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Monday | April 20, 2020

MONDAY PROFILE
77-year-old
from Oktibbeha
Birthday surprise helps Italian exchange student
County dies
enjoy time in Starkville during pandemic
of COVID-19
Death is county’s fourth
from the virus
BY TESS VRBIN
tvrbin@cdispatch.com

A fourth person in Oktibbeha

County has died from the COVID-19
coronavirus, coroner Michael Hunt
confirmed this morning.
The 77-year-old woman was a pa-
tient at OCH Regional Medical Cen-
ter and had come from a long-term
care facility. She died Sunday night.
Hunt could not release any addi-
tional information as of press time.
Oktibbeha County’s first three
deaths were an 89-year-old woman
on April 5, a 62-year-old man on
April 15 and a 63-year-old man on
April 16. Lowndes County saw its
first death from the virus on April
16.
As of Saturday, the last time the
Mississippi Department of Health
updated its website, the state had
4,274 confirmed cases of COVID-19
and 159 deaths. Oktibbeha County
has 43 confirmed cases, Lowndes
County has 32, Clay County has 25
and Noxubee County has 22.

Courtesy photo
Starkville Rotary Club members sing “Happy Birthday” to Italian exchange student Carlotta Tenore, pictured in the
background, for her 18th birthday on April 9. Tenore, a native of Milan, is studying in Starkville for her senior year
of high school and hasn’t been able to see her family in more than eight months, so she said she was happy to
have Rotary members help her celebrate a milestone birthday.
West Point hospital
Milan native spends senior year in high school in United States staffers build
BY THEO DEROSA
tderosa@cdispatch.com
The COVID-19 outbreak —
which hit Tenore’s home country
with her friends from Starkville
High on April 9, when she would be protective device
C for NMMC network
hard before it spread rapidly across celebrating her 18th birthday — an
arlotta Tenore her new surroundings — cost the important milestone in her home
had plenty
high school senior the end of her country.
of concerns BY TESS VRBIN
final semester, deprived her of the At 18, Italians become eligible
before she came tvrbin@cdispatch.com
enjoyment of her weekly Rotary to receive their driver’s license
to Starkville from
Milan, Italy, on Aug. Club meetings and will likely delay and become a legal adult “in every Thanks to four West Point hospi-
1, 2019, as part of the her graduation as well. sense,” Tenore said. A “very, very, tal employees, PVC pipes and thin
Rotary Youth Ex- “It’s not exactly how I thought it very big party” — relatives first plastic covers are some north Mis-
change Program. Tenore would be,” Tenore admitted of her and friends joining after — usually sissippi health care workers’ stron-
Would she make friends at time in America. commemorates the day. gest defense against the COVID-19
Starkville High School? Would she But less than two weeks ago, Because of the pandemic,
coronavirus.
get along with her host family? her host parents, Tim Schauwecker though, Tenore had to scrap her
Croup tents were originally built
Would she like the new city she and Erinn Holloway Schauweck- birthday plans with her friends,
decades ago to treat patients with
was going to be living in? er, teamed up with the Starkville preparing to spend the day talking
croup, an upper airway infection
One worry, though, never Rotary Club to provide Tenore with to her relatives and friends back
that causes a harsh cough and dif-
crossed her mind. a sweet surprise that she never saw home and hanging out with her
ficulty breathing. Usually oxygen
“I never thought about a global coming. host family.
or regular air is blown into the
pandemic,” Tenore said. Tenore planned to spend time See TENORE, 6A tent, but the six North Mississippi
Medical Center hospitals are using
See HOSPITAL, 6A

UNDER THE CAPITOL DOME

Analysis: Mayors set local path on coronavirus response

As the economy falters and tax collections lots of power to make decisions.
Some mayors have butted heads
lough 135 city employees and
to suspend curbside pickup of
ton told the Northeast Mississip-
pi Daily Journal.
fall short of expectations, city leaders are with Reeves over local restric-
tions, including on the closure of
recyclable items to save money.
Tannehill, a Democrat, told The
Mississippi legislators will
face larger-scale decisions about
making tough decisions about curtailing bars and restaurants in cities be- Oxford Eagle that the decisions state spending. They have sus-
pended their session because
fore the governor set statewide were “gut-wrenching.”
local government jobs and services limits. “Probably the most difficult of the pandemic, but they face
As the economy falters and decisions that we’ve ever made a July 1 deadline to write a state
BY EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS and friendly reminders of good tax collections fall short of ex- as a board,” she said. budget for the year that begins
The Associated Press health practices like keeping pectations, city leaders are Tupelo leaders plan to save July 1.
clean hands. making tough decisions about money by eliminating travel for Reeves set a statewide stay-
JACKSON — Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves has said curtailing local government jobs city employees, stopping the at-home order that took effect
mayors are responding to the many times that the coronavirus and services. purchase of new vehicles by city the evening of April 3 to try to
coronavirus pandemic with response is federally funded, In Oxford, Mayor Robyn government and not filling va- slow the spread of the virus. It
stern warnings about the im- state supported and locally exe- Tannehill and the Board of Al- cant city government jobs, the originally was supposed to ex-
portance of social distancing cuted. That means mayors have dermen voted Thursday to fur- Democratic Mayor Jason Shel- See ANALYSIS, 3A

WEATHER FIVE QUESTIONS A NOTE LOCAL FOLKS PUBLIC

1 What animated classic stars a lone- ON NEWS MEETINGS
ly robot on a human-less Earth who ■ Many April 21:
loves to watch an old VHS of “Hello, COVID-19 corona- Columbus City
Dolly!”? virus related sto- Council, 5 p.m.,
2 What is nori, the traditional wrap- ries are changing Municipal Complex
ping of sushi, made from? extremely quick- May 4: Lowndes
3 How many ghosts appear to
Scrooge in Dickens’ “A Christmas ly, sometimes County Board
Farrell Wiygul as soon as we of Supervisors,
Carol”?
Fourth grade, Annunciation publish a print 9 a.m., County
4 How many stars are in the Big Dip-

74 Low 51
per constellation? edition of the Courthouse
High 5 What two snacks are mentioned in paper. We want May 11: Colum-
Mostly sunny
“Take Me Out to the Ballgame”? to assure our bus Municipal
Full forecast on Answers, 6B readers that we School District,
page 3A. are making every 6 p.m., Brandon
attempt to print Central Services
accurate, timely Center
news. Online sto- May 15: Lown-
INSIDE ries are updated des County Board
Classifieds 6B Dear Abby 3B throughout the Alvin Scales of Brooksville is retired of Supervisors,
Comics 3B Obituaries 4B day at cdispatch. after more than 50 years as a 9 a.m., County
141st Year, No. 34 Crossword 2B Opinions 4A com. construction worker. Courthouse

DISPATCH CUSTOMER SERVICE 328-2424 | NEWSROOM 328-2471

2A MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2020 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com

