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Wednesday | March 10, 2021

Gavin doesn’t expect Smith to drop out

of mayor’s race; Smith mum on health status
Mayor spending third week away from duties since Baptist Memorial
Ho s p i t a l - G ol d -
rest. However, Gavin on Tues-
day did try to tamp down ru-
hospitalization; Gavin hopes he will return to work Monday en Triangle. He
was sent home
mors the mayor had a stroke or
heart attack.
to recover, ac- “I can tell you I’ve talked
BY ISABELLE ALTMAN improving and that he “doesn’t Women, where he and several
ialtman@cdispatch.com cording to an of- to him. He is in good spirits,”
anticipate” Smith dropping out other candidates for munici-
ficial statement Gavin said. “I’ve heard the
of the upcoming mayoral elec- pal elections spoke about their released after same rumors that you all have
Vice Mayor Bill Gavin pub- Smith
licly addressed rumors about tion. platforms. Gavin is in his third Smith’s hospital- heard, that he’s had a stroke,
Mayor Robert Smith’s health Gavin was asked about the work week handling mayoral ization. he’s had a heart attack, he’s in-
and extended absence from mayor’s health by a guest at duties for Smith after the may- Multiple city officials have capacitated. I can tell you that’s
City Hall Tuesday, saying as far the monthly meeting of the or was treated Feb. 21 for an said Smith is under instruc- false, as far as I know.
as he knows Smith’s health is Lowndes County Republican unspecified medical issue at tions from doctors to get some See SMITH, 6A

Mayor, council
candidates
‘Mule guy’ takes reins at Airbus Columbus
pitch plans for
tackling crime,
city finances at
Republican forum
BY ISABELLE ALTMAN
ialtman@cdispatch.com

Crime, budget-
ary issues and the
local economy were
issues raised repeat-
edly at a meeting of
the Lowndes County
Republican Women
on Tuesday where
select candidates for Coburn
Columbus municipal
elections spoke to
a few dozen people
at Lion Hills Cen-
ter about their plat-
forms.
Slim Smith/Dispatch Staff
Republican Wom-
Outgoing Airbus Columbus manager Mike Spears and his successor, Johannes Dienemann, show off one of the company’s prod-
en leaders invited ucts — a twin-engine helicopter built for NASA for surveillance and security operations. Both men say the diversity of Airbus Co-
Republican and inde- Gaskin lumbus’ operations is its greatest strength. Since opening in 2003, the company has built more than 14,000 aircraft in Columbus.
pendent candidates and gave each
five minutes to speak to potential
voters. Candidates proposed solu- German native announced as new facility manager assembly to customizing aircraft to fit
the requirements or needs from law en-
tions to a recent uptick in criminal
activity, the closure of area busi- at event that shows off diversity of plant’s production forcement to medical and everything in
between.”
nesses during the COVID-19 pan- BY SLIM SMITH and has seen the plant build or assem- The changing of the guard also re-
demic and the city’s finances. ssmith@cdispatch.com ble more than 14,000 helicopters since. flects that diversity. Spears grew up
Independent mayoral candidate
At one end sat a sleek twin-engine farming in south Alabama. Dienemann,
Montrell Coburn, who spoke first, On one end of the open bay at Build-
helicopter built for NASA to perform 42, was born in Berlin, Germany, and
said the best way to address crime ing A on the Airbus campus sat two heli-
in the community was to focus on surveillance and security operations. studied in Australia and Ohio, before
copters, which provided a backdrop for
job training, which he said would At the other end sat a single-engine beginning his career in France — when
the company’s announcement of a new
give the community’s “young guys” aircraft built for mosquito control for a Airbus was known American Eurocop-
manager for the facility.
stability and something to do other customer in Florida. ter — in 2007.
Before outgoing manager Mike
than get into trouble. He specifical- Spears or his successor Johannes Di- “The diversity we have here is key Although he is the new man in
ly suggested implementing train- enemann spoke, the two helicopters for us,” said Spears, who is retiring af- charge in Columbus, he is no stranger
ing programs that teach how to had already told a big part of the Airbus ter eight years as the Airbus Columbus to the facility.
See FORUM, 6A Columbus story, which began in 2003 manager. “We do everything from full See AIRBUS, 3A

SOCSD announces administrative changes for next school year

Julie Kennedy returning to principal job at Overstreet; 30 years of experience be-
tween them,” Superinten-
as a lead teacher at SHS
before taking the reins at
Cynthia Milons to become graduation coach at SHS dent Eddie Peasant said
in a prepared statement
Overstreet in 2018. Ken-
nedy has served as prin-
BY ISABELLE ALTMAN Overstreet Principal will start their new duties after the board meeting. cipal at Overstreet, Arm-
ialtman@cdispatch.com Cynthia Milons is taking on July 1. “I am grateful for their strong Middle School and
a position as graduation The Starkville-Oktib- dedicated service to our the Partnership school.
Both Overstreet Ele- coach at Starkville High beha Consolidated School school district and our The district is current-
mentary School and Part- Kennedy Milons
School. Partnership Prin- District approved both greater school communi- ly searching for a prin-
nership Middle School cipal Julie Kennedy will administrative changes at “Principals Kennedy ty.” cipal to take the reins at
will have new principals take Milons’ current po- its regular board meeting and Milons are veteran Milons previously Partnership.
next year. sition at Overstreet. Both Tuesday. educators with more than taught English and served See SOCSD, 6A

INSIDE FIVE QUESTIONS CALENDAR LOCAL FOLKS PUBLIC

Classifieds 8B 1 What does a cartographer do?
Tuesday, March 16 MEETINGS
Comics 4B 2 What insurance company March 11:
Crossword 6B name is quacked by a duck in ■ 100+ Women Who Care: Members of
Columbus Mu-
Dear Abby 4B commercials? 100+ Women Who Care Columbus will receive
Food 5B 3 What former investment an invitation March 16 to watch a video pre- nicipal School
Obituaries 5A advisor admitted to running what sentation by three randomly-drawn Lowndes Board, 4 p.m.,
Opinions 4A is considered the largest Ponzi County nonprofits. Members will then vote
scheme in history, estimated at Brandon Central
their choice for the combined donation Impact
over $50 billion? Services
4 A bassoon is smaller than an Award. Visit 100wwccolumbusms.org for
WEATHER oboe. True or false? details.
March 12:
5 The gestation period of which Lowndes County

High 74 Low 54
Partly cloudy
of these animals is nearest in
length to a human’s — giraffe,
polar bear or lion?
Thursday, March 25
■ Candidate forum: Hear Columbus
School District
Board, 12:30
Full forecast on municipal candidates at the 2021 Candidate p.m., District
page 3A. Answers, 6B Forum at the Lyceum at Lee (former Lee High Office
School). The event is co-sponsored by The Dis- March 15:
patch and WCBI and will follow a Q&A format
Lowndes County
with a moderator. COVID precautions will be
taken for a limited live audience and the event Supervisors, 9
will be livestreamed online by WCBI. Reserve Anthony Richmond, of Columbus, a.m., Court-
141st Year, No. 307 free tickets online at cdispatch.com/forum spends his time playing video games. house

DISPATCH CUSTOMER SERVICE 328-2424 | NEWSROOM 328-2471

2A WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2021
J.T. Stone, 10, Briggs Walters, 9, Addison Branch, 10, and Sam Stone, 6, pull trash cans to the road in Lakeover
Thursday afternoon. The kids call themselves The Trash Tacklers. They started pulling cans for the neighborhood
when the pandemic started. “We take them to the road on Thursday and back to the houses on Friday,” J.T. said.
They charge $1 per can each week. “We started so we could help people,” Addison said. Addison saves the
money she earns from trash tackling. “I spend mine on Star Wars stuff,” Sam said. “I buy candy,” Briggs said.
J.T. and Sam’s parents are Shawn and Callie Stone. Briggs is the son of Bridget Branch. Addison is the daughter
of Max Branch and Andrea Branch.
House set to vote on virus
relief, Biden on cusp of triumph
$1.9 trillion COVID-19
relief bill expected to be
approved today
BY ALAN FRAM
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Congress is
poised to approve a landmark $1.9
trillion COVID-19 relief bill, plac-
ing President Joe Biden on the cusp
of an early triumph that advances
Democratic priorities and showcas-
es the unity his party will need to
forge future victories.
The House was expected to
give final congressional approval
Wednesday to the package, which
aims to fulfill Democrats’ campaign
promises to beat the coronavirus
pandemic and revive the enfeebled
economy. House and Senate Repub-
licans have unanimously opposed
the package as bloated, crammed
with liberal policies and heedless of
signs the dual crises are easing.
“It’s a remarkable, historic,
transformative piece of legisla-
tion which goes a very long way to
crushing the virus and solving our
economic crisis,” House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Tues-
day.
For Biden and Democrats, the
bill is essentially a canvas on which
they’ve painted their core beliefs
— that government programs can
be a benefit, not a bane, to millions
of people and that spending huge
sums on such efforts can be a cure,
not a curse. The measure so close-
ly tracks Democrats’ priorities that
several rank it with the top achieve-
ments of their careers, and despite
their slender congressional majori-
ties there was never real suspense
over its fate.
They were also empowered by
The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com
A THOUSAND WORDS
Deanna Robinson/Dispatch/Staff
When can Americans expect their relief check?
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
As the latest federal pandemic relief package makes its way to Presi-
dent Joe Biden’s desk, Americans may be wondering when the benefits
will reach them.
The legislation provides a direct payment of $1,400 for a single tax-
payer, or $2,800 for a married couple that files jointly, plus $1,400 per
dependent. Individuals earning up to $75,000 would get the full amount,
as would married couples with incomes up to $150,000.
The size of the check would shrink for those making slightly more,
with a hard cut-off at $80,000 for individuals and $160,000 for married
couples.
Biden estimates that 85 percent of Americans will be eligible for the
payment. Some groups that were not eligible for prior payments — such
as dependent college students and disabled adults — are now eligible.
Biden said the goal is to send out the payments starting this month.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday that the ad-
ministration is doing everything in its power to expedite payments. As
such, the Treasury is working to get more payments to taxpayers by
direct deposit. The agency will be able to send direct deposit payments
to those who have their information on file from 2019 or 2020 tax filings
or who provided it through other programs.
three dynamics: their unfettered unemployment benefits and hun-
control of the White House and dreds of billions for COVID-19 vac-
Congress, polls showing robust cines and treatments, schools, state
support for Biden’s approach and a and local governments and ailing
moment when most voters care lit- industries from airlines to concert
tle that the national debt is soaring halls. There is aid for farmers of col-
toward a stratospheric $22 trillion. or and pension systems, and subsi-
Neither party seems much troubled dies for consumers buying health
by surging red ink, either, except insurance and states expanding
when the other is using it to finance Medicaid coverage for lower earn-
its priorities, be they Democratic ers.
spending or GOP tax cuts. Its very expansiveness is a chief
A dominant feature of the bill is GOP talking point.
initiatives making it one of the big- “It’s not focused on COVID re-
gest federal thrusts in years to as- lief. It’s focused on pushing more
sist lower- and middle-income fam- of the far-left agenda,” said No. 2
ilies. Included are expanded tax House GOP leader Steve Scalise of
credits over the next year for chil- Louisiana.
dren, child care and family leave The Associated Press-NORC
plus spending for renters, feeding Center for Public Affairs Research
programs and people’s utility bills. poll found last week that 70 per-
The measure provides up to cent of Americans back Biden’s
$1,400 direct payments to most response to the virus, including a
Americans, extended emergency hefty 44 percent of Republicans.
 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2021 3A

Mississippi House rejects plan to restructure history board

Proposal was broadly condemned by historians who said the change
could politicize the way Mississippi examines its own legacy
BY EMILY WAGSTER PET TUS
The Associated Press
JACKSON — The Mississip-
pi House on Tuesday rejected
a proposal to restructure the
board that governs the Missis-
sippi Department of Archives
and History.
The nine-member board was
established in 1902. Its mem-
bers have always nominated
their own successors and those
nominees have been confirmed
by the state Senate.
Senate Bill 2727 said the Ar-
chives and History board could
recommend nominees, but the
governor or lieutenant gover-
nor could ignore those recom-
mendations and nominate any
person they want. The nomi-
nees would still need Senate
confirmation.
The proposal was pushed
by Senate leaders, who argued
that Archives and History
board members would be more
accountable to the public if they
were nominated by elected offi-
cials. But the plan was broadly
condemned by historians who
said the change could politicize
the way Mississippi examines
its own legacy.
The House voted Tuesday to
kill the bill, with only 19 mem-
bers voting for it and 103 voting
against it. The bill was held for
the possibility of more debate
in coming days, but supporters
need to persuade 43 members
to change their votes to revive
it.
Democratic Rep. John Hines
of Greenville spoke against
the bill, saying the current Ar-
chives and History board “is
nationally recognized for the
great work it’s been doing in
changing the image of Missis-
sippi.”
Among other duties, the De-
partment of Archives and His-
tory operates the side-by-side
Mississippi Civil Rights Muse-
um and Museum of Mississippi
History that both opened in late
2017. The civil rights museum,
in particular, has been praised
for an unflinching presentation
of the state’s violent history.
The department in 2020 also
worked with a commission that
designed a new Mississippi flag
after legislators retired the last
state flag in the U.S. that in-
cluded the Confederate battle
emblem. The Archives and His-
tory board president, former
state Supreme Court Justice
Reuben Anderson, also served
as commission chairman.
Hines called the Archives
and History Board “a beacon of
light and hope.” Then, switch-
ing metaphors, he added: “If
you make the best biscuits in
town, why change the recipe?”
No House members argued
for the bill. House Accountabil-
ity, Efficiency and Transparen-
cy Committee Chairman Randy
Boyd, a Republican from Man-
tachie, tried to keep it alive by
saying a final version could be
negotiated to make changes in
the Senate proposal. But Boyd
did not offer specifics, and he
said he was unaware of any
problems with the way board
members have been selected.
Forty-six scholars who teach
history at Mississippi colleges
and universities signed a letter
last month praising the Depart-
ment of Archives and History
and saying the method of se-
lecting board members should
not change.
“Whether conducting re-
search in its vast archives, ex-
amining its artifacts spanning
13,000 years of Mississippi his-
tory, or participating in one of
the Department’s many public
events, we have directly expe-
rienced the incredible asset of
a competent and well-run state
history department,” wrote the
historians, including Mississip-
pi Humanities Council director
Stuart Rockoff.

Mississippi Senate confirms Child Protection Services leader

Andrea Sanders of McComb was nominated by Gov. Tate Reeves in October
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
JACKSON — The
Mississippi Senate has
confirmed an attorney as
commissioner of the state
Department of Child Pro-
tection Services.
Andrea Sanders of
McComb was nominated
by Republican Gov. Tate
Reeves in October. It is
not unusual for nominees
to work while awaiting
confirmation, and Sand-
ers has been on the job for
months.
Senators approved her
on Tuesday for a term that
began in November.
The Department of
Child Protection Services
oversees foster care.
“We must get this work
right. There is too much at
stake for us not to achieve
our mission,” Sanders said
in a news release. “We
are intentionally build-
ing a state of hope for the
children and families of
Mississippi. They deserve
nothing less than the abso-
lute best we can provide.”
She is the third com-
missioner of the agency
that was created in 2016.
It has about 1,500 employ-
ees.
Sanders was previous-
ly general counsel and
principal deputy executive
director of the Mississip-
pi Department of Human
Services. She has been an
attorney in private prac-
tice and has worked for
the judiciary.
In addition to a law de-
gree, Sanders earned a
master’s degree in social
work. A news release from
Child Protection Services
said Sanders also worked
as a clinical therapist with
families, children and ad-
olescents, and as an ad-
ministrator for public and
private hospitals.

Mississippi transportation director will retire March 31

Melinda McGrath has worked for the tering its final weeks, Mc-
Grath’s nomination had
at MDOT, but also nation-
ally,” commissioners said
department for 36 years and has been not yet advanced through
two Senate committees.
in the statement. “Melin-
da has served as a mentor
executive director the past 10 years Commissioners issued to many young engineers
a statement praising Mc- and other young profes-
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS News outlets report- Grath, saying she has sionals here at MDOT,
ed that she met with the worked to provide “a safe, as she has always en-
JACKSON — The lead- elected transportation efficient and effective couraged and demanded
er of the Mississippi De- commissioners on Tues- transportation system.” teamwork and profession-
partment of Transporta- day and told them she McGrath is the first wom- alism.”
tion is retiring March 31. would step down at the an to have been chief en- Jeff Altman will be-
Melinda McGrath is an end of the month. gineer and executive di- come interim executive
engineer who has worked The commissioners rector of the department. director on April 1. He
for the department for 36 had nominated her to re- “She set a high stan- has worked at the depart-
years. She has been exec- main as executive director dard for excellence in en- ment since 1998 and has
utive director the past 10 until April 2025. But with gineering, integrity and been assistant executive
years. the legislative session en- transparency — not only director since 2019.

