
on Tuesday night.
The Mississippi University for Women men’s bas-
ketball team lost Tuesday’s road game to Lyon College James added nine
(Arkansas) 77-55 in Batesville, Arkansas. assists and seven re-
The loss dropped the Owls to 9-13 on the season. bounds, and he hit five
MUW faced an early 23-10 deficit, and the hole got
of his six 3s in that de-
even bigger. Lyon pushed its lead as big as 36 points
in the second half, but the Owls scored 22 points in the cisive barrage. Anthony
final 9 minutes, 19 seconds to cut into the advantage Davis and Kyle Kuzma
a bit. had 18 points apiece as
Tavonta Jones led the Owls with 15 points, and
Keith Harris scored 13. the Lakers beat San An-
MUW will host Campbellsville University-Somerset tonio for the third time
at 2 p.m. Saturday in Columbus. this season, sweeping
the season series.
College Softball Kuzma, the subject
EMCC splits season-opening doubleheader of numerous trade ru-
The East Mississippi Community College softball mors with the deadline
team split with Marion Military Institute in Tuesday’s approaching, added 12
season-opening doubleheader in Scooba.
The Lions (1-1) won Game 1 by a score of 11-1 on
rebounds in one of his
the mercy rule but lost 16-12 in the nightcap. most impressive recent
EMCC had a 9-2 lead in Game 2 after three
innings, but Marion scored 13 unanswered runs to grab
a 15-9 lead in the sixth inning and held on from there.
EMCC will host Shelton State Community College NBA
for a doubleheader Feb. 11. The first game will start at 4
p.m., and the second game is slated to start at 6 p.m.
Prep Soccer
Roundup
Covington, Capela on the move in four-team trade
Starkville Academy boys 0, Lamar School 0
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
(Starkville Academy advances on penalty kicks)
Robert Covington
SOURCE: From Special Reports is going to the Hous-
ton Rockets and Clint
CALENDAR Capela is going to the
Atlanta Hawks as the
Today headline moves in
Men’s College Basketball a complicated trade
that was struck early
South Carolina at Ole Miss, 6 p.m.
Wednesday involving
Thursday four teams, 12 players
and at least three draft
Prep Boys Soccer
picks, according to two
Starkville Academy at Washington, 3
people familiar with the
p.m.
situation.
Prep Girls Basketball
Oak Hill Academy vs. Carroll Academy Among the key com-
at district tournament, Carrollton, 5:15 ponents, according to
p.m. the people who spoke
Heritage Academy vs. Starkville Acade- on condition of anonym-
my at district tournament, Lamar, 6:30 ity because the trade
p.m. has not received league
New Hope at Caledonia, 6 p.m. approval: Covington
Noxubee County at West Point, 6 p.m. and Jordan Bell will
Prep Boys Basketball join the Rockets from
Heritage Academy at district tourna- Minnesota, Capela and
ment, Lamar, 5:15 p.m. Nene are leaving the
Oak Hill Academy vs. Indianola Acade-
my at district tournament, Carrollton,
5:15 p.m.
New Hope at Caledonia, 7:30 p.m.
Pro Basketball
NBA Glance
Noxubee County at West Point, 7:30 EASTERN CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division
p.m. W L Pct GB
Toronto 36 14 .720 —
Women’s College Basketball
Boston 34 15 .694 1½
Philadelphia 31 20 .608 5½
Mississippi State at Tennessee, 5:30
p.m.
Brooklyn
New York
22 27 .449 13½
15 36 .294 21½
Southeast Division
MUW at Judson, 5:30 p.m. W L Pct GB
Miami 34 15 .694 —
EMCC at Coahoma Community College, Orlando 22 28 .440 12½
Washington 17 32 .347 17
5:30 p.m. Charlotte 16 35 .314 19
Atlanta 13 38 .255 22
Men’s College Basketball Central Division
EMCC at Coahoma Community College,
Milwaukee
W L Pct GB
43 7 .860 —
7:30 p.m. Indiana 31 19 .620 12
Chicago 19 33 .365 25
Detroit 18 34 .346 26
ON THE AIR
Cleveland 13 38 .255 30½
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Southwest Division
Today
Houston
W L Pct GB
32 18 .640 —
Dallas 31 19 .620 1
COLLEGE BASKETBALL (MEN’S) Memphis 25 25 .500 7
San Antonio 22 28 .440 10
5:30 p.m. — Villanova at Butler, FS1 New Orleans 20 31 .392 12½
6 p.m. — Georgia at Florida, ESPNU
Northwest Division
W L Pct GB
6 p.m. — South Carolina at Mississip- Denver
Utah
35 16 .686 —
32 17 .653 2
pi, SECN Oklahoma City 30 20 .600 4½
Portland 23 28 .451 12
8 p.m. — Wake Forest at Louisville, Minnesota 15 34 .306 19
Pacific Division
ESPN2 W L Pct GB
8 p.m. — LSU at Vanderbilt, SECN
L.A. Lakers
L.A. Clippers
38 11 .776 —
35 15 .700 3½
NBA BASKETBALL
Phoenix
Sacramento
20 30 .400 18½
19 31 .380 19½
Golden State 12 39 .235 27
6:30 p.m. — Orlando at Boston, ESPN Monday’s Games
9 p.m. — Miami at LA Clippers, ESPN Dallas 112, Indiana 103
Golden State 125, Washington 117
The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com
lumbus High boys team
beat Noxubee Coun-
ty 65-59 in Tuesday’s
game in Macon.
Gabe Williams had
16 points to lead the
Falcons. Willie Young
had 13, and JJ Williams
and Tre Dismuke each
scored 11.
Columbus will face
Grenada in the first
round of the district
tournament at 8:30 p.m.
Feb. 11.
Heritage Academy
girls 57, Winston
Academy 49
MERIDIAN — The
Heritage Academy
girls team beat Win-
ston Academy 57-49
in the opening round
of the district tourna-
performances.
DeMar DeRozan
had 28 points, nine re-
bounds and seven as-
sists in his hometown
for the Spurs, who have
lost five of seven.
Nuggets 127,
Trail Blazers 99
DENVER — Nikola
Jokic finished an assist
shy of a triple-double
in just three quarters,
and Gary Harris helped
keep hot-shooting Da-
mian Lillard in check
as Denver routed Port-
land.
Jokic had 29 points
and 13 rebounds as the
Nuggets improved to
8-0 against Northwest
Division rivals this sea-
son. They held Lillard
to 21 points, ending his
string of eight straight
games with at least 30.
Lillard was 8 of 23 from
the floor, predominant-
Rockets for the Hawks,
the Timberwolves add-
ed soon-to-be restrict-
ed free agents Malik
Beasley and Juancho
Hernangomez from
Denver and the Nug-
gets got Shabazz Napi-
er from Minnesota plus
a first-round pick from
Houston.
ESPN and The Ath-
letic first reported the
trade, which was sub-
sequently confirmed by
other outlets, including
the Houston Chronicle
and Denver Post.
It was not immedi-
ately clear if a call with
NBA attorneys to re-
view and approve the
trade would happen on
Wednesday or Thurs-
day. The league’s trade
deadline is Thursday
afternoon.
New York 139, Cleveland 134, OT
Orlando 112, Charlotte 100
Boston 123, Atlanta 115
Miami 137, Philadelphia 106
Brooklyn 119, Phoenix 97
Memphis 96, Detroit 82
Sacramento 113, Minnesota 109
L.A. Clippers 108, San Antonio 105
Tuesday’s Games
Milwaukee 120, New Orleans 108
Houston 125, Charlotte 110
Denver 127, Portland 99
L.A. Lakers 129, San Antonio 102
Today’s Games
Phoenix at Detroit, 6 p.m.
Golden State at Brooklyn, 6:30 p.m.
Indiana at Toronto, 6:30 p.m.
Orlando at Boston, 6:30 p.m.
Atlanta at Minnesota, 7 p.m.
Cleveland at Oklahoma City, 7 p.m.
Memphis at Dallas, 7:30 p.m.
Denver at Utah, 8 p.m.
Miami at L.A. Clippers, 9 p.m.
Thursday’s Games
Orlando at New York, 6:30 p.m.
New Orleans at Chicago, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia at Milwaukee, 7 p.m.
San Antonio at Portland, 9 p.m.
Houston at L.A. Lakers, 9:30 p.m.
Friday’s Games
Dallas at Washington, 6 p.m.
Memphis at Philadelphia, 6 p.m.
Atlanta at Boston, 6:30 p.m.
Detroit at Oklahoma City, 7 p.m.
Toronto at Indiana, 7 p.m.
Houston at Phoenix, 8 p.m.
Miami at Sacramento, 9 p.m.
Portland at Utah, 9:30 p.m.
College Basketball
Tuesday’s Scores
EAST
Duke 63, Boston College 55
Fairfield 55, Monmouth (NJ) 53
Maryland 56, Rutgers 51
Rhode Island 73, UMass 67
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2020 3B
ment Tuesday at Lamar Eric Green led The Rams will play
School in Meridian. Starkville with 18 host Kemper Academy
Bailey Harris scored points. Trey Jackson for the district champi-
21 points, Lucy Sharp had 16, NyJal John- onship Thursday.
had 14, and Sydney son had 14, and Coltie
Young had 11.
Adair had 12 for the Pa-
triots. Heritage Acade- Starkville will play
Columbus Christian
my will face Starkville Germantown again Academy girls 57,
Academy at 6:30 p.m. next Tuesday in the dis- Kemper Academy 21
Thursday. trict tournament. DE KALB — The
The Patriots boys Columbus Christian
will play their opening Columbus Christian girls had an easier time
