stablished 1879 | columbus, mississippi ome delivery t | f ...eedition+files/the... · program in...

WEATHER

136th Year, No. 286

Destiny BrewerFirst grade, West Lowndes

High 61 Low 33Mostly sunny

Full forecast on page 2A.

FIVE QUESTIONS1 What is the name of the doctor who was convicted in the death of Michael Jackson?2 Who attempted to assassinate Ed-win (Ted) Walker on April 10, 1963?3 Christopher Sholes invented what?4 How many hours are in one week?5 Who plays Daryl Dixon in “The Walk-ing Dead”?

Answers, 8B

INSIDEClassifieds 7BComics 6B

Obituaries 5AOpinions 6A

DISPATCH CUSTOMER SERVICE 328-2424 | NEWSROOM 328-2471

established 1879 | Columbus, mississippi

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thursdaY | FebruarY 11, 2016

LOCAL FOLKS

Alicia Weeks

CALENDAR

Today■ Gordy Honors Series: Mississippi University for Women’s spring Gordy Honors College Forum Series opens with Dr. Kate McClellan speaking on Jordanian animal welfare work. The 6 p.m. program in Nissan Auditorium in Parkinson Hall is free to the public. Visit web.muw.edu/honors/forum.■ Lee Home Valentine Party: The Stephen D. Lee Foundation presents its sixth annual Valen-tine Party fundraiser at the home of Edna and Rick McGill in Columbus from 7-10 p.m. Special desserts, spirits and floral creations highlight the evening. Proceeds benefit the Stephen D. Lee Home and Museum. For more information and tickets, contact Eulalie Davis, 662-328-3088.■ Book talk: Terry Lynn Thomas discusses her debut novel, “The Spirit of Grace,” at the Starkville Public Library’s Books with Authors at noon. Free to the public. For more information, contact the library, 662-323-2766.

PUBLIC MEETINGSFeb. 12: Lowndes County School District Board of Trustees, District Central Office, 11 a.m. Feb. 16: Lowndes County Super-visors, Court-house,9 a.m. Feb. 16: Colum-bus City Council, Municipal Com-plex, 5 p.m.Feb. 29: Lowndes County Super-visors, Court-house,9 a.m.

BROWNING ON BUSINESS Inside, See page 4A

SCRAPPING IT ALL

Luisa Porter/Dispatch StaffCharles Heard, of Starkville, helps move old scraps out of the Gilmer Inn in downtown Columbus. The city of Columbus purchased the inn and is in the process of tearing it down. Appliances, furniture, and beds will be taken to the city dump.

BY EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS AND JONATHAN MATTISEThe Associated Press

JACKSON — Abortion opponents in Mississippi,

West Virginia and several other states are filing bills to ban an abortion proce-dure commonly used in the second trimester that opponents describe as dis-

membering a fetus.Courts have already

blocked similar laws that Kansas and Oklahoma en-acted in 2015.

The New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights, which represents abortion providers in legal fights, says banning the dilation and evacuation

method of abortion — commonly called “D&E” — is unconstitutional be-cause it interferes with private medical decisions.

“Laws like these are an attack on women’s health, personal autonomy, and the doctor-patient relation-ship, and they have the po-tential to force physicians

to subject women seeking safe and legal abortion services in the second tri-mester to additional inva-sive and unnecessary pro-cedures,” Kelly Baden, the center’s director of state advocacy, said in a letter this week to West Virginia lawmakers.

Baden said dilation and

evacuation is the safest method for the second trimester and is used for about 95 percent of all sec-ond-trimester abortions in the U.S.

The Mississippi bill uses language provided by the Washington-based Na-

Several states seek to block 2nd trimester abortion methodCourts have already blocked similar laws Kansas and Oklahoma enacted

See ABORTION, 8A

BY ISABELLE [email protected]

Safe Haven’s Domestic Abuse Intervention Program is ready to go. Now it needs judges to refer abusers to the program.

“We’ve got our place where we’re going to meet, the time and all that,” Joyce Tucker, ex-

ecutive director of Safe Haven, told The Dispatch. “We just need some support now.”

Safe Haven’s DAIR program is designed to work with people convicted of domestic violence over a period of 24 weeks, help-ing them change their violent behavior and attitudes about women.

Tucker se-cured funding for the program via a $2,550 grant from United Way of Lowndes County. Two program fa-cilitators — one from Lowndes County, one from Oktibbeha County — have been trained and are ready to run the program. Tucker has secured

a time and place for the class-es — Tuesdays at 6 p.m. at the Lowndes County Justice Court Building — and arranged for security to be present.

Though people can self-refer themselves for the program, Tucker expects the majority to be sent by justice court and mu-nicipal court judges.

Former Columbus Munici-pal Court Judges Marc Amos and Nicole Clinkscales both

indicated that they were willing to refer domestic violence of-fenders to the program. Amos and Clinkscales have since left the bench, however, and the DAIR program appears to be back at square one.

Tucker said she has not yet spoken to the two new munic-ipal judges — Gary Goodwin and Rhonda Hayes Ellis — but she intends to.

Alternative domestic abuse program ready

Paramedic arrested in Lowndes for sexual batteryLafayette Co. man faces up to three decades in prisonBY SAM [email protected]

A Lafayette Coun-ty hospital paramedic was arrested Monday in Lowndes County for sex-ual battery of a vulnerable person, according to Mis-sissippi Attorney General Jim Hood.

Bryan Englebert, 36, of Walnut, was arrested on a Lowndes County Justice Court warrant and booked into the Lowndes County Adult Detention Center. He is charged with one count of sexual battery — or sexual fondling or penetration — of a vulnerable person, according to a press release from Hood’s office. In cases of vulnerable persons, Mississippi law states the victim’s consent is irrelevant.

Rachael Ring, who works in Hood’s of-fice, told The Dispatch this morning she could not release any other information.

If convicted, Englebert faces a max-imum of 30 years in jail and $10,000 in fines.

His arrest was carried out by investi-gators with the Attorney General’s Of-fice Medicaid Fraud Control Unit with assistance from the Alcorn County Sher-iff’s Department.

The case is being investigated by Joe Sanderson and Barrick Fortune and will be prosecuted by Special Assistant At-torneys General Mark McClinton and Katie Moulds of the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.

New Orleans-style music comes to Market St.DISPATCH STAFF REPORT

Main Street Columbus has an-nounced that New Orleans style musi-cal acts will perform at the 2016 Mar-ket Street Festival on May 6-7.

The Big Fun Brass Band begins the music at the Columbus Riverwalk at 7 p.m. Friday, May 6, according to

a press release from Main Street Columbus. Rockin Dopsie, Jr. & the Zydeco Twisters will fol-low at 9 p.m.

“We are bringing a little of the Big Easy to the Friendly City, as both of our Friday night music acts come to us straight

from New Orleans,” said MSF Music Chairperson Dawn Barham.

The concert is free and open to the public. Attendees can also buy food and drinks from vendors who will be set up downtown.

The day after the concert, 225 ven-dors selling everything from arts and crafts to food will set up throughout 12 city blocks of Downtown Colum-

Tucker

Englebert

2016 Market Street Festival will be May 6-7

See FESTIVAL, 8A

No referrals yet by county, city judges

Barham

See SAFE HAVEN, 8A

The DispaTch • www.cdispatch.com2A THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2016

DID YOU HEAR?

CONTACTING THE DISPATCH

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Five-Day forecast for the Golden Triangle

Almanac Data National Weather

Lake Levels

River Stages

Sun and MoonSolunar table

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

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

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

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

The solunar period schedule allows planning days so you will be fishing in good territory or hunting in good cover during those times.