Trump, Congress near deal

on small business, hospital aid
Package of up to $450 billion would boost a small- tary Steven Mnuchin said he was
hopeful of a deal that could pass
business loan program that has run out of money Congress quickly and get the Small
Business Administration program
and add funds for hospitals and COVID-19 testing back up by midweek.
“I’m hopeful that we can get that
BY HOPE YEN AND LISA MASCARO Along with the small business done,” Mnuchin said Sunday.
The Associated Press boost, Trump said the negotiators Senate Minority Leader Chuck
were looking at “helping our hos- Schumer, D-N.Y., also said he be-
WASHINGTON — The Trump pitals,” particularly hard-hit rural lieved a deal could be reached. “We
administration and Congress ex- health care providers. still have a few more details to deal
pect an agreement Monday on an The Senate is scheduled for a pro with,” he said.
aid package of up to $450 billion forma session Monday, but no vote The emerging accord links the
to boost a small-business loan pro- has been set. administration’s effort to replenish
gram that has run out of money The House announced it could a small-business with Democrats’
and add funds for hospitals and meet as soon as Wednesday for a demands for more money for hospi-
COVID-19 testing. vote on the pending package, ac- tals and virus testing. It would pro-
As talks continued, President cording to a schedule update from vide $300 billion for small-business
Donald Trump said there’s a “good Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, payroll program, and $50 billion
chance” of reaching a bipartisan D-Md. would be available for small busi-
agreement with Democrats. With small-business owners ness disaster fund. Additionally, it
“We are very close to a deal,” reeling during a coronavirus out- would bring $75 billion for hospitals
Trump said Sunday at the White break that has shuttered much and $25 billion for testing, accord-
House. economic activity, Treasury Secre- ing to those involved in the talks.

Governors feel heat to reopen from protesters, president

Protesters staged demonstrations Saturday in several
cities after the president urged them to ‘liberate’ three
states led by Democratic governors
BY PAUL WEBER
AND FRANK JORDANS
The Associated Press
AUSTIN, Texas —
Stores in Texas can soon
begin selling merchandise
with curbside service,
and hospitals can resume
nonessential surgeries. In
Florida, people are return-
ing to a few beaches and
parks. And protesters are
clamoring for more.
Governors eager to res-
cue their economies and
feeling heat from Presi-
dent Donald Trump are
moving to ease restric-
tions meant to control the
spread of the coronavirus,
even as new hot spots
emerge and experts warn
that moving too fast could
prove disastrous.
Adding to the pres-
sure are protests against
stay-at-home orders or-
ganized by small-govern-
ment groups and Trump
supporters. They staged
demonstrations Saturday
in several cities after the
president urged them to
“liberate” three states led
by Democratic governors.
Protests happened in
Republican-led states,
too, including at the Texas
Capitol and in front of the
Indiana governor’s home.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott al-
ready said that restrictions
will begin easing next
week. Indiana Gov. Eric
Holcomb — who signed an
agreement with six other
Midwestern states to co-
ordinate reopening — said
he would extend his stay-
at-home order until May 1.
For the first time in
weeks, people were able to
visit some Florida beaches,
but they were still subject
to restrictions on hours
and activities. Beaches in
big cities stayed closed.
Meanwhile, infections
kept surging in the North-
east.
Rhode Island, between
the hot spots of Massa-
chusetts and New York,
has seen a steady daily
increase in infections and
deaths, with nursing home
residents accounting for
more than 90 of the state’s
118 deaths. The state’s
death rate of around 10
people per 100,000 is
among the nation’s high-
est per capita, according
to data compiled by the
COVID Tracking Project.
Massachusetts had its
highest number of deaths
in a single day on Fri-
day, with 159. Republican
Gov. Charlie Baker, citing
health experts’ advice,
said states should wait
until infection rates and
hospitalizations decline
for about two weeks before
acting.
Trump, whose admin-
istration waited months
to bolster stockpiles of
key medical supplies and
equipment, appeared to
back protesters.
“LIBERATE MIN-
NESOTA!” “LIBERATE
MICHIGAN!” “LIBER-
ATE VIRGINIA, “ Trump
said in a tweet-storm in
which he also lashed out
at New York Gov. Andrew
Cuomo, a Democrat, for
criticizing the federal re-
sponse. Cuomo “should
spend more time ‘doing’
and less time ‘complain-
ing,’” the president said.

16 killed in
shooting rampage,
deadliest in
Canadian history
BY ROB GILLIES
The Associated Press

TORONTO — A gun-
man disguised as a police
officer shot people in their
homes and set fires in a
rampage across the Cana-
dian province of Nova Sco-
tia that killed 16 people,
the deadliest such attack
in the country’s history.
Officials said Sunday the
suspected shooter was
also dead.
A police officer was
among those killed. Sev-
eral bodies were found in-
side and outside one home
in the small, rural town
of Portapique, about 60
miles north of Halifax —
what police called the first
scene. Bodies were also
found at other locations.
The assault began late Sat-
urday, and authorities be-
lieve the shooter may have
targeted his first victims
but then began attacking
randomly.
Overnight, police be-
gan advising residents
of the town — already on
lockdown because of the
coronavirus pandemic —
to lock their doors and
stay in their basements.
Several homes in the area
were set on fire as well.
“This is one of the most
senseless acts of violence
in our province’s history,”
said Nova Scotia Premier
Stephen McNeil.

cdispatch.com
 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2020 3A

US engineers examine impact Mississippi disaster

of Mississippi pump proposal
‘The recurring flooding has demonstrated the need
to complete the Yazoo Area Pump Project feature’
BY EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS
The Associated Press
JACKSON — The U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers said Thursday
that it will re-examine the potential
environmental impact of a proposal
for massive pumps to drain floodwa-
ters from parts of rural Mississippi,
drawing immediate criticism from
conservation groups that say the
project would be harmful and ex-
pensive.
Prominent Mississippi politi-
cians have been pushing the Trump
administration to revive and fund
the project that was vetoed by the
Environmental Protection Agency
in 2008 under Republican President
George W. Bush. Construction cost
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
estimates exceed $400 million.
EPA Administrator Andrew
Wheeler said in April 2019 that the
agency would reconsider the deci-
sion that has blocked the proposal
for huge pumps to be built at the
confluence of the Yazoo and Missis-
sippi Rivers.
The Corps of Engineers filed a
public notice Thursday in the Fed-
eral Register saying it will prepare
a new environmental impact state-
ment for the Yazoo Backwater Area
north of Vicksburg. The expanse of
Delta flatland has experienced sig-
nificant flooding during nine of the
past 10 years, the Corps said.
“In particular, the historic flood
of 2019 caused two deaths, caused
hundreds of millions of dollars in
damages, flooded over 600 homes,
and significantly adversely affected
the aquatic and terrestrial environ-
ment,” the Corps said. “The recur-
ring flooding has demonstrated the
need to complete the Yazoo Area
Pump Project feature.”
The late Sen. John McCain once
called the pumps “one of the worst
projects ever conceived by Con-
gress,” and opponents say pushing
water out of the south Delta could
cause worse flooding downstream
along the Mississippi River.
Among the Mississippi politi-
cians trying to revive the project
are Republican U.S. Sens. Roger
Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith, cur-
rent Gov. Tate Reeves and his fellow
Republican predecessor Phil Bryant
and Democratic U.S. Rep. Bennie
Thompson, whose congressional
district includes the areas that
would be most affected.
declaration approved
for Easter storms
National Weather Service: More
than 100 tornadoes struck the
South during the outbreak, 13
of those in Mississippi
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
JACKSON — President Donald Trump has ap-
proved a disaster declaration for Mississippi for
strong storms that struck the state last Sunday,
including several tornadoes.
The storms swept through several states from
Texas to Maryland last week, killing at least
36 people. Mississippi has reported at least 14
deaths.
Gov. Tate Reeves said Friday that the disaster
declaration will allow individual assistance to peo-
ple affected by the storms, including those whose
homes were severely damaged or destroyed.
Trump approved Mississippi’s declaration late
Thursday.
The Mississippi Emergency Management
Agency said Thursday that at least 33 of the
state’s 82 counties have reported damage from
the storms. MEMA said at least 1,200 homes and