game in the district
tournament at 5:15 p.m.
Academy boys 58, than the boys did, rout-
ing host Kemper Acade-
Thursday.
Newton County my 57-21.
Academy 48, OT Kylie Emerson and
DE KALB — The
Starkville boys 93, Columbus Christian
CC DeVos each scored
19 points for the Rams,
Germantown 55 Academy boys team and Cayden Harding
STARKVILLE — pulled out a 58-48 over- added six.
The Starkville High
boys team delivered a
time win over Newton
County Academy on
Columbus Christian
barrage of 3-pointers Tuesday in the district
will face Hebron Chris-
in a 93-55 win over Ger- tournament in De Kalb.
tian for the district
championship Thurs-
mantown in Tuesday’s Lawson Studdard
day.
home game. led Columbus Christian
The Yellow Jackets with 21 points in the vic-
hit 16 3s in the victory, tory. Jonathan Peal con- Other scores
closing out an undefeat- tributed 16, and Dakota Germantown girls
ed district stretch. Shaw had nine. 44, Starkville 42
ly with Harris and Tor- the third quarter before third straight, handing
rey Craig taking turns holding off a Pelicans Charlotte its fourth con-
shadowing him. rally in the fourth. secutive loss and 12th
Denver led by 34 in Brandon Ingram in 13 games.
the third, and Jokic was scored 32 points and Harden finished a
given the final quarter Zion Williamson had rebound shy of a tri-
off. The short-handed 20 for the Pelicans, ple-double after also
Nuggets were without who briefly got as close
scoring 40 points but
Paul Millsap (bruised as seven twice in the falling one assist short
left knee), Mason Plum- fourth period before
lee (right foot) and Mi-
of a triple-double in
chael Porter Jr. (right
the Bucks stemmed the
tide and improved to
Houston’s last game.
He’s scored at least 35
ankle). Jamal Murray 20-4 away from home points in his past three
returned to the lineup this season. games after struggling
after missing 10 games Williamson was 5-of- through a shooting
with a sprained left an- 19 shooting, and New slump over his previous
kle. He finished with 20 Orleans was minus-11 four.
points. with its rookie sensa- The Rockets played
tion on the court. without starters Clint
Bucks 120, Capela and Russell
Pelicans 108 Rockets 125, Westbrook, who sat
NEW ORLEANS — Hornets 110 out with injuries. The
Giannis Antetokoun- HOUSTON — James Hornets led early in the
mpo had 34 points and Harden had 40 points fourth quarter before
17 rebounds in Milwau- and 11 assists, and the Houston used a 15-2
kee’s victory over New short-handed Houston run to take control.
Orleans. Rockets overcame an Miles Bridges and
Khris Middle- early deficit to defeat Terry Rozier had 20
ton scored 20 for the Charlotte. points each for the Hor-
Bucks, who led by 19 in Houston won its nets.
Also in the deal: consistently played this won’t have to decide
Jarred Vanderbilt is season — and they’re this summer what to do
leaving Denver for 10-1 in games without with Beasley and Her-
Minnesota, and the him. Houston could nangomez. The Nug-
Timberwolves are get- still look to acquire an- gets also picked up a
ting Keita Bates-Di- other big man for depth first-round pick for this
op, Noah Vonleh and through another trade year in the deal and that
Gerald Green from the or potentially after a could become a chip in
Nuggets as well as Evan buyout, and this trade
any other trades Den-
Turner from the Hawks. gives the Rockets some
ver tries to execute be-
Green is likely to be financial flexibility to fore the deadline.
waived once the deal is do so.
Capela is under con-
final, and Atlanta will Covington started
tract for three more sea-
also have to make an- his career in Houston,
sons, and joins Atlanta’s
other move to finalize has become one of the
the trade since it must NBA’s top defenders young core of Trae
first clear a roster spot. and it’s hard to envision Young, Kevin Huerter
The biggest take- him being anything but and John Collins. The
away from the deal a strong complement Hawks will have cap
would seem to be that alongside Rockets stars space to use this sum-
this commits Houston James Harden and Rus- mer, will likely have
to keeping the small- sell Westbrook. a top-five pick in this
ball lineup that it has Denver — currently year’s draft and now
employed with much No. 3 in the Western have two well-regard-
success of late. Cape- Conference — gets ed bigs alongside the
la was the only center some flexibility as well, backcourt of Young and
that the Rockets have in part because it now Huerter.
SOUTH St. Louis 54 32 14 8 72 174 153 Carolina at Arizona, 8 p.m.
Georgia Tech 76, Virginia Tech 57
Kentucky 80, Mississippi St. 72
Dallas
Colorado
53 30 18 5 65 142 136
51 29 16 6 64 188 150
Nashville at Calgary, 8 p.m.
San Jose at Edmonton, 8:30 p.m.
Tennessee 69, Alabama 68 Nashville 52 25 20 7 57 171 172 Friday’s Games
Anaheim at Toronto, 6 p.m.
MIDWEST Chicago 53 25 21 7 57 160 166
Ball St. 62, Kent St. 54 Winnipeg 54 26 23 5 57 159 166 Buffalo at N.Y. Rangers, 6 p.m.
Cent. Michigan 92, Bowling Green 82 Minnesota 52 24 22 6 54 160 174 Detroit at Columbus, 6 p.m.
E. Michigan 66, Buffalo 62 Pacific Division Minnesota at Dallas, 7:30 p.m.
N. Illinois 66, Toledo 61
GP W L OT Pts GF GA
Ohio St. 61, Michigan 58 Vancouver 54 30 19 5 65 177 163
Penn St. 75, Michigan St. 70
South Dakota 106, Peru State 45
W. Michigan 64, Miami (Ohio) 60
Edmonton 53 28 19 6 62 170 165
Vegas 55 27 21 7 61 170 166 Transactions Tuesday’s moves
Arizona 55 27 21 7 61 155 148
Xavier 67, DePaul 59 BASEBALL
SOUTHWEST
Calgary 54 27 21 6 60 147 166
San Jose 54 23 27 4 50 139 178 American League
TEXAS RANGERS — Signed 1B Greg Bird to a
Auburn 79, Arkansas 76, OT Anaheim 53 22 26 5 49 137 163
minor league contract.
Texas A&M 68, Missouri 51 Los Angeles 54 19 30 5 43 133 171
Texas Tech 69, Oklahoma 61 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime
National League
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS — Signed C John
FAR WEST loss. Top three teams in each division and two wild
Boise St. 67, Wyoming 62 cards per conference advance to playoffs.
Hicks, RHP Edwin Jackson and OFs Jon Jay and
Colorado St. 80, Fresno St. 70 Trayce Thompson to minor league contracts.
Nevada 88, Air Force 54
Monday’s Games
Florida 5, Toronto 3
BASKETBALL
National Basketball Association
Dallas 5, N.Y. Rangers 3 NEW YORK KNICKS — Fired president Steve
Philadelphia 3, Detroit 0
Hockey Tuesday’s Games
Mills. Announced general manager Scott Perry will
take over control of basketball operations.
Colorado 6, Buffalo 1 FOOTBALL
NHL Glance Washington 4, Los Angeles 2
N.Y. Islanders 4, Dallas 3, OT
National Football League
EASTERN CONFERENCE NFL — Suspended Jacksonville Jaguars DT Carl
Atlantic Division
GP W L OT Pts GF GA
Tampa Bay 4, Vegas 2
Boston 4, Vancouver 0
Davis without pay for the first four games of the
regular season for violating the league’s policy on
Boston 54 32 10 12 76 181 137 Columbus 1, Florida 0, OT performance-enhancing substances.
Tampa Bay 53 33 15 5 71 192 147 Montreal 5, New Jersey 4, SO ARIZONA CARDINALS — Signed QB Chris Stev-
Anaheim 3, Ottawa 2, SO
Florida 52 29 17 6 64 188 171
St. Louis 6, Carolina 3
eler to a reserve/future contract.
Toronto 53 28 18 7 63 191 176 CLEVELAND BROWNS — Waived C Lo Falema-
Montreal 55 25 23 7 57 172 170 Nashville 2, Winnipeg 1, OT
Minnesota 3, Chicago 2, OT
ka. Named Chad O’Shea pass game coordinator/
Buffalo 53 23 23 7 53 151 167 wide receivers coach.
Ottawa 53 18 24 11 47 144 179 San Jose 3, Calgary 1 JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS — Named Trent Baal-
Detroit 54 12 38 4 28 111 207 Arizona 3, Edmonton 0 ke director of player personnel.
Metropolitan Division Today’s Games HOCKEY
GP W L OT Pts GF GA Toronto at N.Y. Rangers, 6:30 p.m. National Hockey League
Washington 54 36 13 5 77 197 160 Boston at Chicago, 7 p.m. NEW JERSEY DEVILS — Recalled F Ben Street
Pittsburgh 52 33 14 5 71 176 142 Thursday’s Games from IR and assigned him to Binghamton (AHL).
Anaheim at Montreal, 6 p.m.
Columbus 54 29 16 9 67 144 135
N.Y. Islanders 51 30 15 6 66 150 139
Philadelphia 53 29 17 7 65 170 157
Detroit at Buffalo, 6 p.m.
Los Angeles at N.Y. Islanders, 6 p.m.
Recalled D Colton White from Binghamton.
COLLEGE
MICHIGAN STATE — Announced the retirement
