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Thursday | May 28, 2020

Possible illegal recordings, child exploitation claim

at center of teacher’s fight to get her job back
Lowndes teacher recorded student, officials after she Melissa Suddith testifies
at a due process hearing
left room; Suddith claims she received threatening Wednesday afternoon
about her grievances
emails from former superintendent against former school
administrators and her
complaints against the
BY YUE STELLA YU a Lowndes County Alternative School school board for repeat-
syu@cdispatch.com teacher, will expire at the end of the edly denying her request
school year after the school board voted to be heard. Suddith said
A would-be open hearing for a Lown-
in April not to renew it. The decision was she believed her contract
des County School District teacher try- was wrongfully non-re-
made after Suddith and two other teach-
ing to keep her job was largely held be- newed by the school dis-
hind closed doors Wednesday as much ers sued the district in chancery court,
citing harassment and a hostile work en- trict after her grievances
of the testimony dealt with private mat- and complaints over the
ters involving at least two students. vironment. Among the three, only Sud-
past two years.
The contract for Melissa Suddith, See SUDDITH, 6A Yue Stella Yu/Dispatch Staff

BUSINESS MOVES
THE POLICEMAN AND HER FLOWERS WITH MARY

Ruby Tuesday
closes in
Starkville
PLUS: Books-A-Million
closure appears
permanent
BY MARY POLLITZ
Biz@cdispatch.com

R
uby
Tues-
day
in
Starkville
has closed
perma-
nently.
Though
a sign
poised
in the
Mary Pollitz
window
announced
its “temporary” closure, the
restaurant has vacated from the
Ruby Tuesday website. During
the month of May, scattered news
organizations have reported Ruby
Tuesday closures in New Jersey,
Birney Imes/Dispatch Staff
North Carolina, Alabama and now,
Essie “Peewee” Harrington and her dog Jeff sit in her front-yard flower garden Saturday morning. Essie, who is 84 and the
mother of seven, said she picked up the gardening habit early. “I used to go out and help Mama when I was a little girl,” she Mississippi.
said. Her Aunt Gracie gave Essie her nickname because she was a small baby. Essie’s neighbors on John Kidd Road near Corporate restaurant officials
Caledonia refer to her as the policeman. “I just keep my eye on everything coming through here,” she said. In the vegetable did not return multiple messages
garden behind her home, she grows cucumbers, tomatoes, corn, okra, sweet potatoes, squash, cantaloupe and peanuts. See BUSINESS, 6A

The west-
bound exit Highway projects at 18th Avenue
from Highway
82 onto 18th
Avenue has
and Military Road nearing completion
been expanded
to three turn
Both jobs aim to improve traffic flow in those corridors
lanes — two to BY SLIM SMITH Mississippi Department of signals adjusted a little bit.
the right. MDOT ssmith@cdispatch.com
Project engineer Transportation project en- Then, we’ll do the perma-
Michael Miller gineer Michael Miller. nent striping. It shouldn’t
With just a few minor
said having two “There’s not much left take long.”
tweaks remaining, work
right-hand turn
on one part of the project to do on the 18th Avenue Turn lanes off the exit
lanes will ease part,” Miller said. “Just ramps from Highway 82
congestion at to improve traffic flow near
the heart of Columbus’ re- a little bit of tweaking, I onto 18th Avenue should
18th Avenue
tail corridor will be com- guess you could call it. The prevent traffic backing
and Fifth Street,
which has long pleted while the other part (traffic) signal contractor up onto the highway. The
been a problem. is expected to be finished still has a few signs to put westbound 18th Avenue
Slim Smith/Dispatch Staff by summer’s end, said up and we need to get the See PROJECTS, 3A

WEATHER FIVE QUESTIONS LOCAL FOLKS PUBLIC

1 What kind of hit preferably follows from a team- MEETINGS
mate after a volleyball setter sends the ball into air? June 1: Lowndes
2 In which metropolis would you find skyscrapers County Board of
called the Cheesegrater, the Gherkin and the Supervisors, 9 a.m.,
Shard?
County Courthouse
3 What color was the river of slime in the classic
sequel “Ghostbusters II” — yellow, green or pink? June 1: West Point
Alex Luccasen 4 What was the name of the horse Paul Revere rode Board of Supervisors,
on his famous midnight ride —War Admiral, Brown 9 a.m., Courthouse
Fifth grade, Annunciation
Beauty or Liberty? June 2: Columbus

83 Low 63
5 In Deborah Harkness’ bestseller “A Discovery of
City Council, 5 p.m.,
High Witches” which university’s Bodleian Library houses
a spellbound manuscript? Municipal Complex,
Cloudy w/p.m. showers Answers, 6B stream live at face-
Full forecast on
book.com/CityofCo-
page 3A.
lumbusMS/
June 4: West Point
INSIDE Board of Supervisors,
Business 5B Dear Abby 3B 9 a.m. Courthouse
Classifieds 6B Obituaries 5A June 9: West Point
Comics 3B Opinions 6A Heather Warren co-owns Studio Barre Board of Selectmen,
141st Year, No. 66 Crossword 6B and Wellness in Starkville. 5:30 p.m. City Hall

DISPATCH CUSTOMER SERVICE 328-2424 | NEWSROOM 328-2471

2A THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2020 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com

US death toll from coronavirus

surges past 100,000 people
Worldwide, the virus has infected more than 5.6
million people and killed over 350,000
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
HARTFORD, Conn. — The
U.S. surpassed a jarring milestone
Wednesday in the coronavirus pan-
demic: 100,000 deaths.
That number is the best estimate
and most assuredly an undercount.
But it represents the stark reality
that more Americans have died from
the virus than from the Vietnam and
Korean wars combined.
“It’s a striking reminder of how
dangerous this virus can be,” said
Josh Michaud, associate director of
global health policy with the Kaiser
Family Foundation in Washington.
The once-unthinkable toll ap-
pears to be just the beginning of un-
told misery in the months ahead as
Las Vegas casinos and Walt Disney
World make plans to reopen, crowds
of unmasked Americans swarm
beaches and public health officials
predict a resurgence by fall.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s
top infectious disease expert, issued
a stern warning after watching video
of Memorial Day crowds gathered at
a pool party in Missouri.
“We have a situation in which you
see that type of crowding with no
mask and people interacting. That’s
not prudent, and that’s inviting a sit-
uation that could get out of control,”
he said during an interview Wednes-
day on CNN. “Don’t start leapfrog-
ging some of the recommendations
in the guidelines because that’s real-
ly tempting fate and asking for trou-
ble.”
Worldwide, the virus has infect-
ed more than 5.6 million people and
killed over 350,000, with the U.S.
having the most confirmed cases
and deaths by far, according to a tally
by Johns Hopkins University. Europe
has recorded about 170,000 deaths,
while the U.S. reached more than
100,000 in less than four months.
The true death toll from the virus,
which emerged in China late last
year and was first reported in the
U.S. in January, is widely believed
to be significantly higher, with ex-
perts saying many victims died of
COVID-19 without ever being tested
for it.

History in the making as House

casts proxy votes in pandemic
BY LISA MASCARO
AP Congressional
Correspondent
WASHINGTON — It
was a day for the history
books on Capitol Hill: For
the first time, House law-
makers voted by proxy,
an unprecedented move
to avoid the risks of travel
to Washington during the
pandemic.
To mark Wednesday’s
history-making moment,
House Republicans sued
to stop the Democratic
majority’s new system,
in which absent lawmak-
ers can instruct those
present to vote on their
behalf.
The House rules
change tries to strike a
balance between working
from home during the
coronavirus outbreak and
honoring the Constitu-
tion’s requirement to be
“present” and voting. But
it’s fast becoming a polit-
ical test on party lines.
More than 70 Democrats
cast their vote by proxy.
Twenty Republicans
joined the lawsuit against
the move, which House
GOP leader Kevin McCa-
rthy of California says is
unconstitutional.
“It’s a dereliction of
duty,” McCarthy said.
The House returned to
Washington for an abbre-
viated two-day session as
the city remains under
stay home orders. The
much smaller Senate is
on recess after spending
much of May in the cap-
ital.
Deadlocked over the
next big coronavirus
relief bill, Congress is
shifting its attention to
a more modest overhaul
of small-business aid in
hopes of helping employ-
ers reopen shops and sur-
vive the pandemic.
But the agenda is in
flux. There were no for-
mal talks between con-
gressional leaders on the
next phase of the federal
coronavirus response.
Democrats have pushed
a $3 trillion-plus mea-
sure through the House,
but negotiations with the
GOP-controlled Senate
and White House have
yet to begin.
“We can’t keep prop-
ping up the economy for-
ever,” Senate Majority
Leader Mitch McConnell
said Tuesday in Lexing-
ton, Kentucky. “The ulti-
mate solution is to begin
to get back to normal.”

Bertha forms, hits

South Carolina coast,
dissipates in a day
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

COLUMBIA, S.C. —
Tropical Storm Bertha
surprised the South Car-
olina coast Wednesday,
forming, making landfall
within two hours and was
downgraded before sun-
down, bringing a poor
beach day of rain and
gusty winds, but no major
problems.
Forecasters expected
the bad weather, but didn’t
predict it to organize so
quickly and become the
second named storm be-
fore the official start of
this year’s Atlantic hurri-
cane season.