Airbus
Continued from Page 1A
Since moving to the
U.S., for good in 2008, Di-
enemann has spent much
of the past two years shut-
tling between Dallas and
Columbus.
“Now I get the opportu-
nity to spend my time in
Columbus and I’m excited
about that,” he said. “It’s
exciting what’s happening
here and to be a part of it.”
Dienemann’s history
goes back to a pivotal mo-
ment in the company’s his-
tory. In 2006, the compa-
ny landed a contract with
the U.S. Army to build
LUH Lakota helicopters,
which quickly became the
Columbus facility’s bread
and butter.
“When I first started
(at Airbus) they sent me
to Huntsville, Alabama,
just as the Lakota pro-
gram was ramping up,”
Dienemann said. “So my
connection to that aircraft
goes back almost to the
start.”
Spears said Airbus
Columbus has produced
about half of the Army’s
current 463 Lakota fleet.
While Dienemann’s
connection to the compa-
ny’s Lakota production is
traced almost to the be-
ginning, Spears arrived in
Columbus at a time when
Army demand for the air-
craft was waning.
“When I first got here
eight years ago, the Army
was talking about wind-
ing the Lakota down, so
we realized we had to do
something to stabilize
what we were doing,”
Spears said. “That’s when
we brought the full as-
sembly line for the H-125
from France. We got that
up and running and then a
few years later we moved
our completion center
here, which is where we
customize aircraft for
the customers’ needs. On
top of that, while we had
always done some main-
tenance work on the La-
kotas for the Army, we’ve
doubled, maybe tripled
our maintenance work. So
now we have two assem-
bly lines, the completion
center and maintenance
going on.”
Dienemann said Air-
bus Columbus works
on “six or seven” of the
company’s 15 unique air-
crafts, something he said
is a tribute to the 270 em-
ployees at the Columbus “I got my first mule
facility. less than a year ago,” Di-
“We have an almost enemann said. “His name
endless spectrum of is Boss Hog and he’s real-
work,” he said. “We build ly one stout animal. A few
some helicopters from months ago, I got my sec-
scratch, some from parts
ond mule, which is being
and pieces, some fully
broken now. So, hopeful-
assembled that we do
completion work on and ly, in a few months I will
maintenance, so it’s a very be able to ride her.”
diverse type of work. We
have people in our shops
that make wire harness-
es, assemble engines, as-
semble gear boxes, paint
on all those different air-
craft. We have 60 to 70 air-
craft come through here
every year. So we have to
make sure we cross-train
our people for our produc-
tion lines and completion
center. That’s a tribute to
the skill and talent of our
workforce.”
While the backgrounds
of the outgoing manager
and his successor are dif-
ferent, they do share one
common bond, and an un-
usual one at that.
Spears said he plans to
fish and ride his horses in
his retirement.
“And Johannes is a
mule guy,” he noted. “You
have to like that.”

AROUND THE STATE
Mississippi inmate
pronounced dead at
hospital, autopsy set
JACKSON — A Mis-
sissippi man convicted of
child exploitation has died
after being taken from a
prison to a Jackson hos-
pital.
The state Department
of Corrections said Tues-
day that Vernon Williams,
63, was pronounced dead
Saturday at Merit Health
Central. He was taken
there from Central Mis-
sissippi Correctional Fa-
cility. An autopsy will be
done.
Williams pleaded
guilty Aug. 31 to child ex-
SOLUNAR TABLE
The solunar period indicates
peak-feeding times for fish and game.
Wed. Thur.
Major 10:54p ­—
Minor
Major
6:30a
11:21a
7:10a
12:10p
Minor 5:13p 6:15p
ploitation in Rankin Coun- Courtesy of Mississippi Department
of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks
ty. He was given a 30-year
The Dispatch
sentence. The judge sus-
pended 20 years, which
means Williams would
have faced 10 years in The Commercial Dispatch (USPS 142-320)
Published daily except Saturday. Answers to common questions:
prison. Entered at the post office at Columbus, Mississippi.
At least 19 Mississip- Periodicals postage paid at Columbus, MS Phone: 662-328-2424
POSTMASTER, Send address changes to:
pi inmates have died this The Commercial Dispatch, P.O. Box 511, Columbus, MS 39703 Website: cdispatch.com/help
year, according to the De- Published by Commercial Dispatch Publishing Company Inc., Report a news tip: news@cdispatch.com
516 Main St., Columbus, MS 39703
partment of Corrections.
Opinion
4A WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2021
PETER BIRNEY IMES Editor/Publisher
BIRNEY IMES III Editor/Publisher 1998-2018
BIRNEY IMES JR. Editor/Publisher 1947-2003

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

ZACK PLAIR, Managing Editor

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

STATE OF AMERICA
When facts cease to matter, consequences do, too
M
y broth-
er-in-law
died of
hogwash.
Another broth-
er-in-law, a sister-
in-law, two daugh-
ters-in-law, two
cousins and several
grandchildren are
all recovering from
hogwash. My wife
spent a week in Leonard Pitts
the hospital with
hogwash. I tested
positive for hogwash, but had
few symptoms.
“Hogwash,” you may recall,
was the word a grocery-store
owner in Naples, Florida, used
last month in dismissing the
seriousness of the COVID-19
pandemic. This, after a viral
video showing his patrons
and employees going about
their business without facial
coverings, as if they had
time-traveled here from 2019.
“I know that the politics, to name a few.
masks don’t work,” Its effects have also been
Alfie Oakes told felt in an arena you may not
NBC News with the have considered, though here
serene confidence it has not so much changed
of the profoundly something as revealed it.
ignorant. Meaning: it has shown us the
As we observe high cost of living in a facts-op-
our first — and, tional — indeed, an anti-fact
Lord willing, our — society.
last — anniversary Actually, two events have
of life in a pandem- done that. One was the Jan. 6
ic, many of us are storming of the U.S. Capitol
taking stock of the by a zealot army drunk on
various ways we conspiracy theories as laugh-
have been impacted. The most able as they were deadly. The
obvious, of course, is the hu- other is this pandemic, which,
man toll: One American in ev- though it has killed 525,000
ery 11 has tested positive, one Americans, is still regarded
in every 628 has died. But even by some as “hogwash.” That
those who’ve escaped that apparently includes the gover-
fate haven’t escaped the virus’ nors of Texas and Mississippi,
touch. It has transformed vir- who just lifted mask mandates.
tually every field of endeavor: Because of them, people
sports, education, entertain- will die. But when facts cease
ment, the environment, the to matter, consequences do,
economy, eldercare, worship, too. Troublingly, the power of
justice, journalism, protest and anti-fact will soon increase ex-
ponentially, as more so-called
“deepfakes” come online:
seamless, utterly convincing
videos that show people doing
things they never did and say-
ing things they never said.
Think about it: If some of
us are willing to throw out
our masks in defiance of stern
warnings from respected epi-
demiologist Dr. Anthony Fauci,
what happens when a false
video seems to show Fauci
himself ripping off his mask
and declaring it time to party?
Now extrapolate that beyond
the current crisis. The picture
that emerges is terrifying.
When everybody has their
own truth, and no two truths
look alike, we will become —
as we are becoming — a soci-
ety unable to effectively mobi-
lize itself, even to save its own
life. If we are to avoid that fate,
journalists must disenthrall
themselves from false equiva-
lence and stop signal boosting
entertaining liars, voters must
extract a penalty at the ballot
box from politicians who em-
brace the anti-fact ethos, social
media must be more aggres-
sive in denying platforms to
anti-fact super spreaders and
educators must make a priority
of teaching critical thinking,
civics and media literacy.
Or else, be ready for more
of this: Over half a million
Americans dead. “Hogwash,”
the man says.
The pandemic has changed
many things. But it has also
given us a harsh gift, showing
us what it means to live in an
anti-fact nation. Let’s hope we
absorb the lesson. Because in
the absence of common truths,
our future is chaos.
Believe it or not.
Leonard Pitts Jr., winner
of the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for
commentary, is a columnist for
the Miami Herald. Email him
at lpitts@miamiherald.com.

OTHER EDITORS CARTOONIST VIEW

Slow down the tax proposal
Hold on a second. The Mississippi House on Feb. 23 passed
a major tax overhaul in a 317-page bill with only one day of
deliberation, proposing to eliminate the individual income tax
over a decade, increase sales taxes and reduce the grocery
sales tax.
Then this week House Speaker Philip Gunn releases a
detailed 25-page analysis from two University of Mississippi
economists. The document is dated March 5, about a week
and a half after the House passed the bill.
That’s pretty quick work by the economists, although it is
certainly possible they received likely parameters of the bill
well before it became public.
Whatever’s going on here, it’s clear that Gunn is trying to
move the bill along as quickly as possible — to the point that
it’s fair to question what’s the rush.
Taxes are an important issue and should be treated as such.
There should be plenty of time for debate, yet House Republi-
cans chose the Affordable Care Act strategy of rapid approval,
for which congressional Democrats received well-deserved
scorn in 2009.
Mississippi’s two largest tax revenue producers, by far, are
the income tax and the sales tax. Right now, the money each
one generates is roughly equal. Each has its advantages. The
sales tax is stable; the income tax has higher growth potential.
With the sales tax, most everyone contributes to the cost of
government. With the income tax, those who can best afford
the burden shoulder it the most.
Which leads to the question, Does it help the state if we
phase out the income tax over a decade and increase the sales
tax? The two Ole Miss economists believe that it would.
Their report predicts that once all the proposed tax chang-
es take effect, it would increase the state’s gross domestic MISSISSIPPI VOICES
product by $371 million per year. That’s a nice number, but as
a part of the state’s 2019 GDP, it comes out to a gain of about
3/10ths of 1%.
Nobody should ignore that potential boost to the state’s
Voting bill represents federal overreach
T
economy. But it is also worth noting that in 2009, in the depths he recent Missis- political parties. In his parting address, George
of the Great Recession, Mississippi’s GDP was $93.5 billion. In sippi freeze was Washington warned that political parties could
the decade since, GDP has risen steadily to $115.9 billion. indeed historical, undermine the new government.
So under the current tax system, GDP is rising by $2 billion but let’s not forget some- Think about what a political party really is.
to $3 billion per year — 2% to 3% growth. That’s much more thing even stranger: Hell “Hey, let’s create a private organization and
than the $371 million prediction from the economists, though freezing over. take over the government.”
they say their estimate could be conservative. I’m pretty sure it As it turned out, our two-party system has
Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, who is in charge of the Senate, did after Mississippi evolved into a fundamental aspect of our sys-
may have similar reservations. He has not spoken favorably of Congressman Bennie tem. Over time, the two political parties have
the House plan to raise the sales tax, and he said no senator Thompson voted against acquired quasi-governmental status through
has urged him to push for the legislation. Gov. Tate Reeves, House Resolution 1 statutes and court rulings.
who wants to eliminate the income tax without raising other (HR1). He was the only Political scientists will argue our two-party
taxes, also presumably would be opposed to what the House Democrat in his cham- Wyatt Emmerich system has provided unusual stability over the
wants to do. ber to do so. centuries, allowing for both choice and conti-
So let’s have the debate. If it lasts into next year, so be Thompson joined nuity, something a fractious parliamentarian
it. This is important. All sides deserve to be heard, and the with all Republicans late last Wednesday to vote multi-party system doesn’t enjoy. Think Italy,
numbers need to be carefully studied. Among the obvious against the House Democrats’ top legislative where a typical government only lasts a few
questions: How would a higher sales tax, coupled with a lower priority, known as the For the People Act of months.
grocery tax, affect people at the lower end of the economic lad- 2021. As for HR1, I think this is a bad law for multi-
der? Is it really better to fund government based on consump- Thompson’s vote was surprising since he was ple reasons.
tion rather than on income? And is the sweeping change worth a co-sponsor of the legislation along with the First, I am against increasing federal powers
3/10ths of 1% growth? rest of the Democratic caucus. But Thompson at the expense of the state government. The
Greenwood Commonwealth (March 10) said Thursday his constituents weren’t support- best government is the government closest to
ive of the election overhaul, so he stood with the people. The United States is a huge diverse
them rather than his party. land. Trying to make the entire nation fit in one
HR1 gives sweeping new power to control box is doomed for trouble.
VOICE OF THE PEOPLE our elections at the federal level, pushing state Our founding fathers, my political heroes,
laws and procedures to the background. The knew this well. They created a nation of limited
Sees discrepancy in public support for bill versus bill legalizes ballot harvesting, mandates mail federal powers and strong states’ rights. Their
lawmaker support in voting and online registration, subsidizes greatest fear was an all-powerful federal gov-
A poll from Politico/Morning Consult today shows that four campaigns with 6 to 1 matching tax dollars, re- ernment that would eventually infringe on the
out of five Americans are in favor of the latest COVID relief stricts voter roll purging, gives felons the right individual rights of its citizens.
bill, including 59 percent of Republicans. The bill is expected to vote, creates independent voter redistricting I am also opposed to HR1 because I think it’s
to pass in the House today, likely without a single Republican panels and limits voter ID requirements. bad law. The integrity of our elections is funda-
voting in favor, as it did in the Senate last week. In fact, of Thompson issued a statement explaining his mental to our republican democracy. Just look
those polled, 24 percent thought it too small. And fewer — 21 opposition to HR1: “My constituents opposed how the election changes caused by COVID
percent thought it too small. This bill is an exception, though, the redistricting portion of the bill as well as the disrupted public confidence in the legitimacy of
requiring support by a simple majority in the Senate. Subse- section on public finances. I always listen and our electoral process. We must be very careful
quent bills will require 60 yes votes, aka a supermajority. vote in the interest of my constituents.” and deliberate. Let’s not throw the baby out
It is fascinating — but troubling - that not a single Repub- Putting the pros and cons of HR1 aside, it’s with the bathwater.
lican legislator is in favor of such a popular bill — even within refreshing to see a Congressman representing Wyatt Emmerich is the editor and publisher
their own party. Instead, they seem intent on drawing our his constituency rather than kowtowing to the of The Northside Sun, a weekly newspaper in
attention to The Cat in the Hat and Mr. Potato Head. party line. Nowhere in our Constitution did Jackson. He can be reached by e-mail at wyatt@
There is factual evidence that voters reward those legis- our founding fathers create or even mention northsidesun.com.
lators willing to compromise to get legislation passed and it’s
likely they would put getting us past this pandemic and fully
restoring the economy well ahead of issues concerning Dr.
Seuss and the Potato Head Family. Make Your Voice Heard
Time to prioritize; time to look forward, Congress. Write The Dispatch: voice@cdispatch.com
Paul Mack
Columbus