Carolina 53 30 20 3 63 169 145 New Jersey at Philadelphia, 6 p.m. of football coach Mark Dantonio. Named defensive
N.Y. Rangers 51 25 22 4 54 166 166 Pittsburgh at Tampa Bay, 6 p.m. coordinator Mike Tressel acting head coach.
New Jersey 52 18 24 10 46 141 190 Vegas at Florida, 6 p.m. VANDERBILT — Announced the resignation of
WESTERN CONFERENCE Colorado at Ottawa, 6:30 p.m. athletic director Malcolm Turner. Promoted senior
Central Division Vancouver at Minnesota, 7 p.m. woman administrator Candice Storey Lee to inter-
GP W L OT Pts GF GA Winnipeg at St. Louis, 7 p.m. im athletic director.
4B WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2020
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
Red Sox agree to trade Betts, Price to Dodgers
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BOSTON — Banking
on Mookie Betts to be
the missing piece in their
World Series pursuit, the
Los Angeles Dodgers
finally pulled off a block-
bluster deal with the
cost-cutting Red Sox.
Boston agreed to trade
the 2018 AL MVP to the
Dodgers on Tuesday
night, according to two
people with knowledge of
the deal, packaging Bet-
ts with left-hander David
Price in a salary dump
designed to save the Red
Sox tens of millions of dol-
lars and help them dip be-
low baseball’s luxury tax
threshold.
The Dodgers, eager
Comics & Puzzles
DILBERT
ZITS
GARFIELD
CANDORVILLE
BABY BLUES
BEETLE BAILEY
MALLARD FILLMORE
for a World Series title af-
ter losing in the 2017 and
‘18 Fall Classics, are send-
ing outfielder Alex Verdu-
go back to the Red Sox.
The deal also involves the
Minnesota Twins, who
are getting right-hander
Kenta Maeda from the
Dodgers and sending
pitching prospect Brus-
dar Graterol to Boston.
Los Angeles will also get
cash from Boston to offset
some of the $123 million
owed to Betts and Price,
but the exact amount was
not yet known.
The people spoke to
The Associated Press on
condition of anonymity
because the trade, pend-
ing the exchange of med-
ical information, had not
FAMILY CIRCUS
The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com
been announced.
Betts, who will earn
$27 million this season,
has spurned nine-figure
offers from the Red Sox
for a long-term deal and
expressed eagerness to
test the free agent mar-
ket. Boston decided to
move him now — a centu-
ry after selling Babe Ruth
to the New York Yankees
— rather than let the four-
time All-Star walk after
the 2020 season.
One of baseball’s best
all-around talents, the
popular Betts should fit
nicely into a Dodgers
lineup that also includes
reigning NL MVP Cody
Bellinger. Los Angeles
has won seven straight
NL West titles but hasn’t
celebrated a World Series
championship since 1988.
They fell in 2018 against
Betts and the Red Sox a
year after being defeated
by the Houston Astros in
seven games.
Price is due $96 mil-
lion over the final three
years of a $217 million,
seven-year deal he signed
before the 2016 season.
The 2012 AL Cy Young
Award winner missed
time last year with a wrist
issue and went 7-5 with a
4.28 ERA in 22 starts.
The Dodgers final-
ly pulled off the kind of
splashy offseason deal
that has eluded them in
recent years. They lost
out on two primary offsea-
son pursuits when pitcher
Dear Abby
D
EAR ABBY: I
was married
to a won-
derful, beautiful
woman when we
were much young-
er. We got married
because of an
unplanned preg-
nancy. After some
years, we both had
grown in different
directions, and
we divorced. We
remained friends
even after I remar-
ried.
I’m now in the Dear Abby
early stages of
my second divorce because I
am lonely in a marriage where
there’s no communication or
intimacy. I have tried working
things out; my wife isn’t interest- to ensure that all the issues that
ed, so I have given up trying. We
no longer have a physical bond,
but I refuse to lower myself to
cheat to fulfill my needs.
I find myself drawn to my
first wife, and I know she feels
the same. While I’d like to
see how life as a single guy of
55-plus would be, I also want
to date my ex. We have a child
together, and we have more in
common now than before. Can
a second time around really
work? Or should I first play
the field once I am divorced?
— WORKING BACKWARD IN
CONNECTICUT
DEAR WORKING BACK-
Horoscopes
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Feb.
5). This solar return is marked
by a breakthrough in your
attitude. You’ll sing the song,
play the game and meet the
challenge. And when you’ve
mastered that, you’ll sing the
challenge, meet the game and
play the song. Every mix-up
lands you in a more flexible,
free, strong and agile position.
Aries and Gemini adore you.
Your lucky numbers are: 3, 25,
5, 48 and 20.
ARIES (March 21-April 19).
It’s much easier to hit those
milestones when you’re aiming
for them. Are you clear about
what and where they are? Also,
touching a milestone should
always be followed up with a cel-
Gerrit Cole signed with
the New York Yankees
for $324 million over nine
years and third baseman
Anthony Rendon signed
a $245 million, seven-year
contract with the rival An-
gels.
Verdugo, a left-handed
hitter, batted .294 with 44
RBIs and 12 home runs in
106 games before a back
injury in August ended
his season early. His out-
field defense is average,
but at 23 he has time to
improve.
Betts’ departure deep-
ens the disappointment in
Boston, whewre the New
England Patriots sat out
the Super Bowl for the
first time in four years
and face the prospect of
WARD: Because
you didn’t
mention whether
your first wife also
remarried, I will
assume that she
didn’t.
If you wish to
date her — and
the feelings are
mutual — there
should be nothing
stopping you.
HOWEVER, your
idea of playing
the field before
committing again
is wise. I have
said before, and
I’ll repeat it for you: If you and
your first wife decide to remarry,
it would be a good idea to get
premarital counseling together
drove you apart the first time
have been resolved.
DEAR ABBY: My husband
and I have been married 20
years. He is now on vacation in
Thailand with his best buddy
(without me again) for the third
time in as many years.
After doing some research, I
have discovered that this place
is a major sex tourism desti-
nation also known as “Sodom
on the Sea.” My husband says
he stays away from all the han-
ky-panky and goes there only for
the beach, the food, the culture
and “guy time” with his best
friend. My girlfriends all tell me
ebration, however small.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20).
Every so often, it’s important to
remind yourself that you really
don’t have to do anything. What
do you want to do? Do that. Or,
at the very least, find something
to want in the things that must
be done.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21).
You get a charge from being of
help. The best help you can give
is the teaching kind, but that
usually comes after the showing
kind. Show three times. After
that, it’s teaching that’s need-
ed, not doing it for them.
CANCER (June 22-July 22).
Small, consistent steps are not
just as important as the big
leaps. They are much, much
quarterback Tom Brady
leaving as a free agent.
The deal makes sense
only in the complicated
economics of baseball’s
collective bargaining tax,
which penalizes a team
for spending over a pre-
set limit — $208 million
for 2020. What’s more, a
ballclub that surpasses
the threshold in three
straight years pays a top
rate of 95 percent; on the
other hand, if a team goes
under the limit for a sea-
son, the penalty for their
next violation resets to
the lowest rate of 20%.
This deal is expected
to get Boston below that
threshold.
I am foolish and naive. Am I? —
SUSPICIOUS IN THE MIDWEST
DEAR SUSPICIOUS: I have
my opinion, but not knowing
your husband, I’m hesitant to
accuse him of being an adul-
terer. However, you know him
pretty well by now. (I assume
that having researched your
husband’s chosen vacation
spot, you have seen your doctor
to be checked for STDs.) My
questions to you would be — in
your heart of hearts — what do
YOU think? And if you agree with
your girlfriends, what are you
prepared to do about it?
DEAR ABBY: Many years ago,
my wife and I decided we would
help each other write our obit-
uaries. I know this may seem
macabre, but when she died a
few years ago, after 48 years of