1 killed by suspected tornado as storms rake South 75 businesses were affected.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
HEADLAND, Ala.
— A suspected torna-
do overturned a mobile
home in south Alabama,
killing one person, as se-
vere weather blasted a
wide area across the Deep
South.
Jerry Oliver Williams,
61, of Henry County died
when the storm struck a
rural area about 11:30 p.m.
Sunday, Coroner Derek
Wright said Monday.
The area was under a
tornado warning when
winds flipped the home
Williams shared with his
wife and child, Wright
said.
“He was in a mobile
home, and the mobile
home was destroyed by
a tornado. He was in the
wreckage of the mobile
home. His wife and child
were with him, and they
were OK,” said Wright.
Williams was killed
hours after firefighters
worked through storms to
contain a blaze at the main
music building at the Uni-
versity of Alabama, about
200 miles northwest in
Tuscaloosa. Authorities
haven’t determined the
cause of the fire, but it
happened while strong
storms with lightning
were in the area.
Firefighters saved
most of the instruments
The National Weather Service said more than
100 tornadoes struck the South during the two-
and uniforms belonging to day outbreak. It confirmed that 13 of those were
Alabama’s “Million Dollar in Mississippi. One that hit the Bassfield was 2.25
Band,” Mayor Walt Mad- miles wide, making it the widest tornado on re-
dox said in a tweet. cord in Mississippi and the third-widest tornado
on record in the United States.
The Storm Prediction
Center received more
than 250 reports of possi-
ble tornadoes, high winds,
hail and storm damage
from east Texas to south AREA ARRESTS
Georgia on Sunday.
Teams from the National The following ar-
Weather Service will as- rests were made by
sess tracks to determine the Oktibbeha Coun-
ty Sheriff’s Office:
where tornadoes struck.
n Demarcus
Hayden, 28, was
charged with aggra-
vated assault, kidnap-
ping, grand larceny, Hayden Davis

AROUND THE STATE domestic violence

Committee chooses
new president for Hinds
Community College
RAYMOND — An ed-
ucator from Kentucky will
become the next president
of Hinds Community Col-
lege in Mississippi.
A search committee at
Hinds announced Thurs-
day that has chosen Ste-
phen Vacik to begin the
job July 1. He will succeed
Clyde Muse, who is retir-
ing after 42 years as pres-
ident.
Vacik is president of
Maysville Community and
Technical College in Mays-
ville, Kentucky. He was
president of Colby Com-
munity College in Colby,
Kansas, from 2011 to 2015.
Before that, Vacik worked
seven years as chief in-
structional officer at East
and possession of a
Mississippi Community weapon by a felon.
College in Scooba. n Jerome Davis,
He earned a doctorate of 22, was charged with
education in higher educa- burglary other than a
tion administration, a mas- dwelling.
ter of arts in history and a n Patrick Gibson,
bachelor of arts in English 36, was charged with Gibson Hagens
from the University of Ala- possession of controlled substance.
bama in Tuscaloosa. n Johnathan Hagens, 19, was charged with
burglary of a vehicle and two counts possession
of a stolen firearm.

Analysis
Continued from Page 1A
pire Monday morning, but
Reeves on Friday extend-
ed it by a week — until the
morning of April 27. He is
allowing businesses such
as florists and clothing
stores to offer delivery or
curbside pickup.
The governor said he
will keep considering
steps toward a broader
reopening of economic ac-
tivity.
Jackson Mayor Chok-
we Antar Lumumba has
extended his stay-at-home
order until April 30 in Mis-
sissippi’s largest city.
“I want our residents to
know that the City of Jack-
son is not standing idly by
as we deal with this pan-
demic,” said Lumumba, a
Democrat.
In Gulfport, Republi-
can Mayor Billy Hewes
and other city leaders
have indefinitely extend-
ed an 11 p.m.-5 a.m. cur-
few because of the virus.
In a message posted to
Facebook on Friday, Hew-
es thanked people for
abiding by restrictions on
their movements.
“It is hard, and after a
few weeks of this nobody
likes it. None of us do,”
Hewes said. “But it may
give us an opportunity
now to get on a glide path
out of this in the next few
weeks or months where
we can get back to some
sort of normalcy.”
Vicksburg Mayor
George Flaggs Jr. said
Friday that all city gov-
ernment employees will
return to work Monday
and will have their tem-
peratures taken to screen
for the virus, according
to video posted by the
Vicksburg Post. He also
said the city will provide
masks for its employees.
First responders in Vicks-
burg will continue to be
paid time-and-a-half wag-
es during the pandemic.
Flaggs served as a
Democrat in the state
House, was elected may-
or as an independent and
has gone out of his way to
praise Republican Pres-
ident Donald Trump on
several occasions. Flaggs
said Friday that he will
pay attention to guidance
the White House has giv-
en governors about tak-
ing multiple steps to re-
open the economy.
Lumumba in Jackson
and Tannehill in Oxford
have helped distribute
free hand sanitizer that
was made by Cathead Dis-
tillery. The Jackson-based
business switched from
making vodka to mak-
ing the hand sanitizer
as COVID-19 started
to spread in the United
Tell your child a bedtime story.
States.