COMMERCIAL DISPATCH
OBITUARY POLICY
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tion including visitation and
service times, are provided
free of charge. Extended obit-
uaries with a photograph, de-
tailed biographical information
and other details families may
wish to include, are available
for a fee. Obituaries must be
submitted through funeral
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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
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and Monday publication. For
more information, call 662-
328-2471.
Olivia Johnson
COLUMBUS — Oliv-
ia Summerville John-
son, 68, died March 5,
2021, at Baptist Memo-
rial Hospital-Golden
Triangle.
COVID bill to deliver big health
insurance savings for many
BY RICARDO ALONSO-
ZALDIVAR
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON —
Several million people
stand to save hundreds
of dollars in health in-
surance costs, or more,
under the Democratic
coronavirus relief legisla-
tion on track to pass Con-
gress.
Winners include those
covered by “Obamacare”
or just now signing up,
self-employed people who
buy their own insurance
and don’t currently get
federal help, laid-off work-
ers struggling to retain
employer coverage, and
most anyone collecting
unemployment. Also, po-
tentially many more could
benefit if about a dozen
states accept a Medicaid
deal in the legislation.
Taken together, the
components of the coro-
navirus bill represent
the biggest expansion of
federal help for health in-
surance since the Obama-
era Affordable Care Act
more than 10 years ago.
Obamacare not only sur-
vived President Donald
Trump’s repeated at-
tempts to tear it down but
will now get a shot of new
life.
Consider a couple of
examples: A hypotheti-
cal 45-year-old making
$58,000 now gets no aid
under the ACA. With the
bill, they’d be entitled to
a $1,250 tax credit, or 20
percent off their premi-
ums, according to the
Congressional Budget Of-
fice. A 64-year-old mak-
ing $19,300 already gets
generous subsidies that
reduce premiums to $800
a year. But with the bill,
that person would pay no
premiums for a standard
plan.
Because health insur-
ance is so complicated,
consumers are going to
have to do their home-
work to figure out if
there’s something in the
bill for them. And health
care benefits are not like
stimulus checks that can
be blasted out. There will
be a lag as government
agencies, insurers and
employers unpack the
bill’s provisions.
There’s also a political
twist. Since most of the
health care aid is keyed
to the pandemic and ex-
pires by the end of 2022,
that will let Democrats
set up election-year votes
to make new benefits per-
Grave-
side
services
will be at
11 a.m.
Thursday,
at Union
Ceme- Johnson
tery, with
Mario Nash officiating.
Visitation is from 2-6
p.m. today, at Carter’s
Funeral Services.
Carter’s Funeral
Services of Columbus
is in charge of arrange-
ments.
Mrs. Johnson was
born April 18, 1952, in
Columbus to Johnnie
Summerville and the
late Vantee Summer-
ville. She was formerly
employed as owner of a
ceramic shop, Unique
Cakes and a personal
cleaning service. She
was a member of Free-
dom Worship Center.
In addition to her
mother, she is survived
by her children, Tracie
Kilby of Clarksville,
Tennessee and Rob-
ert S. Johnson IV of
Columbus; siblings,
Vantee Summerville Jr,
Carl Summerville and
Lendward Summer-
ville all of Columbus;
and four grandchil-
dren.
manent, or build them out
even more.
“There was always a
hope that we were going
to be able to return and
build on where we started
in 2009-2010, and we fi-
nally got to a place where
it was possible,” said Judy
Solomon of the Center on
Budget and Policy Pri-
orities. Her organization
The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com
AREA OBITUARIES
Josephine Robinson
NOXUBEE COUN-
TY — Josephine Rob-
inson, 59, died March,
8, 2021, at Louisville
Nursing Home.
Arrangements are
incomplete and will be
announced by Carter’s
Funeral Services of
Macon.
Carol Gonzales
COLUMBUS — Car-
ol Jean Gonzales, 83,
died March 3, 2021, at
Windsor Place.
Lowndes Funeral
Home of Columbus is
in charge of arrange-
ments.
Mrs. Gonzales was
born Aug. 2, 1935, in
Indianapolis, Indiana,
to the late Laura M.
Downs Elliot and Wil-
liam Elliot.
In addition to her
parents, she was pre-
ceded in death by her
husbands, Otis Willard
Head and Carlos Gonza-
les; and son, Mark Allen
Head.
She is survived by
her children, Willard
Head of Columbus,
Randy Head of Germa-
ny and Gregory Head of
Laguna Woods, Califor-
nia; siblings, Patricia of
advocates on behalf of
low-income people and
was an early supporter of
the health care law.
“We had this massive
fight that went on for 10
years,” said blogger Rob-
ert Laszewski, who fol-
lowed Obamacare for an
industry audience. “Over
the weekend, it’s like it’s
been erased.”
Columbus, Indiana and
Richard of Seymour,
Indiana; and three
grandchildren.
Memorials may be
made to the nursing
staff at The Windsor
Place, 81 Windsor Blvd.,
Columbus, MS, 39702.
Willie Harris
MACON — Willie C.
Harris, 79, died March
3, 2021.
Grave-
side
services
will be at
11 a.m.
Thursday,
at Mt.
Harris
Olive M.B.
Church
Cemetery, with Mi-
chael Jones officiating.
Lee-Sykes Funeral
Home of Macon is in
charge of arrange-
ments.
Mr. Harris was born
Helen Willis
Graveside Services:
Saturday, March 13 • 1 PM
Blaylock Cemetery
College St. Location
Henry Weiss
Graveside Services:
Thursday, March 11 • 11 AM
Friendship Cemetery
2nd Ave. N. Location
Kathy Smith
A private memorial service
will be held at a later date.
2nd Ave. N. Location
memorialgunterpeel.com
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2021 5A
Nov. 8, 1941, in Macon, Johnson and Georgia
to the late Cash and Hopkins.
Essie Harris. He was He is survived by
formerly employed as his children, Robert
a construction worker Holmes of Illinois, Nata-
and farmer. He was a sha Harris and McKenji
member of Mount Olive Slaughter; siblings,
M.B. Church. Mary Stewart, Barbara
In addition to his par- “VJ” Harris of Georgia,
ents, he was preceded Valorie A. Harris of Illi-
in death by his siblings, nois, Valorie D. Harris
Jonathan Harris, JP of Wisconsin and James
Harris, Tommy Dunn Harris of Illinois; 12
Sr., Pearl Harris, Mary grandchildren; and nine
McGee, Annie Ruth great-grandchildren.
Kathy Smith
Kathy Smith, age 61, passed
away Sunday March 7, 2021, at
her residence in Hamilton, MS.
Memorial Gunter Peel
Funeral Home & Crematory,
2nd Ave N Location has been
entrusted with arrangements. A
private family memorial service
will be held at a later date.
She was born on December
6, 1959, in Florida, to the late Billy Wayne and
Katherine Bailey Shepherd. She was retired
from Sanderson Plumbing.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded
in death by her brother, Billy Wayne Shepherd.
She is survived by her husband, Tim Smith,
Hamilton, MS; daughters, Karen Wright of
Stratford, CN, Toni Smith of Nettleton, MS and
Synthia Smith of Orange, TX; six grandchildren,
Taylor, Tyler, Bailey, Mikensie, Michael and
Mitchell; and one great-grandchild, Avery.
Memorials may be made to Columbus-
Lowndes Humane Society, P.O. Box 85,
Columbus, MS 39703 or American Society for
the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA),
424 E. 92nd St, New York, NY 10128-6804.
Sign the online guest book at
www.memorialgunterpeel.com
716 Second Avenue North • Columbus, MS
Henry Weiss
Henry Stephen Weiss was born in Clarksdale,
Mississippi on November 8, 1930, to the late Joe
and Cissy Weiss. He graduated from Clarksdale
High School. He was an MP in the United States
Army (1953-1955) where he was stationed in
Brooklyn, New York. He married Jody McKnight
on June 30, 1954. Henry owned and managed
Columbus Scrap Material Company from 1956
until 1996. Henry was very involved in Columbus
and the state of Mississippi. He was on the Board
of Directors and Executive Board of Columbus
& Greenville Railway Company. He was the first
Board President of the Lowndes County Port
Authority and played an influential role in the
establishment of the port in Columbus.
Henry served on the Mississippi Department
of Environmental Quality for 14 years; three years
as Vice Chairman and three years as Chairman.
Henry served on the Board of Directors and
Executive Board of National Bank of Commerce
of Mississippi.
He was a partner with the Billy Coleman family
in Dixie Auto Parts and a partner with KB and
Rusty House in Industrial Fabricators. He also
partnered with Bud Phillips in P & W Enterprise.
Henry was a member of St. Paul’s Episcopal
Church, where he served on the vestry. Henry
was an avid fisherman and bird hunter. He was
an original member of the Men’s Breakfast Club
for many years.
The friendship and love shared between Jimmy
Graham and Henry was one of the greatest joys
of his life. They were together six days a week for
twenty plus years.
Henry is survived by three daughters, Wendy
Weiss, Risa Mansfield (Ken) and Welissa
Rader (Gregg), as well as Nelda Umfress who
he loved like a daughter. He also leaves behind
four adored grandchildren, Jody Pace (Dustin),
Blakeney Black (Jake), Bryce Rader (Kelsea)
and Bailey Quirk (Neal). He leaves behind nine
great-grandchildren. Henry was loved and cared
for by four caregivers, Pat Congress, Sylvester
Lathum, Asheley Topps and Brenetta Sherrod.
Memorial Gunter Peel Funeral Home will
be handling the arrangements. There will be
a graveside service at Friendship Cemetery
on Thursday, March 11, 2021, at 11:00 AM
conducted by Rev. Sandra DePriest.
Pallbearers will be Jimmy Graham, Al Puckett,
Bud Phillips, Bobby Harper, Rex Swedenburg,
Tommy Johnson, Mickey Brislin, Don Calloway,
Gregg Rader, Ken Mansfield, Rusty House and
Greg Puckett.
Honorary Pallbearers will be Charles Berry,
Charles Russell Berry, Reau Berry, Duke Berry,
Billy Lancaster, Robert White, Chance Laws,
Dr. Jack Reed, Dr. Brett Brown, John Barron,
Jake Black, Bryce Rader, Neal Quirk and the
employees of Columbus Recycling.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the
Good Samaritan Clinic, P.O. Box 661, Columbus,
MS, 39703 or Columbus Lowndes Humane
Society, P.O. Box 85, Columbus, MS, 39703.
Sign the online guest book at
www.memorialgunterpeel.com
716 Second Avenue North • Columbus, MS
6A WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2021 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com

Forum
Continued from Page 1A
operate heavy machinery,
since he said many area
industries are looking
for employees with those
skills.
“I would love to see one
of our vacant areas to be
used for a training center
for these guys, young la-
dies, to (teach them) how
to use that equipment,”
Coburn said.
“Give me four years,
and I believe you guys will
love it,” he added.
Coburn’s independent
opponent Keith Gaskin
emphasized his back-
ground in education — he
currently works as execu-
tive director for Mississip-
pi School for Mathematics
and Science Foundation
— and said it has given
him the ability to work
with people and bring
the public and private
sectors together to solve
problems. He wants to use
those skills to recruit jobs
back to the community,
he said.
He said he’s worked
with MSMS alumni who
have told him they want to
come back to Columbus
“if the opportunities were
right.”
“I think at this time I
have the experience and
the connections in the
community and through-
out the state that can help
us find the solutions to the
many problems we’re fac-
ing,” he said. “And one is
bringing jobs back to Co-
lumbus.”
He said that, as an inde-
pendent candidate, he will
be able to set politics aside
and bring people of differ-
ing opinions together.
“I think that’s what
we have to begin to do, is
to work together, and so
that’s one of the kinds of
things I’ve tried to do in
my job, in my experience,”
he said. “I’ve brought peo-
ple together of diverse
opinions and minds, sat
down together and found
good solutions to situa-
tions that work well for
other people.”
Coburn and Gaskin will
run against incumbent
Mayor Robert Smith in the
general election on June
8. Primary elections for
wards with multiple candi-
dates in one party will be
held April 6.
Discussions on unity,
crime prevention
Independent candidate
Kallie Phillips, who is run-
ning for the Ward 1 council
seat, said her experience
as a certi-
fied public
accountant,
including
handling
multi-mil-
lion dollar
projects
while work- Phillips
ing for PACCAR when it
first came to Columbus in
2010, would be an asset at
a time when the city is reel-
ing over budgetary issues.
Those include the recent
conviction of former Chief
Financial Officer Milton
Rawle, who last month
pleaded guilty to embez-
zling nearly $290,000 of
the city’s money.
Phillips said since cam-
paigning, she has learned
more about the constitu-
ents she is running to rep-
resent, from children who
are “scared to get off the
school bus” because they
are going home to empty
residences while their par-
ents work, to elderly resi-
dents who want to move
but can’t sell their homes
because their property
values have decreased.
“I went from wanting
to work on the numbers
of Columbus to wanting to
work on the people,” she
said.
Phillips will run against
the winner of the Ward 1
Democratic primary be-
tween incumbent Coun-
cilwoman Ethel Stewart
and challenger Tommy
Jackson.
Ward 4 Councilman
Pierre Beard, who is fight-
ing to keep
his seat
against
Democrat-
ic challeng-
ers Marty
Turner and
Pat Doug-
las, spoke Beard
about his
ability to bring people to-
gether and suggested it
could help with his goals
of re-implementing neigh-
borhood watch programs,
expanding the city’s so-
cial media presence and
getting programs for chil-
dren and teenagers up
and running.
“A lack of unity is a de-
cline in community,” he
said.
The only race which
will be decided in the
April primary is the race
for Ward 6 council seat.
Incumbent Councilman
Bill Gavin and challenger
Jacqueline DiCicco are
both running as Republi-
cans.
Gavin, in his speech
to the or-
ganization,
highlighted
his expe-
rience on
the coun-
cil, during
which time
the city
Gavin
has paved
“17 miles of city streets”
and brought retail to the
Highway 45 corridor and
surrounding areas, such
as Longhorn Steakhouse,
Cracker Barrel and Plan-
et Fitness. He noted over-
seeing the ward as Leigh
Mall declines, which he
pointed out follows a na-
tionwide trend of declin-
ing malls and traditional
retail. He also said Ward
6 is the “safest part of the
city” in terms of crime,
and emphasized his ac-
cessibility as a council-
man to his constituents.
“To me our major
problem is crime,” he
said. “And that’s not new
to this city or any other
city. I have specific ideas
about how to solve some
of this crime. I’ve talked
to the police chief about
this. I’m serving on the
new crime task force. …
We’ve got to get a hold on
this.”
His opponent, local
business
owner Jac-
queline
DiCicco,
also spoke
on the im-
portance
of safe and
clean com- DiCicco
munities,
which she said will attract
businesses to the city.
However, she also lobbed
criticism at current city
officials over handling of
financial matters and said
what the city needs most
is “fiscally responsible
elected officials.”
“I want you to think
about it this way,” she
said. “If you were going
away on an extended trip
… and you needed some-
one to take care of your
financial affairs while you
were away, which one of
our currently elected of-
ficials would you choose
to leave your checkbook
with while you’re away?”

SOCSD
Continued from Page 1A
The board also passed
a $7 million bond package
for capital improvements
throughout the district at
the meeting.
The 10-year special ob-
ligation bond is $7,160,000
total, with an interest rate
of 1.2 percent, said E.J.
Gregory, a representative
with Memphis-based fi-
nancial firm Duncan-Wil-
liams Inc., which the
board hired to handle its
bond issues.
Peasant said the bond
will help pay for about
$8.1 million worth of capi-
tal improvement priorities
throughout the district,
including renovations and
repairs to HVAC systems,
restrooms, roofs and oth-
er infrastructure for all
the district’s buildings
except for Partnership,
which only opened this
year.
He told the board the
district could begin those
projects over the next few
months.
The bond will not re-
quire a tax increase.
Modified calendar
and remediation
During Tuesday’s
meeting, the board also
voted unanimously to ap-
prove a traditional calen-
dar for the 2021-22, end-
ing a weeks-long debate
among district adminis-
trators, faculty, parents
and stakeholders about
whether to switch next
school year to a modified
schedule that would keep
students out of school
for only six weeks in the
summer and spread more
breaks throughout the
year.
However, each board
member also expressed
to the board by October
or November. He said he
has also asked for teach-
er volunteers to serve on
a committee to help plan
that calendar.
Peasant said most dis-
tricts that implement a
modified calendar take
two years to do so, and
he felt the district should
take that time to imple-
ment it, even though most
people have been support-
ive of the change.
“With rushing it, I felt
like we would put our-
selves in
the position,
with the
pushback —
although …
the number
of people
that were
p u s h i n g Peasant
back were
in the minority, I under-
stand that — but any is-
sue we had because of
lack of preparation could
cause us, I felt like, a tre-
mendous challenge that
would be bigger moving
forward,” he said. “I felt
like next year, we’ll plan.”
Peasant and others
who favor the modified,
year-round calendar,
say the shorter summer
break will help with learn-
ing retention, while more
frequent breaks through-
out the school year will
allow for remediation for
students who need extra
help and “enrichment op-
portunities” for students
who want to participate in
more academic or extra-
curricular activities. With
the disruptions to the tra-
ditional school schedules
the COVID-19 pandemic
has caused since March
2020, Peasant and board
members all said it was
they understood why a partnership with OCH
Peasant chose to wait. Regional Medical Center,
“I hate that we’re not which is offering Johnson
doing it this fall,” board and Johnson COVID-19
member Wes Gordon said. vaccines to teachers on
“However, I understand. March 19. About 91 teach-
We’re still in this pandem- ers had already signed up
ic, and we don’t know ex- as of Tuesday evening,
actly what school’s going leaving spots for about 59
to look like (next school more. Peasant said some
year). We know what we teachers have already
hope, but I would hate to been vaccinated, but the
change to a modified cal- partnership with OCH
endar and then have to will guarantee more of
modify that. I think that them a spot.
would send our teachers The board also elect-
over the top. I don’t like ed new officers. Sumner
the fact that we’re wait- Davis is board president,
ing a year, but I feel like with Wes Gordon as vice
our hands are tied and we president. Taylor retained
have to. … However, for her position as board sec-
the fall of ‘22, I’m pretty retary, and John Brown is
excited.” assistant secretary. Each
Board member Jamila vote was unanimous.
Taylor specifically asked
Peasant what he plans to
do for students who have
fallen behind this year,
since the district will keep
its traditional schedule
going into next school
year. Peasant said admin-
istrators and teachers are
in the midst of planning
— and searching for fund-
ing for — remediation
programs to help students
over the summer.
“We’ve already allocat-
ed some funds that we’re
putting toward summer
programs for our stu-
dents and remediation
funds …,” Peasant said.
“Going into next school
year, we’re wanting to put
in place more robust af-
terschool programs and
some other things that
we’re still talking through
on our ideas as we shift
from planning for a mod-
ified calendar for next
year.”
Other business
The board unanimous-

enthusiasm for Peasant’s
plan to move forward with
a modified calendar for
the 2022-23 school year,
which he plans to present
even more important that
students have the oppor-
tunity to take advantage of
those types of programs.
Board members said
Reliable
ly approved the purchase
of five new buses for
$90,211.69 each.
Peasant also said
SOCSD has entered into