marriage, it was less stressful
to just fill in the date and age.
What do you think? — PRACTI-
CAL UPSTATE NEW YORKER
DEAR PRACTICAL: I think
that if it worked for you, other
readers might consider it. Many
people wonder what will be said
of them after they’re gone. This
way, they can add or delete as
they wish.
Dear Abby is written by
Abigail Van Buren, also known
as Jeanne Phillips, and was
founded by her mother, Pauline
Phillips. Contact Dear Abby
at www.DearAbby.com or P.O.
Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA
90069.
more important. Big leaps don’t
show you everything between
point A and point B.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). No
one really ever has control over
a relationship, at least not in a
lasting way. Total control would
defy the very point and nature
of relationships. Can you find a
way to enjoy the uncertainty that
is the very essence of sharing?
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22).
Sometimes knowing that you
have to take action inhibits you
from dreaming as big as you
could. So don’t demand action
of yourself. Let yourself think
and dream freely. Defy the
mental limits.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23).
You will embody the spirit of
Calliope today, the muse with
a beautiful voice, an arbiter of
disputes carrying a giant writing
tablet everywhere. You’ll be the
one to sort things out as only
you can do.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov.
21). Maybe there is greatness
to believe in and maybe there
is nothing at all. Either way, we
cannot go forward without faith.
Faithlessness fills the body with
paralyzing fear. Believing opens
and fills hearts with the energy
to move.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec.
21). You have a few perfor-
mance goals you’d like to meet,
though meeting them will bring
no joy unless you also have the
intention to absorb the lessons
and experiences along the way.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan.
19). Keeping things in their
proper scale when others don’t
is a talent. You do this well.
They need you to be an example
and to lead the way with that
calm, reasonable dignity for
which you’re famous.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb.
18). Though you’re impressed
and inspired by people with
noble qualities and fine disposi-
tions, it’s also important to be
with comfortable people who
make you feel like you’re accept-
ed and you belong.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March
20). There’s no need to con-
demn or elevate anyone today,
so forgo both the pressures
(and for some, the pleasures)
of judgment. Wrongdoers will
self-punish; right-doers will
self-reward.
Three wise men
SOLUTION:
Food
You had me at
‘chocolate’
This chocolate pecan fondue from tasteofhome.com is just one of many variations on this sweet dipping dessert
said to trace back to the 1960s and a New York restaurant.
Dip, devour: It’s National
Chocolate Fondue Day
BY JAN SWOOPE
jswoope@cdispatch.com
W
ith Valentine’s Day just
over a week away, it seems
a good time to mention
that February is National Chocolate
Month. In fact, today — Feb. 5 — is
Chocolate Fondue Day. What better
time to remind ourselves how ir-
resistible it is to dip ... well, almost
anything ... in melted sweetness?
A chocolate fondue can be the
centerpiece of a party or a romantic
rendezvous for two. The recipe
might be as simple as chocolate,
heavy whipping cream and a pinch
Coconut cream pie
milkshakes, anyone?
FAMILY FEATURES
L
ooking for something out of
the ordinary? Here’s a coconut
cream pie milkshake to make
in the blender and add a promise of
the islands to your mid-winter.
For more recipes, go to culinary.
net.
COCONUT CREAM
PIE MILKSHAKE
3 scoops vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup cream of coconut
2 tablespoons sweetened flaked coconut
1 whole graham cracker
Whipped cream, for garnish
Graham cracker crumbs, for garnish
n In blender mix ice cream, cream of co-
conut, flaked coconut and graham cracker
on high until smooth. Pour into glass. Top
with whipped cream and graham cracker
crumbs.
(Source: Recipes adapted from Milk-
MeansMore.org)
of salt. Or, it can expand to dark,
white or flavored chocolate and in-
gredients like honey, vanilla bean,
cinnamon, caramel, peanut butter,
cayenne, marshmallow creme, cof-
fee, almonds, pecans or a variety
of liqueurs. Dippers are limited
only by imagination — bananas,
strawberries, cubes of pound cake,
Rice Krispy treats, marshmallows,
pretzels, tangerines, cookies,
brownies — the list goes on.
For a bit of background, the
word “fondue” is derived from the
French verb “fondre,” which means
to melt or dissolve. It all began with
cheese: The Swiss are credited
A classic, slow-cooked meal
Cranberries and oranges give this pork loin a flavorful twist.
LIFESTYLES EDITOR
Jan Swoope: 328-2471
THE DISPATCH n CDISPATCH.COM n WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2020 n 5B
familyfeatures.com
These frosted watermelon cutouts
make sweet Valentine treats.
Sweet,
luscious
snacks for
loved ones
FAMILY FEATURES
V
alentine’s Day naturally
brings thoughts of heart,
flowers, sweetness and love.
Because it also occurs during
American Heart Month, it’s a
perfect opportunity to start taking
care of your own heart and the
hearts of loved ones.
Part of the charm of the day’s
celebrations is in giving family and
friends flavorful foods to enjoy,
from chocolates and candies to oth-
er sugary treats. However, the fes-
tivities don’t have to be completely
focused on unhealthy bites in order
to make someone feel special.
This year, it can be easy to
share in the fun of Valentine’s
Day by serving those you love
with sweet, seasonal treats. For
example, these frosted watermelon
cutouts make for ideal snacks for
tasteofhome.com children and adults alike whether
it’s an after-school treat or a sweet
dessert with just three ingredients,
heart-shaped cookie cutters and
minimal time spent in the kitchen.
If you’re really looking to
impress that special someone, a
watermelon and chocolate des-
sert board calls for creativity and
plenty of tasty morsels like berries,
cashews, almonds and dark
chocolate. Without any baking or
with originating fondue as a way to cooking required, simply spread
use hardened cheese, according to out the ingredients for a platter
that’s just as visually appealing as
timeanddate.com. The first fondue
it is appetizing.
recipe appeared in a recipe book
Both recipes include the bene-
published in Zurich, Switzerland,
fits of watermelon, which boasts
in 1699, cites purdys.com. It called plenty of vitamin C to boost the
for a blend of melted cheese and
immune system’s defenses as a
wine to dip bread in. The chocolate cholesterol-free, fat-free and so-
fondue came about much later — dium-free food. Plus, watermelon
about the mid- to late-1960s in New draws its red color from the pow-
York — but it also originated with erful antioxidant lycopene (12.7
a Swiss, Konrad Egli, who was chef mg per serving), which may help
at Chalet Suisse in Manhattan at protect cells from damage, and the
the time, reports europeancuisince. healthy treat is American Heart
com. Association Heart-Check Certified
See FONDUE, 6B with just 80 calories per serving,
making it the perfect centerpiece
for Valentine’s Day recipes.
See WATERMELON, 6B
FAMILY FEATURES
W
hether you’re looking for
a family meal or a dish to
feed a different type of
crowd, taking advantage of kitchen
tools like your slow cooker can help
take the effort out of preparation.
Flavored using cranberries and or-
anges, this cranberry-orange pork
loin is a classic dish that’s perfect
for entertaining any type of group.
Find more recipes at culinary.
net.
CRANBERRY-ORANGE PORK LOIN
1 tablespoon oil
1 pork loin (4 pounds), tied at 1-inch
intervals
14 ounces cranberry sauce
1 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup orange juice
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
3 strips orange zest
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
familyfeatures.com
See PORK LOIN, 6B
6B WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2020 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com