Starkville hopes to reduce auto insurance claims
City had to switch insurance providers after
Liberty paid $611K in claims in 3 years,
dropped Starkville as policyholder
BY TESS VRBIN
tvrbin@cdispatch.com
Starkville offi-
cials say city em-
ployees must take
steps to avoid ac-
cidents and fend-
er-benders with
city owned vehi-
cles after Liberty
Mutual dropped Spruill
the city as a prop-
erty, vehicle and
equipment poli-
cyholder due to
the number of
claims.
L i b e r t y
Mutual paid
$611,395.52 in Little
claims from
Starkville between Jan. 1, 2017
and Feb. 12, 2020, according
to data City Clerk Lesa Har-
din provided The Dispatch in
response to a public records
request. Company represen-
tatives sent the city a notice of
Projects
Continued from Page 1A
exit will have two right-
hand turn lanes. Two
traffic signals have been
added, one on either side
of Highway 82, to improve
traffic flow along 18th Av-
enue.
“The big problem was
congestion on the exit
ramp off Highway 82,”
Miller said. “We feel like
the two lanes heading to-
ward Fifth Street will real-
ly help with that. Most ev-
erybody, when they come
off Highway 82, turns right
at Fifth Street. That caus-
es some back-up. Now,
with another right-turn
lane, people who want to
go on past Fifth Street can
use the second lane to go
around the people turning
right at Fifth Street.”
The traffic signal east
of Highway 82 allows mo-
torists turning left onto
Highway 82 better access.
“That was a problem,
too,” Miller said. “The
area has grown so much
that traffic was really
backing up there because
they have to cross traffic.
The signal will help with
AROUND THE STATE
Mississippi man
charged in murder
outside laundromat
BILOXI — A Mississip-
pi man is being held on $2
million bond after a death
at a mobile home park.
Clint Barrett Brower,
41, who lives in an RV
park in Woolmarket, an
unincorporated area near
Biloxi, faces a charge of
first-degree murder in
the death of Micah Har-
BUILDING PERMITS
City of Columbus
May 18-21, 2020
n Julia Brown; 1025 15th
Street North; demolish resi-
dence; same
n William and Tony Gayle; 315
19th Street North; renovation;
same
n William Walls; 1416 School-
house Avenue; renovations;
same
n Julia Brown; 1607 3rd Ave-
nue North; Repair floors and
porch roof; same
n Wilda L. Thomas et al; 602
15th Street North; repairs;
William Greenlaw
n Janet D. Stewart; 112 King
Street; fence; same
n Blake Reeves, agent; 11th
Ave N and 19th St. N; gas
main and sixteen services;
Atmos Energy
n Barbara Tucker; 909 13th
Get promoted? Win an award? Send us your business brief.
news@cdispatch.com
subject: Business brief
The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2020 3A
willing to continue insuring city
property, Little said, but Travel-
Both Little and Mayor Lynn
Spruill said they had not real-
I think I do because I’ve asked
for that.”
ers approached the city with a
“package deal” that would cover
ized until recently that every
single incident – no matter the
Payments for minor inci-
dents will come from individual
both auto and property claims. amount of damage — ­ was being departments’ budgets instead
The major vehicle mishaps submitted as a claim to Liberty of the insurance provider in
non-renewal on May 1, and cov- in the past few years included Mutual as well as to the Missis- the future. Ward 2 Alderman
erage expires June 30. sippi Municipal League.
two fire truck collisions while and budget chairperson Sandra
The board of aldermen voted responding to calls, a hit-and- The city sends claims to Sistrunk said the board needs
unanimously on May 19 to ac- run involving a community de- MML in case someone claims to take this into account while
cept Travelers as its new provid- velopment vehicle, a garbage to have “residual health care formulating the fiscal year 2021
er. The city removed all vehicles truck turning over in a ditch issues,” such as whiplash, as budget, a process that will start
worth less than $5,000 from the in 2019 after a car ran it off the a result of an accident, Spruill in the next few weeks.
city’s compensation plan and road and another garbage truck said at last week’s board meet- The new insurance package
increased its deductibles on ve- catching fire and spreading ing. However, claims involving from Travelers includes some
hicles and equipment, Ward 3 to other garbage trucks while smaller accidents like fend- driver’s education classes for
Alderman David Little said. they were parked in a city lot. er-benders were never meant city staff, and Spruill said the
The Travelers plan still costs While those were the most to be submitted to insurance city will also use GPS tracking
$18,000 more than the previous serious incidents, Mayor Lynn companies. to determine if the car acci-
plan with Liberty Mutual, with Spruill told The Dispatch that Spruill and Little said there dents are tied to a specific per-
an annual premium of $110,147. the police department might was likely a clerical error. son or people.
Reducing the city’s loss ratio, have accrued the most claims “I think the people submit- “Hopefully that will impress
or the number of payments for through less serious auto acci- ting those claims for us misun- upon everyone the significance
losses compared to the amount dents. She also said 2019 was a derstood (and thought) that it of this, and the importance of
of premiums taken in, “will particularly rough year for ve- would be all of it submitted, as $18,000 (more for insurance),
make us more attractive down hicles in the sanitation depart- opposed to those things that fell especially while we’re fur-
the road when we’re trying to ment. under our deductible and should loughing people to save funds,”
find future insurance carriers,” “We had three trucks that we not be submitted, because it Spruill said.
said Little, an insurance claims lost — two that were totaled in makes no sense,” Spruill said. Both a Liberty Mutual public
manager for Mississippi Farm a fire and one that was damaged “I did not carry through and affairs consultant and the lo-
Bureau Casualty Insurance. — and we had (another) one make sure we were doing that. cal insurance broker Renasant
The city had very few claims that fell off a tow truck,” Spruill At the same time, I don’t have Bank declined to comment on
for buildings over the past few told The Dispatch. “It was just each and every fender-bender Liberty Mutual’s decision not to
years, and Liberty Mutual was one of those odd years.” reported to me, although now renew coverage.
itary Road. They had to finishing what’s left of con-
stop and wait for a break struction, milling, paving
in traffic. With the round- and permanent striping.
abouts people can keep I feel pretty comfortable
moving. They won’t have saying the Military Road
to stop and wait.” part will be finished by the
The project is still in end of the summer.”
Phase 2 of five phases, but Miller said the project
Miller said the remaining is estimated to cost $5.8
work should move quickly. million. There are no lo-
“There’s still some con- cal funds for the work.
struction in Phase 3, but The work is funded by
not a lot,” he said. “The state and federal highway
rest of the work will be funds.
Slim Smith/Dispatch Staff
Work continues on the round-abouts at the Highway 82/Military Road interchange.
MDOT project engineer Michael Miller said the work should be completed by sum-
mer’s end. The work, which includes nearly-completed exit expansion at Highway 82
and 18th Avenue, is part of a $5.8 million project funded by state and federal dollars.
that.” It’s a much larger proj- plan a different system,”
A mile east, work con- ect, Miller said. Miller said. “The problem
tinues on the Highway “The problem on Mil- at Military wasn’t traffic
82-Military Road project, itary Road was differ- backing up onto Highway
which includes a pair of ent than at 18th Avenue, 82, but people having a
semi roundabouts. which is why we had to hard time accessing Mil-
rington, 41. Harrington’s sy will be performed this asked to contact the Biloxi
body was found shortly week. Police Department Crimi-
before 5:30 p.m. Tuesday Residents of the RV nal Investigations Divi-
outside a laundromat at park described the scene sion at 228-435-6112 or
the park where both men as “horrific.” Mississippi Coast Crime
lived, news outlets report- “It’s a blood bath in Stoppers at 877-787-5898.
ed. there, literally,” said one
“The assault took place man who lives in the park.
in the laundromat,” Harri- “A lot of women like to
son County Coroner Bri- walk around at night, you
an Switzer said. “He was know, walk their dogs and
stabbed several times and stuff, that’s not going to
actually partially dismem- happen anymore.”
bered as well.” Anyone with informa-
Switzer said an autop- tion about the stabbing is
Street South; reroof and repair Refrigeration and Electric
siding; same n Little C Properties LLC; 51
n Geno and Patricia Frazier; Laurel Drive; electrical; Ables
701 N. Browder Street; reroof Electric
residence; Excellent Roofing n Margaret Bobo; 808 7th
n Michael and SharonJohnson; Avenue South; Electrical;
905 Tuckaho Drive; reroof Jimmie Chism
residence; Excellent Roofing n Kenneth Dean Smith Jr.;
n Bennie L. Hopkins Jr. et 222 Waverly Road; electrical;
al; 1905 12th Avenue North; Guerry Electric LLC
reroof residence; Excellent n Lehmberg Crossing Partners
Roofing LLC; 907 Alabama Street;
n Marcel A. Pilate, 1115 3rd Mechanical; Elliott’s A/C and
Avenue North, Apt 1 & 2; elec- Heat
trical; Joseph Harris Jr. n Columbus Housing Author-
n Court Square Tower LLC; ity; 1701/1703 12th Avenue
605 2nd Avenue North, First North; plumbing; Klutts
SOLUNAR TABLE
The solunar period indicates
peak-feeding times for fish and game.
Floor; electrical; Joseph Harris Plumbing Thurs. Fri.
Major 5:58a 6:53a
Jr. n William Walls; 1416 School- Minor 11:48a 12:55p
n Toney L. Hill; 135 Poplar house Avenue; plumbing; Major 6:25p 6:53a
Minor 1:11a 1:54a
Street; electrical; Joseph same Courtesy of Mississippi Department
of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks
Harris Jr. n Tim Sherrod; 1303 6th
The Dispatch
n Chris Hardin; 311 12th Street South; plumbing; Tabor
Street North; electrical; Easley Plumbing
The Commercial Dispatch (USPS 142-320)
Published daily except Saturday. Answers to common questions:
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POSTMASTER, Send address changes to:
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Report a news tip: news@cdispatch.com
Opinion
4A THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2020
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

OUR VIEW
Broadband expansion is more crucial than ever
I
n any major crisis, the
weaknesses of a nation’s
infrastructure are ex-
posed in ways that cannot be
ignored. That’s certainly the
case with COVID-19, which
has exposed troubling defi-
ciencies in many areas.
Among those deficiencies
is the lack of broadband inter-
net access in many commu-
nities throughout our nation
and, in particular, in Missis-
sippi, which ranks 42nd in the
nation in broadband access.
That’s hardly a secret. In
Mississippi, we’ve known for
years our state is seriously
lacking in this area. What’s
different now, is that we are
beginning to understand
the serious implications of
that deficit. When Gov. Tate
Reeves ordered the state’s
schools to be closed, the shift
to online teaching exposed a
serious problem. Forty-per-
cent of the state has no broad-
band access and a quarter-mil-
lion residents in the state
have no internet access of any
kind. When schools shifted to
online classes, thousands of
children faced the prospects
of being left behind.
With the continuing uncer-
tainty about when schools will
reopen, there’s a real possibili-
ty that we may have to contin-
ue to rely on online classes.
It is an issue that com-
mands immediate atten-
tion and we are pleased to
see some real momentum
growing for addressing this
long-ignored need.
Today in Washington,
House Majority Whip James
Clyburn (D, South Carolina)
and Rep. Fred Upton (R,
Michigan) will hold a confer-
ence call to discuss H.R. 7022,
aka, The Rural Broadband
Acceleration Act, a bi-partisan
bill designed to fund “shov-
el-ready” broadband expan-
sion projects throughout the
nation.
The conference call will
also include Brandon Presely,
Mississippi’s greatest cham-
pion for broadband access
expansion, in his role as
president of the National As-
sociation of Regulatory Utility
Commissioners.
Presley will undoubtedly
provide great insight on this
subject. For several years, he’s
fought to expand broadband
in the state, pushing legisla-
tion through the Mississippi
Legislature a year ago that
would permit utility co-ops in
the state to provide broadband
access to areas that private
internet providers considered
not cost-efficient. Since then,
several co-ops have already
started the process of provid-
ing broadband service. Local-
ly 4-County Electric Power
Association is considering the
matter, albeit very tentatively.
We believe the time
to strike is now. Before
COVID-19, there was $20
billion in federal funds to
help expand rural broad-
band access. In the wake of
federal emergency funding
to help fund recovery from
COVID-19, billions more may
soon be available.
As part of the CARES
Act funding of a month ago,
Mississippi has more than
$800 million in recovery funds
available to be dispersed. The
Mississippi Department of
Education has requested $300
million of that money to pro-
vide every Mississippi school
child with a laptop or tablet
computer.
Without high-speed inter-
net access, those devices will
be of little value.
Broadband access, like
access to electricity 100 years
ago, is no longer a luxury. It is
an essential service.
It’s time to recognize the
urgency of this need and act
without delay.

VOICE OF THE PEOPLE CARTOONIST VIEW

Researcher feels Burl Cain is right for state
News that former warden Burl Cain of Louisiana State Peniten-
tiary at Angola is taking over Mississippi Department of Cor-
rections (MDC) is welcome news. MDC has struggled recently,
especially at Parchman. Southern plantation prisons play a unique
role in American corrections and they face unique challenges.
Angola and Parchman are both the largest and most notorious US
plantation prisons ­— and historically also the most violent. Steeped
in dynamics of race relations that date to America’s founding, many
are surprised to learn that today the largest maximum security
prison in the US — Angola — is still named after a slave plantation.
Historically, wardens of plantation prisons have no academic
training in criminology, being hired instead as farm managers
with training in agriculture. So too with Burl Cain and his prede-
cessors at Angola. But the timing of Burl Cain’s tenure at Angola
(1995 - 2015) also coincided with the worst prison overcrowding
problem in American history. Beginning in the early 1980’s, Amer-
ica sought to literally incarcerate its way out of a growing urban
crime problem--adopting indiscriminately harsh punishments via
mandatory sentencing schemes that skyrocketed America’s prison
population and eliminated judicial discretion at sentencing. As a
result, the US incarceration rate became the world’s highest - and
Louisiana’s the highest in the United States. It is literally, there-
fore, no exaggeration to call Angola America’s toughest prison,
wherein during Cain’s tenure as warden 90% of inmates died at the
prison.
With a team of scholars between 2012 and 2016, I spent four
years on site at Angola studying the impact of the prison’s Chris-
tian seminary. We produced an academic book and about a dozen
blind peer-reviewed articles on the positive impact of the seminary
on the prison. Implemented by Cain in the aftermath of Congress’s
revocation of Pell Grant eligibility for convicted felons in 1994, the
Angola prison seminary uniquely salvaged collegiate education at
Angola at a time when the rest of the country was “getting tough”
and cutting prison programs. Burl Cain deserves credit for that
effort, now being replicated in over 30 states nationwide. STATE OF THE NATION
With the death toll mounting,
But the reason I remain hopeful about Burl Cain taking over
MDC, is that his operational philosophy at Angola was built around
hope and incentives for good behavior rather than simply harsh