SOLUNAR TABLE
The solunar period indicates
peak-feeding times for fish and game.
Mon. Tue.
Major — —
Minor 5:59a 6:26a
Major 11:30a 12:10p
Minor 6:06p 6:58p
Courtesy of Mississippi Department
of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks

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POSTMASTER, Send address changes to:
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516 Main St., Columbus, MS 39703
Report a news tip: news@cdispatch.com
Opinion
4A MONDAY, APRIL 20, 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

POSSUMHAW
It takes a village
“If it means
anything at all, you
almost feel responsi-
ble to do something
to remember it.”
Eyam historian
Ken Thompson.
Searching for
quotes on brav-
ery, self-sacrifice,
maybe courage, I
stumbled into the Shannon Bardwell
Derbyshire village
of Eyam, England, in the year
1665. English villages fasci-
nate me as I now have a friend
living in one and follow a blog-
ger living in another — quaint
cobblestone streets, outdoor
markets, small brick homes
with flowering window boxes
and bucolic pastures, home
to grazing sheep. Geraldine
Brooks wrote “A Year of Won-
ders,” about Eyam. Brooks
is an Australian-American
historical fiction writer and a
Pulitzer Prize winner.
Brooks’ book is based on a
plague in the village of Eyam,
England, in the
17th century. The
truth of the village
and what happened
there drew my
attention.
In 1665 the
Bubonic plague,
also known as
The Great Plague
of London and
considered one
of the five worst
pandemics, was rav-
aging the city. A hundred and
sixty miles north of London
was the quiet village of Eyam.
The town was preparing for
a religious festival and the
villagers were ordering new
clothing for the occasion from
the local tailor. A shipment of
cloth arrived from London,
though slightly damp. The
tailor’s assistant, George
Viccars, warmed the bolt by
the fireside. Unfortunately, the
London cloth housed carrier
fleas which were released by
the warmth of the fire. Within
the week Viccars died.
The townspeople had no
idea how the disease was
spread,but it did appear possi-
bly human to human contact.
An Eyam resident, Elizabeth
Hancock, lost her husband and
her six children. However, she
never contracted the disease.
Some grave diggers also did
not contract the disease. There
was at least one grave digger
who stole from the deceased.
While he did not get sick, his
family did and it was suspect-
ed the plague was transferred
by handling the stolen objects.
Eyam’s favorite rector,
Thomas Stanley, had been
removed from office by offi-
cials in London over a political
issue. He was forced to live
in solitude at the edge of the
village. The replacement rec-
tor, William Mompesson, was
not popular. After the village
seemed to be dying off, the
remaining villagers planned
to flee the village. Mompesson
called the villagers together
to propose Eyam set boundary
stones in a mile radius around
the village allowing no one in
and no one out. His proposal
would in effect sacrifice the
villagers but spare the sur-
rounding trade villages of
Sheffield and Bakewell where
thousands would die. Mompes-
son enlisted the support of
Stanley, who by their religious
faith believed quarantine to be
the right thing to do. Remark-
ably, the villagers agreed.
Nearby villages sent food
and left it at the boundary
stones where the people of
Eyam laid gold coins soaked in
vinegar, thought to disinfect,
in exchange. Worship services
were held in the open, resi-
dents camped in the hills, fam-
ilies buried their own. By 1667,
the quarantine was over. The
plague had not spread beyond
the town. In all, 540 of ap-
proximately 800 villagers had
survived, as had the thousands
in neighboring villages.
Email reaches Shannon
Bardwell of Columbus at msdel-
tachild@msn.com.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Voice of the people
A simple way to help grocery workers
Just left the Sunflower in Columbus. The staff
are great people! I wanted to thank all of them
for showing up every day so our community can
shop. Most of those jobs are remedial hourly wage.
Thank you for allowing us to live as normal as pos-
sible during this historic time. I tip my cashier. I
figure if everyone did this those jobs would become
coveted, well-paying jobs. If my Ole Miss math ed-
ucation serves me well (and I may have to take off
my shoes to count toes) my economics make cents.
Consider this, one checker works an eight-hour
day. Ten dollars an hour equals $80 a day.
They check out maybe 10 customers an hour
(though it’s way more but to make it simple be-
cause I use Ole Miss Black Bear math) and every
customer tips $2, that’s a $28 an hour job. Follow
my Ole Miss baby shark math: A great checker
checks 20 an hour and gets $3 dollar tips from ev-
eryone: $68 an hour job times 8 hours a day, that’s
(I’m out of toes)... my MSU wife says its $544 a
day. (Boy I’m lucky to have her to help me with my
math. I married up!)
Tip them if they deserve it, and it will change
these great peoples’ lives for the better. What’s $3
to you? Anyway, I’m confused but I know it will re-
ally help them alot! Cant wait for sports to be back!
Egg bowl is going to be the greatest ever!
AB Donald
Caledonia
STATE OF THE NATION
In response to editorial highlighting racial
disparity of COVID patients
There are all kinds of speculations surround-
In a reversal, Trump ‘authorizes’
ing this question. First there was the Ebola virus,
next the HIV/Aids, then SARS and now we have
COVID. I wonder if anyone can see the similarities
governors to do their job
in these viruses. They targeted mostly black Amer- You’d think that on the left or the right Churchillian leadership through
icans, and generally the viruses weren’t publicized even a president who to back that claim. the COVID-19 scourge has been
until they left the black neighborhood. Believe it or claimed “absolute The 10th Amend- hailed by Americans well outside
not, black people have always been utilized as test authority” would step ment states that any the fake news orbit. And in the
subjects. Another example was the tests of syphilis aside as groups of powers not listed in the Trumpian reading of things, the
conducted on black men. That was exposed by West Coast and East Constitution as be- firmament has room for only one
mistake. Some of us continue to have our heads in Coast governors devise longing to the federal star.
the sand, and that‘s where it will be when we take strategies for reopen- government belong “Cuomo’s been calling daily,
our last breath. ing their economies to the states or to the even hourly, begging for every-
I keep hearing that we are in this together. You without causing a American people. It thing,” Trump said before backing
only hear this when the black people are not the spike in coronavirus does not say that state off on the authority matter. “Now
only ones dying. We have been prayed up on too cases. They know their governors have the he seems to want Independence!
long. We are continuing to follow the leader. Think hot zones and travel Froma Harrop awful job of closing That won’t happen!”
for yourself. I find it peculiar that whenever there patterns across state down their economies But Trump has met his match
is some type of crisis, the minister/preacher is borders. A president committed to and finding scarce ventilators in this fellow son of Queens. “The
referred to as our leaders. When there is a polit- the public weal might even ask the while the president alone has the president is clearly spoiling for a
ical meeting, they are conducted in our church. governors, “How may I help?” pleasant task of telling people they fight on this issue,” Cuomo said at
Candidates seeking public office, seek out our But that’s not the president we can go out again. his news conference. “If he wants
church. As far as the leaders go, not mine. I think have. Trump commandeered the States are responsible for most a fight, he’s not going to get it
for myself. Don’t go alone to get alone. It’s not too national conversation with that public health and policing duties. from me.”
late. We might not be able to change things, but we ridiculous assertion -- and then These are the areas of expertise Cuomo pacifically added that
can acknowledge that we know what’s happening. backed down the next day. most essential to blunting the he never denied asking the pres-
By the way, we are not in this together, are we? In a Monday tweet, he likened disease’s rampage. ident for assistance and getting
Andrew Whitten the governors to crew members in After executing the about-face some. And he praised Trump for
Columbus “Mutiny on the Bounty” and him- on the “absolute authority” claim, cutting off travel from China early
self to the captain. In the movie, Trump said he was “authorizing” in the pandemic. That reasonable-
Thinks soccer fields were a good decision a group of sailors wrest control of governors to reopen their econo- ness and refusal to engage were
A while back, Sarah Studdard wrote a letter to the ship from the sadistic Captain mies. Telling governors to do their the right rejoinder.
the editor about all things Columbus. I agreed with Bligh. Trump may have missed job is itself an authority he doesn’t One other concern has been
most of her points, but there was a mention about the part when Bligh gets sent off have, but in the name of dealing the administration’s sensitivity
the soccer fields. in a rowboat -- and the ship sails with this crisis, let it pass. toward the trade-offs in lifting
I remember when that area was completely on. And it’s of little consequence. restrictions. A crashing economy
underwater, after a major flooding event some The tweet also refers to “Dem- The governors’ response all this is a crisis, too, but more mingling
years ago. When Columbus decided to turn that ocrat Governors.” Let the record time has been to walk around will inevitably expose others to
flood plain into soccer fields, I was impressed. The note that one of the “mutineers,” him. Any return to normal life the virus.
next time that area floods, I thought, there will be Charlie Baker of Massachusetts, will require a gradual opening of Do not doubt this: With state
minimal damage there. is a Republican. businesses. Governors must tread tax revenues in free fall, few politi-
That plain will flood periodically (as it did just Given the rising death toll carefully because, unlike other cal leaders are as desperate as the
recently) and while the kids are going to miss from the pandemic, this should modern countries, the United governors to get things moving
some practices and games, there will be minimal seem a poor time for Hollywood States still lacks the tests to check again. Let them do their job.
damage each time it floods. flippancy. But the stuff about broad populations for the virus. Froma Harrop, a syndicated
Well done, Columbus! “absolute authority” demanded a Clearly, one governor, Andrew columnist, writes for the Providence
Bonnie Oppenheimer serious answer. You could not find Cuomo of New York, sets Trump (Rhode Island) Journal. Her e-mail
Columbus a respected constitutional scholar off above all others. Cuomo’s address is fharrop@gmail.com.
 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2020 5A