Flavorful all-day nutrition

FAMILY FEATURES cheddar cheese, divided
12 yellow corn taco shells

F
rom cereal and milk to
yogurt and fruit to broc-
coli and cheese, com-
bining dairy with plant-based
foods creates a superfood
power couple that can help
ensure you and your family are
getting the nutrients you need
any time of day.
With the rise in popularity
of plant-based diets, dairy can
help optimize nutrient absorp-
tion from plant foods and pro-
vide additional nutrients like
high-quality protein, calcium,
vitamin D and vitamin B12.
Combining dairy and plant-
based foods can be easier with
these dairy-powered recipes
from Milk Means More. They
are ideal for creating a nutri-
tious and delicious plan for ev-
ery meal throughout the day.
Start with a blueberry apple
crisp smoothie bowl in the
morning then build out your
lunch or dinner plans around
a main course like lentil tacos
with tangy cuacamole and
a classic Moroccan staple,
creamy couscous with broc-
coli, tomatoes and cheese, on
the side.
Find more recipes that
combine the goodness of dairy
and plant-based foods at milk-
meansmore.org.
CREAMY COUSCOUS WITH
BROCCOLI, TOMATOES
AND CHEESE
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Servings: 6
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons butter
3 cups broccoli florets
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 cups fat-free, 2 percent or whole
milk
1 1/2 cups plain couscous (wheat
Dairy-inspired, plant-based dishes like this creamy couscous with broccoli, tomatoes and cheese can
help boost nutrition.
This blueberry apple crisp smoothie bowl is topped with maple
syrup, pecans, oats and fruit.
pasta)
1 cup finely shredded Parmesan
cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar
cheese
1 1/2 cups seeded and chopped
tomatoes
2 tablespoons slivered fresh basil
leaves
familyfeatures.com
n In large nonstick skillet over
medium heat, cook onion in butter
2 minutes. Add broccoli, garlic and
pepper. Cook and stir 2 minutes.
n Stir milk into broccoli mixture. Bring
to boil. Stir in couscous. Remove from
heat. Cover and let stand 5 minutes.
n Gently stir Parmesan cheese into
couscous mixture. Spread on serving
n To make tangy guacamole: In small
bowl, mash avocado, juice, hot pepper
sauce and garlic. Stir in yogurt. Cover
and refrigerate until serving time.
n To make lentil tacos: Heat oven to
400 F.
n In medium saucepan over medi-
um-high heat, combine water, lentils,
onion, chili powder, garlic and salt.
Bring to boil. Reduce heat. Cover and
gently boil 12-15 minutes, or until
lentils are just tender. Uncover and
boil 5-15 minutes, or until most liquid
evaporates.
n Remove lentils from heat. Stir in 1
cup tomatoes and 3/4 cup cheese.
Spoon into taco shells. Stand filled
tacos in 13-by-9-by-2-inch baking
dish. Sprinkle tacos with remaining
tomatoes and cheese. Loosely cover
dish with foil. Bake 3-5 minutes, or
until cheese melts.
n Stir guacamole. Serve with warm
tacos.
(Source: Culinary dietitian Marcia
familyfeatures.com
Stanley, MS, RDN)
BLUEBERRY APPLE CRISP
platter. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.
Top with tomatoes and fresh basil SMOOTHIE BOWL
leaves. Prep time: 5 minutes
(Source: Culinary dietitian Marcia Servings: 1
Stanley, MS, RDN)
1 cup frozen blueberries
2 cups apples, roughly chopped,
LENTIL TACOS WITH TANGY reserving 2 tablespoons for topping
1 teaspoon cinnamon
GUACAMOLE 1/2 cup plain, non-fat Greek yogurt
Prep time: 40 minutes 1 cup spinach
Servings: 6 pure maple syrup, to taste
ice cubes (optional)
Guacamole:
1 medium ripe avocado, pitted, Toppings:
peeled and chopped 2 tablespoons oats
1 tablespoon orange, lime or lemon
juice
1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon pecans, chopped
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 clove garlic, minced 2 tablespoons reserved chopped
1/2 cup plain, fat-free Greek yogurt apple
Fesh blueberries
Lentil tacos:
2 1/3 cups water n In blender, blend blueberries,
apples, cinnamon, yogurt and spinach
1 cup dry brown lentils, rinsed and
drained until smooth. Taste and add maple
syrup, to taste. If thicker mixture is
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 teaspoons chili powder desired, add ice cubes.
2 cloves garlic, minced n Pour into bowl. Mix oats with maple
1/2 teaspoon salt syrup. Top smoothie mixture with
1 1/2 cups seeded and chopped oats, pecans, apples and blueberries.
tomatoes, divided (Source: Rachel Gurk of Rachel
1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) shredded Cooks)

Fondue
Continued from Page 5B
Fondue tips
A few tips gleaned
from some of the web-
sites mentioned include
using the best quality
chocolate you can afford
for the most flavorful
fondue. (eHow.com
recommends brands
with a minimum of
paraffin and processing
for best results.) While
your chocolate melts,
stir constantly to ensure
smooth texture. Uneven
or extreme heating can
cause chocolate to burn
or curdle.
From popsugar.com:
n Always melt the
chocolate over low heat to
avoid scorching.
n The dish is easier
to manage if you melt the
chocolate first over the
stove, then transfer it to
the fondue pot.
n Keep water or
any moisture out of the
melting chocolate pot; it
will affect the molecular
structure of the choco-
late, causing it to develop
a grainy texture.
n Salvage thickened
or lumpy chocolate by
stirring in a few tea-
spoons of vegetable oil.
Do you fondue?
Perhaps we should this
Valentine’s Day because,
well, pretty much any-
thing dipped in chocolate
is fabulous.
CHOCOLATE PECAN
FONDUE
Prep/total time: 15 minutes
Makes 1 1/3 cups
1/2 cup half-and-half cream
2 tablespoons honey
9 ounces semisweet choc-
olate, broken into small pieces
1/4 cup finely chopped
pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Fresh fruit and shortbread
cookies
n In a heavy saucepan over
low heat, combine cream and
honey; heat until warm. Add
chocolate; stir until melted.
Stir in pecans and vanilla.
n Transfer to a fondue pot or
a 1-1/2-quart slow cooker and
keep warm. Serve with fruit
and cookies.
Nutrition Facts: 2 table-
spoons: 178 calories, 12g
fat (6g saturated fat), 6mg
cholesterol, 6mg sodium, 19g
carbohydrate (17g sugars, 2g
fiber), 3g protein.
(Source: tasteofhome.com)
PEANUT BUTTER
CHOCOLATE FONDUE
Prep/total time: 10 minutes
Makes 12 servings
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet low heat until smooth. Stir Nutrition Facts: 2 table- carbohydrate (20g sugars, 1g
chocolate chips in orange juice concentrate; spoons: 278 calories, 16g fat fiber), 4g protein.
1/2 cup sugar keep warm. Serve with cake (9g saturated fat), 83mg cho- (Source: tasteofhome.com/
1/2 cup milk and fruit. lesterol, 177mg sodium, 32g Mary Jean DeVries)
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
4 large firm bananas, cut into
3/4-inch slices
1 pint whole strawberries
Shortbread cookies and large
marshmallows, optional
n In a heavy saucepan, cook
and stir the chocolate chips,
sugar, milk and peanut butter
over low heat until smooth.
Transfer to a fondue pot and
keep warm. Serve with banan-
as and strawberries.
Nutrition Facts: 1/4 cup: 218
calories, 10g fat (4g saturated
fat), 1mg cholesterol, 57mg
sodium, 32g carbohydrate
(27g sugars, 3g fiber), 4g
protein.
(Source: tasteofhome.com/
Beverly Olthaus)
ORANGE CHOCOLATE
FONDUE
Prep/total time: 15 minutes
Makes 1 1/3 cups
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
3 ounces bittersweet choco-
late, chopped
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons thawed orange
juice concentrate
1 frozen pound cake (16 ounc-
es), thawed and cubed
Assorted fresh fruit
n In a heavy saucepan,
combine both chocolates and
cream; cook and stir over

Watermelon
Continued from Page 5B
Find more Valentine’s
Day inspiration and reci-
pes at watermelon.org.
FROSTED WATERMELON WATERMELON AND
CUTOUTS CHOCOLATE DESSERT
BOARD
1 seedless watermelon, cut
into 1/2-3/4-inch thick slices
4 brownie bites
1 cup frosting (any flavor)
n Using heart-shaped cookie
cutters, cut shapes out of
watermelon slices or simply
use cut watermelon wedges, if
desired. Top heart shapes with
brownie bites and add frosting
as desired.
Servings: 6-8
1/2 medium seedless water-
melon, cut into wedges and
cubes
1 cup fresh raspberries
1 cup fresh red cherries
1 cup strawberries, trimmed
and halved
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup roasted, salted
cashews
1 cup chocolate covered
almonds
1 bar dark chocolate, broken
into squares
1 cup coconut chips
Mint leaves, for garnish
n On serving board, arrange
watermelon in center and
surround with raspberries,
cherries, strawberries, cran-
berries, cashews, almonds,
chocolate and coconut chips.
Scatter mint leaves around
board for garnish.