Temperature

Precipitation

Tombigbee

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

Columbus Wednesday

High/low ..................................... 47°/21°Normal high/low ......................... 58°/35°Record high ............................ 78° (1965)Record low .............................. 12° (1971)

Wednesday ...................................... 0.00"Month to date ................................. 4.15"Normal month to date ...................... 1.93"Year to date .................................... 8.52"Normal year to date ......................... 7.29"

Friday Saturday

Atlanta 58 30 pc 43 24 sBoston 26 16 pc 21 -3 snChicago 23 0 pc 14 4 sDallas 69 40 s 64 47 sHonolulu 82 69 s 82 69 pcJacksonville 75 45 pc 61 33 sMemphis 54 25 pc 39 27 s

61°

30°

Friday

Partly sunny

46°

24°

Saturday

Mostly sunny and cooler

46°

38°

Sunday

Partly sunny and chilly

52°

36°

Monday

Periods of rain

Aberdeen Dam 188' 163.34' -1.12'Stennis Dam 166' 137.34' -1.12'Bevill Dam 136' 136.31' -0.04'

Amory 20' 11.86' -1.30'Bigbee 14' 6.66' -2.79'Columbus 15' 6.91' -0.56'Fulton 20' 10.78' -1.40'Tupelo 21' 2.00' -0.06'

New

Mar. 8

Last

Mar. 1

Full

Feb. 22

First

Feb. 15

Sunrise ..... 6:43 a.m.Sunset ...... 5:34 p.m.Moonrise ... 8:42 a.m.Moonset .... 9:16 p.m.

Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2016

Major ..... 3:06 a.m.Minor ..... 9:19 a.m.Major ..... 3:33 p.m.Minor ..... 9:46 p.m.

Major ..... 4:05 a.m.Minor ... 10:19 a.m.Major ..... 4:32 p.m.Minor ... 10:46 p.m.

FridayThursday

Friday Saturday

Nashville 44 19 pc 32 17 pcOrlando 74 53 s 70 43 sPhiladelphia 32 19 pc 20 2 cPhoenix 86 53 s 86 54 sRaleigh 39 25 c 33 14 sSalt Lake City 47 30 s 48 30 sSeattle 55 44 sh 52 46 r

Tonight

30°

Mainly clear

ThursdaySAY WHAT?“I’m there to maybe try to make the major league club and work as hard as I possibly can.”Former Mississippi State outfielder Hunter Renfroe, who will try to make the opening-day roster of Major

League Baseball’s San Diego Padres. Story, 1B.

New adaptation of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ heads to Broadway

BY MARK KENNEDYAP Drama Writer

NEW YORK — Harper Lee’s classic novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” — and its now-somewhat sullied hero Atticus Finch — are head-ing to Broadway in a new adaptation written by Aar-on Sorkin.

Producer Scott Rudin said Wednesday the play will land during the 2017-2018 season under the di-rection of Tony Award win-ner Bartlett Sher, who is represented on Broadway now with the brilliant reviv-als of “The King and I” and “Fiddler on the Roof.” No casting was revealed.

Sorkin’s plays include “A Few Good Men” and “The Farnsworth Invention.” He won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for his screenplay for “The Social Network,” which Ru-din produced, along with Sorkin’s other films “Steve Jobs” and “Moneyball.”

The book has been made the leap to the stage before, including a 1991 adaptation by Christopher

Sergel which premiered at New Jersey’s Paper Mill Playhouse. There also was a production in 2013 that had a run at London’s Bar-bican Theatre with Robert Sean Leonard in the role of Finch, the noble widow-er and lawyer called upon to defend a black man ac-cused of raping a white woman in Depression-era Alabama. This new ver-sion will mark the story’s Broadway debut.

“To Kill a Mockingbird,” published in 1960, intro-duced Finch, Scout, Boo Radley and other beloved literary characters. The book was adapted into an Oscar-winning movie star-ring Gregory Peck as Atti-cus and has become stan-dard reading in schools and other reading programs, with worldwide sales top-ping 40 million copies.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1961, and widely praised as a sensitive por-trait of racial tension as seen through the eyes of a child in 1930s Alabama, it also has been criticized as sentimental and paternal-istic.

Last year saw the pub-lication of Lee’s recently discovered manuscript, “Go Set a Watchman,” de-scribed as a first draft of the story that evolved into “Mockingbird.”

Producer says play will begin during 2017-2018 season

BY CATHERINE LUCEY AND LISA LERERThe Associated Press

CONCORD, New Hampshire — For young women, political revolu-tion is currently trump-ing the idea of a Madame President.

In New Hampshire, women under the age of 45 overwhelmingly backed Bernie Sanders over Hillary Clinton, exit polls showed. It’s a prob-lem for the former secre-tary of state as she tries to build the coalition of voters needed to win the Democratic nomination,

and she knows it, saying of young voters as she conceded New Hamp-shire to Sanders that, “even if they are not sup-porting me now, I support them.”

The numbers are stag-gering, and not just be-cause Clinton — widely expected to be the first woman to win the pres-idential nomination of a major political party — lost New Hampshire women to a 74-year-old grandfather. Sanders won the votes of 7 out of every 10 women under the age of 45, and nearly 80 per-

cent of women under the age of 30.

“I think for young women, they clearly iden-tify as feminists, they say they’re feminists, but I think the notion of having a woman president ... it doesn’t drive them in the same way, as women who are in the traditional sec-ond wave of feminism,” said Debbie Walsh, di-rector for the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers Uni-versity.

Indeed, young women in New Hampshire said they were more inspired

by the Ver-mont sena-tor’s ambi-tious policy proposals, inc lud ing a govern-m e n t - r u n health care system for

all and free public college tuition. Clinton’s more pragmatic ideas and com-plicated public history are a tough sell.

“We always have an-other chance to have an-other woman president, but do we have another chance to have someone as genuine as Bernie Sanders is?” asked Nicole McGillicuddy, 26, a serv-er at a Concord restau-rant, who believes there will a female president in her lifetime.

Clinton struggles to win over younger women

BY JILL COLVINThe Associated Press

NASHUA, N.H. — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie dropped out of the race for the Republican nomi-nation for president “with-out an ounce of regret” on Wednesday, a day after his disappointing sixth-place finish in New Hamp-shire’s primary.

“While running for president I tried to rein-force what I have always believed — that speak-ing your mind matters, that experience matters, that competence matters and that it will always matter in leading our na-tion,” Christie wrote on his Facebook page and in an email to support-ers. “That message was

heard by and stood for by a lot of people, but just not enough and that’s OK.”

C a m -p a i g n spokeswoman Saman-tha Smith said Christie shared his decision with staff at his campaign headquarters in Morris-town, New Jersey, late Wednesday afternoon,

and also called donors and other supporters to give them the news.

At his New Hampshire watch party Tuesday night, Christie told sup-porters he was heading home to New Jersey to “take a deep breath” and decide what to do next. But he spoke of his cam-paign in the past tense at one point and cancelled a Wednesday event in next-to-vote South Carolina, suggesting the end was near.

Chris Christie ends 2016 White House bid

BY CATHERINE LUCEYThe Associated Press

DES MOINES — For-mer technology executive Carly Fiorina exited the 2016 Republican presiden-tial race Wednesday, after winning praise for her debate prowess but strug-gling to build a winning co-alition in a crowded GOP field.

“While I suspend my candidacy today, I will con-tinue to travel this country and fight for those Amer-icans who refuse to settle for the way things are and a status quo that no longer works for them,” Fiorina wrote in a Facebook state-ment.

“I will continue to serve in order to restore citizen government to this great nation so that together we may fulfill our potential,” the statement said.

Fiorina, 61, entered the tumultuous Republi-can primary in April. She promoted herself as an outsider with business experience and argued that as the lone woman in the GOP field she was best positioned to oppose likely Democratic nomi-nee Hillary Clinton. After a standout performance in the first undercard de-bate, Fiorina rose to the mainstage and soared in the polls in the fall. But

her momen-tum quickly stalled and by the end of the year she had d r o p p e d back down.