Smith
Continued from Page 1A
“His speech is not
slurred, he’s very coher-
ent, makes a lot of sense
a press release on Feb.
22, rumors have spread
throughout the commu-
information
when we
that he needs to come
forward and release a
statement to the public

when you talk to him,”
he later added. “I think
he’s kind of like normal.
I do not think he’s had a
stroke. I don’t think he’s
had a heart attack. I don’t
know that because I’m not
a physician, but he seems
to be doing OK.”
Gavin did specify
Smith will not return to
work this week and said
he hopes Smith will re-
turn on Monday.
Since Smith’s hos-
pitalization, which he
announced on the city’s
Facebook page and in
nity that he may drop out
of the mayor’s race. Nei-
ther Smith nor city Public
Information Officer Joe
Dillon responded on the
record to a request for
comment on that issue by
press time.
Gavin said he has
talked to Smith multiple
times and encouraged
him to release further
information about his
health.
“His personal health is
his own business,” Gavin
said. “I have related to
him this past weekend
need it most. 
to let you know how he’s
doing.”
Gavin said he does not
want to speak for Smith
with regards to Smith’s
continuing to run in the
election, but said “I don’t
anticipate” him dropping Protect freedom of the press.
out.
In the event Smith did freespeech.center
drop out, Gavin said the
Democratic party would
be allowed to choose an-
other candidate to run on
its ticket.
“I’ll leave that up to
your speculation who that
might be,” Gavin said.
 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2021 7A

GOP struggles to define Biden,

turns to culture wars instead
‘They never talk about Biden. It’s amazing. I think Trump’s rallies featured buttons
and shirts mocking Clinton and
Fox covered Dr. Seuss more than Biden’s stimulus Obama, but few bashing Biden.
Clinton, who remains reviled on the
bill in the week leading up to the vote.’ right, was featured far more promi-
Alex Conant, a longtime GOP operative, on conservative news media nently on stage at last month’s an-
nual Conservative Political Action
BY JONATHAN LEMIRE elitist and out of touch with average Conference in Florida than the cur-
AND JILL COLVIN Americans. rent occupant of the Oval Office.
The Associated Press “There’s just not the antipathy The GOP is focusing more on
to Biden like there was Obama. He America’s culture wars than on
WASHINGTON — President just doesn’t drive conservative out- Biden, including a relatively new
Joe Biden and the Democrats were rage,” said Alex Conant, a longtime villain decried as “cancel culture.”
on the brink of pushing through GOP operative, who worked for the House Minority Leader Kevin
sprawling legislation with an eye- Republican National Committee in McCarthy tweeted a video of him-
popping, $1.9 trillion price tag. 2009 as they labored to undermine self reading from Dr. Seuss in the
But many Republican politicians then-President Barack Obama. days after the author’s publishing
and conservative commentators “They never talk about Biden. house announced it was discontin-
had other priorities in recent days. It’s amazing,” Conant said of the uing several books that contained
A passionate defense of Dr. Seuss. conservative news media. “I think racist imagery. And former Trump
Serious questions about the future Fox covered Dr. Seuss more than aide Stephen Miller joined others
of Mr. Potato Head. Intense scruti- Biden’s stimulus bill in the week on the right in launching a Twitter
ny of Meghan Markle. leading up to the vote.” defense of Buckingham Palace af-
The conservatives’ relentless The challenge is a continua- ter Markle, in a blockbuster inter-
focus on culture wars rather than tion of the 2020 campaign, when view with Oprah Winfrey, alleged
the new president highlights both then-President Trump struggled to racist treatment by an unnamed
their strategy for regaining power land a consistent attack on Biden. member of the monarchy.
in Washington and their challenge The branding of Biden as “sleepy” “It’s gonna take Republicans a
in doing so. Unlike previous Demo- never stuck in the same way as few weeks to realize how badly they
cratic leaders, Biden himself simply Trump’s derision of Hillary Clinton got rolled on the COVID bill while
isn’t proving to be an easy target or as “crooked” in 2016. Other GOP they wasted all their precious time
animating figure for the GOP base, efforts to define Biden as a radical and energy whining about Dr. Se-
prompting Republicans to turn to or to attack his mental acuity also uss,” tweeted Amanda Carpenter,
the kind of cultural issues the par- didn’t resonate. a former adviser to Republican Sen.
ty has used to cast Democrats as Merchandise stands outside Ted Cruz of Texas.

Poll: Many in US still face COVID-19 financial loss

About half of Americans say they have experienced at
least one form of household income loss during pandemic
BY KEN SWEET
AND EMILY SWANSON
The Associated Press
CHARLOT TE, N.C.
— Roughly 4 in 10 Ameri-
cans say they’re still feel-
ing the financial impact of
the loss of a job or income
within their household as
the economic recovery
remains uneven one year
into the coronavirus pan-
demic.
A new poll by The As-
sociated Press-NORC
Center for Public Affairs
Research provides fur-
ther evidence that the
pandemic has been dev-
astating for some Amer-
icans, while leaving oth-
ers virtually unscathed
or even in better shape,
at least when it comes to
their finances. The out-
come often depended on
the type of job a person
had and their income lev-
el before the pandemic.
The pandemic has
particularly hurt Black
and Latino households,
as well as younger Amer-
icans, some of whom are
now going through the
second major economic
crisis of their adult lives.
“I just felt like we were
already in a harder posi-
tion, so (the pandemic)
kind of threw us even
more under the dirt,”
said Kennard Taylor, a
20-year-old Black college
student at Jackson Col-
lege. Taylor lost his job
as a server in the cam-
pus cafeteria in the first
weeks of the pandemic
and struggled to make
rent and car payments
while continuing his stud-
ies. He had to move back
in with his family.
The poll shows that
about half of Americans
say they have experi-
enced at least one form
of household income
loss during the pandem-
ic, including 25 percent
who have experienced a
household layoff and 31
percent who say some-
one in the household
was scheduled for fewer
hours. Overall, 44 per-
cent said their household
experienced income loss
from the pandemic that is
still having an impact on
their finances.
The poll results are
consistent with recent
economic data. Roughly
745,000 Americans filed
for unemployment bene-
fits the week of Feb. 22,
according to the Labor
Department, and rough-
ly 18 million Americans
remain on the unemploy-
ment rolls.
Thirty percent of
Americans say their cur-
rent household income is
lower than it was when
the pandemic began,
while 16 percent say it is
higher and 53 percent say
there’s been no change.

At Chauvin trial, some in jury pool have sharp views on case

BY AMY FORLITI think I can try to be im-
The Associated Press partial — I don’t know
that I can promise impar-
MINNEAPOLIS — tiality.”
The long process of jury The three jurors who
selection for a former were selected — two men
Minneapolis police officer and one woman — all
charged in George Floyd’s said they had heard some
death began Tuesday with details about the case
three jurors picked and against Derek Chauvin
six others in the pool dis- but would be able to put
missed, including some aside what they heard
who said they would not or opinions they had
be able to set aside their formed and make a deci-
views on what happened. sion based on evidence in
One woman who was court. One of the select-
dismissed said: “I defi- ed jurors said he hadn’t
nitely have strong opin- seen the widely-viewed
ions about the case. I bystander video of Floyd’s
arrest at all, while the oth-
ers described seeing it
minimally.
One woman who saw
the video said she doesn’t
understand why Chauvin
didn’t get up when Floyd
said he couldn’t breathe.
“That’s not fair be-
cause we are humans, you
know?” she said. She too
was dismissed.
The exchanges be-
tween potential jurors,
attorneys and the judge
illustrate the challenges
in seating a jury in such
a well-known case. In ad-
dition to asking questions
about their ability to keep
an open mind, attorneys
asked about how they
resolve conflicts, their
views on the criminal jus-
tice system, and whether
they felt safe serving on
the jury. One potential
juror expressed anxiety
over the divisiveness of
the case, while another
feared his family could be
targeted; both were dis-
missed.
Cahill set aside at least
three weeks for jury selec-
tion. Opening statements
are scheduled no sooner
than March 29.
8A WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2021 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com

Volunteers are key at vaccine

sites. It pays off with a shot
As states ramp up vaccination distribution in the fight
against the coronavirus, volunteers are needed to do
everything from direct traffic to check people in
BY TERRY TANG AND MANUEL VALDES
The Associated Press
SEAT TLE — When Seattle’s larg-
est health care system got a mandate
from Washington state to create a mass
COVID-19 vaccination site, organizers
knew that gathering enough volunteers
would be almost as crucial as the vaccine
itself.
“We could not do this without volun-
teers,” said Renee Rassilyer-Bomers,
chief quality officer for Swedish Health
Services and head of its vaccination site
at Seattle University. “The sheer volume
and number of folks that we wanted to
be able to serve and bring in requires …
320 individuals each day.”
As states ramp up vaccination distri-
bution in the fight against the coronavi-
rus, volunteers are needed to do every-
thing from direct traffic to check people
in so vaccination sites run smoothly. In
return for their work, they’re often given
a shot. Many people who don’t yet qual-
ify for a vaccine — including those who
are young and healthy — have been vol-
unteering in hopes of getting a dose they
otherwise may not receive for months.
Large vaccination clinics across the
country have seen thousands trying to
nab limited numbers of volunteer shifts.
It’s raised questions at a time when
supplies are limited and some Ameri-
cans have struggled to get vaccinated
even if they are eligible. But medical eth-
icists say volunteers are key to the public
health effort and there’s nothing wrong
with them wanting protection from the
virus.
Ben Dudden, 35, of Roanoke, Virgin-
ia, volunteered at a mass vaccination
clinic in the nearby city of Salem on a
day off from his part-time job at the Roa-
noke Pinball Museum. His wife, a nurse
practitioner who was administering dos-
es, encouraged him to volunteer in case
he could get vaccinated.
He spent that January day helping
people fill out questionnaires, not know-
ing if he might get the coveted dose.
“It wasn’t an official thing like, ‘Ev-
erybody who needs a vaccine come this
way.’ I kind of had to ask,” Dudden said.
“At end of day, I found whoever was in
charge of that.”
He got what he was hoping for and
still wants to volunteer again.
“It was a little bit of a selfish thing —
‘I’m gonna get the vaccine if I do this’
— but for me, it wasn’t the only factor,”
Dudden said.
At the Seattle vaccination clinic,
Swedish Health Services considers vol-
unteers part of the state’s Phase 1 vac-
cination group. About 5,000 have been
inoculated, and about 1,000 of them
have come back to work again, Rassily-
er-Bomer said.

Miami janitor quietly feeds

thousands, and love’s the reason
‘She’s a true servant. She goes beyond
the scope of work to be a presence of
hope and compassion for others.’
Notre Dame d’Haiti Catholic Church pastor
Reginald Jean-Mary on Doramise Moreau
BY KELLI KENNEDY
The Associated Press
MIAMI — Doramise
Moreau toils long past
midnight in her tiny kitch-
en every Friday — boiling
lemon peels, crushing
fragrant garlic and onion
into a spice blend she rubs
onto chicken and turkey,
cooking the dried beans
that accompany the yel-
low rice she’ll deliver to a
Miami church.
She’s singlehanded-
ly cooked 1,000 meals a
week since the pandem-
ic’s start — a an act of love
she’s content to perform
with little compensation.
Moreau, a 60-year-
old widow who lives with
her children, nephew
and three grandchildren,
cooks in the kitchen of a
home built by Habitat for
Humanity in 2017.
Her days are arduous.
She works part-time as
a janitor at a technical
school, walking or taking
the bus. But the work of
her heart, the reason she
rises each morning, is
feeding the hungry.
As a little girl in Haiti,
she often pilfered food
from her parents’ pantry
— some dried rice and
beans, maybe an onion or
an ear of corn — to give to
someone who needed it.
“Sometimes when
you’re looking at people
in their face, they don’t
need to ask you,” she ex-
plained. “You can see they
need something.”
Her mother was furi-
ous, constantly scolding
and threatening Moreau,
even telling the priest to
refuse to give her com-
munion. But she was not
deterred.
“I told her, ‘You can
whup me today, you can
whup me tomorrow, but
I’m going to continue to
do it.’”
Decades later, Moreau
is still feeding the hungry.
She borrows the
church truck to buy gro-
ceries on Thursday and
Friday and cooks into the
wee hours of the night
for Saturday’s feedings.
Notre Dame d’Haiti Cath-
olic Church pays for the
food, relying on dona-
tions. Moreau prepares
the meals singlehandedly,
while church volunteers
serve or deliver them to
shut-ins.
“Americans, Spanish,
Haitian, they come here,”
she said. “Even when I’m
closing, they say, ‘Please,
can I have some,’ and I
give it to them, because
if they go home and have
nothing it hurts my feel-
ings.”
Moreau also feeds
people back in her little
village north of Port-au-
Prince. Despite her mea-
ger salary, she sends food
pallets monthly to her sis-
ters and brother, nieces,
nephews and neighbors,
telling her sister over the
phone to make sure this
person gets a bag of rice
and that person gets the
sardines.
Every morning before
work, for the church’s
staff, police and local
community leaders,
Moreau prepares a table
with a special Haitian hot
tea to ward off colds. She
lays out vapors to inhale
and other remedies from
her homeland believed to
strengthen the immune
system.
“She takes care of ev-
erybody from A to Z,” said
Reginald Jean-Mary, pas-
tor at the church. “She’s a
true servant. She goes be-
yond the scope of work to
be a presence of hope and
compassion for others.”