Trump keeps tweeting

punishment. Cain rejected the simplistic war on crime and openly
advocated reforms to mandatory sentencing while implementing
a large number of new programs for inmates. While many of these

programs were indeed religious programs - a key reason for that
is that religious programs were funded privately by volunteers (as
is Angola’s Christian seminary) at a time when states were cutting
prison budgets and leaving inmates with no programming at all.
Cain inherited harsh budgetary conditions at Angola--and
significantly brought down violence at the prison through support
of inmate programs. “What men need is hope and to be treated
fairly.” In this time of COVID-19, MDC needs an advocate at the
top who can demand resources but also bring hope.
Michael Hallett, PhD.
University of North Florida
Wary of President’s optimism on virus
I’m nearly 67. Hold on a second, I’ll be right back — I need to
take my hydroxychloroquine.
Okay, now I’m ready. No, wait, I forgot to take my zinc. Just
another second or two. It was zinc, right?
Or was it insulin?
Dang, President Trump has me all confused. And what about
masks? Drs. Birx and Fauci say wear one. My doctors here in Co-
lumbus wear theirs. But the President doesn’t. Polls indicate more
than 80% of Americans wear masks all the time out of the house
while less than 10% say they never do.
You sure wouldn’t know that from walking through Kroger or
Walmart in Columbus, though. Maybe 50% wearing masks. And
more or less split along racial lines. I’ll let you guess how the split
works. Doesn’t make me want to go in there.
Then I see pictures of packed crowds at beaches, bars, and
pools in California, Florida, and Missouri. I guess they’re con-
fused, too. I’m not confused about how viruses work once they get
in you, though. I’m watching for the next big spike in new cases
about 2 weeks from now.
Still, Mr. Trump says “we’re back.” But don’t forget he is the
same man who has an economic advisor that referred to Americans
as ‘human capital stock’ a few days ago. Is the plan to just throw a
lot of bodies out there and hope that a percentage survive? Get the
economy enough back on track to get the President re-elected? I’m
no expert. I can’t tell you how this will play out. It might work.
But I don’t share the President’s optimism. This is a man who
grades everything he does as an A+ and gives F’s to everyone he
doesn’t like. Not the kind of guy who listens much to others —
even those who actually know what they’re talking about.
Consider that today we will reach another milestone: 100,000
US deaths from COVID-19. That’s only a 10/10 if your goal was
100,000 deaths. To say that it could have been 10 times worse
doesn’t earn you an A+. That’s like saying, that “Well, if we didn’t
make murder a crime there would be 10 times as many more peo-
ple dead!” - and then patting yourself on the back for having a law
against it. A+.
Paul Mack
Columbus
A
lways before, In a word, he would console us. You just
there have took it for granted. Nine people were massa-
been words. cred in a church in Charleston, and President
Always before, Barack Obama went there and spoke of
someone crafted grace, even singing the old hymn about how
them with writerly amazing grace is, because of course he did.
skill and gave them Twenty small children and six adults were
to the president to murdered at an elementary school in New-
give to us. Always, town, Connecticut, and Obama fought back
before. tears and declared, “Our hearts are broken
When seven today,” because of course he did.
people died aboard Because that’s what presidents do.
the Space Shuttle Leonard Pitts Or did. And we are only discovering how
Challenger, Presi- important that is in its absence — now that
dent Ronald Reagan the office of president is functionally vacant.
spoke of how, just that morning, they “waved Because 100,000 people are dead, and it
goodbye and ‘slipped the surly bonds of feels almost as if it didn’t really happen, as if
Earth’ to ‘touch the face of God.’” it carries no weight. One hundred thousand
When 168 people died in the Oklahoma of our mothers, fathers, sisters and broth-
City bombing, President Bill Clinton told the ers, a college professor, a New York cabbie,
survivors, “You have lost too much, but you a coach, a sharecropper’s son, an LGBTQ
have not lost everything, and you have cer- activist, a stamp collector, a jazz patriarch —
tainly not lost America, for we will stand with 100,000 of us gone, yet there is no national
you for as many tomorrows as it takes.” moment, memorial or mourning. The sorrow
When 2,977 people died in the Sept. 11 feels atomized, broken into its constituent
terrorist attacks, President George W. Bush parts, so that each family and circle of
said, “Today our nation saw evil — the very friends are left to grieve alone.
worst of human nature — and we responded As we cross this terrible Rubicon, pundits
with the best of America.” and preachers will try to fill the void as best
Yet as we pass a somber milestone — they can. But ultimately, only a president can
100,000 Americans dead of the coronavirus do what needs doing here. Only a president
pandemic — Donald Trump says nothing. has the pulpit from which to address the
At least, not about the moment. Instead, he whole of us and draw us together upon high-
tweets. er ground. Unfortunately, it is a task to which
“OBAMAGATE!!” Trump is ill-suited and in which he has no
And tweets. apparent interest.
“Sleepy Joe Biden ...” So we are left remembering how it was
And tweets. before, when a president might use a mo-
“Psycho Joe Scarborough ...” ment like this to send a needed message to
And tweets. a hurting nation. Their words might differ,
“Crazy Nancy Pelosi ...” but the message always was substantially
And tweets. the same, a sermon of hope and resilience
“Fake news ...” that ennobled our pain and left us better for
Always before, there have been words having listened. By contrast, Donald Trump
for moments like this, moments of rawness engages in name-calling, whiny self-pity and
and loss. Always before, the president would nonsense conspiracies. People die, he tweets.
craft language as a vessel for our grief and And that sends a message, too.
a sword of our resolve; he would center us, Leonard Pitts Jr., winner of the 2004
comfort us, remind us to keep faith with Pulitzer Prize for commentary, is a columnist
tomorrow and aspire to the best version of for the Miami Herald. Email him at lpitts@
ourselves. miamiherald.com.