F i o r i n a won ap-plause from women on both sides of the aisle in the second Republican de-bate in September when she was asked to respond to Donald Trump’s com-ments criticizing her face.

“I think women all over this country heard very clearly what Mr. Trump said,” Fiorina said calmly. Trump sought to smooth things over, saying “I think she’s got a beautiful face and I think she’s a beauti-ful woman.”

Carly Fiorina ends Republican bid for President

BY STEVE PEOPLESThe Associated Press

BLUFFTON, S.C. — The best hope of the Republican establish-ment just a week ago, Marco Rubio suddenly faces a path to his party’s presidential nomination that could require a brokered national con-vention.

That’s according to Rubio’s campaign manager, Terry Sullivan, who told The Associated Press that this week’s disappointing per-formance in New Hampshire will extend the Republican nomination fight for another three months, if not longer. It’s a worst-case scenar-io for Rubio and many Republican officials alike who hoped to avoid a prolonged and painful nomination

fight in 2016.“We very easily could be looking

at May — or the convention,” Sul-livan said aboard Rubio’s charter jet from New Hampshire to South Carolina on Wednesday. “I would be surprised if it’s not May or the convention.”

The public embrace of a possi-ble brokered convention marks a sharp shift in rhetoric from Rubio’s top adviser that could be designed to raise alarm bells among Repub-lican officials. Yet days after a dis-appointing fifth-place finish in New Hampshire and looking up at Don-ald Trump in next-up South Caro-lina, Rubio’s presidential ambitions are truly facing growing odds.

While he downplayed his dilem-ma on his first day in South Caro-

lina after the New Hampshire setback, the first-term Flori-da senator discussed his political challeng-es at length during an unusual 45-min-ute question-and-an-swer session with reporters aboard his

campaign plane on Wednesday. He answered questions until there weren’t any more, noting afterward that he hadn’t held a session that long with reporters since his days as Florida’s House speaker.

In remarks that were at times personal and others defiant, he also may have simply needed to talk it out to help process his predica-ment. It also seemed he needed to prove to the political world, himself and his family that he could face the biggest test of his young pres-idential bid.

Rubio eyes brokered convention after New Hampshire setback

CAMPAIGN 2016

Rubio campaign manager expects GOP nomination fight to continue at least three more months

Rubio

In New Hampshire, Sanders won the votes of 7 out of every 10 women under the age of 45, and nearly 80 percent of women under the age of 30

Clinton

New Jersey governor drops out ‘without an ounce of regret’

Christie

Former exec had argued she was best positioned to oppose Hillary Clinton

Fiorina

cdispatch.com

ONLINE SUBSCRIPTIONSFor less than $1 per month, print subscribers can get unlimited access to story comments, extra photos, newspaper archives and much more with an online subscription. Nonsubscribers can purchase online access for less than $8 per month. Go to www.cdispatch.com/subscribe

MSU SPORTS BLOGVisit The Dispatch MSU Sports Blog for breaking

Bulldog news: www.cdispatch.com/msusports@THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2016 3A

Paint YourWorld Purple

The 2016 Lowndes County Relay For LifeCancer Survivor

Celebration Dinner will be held on Thursday, April 14, 2016 • 6 p.m.

at Columbus High School.

The 2016 Lowndes County Relay For LifeCaregiver Reception

will be held on Tuesday, April 19, 2016 • 6 p.m. at Baptist Memorial Hospital-GT

in Education Rooms 4&5

2016 Survivor DinnerRegistration Form

Name: _____________________________________________Address: ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________Phone number: ______________________________________Email address: _______________________________________

Mail to: Shirt Size:______________

Mott Ellis q Survivor - FREE, Plus 1 - $5

P.O. Box 5093 Make checks payable to: Columbus, MS 39704 American Cancer Society

2016 Caregiver ReceptionRegistration Form

Name: _____________________________________________Address: ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________Phone number: ______________________________________Email address: _______________________________________

Mail to: q Loved one lost their battle

Mott Ellis q Loved one still fighting

P.O. Box 5093 q Loved one won the fightColumbus, MS 39704 Caregiver - FREE, Plus 1 - donation

Every survivor planning to attend must

pre-register no later than March 15, 2016

If you haven’t registered online,you can still register by calling

Teresa Howell at 662-386-0219or mail to the address on the

registration form.

(If no answer, please leave your name,number, address, email address and shirt size)

Every caregiver planning to attend must

pre-register no later than March 15, 2016

If you haven’t registered online,you can still register by calling

Teresa Howell at 662-386-0219or mail to the address on the

registration form.

(If no answer, please leave your name,number, address, and email address)

501 Seventh Street North • Suite 2 • Columbus, MS 39701Phone: 662-244-6000 • Fax: 855-787-9901

Email: [email protected]

Steven C. WallaceAttorney At Law

Criminal LawPersonal Injury ClaimsCar Wrecks

Family LawDivorce, Custody, Child Support,Wills and Estates

Construction Law

© Th

e Disp

atch

AREA ARRESTS

The following arrests were made by Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Office:

■ James Lewis, 30, was charged with pos-session of a controlled substance.

■ Mi’kal Hollinsworth, 19, was charged with bur-glary of a residence.

■ Lamarcus Brown, 29, was charged with sexual battery.

■ Jenirro Bush, 28, was charged with rob-bery.

■ Dylan Cox, 20, was charged with possession of marijuana greater than 30 grams.

■ Alexander Holling-sworth, 22, was charged with trafficking con-

trolled substances.■ Timothy Williams,

51, was charged with trafficking controlled substances.

■ Jarred Creel, 28, was charged with driving un-der the influence, speed-ing, possession of beer and possession of firearm at sporting event.

■ Jody Britt, 30, was charged with enticement of a child.

■ Jared Thompson, 21, was charged with possession of controlled substances.

■ Elizabeth Atkins, 34, was charged with

embezzlement and false pretense.

■ Ashley Hall, 25, was charged with credit card fraud.

■ Heather Simpson, 29, was charged with embezzlement.

■ Timothy Kornegay, 39, was charged with domestic violence.

■ Jason Ellis, 33, was charged with possession of weapon by a felon.

■ Season Kellum, 28, was charged with circuit court order.

■ Christopher Bar-nett, 20, was charged with possession of cocaine.

Hollingsworth

Hall

Cox

Atkins

Barnett

Bush

Thompson

Kellum

Brown

Britt

Ellis

Hollinsworth

Creel

Kornegay

Lewis

Williams

Simpson

Send in your church event!email [email protected]

Subject: Religious brief

BY JEFF AMYThe Associated Press

JACKSON — An appeals court Wednesday upheld Mississippi’s method of lethal injection, reject-ing arguments from death row inmates who opposed the state’s plan to use drugs not specifically approved by state law.

The 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate ruled in-correctly in August when he issued a preliminary injunction blocking the state from executing prisoners.

The opinion by Circuit Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod rejected ar-

guments by death row prisoners that Mississippi can’t execute them because the state no longer will be using the particular class of drugs required by state law. She wrote that if inmates want to pursue such claims, they should do so in state court.

Mississippi law requires a three-drug process, with an “ul-tra-short-acting barbiturate” fol-lowed by a paralyzing agent and a drug that stops an inmate’s heart. But Mississippi and other states had increasing difficulty obtaining such drugs after 2010, as manufac-turers began refusing to sell it for executions.

Now, the state says it intends to use another sedative, midazol-am, which doesn’t render someone unconscious as quickly. The U.S. Supreme Court recently upheld as constitutional Oklahoma’s use of midazolam.

“Mississippi’s statutory require-ments and the associated lethal injection protocol are not ‘atypical ... in relation to the ordinary’ in comparison with other states’ exe-cution protocols,” Elrod wrote.