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Sports
PREP BASEBALL
Ketchum if you can: Pair of Heritage Academy pitchers
leads Patriots to doubleheader sweep of Winston Academy
BY THEO DEROSA
tderosa@cdispatch.com
Cole Ketchum never
even heard the words.
In a critical top of the
fourth inning of the first
game of Tuesday’s double-
header in Columbus, Her-
itage Academy baseball
coach Chris Ball yelled out
to his junior pitcher from
the third-base dugout, in-
structing Ketchum mul-
tiple times to run a pick-
off play to keep Winston
Academy’s three baserun-
ners honest.
But Ketchum was qui-
et on the mound, staring
SHS coach
Greg Carter
leaving to
become
Hattiesburg
AD
BY THEO DEROSA
tderosa@cdispatch.com
The coach who shaped
the Starkville High School
boys basketball program
into a modern dynasty is
leaving big shoes to fill
along Yellow Jacket Drive.
Coach Greg Carter is
leaving his position with
the Jackets to become
the athletic director for
the Hattiesburg Public
School District, Carter
confirmed to The Dis-
patch after his hiring be-
came official at a board
meeting Tuesday night.
Robbie Faulk of the
Starkville Daily News
first reported the move.
Carter won four state
championships in his 19
years at Starkville, going
all the way in 2010, 2015,
2019 and 2020. The 2021
Jackets saw their season
end Saturday in Jackson
with a 56-51 loss to Clin-
ton in the MHSAA Class
6A title game.
Hattiesburg reached
the MHSAA Class 5A
semifinals, falling 56-51
to Lake Cormorant.
Cater’s son Tyson is
currently playing in Eu-
rope after a standout ca-
reer at Starkville and at
Mississippi State.
The Yellow Jackets
have yet to announce who
will fill Carter’s position.
Stewart,
Ado pick up
SEC honors
DISPATCH STAFF
Mississippi State’s
D.J. Stewart and Ab-
dul Ado each picked up
honors from the South-
eastern Conference,
the league announced
Tuesday.
Stewart was named
second-team All-SEC,
while Ado was selected
as part of the all-defen-
sive team.
On the year, Stewart
averaged 16.5 points
and 3.3 rebounds per
See BRIEFS, 3B
SPORTS LINE
662-241-5000
THE DISPATCH n CDISPATCH.COM n WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2021
B
SECTION
straight in at the Win- junior Rhett Ketchum,
ston batter 60 feet away. Cole’s cousin and team-
He didn’t even hear his mate. “There’s nobody
coach’s guidance. else you would want on the
“He’s so in the zone and mound in that situation.”
locked in up there,” Ball Cole Ketchum proved
said. “Nothing behind him his cousin right, pitch-
matters.” ing three more scoreless
With no one out and innings to finish a com-
Heritage Academy hold- plete-game, three-hit shut-
ing onto the 2-0 lead the out with 15 strikeouts in
Patriots had taken just a Heritage Academy’s 2-0
half-inning prior, Ketchum win. Then Rhett went on to
struck out Cam Sanders strike out 10 Winston bat-
swinging. He froze Dalton ters in four innings as the
Powell on a 3-2 fastball. Patriots (12-1) won Game
Then he fanned Jennings 2, 8-3.
Theo DeRosa/Dispatch Staff
Fulton on three pitches to Ball said his pitching Heritage Academy pitcher Cole Ketchum delivers to Winston Academy junior Hayze
end the threat. staff carried Heritage Gregory in the first inning of Tuesday’s baseball game in Columbus. Ketchum struck
“That’s huge,” said See PREP, 3B out 15 hitters in a complete game as Heritage Academy won 2-0.
MISSISSIPPI STATE BASEBALL
No. 3 Mississippi State drills Grambling
State to open five-game week
Mississippi State athletics
Tanner Allen (right) and Rowdey Jordan celebrate Allen’s two-run homer in Tuesday’s win over Grambling State.
BY BEN PORTNOY he always stays out of mine Self the pitchers. with four RBIs.
bportnoy@cdispatch.com and it seems like I always find In the three days since Self “He’s as pure a hitter as
my way into his.” and Allen’s discussions, MSU there is in the country,” MSU
STARK VILLE — Pulling Flashing an improved glove has scored a combined 23 head coach Chris Lemonis
himself off the right field and extending his hitting runs on 27 hits. The pitching said. “You’re just seeing a guy
grass, fourth-year junior Tan-
ner Allen offered a smirk to-
streak to nine games, Allen’s staff, fresh off no-hitting the get good pitches to hit and lay-
dual-ability paced No. 3 MSU Golden Flashes on Sunday, ing into some balls.”
ward centerfielder Rowdey
Jordan.
to a 10 -0 win over Grambling
State Tuesday night in the
allowed just two hits Tuesday
and has struck out 26 batters
On the bump, eight MSU
pitchers combined for 13
As the undergrads perched
upon the Bancorp South berm
erupted in applause and mo-
first of five Bulldog home
games this week.
in its last two outings.
Following an efficient four
strikeouts in a dominant two-
hit performance against a Ti-
“Being an alpha, man, I innings from Grambling start- gers roster that boasted four
ments after Allen narrowly
cleared the fence with a 395- feel more free,” Allen said of er Kerry Boykins Jr.,the MSU players hitting better than
foot homer, Allen traded jabs how he’s taken to the outfield battery blasted the Tigers .300 entering Tuesday.
with his outfield mate. since transitioning from the back to Louisiana with a five- Second-year freshman Will
Mississippi State head infield a year ago. “I feel like I run fifth inning to blow things Bednar rang up five of the six
coach Chris Lemonis joked can kind of do my thing. I can open. batters he faced as he painted
Allen jumped into Jordan’s air play like a wild man and that’s Doubles from Jacksonville between 94 and 95 miles per
space to make a full-stretch what I like to do.” transfer Scotty Dubrule and hour on the center field radar
dive that sent him headfirst Speaking with senior re- Jordan gave the Bulldogs gun in his second start of the
into the turf. Allen wouldn’t liever Riley Self amid MSU’s their second, third and fourth year. Slotted for just two in-
go quite that far, but conced- upset loss to Kent State Satur- runs of the night. Allen then nings of work as he continues
ed he has a tendency to play day, Allen looked at his long- followed Jordan’s long double to work back from what Le-
closer to center field than he time teammate and pressed that missed leaving the yard monis described as soreness
might intend. him. They’d both been at by less than a foot with a nar- in his neck that forced him
“We always joke with each MSU for at least four years. It row lined homer of his own. to miss two previous starts,
other at practice about invad- was time for an elder states- Allen, who’s recorded 13 hits MSU’s skipper added it will
ing each other’s territory,” he men sermon of sorts. and 13 RBIs over his last nine remain an ongoing process as
said through a wry smile. “But Allen took the hitters and contests, finished his 1-for-4 See MSU, 3B
2B WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2021
Alabama rolls into SEC tourney, Kentucky needs every win
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NASHVILLE, Tenn.
— The two Southeastern
Conference Tournament
games that the league got
in last year were played
with fans in the stands.
Then the SEC shut it
all down. No trophy pre-
sented. No confetti shot
into the air. A stunning
end to the league’s pre-
mier hoops event because
of the coronavirus pan-
demic.
A year later, the SEC
Tournament will have
yet another look with fan
capacity limited to 20%
or 3,400 at Bridgestone
Arena and plans tested
by the NHL’s Nashville
Predators for the past few
weeks for physical dis-
tancing and as touchless
an experience as possi-
ble.
“It’s good to be back,”
SEC Commissioner Greg
Sankey said.
The SEC Tournament
will start Wednesday
night with one game
thanks to Auburn, the
last team to win this event
in 2019, self-imposing a
postseason ban. Vander-
bilt (8-15), which played
the last game a year ago,
will open against Texas
A&M (8-9), the No. 13
seed after COVID issues
kept the Aggies off the
court all of February.
There’s also a domi-
nant favorite once again,
though this time it’s No.
6 Alabama after winning
its eighth SEC regular
season title and first since
2002. The Crimson Tide
(21-6) are looking for their
first SEC Tournament title
since 1991 when Wimp
Sanderson was coach led
by the SEC player of the
year Herbert Jones.
Alabama coach Nate
Oats says the Crimson
Tide knows they’ll be
playing in the NCAA Tour-
nament. He wants to see
them hone their play after
winning 89-79 at Georgia
last weekend.
“And we’d like to win
a tournament champion-
ship,” Oats said. “It’s nice.
They’ve won the SEC reg-
ular season. If you could
add the tournament to it,
that’s saying something
if you can win both. And
then obviously that helps
your seeding going into
the NCAA Tournament.”
Streaking
Eighth-ranked Arkan-
sas is the SEC’s top-scor-
ing team and hottest too
going into the SEC Tour-
nament, having won 11
straight league games.
They’re looking at the
easier half of the bracket
having only one loss to
their potential opponents
at LSU.
They’re led by fresh-
man guard Moses Moody,
the SEC’s third-leading
scorer, and coach Eric
Musselman said they like
how they’re playing obvi-
ously.
“We want more time
with them,” Musselman
said. “We want more
games. We want more of
everything, and the only
way really from here on
out with the SEC tourna-
ment, it’s one game and
done. And then you move
to the next tournament.
It’s the same thing.”
Kentucky’s urgency
Normally used to three-
day weekends and high
seedings at this tourna-
ment, the Wildcats (9-15,
8-9) begin on Thursday as
the No. 8 seed against No.
9 Mississippi State. The
Wildcats need their lon-
gest winning streak this
season to avoid missing
the NCAA Tournament for
the first time since 2013.
That’s asking a lot from
a young Wildcats team
that has alternated los-
ing and winning streaks,
though the blue-blood pro-
gram has some momen-
tum after routing South
The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com
Carolina 92-64.
It’s an ironic twist for
Hall of Fame coach John
Calipari. The coach now
needs the very event he
has criticized as penal-
izing the regular-season
champion with a Sunday
championship game ahead
of the NCAA Tournament.
If Kentucky survives the
Bulldogs, a third meeting
awaits against Alabama,
which swept the Wildcats
with double-digit wins.
SEC’s top players
Time is ticking to see
some of the league’s top
freshmen. LSU guard
freshman Cameron
Thomas is the league’s
leading scorer averaging
23.1 points a game. Ten-
nessee’s best players the
past month have been
freshmen Keon Johnson
and Jaden Springer, a pair
of five-star recruits both
rated as first-round NBA
draft picks.
Don’t ignore some of
the guys with more expe-
rience. All-SEC Vanderbilt
sophomore guard Scotty
Pippen Jr. is second in the
league with 20.6 points
— the highest average
of any sophomore in the
country. He just scored a
career-high 36 in a win at
Cincinnati last week after
sitting out three games
with a sore hip.
Missing
Florida has the player
everyone would love to
see since he collapsed on
the court in December.
Keyontae Johnson has
been a cheerleader since
rejoining the Gators, who
are making a push to help
get SEC six teams into
the NCAA Tournament.
Vanderbilt is without the
SEC’s leading rebounder
with Dylan Disu having
knee surgery Feb. 26.
Tough preparation
The hardest team to
scout is Texas A&M. Ag-
gies coach Buzz Williams
said Monday that he had to
isolate for 14 days, forced
to watch some practices
held with just four players
via Zoom. The Aggies lost
both games since return-
ing, though they came
close to upsetting Arkan-
sas in Fayetteville before
losing 87-80.
Vanderbilt coach Jer-
ry Stackhouse isn’t sure
which A&M team he’ll see
Wednesday night. But he
likely spoke for his fellow
coaches on what has mat-
tered most.
“For the last month
or so, the best part of my
day has been getting all
COVID tests are nega-
tives,” Stackhouse said.
“Those are some of the
best words that I can hear.”
Big Ten entering
postseason eager to end
NCAA title drought
The coach of the Big
Ten’s last national cham-
pionship team believes the
conference’s 20-year title
drought could end this
season.
“We’ve got four or five
teams that are on top that
could do it,” Michigan
State’s Tom Izzo said.
“There’s enough good
teams that we could get a
couple teams in the (Final
Four).”
The Big Ten hasn’t won
a title since Izzo coached
Michigan State to the
2000 crown, unless you
count Maryland’s 2002
championship when it was
still an Atlantic Coast Con-
ference member. But the
league rarely has boast-
ed as much strength as it
does now.
Big Ten schools make
up three of the top five
teams in the latest AP Top
25: No. 3 Illinois (20-6),
No. 4 Michigan (19-3) and
No. 5 Iowa (20-7). Ohio
State (18-8) is ranked
ninth.
That gives the league
plenty of confidence in its
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postseason hopes heading
into the Big Ten Tourna-
ment beginning Wednes-
day at Indianapolis.
“I think you’ve seen the
bottom and the middle
get stronger,” Wisconsin
coach Greg Gard said.
“And I think this year spe-
cifically you have the top
that’s elite. I think we’ve
had one or two teams
at times be elite (in the
past). By elite, I mean Fi-
nal Four-worthy. I think
there’s four teams right
now that are probably in
that category. I don’t think
in my time here we’ve ever
had that.”
The Big Ten benefit-
ed this year by having
draft-worthy prospects
such as Iowa’s Luka Garza
and Illinois’ Ayo Dosunmu
return to school. Michi-
gan’s Hunter Dickinson
headlined the crop of im-
pact newcomers.
That formula added up
to a banner season.
“No other conference
comes close when you
look at the quality of teams
top to bottom,” Iowa coach
Fran McCaffery said.
Former UCLA coach
Steve Lavin discussed
the depth of the Big Ten
by making references to
the 2011 season, when the
Big East earned 11 NCAA
Tournament bids – includ-
ing the St. John’s team he
was coaching. That sea-
son ended with UConn
winning the national title
despite finishing ninth in
the Big East standings.
The Big Ten’s lack of
recent titles has harmed
the league’s reputation,
deserved or not.
“To me, conferences
that are consistently rep-
resented in the Final Four
is an indication of a strong
and healthy conference,”
said Lavin, an analyst for
Fox Sports.
Since Michigan State’s
2000 title, a Big Ten team
has lost in the champion-
ship game seven times:
Indiana in 2002, Illinois in
2005, Ohio State in 2007,
Michigan State in 2009,
Michigan in 2013 and
2018, and Wisconsin in
2015.
“Personally, I’d love
to see a couple teams get
there again,” Izzo said.
“I’d like to see a Big Ten
(team) win it. It’s a shame,
but that’s how you’re
judged.”
Michigan-Illinois rivalry
Illinois is the high-
est-ranked team in the
Big Ten and won its lone
regular-season matchup
with Michigan, which
earned the conference’s
regular-season title and
the top seed in the Big Ten
Tournament by virtue of
its higher league winning
percentage.
That hasn’t stopped Illi-
nois from pointing out that
it played a full 20-game
conference schedule.
Michigan shut down its
program for three weeks
due to the pandemic and
played only 17 conference
games.
Masked man
Illinois figures to have
Dosunmu for the Big
Ten Tournament after he
missed three games with
a concussion and a broken
nose. Dosunmu returned
in a mask to score 19
points as Illinois beat Ohio
State in its regular-season
finale.
“I feel like a superhero
with the black mask on,”
Dosunmu said.
Aching ankles
Iowa’s Joe Wieskamp
and Michigan’s Eli Brooks
both hurt their ankles in
their teams’ respective
regular-season finales,
leaving their status uncer-
tain for this week. Iowa
already lost forward Jack
Nunge to a season-ending
knee injury in late Febru-
ary.
 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2021 3B

West Point senior Noah Essary signs to play baseball at WVU Tech
BY THEO DEROSA
tderosa@cdispatch.com
WEST POINT —
Noah Essary knows ex-
actly how many days he
went without stepping
onto a baseball field.
Dressed smartly in a
blue button-down shirt
and a gold tie, the West
Point High School se-
nior rattled off the num-
ber effortlessly: 347.
Essary, who has al-
ways had baseball in
his blood, spent almost
a year without playing a
single game. On Feb. 23,
he and the Green Wave
finally got to break that
streak by taking on
Eupora in the opening
game of Essary’s final
high school season.
“When you’re some-
body like me, the game
is your life,” he said. “It
was fun. It all hit you at
once — being the last
first inning — but it was
great.”
On Tuesday, Essary
ensured he’ll be spend-
ing a lot more time on
the baseball field. He
signed his national let-
ter of intent to play for
West Virginia Universi-
ty Institute of Technol-
ogy, which is located in
Beckley, West Virginia.
The Golden Bears com-
pete in the National As-
sociation of Intercolle-
giate Athletics, and as of
next season, Essary will
be one of them.
“I just felt like it was a
great fit for me,” Essary
said.
He said he liked W VU
Tech’s classrooms, cam-
pus and strong engi-
neering program. When
coach Lawrence Nes-
selrodt showed Essary
plans for the school’s
new baseball stadium
and told him he could
have a chance to start as
a freshman, Essary was
sold.
“It just all lined up,
and they offered me,
and I felt like that was
the fit for me,” he said.
West Point coach
Blake Hutchison said
Essary could play at
first or third base at the
next level. One of few
seniors on the team, Es-
sary is a leader for the
Green Wave who was
voted team captain by
his teammates. His im-
pact is felt on the field
as well — in both hitting
and pitching.
“He’s really swinging
the bat really well right
now,” Hutchison said.
“He’s probably our most
consistent strike-throw-
er on the mound, so we’re
expecting big things out
of him.”
Essary is fully re-
covered from offseason
surgery to repair a torn
labrum that plagued him
since he was 13. He went
through physical ther-
apy to rehab the injury
and pitched through the
tear for four years, but
this past summer, he de-
cided to fix it once and
for all.
Essary underwent a
surgery performed by
Dr. Benton A. Emblom
at the Andrews Sports
Medicine and Orthopae-
dic Center in Birming-
ham, Alabama. By De-
cember, he was back to
full strength.
“It was rough coming
back from that, but I’m
really glad it happened
because I’m throwing
harder and everything’s
been uphill since,” Es-
sary said.
He credited his fa-
ther Keith, who helps
out with the West Point
program and has been
a “driving force” in his
son’s life, and the rest of
his family for their help
in taking Tuesday’s next
step.
“This is something
I’ve been working to-
ward since I was just a
little kid,” Essary said.
“I couldn’t thank them
enough. They’ve done
outstanding things for
me, and I hope that I can
return that on the field
for them.”
Hutchison, who
praised Essary for his
hustle, strong mindset
and hard work, said he
has no doubt Essary
will do just that when he
heads to WVU Tech in
the fall.
“I kind of knew from
the moment I met him that
he was a special player,”
Hutchison said. “I know
he’ll do well. They’re get-
ting a good player out of
him.”
But first, Essary will
finish out his season and
the rest of his senior year
with one more obstacle
now cleared.
“When you sign to play
college baseball when
that’s been your lifelong
dream, it kind of takes
some pressure off, and
you can finally relax and
just have fun and play the
game you love,” he said.