Violence again rocks Minneapolis after man’s death; 1 killed
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MINNEAPOLIS — A
man was shot to death
as violent protests over
the death of a black man
in police custody rocked
Minneapolis for a second
straight night Wednesday,
with protesters looting
stores near a police pre-
cinct and setting fires.
Police said they were
investigating the death as
a homicide and had a sus-
pect in custody, but were
still investigating what led
to the shooting.
Protesters began gath-
ering in the early after-
noon near the city’s 3rd
Precinct station, in the
COMMERCIAL DISPATCH
OBITUARY POLICY
Obituaries with basic informa-
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
homes unless the deceased’s
body has been donated to
science. If the deceased’s
body was donated to science,
the family must provide official
proof of death. Please submit
all obituaries on the form
provided by The Commercial
Dispatch. Free notices must
be submitted to the newspa-
per no later than 3 p.m. the
day prior for publication Tues-
day through Friday; no later
than 4 p.m. Saturday for the
Sunday edition; 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 publication. For
more information, call 662-
328-2471.
Willie Brown
COLUMBUS — Wil-
lie J. Brown, 78, died
May 20,
2020, at
Windsor
Place.
Visita-
tion will
be from
11a.m.-
Brown
2 p.m.
Friday, at
Carter’s Funeral Ser-
vice. Carter’s Funeral
Service of Columbus is
Mississippi health officials say second child dead from flu
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
JACKSON — Mississippi health
officials said a second child has died
in the state this year due a pediatric
flu.
The child died in March but their
southern part of the city
where 46-year-old George
Floyd died on Memorial
Day after an officer knelt
on his neck until he be-
came unresponsive.
News helicopter foot-
age showed protesters
milling in streets near the
city’s 3rd Precinct station,
with some running in and
out of nearby stores. A Tar-
get, a Cub Foods, a Dollar
Tree and an auto parts
store all showed signs of
damage and looting. As
darkness fell, fire erupt-
ed in the auto parts store,
and city fire crews rushed
to control it. Protesters set
other fires in the street.
in charge of arrange-
ments.
Mr. Brown was born
Nov. 3, 1941, in Lown-
des County, to the late
James Arthur Brown
and Nancy Ann Brown.
He was a veteran of the
U.S. Army and was a
graduate of R.E. Hunt
High School. He was
formerly employed
with United Technolo-
gies and a member of
Stephen Chapel M.B.
Church.
In addition to his
parents, he was preced-
ed in death by his wife,
Ola Mae Brown and
brother, Robert Brown.
He is survived by
his children, Kylesola
Kyles of Columbus and
Robert Louis Holt of
Birmingham, Alabama;
siblings, Linda Brown,
Debra Brown, Johnny
Brown all of Columbus
and Richard Brown of
Jacksonville, Florida;
nine grandchildren;
and 13 great-grandchil-
dren.
James Richards
MILLPORT —
James Timothy “Ho-
tRod” Richards, 53,
died May 26, 2020, at
UAB Hospital in Bir-
mingham.
Funeral services will
be at 2 p.m. Friday, at
Dowdle Funeral Home.
Burial will follow in
Millport City Ceme-
tery. Visitation is from
6-8 p.m. today, at the
funeral home. Dow-
dle Funeral Home of
case was not previously reported to
the department, state Health Of-
ficer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said in a
news release Wednesday.
The first pediatric flu death for
2020 was reported to the state’s
The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2020 5A
Mayor: Officer who put knee on man’s neck should be charged
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS in police custody. pavement. The officer does not
Based on the video, Mayor Jacob move for at least eight minutes,
MINNEAPOLIS — The mayor Frey said officer Derek Chauvin even after Floyd stops speaking
of Minneapolis called Wednesday should be charged in the death of and moving.
for criminal charges against the George Floyd. The footage record- “I’ve wrestled with, more than
white police officer seen on video ed by a bystander shows Chau- anything else over the last 36 hours,
kneeling against the neck of a hand- vin with his knee on Floyd’s neck one fundamental question: Why is
cuffed black man who complained as Floyd gasps for breath on the the man who killed George Floyd
that he could not breathe and died ground with his face against the not in jail?” said Frey, who is white.
Officers could be seen tests found a man lying being sorted out.”
surrounding the nearby on the sidewalk with what It was the second night
precinct, not attempting turned out to be a bullet of violent protest since
to intervene in the loot- wound. The man was pro- the death of Floyd, whom
ing. nounced dead at a local police were seeking to
Police spokesman hospital. Elder said a sus- arrest outside a Minne-
John Elder said officers pect was in custody but apolis grocery store on a
responding to a reported said the facts leading up report of a counterfeit bill
stabbing near the pro- to the shooting were “still being passed.
AREA OBITUARIES
Millport is in charge of Nicholas Clarke Whit- incomplete and will be
arrangements. tington. announced by Lee- Brian Fedorka
Memorial Services:
He is survived by his He is survived by his Sykes Funeral Home of Held At A Later Date.
wife, Larissa Rich- wife, Debra Pearson Columbus. College Street Location
ards; children, Lacie Whittington; children,
McCluskey; step-chil- Samuel E. Whittington Dalton Thibodeaux
dren, Dusty Ponds and and Victoria Whitting-
Dalton Thibodeaux Incomplete
COLUMBUS — Dal- 2nd Ave. North Location
Carley Ponds; parents, ton; siblings, Richard ton James Thibodeaux,
Gene Richards and Kent Whittington,
49, died May 27, 2020,
Phoeba Robertson; and James Bryon Whit-
at his residence.
siblings, Joy Murphy, tington and Jansen
Arrangements are
Jeanie Kemp and Jan Noel Freeman; and one
incomplete and will be
McCullough. grandchild.
announced by Memori-
Pallbearers will be
al Gunter Peel Funeral memorialgunterpeel.com
Mark Jordan, Melvin Johnny Mays Home and Crematory
Murphy, Jim Richards, COLUMBUS —
Second Avenue North
Buster Ponds, Dennis Johnny Mays, 65, died
location.
Dwyer and Will Kel- May 27, 2020, at Bap-
lum. tist Memorial Hospi-
tal-Golden Triangle.
Mary McGairty Arrangements are
COLUMBUS — incomplete and will be
Mary Sutton McGairty, announced by Carter’s
68, died May 27, 2020, Funeral Services of
at her residence. Columbus.
Arrangements are
incomplete and will be Jimmie Thomas
announced by Lown- COLUMBUS — Jim-
des Funeral Home of mie Thomas, 68, died
Columbus. May 25, 2020.
Arrangements are
Samuel Whittington incomplete and will be
Brian Fedorka
WEST POINT — announced by Lee-
Samuel “Sam” Clarke Sykes Funeral Home of
Whittington, 58, died Columbus.
May 26, 2020. Brian Mark Fedorka, age 60, of Columbus,
A private memorial Mary Topps MS, passed away from cancer on May 26, 2020,
service will be Friday. COLUMBUS — at his residence.
Robinson Funeral Mary Topps, 79, died A private family memorial service will be held
Home of West Point is May 27, 2020. at a later date. Memorial Gunter Peel Funeral
in charge of arrange- Arrangements are Home & Crematory 903 College St. location is in
ments. incomplete and will be charge of arrangements.
Mr. Whittington was announced by Lee- Mr. Fedorka was born March 15, 1960, in
born June 13, 1961, in Sykes Funeral Home of Pittsburgh, PA, to the late Patricia Ann Ruprecht
Jackson, to the late Sam Columbus. Fedorka. He was a veteran of the Gulf War serving
Whittington and Au- in the United States Air Force. Mr. Fedorka was a
drey Darlene Scoggin Gene Hampton member of Annunciation Catholic Church.
Whittington. NOXUBEE — Gene Survivors include his wife, Christine Fedorka
In addition to his Hampton died May 23, of Columbus, MS; daughter, Michelle Angelique
parents, he was preced- 2020, in Ruleville. Both and her husband Jesse of Columbus,
ed in death by his son, Arrangements are MS; brother, Bill Fedorka of Pittsburgh, PA;
sister, Doreen Fedorka of Pittsburgh, PA; and
grandchildren, Liam Both and Micah Both.
Memorials may be made to St. Vincent DePaul
Society, Annunciation Catholic Church, 823
College St., Columbus, MS, 39701.
Health Department last week. It was
the first pediatric flu death in Mis-
sissippi since 2018, according to a
Sign the online guest book at
news release from the department.
www.memorialgunterpeel.com
Officials did not provide the age
College Street • Columbus, MS
of the children who died.
6A THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2020
Suddith
Continued from Page 1A
dith’s contract was not
renewed.
Suddith requested
a hearing under dis-
trict policy to appeal the
board’s decision. She ap-
peared with her lawyer,
Preston Rideout of Green-
wood, for the first of a
scheduled two-day affair
before LCSD Superinten-
dent Sam Allison, attor-
neys Jeff Smith and Corky
Smith, as well as hearing
officer Perry Sansing,
prepared to hash out her
grievances in a public ses-
sion.
But after Jeff Smith
cited the possibility of
discussing details of stu-
dent matters and privacy
concerns, Sansing ruled
Wednesday morning to
allow witnesses to testify
on student matters in a
closed setting. The hear-
ing was mostly closed
to the public after the
first witness — Assistant
Superintendent Susan
Johnson — revealed an
incident where Suddith
left her phone recording
a video in her classroom
with a student and several
school officials present.
Suddith, she said, was ab-
sent.
“The student was
moved to Ms. Suddith’s
room in the afternoon,”
she said. “Ms. Suddith
left the room but left her
phone on record on the
desk.”
Mississippi is a the case but agreed with
one-party consent state,
Smith said, which means
no one should be allowed
to record a conversation
they are not part of unless
one party gives consent.
Suddith, however,
told The Dispatch she
had started recording to
protect the student and
herself. The student, she
said, was irate and started
screaming, which made
her panic. A school offi-
cial in the room turned off
the recording, she said, so
nothing was ever saved.
“As soon as they came
in, they said, ‘Ms. Suddith
you need to leave.’” she
said. “I got scooted out of
there. I just forgot about
it.”
Suddith said the in-
cident was one of many
LCSD cited that resulted
in her contract nonrenew-
al, which she believed to
be retaliatory. She was
also allegedly criticized
for writing up a student
for yelling at her and for
Business
Continued from Page 1A
to The Dispatch by press
time. However, when
I contacted customer
service, a Ruby Tuesday
representative confirmed
the Starkville restaurant
closed on April 29.
STAGgerIN Sports
Grill will no longer
operate at 106 Maxwell
St. Robert Camp of Dan
Camp Family Real Estate
LLC, who owns the
building, said STAGger-
IN’s lease expired March
31. The sports bar first
opened in 2011.
“Both (STAGgerIN
owner) Jason Roden
and our family mutually
agreed months prior, that
we all needed fresh starts
with our location and his
business,” Camp said.
“We are in talks with
prospective new tenants
for our 106 Maxwell St.
location, and will publicly
announce when things
finalize.”
It is unclear if STA-
GerIN is closed perma-
nently or plans to relocate
elsewhere in Starkville.
Roden did not return mes-
sages to The Dispatch by
press time.
There is good news in
Starkville, though! Area
artisans, Josh and Brandi
Herrington have opened
Dunkington, a unique
art-gift shop at 109 S. La-
fayette St. Check out the
shop Tuesday through
Thursday from 4-6 p.m.,
Friday from 1-6 p.m. and
Saturdays from 11 a.m.-6
p.m.
If you’re in the store,
Jeff Smith, board attorney for the Lowndes County School District, waits for a due
process hearing to start Wednesday morning. The hearing over Melissa Suddith,
a Lowndes County Alternative School teacher who has filed multiple grievances
against former school administrators and a lawsuit against the LCSD, was sur-
rounding the nonrenewal of Suddith’s contract in April. Smith told The Dispatch he
believes the district properly non-renewed Suddith’s contract.
talking about wine-drink-
ing during class, accord-
ing to court documents.
Smith didn’t directly
address the incidents but
said the reasons to let
Suddith go were “self-ex-
planatory.”
“There is overwhelm-
ing evidence that the
lady was properly not re-
newed,” Smith told The
Dispatch.
Allison, when ap-
proached by The Dis-
patch, offered no com-
ment on the details of
Smith’s argument.
Suddith’s testimony
Suddith, however,
complained against the
district citing those inci-
dents against her, arguing
a series of hostile events
from LCSD led to the non-
renewal.
Over the past two
years, Suddith and two
other teachers filed mul-
tiple grievances against
former school administra-
tors, including then-As-
sistant Superintendent
Robert Byrd and Caledo-
nia High School Principal
Andy Stevens, alleging
misconduct, bullying
and hostile work envi-
ronment. Suddith told
The Dispatch she filed
her first grievance in Au-
gust 2018 against Byrd,
who she said “exploited
a child.” She could not di-
vulge the details of the in-
cident, but said a student
came to her with the issue
and she had to report it.
you might recognize their
signature poured-paint
art pieces. Though the
shop opened May 23, the
couple founded Dunk-
ington in 2016, offering
customers one-of-a-kind
products. I know I’ve
seen them at several art
fairs and shopping events
downtown.
A new product, the
Dunkington Art Box, pro-
vides everything a bored
person needs to create
a poured paint 4-by-4
canvas. Once COVID-19
restrictions ease, you can
even join a pouring paint
technique class.
“We just debuted
Dunkington Art Boxes a
few months back to help
people who are stuck in
quarantine and bored,”
Josh said. “They’ve been
a great seller and cus-
tomers have produced
amazing art pieces for
their homes. … We’re so
thankful to all of our cus-
tomers who have helped
make this possible. We
can’t wait to see you in
the store and show you
around.”
Also in downtown, a lo-
cal favorite is closing tem-
porarily. After remaining
open during troubling
business times, The Pop
Porium downtown has de-
cided to close shop from
June 6 to Aug. 11. Until
its June closure, The Pop
Porium is having BOGO
cheesy large popcorns so
be sure to “pop” on in for
a summer treat.
In south Starkville,
The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com
While Byrd was forced
to resign in February
2019 and Stevens was
suspended for a week
without pay (and retired
at the end of this school
year), Suddith told The
Dispatch she was repri-
manded several times
and harassment against
her and her friends con-
tinued. The three teach-
ers were transferred from
Caledonia High School to
other campuses after the
incidents, she said.
During the hearing
Wednesday, Rideout
said school officials sent
threatening messages
to Suddith via email.
T hen - super intendent
Lynn Wright — who held
that position from 2011-
2019 — threatened disci-
plinary action in a letter
addressed to Suddith,
Rideout said, after she
had filed several griev-
ances.
“Superintendent
Wright told you that fil-
ing venting and frivolous
complaints could not be
tolerated,” he read out a
letter to Suddith during
her testimony. “Did you
take that as a threat?”
“Yes sir, I did,” she
said.
During another email
exchange with Smith last
year, Suddith questioned
why the board would not
hear her appeal to disci-
plinary actions after she
had been reprimanded,
according to her readout
of exhibits. Smith told her
the board would only hear
a new Dollar General is
near completion. Expect
the Dollar General at
1818 S. Montgomery to
open soon. DG officials
said the new location is in
“final store preparations”
but did not have a soft
opening date.
Moving to Columbus,
all signs, or lack thereof,
point toward Books-A-
Million’s permanent clo-
sure. The store’s signage
at Leigh Mall has been
taken down, inventory
is being boxed up and a
simple hand written note
hangs in the window,
“Sorry, we are now closed
@ this location.”
Books-A-Million
emailed Columbus
customers indicating the
store was closed at least
temporarily earlier this
month. Now, the Colum-
bus store is no longer
listed on its website. Com-
pany officials have yet
to respond to numerous
calls and messages from
The Dispatch by press
time today.
Books-A-Million is
only the latest retailer to
close at Leigh Mall. Orig-
inal anchors Sears and
JCPenney have already
departed, and the mall
has also been steadily
losing smaller tenants
including RadioShack,
Reed’s Jewelry, Payless
ShoeSource, The Cookie
Store and Kirkland’s, all
of which have perma-
nently closed, since 2017.
Hobby Lobby, Planet
Fitness and a few other
Yue Stella Yu/Dispatch Staff
disciplinary actions that
“resulted in termination.”
“I said, ‘You are saying
that anyone can be giv-
en a letter of reprimand
based on false informa-
tion, which can be prov-
en false, and an educator
has no recourse but to al-
low that in the personnel
file?’” Suddith read.
“He said, ‘An employee
has two opportunities (to
address the issue), one
is with the principal, the
other is the superinten-
dent,’” she kept on read-
ing. “‘If the board has to
hear every disciplinary
action, nothing will be ac-
complished.’”
Smith refused to com-
ment on the nature of the
email correspondences.
Suddith said she will
keep fighting to make her
case, even though all the
administrators she filed
grievances against are no
longer with the district.
“The bullying has
continued against me,”
she said. “They never ad-
dressed the real cause —
the exploitation of a child
by an administrator. And
they are constantly ha-
rassing and bullying me
because I won’t shut up
about it. They are just try-
ing to get me to go away.”
The hearing will re-
sume today at the LCSD
office. When the hearing
is concluded, Sansing, at
the board’s request, will
provide a recommenda-
tion for the board to con-
sider regarding Suddith’s
nonrenewal.
tenants remain.
Moving on, Swoope
Insurance, previously lo-
cated on Highway 12, has
opened at its new location
at 3501 Bluecutt Road.
Have no fear, Captain
D’s in east Columbus is
still here. Though it ap-
pears closed, Captain D’s
officials confirmed that
closure is only temporary.
Officials did not indicate
when the fast food restau-
rant would reopen.
Nationally, large
chains have started de-
claring bankruptcy in the
wake of COVID-19. After
the across the board
closure of Pier 1 Imports,
the chain Tuesday Morn-
ing is the next retailer
on the chopping block.
Tuesday Morning plans
to close 230 out of 687
locations and released a
list of its first 132 stores
expected to close. The re-
tailer announced its filing
for Chapter 11 Bankrupt-
cy Wednesday morning
in a press release.
As of Thursday,
neither Starkville and
Columbus locations were
listed on the first wave of
closures. The press re-
lease stated an additional
100 stores will close after
renegotiations of a “signif-
icant number of leases.”
“The prolonged and
unexpected closures of
our stores in response to
COVID-19 has had severe
consequences on our
business,” Steve Becker,
CEO of Tuesday Morning
said in a press release.
Sports
MSU PLANNING FOR RECRUITS TO ARRIVE IN LATE JUNE
COVID-19 testing to be conducted before participation in activities
BY BEN PORTNOY
bportnoy@cdispatch.com
STARKVILLE — Mis-
sissippi State football is
nearing a return.
Following the South-
eastern Conference’s
announcement last week
that voluntary in-person
activities can commence
on June 8, multiple sourc-
es confirmed to The Dis-
patch this week that the
school is planning for its
2020 recruits to arrive on
campus in late June be-
fore beginning classes in
early July. MSU’s second
summer term is sched-
uled to begin on July 6.
“The safe and healthy
return of our student-ath-
letes, coaches, adminis-
trators and our greater
university communities
have been and will con-
tinue to serve as our
guiding principle as we
navigate this complex and
constantly-evolving situ-
ation,” SEC Commission-
er Greg Sankey said in a
news release last week.
“At this time, we are pre-
paring to begin the fall
sports season as current-
ly scheduled, and this lim-
ited resumption of volun-
tary athletic activities on
June 8 is an important ini-
tial step in that process.”
In addition to the arriv-
al of recruits, MSU Ath-
letic Director John Cohen
gave The Dispatch some
slight insight into what
testing protocols will look
like once student-athletes
begin arriving on campus
next week.
Cohen told The Dis-
patch on Wednesday that
student-athletes partici-
pating in in-person volun-
tary workouts will be test-
ed upon arrival, though
MISSISSIPPI STATE VOLLEYBALL
Dawgs’ standout freshmen, talented
transfers offer reasons for optimism
BY THEO DEROSA
tderosa@cdispatch.com
Margaret Dean hasn’t
been a member of the
Mississippi State volley-
ball team — nor of the
team’s group message —
very long.
The graduate transfer
from Stephen F. Austin
was only officially an-
nounced as a Bulldog
on April 15, but as soon
as she was added to
the players’ group text,
Dean’s new teammates
showed the friendliness
the setter had come to
hope for.
“They were all so wel-
coming,” Dean said. “I
could tell they all have
each other’s backs,
which is so important on
a team.”
After their spring
training, supposed to be
a “preview” of the compe-
tition they’ll see this fall,
was cut short by more
than a month due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, the
Bulldogs are raring to re-
turn to the court as soon
as they can — although
they don’t yet know when
that will be.
“‘Whenever we can
come back, we’re all in,’”
captains Logan Brown
and Kendall Murr have
stressed to their team-
mates.
When that long-await-
ed return does eventually
happen — and the Bull-
dogs have confidence it
Mississippi State Athletic Director John Cohen said Wednesday that student-athletes participating in in-person
workouts will be tested upon arrival. How frequently they will be tested and the costs associated with those tests
is not yet known. “We’re gonna make the best decisions we can based off the information we’re getting,” he said.
he would not disclose how
frequently they would be
tested subsequently and
that costs associated with
the tests would not be
known until the summer.
He also noted staffers
who will work in prox-
imity to student-athletes
participating in those vol-
untary activities will have