Prisoners claimed they faced risk of excruciating pain and tor-ture during an execution because they might remain conscious after midazolam was administered, and that such pain violates the U.S. Constitution’s Eighth Amendment prohibition against cruel and un-usual punishment.

Appeals court tosses order blocking Mississippi executionsPrisoners claimed they faced risk of excruciating pain and torture during an execution

FBI investigates bomb threats at Mississippi schools

JACKSON — Authori-ties say the FBI and the Of-fice of Homeland Security are investigating bomb threats at seven Mississip-pi school districts.

Mississippi Emergen-cy Management Agency spokesman Greg Flynn told multiple news outlets the federal government is taking the lead in the in-vestigation.

Officials say the Senato-bia Municipal School Dis-trict dismissed students in grades 7-12 Tuesday due

to security concerns at the high school.

WREG-TV reports the students were evacuated from the building and re-located to the Northwest Mississippi Community college campus and the Senatobia Police Depart-ment.

Other district receiv-ing bomb threats Tues-day included: Hattiesburg Public Schools, Bassfield High School in Jefferson Davis County, Magee High School, Menden-hall High School, Jim Hill High School in Jackson and Tishomingo County Schools.

There have been no reports that any explosive devices were found.

Police arrest 3 accused of prostituting juvenile girl

BILOXI — Police have arrested three adults they say targeted a missing ju-venile girl for human traf-ficking.

The Sun Herald reports Biloxi police found the girl and the three adults Tues-day at a hotel and arrested the adults on charges of human trafficking that ap-plies to sexual activity for profit.

Lt. Aldon Helmert says they had been prostituting the girl, but she is now safe. The juvenile had been re-ported missing from an-other area. Helmert says investigators found her af-ter they received a tip that she was in Biloxi. Helmert declined to disclose the girl’s age.

The three adults ar-rested were 24-year-old Demetri Montrez Evans, 28-year-old Kendrick Cortez McCollum and 22-year-old Sherrica Mo-nique Lewis.

A judge set bond for each at $100,000.

BY EMILY WAGSTER PET-TUSThe Associated Press

JACKSON — The Mis-sissippi Supreme Court is considering a challenge by a Chicago businessman who’s trying to get list-ed on the state’s March 8 Democratic primary ballot

for president.Three justices heard ar-

guments Wednesday from attorneys representing Willie Wilson and the Mis-sissippi secretary of state, but did not say when they would rule.

Wilson’s attorney, Sam Begley, said he thinks the

Mississippi Democratic Party and the secretary of state are violating Wilson’s constitutional rights by leaving him off the ballot. The party initially rejected Wilson’s petition to be list-ed, saying he submitted too few signatures. Party chairman Rickey Cole lat-er contacted the secretary of state and said to list Wil-son, but absentee ballots had been printed.

Begley asked justices

to order the secretary of state to produce and dis-tribute a new ballot that lists Wilson.

“We’re not asking any-thing too burdensome,” Begley said.

Harold Pizzetta, an at-torney representing the secretary of state’s office, said it’s too late to list Wil-son because absentee vot-ing started Jan. 23 for mil-itary and overseas voters.

Chicago man sues to try to get on Miss. primary ballotAttorney wants secretary of state to make new ballot listing businessman

AROUND THE STATE


Grand Opening © The Dispatch

The Greater Starkville Development Partnership is excited to welcome Bulldog Burger Company to Starkville and the GSDP with a ribbon

cutting. Bulldog Burger Company is located at 702 University Drive in the historic Cotton District. Stop by and welcome Bernard Bean, John

Bean, Robin Fant and staff to Starkville.--

RIBBON CUTTINGColumbus welcomes Cellphone Repair Geeks to the neighborhood! Stop

by for a repair to your cellphone or tablet. Also they stock a wide variety of

accessories as well as cellphones. They have free quotes on repair and they

will also by your used cellphones, tablets, ipods and much more! They are

located at 1803 Hwy 45 north in the Kroger Plaza

© The Dispatch

2500 Military Rd • Suite 1, Columbus, MS 39705www.westrealtycompany.com

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BusinessBROWNING ON BUSINESS

You may have noticed con-struction at the Burger King in east Columbus this week.

The eatery, located at 119 Alabama St., is undergoing reno-vations. An official with the city’s building department, which issued permits for the work, described it as a “reimaging.”

Here are specifics: The fast food restaurant’s play room for children is being done away with. The interi-or is being refurbished. It is being repainted. New signs are going up. The drive-thru will be tweaked.

The Burger King remains open.In Starkville, Bulldog Burger

Company opened last week.It’s located at 702 University Dr.,

where Sweet Peppers Deli once was. The new restaurant, owned by the Eat With Us Group, specializes in gourmet burgers.

There are salads, sandwiches, appetizers, beer (tapped and bot-

tled) and milkshakes on the menu. But the focus is burgers. They are 13 kinds on the menu, including “The Mis-sion” (chorizo, sliced avocado, Monterey Jack cheese); “Pimentolo-gy” (roasted-jalapeño pimento and cheese, fried green tomato); “Freshman 15” (pan-ko-fried mozzarella, bacon, sassy sauce); “Good Mornin’” (bacon, cheddar, potato hash, fried egg); and others.

The eatery is open from 11 a.m. to midnight, Monday through Thursday; from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., Friday and Saturday; and from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday. The full meno is available until 10 p.m. each night. After that, a “late night food menu” is available, according to Shannon Barkley, director of sales and marketing with Eat With Us Group.

Bulldog Burger Company em-ploys about 40 people.

Moving on.

With Sunday being Valentine’s Day, here are some interesting U.S. Census Bureau statistics.

There are 14,161 florist establishment in this country. There are 23,096 jewelry stores. In 2013, there were 1,185 manufacturing establishments that produced chocolate and cocoa products. There are 399 dating service

establishments, including Internet services, in the U.S.

Lastly, take this for what it’s worth: In January, Redbox, the movie rental service, announced that based on 2015 rentals of romance and romantic comedy, Columbus is the most romantic city in the U.S.

(It tied for the top spot, actually, with Lake Charles, Louisiana.)

Browning on Business is a weekly column that runs each Thursday. We want your input. Send items and tips to [email protected] or [email protected].

Burger buzz in Golden Triangle

William Browning

Plus: Redbox dubs Columbus ‘most romantic’

City of ColumbusFeb. 2, 2016-Feb. 8, 2016■ Alan Smith; 625 18th Ave. N.; Sign; Mid-South Signs■ Holiday Inn Express; 2000 6th St. N.; New Hotel; S&R Development■ Columbus Housing Author-ity; 24th St. N.; Mechanical Closets; Conerly Construction■ Columbus Housing Authori-ty; 1705 & 1707 Martin Luther King Dr.; Mechanical Closets; Conerly Construction■ Columbus Housing Author-ity; 18th Ave. N.; Mechanical Closets; Conerly Construction■ Columbus Housing Author-ity; 2405 &2407 Alfalfa Ave.; Mechanical Closets; Conerly Construction

■ Columbus Housing Authori-ty; 2402, 2404, 2406 Barley Ave.; Mechanical Closets; Conerly Construction■ Grayco; 311 Yorkville Park Sq.; Setup Equipment; Weath-er Construction■ Burger King; 119 Alabama Street; Alterations; Venture Construction■ William H. Mason; 108 13th St. N.; New Building; Owner■ Life Church; 419 Wilkins Wise Road; Alterations; Owner■ Mid-State Petroleum; 1402 Main St.; New Plumbing and Sewer; James Peterson■ Tommy Vice; 3501 Bluecutt Road; Gas Inspection; Dale Nelson■ Ben Paulding; 1206 3rd Ave. N.; Plumbing Inspection;