Prep
Continued from Page 1B
Academy on a day where the
team’s hitting struggled. The
Ketchum cousins combined
with Sam Hannon to strike out
30 hitters in 14 innings, but the
Patriots had just two hits — few-
er than their opponent’s total —
in Game 1 before posting seven
in Game 2.
“Our pitchers dominated; we
did not swing the bat very well at
all,” Ball said.
Still, Heritage Academy
earned two big home wins in its
first district games of the sea-
son. In the opening contest, the
entirety of the Pats’ offense con-
sisted of a run coming home on a
balk and another one batter later
on a sacrifice fly.
With the way Cole Ketchum
was pitching, it was enough.
“He can dominate hitting
both sides of the plate, and he
can throw all three of his pitches
for a strike,” Ball said of the Ole
Miss commit. “It’s tough when
you can throw a slider or a chan-
geup and then pump 91 miles
per hour past somebody.”
Ketchum passed his biggest
test when a single, walk and er-
ror loaded the bases in the fourth
and he struck out Sanders, Pow-
ell and Fulton to end the inning.
He stranded one runner in each
of the final three innings as the
Patriots’ two-run lead held.
Game 2 began much the
same as the Patriots backed a
Ketchum — Rhett, this time
— with two runs that largely
stemmed from Winston mis-
cues. Catcher Jett Joiner threw
the ball into left field on a steal
attempt in the bottom of the sec-
ond, letting his counterpart Car-
son Hollis not only take third but
scamper home. Heritage Acad-
emy’s Drew Huskison punched
an RBI single into right field lat-
er in the inning.
But the nightcap diverged
from the opener in the bottom
of the fourth when the hosts
pushed across five runs to blow
the game open. Rhett Ketchum
helped himself with a two-run
single to right that proved the
big blow, and Reed Brewer add-
ed an RBI base hit.
Sporting a seven-run lead,
Heritage Academy pulled
Ketchum for Hannon to open
the fifth. The senior allowed
a three-run home run to Mis-
sissippi State commit Aiden
Fancher with one out in the sev-
enth, but it hardly made a dent
as Hannon finished out the 8-3
Heritage Academy win.
It was the 11th straight victo-
ry for a Patriots team that Ball
said has yet to play its best.
“The bad thing is we haven’t
put a good, good game together
where we’ve pitched it real well
and hit it real well,” the coach
said. “That said, there’s a lot of
upside left. I feel very confident
in our team right now, and I like
where we are.”
Heritage Academy is in the
midst of six games in six days
after beating Nanih Waiya 5-3
on Monday. The Patriots will be
on the road the rest of the week
with a chance to sweep Winston
on Thursday in Louisville before
facing Buckhorn (Alabama) and
Booneville at Northeast Missis-
sippi Community College on Fri-
day and Saturday.
And Thursday’s game will
be even more of a family affair:
Cole Ketchum’s younger broth-
er, freshman Jack Ketchum, will
take the mound first for Heri-
tage Academy.
“The whole Ketchum fami-
ly will be the starting pitchers
against Winston,” Ball noted.
Already assured a series win,
the Patriots will hope to build on
their momentum after taking
both games Tuesday.
“Anytime you get a varsity
doubleheader — and especially
in conference — and you win
both of them that day, it puts
some pressure on the other
team,” Ball said. “Now we’re
going for the sweep, and that’s
what we want to go for.”
Other scores
Prep Softball
Caledonia 7, New Hope 3
NEW HOPE — Caledonia
scored all seven runs in the final
four innings to beat rival New
Hope 7-3 on the road Tuesday.
Lauren Brown and Allison
Pennington each had three
of the Cavaliers’ 11 hits, and
Brooke Knoop had two.
Zoe Goodman led New Hope
with three RBIs, while Brown
and Aimee George each had two
with Caledonia.
Ashlyn Jordan struck out
nine in a complete game for the
Cavs.
The two teams will play again
Thursday at Caledonia.
Eupora 13, Starkville 7
EUPORA — Eupora scored
in every inning to beat Starkville
13-7 on Tuesday in Eupora.
Brianne Locke led Starkville
with four hits and drove in
two runs. Kendell Thompson
walked three times and also had
two RBIs.
Locke struck out four in six
innings in the circle.
Starkville will host South Pa-
nola on March 23.
Prep Baseball
Starkville 9, New Hope 6
NEW HOPE — Starkville
had three runs in the first, fifth
and sixth innings to post a 9-6
road win Tuesday at New Hope.
Jeremiah Jethroe had two
home runs in the losing effort
for the Trojans, and Gates Ger-
hart had a homer in the bottom
of the seventh.
New Hope will host Houston
on Thursday.
Starkville will play Friday at
West Point.
Caledonia 21, West Point 10
WEST POINT — Caledonia
and West Point turned on the of-
fense in Tuesday’s game in West
Point.
The Cavaliers (7-1) had three
innings of six runs or more in a
21-10 victory: six in the first, six
in the fourth and eight in the sev-
enth.
West Point had four runs in
the second and two in the fourth.
Josh Pitts had a triple and two
singles for Caledonia. Gavin Hol-
loman had three singles for the
Cavs.
Pitts earned the win by pitch-
ing four innings, and Holloman
finished up the contest.
Caledonia will play Friday at
East Webster.
Starkville Academy 12, La-
mar School 3
Starkville Academy 10, Lamar
School 3
MERIDIAN — Starkville
Academy swept Tuesday’s
road doubleheader with Lamar
School in Meridian.
Will McReynolds went 3 for
3 with six RBIs in Game 2, a
10-3 Volunteers victory. Harris
McReynolds had two hits, and
Ayden Alsobrooks earned the
win on the mound with 10 strike-
outs in 5.2 innings.
Alsobrooks, Micah McGee
and Porter Skelton each had
three RBIs in the first game, a
12-3 win for Starkville Academy.
John Paul Buckner struck out
nine in 5.2 innings.
West Lowndes 5, Noxapater 4
West Lowndes pitched a com-
bined no-hitter in Tuesday’s 5-4
win over Noxapater in Colum-
bus.
Melvin Crawford pitched 5.1
innings, and Royquavious Wil-
liams pitched 1.2 innings while
getting the win.
Fred Rice Jr. had the go-
ahead RBI double in the sixth
inning. Williams had an RBI
triple, and Jeremiah Harris had
a single and drove in two runs.
West Lowndes will play
Thursday at Columbus.
East Webster 12, Oak Hill
Academy 7
WEST POINT — A sev-
en-run sixth inning without a
single hit cost Oak Hill Acade-
my in Tuesday’s home opener
against East Webster.
Oak Hill will host Choctaw
County at 6 p.m. Thursday.
Columbus Christian Academy
15, Golden Triangle HomeSchool 7
STEENS — Columbus Chris-
tian Academy beat the Golden
Triangle HomeSchool team 15-7
on Tuesday to improve to 2-2 on
the season.
Caleb Farlow went 4 for 4
with a triple, drove in four runs
and had three stolen bases to
lead the Rams.
Drake Shaw was 3 for 5 with a
double and two RBIs.
Lahndon Townley went 2 for
4 with three steals and a run bat-
ted in.
Ben Campbell struck out six
in 4.2 innings. Farlow struck out
three in 2.1 innings.
The Rams will host Hebron
Christian on March 22.

MSU
Continued from Page 1B
to when Bednar could rejoin the week-
end rotation.
“I really wasn’t happy with how I
was feeling then,” Bednar said in refer-
ence to when he was held out of a start
against then-No. 10 TCU. “Kind of as
time went on I was able to get on a good
throwing program and get into a good
groove and feeling better and progress-
ing. I’m happy with the progress right
now.”
Behind Bednar, Self and freshmen
Dylan Carmouche, Xavier Lovett and
KC Hunt combined for four innings of
relief, allowing just one hit and equaling
Bednar’s five strikeouts.
Northwest Community College and
Oxford product Parker Stinnett also
earned his first appearance of the year,
becoming the 23rd Bulldog pitcher to
take the hill this spring. Stinnett fin-
ished his brief outing with two strike-
outs in one inning pitched.
“Tonight was a really big night get-
ting eight guys out there and all eight
came out there and they were really
crisp,” Lemonis said. “I mean we didn’t
work ourselves into a jam or anything
all night.”
With Tuesday’s win, MSU moved
to 21-1 in midweek contests since the
2019 season. The Bulldogs are also 8-1
against SWAC competition over that
same span, the lone loss coming to Tex-
as Southern last spring.
“In the fall and in spring training,
man, we faced these arms that are
some of the best in the country and we
barreled them up all day long,” Allen
explained. “And I felt like we were up
there Saturday and before then some
swinging not to fail instead of being ag-
gressive. And that’s been the difference
the last two games at the plate for us.”

Briefs
Continued from Page 1B
night while playing 35.1 minutes per
contest. Ado chipped in 53 blocks and
6.3 rebounds per game.
Alabama’s Herb Jones was the con-
ference’s player of the year in addition
to earning defensive player of the year
honors, while Nate Oats was named
coach of the year after leading the
Crimson Tide to an SEC regular sea-
son championship.
Arkansas guard Moses Moody was
selected freshman of the year and his
teammate JD Notae earned sixth-man
of the year honors.
Mississippi State is back in action
against Kentucky in the first round of
the SEC tournament 11 a.m. Thurs-
day in Nashville.
Mississippi State forward
Xaria Wiggins to transfer
Mississippi State is down one more
player on an already shorthanded roster.
Junior forward Xaria Wiggins an-
nounced via Twitter Tuesday night that
she will seek a transfer from MSU. A for-
mer four-star recruit in the 2018 class,
Wiggins averaged 3.4 points and 1.4 re-
bounds per game during her three-year
Bulldog career.
“I want to thank you all for an incred-
ible three years in Starkville, and thank
you to Mississippi State University for
the opportunity to pursue my degree
while also playing the game I love,” she
wrote. “Thank you to the fans for your
continued support. And last but not
least, thank you to my teammates. I will
always cherish the time we had togeth-
er.”
Wiggins previously missed the first
month-plus of the 2020-21 season due
to a blood clot in her right lung, while a
concussion also briefly sidelined her in
January. Returning to the floor against
No. 18 Kentucky on Jan. 3, she averaged
double-digit minutes her first five games
back. However, Wiggins saw more than
eight minutes just twice over her final
six games at MSU.
MSU currently sits at 10-9 with a
5-7 mark in the SEC after falling to
eighth-seeded LSU in the first round
of the conference tournament. ESPN
bracketologist Charlie Creme has the
Bulldogs slated as one of the final four
teams in the NCAA tournament. The 64-
team field will be announced on March
15.
Mississippi State softball routs
Alabama State 10-4
Mississippi State softball is rolling.
The Bulldogs continued their recent
offensive explosion by scoring 10 runs
for the third time in four games and the
seventh time overall this season in a 10-4
rout of Alabama State in Montgomery. It
was the sixth straight win for MSU (14-
5).
“It was good to see production from
the middle and bottom part of our order,
turning it over,” MSU coach Samantha
Ricketts said in a news release. “AK (Se-
gars) and Paige (Cook) both had great
days, same with (Christian) Quinn in
the nine hole. I thought we did a good
job of holding our ground, having qual-
ity at-bats with the hit-by-pitches and
walks.”
The Bulldogs scored three quick runs
in the second inning thanks to a triple
from Segars and a double from Quinn.
After adding two more runs in the third,
Mia Davidson broke the game wide open
with a two-run shot in the fourth inning.
Davidson’s home run was the 58th of
her career, which puts her in the top 10
of SEC career home run leaders.
“Since Mia stepped on campus her
freshman year, she’s just been putting
up big numbers,” Ricketts said. “She’s
been very consistent especially with her
power numbers and her home runs, so
it’s really cool to see her getting close
to history. For her, it’s just all about how
can she contribute to the team and help
us score runs. That’s really what she
takes pride in.”
Davidson finished the day 2 for 5 with
three RBIs, while Segars finished a tri-
ple shy of the cycle, going 3 for 5 with
three RBIs. Paige Cook also had three
hits on the afternoon.
Annie Willis (7-0) picked up the win
in the circle, tossing 6 innings and allow-
ing four runs (only one earned. MSU’s
fielding left much to be desired, as the
Bulldogs committed six errors in the
contest.
MSU is back in action against Mem-
phis at 1 p.m. Wednesday in Starkville.
4B WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2021
Springer, Bauer, Lindor lead list of big names on new teams
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
George Springer, Trev-
or Bauer and Francisco
Lindor are wearing blue
now.
Springer received the
biggest contract in the off-
season from the Toronto
Blue Jays. Bauer got the
most money per season
from the Los Angeles
Dodgers. Lindor was trad-
ed to the New York Mets
in a six-player deal.
The three star players
headline the list of big
names on new teams.
Springer, a three-time
All-Star outfielder and
2017 World Series MVP
with Houston, signed a
team-record $150 million,
six-year contract with
the Blue Jays in January.
Comics & Puzzles
DILBERT
ZITS
GARFIELD
CANDORVILLE
BABY BLUES
BEETLE BAILEY
MALLARD FILLMORE
He joined a roster that
includes young sluggers
Vladimir Guerrero and Bo
Bichette, plus Cavan Big-
gio, Teoscar Hernandez
and Lourdes Gurriel, Jr.
“I really like the blue.
It’s a good color,” Springer
said after his first spring
training game with Toron-
to. “It was a little weird but
I’m over it. It’s fun and I
enjoy it.”
Bauer, who won the
NL Cy Young Award last
season with Cincinnati,
signed a $102 million,
three-year deal with the
Dodgers last month. The
reigning World Series
champions already had a
pair of Cy Young Award
winners in Clayton Ker-
shaw and David Price.
“This uniform is
FAMILY CIRCUS
The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com
special,” Bauer said in
a two-minute video an-
nouncing his decision to
sign with Los Angeles.
“It’s more than clothing.
It’s a lifestyle.”
Lindor, a four-time All-
Star shortstop in Cleve-
land, was traded along
with right-hander Carlos
Carrasco to the Mets
in January for young in-
fielders Andrés Giménez
and Amed Rosario, and
two minor league pros-
pects: right-hander Josh
Wolf and outfielder Isaiah
Greene.
He arrived to spring
training with his hair dyed
blue, something he also
did during his time with
the Indians.
“You can see that I am
all blued out,” Lindor said.
“Everything is blue in my
life right now — blue and
orange.”
Here are five more well-
known players in different
places:
Nolan Arenado
The five-time All-Star
third baseman was traded
from Colorado to the St.
Louis Cardinals for five
players. Arenado, who
won a Gold Glove in each
of his eight seasons with
the Rockies, joined a team
that reached the postsea-
son seven times in the past
10 years. The Cardinals
last won a World Series in
2011.
Arenado hit .300 with a
.937 OPS and averaged 40
homers and 124 RBIs be-
tween 2015-19. He led the
Dear Abby
D
EAR ABBY:
A few weeks
ago, my
14-year-old sister
snuck out and had
sex with a boy she
met on Snapchat. I
know this because
my distraught
mother decided to
tell me.
My sister lied
to my parents
repeatedly about
it, but later, when
they went through
her phone, they Dear Abby
found explicit
images that a girl
her age should never have. Fur-
thermore, after they confiscated
her phone, she acquired a new
one from a friend and contin-
ues to message boys through
Snapchat. She continues to lie
to my parents when they ask
her if she’s communicating with
anyone.
She has been hanging
around a toxic group of girls
at school, and she’s very
impressionable. She isn’t a bad
person, but all this lying has left “Claudia,” moved across the
me confused and upset. What
can I do to help her? — HER
WORRIED BROTHER IN GEORGIA
DEAR BROTHER: The age
of consent in Georgia is 16. Do
your parents know the identity
and age of the person your
Horoscopes
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (March
10). The interactions that come
as part of your cosmic birthday
package contribute to the lighter
side of life. Frivolity, laughter,
novelty, glamor and excitement
shouldn’t be looked at as
“extras,” since you need some
degree of the effervescent to
keep your heart buoyant and
your mind working optimally.
A windfall comes in July. Aries
and Scorpio adore you. Your
lucky numbers are: 7, 44, 23,
9 and 4.
ARIES (March 21-April 19).
However complex the project
may be, with all its moving
parts to tend to and diverse
personalities to contend with,
the essence of your work still
boils down to a simple directive:
Do the next right thing.
league in homers three
times in that span.
Blake Snell
The 2018 AL Cy Young
Award winner was traded
from the Tampa Bay Rays
to the San Diego Padres
for four players in De-
cember. The left-hander
left the mound with a 1-0
lead in the sixth inning of
Game 6 of the World Se-
ries but the bullpen blew it
and the Dodgers clinched
the title with a 3-1 win.
Snell had a 3.24 ERA in
11 starts last season. He
was 21-5 with a 1.89 ERA
in 2018. The Padres had
the second-best record
in the NL in 2020, snap-
ping a 13-year postseason
drought. But they were
swept in the NL division
sister met on
Snapchat? The
inappropriate pic-
tures your parents
discovered on her
phone could be
considered child
pornography, and
there are laws
against it.
It’s very im-
portant that your
sister understand
how dangerous
what she has
been doing is.
Because the
peer group she
has chosen to
follow is undesirable, it would be
better if your sister was removed
from that influence and home-
schooled or transferred to a
different school. Please suggest
this to your parents.
DEAR ABBY: My best friend,
“Betsy,” died suddenly a week
ago. She was only 58, and I am
devastated. She was the most
upbeat, positive person I have
ever known.
A year ago, a new neighbor,
street. I befriended her and
introduced Claudia to Betsy a
couple of months ago. They met
twice and texted each other a
few times. I was pleased, think-
ing we could have a girls’ night
out once in a while.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20).
Your agenda may feel off. Ask,
“Why am I doing this?” Reasons
like guilt and obligation may
surface. Maybe you still have
to follow through, but at least
you’ll approach in full conscious-
ness of your motives.
GEMINI (May 21-June
21). You take great pleasure
in connecting people, and you
consider it your job to do it well.
There’s more to it than just
making an introduction. You
create the structure and social
safety that helps everyone relax
and shine.
CANCER (June 22-July 22).
Your thoughts about a thing can
go in many directions, which is
why you’re better off if you stop
thinking and start doing. Your
action will be far more deliber-
series by the Dodgers.
Snell will anchor a ro-
tation that features new-
comers Yu Darvish and
Joe Musgrove.
Yu Darvish
The four-time All-Star
right-hander was trad-
ed to the Padres from
the Chicago Cubs in a
seven-player deal on the
same day San Diego ac-
quired Snell. Darvish has
twice finished runner-up
for a Cy Young Award, in-
cluding last season when
he was 8-3 with a 2.01
ERA in 12 starts.
Darvish has three
years and $59 million left
on the $126 million, six-
year deal he signed with
the Cubs before the 2018
season.
After Betsy died, I heard
Claudia has been telling people
her “best friend” had died. The
day before, she told me she
barely knew Betsy. Claudia also
said that at least now she didn’t
have to share me!
I am appalled that this
woman is trying to co-opt my
grieving for my dearest friend
and make it her own. How do I
deal with this? — SORROWFUL
IN WASHINGTON
DEAR SORROWFUL: I am
sorry for the loss of your best
friend. People who knew you and
Betsy know how close you were.
Claudia may have said what she
did in order to gain sympathy or
attention.
Your grief is your own. No
one can steal it from you. Clau-
dia may be insecure or jealous
of the closeness you shared
with Betsy. Now that you know
what kind of person Claudia is,
act accordingly.
DEAR ABBY: Do you feel the
words “cool” and “perfect” are
way overused and should be
retired indefinitely? — CURIOUS
IN CALIFORNIA
DEAR CURIOUS: No, but if
you do, I’m perfectly cool with it.
How about overused words
like “huge,” “awesome” and
“epic”? And is everything and
everyone truly “AMAZING”? See
what you have started? Some-
body hand me a thesaurus.
ate, making things go in one
direction — the one that works
in reality.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). It’s
better to express stress than
to swallow it. Avoid eating or
drinking the tension. Instead,
drain it from your body onto the
pavement you walk, or onto the
page on which you write your
mind and feelings.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22).
You are not defined by your
past, but your way of thinking of
it can be very defining indeed.
The new person you are now
sees what happened a little dif-
ferently than historic you saw it.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23).
One way to prove to yourself
that you are not defined by the
past and the things that have
happened to you is to create a
new identity fashioned purely to
your preferences.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov.
21). Being with that energizing
person is like being born, reborn
and a hundred times made
new. Now the phenomenon has
developed to the point where
you don’t even have to be in
close vicinity. The thought alone
brings a quickening.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec.
21). The one receiving all the
attention won’t be the most
powerful one in the room. You’ll
tune your eye to the dynamics of
power and see it vividly at work.
This deep level of understand-
ing will give you more options.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan.
19). Even more than usual,
others will follow your lead. This
will be especially true regarding
your approach to all things you.
The things you say about your-
self, the way you treat your time
and value your efforts... they’ll
follow suit.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb.
18). Brick by brick, you are
building the empire of you.
Right now it feels like more of
a single-room studio of you.
That’s only because you’re so
focused on the main priority.
The expansion is coming.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March
20). There’s a change you want
and a chance to contribute the
elements to help bring it about.
Of course, it’s not all up to
you. It’s going to take a team,
if not an entire army, to make
this happen. Your contribution
matters, though.
One foot in the door
SOLUTION:
Food
familyfeatures.com
Get the kids involved in making
these bright green crunchy cookies.
Lucky
shamrock
cookies
FAMILY FEATURES
I
t’s your lucky day because you
don’t have to search for the pot
of gold under the rainbow for
this winning recipe. Throw out
the old Irish classics and sweeten
things up this year with some mint
chocolate chip fun.
If you’re in a crunch for St.
Patrick’s day and need something
glowing with green, here is a des-
sert that is sure to have everyone
coming back for seconds (and
more).
These mint chocolate chip
cookies are as green as four-leaf
clovers and have delicious choc-
olate chips mixed throughout for
some extra sweet flavor. Served
beside a big glass of milk, they are
perfect treats for any St. Patrick’s
day party or virtual gathering.
To start the recipe, whisk
together flour, baking soda and
salt in a large mixing bowl. In a
separate bowl, add butter, sugar,
eggs, green food coloring and pep-
permint extract for that crisp mint
flavor. Beat with a hand mixture
and combine the ingredients in
both bowls together.
Add chocolate chips to the
mixed cookie batter. Scoop onto a
baking sheet and bake at 375 f for
11-24 minutes until the edges of
the cookies are light brown. Cool
on a wire rack before devouring.
With so much mixing and
scooping to be done, this is a great
recipe for kids to get involved in
the kitchen, too. One of the best
parts is the eye-catching color.
Watch children’s smiling little
faces as the batter turns from light
brown to dark green for a priceless
reaction.
After being perfectly baked,
these cookies are bright, fun and
will be the hit of any celebration.
Soft in the middle, a little crisp on
the edges and as green as can be.
You can’t ask for much more on St.
Patrick’s day.
Find more recipes, celebration
ideas and dessert favorites for
every occasion at culinary.net.
See COOKIES, 6B
Lucky mint brownie perfection
FAMILY FEATURES
H
ow lucky you must be
to come across this
recipe just in time for
St. Patrick’s Day. This one is
a twisted combination of mint
and sweet chocolate that’s sure
to have almost anyone’s taste
buds screaming “yum.” This
dessert might just be the pot of
gold at the end of your rainbow
this year.
These Mint Brownies have
three delicious layers. First, a
supreme brownie on bottom.
Then a fluffy, green mint layer
that’s full of flavor and color.
Last, but definitely not least,
a chocolate layer on top made
with chocolate chips, butter
and a little whipping cream.
All of these layers create a
smooth, sweet, minty, bite-
sized dessert perfect for any
occasion but especially St.
Patrick’s Day. The green mint
color really pops off the plate,
Whip up a little
luck o’ the Irish
These corned beef pizza swirls can bring a taste of Ireland to your table. Make your own dough or used prepared
pizza dough.
A cream cheese frosting tops this chocolate Guinness cake flavored
by the popular Irish ale.
giving it some extra flare and
an appetizing glow.
To start, create the soft,
chocolate filled brownie.
Combine brownie mix, vegeta-
ble oil, one egg, water and the
chocolate syrup pouch. Bake
and cool completely.
Then it’s time for some
colorful, festive fun. Make the
filling with powdered sugar,
butter, whipping cream, soft-
ened cream cheese, a splash of
peppermint extract and a few
drops of green food coloring.
Beat and pour over the cooled
brownie pan.
The last layer is simple. In
a saucepan, melt whipping
cream, chocolate chips and
butter until smooth. When
it’s cooled to lukewarm, pour
it over the filling for the final
layer.
Refrigerate the Mint
Brownies for two hours before
serving. Cut them into bite-size
pieces for small chunks that
These Mint Brownies have three layers — brownie, mint and
chocolate on top.
will melt in your mouth.
Find more seasonal dessert
recipes at Culinary.net.
MINT BROWNIES
Servings: 9-12
Nonstick cooking spray
LIFESTYLES EDITOR
Jan Swoope: 328-2471
THE DISPATCH n CDISPATCH.COM n WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2021 n 5B
tasteofhome.com
BY JAN SWOOPE
jswoope@cdispatch.com
I
n the normal course of things, next
Wednesday would find St. Patrick’s
Day celebrants likely gathering at
favored watering holes for green brew
and beads. But we’re still beating back the
pandemic, so hopefully most are being
smart about keeping some distance. That
doesn’t mean we can’t embrace being
Irish for a day, as the saying goes. Get
everybody in the family to wear a bit o’
green. Put on some Irish music. Watch
“Riverdance,” or a feature film that puts
you in the spirit. (One of my favorites is
“Into the West,” with Gabriel Byrne and
Ellen Barkin.)
It was of interest to me to read in a
March 9 Newsweek article that, before
being associated with the color green, St.
Patrick’s feast day was tied to the color
blue. The green affiliation really only be-
gan in the 17th century. (By the way, did
you know that wearing green is supposed
to make us invisible to leprechauns? So
tasteofhome.com
cites the article.)
See IRISH, 6B
1/4 cup whipping cream
5 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
5 drops green food color
Topping:
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 bag (12 ounces) chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter
■ Heat oven to 350 F.
■ Spray 8-by-8-inch pan with non-
stick cooking spray.
■ In large bowl, mix brownie mix,
water, oil and egg until combined.
Pour into prepared baking pan. Bake
35 minutes. Cool completely, about
1 hour.
■ To make filling: In large bowl, beat
powdered sugar, butter, whipping
cream, cream cheese, peppermint
familyfeatures.com extract and food coloring. Spread
over cooled brownies. Refrigerate 1
hour, or until set.
■ To make topping: In saucepan,
1 box supreme brownie mix with melt whipping cream, chocolate chips
chocolate syrup pouch and butter until smooth. Cool until
lukewarm, about 10 minutes. Pour
3 tablespoons water
over filling; spread to cover. Refriger-
1/3 cup vegetable oil ate 2 hours, or until set.
1 egg ■ Before serving, let brownies set 10
Filling:
minutes at room temperature.
■ Tips: Cut brownies with wet knife
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar for cleaner cuts. Store covered in
1/4 cup butter, softened refrigerator.
6B WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2021 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com