to endure a test and that
costs associated with the
tests wouldn’t be known
until the summer.
“We’re getting a great
deal of information,”
Cohen said. “And we’re
gonna make the best de-
cisions we can based off
the information we’re get-
ting.”
Gabby Zgunda/Mississippi State Athletics
Incoming freshman Akacia Brown, right, is the crown
jewel of the Bulldogs’ five-player recruiting class.
will — Mississippi State
will boast a complete-
ly new look from a 2019
team that went 13-17 and
won just two Southeast-
ern Conference matches.
Dean, Jessica Kemp from
North Carolina State and
Alden Willis from East
Carolina are all trans-
ferring in, and Akacia
Brown from Iowa high-
lights a five-player fresh-
man class.
Dean, who went from
playing on a 31-2 squad at
SFA last year to joining a
struggling SEC team,
said she wouldn’t have
come to Mississippi State
if she wasn’t convinced
the Bulldogs were ready
to compete this season.
“I think there’s some
really big things coming
for this volleyball pro-
gram,” she said.
MISSISSIPPI STATE FOOTBALL
Beyond precautionary
testing, Senior Associ-
ate Athletic Director of
Sports Medicine & Per-
formance Mary McClen-
don has overseen the
development of a plan for
what will happen should
a student athlete test pos-
itive for the coronavirus at
some point in time. Cohen
would not divulge the ex-
act strategy, but assured
that steps have been tak-
en to be prepared should
a positive test occur.
“A great deal of re-
search has been put into
it, and obviously we feel
like Mary has a great plan
in place if that happens,”
he said. “And statistically
A long time coming
Gunter, who played
high school volleyball un-
der Jen Darty, the young-
er sister of Mississippi
State head coach Julie
Darty, initially met Julie
when she was the head
coach at Jacksonville Uni-
versity before coming to
Starkville. But Gunter
wanted to make an impact
at a Power Five program,
and when Julie took the
job at Mississippi State, it
was a “game-changer” for
the defensive specialist.
“When she went to
MSU, I was super stoked
because I wanted to play
in something that’s su-
per competitive like the
SEC,” Gunter said.
Gunter is just one of
the players comprising a
recruiting class that was
in the works for a while
speaking, it probably will
happen at some point. We
don’t want it to happen.
We hope it doesn’t hap-
pen. But statistically, it
probably does happen at
some point.”
At the conference lev-
el, the SEC recommended
the following measures
last week to ensure the
safety of student-athletes
upon their return:
— A 3-stage screen-
ing process that involves
screening before stu-
dent-athletes arrive on
campus, within 72 hours
of entering athletics facil-
ities and on a daily basis
upon resumption of ath-
letics activities
— a group that earned a
high honorable mention
from PrepVolleyball.com
on its list of the top 30 in
the country.
“This class, we’ve
been recruiting for quite
some time,” Darty said.
She was struck by the
talent of Cedar Falls High
School (Iowa) standout
Akacia Brown at AAU
club nationals in Detroit.
Darty had previously
coached against Brown’s
sister Kaz, a standout at
Kentucky, but she hadn’t
seen the younger sibling
take the court before.
“Then I watched her
play for a while, and I
was like, ‘I have not seen
someone at this age hit as
well as she does,’” Darty
said.
The recruiting process
went smoothly for Brown,
who said she fit in without
awkwardness at Missis-
sippi State. Liking what
she saw, she committed
on her visit to Starkville.
“I went on a couple vis-
its where the team didn’t
really know how to talk
to me because I was a re-
cruit, so they didn’t want
to say the wrong things,”
Brown said. “At MSU, I
just fit right in, and every-
one was talking to me like
I already went there and
they already knew me. …
It felt like a perfect fit.”
Brown and Detroit
product Francesca Mc-
Bride both joined the
See VOLLEYBALL, 2B
THE DISPATCH n CDISPATCH.COM n THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2020
Courtesy of Mississippi State Athletics
— Testing of symp-
tomatic team members
(including all student-ath-
letes, coaches, team sup-
port and other appropri-
ate individuals)
— Immediate isolation
of team members who are
under investigation or di-
agnosed with COVID-19
followed by contact trac-
ing, following CDC and
local public health guide-
lines
— A transition period
that allows student-ath-
letes to gradually adapt
to full training and sport
activity following a period
of inactivity
The SEC also said
practices and the way in
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
MLB players will take
time to respond to
money-slashing plan
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — Base-
ball players will take at
least a few days and pos-
sibly until next week to
respond to Major League
Baseball’s proposed slid-
ing scale of salary slash-
ing for a pandemic-de-
layed season in ballparks
without fans.
Stars Mike Trout and
Gerrit Cole would lose
the most under the pro-
posal teams made Tues-
day, about 77% of the $36
million each they were
set to be paid this season.
A big leaguer earning
$1 million or less would
keep at least 43% of his
salary under the six-tier
scale and $200 million
for players contingent
on the postseason being
completed. About 460 of
approximately 900 play-
ers on rosters and injured
lists when spring train-
ing was stopped in mid-
March due to the new
coronavirus make $1 mil-
lion or less.
Trout and Cole would
be cut to about $8 million
each. Colorado’s Nolan
Arenado would drop from
$35 million to $7.84 mil-
lion.
“Interesting strategy
of making the best most
marketable players po-
SPORTS LINE
662-241-5000
B
SECTION
which schools bring back
student-athletes, coaches
and other staffers will be
up to its members. In-per-
son camps and coaching
clinics conducted by con-
ference schools will also
not be allowed until July
31.
“While each institu-
tion will make its own
decisions in creating
defined plans to safely
return student-athletes
to activity, it is essential
to employ a collaborative
approach that involves
input from public health
officials, coaches, sports
medicine staff, sports
performance personnel
and student-athletes,”
Sankey said. “Elements
of the Task Force recom-
mendations provided key
guidance for determining
the date of the return to
activity.”
The Bulldogs are ex-
pected to open their sea-
son Thursday, Sept. 3
against New Mexico after
a source within the MSU
athletic department pre-
viously told The Dispatch
there was a “90 percent”
chance the season opener
would be moved up from
Saturday, Sept. 5. An offi-
cial announcement of the
schedule change has not
been made to date.
The Football Bowl Sub-
division conferences did
release a joint statement
alongside CBS Sports,
ESPN, Fox Sports and
their affiliated networks
Tuesday that all parties
agreed to extend the stan-
dard June 1 deadline for
determining college foot-
ball’s early season kickoff
times and network desig-
nations to an undisclosed
later date.
tentially look like the bad
guys,” Milwaukee pitcher
Brett Anderson tweeted.
The players’ associa-
tion called the proposal
“extremely disappoint-
ing.” The union has ar-
gued players already ac-
cepted a cut to prorated
shares of their salaries
in a March 26 agreement
and should not have to
bargain again.
MLB would like to
start the season around
the Fourth of July in
empty ballparks and pro-
posed an 82-game reg-
ular season schedule. It
claims teams would lose
billions of dollars by play-
ing with no ticket money
and gate-related revenue.
“This season is not
looking promising,” New
York Mets pitcher Mar-
cus Stroman tweeted.
“Keeping the mind and
body ready regardless.”
Union head Tony Clark
has not commented pub-
licly on MLB’s proposal
and has said very little
publicly since late March.
Agent Scott Boras has re-
peatedly criticized MLB
for proposing more sal-
ary reductions and has
questioned the accuracy
of management’s finan-
cial claims.
“Hearing a LOT of
See MLB, 2B
2B THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2020
Volleyball
Continued from Page 1B
team for the spring se-
mester to get the ball roll-
ing early.
Shania Cromartie of
Tallahassee, Florida —
who played against Gunt-
er in high school — and
Skyler Buckley of Ra-
leigh, North Carolina —
round out the Bulldogs’
recruiting class.
“I think there’s a lot of
talent there,” Gunter said.
“We may not be the best,
but I’m excited to kind of
impact the program when
we come in and just keep
improving.”
Tons of transfers
While Mississippi
State officially landed
three transfers this off-
season, the Bulldogs feel
like they have four.
That’s because Logan
Brown, who came over
from Arkansas after the
2018 season, sat out last
year and is eligible to play
for the first time.
“She’s got confidence;
she’s got really good
experience and compo-
sure,” Darty said. “I think
having somebody who
had success in this con-
ference and is used to go-
ing in and competing and
winning matches is gonna
be refreshing for us.”
Brown will join Dean, a
fellow Texas native and a
good friend. The two have
known each other and
played together with the
Dallas Premier Volleyball
Club, forming a connec-
tion that helped things
line up perfectly for Dean.
In need of another set-
ter to fill out the roster
and run a 6-2 rotation in
MLB
Continued from Page 1B
rumors about a certain
player agent meddling in
MLBPA affairs,” Cincin-
nati pitcher Trevor Bauer
tweeted Wednesday. “If
true — and at this point,
these are only rumors —
I have one thing to say...
Scott Boras, rep your cli-
ents however you want to,
but keep your damn per-
sonal agenda out of union
business.”
Boras did not respond
to a request for comment
on Bauer’s remarks.
“Working together to
manage the public health
issue has brought great
solidarity among the
players,” Boras said ear-
lier in the day. “They are
a strong united front and
resolute in their support
of the MLBPA.”
Players are expected
to propose more games,
which would yield a high-
er percentage of their
original salaries. MLB
says that without fans
each additional game
would result in a $640,000
loss.
Brewers chairman
Mark Attanasio told the
Greater Milwaukee Com-
mittee on Tuesday “the
be-careful-what-you-wish
for part is hours every
day.”
“It’s got to come to-
gether very quickly or
we won’t be able to, we
will just run out of time,”
he said. “To pay players
at a full contract rate,
pretty much 90% of that
would go to pay them and
wouldn’t cover any other
costs.”
Details of the plan
have been disclosed to
The Associated Press by
several people familiar
with the proposal.
MLB’s proposal says
that within 48 hours of
the ratification of an
agreement for player
compensation terms and
for health and safety
protocols, the commis-
sioner’s office would an-
nounce a proposed time-
line for the resumption of
the season.
The resumption would
include a training peri-
od of at least 21 days,
and each team would be
allowed a maximum of
three exhibition games,
all in the final seven days
of the training period.
Middle blocker and right-side hitter Gabby Waden is one of Mississippi State’s key returning players for 2020.
The junior said she’s encouraged by the incoming talent on the team as the Bulldogs try to “pick up the pieces.”
which two setters share
the court, Darty turned to
Dean, who played a part
when the Lumberjacks
“crushed” the Bulldogs
two years ago. Dean’s
former squad swept MSU
on Sept. 15, 2018, at the
North Texas Challenge
in Denton, and Darty re-
membered it when she
sought the setter.
The coach also picked
up middle blocker and
right-side hitter Jessica
Kemp from NC State.
Darty’s staff and the
Wolfpack’s staff are close,
so upon finding out Kemp
was looking for a ‘change
of pace’ for her master’s
program, the player and
SOCCER
EPL teams approve contact training as players’ fears linger
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MANCHESTER, En-
gland — The Premier
League is on course to
restart next month after
clubs approved plans on
Wednesday to resume
contact training even as
some players are con-
cerned about taking to
the field again during the
coronavirus pandemic.
The vote by the 20
clubs came after gaining
clearance from the gov-
ernment for players to
work together as a squad
as restrictions are eased
across England.
Players and staff mem-
bers at clubs are being
checked twice a week for
COVID-19. Four people
from three clubs tested
positive from tests on
1,008 players and staff on
Monday and Tuesday.
NWSL returning to play with summertime tournament
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Pro soccer returns to
the U.S. next month when
the National Women’s
Soccer League starts a
25-game tournament in a
pair of stadiums in Utah
that will be kept clear of
fans to protect players
from the coronavirus.
Players from the
league’s nine teams will
train and live at two Salt
Lake City-area hotels,
the league announced
Wednesday. All play-
ers will be tested for
COVID-19 before leaving
for Utah, and then will
be regularly screened
during their monthlong
stay.
No fans will be allowed
into the Zions Bank or
Rio Tinto stadiums, two
suburban Salt Lake City
venues that will host the
action.
The tournament be-
gins June 27, with games
to be televised and
streamed by CBS and its
online and broadcast af-
filiates. It’s a boon for a
league that was looking
for a new TV partner in
the wake of the U.S. wom-
The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com
the coach made rapid
progress. Kemp was in
Starkville by the start of
the spring term.
“It’s always a quick
process when they want
to come at semester,”
Darty said.
The Bulldogs’ crop
of transfers is rounded
out by Alden Willis, who
decommitted from Jack-
sonville when Darty left
for Mississippi State and
had what the coach called
“two tough seasons” at
East Carolina.
While Gunter is a
“calm, composed” libero,
Willis is “‘rabid’ in a really
exciting, fun way where
you know she’s giving her
The clubs will hold
another conference call
on Thursday to discuss
plans to resume the sea-
son in the second half of
June, including the sched-
uling of games that will
all be closed to fans. The
location of matches is still
to be resolved after clubs
rejected proposals for all
fixtures to be played in
neutral venues.
Clubs are also discuss-
ing the potential need to
refund broadcasters $400
million because of the
disruption to the season
and changes to the prod-
uct if the league resumes.
There are still contin-
gencies being formulated
if there is a need to aban-
don the season, which
was suspended in March
with Liverpool leading by
25 points with nine games
remaining.
en’s victory in the World
Cup last year and now
finds itself on the front
end of American leagues
returning and offering
live sports amid the coro-
navirus pandemic.
League Commission-
er Lisa Baird said player
safety was a priority.
“We’ve been guided,
not necessarily by being
first, but by being safe,”
Baird said. “Our mantra
all the way through has
been, ‘Is our medical pro-
tocol complete enough
and thorough enough?’”
Not all players may
be on board. The U.S.
Women’s National Team
Players Association con-
firmed players can opt
out of the tournament
and said it “will provide
support to each player
in whatever decision she
makes.”
U.S. Soccer also said
participation is optional.
It was not immediate-
ly known whether any
players from the national
team would opt out.
Rosters for the
league’s nine teams will
be announced on June 21,
Austin Perryman/Mississippi State Athletics
all, all the time,” Darty
said.
How the pieces fit
While the Bulldogs
will have nine new players
at their disposal when the
2020 season begins Aug.
28 with the Starkvegas
Classic, they still return
plenty of established tal-
ent.
Middle blocker and
right-side hitter Gabby
Waden led the team with
343 kills last year, and
she’s back for her junior
season. Sophomore out-
side hitter Callie Min-
shew (255 kills) and ju-
nior middle blocker Deja
Robinson (225) also re-
For now, the teams are
trying to get the players
match fit after an unprec-
edented time away from
the sport.
After working in small-
er groups and avoiding
contact since training re-
sumed last week, players
can now enter the next
phase to step up prepara-
tions for games. The pro-
tocols still acknowledge
the social distancing re-
quired in wider society.
“Squads are now able
to train as a group and
engage in tackling while
minimizing any unneces-
sary close contact,” the
Premier League said in a
statement.
Germany’s top divi-
sion restarted on May
16 and Spain has govern-
ment approval for games
after June 8. England’s re-
sumption will only come
Baird said.
Utah Royals forward
Amy Rodriguez said play-
ers have been apprised of
the possible risks.
“I am well aware that
there are a lot of concerns
in this,” she said. “And
please, do not get me
wrong when I say that I
am excited for the tourna-
ment, in a sense of being
naive or maybe not having
those concerns. I definite-
ly do think that there are
a lot of things that have to
be in place for this to be a
successful, safe, healthy
tournament for our nine
NWSL teams and staff.
I think that our players’
association, our board
of directors, the medical
staff, everyone has really
taken all those things into
consideration.”
The league was sup-
posed to begin the season
on April 18. The NWSL
players’ union agreed to
the terms of the return,
which will include four
games of pool play for
each team, followed by an
eight-team, single-elim-
ination tournament that
will conclude July 26.
turn.
The Bulldogs’ key
losses included Amarrah
Cooks, who graduated,
and Paige Shaw, who
transferred to Kansas,
but Darty is confident the
team’s incoming talent
can cover those losses as
she enters Year 3 of her
tenure and of the Bull-
dogs’ rebuild.
The team won only
three SEC matches in her
first two seasons, as a rela-
tive lack of size compared
to conference competition
contributed to the Bull-
dogs’ struggles, Darty
said. This offseason, the
coach has taken steps to
overcome that obstacle.
later in the month.
“Discussions are ongo-
ing as work continues to-
wards resuming the sea-
son,” the Premier League
said, “when conditions al-
low ... when safe to do so.”
In the fourth round of
COVID-19 testing later
this week, the number
available to each team
will rise to 60.
Bournemouth goal-
keeper Aaron Ramsdale
and Watford defender
Adrian Mariappa are the
only players announced
as testing positive for
the disease in last week’s
tests.
Some players still
have reservations about
playing — particularly at
Watford, which is a place
above the relegation zone.
“I’m not in favor of the
Premier League return-
ing, in a sense that not
The union secured
guaranteed contracts for
this year and insurance
for all players, whether
they choose to play or not.
The union also made sure
players with children
were accommodated.
Mothers will be allowed
to bring their children
and a caregiver to Utah.
Emily Menges, who
plays for the Portland
Thorns, said she believes
the league has done a
good job of addressing
player concerns.
“This is really the most
impressed I’ve ever been
with this league, on all of
the steps that they’ve tak-
en. They’ve gone through
every single possible situ-
ation and every caution,”
she said. “They’ve given
all the players a chance to
answer every single ques-
tion that we have.”
The major men’s soc-
cer league in the U.S.
and Canada, MLS, has
resumed limited training
in the hopes of restart-
ing this summer. The
German Bundesliga re-
sumed play in empty sta-
diums this month after a
Six Bulldogs — including
McBride (6-foot-3), Kemp
(6-3) and Akacia Brown
(6-2) — stand six feet or
taller. That’s a boon for
Darty and her players
alike in the difficult and
physically imposing SEC.
“If you’re playing
against 5-9, 5-10 kids on
the other side of the net,
it’s not preparing you for
what you’re gonna see
on a Friday or a Sunday,”
Darty said. “But if in your
own practice gym you’ve
got a 6-3 blocker on the
right side, and you’ve
gotta find ways to score
against that, it’s gonna
replicate what Tennessee
and Arkansas and Ken-
tucky are doing a lot more
realistically.”
Waden said this year’s
Bulldogs are a “special
group,” as established and
new players alike have al-
ready discussed individ-
ual and team needs with
three months to go until
the start of the season.
“We’ve definitely been
trying to pick the pieces
up and pick each other up
from last year,” she said.
While none of the
Bulldogs knows when
the team will be allowed
to get back on the court
in Starkville to start pre-
season workouts, Gunter
said they’re ready to give
everything they have as
soon as they can give it.
“I think right now,
since everything’s kind of
up in the air, it’s hard just
not knowing,” she said.
“But I’m super excited. I
just want to be with the
team already and start
playing.”
everyone is comfortable
with it,” Watford back-
up goalkeeper Heurelho
Gomes said in a video
interview. “I believe the
virus isn’t going away
from one day to anoth-
er. We obviously hope it
does, but the problem will
remain until a vaccine is
developed.”
Watford captain Troy
Deeney did not return to
training last week over
concerns about his son’s
health.
“Some players need
more time, and that can
be a disadvantage to
some smaller clubs as
they don’t have too many
replacements,” Gomes
said. “We should only
return when everyone is
cool about it and we have
more time for training
and adapting.”
two-month hiatus; other
major leagues in Europe,
including the Premier
League, are trying to
figure out the logistics of
getting back to play.
Baird said she believes
the NWSL’s size gave it
an advantage over other
leagues and sports: “I
think the secret is we’ve
been small and nimble
and agile.”
The NWSL’s testing
guidelines for the tour-
nament include individu-
al testing upon arrival in
Utah and testing within
24 to 48 hours of each
game. The league’s insur-
er will cover the testing.
The league put togeth-
er a task force of 15 physi-
cians to develop its return
to play protocol. Earlier
this week, teams were al-
lowed to start small group
training.
It was unclear whether
additional NWSL games
would be scheduled be-
yond the tournament. Sky
Blue general manager Al-
yse LaHue said in a letter
to supporters Wednesday
that play in the fall has
not been ruled out.
 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2020 3B