Ralph Shaw■ Howard Fisackerly; 109 Lintel Road; New Plumbing, Sewer and Gas; Kenny Pollard■ Robert Boland; 2621 Can-terbury Road; Sewer Inspec-tion; John Caddis■ Holiday Inn Express; 2000 6th St. N.; New Plumbing, Sewer and Gas; John Hoover■ Mid-State Petroleum; 1402 Main St.; New Electrical; Scott Hutcherson■ Sunflower; 225 Alabama St.; New Electrical; Innovate Electric■ Ben Paulding; 1206 3rd Ave. N.; Electrical Addition; Gordon Via■ Kroger; 1829 Hwy. 45 N.; Electrical Inspection; Buddy Easley

Lowndes CountyFeb. 10, 2016■ Grayco II; Rose Crest Lane; Construction Commercial Building; T&M Steel Erectors■ Grayco II; Rose Crest Lane; Construct Slab; McCrary-West Construction■ Jack Larmour Jr.; Jemison Road; Setup Mobile Home; Owner■ Jack Larmour Jr.; Jemison Road; Move Mobile Home; Alan’s Mobile Home■ Jesus Padron; 495 Donna Lane; Construct Storage/Shop; Owner■ Danny Harrison; Neilson Road; Construct Storage/Shop; Owner

BUILDING PERMITS

BY ALAN FRAMThe Associated Press

WASHINGTON — State and local govern-ments would be perma-nently barred from taxing access to the Internet un-der a bipartisan compro-mise that Congress is a step away from sending to President Barack Obama.

The Senate was expect-ed to vote Thursday to ap-prove the language, part of a wide-ranging measure that would also revamp trade laws.

The Internet tax pro-vision had broad support,

with few senators eager to oppose the bill and open the door to taxing online access during an election year. Nonetheless, some were resisting the legisla-tion because of trade pro-visions and a long-running dispute over a separate proposal on taxing online sales to consumers.

Since 1998, in the Inter-net’s early days, Congress has passed a series of bills temporarily prohibiting state and local govern-ments from imposing the types of monthly levies for online access that are

common for telephone ser-vice. Such legislation has been inspired by a popular sentiment that the Inter-net should be free — along with Republican opposi-tion to most tax proposals.

Until now, states that had already imposed In-ternet access taxes have been allowed to continue. Under the bill the Senate was considering, those states would have to phase out their taxes by the sum-mer of 2020.

Seven states — Hawaii, New Mexico, North Da-kota, Ohio, South Dako-ta, Texas and Wisconsin — have been collecting a combined $563 million yearly from Internet ac-

cess, according to infor-mation gathered by the nonpartisan Congressio-nal Research Service.

The House approved the compromise Internet and trade bill in Decem-ber, with the backing of nearly all Republicans but just 24 Democrats. De-spite two requests, White House press aides did not provide an administration position on the measure.

The legislation — espe-cially its trade provisions — has pitted the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business groups supporting the bill against opponents including the AFL-CIO and other labor organizations.

Congress likely to give final OK to local Internet tax banStates currently imposing taxes have until 2020 to phase out process

The DispaTch • www.cdispatch.com THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2016 5A

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Glennie BassonGlennnie Mae Owens Basson, 80, of

Columbus, MS, died Feb. 8, 2016, at Windsor Place in Columbus.

Services will be Friday at 11 a.m. at Dowdle Funeral Home with Bro. David Coleman officiating. Burial will follow in Mt. Carmel Cemetery. Visitation will be one hour prior to services.

Mrs. Basson was born October 24, 1935, in Palmetto, Alabama, to the late Walter Owens and Erma Long Owens. She was previously employed by Golden Triangle Regional Medical Hospital in the Insurance Department for many years, she was also a waitress at Holiday Inn. Mrs. Basson loved going to garage sales and auctions.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her grandson, Brian Yearby.

She is survived by her husband, Chestly Basson; daughter, Sheree Bevering; sons, James “Jimmy” Fowler and Roger Lee; grandchildren, Chris Yearby, Amy Yearby, Sarah E. Lee, Jonathan Lee, Abigail Lee and Rachel Lee; and three great-grandchildren.

Pallbearers will be Dale Perra, Jody Thompson, Keith Monahan, Billy Caldwell, James Basson and Randy Basson.

Paid Obituary - Dowdle Funeral Home

Chris McDillChris McDill, 33, died

peacefully at home, surrounded by his wife, Catherine (Katie) McDill, family and friends on Sunday, February 7, 2016 following a long illness. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Memorial Funeral Home. Visitation will be held Saturday, February 13, 2016 from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM in the atrium of Annunciation Catholic Church. A memorial service , conducted by Father Robert Dore, will follow at 11:00 AM in the sanctuary.

Chris was born on September 3, 1982, in West Point and grew up in Caledonia. He was the son of Armon and Judy McDill. He graduated from Caledonia High School in 2001 and attended Mis-sissippi University for Woman and East Missis-sippi Community College. He was employed by New Home Building Stores and founded his busi-ness, Item 13, with his wife, Katie.

Chris was an entrepreneur, craftsman and artist with a lifelong curiosity about how things work. Connecting with others through his pas-sions was one of Chris’ greatest joys in life. Whether he was woodworking or playing the gui-tar, crafting candles or painting his watercolors, Chris lovingly shared his creative and full life with Katie, his friends and his family.

Chris was a strong advocate for all things lo-cal using his selfless energy to support local arts, food and music. His business, Item 13, showcased his handmade candles and soaps along with crafts from around Mississippi. The Rosenzweig Arts Center featured Chris’s work with an exhibit of his watercolor collection of “lit-tle houses.”

Chris was both a contented homebody and an inquisitive traveler. He loved Columbus, his home, his garden, and his dog, Samson. He and Katie also enjoyed discovering new places in Mis-sissippi, traveling through many states to take in everything from the Grand Canyon to the Atlan-tic Ocean, and exploring Ireland, Scotland and England to soak up the local history and music.

In addition to his wife and parents, Chris is survived by his brothers Brad McDill (Jessica) and Steve McDill; his mother-in-law and father-in-law, Ray and Perky Richard; his sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Betsy and Thomas Johnston; and his nephew David Johnston.

Honorary pallbearers will be Brad McDill, Steve McDill, Erik Studdard, Joe Richardson and Kenny Caldwell.

Memorials may be made to Friends of An-nunciation Catholic Church, Chapel Renovation Fund, 823 College St., Columbus, MS 39701, An-nunciation Catholic School. 223 North Browder, Columbus, MS 39702 or tho the donor’s favorite charity.

Expressions of Sympathy MayBe Left At

www.memorialfuneral.net

FUNERAL HOME& CREMATORY

1131 Lehmberg Rd.Columbus, MS

662-328-1808www.lowndesfuneralhome.net

© The Dispatch

Complete & Total Dedication To You & Your Family

Christopher McDillVisitation:

Saturday, Feb. 13 • 9 AMAnnunciation Catholic Church

Services:Saturday, Feb. 13 • 11 AM

Annunciation Catholic Churchmemorialfuneral.net

Travis Jennings Sr.Visitation:

Thursday, Feb. 11 • 12-1:30 PMMemorial Funeral Home

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Larry GilmoreVisitation:

Thursday, Feb. 11 • 1 PMGunter & Peel Funeral Home

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Gunter & Peel Funeral ChapelBurial

Egger Cemeterygunterandpeel.com

AREA OBITUARIES

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — An Alabama woman serving life without parole in her granddaughter’s running death is on life support after a possible heart attack.

Dani Bone is a lawyer who represented Joyce Hardin Garrard during her trial last year. Bone said Wednesday that the 50-year-old woman was stricken at Tutwiler prison

on Sunday.Garrard has a history

of cardiac problems. Bone says the chances of her re-covering are poor.

Prison spokesman Bob Horton says she was treat-ed at the prison and then taken by helicopter ambu-lance to Jackson Hospital in Montgomery.

Garrard was convicted of killing 9-year-old Savan-nah Hardin by making her run as punishment for a lie about candy four years ago.