Pork loin
Continued from Page 5B
n In skillet over medium heat, heat oil.
n Sear pork loin on all sides.
n In slow cooker, stir cranberry sauce, dried cranberries, orange juice, cinnamon and orange zest
until combined. Set pork loin in middle of sauce mixture and drizzle sauce over meat.
n Cover and cook on low 4 hours, or until meat reaches 140-145 F.
n Transfer pork to cutting board. Remove twine.
n Strain cranberries from slow cooker; set aside. Pour strained liquid into skillet. Add salt and
pepper, to taste. Simmer 7-8 minutes.
n Spoon cranberries and sauce over pork loin.
Classifieds
Legal Notices Legal Notices
Legal Notices
LEGALS
CALL US: 662-328-2424
Legal Notices
Invitation for Bids:
The Mississippi Department of
Finance and Administration Of-
fice of Personal Service Con-
tract Review will accept sealed
bids until 11:00 AM CST on
March 5, 2020 for the pur-
pose of establishing a
statewide preapproved list of
providers of Professional Nurs-
ing Services. Detailed specific-
ations may be obtained by con-
tacting Victoria James at
victoria.james@dfa.ms.gov or
601-359-6580 or by going to
the Mississippi Department of
Finance and Administration Of-
fice of Personal Service Con-
tract Review website at
http://www.dfa.ms.gov/bid-rfp-
notices/.
PUBLISH: 1/29 & 2/5/2020
Invitation for Bids:
The Mississippi Department of
Finance and Administration Of-
fice of Personal Service Con-
tract Review will accept sealed
bids until 10:00 AM CST on
March 5, 2020 for the pur-
pose of establishing a
statewide preapproved list of
providers of Temporary Staff-
ing Services. Detailed specific-
ations may be obtained by con-
tacting Victoria James at
victoria.james@dfa.ms.gov or
601-359-6580 or by going to
the Mississippi Department of
Finance and Administration Of-
fice of Personal Service Con-
tract Review website at
http://www.dfa.ms.gov/bid-rfp-
notices/.
PUBLISH: 1/29 & 2/5/2020
The following vehicle has been of Section 22, Township 18
abandoned at Dixie Towing
LLC:
2014 Nissan Sentra
VIN# 3N1AB7AP6EY332799
If not claimed by February 7,
2020 it will be auctioned off. 284.1 feet to a point on the
Auction will be a Dixie Towing North right-of-way line of Arthur
LLC, 16 Oswalt Rd, Columbus, Cove; thence North 87 de-
MS 39702 on February 7,
2020 at 8:00 A.M.
PUBLISH: 1/29 & 2/5/2020
SUBSTITUTED TRUSTEE’S NO-
TICE OF SALE
STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
COUNTY OF Lowndes
WHEREAS, on the 14th day of
November, 2018, Milton E.
Rawle, Jr. and Wife, Keisha
Rawle aka Keshia Rawle, ex-
ecuted and delivered a certain grees 08 minutes West a dis-
Deed of Trust unto Real Estate tance of 124.1 feet to an iron
Closing Services, Inc., Trustee pin; thence South 44 degrees
for Mortgage Electronic Regis- 01 minutes West a distance of
tration Systems, Inc. as nomin- 139.2 feet to an iron pin on
ee for Acceptance Capital Mort- the North right-of-way line of Ar-
gage Corporation, Beneficiary, thur Drive; thence South 56 de-
to secure an indebtedness
therein described, which Deed said North right-of-way line a
of Trust is recorded in the of- distance of 155.0 feet to an
fice of the Chancery Clerk of
Classified ads are a great form of
Lowndes County, Mississippi in way line of a drive; thence
Mort Book 2018 at Page
person-to-person advertising.
24464; and
WHEREAS, on the 18th day of
November, 2019, Mortgage
Electronic Registration Sys-
tems, Inc. as nominee for Ac-
ADS APPEAR IN THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH,
THE STARKVILLE DISPATCH AND ONLINE
SUBSTITUTED TRUSTEE’S NO-
TICE OF SALE
STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
COUNTY OF Lowndes
WHEREAS, on the 14th day of
November, 2018, Milton E.
Rawle, Jr. and Wife, Keisha
Rawle aka Keshia Rawle, ex-
ecuted and delivered a certain
Deed of Trust unto Real Estate
Closing Services, Inc., Trustee
for Mortgage Electronic Regis-
tration Systems, Inc. as nomin-
ee for Acceptance Capital Mort-
gage Corporation, Beneficiary,
to secure an indebtedness
therein described, which Deed
of Trust is recorded in the of-
fice of the Chancery Clerk of
Lowndes County, Mississippi in
Mort Book 2018 at Page
24464; and
WHEREAS,
Legal Notices on the 18th day of
November, 2019, Mortgage
Electronic Registration Sys-
tems, Inc. as nominee for Ac-
ceptance Capital Mortgage Cor-
poration, assigned said Deed
of Trust unto American Finan-
cial Resources, Inc., a New Jer- of this Court.
sey Corporation, by instrument
recorded in the office of the
aforesaid Chancery Clerk in
Mort Book 2019 at Page
24775; and
WHEREAS, on the 6th day of
January, 2020 the Holder of
said Deed of Trust substituted
and appointed Dean Morris,
LLC as Substitute Trustee by
instrument recorded in the of-
fice of the aforesaid Chancery
Clerk in Mort Book 2020 at
Page 321; and
WHEREAS, default having been
made in the payments of the
indebtedness secured by the
said Deed of Trust, and the
holder of said Deed of Trust,
having requested the under-
signed so to do, on the 19th
day of February, 2020, I will
during the lawful hours of
between 11:00 a.m. and 4:00
p.m., at public outcry, offer for
sale and will sell, at the south
east front door of Lowndes
County Courthouse, 505 2nd
Ave. North at Columbus, Mis-
sissippi, for cash to the
highest bidder, the following
described land and property
situated in Lowndes County,
Mississippi, to-wit:
Lot 19, Pinecrest Subdivision,
Number II, an unrecorded sub-
division, located in the West
Half (W1/2) of the Northeast
Quarter (NE1/4) of Section 22,
Township 18 South, Range 17
West, Lowndes County, Missis-
sippi, and being more particu-
larly described as follows, to-
wit:
Beginning at an old iron pin at
the Southeast corner of the
Northwest Quarter (NW1/4) of
the Northeast Quarter (NE1/4)
South, Range 17 West,
Lowndes County, Mississippi;
thence North 87 degrees 30
minutes West a distance of
660.0 feet to an iron pin;
thence North 00 degrees 45
minutes West a distance of
grees 30 minutes West along
said North right-of-way line a
distance of 180.0 feet; thence
North 00 degrees 45 minutes
West a distance of 140.0 feet;
thence North 79 degrees 21
minutes West a distance of
169.3 feet to a point on the
East right-of-way line of a drive;
thence North 59 degrees 47
minutes West along the North
right-of-way line of said drive a
distance of 40.0 feet to the ini-
tial point of the property herein
described; thence North 48 de-
grees 34 minutes East along
iron pin on the West right-of-
North 30 degrees 13 minutes
East along said West right-of-
way line a distance of 118.9
feet to an iron pin and the ini-
tial point of this description,
containing 0.41 acre, more or
less.
minutes West along the North dress is Post Office Box 1827,
right-of-way line of said drive a Columbus, Mississippi 39703.
distance of 40.0 feet to the ini- YOUR RESPONSE MUST BE
tial point of the property herein MAILED OR HAND DELIVERED
described; thence North 48 de- NOT LATER THAN THIRTY (30)
grees 08 minutes West a dis- DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF THE
tance of 124.1 feet to an iron FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS
pin; thence South 44 degrees SUMMONS. IF YOUR RE-
01 minutes West a distance of SPONSE IS NOT SO MAILED OR
139.2 feet to an iron pin on
To place ads starting at only $12,
DELIVERED, A JUDGMENT BY
the North right-of-way line of Ar- DEFAULT WILL BE ENTERED
call 662-328-2424 or visit ads.cdispatch.com
thur Drive; thence South 56 de- AGAINST YOU FOR THE RELIEF
grees 34 minutes East along DEMANDED IN THE PETITION.
said North right-of-way line a
distance of 155.0 feet to an You must also file the original
iron pinTHE DISPATCH
on the n CDISPATCH.COM
West right-of- of your responsenwithWEDNESDAY,
the Clerk FEBRUARY 5, 2020 n 7B
way line of a drive; thence of this Court.
North 30 degrees 13 minutes
East along said West right-of- Issued under my hand and the
way line a distance of 118.9 seal of said Court, this the
LegaltoNotices
feet an iron pin and the ini- Legal Notices
30th day of January, 2020.
RENTALS
tial point of this description,
containing 0.41 acre, more or CINDY EGGER GOODE, CLERK
less. CHANCERY COURT OF
LOWNDES COUNTY, MISSIS-
SUBJECT TO a ten-foot general SIPPI
utility drainage easement (SEAL)
ADS STARTING AT $25
along, adjoining and South of BY: /s/ Tina Fisher
the North property line of the D. C. Apts For Rent: South
above described lot and a five-
foot wide general utility and PUBLISH: 2/5, 2/12, & TWO 1BR/1BA APTS
drainage easement along, ad- 2/19/2020
joining and West of the West located at 121 5th St. S.
property line, and along, adjoin- $700/mo. 662−328−
ing and North of the South 8655.
property line.
I will only convey such title as
is vested in me as Substitute EMPLOYMENT Apts For Rent: West
VIP
Trustee.
WITNESS MY SIGNATURE, this
CALL US: 662-328-2424
Rentals
17th day of January, 2020.
Customer Service
Dean Morris, LLC
Substitute Trustee LOCAL LAW FIRM is seek- Apartments & Houses
855 S Pear Orchard Rd., Ste. ing Receptionist/Secretary.
404, Bldg. 400
Ridgeland, MS 39157 Previous experience 1 Bedrooms
(318) 330-9020 helpful but not necessary.
Computer skills a must. 2 Bedroooms
adp/F19-0674 Email resume to:
job106@cdispatch.com
3 Bedrooms
PUBLISH: 1/29/2020,
2/5/2020, 2/12/2020 Furnished & Unfurnished
Education 1, 2, & 3 Baths
IN THE CHANCERY COURT OF
LOWNDES COUNTY, MISSIS- Lease, Deposit
SIPPI CONSULTANTS NEEDED
(CONTRACTUAL): Starkville & Credit Check
IN THE MATTER OF THE ES- Oktibbeha School District’s viceinvestments.com
327-8555
TATE OF STEPHEN OSAKUE, 21st CCLC AMS STEAM
JR., DECEASED after school program is
ROSARIO CARRILLO, ADMINIS- seeking qualified and ex-
TRATOR perienced individuals for
the following responsibilit- Apts For Rent: Other
NO. 2019-0190-F ies:
1ST MONTH − RENT FREE!
RULE 81 SUMMONS BY PUB- • To develop and lead 1−2 BR Apt: $350−395
LICATION hands-on, problem-based 1−2BR TwnHome:
TO: THE HEIRS AT LAW OF STEM (e.g. entomology, $625−650
STEPHEN OSAKUE, JR., DE- herpetology, geology, ar- Lease, Dep, Credit Check.
CEASED chaeology, astronomy, hor- Coleman Realty
ticulture, agriculture anim- 662−329−2323
NOTICE TO DEFENDANT(S) als and crops, etc.) enrich-
ment activities that incor-
You have been made a Defend- porate the arts.
ant in the suit filed in this
Court by Rosario Carrillo, Ad-
ministrator, seeking to determ- • Guest speakers to ad-
ine the unknown heirs-at-law of dress STEM career paths.
Stephen Osakue, Jr., De-
ceased. You are hereby • Youth develop and fam-
summoned to appear and de- ily support specialist to
fend against said Petition at work with students and
9:00 o’clock a.m. on the 17th
day of March, 2020, in the their families to promote
Chancery Courtroom of the social and emotional
Lowndes County Courthouse in growth.
Columbus, Mississippi, and in
case of your failure to appear For more information or to
and defend, a judgment or or- submit a letter of intent in-
der may be entered granting cluding an expected hourly
the relief requested in the Peti-
tion. rate and resume, contact
Amy Pitts at 1504 Louis-
Further, you are required to ville Street, Starkville, MS,
mail or hand deliver a written 662-615-0033,
response to the Petition to De- apitts@starkvillesd.com by
termine Heirs at Law filed in Friday, February 14, 2020.
this action to Elizabeth F.
Jones, Attorney for Rosario Car-
rillo, Petitioner, whose ad-
dress is Post Office Box 1827, General Help Wanted
Columbus, Mississippi 39703.
YOUR RESPONSE MUST BE
THE COMMERCIAL DOWNTOWN: 2BR/1BA
MAILED OR HAND DELIVERED
NOT LATER THAN THIRTY (30) DISPATCH is seeking a CH&A, 1 story, W/D,
DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF THE mechanically-minded indi- historic district, 1 block
FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS vidual to work in its press- from downtown.
SUMMONS. IF YOUR RE- room. Applicants must be $575/mo. + $575 dep.
SPONSE IS NOT SO MAILED OR comfortable working around NO PETS. 662−574−8789.
DELIVERED, A JUDGMENT BY Peaceful & Quiet area.
heavy machinery, adhering
DEFAULT WILL BE ENTERED to tight deadlines and must
AGAINST YOU FOR THE RELIEF
DEMANDED IN THE PETITION. have an eye for detail &
quality. Flexible hours are a
must. Must pass drug test.
You must also file the original
of your response with the Clerk Email resume to
mfloyd@cdispatch.com
or drop resumes off at Have a rental property?
Issued under my hand and the 516 Main Street
seal of said Court, this the List it here for fast results.
Columbus, MS 39701.
30th day of January, 2020.
No phone calls please. ads.cdispatch.com
CINDY EGGER GOODE, CLERK
Medical / Dental
CHANCERY COURT OF
LOWNDES COUNTY, MISSIS-
SIPPI
(SEAL)
BY: /s/ Tina Fisher
D. C.
PUBLISH: 2/5, 2/12, &
2/19/2020
Good help isn’t hard to find if you know
where to look. Start your search here.
8B WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2020 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com
Apts For Rent: Other Mobile Homes for Rent Sporting Goods