Could be limited — or no — fans at a September French Open

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
PARIS — With the new $55
million (50 million euros) re-
tractable roof shut atop a bar-
ren Court Philippe Chatrier —
where the red clay has dimmed
to an orange-brown, the court’s
white lines have all but fad-
ed and there’s no net — the
French Open’s main stadium
was transformed into a far more
imposing and modern-looking
facility.
But without any fans yelling
and clapping on Wednesday, it
felt a bit like standing inside a
silent and empty space ship.
The site sits sans spectators
this week: The clay-court
Grand Slam tournament was
postponed from now until Sep-
tember because of the corona-
virus pandemic.
When — or if — the French
Open is held later in 2020,
though, it is possible there
could be zero — or a limited
number — of people allowed to
attend the event, which broke
its attendance record last year
with 520,000.
Capping the number of fans
allowed each day of the 15-day
tournament might improve so-
cial distancing.
“Of course, we can have less
people, so that the flow of peo-
ple is made easier,” the French
tennis federation’s general di-
rector, Jean-François Vilotte,
told The Associated Press on
Wednesday, when about 10
media members were allowed
to tour Chatrier. “The options
range from a very small reduc-
tion to the number of fans to
various levels of reduction.”
Or no fans at all.
That, Vilotte said, would be a
last resort.
“We are considering all the
options. But we obviously pre-
fer not to play behind closed
doors. We want there to be fans
there, fans who respect precau-
tionary measures,” Vilotte said.
“I have a hard time understand-
ing why restaurants and shops
are allowed to re-open, but we
can’t do so at a big event like
ours.”
The French federation
would, of course, face signifi-
cant revenue losses — tickets,
hospitality, food and drink,
merchandise — if no fans are
allowed. As it is, those who
bought tickets for the tourna-
ment’s original dates — last
Sunday until June 7 — already
were offered refunds.
Vilotte did not say what the
cost of not having spectators
would be.
“It’s too soon to answer this
question,” he said.
One key question if specta-
tors are allowed: How to gauge
what rules should be applied at
a 17-arena tournament?
“It’s not a football stadium.
It’s not one unique location.
There are many courts,” Vilotte
said. “So how do we organize
ourselves in terms of managing
the flow?”
Even with a roof, night ses-
sions are not planned at the
French Open until 2021. If
matches can go ahead in Sep-
tember, eight of the competition
courts will have artificial lights
to allow play until 9:30 p.m. lo-
cal time — roughly as late as
they would have ended if the
tournament were held as sched-
uled in May and June.
Vilotte said the roof, which
makes the French Open the last
of the four Grand Slam tourna-
ments to have at least one court
protected from rain, is fully
operational, other than some
fine-tuning to lessen the noise
when it closes.
The covering has 11 large
sections, gleaming gray slabs
that measure 360 feet (110 me-
ters) long and weigh 660,000
pounds (330 tons) apiece.
It is part of a wider renova-
tion that cost about $415 million
(380 million euros) and includ-
ed the destruction of Court No.
1, known as the “Bullring,” to
make way for a grassy space.
About a dozen or so construc-
tion workers were visible around
Chatrier and its surrounding,
smaller courts Wednesday, in-
cluding Court No. 6, which had
its seating removed so the roof’s
sections could be placed there
before being installed.