COMMERCIAL DISPATCH OBITUARY POLICYObituaries with basic informa-tion including visitation and service times, are provided free of charge. Extended obituaries with a photograph, detailed biographical informa-tion and other details families may wish to include, are available for a fee. Obituaries must be submitted through funeral homes unless the deceased’s body has been donated to science. If the de-ceased’s body was donated to science, the family must provide official proof of death. Please submit all obituaries on the form provided by The Commercial Dispatch. Free notices must be submitted to the newspaper no later than 3 p.m. the day prior for publication Tuesday through Friday; no later than 4 p.m. Saturday for the Sunday edi-tion; and no later than 7:30 a.m. for the Monday edition. Incomplete notices must be received no later than 7:30 a.m. for the Monday through Friday editions. Paid notices must be finalized by 3 p.m. for inclusion the next day Monday through Thursday; and on Friday by 3 p.m. for Sunday and Monday publica-tion. For more information, call 662-328-2471.

Jesse LeBaronSTARKVILLE —

Jesse Hugh LeBaron, 77, died Feb. 10, 2016, at OCH Regional Medi-cal Center.

Services will be Saturday at 11 a.m. at Welch Funeral Home Chapel in Starkville with Chip Stevens officiating. Burial will follow in Oddfellows Cemetery. Visitation will be Saturday from 9:30-11 a.m. at the funeral home.

Mr. LeBaron was the son of the late Jack LeBaron and Mildred Nash McComic. He was a graduate of Louisiana College in Pineville, Louisiana, and a member of the “Liar’s Club.” He was previously employed as a Personnel Manager with Garan Manufac-turing and was a mem-ber of First Baptist Church in Starkville.

In addition to his parents, he was pre-ceded in death by his brother, Jackie Thomas LeBaron.

He is survived by his wife, Dorothy

Dickson LeBaron of Starkville; daughters, Camala LeBaron Flatt of Eufala, Alabama, and Paige LeBaron Peeples of Starkville; sisters, Nancy Mc-Comic of Nederland, Texas, and Isabel Wren of Lafayette, Louisi-ana; brothers, James McComic of Polarville and Barry LeBaron of Lafayette; and four grandchildren.

Marlene SimpsonSTARKVILLE —

Marlene B. Simpson, 78, died Jan. 30, 2016, at Baptist Memorial Hospi-tal-Golden Triangle.

Services will be Saturday at 11 a.m. at Griffin UM Church with Eddie Lee Jones officiating. Burial will follow in New Prospect Cem-etery. Visitation will be Friday from noon-5 p.m. at Century-Hair-ston Funeral Home, with family hour from 5-6 p.m.

Ms. Simpson was born Feb. 15, 1937, to the late Pearly Bell and Annie Lou Bell.

She is survived by her son, Charles Simpson Jr. of Killeen, Texas; sister, Clarice Larry of Starkville; brother, Nillie C. Bell Sr. of Jackson; and two granddaughters.

Vinnie PerrySTARKVILLE —

Vinnie Smith Perry, 81, died Feb. 4, 2016, in West Point.

Services will be Saturday at 2 p.m. at First Baptist Longview Church with the Rev. Larnzy Carpenter of-ficiating. Burial will fol-low in Smith Cemetery in Sturgis. Visitation will be Friday from 1-5 p.m. at Century-Hair-ston Funeral Home, with family hour from 6:15-7:15 p.m.

Mrs. Perry was born Sept. 12, 1934, to the late Roger Smith and

Ora Smith.She is survived by

her brother, Roger Lee Smith Jr.; son, Bobby C. Patterson; daughters, Ora Young, Brenda Kemp, Janice Patterson and Debbie D. Hunter; and numer-ous grandchildren.

Billy Petty Sr.COLUMBUS — Bil-

ly Ross Petty Sr., 61, died Feb. 1, 2016, at Oktibbeha County Hospital in Starkville.

Services will be Friday at 11 a.m. at Carter’s Funeral Service Chapel in Columbus. Burial will follow in Baptist Grove Cemetery. Visitation is today from noon-6 p.m. at the funeral home.

Mr. Petty was born Sept 7, 1954, to the late Gus Petty and Vera Petty.

In addition to his parents, he was pre-ceded in death by his siblings, Pearlie G. Latham, Hazel Glad-den, Edward Petty, Bobby Petty, James Petty, Lavon Petty and Roger D. Petty.

He is survived by his children, Billy Petty Jr. and Shawona Petty, both of Columbus; sib-lings, Maggie Ussery and Joe Petty, both of Columbus, Georgia Stevenson of Chica-go, Bernard Petty of McShan, Alabama, and Ricky Petty of Atlan-ta, Georgia; and nine grandchildren.

Melissa HamiltonMOUNDVILLE,

Ala. — Melissa Ham-ilton, 41, died Feb. 10, 2016, at her residence.

Arrangements are incomplete and will be

announced by Carter’s Funeral Services of Columbus.

Louise RheaWEST POINT —

Louise Smith Rhea, 90, died Feb. 9, 2016, at Dugan Memorial Home.

Graveside services will be Friday at 11 a.m. from Macedonia Methodist Church Cemetery near Hous-ton with Al Stockton officiating. Visitation will be Thursday from 6-8 p.m. at Calvert Funeral Home and Fri-day one hour prior to services at Macedonia Methodist Church.

Mrs. Louise was born Nov. 18, 1925, to the late John Ell and Annie Bell Doss Smith in Houston. She was a member of West Point Church of God.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Dee L. Rhea; son, Robert D. Rhea; sisters, Fannie Estell Easley and Era Mae Huffman; brothers, Limmie Ell Smith, John Edward Smith, Tommie Lee Smith, Quitman Smith, Rueben Smith, Robert Priest Smith, William Albert Smith and Mil-ton Smith.

She is survived by her daughters, Donna Danford of Buffalo, Texas and Lynette Mc-Laughlin of Chattanoo-ga, Tennessee; sons, Glen Rhea of West Point and Douglas Wayne Rhea of Cedar Bluff; sister, Grace Turman of Crystal Springs; ten grand-children; and nine great-grandchildren.

Pallbearers will be Scott Killebrew, Jere-my Killebrew, Wayne Rhea, Shane Rhea, Justin Furrow, Jeffrey Chaney, Garrett Dan-

ford and Rob Griffin.Memorials may be

made to West Point Church of God Build-ing Fund, 1330 North Eshman Ave., West Point, MS 39773, or to Macedonia Method-ist Church Cemetery Fund, c/o Mr. Billy P. Griffin, 303 CR 166, Houston, MS 38851.

James PoweDEKALB — James

Powe, 55, died Feb. 10, 2016, at Jeff Anderson Regional Medical Cen-ter in Meridian.

Arrangements are incomplete and will be announced by New Ha-ven Memorial Funeral Home.

Ruth ChrestmanSAREPTA — Ruth

Chrestman, 89, died Feb. 8, 2016, at Cal-houn Health Services in Calhoun City.

Graveside services will be Wednesday at 2 p.m. in Arcola Cemetery in Roseland, Louisiana. Parker Me-morial Funeral Home in Bruce is in charge of arrangements.

Harold WillcuttTUSCALOOSA, Ala.

— Harold T. Willcutt died Feb. 10, 2016, at VA Medical Center.

Arrangements are incomplete and will be

announced by Lown-des Funeral Home of Columbus.

Simpson

Petty Sr.

Woman imprisoned in girl’s running death on life support

6A THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2016

OpinionBIRNEY IMES SR. Editor/Publisher 1922-1947BIRNEY IMES JR. Editor/Publisher 1947-2003BIRNEY IMES III Editor/Publisher

PETER IMES General ManagerWILLIAM BROWNING Managing EditorBETH PROFFITT Advertising DirectorMICHAEL FLOYD Circulation/Production ManagerDispatch

the

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

City knowingly violated lawThe Mississippi Annotated Code 1972 Sec 25-41-1 clearly states

that public policy and business shall be conducted in open meet-ings with 12 possible exceptions. It is very obvious that the mayor and city council knew that the two occasions they had split meet-ings to discuss and make policy would not fit in one of those 12 exceptions so they decided to “circumvent” the law therefore what they did was not a violation of the law.