COLEMAN
RENT A CAMPER!
CHEAPER THAN A MOTEL!
GARAGE SALES ED SANDERS GUNSMITH
OPEN FOR SEASON! ON THE WEB
RENTALS Utilities & cable included, 9−5: Tues−Fri &
TOWNHOUSES & APARTMENTS from $145/wk − $535/ TWO FREE SIGNS 9−12: Sat. Visit www.cdispatch.com
month. Columbus & County Over 50 years experience!
1 BEDROOM School locations. 662−242 Auctions Repairs, cleaning, for a printable copy of
−7653 or 601−940−1397. refinishing, scopes
2 BEDROOMS mounted & zeroed, these puzzles.
3 BEDROOMS handmade knives.
Located: Hwy 45 Alt, North
RV/MOBILE HOME SITE
LEASE, of West Point, turn right on
© The Dispatch

near CAFB, Caledonia Yokahama Blvd, 8mi & turn

DEPOSIT schools. Call 601−940− left on Darracott Rd, see
1397.
AND sign, 2.5mi ahead, shop on
left. 662−494−6218.
CREDIT CHECK Office Spaces For Rent

662-329-2323
VEHICLES
OFFICE SPACE FOR
LEASE. 1112 Main St.,
2411 HWY 45 N Ste. 5. 3700 sq. ft.
Plenty of private parking.
COLUMBUS, MS 662−327−9559. ADS STARTING AT $12
Commercial Property For Rent Campers & RVs
FOR RENT LOCATED NEAR
DOWNTOWN. 3,000 sq. ft.
truck terminal, 9,500 sq.
REAL ESTATE 2012 JAYCO EAGLE 5th
WHEEL. 39ft, 4 slide−outs.
2BR, 48" TV & 27" TV.
ft. shop & 3,200 sq. ft.
office/shop. Buildings can
ADS STARTING AT $25 $26,500. 662−386−9605.
be rented together or
separately. All w/ excellent Houses For Sale: North

COMMUNITY
access & Hwy. 82 visibility.
662−327−9559. FSBO: 3BR/2BA, 3304 5th
St N. Fenced back yard w/
Houses For Rent: North sm shop. Great neighbor−
hood. $110,000. 662−356
−4764 or 901−848−0051. Estate Sales
ADS STARTING AT $12 Sudoku YESTERDAY’S ANSWER