Comics & Puzzles

DILBERT
Dear Abby
D
EAR ABBY:
My husband
and I are 58
and getting ready
to celebrate our
first wedding anni-
versary. We knew
each other in
college, but were
just friends back
then. After college,
we married others
and raised chil-
ZITS dren. We stayed
married to our
spouses for close
to 30 years.
We reconnect- Dear Abby
ed eight years ago,
started an affair
and divorced our partners. Nei-
ther of us is proud of this. My
adult children have accepted my
husband. His refused to accept
me, and only one of them has a
relationship with him.
He was out of town recently,
and I caught him in a lie about
having invited a female former
GARFIELD colleague to lunch with him. I
was shocked and hurt because
this is how our relationship
started. He has apologized,
but I can’t get over the fact he
lied to me, and it has caused a
rift between us. He has always
been honest with me, so I
wonder why he lied about this
woman.
I know I’m in no position
to judge others. I can’t afford
counseling, and we don’t belong
to a church for spiritual help.
I suffer from depression and
anxiety (I am under the care of
CANDORVILLE
Horoscopes
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (May
28). Your solar year will be rich
in karmic exchanges. You’ll pay
back a debt — the sweetest re-
lief! Later you will pay forward a
kindness, which will bring deep
satisfaction. So many varieties
of love will run through your
heart, and you’ll need an outlet
for celebrating this expression
of joy in your life. Music could
be the ticket. Leo and Capricorn
BABY BLUES adore you. Your lucky numbers
are: 9, 12, 3, 33 and 16.
ARIES (March 21-April 19).
Most of the time that goes into
a project will be the research,
planning and prep work. The
more organized and methodical
you are, the better you’ll be at
pulling this off.
BEETLE BAILEY
MALLARD FILLMORE
FAMILY CIRCUS
a doctor and take
medication) but
cannot shake the
sadness. How can
I ever trust my
husband again? —
HURTING HEART
IN THE MOUN-
TAINS
DEAR HURT-
ING HEART: In
light of the way
your affair with
your husband
began, he may
have lied because
he was afraid of
upsetting you. A
way to start this
very necessary
conversation would be to tell
him how shaken you are that
he wasn’t truthful and try to get
him to explain why he thought
he had to lie. You should also
ask if he thinks there is anything
awry in your marriage.
If he tells you nothing is
wrong and there is nothing he
would change, believe him. How-
ever, if after that, you are still
feeling insecure, ask the doctor
who is treating your depression
and anxiety to suggest some
low-cost mental health/counsel-
ing services in your community.
DEAR ABBY: I need your
advice about a problem I’m
facing with a man I’ve been
dating almost four years. When
I met “Jeff,” he had two older
Yorkshire terriers. Both were
very territorial and relieved
themselves in the house. I told
him I was concerned about mov-
TAURUS (April 20-May 20).
Put your back into the obvious
things. Better to get your full
energy behind the no-brainer
than to waste fuel deliberating
overcomplicated and multivari-
ate scenarios.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21).
Telling yourself to change with-
out changing the environment,
too, rarely works. But if all you
change is the environment,
chances are good that what’s
inside will follow suit.
CANCER (June 22-July 22).
You firmly believe that money
should be used to balance pow-
er and not to deliberately create
an imbalance of power. When
power is significantly inflated or
deflated, it tends to bring out
ing in with him because of his
out-of-control dogs, and he un-
derstood. They were older dogs,
and I knew one day they would
pass, so I waited patiently.
Then Jeff’s neighbor passed
away, leaving a dog. He adopted
that dog, and it has become a
bigger issue than the first two.
The new dog is very aggressive.
It tries to bite me and won’t let
me into certain rooms in the
house! I expressed my concern
to Jeff, but nothing has been
done.
We are currently engaged
but living separately. I told Jeff
that we need to live together
before getting married, so I gave
him an ultimatum — try to find
a home for the new dog and I’ll
move in.
That was two years ago, and
nothing has been done. At this
point, I suspect that he adopted
the third dog without me know-
ing in order to prevent me from
moving in. I feel like he chose
the new dog over me! What do I
do? — OVERLOOKED HUMAN IN
CALIFORNIA
DEAR OVERLOOKED HU-
MAN: Listen to your intuition
and accept that where you are
concerned, Jeff has a commit-
ment problem. If he wanted you
to live with him, he would not
have taken in an aggressive an-
imal. Without saying it in words,
he is sending you a strong mes-
sage. From where I sit, you may
have devoted enough time to a
romance that’s going nowhere.
Give Jeff a choice: Kennel train
the dog or the romance is over.
the worst in people.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You
strive to continually give more
to a situation than you get back.
When you go to a new place,
you look for what there is to ap-
preciate while also watching out
for what is needed and wanted
that you might be able to give.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22).
You may get annoyed with those
who display an overly inflated
sense of self, but you’ll counter
the dynamic with your belief
that everyone is noteworthy and
unique, and has the right to
think highly of themselves.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23).
Struggle expends energy that
could be used for surviving
and thriving. When you catch
yourself in a struggle, get still.
Sink into the situation. If you hit
a bottom, you can use that to
bounce yourself up.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov.
21). You know your best hours.
Tackle the important things
while you’re at your strongest
and most alert. You’ll even have
energy to burn at times of day
that have been historically less
productive for you, so schedule
accordingly!
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec.
21). Some think emotional
intelligence is about under-
standing one’s own emotions.
While that is included in the
package, you’ll have continued
success with what you’ve been
doing — relating to the feelings
of others.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-
Jan. 19). Transformation is
the name of the game today.
The growth of others can be
inspiring, painful and all around
fascinating to watch. Part of you
changes right along with the
process.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb.
18). If cooperation is forced,
it’s not cooperation; it’s control.
You’ll be keenly tuned in to peo-
ple’s reactions to the circum-
stances. You’ll steer all toward
empowering options.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March
20). Accountability is the magic
ingredient that will make your
plan come to life. Put your
system in place. The simple act
of telling your goals to someone
could be enough of a system to
keep you on track.

Pile it on thick
SOLUTION:
4B THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2020 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com
 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2020 5B

Business
LOCAL BUSINESS VOICES

The numbers are in

A
pril
2020
unem-
ployment data
was released
this week for
the nation and
the numbers
were as ex-
pected.
All three
counties in
the Golden Macaulay Whitaker COVID-relat-
Triangle
experienced
substantial spikes in un-
employment percentages. benefits coverage during
Pictured at right is some
information detailing
what changes we’ve expe- ployment benefits during
rienced as a region.
While these numbers
are expected to rebound
back to lower averages in
the coming months and
year, it is likely that we
will see unemployment
information in the news
for much longer. In an
effort to help all of us
better understand what
is reported in the news
and by agencies, we’ve
listed some frequently
used terms below. These
terms and explanations
are sourced from the So-
ciety of Human Resourc-
es Management.
Layoff - A layoff is
generally considered a
temporary separation
from employment due to
a lack of work available
for some temporary
period. The term “layoff”
is mostly a description of
a type of termination in
which the employee holds eligible for up to a maxi-
no blame. Most workers
who experience layoffs
are eligible for unemploy- regulations. The CARES
ment benefits.
Furlough - A furlough
is a mandatory temporary making a person eligible
leave or reduction in
hours where an employee weeks.
remains an employee of
the company. Furloughs
are often used when
there is limited cash for
payroll (e.g.
government
shutdowns)
or there are
simply not
enough avail-
able workers
to warrant
staffing a shift
(e.g. manu-
facturing fur-
loughs due to
ed absences).
Employees
may continue to receive
a furlough and may also,
if eligible, receive unem-
the furloughed period
even though the employ-
er continues to provide
health case insurance
and other benefits.
Unemployment
Insurance - The U.S.
Department of Labor’s
unemployment insur-
ance programs provide
unemployment benefits
to eligible workers who
become unemployed
through no fault of their
own and meet state
eligibility requirements.
Each state administers
its own unemployment
insurance program, and
most employers pay state
and federal unemploy-
ment tax to fund these
benefits.
Unemployment
Benefits - In Mississippi,
if a person qualifies for
unemployment benefits
assistance, he or she is
mum of $235 a week for
26 weeks, under normal
Act extended that time
frame by 13 weeks
for unemployment for 39
Unemployment Boost-
er ($600) - Various names
are used to describe the
additional $600 unem-
March 2020
Unemployment
Rate
Clay
Lowndes
Oktibbeha
ployment booster that
is currently provided by
the Federal Pandemic
Unemployment Com-
pensation program that
was put in place as part
of the CARES Act. This
program is set to expire
in July.
Regardless of position
or party, a few important
points are worth noting
about unemployment
assistance.
First, when an em-
ployee files a claim for un-
employment benefits, the
claim is attached to a par-
ticular position at his or
her place of employment.
If a business reopens and
recalls that person back
to work to assume their
previous job, the business
is legally required to
report the recalled posi-
tion and employee to the
Mississippi Department
of Employment Security
(MDES). MDES then
ceases further payments
unemployment benefits
to the recalled employee.
If the person receiving
benefits declines to re-
sume their position, their
unemployment benefits
will stop nonetheless
(although it may take
1-2 weeks for benefits
payments to cease).
Second, unemploy-
ment benefits are sub-
ject to state and federal
income tax, including the
extra $600 federal boost-
er. A person receiving
unemployment benefits
can fill out a Form W-4V
April 2020
Unemployment
Rate
7.1% 24.6 %
5.0 % 15.7 %
5.1% 13.5 %
and request that the
MDES withhold taxes,
avoiding a surprise tax
bill next year. Regard-
less of whether a person
elects to withhold taxes
from each unemployment
benefits check or waits
to see what taxes need to
be paid when filing next
year, getting some help
from a professional to
look at your withholdings
is a good idea so that
there are no surprises on
April 15, 2021.
The bottom line is
that our nation is facing
record setting unemploy-
ment levels and our state
and region are no excep-
tions. Moving forward,
job revitalization and
job creation will prove
challenging, but not im-
possible, as we race back
to a healthy economy
and maintain a healthy
population. Our region
has displayed creativity
and resiliency thus far,
and we have faith those
same traits will carry the
Golden Triangle into the
post-pandemic future.
Macaulay Whitaker is
the chief operating officer
for the Golden Triangle
LINK.

AMD’s Lisa Su is first woman

to top AP’s CEO pay analysis
‘Women are making incremental
progress achieving leadership
positions in the C-suite’
Lorraine Hariton, President & CEO of Catalyst
BY SARAH
SKIDMORE SELL
AP Business Writer
Lisa Su of Advanced
Micro Devices is the first
woman ever to top The
Associated Press’ annual
survey of CEO compen-
sation: Her 2019 pay pack-
age was valued at $58.5
million following a strong
performance for the com-
pany’s stock during her
five years as CEO.
The median pay for
women on the list was
$13.9 million, versus
$12.3 million for men.
Pay for women was up 2.3
percent from last year,
looking at the median; the
median change for men
was 5.4 percent. And,
women remained signifi-
cantly underrepresented
as CEOs, heading just 5
percent percent of S&P
500 companies.
“Women are making
incremental progress
achieving leadership posi-
tions in the C-suite,” said
Lorraine Hariton, Presi-
dent & CEO of Catalyst,
a nonprofit organization
focused on women in the
workplace. “However, the
fact remains that women
CEOs still represent a
disproportionately small
share of corporate leader-
ship, and women of color
aren’t represented at all.”
The 2019 pay figures
are from before the coro-
navirus pandemic upend-
ed everything. Hundreds
of CEOs have already said
they’ll forgo some or all of
their salary. And the tur-
moil in the stock market
and the global economy
could make it tougher
for CEOs to meet perfor-
mance targets this year.
The analysis of execu-
tive pay at companies in the
S&P 500 was conducted for
the AP by Equilar.