A THOUSAND WORDS

Tess Vrbin/Dispatch Staff

Sarah Lee plants tomatoes on her front porch in Starkville last week. She said she grows tomatoes every spring and
brought some of the plants to a garden at her parents’ house because she only has so much space on her porch.

Ventilator from old car parts?

Afghan girls pursue prototype
‘If we even save one life ... we will be proud’
Afghanistan girls’ robotics team member Somaya Farooqi
BY TAMEEM AKHGAR
The Associated Press
KABUL, Afghanistan — On most
mornings, Somaya Farooqi and four
other teen-age girls pile into her
dad’s car and head to a mechanic’s
workshop. They use back roads to
skirt police checkpoints set up to en-
force a lockdown in their city of Her-
at, one of Afghanistan’s hot spots of
the coronavirus pandemic.
The members of Afghanistan’s
prize-winning girls’ robotics team
say they’re on a life-saving mission
— to build a ventilator from used
car parts and help their war-stricken
country battle the virus.
“If we even save one life with our
device, we will be proud,” said Faroo-
qi, 17.
Their pursuit of a low-cost breath-
ing machine is particularly remark-
able in conservative Afghanistan.
Only a generation ago, during the
rule of the Islamic fundamental-
ist Taliban in the late 1990s, girls
weren’t allowed to go to school.
Farooqi’s mother was pulled from
school in third grade.
After the U.S. invasion of Af-
ghanistan in 2001, girls returned to
schools, but gaining equal rights re-
mains a struggle. Farooqi is undaunt-
ed. “We are the new generation,” she
said in a phone interview. “We fight
and work for people. Girl and boy, it
does not matter anymore.”
Afghanistan faces the pandem-
ic nearly empty-handed. It has only
400 ventilators for a population of
more than 36.6 million. So far, it has
reported just over 900 coronavirus
cases, including 30 deaths, but the
actual number is suspected to be
much higher since test kits are in
short supply.
Herat province in western Afghan-
istan is one of the nation’s hot spots
because of its proximity to Iran, the
region’s epicenter of the outbreak.
This has spurred Farooqi and her
team members, ages 14 to 17, to help
come up with a solution.
On a typical morning, Farooqi’s
father collects the girls from their
homes and drives them to the team’s
office in Herat, zigzagging through
side streets to skirt checkpoints.
From there, another car takes them
to a mechanic’s workshop on the out-
skirts of the city.
In Herat, residents are only per-
mitted to leave their homes for ur-
gent needs. The robotics team has a
limited number of special permits for
cars.
So far, Farooqi’s father hasn’t
been able to get one, but the girls are
in a hurry. “We are concerned about
security driving out of the city but
there is no other option, we have to
try to save people’s lives,” Farooqi
said.
At the workshop, the team is
experimenting with two different
designs, including an open-source
blueprint from the Massachusetts In-
stitute of Technology. The parts be-
ing used include the motor of a Toy-
ota windshield wiper, batteries and
sets of bag valve masks, or manual
oxygen pumps. A group of mechan-
ics helps them build the frame of a
ventilator.
Daniela Rus, a professor at MIT,
welcomed the team’s initiative to
develop the prototype. “It will be
excellent to see it tested and locally
produced,” she said.

Books, dance lessons, ‘Sopranos’ — freebies abound online

BY MARK KENNEDY
AP Entertainment Writer
NEW YORK — We
might not be totally free
these days, but there’s a
lot out there that is.
Companies like Pure
Barre and Peloton are of-
fering free access to fit-
ness classes. Amazon is
giving away book classics
like “The Call of the Wild”
and “Emma,” and Master-
Class has experts offering
their wisdom for nothing.
The coronovirus’s shut-
down has wreaked havoc
on so many lives and also
disrupted many company
plans. But some are offer-
ing their goods for free or
dropping their paywalls
for a limited time.
It may not make the
best financial decision,
but marketing experts
say it’s good public rela-
tions and a nice way to
hook future customers
as long as it doesn’t seem
like companies are taking
advantage of the virus.
“You have to be care-
ful,” said Penny Sanse-
vieri, the CEO of Author
Marketing Experts. “You
don’t want someone on so-
cial media to all of a sud-
den say, ‘Well, you’re just
trying to take advantage
of the fact that people are
stuck at home.’”
Free shows and films
from the entertainment
world are a warm blanket
for the home-bound. HBO
is making free streams of
“The Sopranos,” “Veep,”
“Succession,” “Six Feet
Under” and “The Wire”
on HBO Now.
Apple TV Plus is allow-
ing free access to some
of its original programs,
including “Servant” from
M. Night Shyamalan. The
distributor FilmRise has
the campy 1960s series
“Batman” with Adam
West — “Bam! Pow!” —
and Showtime has ex-
tended its free trial period
to 30 days. PBS is stream-
ing “Nature” episodes and
its “Great Performances,”
from Shakespeare to
“Kinky Boots,” and You-
Tube is making many of
its original series avail-
able to anyone without a
subscription.
6A MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2020 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com