Pyrex and Pink Daisies: Midcentury cookware is fab again

BY TRACEE M. HERBAUGH when my interest was piqued,” There are lustrous chili bowls
The Associated Press Telfer said. with handles, and casserole dishes

I
f you want to freshen up your
kitchen, look no further than
Grandma’s old casserole dishes.
Vintage kitchenware is back in
style -– pieces from the mid-20th
century painted with flowers, bright
colors, and specific functions, such
as bracketed chip and dip bowls or
four-piece refrigerator storage sets.
“I’ve always been an old soul and
loved anything old,” said Megan
Telfer, a collector of vintage dishes,
salt and pepper shakers, cookie jars
and “a little bit of everything.” The
26-year-old parole officer from the
Three years later, she has more
than 300 pieces of vintage Pyrex,
displayed on three large bookcases.
Her 5-year-old daughter has some
vintage Pyrex, too.
“We don’t use 90 percent of it,”
Telfer said. “I display it.”
Some collectors buy vintage
dishware to try to resell it at a
profit, while others are in it for
nostalgia.
“It reminds them of their moth-
ers, aunts, grandmothers,” said
Hope Chudy, owner of Downstairs
at Felton Antiques in Waltham,
Massachusetts.
set on top of brass candle warmers.
These are durable dishes, often
smaller than modern serving
pieces, that can go from freezer to
oven to table. But collectors usually
acquire them for enjoyment, not
utility.
“It really sets your kitchen apart
from others,” said Victoria Aude, an
interior designer in Canton, Massa-
chusetts. “It’s not an item you can
just buy off the shelf at Blooming-
dale’s.”
The old dishes are also nice
accents when decorating a room,
said Atlanta-based interior design- Sudoku YESTERDAY’S ANSWER

Dallas area said this hobby started

with family.
Her grandmother gave her moth-
er a green and white Pyrex “Spring
A year of pandemic lockdowns
has led to a surge in home cooking
and time spent hanging out in the
kitchen. Vintage cookware fits right
Sudoku
er Beth Halpern Brown. “They can Sudoku is a number-
add that quick pop of color,” she placing puzzle based on
Yesterday’s answer
said. “You can decorate a wall with Sudoku
a 9x9 gridis witha several
num- 7 2 9 8 5 3 4 1 6
them, or put one on display and ber-placing
given numbers.puzzleThe object 6 3 8 4 9 1 5 7 2

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

Blossom” mixing bowl. “That’s into that homey, old-fashioned vibe. change the space.” based onthe
is to place a 9x9
numbers 1 5 4 2 7 6 9 8 3
grid
1 to 9with
in theseveral
empty spaces 4 7 3 5 1 8 6 2 9
given
so that numbers.
each row, eachThe 9 8 2 7 6 4 1 3 5
object
column and each 3x3 the
is to place box 5 6 1 3 2 9 7 4 8
numbers
contains the1same to 9 number
in

Irish the empty spaces so 2 1 5 6 8 7 3 9 4

only once. The difficulty
that each row, each
level increases from
column and each
8 4 7 9 3 5 2 6 1
3 9 6 1 4 2 8 5 7
Continued from Page 5B Monday
3x3 boxtocontains
Sunday. Difficulty Level 3/09

But, back to celebrating
around the table. If you’re
in it all the way, you may
choose to prepare a whole
meal of traditional Irish
dishes — corned beef, cab-
bage, colcannon, bangers
and mash. But assuming
you’re not going to trans-
form your kitchen into
one resembling an Irish
pub’s, how about adapting
a recipe or two to bring a
taste of the Emerald Isle
to your home? Recipes
for the pizza swirls or the
chocolate Guinness cake
below can do just that.
Try one or the other,
or both, and enjoy them
while watching that movie
or talking about your day
around a table decorated
in green next Wednesday,
the 17th. And here’s to a
spring filled with the luck
o’ the Irish.
CORNED BEEF
PIZZA SWIRLS
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup warm whole milk (110-
115 degrees)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons caraway seeds
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
For Thousand Island sauce:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons finely diced dill
pickles
■ Add sugar and yeast to
warm milk; let stand 15
minutes. Beat yeast mixture,
oil, kosher salt and caraway
seeds until blended. Beat in
flour, 1/2 cup at a time, just
until combined.
■ With oiled hands, place
dough in a greased bowl, turn-
ing once to grease the top.
Cover and let rise in a warm
place until doubled, about 2
hours.
■ Meanwhile, mix all ingre-
dients for Thousand Island
sauce; refrigerate.
■ Punch down dough. To
assemble pizza swirls, turn
dough onto a well-floured
surface; roll into a 15-by-10-
inch rectangle. Arrange corned
beef and cheese slices to
within 3/4 inch of edges. Roll
up jelly-roll style, starting with
a long side; pinch seam to
seal and tuck ends under. Cut
crosswise into 1-inch slices.
Place slices, sides touching,
on a parchment-lined baking
sheet.
■ Preheat oven to 375
degrees. Cover pizza swirls
with greased foil; let stand 20
minutes. Bake, covered, 20
minutes; remove foil and bake
until golden brown, 15-20 min-
utes longer. Serve warm with
Thousand Island sauce.
Note: If milk is too cold, it
may not activate yeast. If too
warm, it may kill it. Use a ther-
mometer. Allow pizza dough
to double in size before rolling
out, which may take from 2-4
hours. If using prepared pizza
dough, scatter 1 teaspoon
caraway seeds on top before
layering with corned beef and
cheese.
(Source: tasteofhome.com)
CHOCOLATE
GUINNESS CAKE
1 cup Guinness (dark beer)
1/2 cup Kerrygold Salted
Butter, cubed
3/4 cup baking cocoa
2 large eggs, beaten, room
temperature
2/3 cup sour cream
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
For topping: the same number only once. The difficulty level
1 package (8 ounces) cream
cheese, softened increases from Monday to Sunday.
1 1/2 cups confectioners’
sugar
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
■ Preheat oven to 350 F.
Grease a 9-inch springform
pan and line with parchment
paper. Set aside.
■ In small saucepan, heat
beer and butter until butter is
melted. Remove from heat;
whisk in sugar and cocoa until
blended.
■ Combine eggs, sour cream
and vanilla; whisk into beer
mixture. Combine flour and
baking soda; whisk into beer
mixture. Combine flour and
baking soda; whisk into beer
mixture until smooth. Pour
batter into prepared pan.
■ Bake until a toothpick
inserted in center comes out
clean, 45-50 minutes. Cool
completely on a wire rack.
Remove cake from the pan
and place on a platter or cake
stand.
■ In large bowl, beat cream
cheese until fluffy. Add con-
fectioners’ sugar and cream;
beat until smooth (do not
overbeat). Frost top of cake.
Refrigerate leftovers.
(Source: tasteofhome.com)

Cookies
Continued from Page 5B
30 drops green food coloring ing and peppermint extract; beat until
MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES 1 teaspoon peppermint extract combined.
Servings: 24-32 1 package (12 ounces) chocolate chips ■ Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients;
2 1/2 cups flour beat until combined. Stir in chocolate
1 teaspoon baking soda ■ Heat oven to 375 f. chips. Drop spoonfuls of cookie dough
1/2 teaspoon salt ■ In large bowl, mix flour, baking soda onto baking sheet.
1 cup butter, softened and salt until blended. Set aside. ■ Bake 11-14 minutes, or until edges are
1 1/4 cups sugar ■ In medium bowl, beat butter and sugar lightly browned.
2 eggs until combined. Add eggs, food color- ■ Cool on wire racks. ACROSS
1 Collar insert
5 Criticize
harshly
9 Cabaret
charge
11 Distress
signal
12 Past plump
13 External
14 Came in first
15 Pulling with
effort
17 Timber
business
19 Scottish
denial
20 Make sport of 41 Mosquito or plate
21 — relief gnat 18 Shocked
22 Stock unit DOWN sound
24 Driving aid 1 Disapproving 21 Ice chunk
26 Game units look 23 Hardy
29 Actor Affleck 2 In addition 24 Grazing spot
30 Ankle-to- 3 Get even for 25 Soft wool
waist wear 4 Agreeable 27 Kidman of
32 Falling behind answer film
34 Lot sight 5 Wallop 28 Medusa’s hair
35 Find charm- 6 Bilingual wom- 29 Spills the
ing an, maybe beans
36 Chef’s mush- 7 Sports spots 30 Wasn’t
room 8 On-ramp sign honest
38 Suffering 10 Really like 31 Grain to grind
ennui 11 Verne’s 33 Dreary shade
39 Valleys traveler 37 Catch some
40 Influence 16 Left on the z’s
The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2021 7B