Sudoku
3BR/2BA BRICK Home,
ch/a, stove, dw, & fridge Instruction & School
Sudoku is a number- Yesterday’s answer
furn. Fenced backyard. Houses For Sale: New Hope
Dr. Mark G. Hazard & placing puzzle based on
1204 6th St. N. $785/mo Sarah S. Hazard Sudoku
a 9x9 gridis witha several
num- 8 9 1 4 2 6 7 5 3
249 S. Division St.
+ dep. 662−352−4776. ber-placing
given numbers.puzzleThe object 5 2 4 7 1 3 8 6 9

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

16 WIDNER IN NEW HOPE Feb 7 & 8:9−4, Feb 9:1−4
Newly remodeled. 3BR/ Nice Collection of antique based onthe
is to place a 9x9
numbers 3 6 7 5 8 9 2 4 1
COLONIAL TOWNHOUSES. 2BA home. Approx. 1,500 furnishings: access, lamps, grid
1 to 9with
in theseveral
empty spaces 4 5 6 2 3 1 9 8 7
2 & 3 bedroom w/ 2−3 sq. ft. Has 25’x30’ wired mirrors, rugs, kitchen items
bath townhouses. $625 to metal shop w/ roll−up front & much more. given
so thatnumbers.
each row, each The 2 1 8 9 7 5 6 3 4
$675. 662−549−9555. & side door. $164,900. View @ estatesales.net object
column and each 3x3 the
is to place box
numbers 9 7 3 8 6 4 1 2 5
contains the1same to 9 number
in
Ask for Glenn or text. 662−549−9298. Antiques & Collectibles
662−570−5686 the empty spaces so 1 4 5 6 9 8 3 7 2
Houses For Rent: East only once. The difficulty 7 8 9 3 5 2 4 1 6
Houses For Sale: Caledonia Garage Sales: New Hope Christian Women’s Job that each row, each
level increases from
3 BR/1BA HOUSE Poplar Corps Class Spring column and each 6 3 2 1 4 7 5 9 8
St. 425/mo. 425/dep. No FSBO: 3BR/2BA ON 2.5 Multi−Family Sale @ 8214 2020−FREE TRAINING Monday
3x3 boxtocontains
Sunday. Difficulty Level 2/04

ACRES. 1600 sqft. Hwy 182 East. Saturday. Evening classes in

Hud. No Section 8. 205−
Completely remodeled. Baby/toddler clothes, Computer Training, the same number only once. The difficulty level
442−2011 or 601−940−
1397. $178,000. 662−386− Medela breast pump, toys, Resume Writing & increases from Monday to Sunday.
7113. diaper genie & more. Adult Interview Skills for Job
clothes. Household items. Seeking Women.
4BR/2.5BA BRICK HOME Enrolling now for Tues &
located on large lot w/ 2 Lots & Acreage Thurs starting February
car garage. Fresh paint & 4th at Christian
tile floors in kitchen &
bathrooms. Located at
495 Emerald Dr. $1,100/
WINTER SPECIAL. 1.75
acre lots. Good/bad credit.
10% down, as low as
MERCHANDISE Women’s Job Corps.
Min H.S. Diploma or
Equivalent required. Call
mo + $1,000 dep. Avail $299/mo. Eaton Land.
Feb 1. 770−658−7726. 662−361−7711. ADS STARTING AT $12 662−722−3016 or visit
cwjcgtms.org
General Merchandise
Auctions
Pets
2 TIRES w/ rims &
hubcaps. Fits 2004 Ford AKC GERMAN SHEPHERD
Taurus,$25 EA; 2 Butane PUPPIES. Exc. ped. Blk/
Tanks 1o gla. & 5 gal., $15 red. Vet checked, w/s,
for both; Mink Coat−hip wormed. Ready to go!
length, Autumn Haze, size 662−213−4609.
10, $500 Cash Only. Call
662−352−1440.
Pet Supplies / Accessories
ESTATE SALE − ONGOING
FEB 1−29. ALL MUST GO! Happy Jack® LiquiVict 2x:
662−435−0641. 548 Hwy. recognized safe & effective
45 N. Frontage Rd. 10−till. by U.S. CVM against hook
By appt: 662−352−4460. & round worms in dogs.
Furn, home decor, linens, At Tractor Supply.
Tonneau cover, comm kit (www.kennelvax.com)
items, etc. No junk.

Over 100 pairs of Name

Brand Women’s Shoes for Five Questions:
Sale Sale starts February 6
−8! I have over 100 pairs

1 Deion
of Name Brand Women’s
Shoes for Sale starting as
low as $9.99! Some are
new in the box! Location;
Meeting Room, 303 Sanders
Shoney Drive Columbus,
MS, 39705. $10.00 662−
Houses For Sale: Other 889−8928

QUALITY COMPUTER 2 Harvard

SERVICE & REPAIR.
PCs & Laptops.
Hardware & Software.

3 Looper
Windows, MacOS, Linux.
Call Kevin @ 773−231−
7349 and leave voicemail.
Golden Triangle Area.

4 Denver ACROSS
WANTED FREON R12.
We pay CA$H. 1 Kid
R12 R500 R11.
Convenient. 5 Second
Certified professionals. thoughts
5 Clarinet 11 Lusty look
refrigerantfinders.com/ad
312−291−9169 12 Otherworldly
13 Eye line
14 Blood line
Need a 15 Put in stitches
new car? 16 Bakery buys
17 Radio parts
19 Cry loudly
22 Coral island
24 Border lake
26 Mournful cry
27 Nap
28 Painter Max
30 Not so many
31 Sinking signal 3 Economic 22 Ensign’s OKs
32 Tip over declines 23 Bullfight
34 Cut drasti- 4 Chop up beast
cally 5 Partridge’s 25 Yemen port
Start in the classifieds section for 35 Stop — dime cousin 29 Groom’s garb
your buying and selling needs! 38 More cushy 6 Turmoil 30 Flowed into
41 Symbol of 7 Esthete’s 33 Juan of
grace concern Argentina
Ads starting at $12 for one week! 42 Exaggerate 8 “Life of Pi” 34 Broadcasts
43 Make sweat- director 36 Finger feature
ers 9 Spoil 37 Pot starter

SERVICE DIRECTORY
44 “The Good 10 Shrewd 38 Atlantic fish
Place” actor 16 Buddy 39 Future em-
45 Cruise stop 18 Miseries bryos
19 Confronta- 40 Buddhism
DOWN tions branch
1 Résumé listing 20 Move like 41 Enjoy Aspen
PROMOTE YOUR SMALL BUSINESS STARTING AT ONLY $25 2 Fairy-tale molasses
monster 21 Saloon staple
Carpet & Flooring General Services General Services Painting & Papering

JEWELRY REPAIR
A & T TREE SERVICES SULLIVAN’S PAINT
Bucket truck & stump SERVICE. Special Prices.
removal. Free est. Interior and Exterior
RKERS
Serving Columbus PA Painting. 662−435−6528
ON

since 1987. Senior

J.

citizen disc. Call Alvin @ Tree Services

242−0324/241−4447 100 Russell St.
E Starkville, MS
W ELER
J

"We’ll go out on a limb for J&A TREE REMOVAL

you!" 662-268-8058
Work from a bucket truck.
DAVID’S CARPET & Insured/bonded.
WORK WANTED: Call Jimmy Prescott for free
UPHOLSTERY Licensed & Bonded. CHAPTER 7 BANKRUPTCY
CLEANING estimate, 662−386−6286.
Carpentry, minor electrical, $545 plus Filing Fee
1 Room − $50 minor plumbing, insulation,
2 Rooms − $70 CHAPTER 13 BANKRUPTCY
Did you
painting, demolition, All Attorney Fees Through The Plan
3+ Rooms − $30 EA

?
gutters cleaned, pressure
Rugs−Must Be Seen Jim Arnold, Attorney
know
washing, landscaping,
Car Upholstery cleanup work, moving help.
Cleaning Available 662-324-1666
662−242−3608. 104 South Lafayette Street, Starkville
662−722−1758

General Services MONOGRAMMING Lawn Care / Landscaping

GRAVEL. $360 PER LOAD.

Local delivery, 14 yd truck.
Backhoe & Dozer work.
Just for Ladies JESSE & BEVERLY’S
LAWN SERVICE
Mowing, cleanup,
This paper was printed
in the basement of
Mobile Home Pads & Mossy Oak Mall • West Point landscaping, sodding, The Dispatch in
Driveways. 662-492-4221 • Mon.-Sat. & tree cutting. downtown Columbus.
662−497−1388 CHILDREN’S & LADIES’ CONSIGNMENT 662−356−6525