Hospital
Continued from Page 1A
croup tents as protective barriers
between health care professionals
and their sickest COVID-19 pa-
tients, who need ventilators in order
to breathe.
Howard Rumore, Keith White,
Jamie Snell and Van Smith all work
in facility operations at NMMC-
West Point. At the respiratory ther-
apy department’s request, they built
four croup tents by assembling PVC
pipes, fitting plastic equipment cov-
ers over them and stabilizing the
frame with lead weights on the legs.
Facility operations staff at
NMMC-Tupelo, the network’s head-
quarters, made 25 more croup tents
with the West Point team’s design
and distributed them among the
rest of the network’s hospitals:
Amory, Eupora, Iuka, Pontotoc and
Hamilton, Alabama.
“I think I speak for everybody at Courtesy photo
the (facility operations) department From left, Van Smith, Keith White, Jamie Snell and Howard Rumore, facility
when I say I’m thankful to the Lord operations employees at North Mississippi Medical Center-West Point,
for helping us make such a simple designed a croup tent as a protective barrier between healthcare profes-
thing to ensure the safety of the sionals and their sickest COVID-19 patients. NMMC headquarters built 25
staff and the patients,” White said. more with the design and distributed them to the other six hospitals in the
network, which has 24 inpatients and 149 outpatients who have tested
As of Friday, the last time North
positive for COVID-19.
Mississippi Health Services updat-
ed its website, the seven NMMC The dimensions of the tent make when he came back in 2018 to work
hospitals have a total of 24 inpa- it usable on both a regular hospital maintenance. He said it’s a great
tients and 149 outpatients who have bed and on a narrower stretcher. place to work and to be contributing
tested positive for COVID-19. COVID-19 patients stay inside the to the fight against COVID-19.
NMMC-Tupelo was already us- tent and hooked up to ventilators, “These people down here, they
ing industry-standard croup tents keeping them separated from hos- treat each other like family,” White
as protective devices, but the West pital staff. When nurses and doc- said. “Everybody just lifts each oth-
Point hospital did not have any, so tors go in the tent to check on them, er up and encourages each other.
respiratory therapist Georgia Wil- they’re still wearing protective gear. It’s a pretty neat place to work, and
liams said she asked Rumore to The tent is easy to disassemble I look forward to coming to work
“see what he could come up with.” and store on a crash cart because here every day.”
“As technology has evolved, they the legs are not glued together, Rumore, who was office manag-
weren’t used as much in some facil- which also makes it possible to ad- er at an NMMC rural health clinic
ities, so we might not see them (ev- just the tent’s height, White said. he helped renovate before he began
erywhere),” Williams said. White, who is a retired firefight- working maintenance around the
Rumore then contacted White, er from West Point Fire Depart- same time White did, agreed.
and they took the lead on the proj- ment and fire chief at the Golden “We’re just proud that we can
ect. They enlisted Snell and Smith Triangle Regional Airport, said he contribute a small part to this fight
to help them create a prototype of a worked as an ambulance driver for (against COVID-19),” Rumore said.
croup tent, and Williams gave them NMMC-West Point years ago, so “It’s kind of one of those situations
the green light to build three more. he already knew some of the staff where it takes a village.”