LOCAL GAS PRICES

Boeing cuts 12,000 jobs Source: gasbuddy.com

BY DAVID KOENIG es of Max jets pushed Boe- COLUMBUS

1.55 CHEVRON
AP Airlines Writer ing into a financial crisis
months before the corona- 488 US-45 S & Frontage Rd.

Boeing is cutting virus squeezed global air

more than 12,000 U.S.
jobs through layoffs and
buyouts as the coronavi-
rus pandemic seizes the
travel to a trickle. 1.59 SHELL166 W Plymouth Bluff
Boeing, one of the na-
tion’s biggest manufac-
turers, said it will lay off
1.67 SPIRIT
1450 Jess Lyons & Ridge Rd.

travel industry. And the

aircraft maker says more
6,770 U.S. employees this
week, and another 5,520
STARKVILLE
cuts are coming.
Shortly after disclosing
workers are taking buyout
offers to leave voluntarily
1.44 WALMART
105 Market St. & MS-12

the job cuts, Boeing an-

nounced Wednesday that
in the coming weeks.
The company had said 1.49 SPRINT
308 Hwy 12 E & S Montgomery

it has resumed production it would cut 10 percent of a

of the grounded 737 Max workforce that numbered 1.49 STRANGE BREW
605 MS-12 W & Spring St.

jetliner. Two deadly crash- about 160,000.

Classifieds
Employment
Call us: 662-328-2424
Customer Service
LOCAL LAW FIRM is seek-
ing Receptionist/Secretary.
Previous experience
helpful but not necessary.
Computer skills a must.
Email resume to:
job109@cdispatch.com
General Help Wanted
EXPERIENCED AUTO Body
Repair man & painter
needed. Call
662-617-9320 to discuss
terms and conditions.
JAMIE'S SALON is seeking
a barber, cosmetologist or
nail technician. Must have
clientele. Ask for Jamie,
662-327-3132.
THE COMMERCIAL
DISPATCH seeks a motiv-
ated, contracted carrier for
the Brooksville & Macon
area. Excellent opportunity
to earn money for college.
Must have good transporta-
tion, valid driver's license
& insurance. Delivers on
Sunday morning and Mon-
Fri afternoons. Apply at The Houses For Sale: New Hope
Commercial Dispatch, 516
Main Street in Columbus. 16 WIDNER IN NEW HOPE
No phone calls please. Newly remodeled. 3BR/
2BA home. Approx. 1,500
Real Estate sqft. Has 25’x30’ wired
metal shop w/ roll−up front
& side door. $158,500.
COLEMAN REALTY seeks
662−549−9298.
Administrative Office
Assistant. Must possess:
organizational skills with
attention to detail; com-
puter skills including
1.75 ACRE LOTS.
Good/Bad Credit Options.
Microsoft office, Excel, Good credit as low as 10%
Outlook & QuickBooks;
down, $299/mo. Eaton
professional & courteous Land, 662−361−7711.
communication skills with
clients, public & co-work-
ers. Send resume' to
P.O. Box 9306,
Columbus, MS 39705.
Transportation
FLATBED DRIVERS
WANTED. Steel Coil
experience required.
$1,000+ per week oppor-
tunity. Home most nights &
every weekend. Health
insurance available. Paid
vacation. Columbus.
662-251-4536.
Leave msg if no answer.
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Apts For Rent: Other General Merchandise Motorcycles & ATVs
Need a new
COLEMAN WHITE POSTER BOARD
1993 KAWASAKI
VOYAGER XII Only 25,500 companion?
24"x23"
RENTALS $0.50 each
miles. Runs & looks good.
TOWNHOUSES & APARTMENTS No problems. $3000 OBO.
100 in stock Can be seen local.
Visit 516 Main Street
1 BEDROOM or call 662−328−2424
501−545−7750.
2 BEDROOMS
3 BEDROOMS
Community
Lawn & Garden
LEASE,
© The Dispatch
HAYES DAYLILLIES
DEPOSIT
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AND 1069 New Hope Rd. Call
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662-329-2323 Shop ATTENTION:
When looking
If you or someone you
2411 HWY 45 N
Classifieds
know worked out of
COLUMBUS, MS
Plumbers/Pipefitters
Union Local 714 (or for a new pet, Sudoku YESTERDAY’S ANSWER
619) between 1967
Mobile Homes for Rent and 1970 or worked for
adoption is Sudoku
Sudoku is a number- Yesterday’s answer
Too much
Warren Kleban
2BR/2BA MH. Window AC, Engineering between placing puzzle based on
always a 6 4 5 2 3 1 9 8 7
Sudoku
a 9x9 gridis a several
num-
STUFF?
natural gas heat. Stove/ 1967 and 1969 please with
fridge incl, fenced yard, call Rebecca at ber-placing
given numbers.puzzle
The object 1 2 8 4 9 7 6 5 3
2020 Conceptis Puzzles, Dist. by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
storage shed & carport. Simmons Hanly Conroy based onthe
a 9x9 9 7 3 8 5 6 2 4 1
$375/mo + $375 dep.
662−352−4776.
toll−free at (855) 988−
2537. You can also good option. grid
is to place
with
numbers
several
1 to 9 in the empty spaces 7 8 4 3 6 2 1 9 5
given numbers. The
email Rebecca at so that each row, each 3 5 1 9 7 8 4 2 6
rcockrell@ object
column isandtoeach
place
3x3 the
box 2 6 9 5 1 4 3 7 8
numbers
contains the1same
to 9 number
in
Real Estate
simmonsfirm.com
the empty spaces so 5 1 2 7 4 3 8 6 9
Five Questions: only once. The difficulty
that each row, each 8 3 7 6 2 9 5 1 4
level increases from
Ads starting at $25 Lady in Black & White column and each 4 9 6 1 8 5 7 3 2
Striped Shirt Would the Monday
3x3 boxtocontains
Sunday. Difficulty Level 5/27
1 Spike
nice lady who waited
with me and offered me the same number only once. The difficulty level
a ride home after my increases from Monday to Sunday.
accident on Saturday,
2 London
25 April, at about
10:00am in the
morning at the
intersection of Bluecutt
3 Pink
and Hwy 45 please call
Start your
me? 662−328−1286
Lots & Acreage
de-cluttering by Travel & Entertainment
4 Brown
placing a garage
Beauty
PUBLIC CATFISH POND
@ 130 Hillcrest Drive.
sale ad today!
Open Tues−Sat, 7a−5p
662−386−8591
5 Oxford
Call for pricing.
Garage Sales Ads starting at...
Two free signs 1 day $10
Estate Sales
3 day $18
6 day $34
BOB GRAY ESTATE SALE
136 Brown Street.
Sat May 30, 7am−12pm
Place an ad safely
Antiques, Lionel Train
collection, glassware, Price includes 4 lines of text;
furniture & more!
662−549−0722 $1/line after base cost.
from home with
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Ads starting at $12 Ads starting at $12
the Classifieds.
Appliances Autos For Sale
CENTRAL AC UNIT. Only
used 1 day, too small for
2004 FORD T−BIRD. Two
tops, hard & soft. Little
space. Revolv brand, 2.5 over 100k mi. Excellent
btu, 208−230 voltage. Condition. Call Holly at
$900. Crawford, MS. Eaton Motor Company in
662−497−2754. Houston, 662−705−1143.
One call will bring you results.
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662-328-2424
ACROSS
Service Directory
1 Field sounds
5 Water channel
11 Lotion
additive
12 Fat pig
Promote your small business starting at only $25 13 Ore source
14 Little dears
Building & Remodeling Childcare General Services Lawn Care / Landscaping 15 Kennel club
requirement
HOME REPAIRS &
MAINTENANCE Work
Emmanuel’s Christian
Academy−Child care
WORK WANTED:
Licensed & Bonded.
LAWN CARE
Mowing, weed eating, 17 Compass dir.
wanted. Carpentry, AVAILABLE SOON For ages Carpentry, minor electrical, blowing, etc. 18 Crew member
22 T choice
concrete, electrical & 6 weeks to 12 years old. minor plumbing, insulation, Free estimates.
plumbing, shingle & metal emmanuelsca@yahoo.com painting, demolition, Reasonable prices.
roofing, fascia & soffit or text 662−245−6998 gutters cleaned, pressure 662−549−3790 24 Catch
repairs, pressure washing washing, landscaping, 25 Will Smith
Electrical biopic
& mobile home repairs.
No Job Too Small.
cleanup work, moving help.
662−242−3608.
SAM’S LAWN SERVICE
662−549−7031.
No lawn too large or too 26 Tiny taste
small. Mowing, trimming &
weedeating. 27 Wind indica- DOWN count
HILL’S PRESSURE
Carpet & Flooring WASHING. Commercial/ Call 662−243−1694 tors 1 Scout’s base 22 Hot flow
30 Some sculp- 2 “I cannot tell 23 Ladd of
Residential. House,
CARPET INSTALLATION. Painting & Papering
Re−Stretch & Repair also
concrete, sidewalks & tures —” “Shane”
mobile washing. Free est.
avail. I accept select jobs. 662−386−8925. QUALITY PAINTING. 32 Uneasy 3 Curious 28 Get away
Call Walt, 662−574−8134. feeling
Ext/Int Painting. 4 It’s believing 29 Go pieces
Sheet Rock Hang, Finish & 33 Had lunch
MOUNTING TV’S AND PRESSURE WASHING Repair. Pressure Washing. 5 Ship pole 30 Snooze
HIDING WIRES Commercial & residential. Free Estimates. Ask for 34 Two-striper 6 Solitary sorts 31 Perfect place
Mount TV: Bricks, concrete & siding.
$60/TV (mount not incl) Call for quote,
specials! Larry Webber, 38 Lighter fuel 7 Incite 35 Monthly bill
662−242−4932.
Mount TV & hide wires: 662−295−6880. 41 Freshener 8 Mamie’s mate 36 Poker pay-
$120/TV (mount not incl)
SULLIVAN’S PAINT
scent 9 Animation ment
Johnny Beamon
662−251−8472 SKILLED CRAFTSMAN. SERVICE 42 Annual tennis frame 37 Some sum-
Any kind of work! We can Special Prices. tourney 10 Hosp. sec- mer babies
General Services build, paint, drywall, clean Interior & Exterior Painting. 43 A fan of
& cut grass. Reasonable 662−435−6528 tions 38 Future flower
DAVID’S CARPET & A & T TREE SERVICES rates. Safe & Reliable. 44 Loathe 16 “My word!” 39 Try out
UPHOLSTERY Bucket truck & stump 662−386−3658. 45 Historic times 19 Itinerant 40 Young one
CLEANING removal. Free est.
1 Room − $50 Serving Columbus Lawn Care / Landscaping 20 Buffalo’s lake
2 Rooms − $70 since 1987. Senior 21 Workout
3+ Rooms − $30 EA citizen disc. Call Alvin @ Jake’s Mowing
Rugs−Must Be Seen 242−0324/241−4447 Mowing, Weed−eating,
Car Upholstery Cleaning "We’ll go out on a limb for Blow off walks, Trim shrubs
Available you!" Free quote. Great pricing.
662−722−1758 Call, text, leave message.
CHAPTER 7 BANKRUPTCY 662−570−8815
Grow your
$545 plus Filing Fee
CHAPTER 13 BANKRUPTCY
business in the
JESSE & BEVERLY’S
All Attorney Fees Through The Plan LAWN SERVICE
service directory.
Mowing, cleanup,
Jim Arnold, Attorney landscaping, sodding,
Got leaky pipes? Find a plumber 662-324-1666 • 601-656-6914 & tree cutting.
fast in the classifieds. 104 South Lafayette Street, Starkville 662−356−6525
In the Classifieds section.