§ 25-41-1. Legislative statement It being essential to the fundamental philosophy of the Amer-

ican constitutional form of representative government and to the maintenance of a democratic society that public business be per-formed in an open and public manner, and that citizens be advised of and be aware of the performance of public officials and the delib-erations and decisions that go into the making of public policy, it is hereby declared to be the policy of the State of Mississippi that the formation and determination of public policy is public business and shall be conducted at open meetings except as otherwise provided herein.

The State Supreme Court in:Gannett River States Pub. Corp., Inc. v. City of Jackson, 866 So.

2d 462 (Miss. 2004)Mississippi Supreme CourtCloser examination of our prior interpretation of § 25-41-7(4)

shows that “official acts” includes action relating to formation and determination of public policy, but excludes purely social functions. Bd. of Trustees of State Insts. of Higher Learning v. Miss. Publish-ers Corp., 478 So.2d 269, 278 (Miss.1985).

Additionally in Gannett the Court said:Closer examination of our prior interpretation of § 25-41-7(4)

shows that “official acts” includes action relating to formation and determination of public policy, but excludes purely social functions. Bd. of Trustees of State Insts. of Higher Learning v. Miss. Publish-ers Corp., 478 So.2d 269, 278 (Miss.1985).

Note that in the Open Meetings law it does not have to be a quorum of the Council, it also includes committees that are formed to make recommendations to the governing body. The mayor and council by breaking into two groups inherently formed to Ad Hoc committees to discuss and formulated public policy.

§ 25-41-3 of Mississippi Code defines “public body” as any executive or administrative board, commission, authority, council, department, agency, bureau or any other policy making entity, or committee thereof, of the State of Mississippi, or any political sub-division or municipal corporation of the state, whether such entity be created by statute or executive order, which is supported wholly or in part by public funds or expends public funds, and any stand-ing, interim or special committee of the Mississippi Legislature.

The council should recognize that if they had met as a full coun-cil they would have had to have the discussions in an open meeting and circumvention of this statute is a knowing conspiracy to violate the law and drop the appeal and in the future conduct public busi-ness in the open.

Berry HindsColumbus

State flag should flyIn a recent vote by three members of the Oktibbeha County

Board of Supervisors to remove the State Flag from county owned property one has to question what was their real motive for voting to do so. Was it to appeal to a few people whose desire it was to remove it or was it for individual personal reasons? There are only two laws that deal with flying the state flag. The Mississippi School Code 37-13-5 requires that the flag be displayed on school grounds and the Mississippi Code 3-3-15 states that the flag may be flown on all government property and how the flag is to be displayed.

Neither code gives city alderman and members of the board of supervisor the authority to order the removal of the flag. Since the three supervisors who voted to remove the flag also work either for the local university or local school districts what kind of example is this setting for our young people in our school systems who are required to have course of study concerning the flag of the United States and the flag of the State of Mississippi and also when it is required to be flown on school grounds. The supervisors certain-ly were not representing the majority of the people of Oktibbeha County.

The present flag is our state flag and should be flown respected. It would have been more appropriate to adopt a resolution and sent it to the Mississippi Legislature requesting that consideration be given in changing the flag or placing it on a ballot to be voted on by the people of Mississippi again.

City and county governments in my opinion who refuse to fly the state flag should hot receive state funding.

Robert Heinlein said it best, “a generation which ignores history has no past – and no future”.

§ 37-13-5. Display of Mississippi and United States flags; course of study.

(1) The flag of the State of Mississippi and the flag of the United States shall be displayed in close proximity to the school building at all times during the hours of daylight when the school is in session when the weather will permit without damage to the flag. It shall be the duty of the board of trustees of the school district to provide for the flags and their display.

(2) Whenever the flag of the United States is to be flown at half-staff by order or instructions of the President or pursuant to federal law, all public schools shall lower the United States flag in accordance with the executive order or instructions or federal law. The school shall announce the reason that the flag is being flown at half-staff to all students in assembly or by teachers in the various classrooms or by prominently displaying written notice throughout the school stating the reason that the flag has been lowered.

(3) In all public schools there shall be given a course of study concerning the flag of the United States and the flag of the State of Mississippi. The course of study shall include the history of each flag and what they represent and the proper respect there for. There also shall be taught in the public schools the duties and obligations of citizenship, patriotism, Americanism and respect for and obedience to law.

§ 3-3-15 - Display of state flagThe state flag may be displayed from all public buildings from

sunrise to sunset; however, the state flag may be displayed from all public buildings twenty-four (24) hours a day if properly illumi-nated. The state flag should not be displayed when the weather is inclement, except when an all-weather flag is displayed. The state flag shall receive all of the respect and ceremonious etiquette given the American flag. Provided, however, nothing in this section shall be construed so as to affect the precedence given to the flag of the United States of America.

Aubrey Ray Sturgis

Editor’s note: Both letters were edited for length.

CAMPAIGN 2016

Bloomberg vs. Trump? The morning of the

New Hampshire pri-mary, Donald Trump, being interviewed on “Morning Joe,” said that he would welcome his “friend” Michael Bloomberg into the presidential race.

Which is probably the understatement of 2016.

The three-term mayor of New York and media mogul whose for-tune is estimated at $39 billion, making him one of the richest men on earth, told the Financial Times on Monday he is considering a run.

Bloomberg had earlier confided he was worried about Hillary Clinton’s ability to turn back the challenge of Bernie Sanders, regards Trump’s rise with trepidation, and is appalled by the pedestrian character of the campaign rhetoric.

“I find the level of discourse and discussion distressingly banal and an insult to the voters,” said Bloomberg; the public deserves “a lot better.”

This haughty disdain calls to mind the late Adlai Stevenson. Yet, if Bloomberg runs, his electoral vote tally would likely make Adlai, by comparison, look like Richard Nixon on his 49-state romp in 1972.

Republicans should give Mayor Mike every encouragement to enter the race. For though he threatens to spend a billion dollars of his own money to buy the presidency, his name on the ballot as a third-party candidate could send the Democratic nominee straight down to Davy Jones’s locker.

With Bloomberg siphoning off millions of liberal votes, Democrats would not only lose red states they customarily write off, winning solid blue states would require a far steeper climb.

Third Party candidates have played crucial roles in presidential politics. Ex-President The-odore Roosevelt killed the re-election hopes of his successor President William Howard Taft in 1912, by running as the Bull Moose candidate and delivering the nation to Woodrow Wilson.

Strom Thurmond carried four Deep South states in 1948 and George Wallace carried five Deep South states in 1968. Both sought to throw the election into the U.S. House. Neither succeeded.

Ross Perot got 19 percent of the popular vote in 1992 and 8 percent in 1996. Though he did not carry a single state either time, as a candidate of the populist center-right, Perot peeled off a third of the votes George H. W. Bush had won in 1988 — to sink Bush in 1992.

Why would Bloomberg, who has great wealth and is willing to part with it, not be able to beat Trump, or another Republican nominee, if he plunged a billion dollars into his campaign?

Though he may be a pioneer in modern media and a man with a golden touch, Bloomberg is 74 years old this week, uncharismatic, and does not fill up a room the way the Donald does. He lacks a common touch and is a social liberal, pro-abor-tion and pro-same-sex marriage.

Moreover, he is a compulsive nanny-stater who outlawed smoking in New York bars, restaurants and public places, prohibited the sale of cigarettes to anyone under 21, forbade trans-fats in restaurants, sodas larger than 16 ounces, chain restaurant menus without calorie counts, cellphones in school, non-fuel-efficient cabs, greenhouse gas emissions, and non-hurri-cane-proof buildings in coastal areas.