Tenore
Continued from Page 1A
Tenore had a Zoom
video-chat meeting with
her friends from Liceo
Classico Carducci, her
high school in Italy, at 9
a.m. (4 p.m. in Milan).
At 11 a.m., she called
her parents, Alberto
and Jolanda, who looped
several other relatives in
for birthday wishes. Then
Tenore called her Rotary
club — Brescia Sud-Est
Montichiari — whose
members sang “Happy
Birthday” to her.
“The morning was
definitely dedicated to
the overseas calls,” Ten-
ore recalled.
Later that day, Hollo-
way Schauwecker told
Tenore that the family
was going outside to
play. Tenore got ready
and headed out into the
yard, where she has
often spent time reading
during the pandemic.
Then she noticed some-
thing.
“Suddenly, I saw this
group of cars coming to-
ward our house,” Tenore
said. “I was like, ‘What is
that?’”
“‘Oh, surprise!’” the
Schauweckers told her.
Rotary Club members
— including vice presi-
dent Grant Arinder and
Tenore’s counselor Nancy
Hargrove — parked in
the Schauweckers’ drive-
way and piled out of their
vehicles. On the side of a
white Rotary van, a ban-
ner read “Happy Birth-
day! Carlotta!” in blue
lettering. The Rotarians
sang “Happy Birthday” to
Tenore, who posed for a
picture in front of the van
with two club members,
all three standing a safe
distance apart.
For the exchange
student, who hadn’t been
able to attend a Rotary
meeting since Feb. 24,
seeing her friends and
mentors again was both
unexpected and enjoy-
able.
“I feel like home every
time I see them, and
unfortunately I don’t
have the chance to do it
anymore,” Tenore said.
“They treated me like a
daughter.”
Nine months
in Starkville
Prior to the pandemic,
club members sat down
with Tenore to help her
figure out what career
she wants to pursue. The
senior hopes to attend
Mississippi State and ma-
jor in something related
to communications, and
she mentioned an interest
in broadcasting or writ-
ing about sports.
For Tenore’s first
semester in Starkville,
her host mother was Ann
Brett Gillespie Strick-
land, the general man-
ager of Bulldog Sports
Properties at Mississippi
State. Tenore attended
every MSU football game
at Davis Wade Stadium,
sitting close to the action
and falling in love with
the sport. She joined the
Starkville High cross
country team, attended
all of the Jackets’ football
games and attended mul-
tiple MSU basketball and
baseball games.
An avid fan of the
Inter Milan soccer team
in her home city, Tenore
said she often attended
games with her dad and
her 14-year-old brother,
Lorenzo.
“It’s probably because
I’ve been watching it for
my whole life that it’s
not my favorite sport,”
Tenore said.
Tenore prefers bas-
ketball, which she has
played since she was 4
and regularly plays with
her host brother Joseph,
13, in the Schauweckers’
yard. Tenore and her
host sister Lily, who is
15, often watch TV shows
together.
Hanging out with her
new family members
became a way for Tenore
to avoid homesickness
and enjoy her time in
Starkville. She noted that
it’s been more than eight
months since she’s seen
her family — and their
separation will end up be-
ing at least a little longer
than Tenore originally
planned.
Her parents and broth-
er were finally slated to
come to Starkville on
May 20 and attend her
May 22 graduation. Ten-
ore said her mom was all
but ready to book her trip
when the airline called,
advising her not to travel
during the pandemic.
That turned out to be
for the best, as Tenore
knows it’s unlikely that
Starkville High will hold
an in-person graduation “At the end of the day,
— one of the things Ten- it was a very nice birth-
ore was looking forward day, and it was exactly
to when she left Italy for where I wanted it to be:
the U.S. in the United States,”
“I came here for grad- Tenore said. “So I was
uation, and not being able happy.”
to do the ceremony was
very upsetting,” she said.
If prom, graduation
or both are delayed until
the fall, Tenore said, her
parents are open to her
returning to the U.S. to
attend.
She’s scheduled to go
back to Milan with her
family on May 28, but she
might stick around lon-
ger to attend graduation
if it is held this summer
— if she can, that is.
Some states have told
their exchange students
to return to their home
countries, and Tenore is
worried about the status
of her visa should she
aim to stay longer.
“But it’s an interna-
tional crisis, so I suppose
that they will let me stay
for at least two more
months,” she said.
While the U.S.
has been ravaged by
COVID-19, Italy was one
of the first nations to be
devastated by the pan-
demic — and Lombardy,
the region of which Milan
is the capital, was the
most impacted part of the
country.
More than 23,000 Ital-
ians — including a high
school friend of Alberto’s
— have died from the vi-
rus. Some people around
Tenore’s age remain in
the hospital fighting
against it, though she
said she doesn’t know
any of them well.
“Luckily, no one that
was very close to me got
sick,” Tenore said.
And even though she
can’t deny the impact the
pandemic has had on her
homeland and her time in
the U.S., Tenore said her
year in Starkville is still
“going great.”
Her birthday proved to
be just one example.
After Tenore called
her friends and parents
and the Rotary Club
made its impromptu
visit, the Schauweckers
cooked Tenore a celebra-
tory dinner and made her
a cake. It was a “pretty
day,” Tenore said; the
family stayed outside
until the sun went down.
Sports
MSU CONTINUING SEARCH FOR LINEBACKER DEPTH IN 2021 CLASS
Florida native Timar Rogers is a prime linebacker target for Mississippi State football ta State — Davis’ commit-
as it looks to fill out its class of 2021.
Sports leagues seek return to play but with no guarantees
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
With no games be-
ing played, recent sports
headlines have centered
around hopes and dreams
— namely, the uncharted
path leagues and teams
must navigate to return to
competition in the wake
of the pandemic.
Virtually all leagues
talk publicly about their
desire to return before
summer. But behind
closed doors, they are
hatching different poten-
tial plans: all 30 baseball
teams playing in Arizo-
na; home run contests
to decide tie games; the
Stanley Cup being hoist-
ed in an empty arena
that neither team calls
home; end-of-season soc-
cer standings decided
by vote; college football
games in spring.
Over the past week,
The Associated Press
spoke to more than two
dozen policymakers,
NFL following NBA’s lead in blurring traditional positions
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The NFL is embracing
dexterity for the first time
since the 1960s, when
expanded rosters and
the age of specialization
ushered out the last of
the great two-way players
such as Chuck Bednarik
and Les Richter.
For much of the last
half-century, players who
didn’t fit the mold were
essentially taunted as
“tweeners.” Now, they’re
hailed as hybrids.
Panthers star running
back Christian McCaf-
frey is handsomely com-
pensated for his versa-
tility, and Clemson star
safety Isaiah Simmons
is highly coveted for his
all-purpose potential.
“Everybody’s looking
for people who can play
multiple positions or do
multiple things,” said
long-time talent evalua-
tion expert Gil Brandt, a
Pro Football Hall of Fam-
er.
Versatility has become
its own specialty.
“It’s never been more
important,” NFL draft
coaches and players
across the globe to get
their candid assessments
of plans to return from
the stoppages caused
by the new coronavirus.
The conclusion: While it’s
critical to put optimistic
restart scenarios in place,
there is no certainty any
of these plans will work
without buy-in from pol-
iticians and an OK from
players and medical ex-
perts. Underpinning it all
would have to be a drastic
ramp-up in testing, a vac-
cine or treatment break-
through, or some other
solution.
In short, the return of
any sports, no matter how
innovative the plan, will
be risky and uncertain for
the rest of this year and
into 2021.
“It’s not about 22 play-
ers walking onto a pitch
and throwing a ball out,”
said FIFA Vice Presi-
dent Victor Montagliani,
whose concerns about
analyst Daniel Jeremiah
said.
Jeremiah sees the NFL
following the same path
the NBA took over the
last decade or so as ath-
leticism and rule chang-
es revolutionized play.
That blurred traditional
positions and produced
a more exciting style of
play in which today’s cen-
ters are yesterday’s for-
wards, if not sharp-shoot-
ing 7-footers running the
floor.
“We use the phrase in
scouting, we talk about
‘position-less’ players,
and that’s where it’s head-
ed, where you’re not going
to be labeling these guys
anymore as a receiver or
running back. No, they’re
offensive weapons,” Jere-
miah said.
He pointed to the likes
of Austin Ekeler and Mc-
Caffrey, running backs
whose hands are as fab-
ulous as their feet, and
to 49ers wideout Deebo
Samuel, who averaged a
jaw-dropping 17 yards per
carry in the playoffs, in-
cluding three runs for 53
yards in the Super Bowl.
MISSISSIPPI STATE FOOTBALL
BY BEN PORTNOY
bportnoy@cdispatch.com
STARKVILLE — Mis-
sissippi State’s defense of
the future is beginning to
take form.
Landing its third out-
of-state commitment in
the 2021 class, MSU se-
cured the pledge of Geor-
gia linebacker Thomas
Davis Saturday afternoon.
Announcing his commit-
ment via Twitter, Davis
wrote the following:
“Thanks to everyone
that supported me in
this process and all the
schools that gave me an
opportunity to be apart of
their team. With that be-
ing said, I will be taking
my talents and knowledge
to (Mississippi State Uni-
versity).”
Reaching into his for-
mer stomping grounds
in Valdosta, Georgia —
where Leach coached
from 1992-1996 at Valdos-
Courtesy photo
ment further emphasizes
restarting soccer mirror Swimming, the sport’s
those of all sports world- governing body in the
wide. United States.
The organizers of the Virtually all the big-
Olympics were among time team sports are com-
the last to postpone their ing up with scenarios to
event, then among the play games with no fans
first to set a new date – in the stands.
exactly 52 weeks after The Washington Post
the original July 24 caul- reported that while the
dron lighting had been NFL is publicly commit-
scheduled. The decision ted to its usual kickoff
to reschedule for a date date in September, it is
15 months down the road looking into contingen-
came just before an un- cies that include shorten-
expected spike in virus ing the season or playing
cases hit in front of half-full or emp-
Japan. The ty stadiums.
worry that College athletic direc-
followed un- tors have come up with a
derscored half-dozen or more sce-
the many narios for football season,
open ques- including, according to
tions about Oklahoma’s Joe Castigli-
the arc of Hinchey one, a scenario in which
the out- part of the season would
break. be played in spring. One
“I think everyone’s theme gaining wide ac-
probably working on mul- ceptance: If it’s not safe
tiple options. It’s ’If this, enough for students to
then what?’” said Tim return to school or at-
Hinchey, the CEO of USA tend games, then athletes
Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey (22) is tackled by New Orleans Saints defensive back
Chauncey Gardner-Johnson (22) in the first quarter on Dec. 29 at Bank of America Stadium.
“We saw a skill in Dee- of people’s minds up to be-
bo, not only in being a tra- ing creative.”
ditional receiver but also Added Jeremiah:
just a guy who you want “That’s where the value
the ball in his hands,” is. And then defensively,
49ers GM John Lynch you’ve got to find a way to
said. “I think perhaps part match up with those.”
of the trickle up that has Enter the likes of Char-
come from the colleges gers safety Derwin James
and such has opened a lot and Clemson’s Simmons,
THE DISPATCH n CDISPATCH.COM n MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2020
MSU’s ability to reach
beyond the borders of the
Magnolia State for talent.
But beyond the geograph-
ical importance of Satur-
day’s news, Davis’ frame
also gives fans a look at
what they can expect
from MSU’s future line-
backers.
Breaking in defensive
coordinator Zach Arnett’s
3-3-5 scheme, lineback-
ers in the system will be
asked to do everything
from edge blitzes, pass
coverage, and operate as
down linemen. Enter Da-
vis.
Listed as an outside
linebacker by 247sports,
Davis’ gametape demon-
strates his ability to play
both along the line as a
defensive tackle or end,
in addition to rushing the
passer in a standup role.
As a junior at Lowndes
High School, he totaled
47 tackles — 16.5 of which
were for a loss — in 14
games played.
Further, Davis’ 6-foot-
shouldn’t be asked to re-
turn either. Without the
millions of dollars from
football, all college sports
are in peril.
NASCAR, which has
been holding virtual rac-
es, has given teams a
tentative schedule under
which the season would
resume May 24 without
fans.
The NHL has drawn
up plans that include re-
suming the season this
summer, going directly to
the playoffs and/or play-
ing games in empty are-
nas in neutral-site cities.
The PGA Tour an-
nounced a mid-June
restart and meshed its
schedule with the already
reworked majors calen-
dar. In a nod to the pre-
cariousness of it all, Andy
Pazder, the tour’s chief
officer of tournaments
and competition, said if
events cannot be held in
compliance with health
regulations, then “we will
players whose versatility,
Jeremiah said, “allows
you to keep your guys
on the field and not get
manipulated where they
can sub, get you in a look,
crank the tempo, isolate
the guy that’s out of posi-
tion and go at him.”
Defenders such as
SPORTS LINE
662-241-5000
B
SECTION
2.5-inch, 223-pound
frame stands to offer him
some mobility to play ei-
ther in the trenches or in
a more standup role once
in Starkville. For context,
starting linebacker Er-
roll Thompson played his
junior season at 6-foot-1,
250 pounds.
“You’re just trying to
maximize the athleticism
you’ve got on the field,”
Arnett said of his system
in February. “And then
that grouping has been
the way we can be the
most multiple. You want to
get into a four-down look?
Well you put a linebacker
at the line of scrimmage.
You want to get another
linebacker down in there?
You drop a safety down
then he becomes a line-
backer. It’s not so much
some strict hey there’s
three (defensive) line-
men, there’s always three
linebackers right here.
It just allows us the most
See MSU, 2B
not do anything.”
That’s also where the
NBA appears to be for
now. The league that got
in front of the coronavirus
pandemic first, calling off
games on March 11, is in
a holding pattern. Most
of the league’s conver-
sations center on how to
resume the season, not
whether to cancel it.
In Australia, ambi-
tious plans to resume play
in the National Rugby
League by the end of May
got shot down by Prime
Minister Scott Morrison.
England’s Premier
League also says it wants
to finish its season but
would do so only “with
the full support of the gov-
ernment” and when “med-
ical guidance allows.”
Meanwhile, in Scotland,
a wild round of voting
has already taken place
to decide whether to lock
in standings for leagues
there and get ready for
See SPORTS, 2B
Bob Donnan/USA Today Sports
Simmons, LSU’s Patrick
Queen, Wisconsin’s Zack
Baun and Oklahoma’s
Kenneth Murray won’t
be labeled as linebackers
anymore but as hybrids
for their ability to rush
the passer, cover the deep
ball and mirror tight ends
See NFL, 2B
2B MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2020 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com