Classifieds
LEGALS
Call us: 662-328-2424
Legal Notices
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
CAUSE NO.: 2021-0040-F
THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
LOWNDES COUNTY
Letters Testamentary have
been granted and issued to the County, Mississippi, upon the
undersigned upon the estate of Estate of Rebecca Hielcher,
BETTY GIBSON PRICE, de-
ceased, by the Chancery Court en to any and all persons hav-
of Lowndes County, Missis-
sippi, on the 5th day of March, becca Hielcher, Deceased to
A.D., 2021. This is to give no- present the same to the Clerk
tice to all persons having
claims against said estate to
Probate and Register same
with the Chancery Clerk of
Lowndes County, Mississippi,
within ninety (90) days from
this date. A failure to so Pro-
bate and Register said claim
will forever bar the same.
This the 8th day of March,
2021.
/s/ Ray Daniel Price
RAY DANIEL PRICE
PUBLISH: 3/10, 3/17 &
3/24/2021
IN THE CHANCERY COURT OF
LOWNDES COUNTY, MISSIS-
SIPPI
RE: THE WILL AND ESTATE OF
LOUISIANNER HARRIS
HUGHES, DECEASED
NO. 2021-0011
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
WHEREAS, Letters Testament-
ary upon the Estate of Louisi-
anner Harris Hughes, de-
ceased, were duly issued to
the undersigned as Executor of
the estate by the Chancery
Court of Lowndes County, Mis-
sissippi, on the 3rd day of
March, 2021; therefore, legal
notice is hereby given that all
persons having claims against
the estate are required by law
to have them filed, probated,
and registered with the Clerk of
the Chancery Court of Lowndes
County, Mississippi, at Colum-
bus, Mississippi, within ninety
(90) days time from the public-
ation of this notice, and the
failure to file, probate, and re-
gister their claims with the
Clerk within the time will
forever bar the claims.
/s/ Rosie Harris Turner ,
ROSIE HARRIS TURNER, EXEC-
UTRIX OF THE ESTATE OF
LOUISIANNER HARRIS
HUGHES, DECEASED
Prepared by:
J. Gordon Flowers (MSB No.
5378)
Drew C. Bigelow (MSB No.
105663)
BRUNINI, GRANTHAM, GROW-
ER & HEWES, PLLC
Attorneys at Law
190 E. Capitol Street, Suite
100
Post Office Drawer 119
Jackson, Mississippi 39205
Telephone: (601) 948-3101
Email: gflowers@brunini.com
dbigelow@brunini.com
PUBLISH: 3/10, 3/17 &
3/24/2021
The following vehicles have
been abandoned at Barker
Alignment Plus, 1205 Gardner
Blvd., Columbus, MS 39702:
2000 Honda Accord
VIN# 1HGCG6672YA126254
Auction will be held March 8,
2021 @ 10:00 a.m. at Barker
Alignment Plus 1205 Gardner
Blvd Columbus, MS 39702.
PUBLISHED: 2/24/2021,
3/3/2021 & 3/10/2021
ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS
STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
COUNTY OF LOWNDES
Sealed bids will be received by
the Board of Education of
Lowndes County, Mississippi
until 1:00 p.m. on Friday,
March 26, 2021, at the office
of the County Superintendent
of Education located at the
Lowndes County Central Office
in the Columbus, Mississippi
for the following bid items:
Bank Depository
Interested bidders may secure
specifications from Sayonia
Garvin, School Business Ad-
ministrator, Lowndes County
School District, 1053 Highway
45 South, Columbus, MS
39701 or call (662) 244-5016.
PUBLISH: March 3 and March
10, 2021
Just a click away!
Legal Notices
IN THE CHANCERY COURT OF
LOWNDES COUNTY,
MISSISSIPPI,
IN RE: REBECCA HIELCHER
DECEASED
CASE NO: 2020-378
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
LETTERS OF ADMINISTRATION
having been granted on the
21st day of September 2020
to Laverne Cooper, by the
Chancery Court of Lowndes
Deceased, notice is hereby giv-
ing claims against said Re-
of said Court for probate and
registration according to law
within ninety (90) days from the
first publication of this notice,
otherwise, said claim will be
forever barred.
THIS the 8th day of March
2021.
s/ Laverne Cooper
LAVERNE COOPER
Administratrix of the Estate of
Rebecca Hielcher
OF COUNSEL:
Gerald Gaggini, MSB 99905
2500 Hickory Wood Dr.
Tupelo, MS 38801
Telephone: 601-212-3696
PUBLISH: 3/10, 3/17 &
3/24/2021
NOTICE OF STORAGE
CONTENTS SALE
DEPENDABLE CAREGIVER
needed for a senior in
Columbus area. MUST
THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUAL IS HAVE EXPERIENCE IN
SENIOR CARE. Must have
IN DEFAULT OF PAYMENT ON
THEIR STORAGE AT MCCON- references, reliable trans-
NELL BROTHERS TRANSFER portation, background
AND STORAGE, 2406 HWY 69
check, Covid test & vac-
SOUTH, COLUMBUS, MS
39702. THE CONTENTS OF cine. 630-698-6049.
THIS STORAGE WILL BE AUC-
TIONED ON 3/25/21 AT 10:00
A.M.
James Henley – Unit 18
Fred Hughes – Unit 15
PUBLISH: 3/7, 3/10 &
3/14/2021
IN THE CHANCERY COURT OF
LOWNDES COUNTY, MISSIS-
SIPPI
IN THE MATTER OF THE ES-
TATE REBECCA HIELCHER, DE-
CEASED
CAUSE NO. 2020-378
RULE 81 SUMMONS
BY PUBLICATION
TO: ALL UNKNOWN HEIRS AT
LAW OF REBECCA HIELCHER,
DECEASED
You have been made Respond-
ents in the suit filed in this
Court by Laverne Cooper, Ad-
ministratrix of the Estate of Re-
becca Hielcher, Deceased,
seeking a Petition to Determ-
ine Heirs at Law. You are
summoned to appear and de-
fend against the Petition filed
against you in this action at
Housesa.m.
For Sale:
9:00 on Other
the 23rd day of
April 2021, before the Honor-
able Joseph N. Studdard Chan-
cery Court Judge, in Judge
Studdard’s courtroom at the
Lowndes County Chancery
Courthouse located at 505 S.
Ave N., Columbus, MS 39701
and in case of your failure to
appear and defend a judgment
will be entered against you for
money or other things deman-
ded in the Petition. You are not
required to file an Answer or
other pleading, but you may do
so if you desire.
Issued under my hand and the
seal of the Court, this the 5th
day of March, 2021.
CHANCERY CLERK
BY: Shantrell W. Granderson
(SEAL)
Gerald Gaggini, MSB 99905
2500 Hickory Wood Dr.
Tupelo, MS 38801
Telephone: 601-212-3696
PUBLISH: 3/10, 3/17 &
3/24/2021
The best place for personalized
advertising in your community.
SIPPI
IN THE MATTER OF THE ES-
TATE REBECCA HIELCHER, DE-
CEASED
CAUSE NO. 2020-378
RULE 81 SUMMONS
BY PUBLICATION
TO: ALL UNKNOWN HEIRS AT
LAW OF REBECCA HIELCHER,
DECEASED
You have been made Respond-
ents in the suit filed in this
Court by Laverne Cooper, Ad-
ministratrix of the Estate of Re-
becca Hielcher, Deceased,
seeking a Petition to Determ-
LegalHeirs
ine Notices
at Law. You are
summoned to appear and de-
fend against the Petition filed
against you in this action at
9:00 a.m. on the 23rd day of
April 2021, before the Honor-
able Joseph N. Studdard Chan-
cery Court Judge, in Judge
Studdard’s courtroom at the
Lowndes County Chancery
Courthouse located at 505 S.
Ave N., Columbus, MS 39701
and in case of your failure to
appear and defend a judgment
will be entered against you for
money or other things deman-
ded in the Petition. You are not
required to file an Answer or
other pleading, but you may do
so if you desire.
Issued under my hand and the
seal of the Court, this the 5th
day of March, 2021.
CHANCERY CLERK
BY: Shantrell W. Granderson
(SEAL)
Gerald Gaggini, MSB 99905
2500 Hickory Wood Dr.
Tupelo, MS 38801
Telephone: 601-212-3696
PUBLISH: 3/10, 3/17 &
3/24/2021
Employment
Call us: 662-328-2424
General Help Wanted
HELP NEEDED: Looking for
someone with a good work
ethic, a reliable source of
transportation and a posit-
ive attitude. Must be able
to work off of a ladder and
walk on a roof. Bonuses
for production output.
$12/hr. 662-574-0062.
LEGAL SECRETARY needed
for local firm. Must be able
to work dual screen
computer. Email resume
with references to:
job117@cdispatch.com
FOX RUN APARTMENTS
1 & 2 BR near hospital.
THE COMMERCIAL
$595−$645 monthly.
DISPATCH Military discount, pet area,
is seeking a part time pet friendly, and furnished
employee for approxim-
corporate apts.
ately 2-3 hours of work per 24−HOUR PROFESSIONAL
day. Driving required. GYM. ON SITE SECURITY.
Must have reliable trans- ON SITE MAINTENANCE.
portation, valid driver's ON SITE MANAGEMENT.
license & auto insurance. 24−HOUR CAMERA
$9 per hour plus mileage. SURVEILLANCE. Benji &
Apply at our office at 516 Ashleigh, 662−386−4446.
Main Street in Columbus
or via email to Mike Floyd
at mfloyd@cdispatch.com
ads.cdispatch.com
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Ads appear in The Commercial Dispatch,
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General Help Wanted
THE COMMERCIAL
DISPATCH
seeks a motivated,
contracted carrier for the
Caledonia area. Excellent
opportunity to earn money
for college. Must have
good transportation, valid
driver's license & insur-
ance. Delivers on Sunday
morning and Mon-Fri after-
noons. Apply at The Com-
mercial Dispatch, 516
Main Street in Columbus.
No phone calls please.
SEASONS OF COLUMBUS,
which is a new senior
citizen residential facility, is
currently taking applica-
tions for the following posi-
tions: Property Operations
Assistant and Resident As-
sistant. For more informa-
tion, job description, or an
application, please call
Mrs. Taylor at 662-657-
1661.
Medical / Dental
The Golden Triangle Plan-
ning and Development Dis-
trict is accepting applica-
tions for part-time person-
al care attendants to work
in the Golden Triangle area.
Applicants must have a val-
id driver’s license, reliable
transportation and liability
insurance on vehicle. Male
and female applicants
needed. Contact Minnie
Lindsey at the Golden Tri-
angle Planning and Devel-
opment District, 106 Miley
Drive, P. O. Box 828, Stark-
ville, MS 39760. No tele-
phone calls please.
Rentals
Ads starting at $25
Apts For Rent: North
802 17TH ST. N.
2 bed/ 1 bath, all electric,
ceramic tiled bath, carpet,
appliances. $475/Mth.
Credit check. Call Long &
Long @ 662−328−0770.
Read local.
cdispatch.com
One call will bring you results.
662-328-2424 or place your ad online at
ads.cdispatch.com
Service Directory
Promote your small business starting at only $25
Building & Remodeling
HOME REPAIRS &
MAINTENANCE
Work wanted. Carpentry,
concrete, electrical &
plumbing, shingle & metal
roofing, fascia & soffit
repairs, pressure washing
& mobile home repairs.
No Job Too Small.
662−549−7031.
General Services
A & T TREE SERVICES
Bucket truck & stump
removal. Free est.
Serving Columbus
since 1987. Senior
citizen disc. Call Alvin @
242−0324/241−4447
"We’ll go out on a limb
for you!"
Find the best deals.
Preferred placement in search
results and highlighted online.
Graphic $10.50
Enhance your ad with
an attention getter.
To place ads starting at only $12,
call 662-328-2424 or visit ads.cdispatch.com
THE DISPATCH n CDISPATCH.COM n WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2021 n 8B
Apts For Rent: West Mobile Homes for Rent Sporting Goods
VIP
3BR/2BA MH in New Hope. ED SANDERS GUNSMITH
$650 dep + $650/mo. Open for season!
Rentals
No pets, quiet area. Leave Tue−Fri: 9−5 & Sat: 9−12
voicemail with full name & Over 50 years experience!
message, 205−712−6697. Repairs, cleaning, refin−
Apartments & Houses ishing, scopes mounted &
RENT A CAMPER! zeroed, handmade knives.
1 Bedrooms CHEAPER THAN A MOTEL! Located: Hwy 45 Alt, North
Utilities & cable included, of West Point, turn right on
2 Bedroooms from $150/wk − $555/mo Yokahama Blvd, 8mi & turn
3 Bedrooms
Columbus & County School left on Darracott Rd, will
locations. 662−242−3803 see sign, 2.5mi ahead
shop on left.
or 601−940−1397.
Furnished & Unfurnished 662−494−6218.
1, 2, & 3 Baths Want to get back to nature?
Lease, Deposit
& Credit Check
Real Estate Need some R&R?
viceinvestments.com Ads starting at $25
327-8555
Farms & Timberland Shop here first.
Apts For Rent: Other
203 ACRES
Vehicles
PRIME TIMBERLAND
$270,000
Exc deer, turkey hunting
Good Investment
(615)719−8329 Ads starting at $12
Motorcycles & ATVs
LAMAR COUNTY, AL: 63
ACRES on County Road 34.
’05 HONDA REBEL 250
Exc hunting, some timber,
power & county water.
Black, red & grey. Actual
miles, 1,432. $1200.
$1,150 per acre. 205−712
−5606 or 205−799−9846.
662−364−0120.
Lots & Acreage
1.75 ACRE LOTS: Good/
Bad Credit Options. Good
Community
credit as low as 20% down,
$499/mo. Eaton Land, Ads starting at $12
662−361−7711.
Pets
Merchandise
COLEMAN REGISTERED DACHSHUND
puppies for sale.
RENTALS Ready to go now!
Call 205−596−3264.
TOWNHOUSES & APARTMENTS
Ads starting at $12
1 BEDROOM
Bargain Column Looking for
2 BEDROOMS
3 BEDROOMS CRAFTSMAS WEED EATER, a new pet?
gas power, used little, runs
LEASE,
© The Dispatch
great. $70. 662−329−
DEPOSIT 1793.
AND LAWNMOWER. 20 inch cut
CREDIT CHECK basic mower, runs good,
briggs engine. $65.
662-329-2323 662−329−1793.
Burial Plots
2411 HWY 45 N
2 BURIAL PLOTS
COLUMBUS, MS
Located in Veteran location
@ Memorial Gardens of
Houses For Rent: North Columbus, MS. Must have
cash, $7500. A savings of Five Questions:
COLONIAL TOWNHOUSES. $1500. Plots include burial
2 & 3 bedroom w/ 2−3 vaults and can be
1 Makes maps
bath townhouses. $650 to exchanged for any spot
$750. 662−549−9555. other than a veteran.
Ask for Glenn or text. Call 662−386−4080 or
662−386−4081.
Mobile Homes for Rent
Lawn & Garden 2 Aflac
1909 ROBERSON ST. 3BR/
2BA, $650/mo + $650 HEAVY DUTY REAR TYNE
dep. No smoking. No pets. GARDEN TILLER. In good 3 Bernie Madoff
No HUD. Near hospital. shape. Price: $350. Call
662−549−3328. 662−251−3304.
4 False
5 Polar bear
General Services General Services Painting & Papering
DUMP TRUCK HAULING.
Slag − $400 BANKRUPTCY QUALITY PAINTING
Ext/Int Painting
Clay Gravel − $250 CHAPTER 7 Sheet Rock Hang, Finish &
Millie for Driveways − $375 BANKRUPTCY Repair. Pressure Washing.
Available for hauling any $545 plus Filing Fee Free Estimates. Ask for
materials. Filling in specials! Larry Webber,
swimming pools. CHAPTER 13 662−242−4932.
Columbus. Call Walter, BANKRUPTCY
662−251−8664. All Attorney Fees Through The Plan
SULLIVAN’S PAINT
WORK WANTED:
Jim Arnold, Attorney SERVICE
Special Prices.
Licensed & Bonded. 662-324-1666 Interior & Exterior Painting.
TILL SMALL GARDENS. 104 South Lafayette Street, Starkville 662−435−6528
Carpentry, minor electrical, Please visit our website:
minor plumbing, insulation, jimharnold.com
painting, demolition, Saturday morning appointments
gutters cleaned, pressure
available for Starkville Office.
washing, landscaping, &
cleanup work.
Lawn Care / Landscaping
662−242−3608.
JESSE & BEVERLY’S
If you don’t advertise LAWN SERVICE
your business, Fall Cleanup, Tree Cutting,
how are they Landscaping, Sodding &
Grow your business.
Bush Hogging
gonna know? 662−356−6525
ADS STARTING AT
$12