While not well-known nationally, Bloomberg is a zealot about tougher gun control laws and his candidacy would produce a deluge of contri-butions to the National Rifle Association. This obsession, along with his social views, would sink him in Red State America.

Nor is Bloomberg, despite three straight victories running for mayor, a great political athlete.

In his last race, as the Republican and Independent candidate, Bloomberg spent $102 million to defeat an underfunded Democrat comptroller, but managed to win only 51 percent of the vote.

If Clinton, or even Sanders, were at the top of the Democratic ticket in New York State, either would crush Bloomberg in his home town, especially with the GOP nominee, say Trump, siphoning off all of the Republican-conservative votes Bloomberg received to become mayor.

Now only would Bloomberg lose the Big Ap-ple, his statewide vote would come mostly from the Democratic nominee, giving Republicans the best opportunity to carry the Empire State since Ronald Reagan coasted to re-election in 1984.

By spending a billion dollars, Bloomberg could blanket the nation with ads. But once Republican oppo research groups defined him for Middle America, perhaps 4 in 5 of his votes would come out of the basket upon which Demo-crats rely.

For example, as a Jewish-American, Bloomberg might do well in the Dade-Broward-Palm Beach County corridor, taking votes that Clinton or Sanders would need to carry Florida. Yet, where would Bloomberg get the rest of his votes to win the Sunshine State?

Clearly, Bloomberg is envious of the success of the Donald, since he descended on that escala-tor at Trump Towers on June 16.

The problem for Bloomberg is that, while this is the year of the outsider, with populist revolts breaking out in both parties, Sanders and Trump caught the lightning early, while he was restruc-turing his media empire. And, to be candid, Michael Bloomberg is no barn burner.

So all together now: “Run, Mike, Run!”Patrick J. Buchanan is a nationally syndicated

columnist. His website is http://buchanan.org/blog.

Voice of the people

Patrick Buchanan

CARTOONIST VIEW

The DispaTch • www.cdispatch.com THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2016 7A

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If you don’t read The Dispatch, how are you gonna know?

Mark Wilson/Dispatch StaffSOFTBALL STARTS TODAY: Rico Godfrey of Columbus Fence installs a 4-foot walk gate to a fence at the new Nusz Park softball facility at Mississippi State University on Tuesday. MSU will open its new stadium at 5:30 p.m. today against Georgia Southern.


FERGUSON, Mo. — The feder-al government sued Ferguson on Wednesday, one day after the City Council voted to revise an agree-ment aimed at improving the way po-lice and courts treat poor people and minorities in the St. Louis suburb.

Attorney General Loretta Lynch said Ferguson’s decision to reject the deal left the Justice Depart-ment no choice except to file a civ-il-rights lawsuit.

“The residents of Ferguson have waited nearly a year for the city to adopt an agreement that would

protect their rights and keep them safe. ... They have waited decades for justice. They should not be forced to wait any longer,” Lynch told a Washington news confer-ence.

The Justice Department com-plaint accuses Ferguson of rou-tinely violating residents’ rights and misusing law enforcement to generate revenue — a practice the government alleged was “ongoing and pervasive.”

Gov’t sues Ferguson after city tries to revise deal


BURNS, Ore. — The last four armed occupi-ers of a national wildlife refuge in eastern Ore-gon said they would turn themselves in this morn-ing after law officers sur-rounded them in a tense standoff.

The development came

as Cliven Bundy — who led a Nevada standoff with federal officers in 2014 and who is also the father of the jailed leader of the Oregon standoff — was arrested in Portland.

The four occupiers yelled at officers to back off and prayed with sup-porters over an open phone line as the standoff

played out on the Inter-net Wednesday night via a phone line being lives-treamed by an acquain-tance of occupier David Fry.

Fry, 27, of Blanchester, Ohio, sounded increas-ingly unraveled as he con-

tinually yelled, at times hysterically, at what he said was an FBI negotia-tor. “You’re going to hell. Kill me. Get it over with,” he said. “We’re innocent people camping at a pub-lic facility, and you’re go-ing to murder us.”

Oregon refuge occupiers say they’ll turn themselves in

City accused of routinely violating residents’ rights and misusing law enforcement to generate revenue


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“WE ARE HERE FOR YOU”

AbortionContinued from Page 1A

tional Right to Life Com-mittee. It would prohibit any abortion that would involve extracting a live fe-tus in pieces from the uter-us using instruments like clamps and forceps, call-ing that procedure a “dis-memberment abortion.”

Mary Balch, director of state legislation for the an-

ti-abortion group, said the proposals would not ban all dilation and evacuation abortions. The law would still allow abortions in which the fetus is dead be-fore it is extracted, which she said do not pose any greater health risk to the woman.

The Center for Re-

productive Rights says it is not always medically necessary to induce fetal death before starting an abortion, and it’s never required before 18 weeks, when most women would be seeking abortions. The American Congress of Ob-stetricians and Gynecolo-gists says there is no evi-

dence that inducing fetal death makes second-tri-mester abortions safer. If proposals such as those in Mississippi become law, the Center said a woman seeking a D&E abortion would have to have an in-jection to the fetus to stop its development before the procedure.

FestivalContinued from Page 1A

bus. Three entertainment stages will feature live mu-sic from 15 different art-ists. A 5K race will also be held that morning at the Riverwalk at 8 a.m.

The Market Street Fes-tival is an annual event in Columbus. It has been named one of the “Top 20 Events in the Southeast” by the Southeast Tourism Society for 16 years, in-cluding 2016.

Safe HavenContinued from Page 1A

Goodwin and Ellis have not responded to messag-es from The Dispatch.

Lowndes County Jus-tice Court Judge Peggy Phillips told The Dispatch that after discussing the program with Tucker, she is not interested in refer-ring people to the pro-gram.

“As far as my particu-lar court, I’m just satisfied with what we have right now without adding any-thing else,” Phillips said.

Phillips currently re-fers abusers to anger management programs through the Justice Court’s probation system. If abusers don’t complete the program, Phillips said, she sends them to jail.

“In all the years I’ve been on the bench,” she said, “I’ve sentenced two people to jail for six months for contempt for not following the direct or-der on a domestic violence case. And our program works real well with our probation and interven-tion program. Anger man-agement program works real well with us.”

Justice Court Judge Chris Hemphill said he would consider referring some abusers if the need arose, but he also is satis-fied with the anger man-agement program cur-rently used through the court system. He added that in recent months, he hasn’t even used that pro-gram much.

“I just have not had that many domestic violence cases come before me,” he said. “Several years ago we were having an awful lot of them … but I just have not had many where I’ve involved coun-seling services.”

Justice Court Judge Ron Cooke indicated that he wanted to meet with

Tucker to discuss the pro-gram. They had spoken back when Tucker was still trying to secure the grant.

“Of course I told her, ‘If you get everything up and running...I’d like to look at the program,” Cooke said.

Tucker previously told The Dispatch that anger management programs do

not work as well as DAIR programs. Those classes tend to be shorter and not address underlying issues that cause batterers to abuse their victims.

“It’s a power and con-trol issue,” Tucker said. “It’s not about managing anger.”

Cooke agreed, and said he’s likely in support of

the Safe Haven program, and would like Tucker to come and show him what steps an individual would have to go through to en-roll.

“(Anger manage-ment’s) not the answer,” he said. “You have to change a person’s behav-ior.”

ASH WEDNESDAY

Mark Wilson/Dispatch StaffKeri Chisolm, center, worships during an Ash Wednesday service by The Episcopal Church of the Resurrection at The Chapel of Memories on the Mississippi State University campus Wednesday.

stablished 1879 | columbus, mississippi ome delivery t | f ...eedition+files/the... · program in...

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