From Hopkinton to Boston,

marathon absence is felt
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
HOPKINTON, Mass.
— “It All Starts Here.”
The motto is bannered
on the Hopkinton web-
site, laid into the floor of
the Marathon Elementary
School, painted on a sign
that sends Boston Mar-
athon participants off on
their way to Copley Square.
Since 1924, this 300-year-
lead into a beautiful fall
season in New England.”
___
On a regular marathon
weekend, Hopkinton tri-
ples in size from its 16,000
residents to absorb a field
of more than 30,000 run-
ners, wheelchair racers
and hand cyclists. The
Town Common teems with
people, along with food
carts and other vendors
the race, volunteered for
the race, supported the
race, feels that they own a
part of the race. They own
just a little bit. So it’s ours,”
he said. “The Boston Mar-
athon is almost bigger than
itself in the emotion it elic-
its, and the respect that
people have for it.”
___
Training for a marathon
can be a solitary endeavor,
those injured when two
pressure-cooker bombs
exploded at the finish
line.
“I just told myself:
You’re running next year.
And I did,” she said.
And every year since.
After starting work at
Newton-Wellesley Hospi-
tal, right around the Mile
16 marker, Comander has
used it as a base for her
Sudoku YESTERDAY’S ANSWER

old town serendipitously

located 26.2 miles west of
serving both tourists and but the event itself is a so- training runs. During Sudoku
Sudoku is a number-
placing puzzle based on
Sunday’s answer
race participants preview- cial distancing calamity. the race itself, the sight Sudoku 8 6 9 7 4 2 1 3 5
Boston has been the start- a 9x9 gridis witha several
num-
ing the course. Participants crowd into of coworkers, friends and ber-placing
given numbers.puzzleThe object 2 7 4 5 1 3 9 6 8

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

ing line for the world’s most But while others may corrals to wait for the start, even patients out front based onthe
is to place a 9x9
numbers 3 1 5 8 9 6 7 2 4
prestigious road race and, think of Hopkinton only on then run in packs to mini- cheering her on gives her grid
1 to 9with
in theseveral
empty spaces 7 9 8 6 5 4 3 1 2
like Marathon and Athens the third Monday in April, mize air resistance. Volun- a boost of energy right given
themselves, the two are en- the marathon and its es- teers hand out water on the when she needs it: just so that numbers.
each row, eachThe 6 5 2 3 7 1 8 4 9
object
column and each 3x3 the
is to place box
duringly linked. sence permeates the town course and medals at the before making the turn numbers 4 3 1 2 8 9 6 5 7
“It gets stronger and all year. finish. Fans and family are toward Heartbreak Hill. contains the1same to 9 number
in
1 2 7 9 6 5 4 8 3
the empty spaces so
stronger every year, this Residents drive over waiting with high fives or “I see it as a true privi- only once. The difficulty 5 8 6 4 3 7 2 9 1
that each row, each
relationship,” said Tim the starting line painted hugs. lege that I can go to work level increases from
column and each 9 4 3 1 2 8 5 7 6
Kilduff, a longtime Hop- on Main Street on their At Wellesley College, and I’m on the marathon Monday
3x3 boxtocontains
Sunday. Difficulty Level 4/18

kinton resident and former
Boston Marathon race di-
rector. “We see it as: The
spirit of the marathon re-
sides in Hopkinton, and we
lend it out one day a year.”
From the starting line
in this leafy Colonial town
to the finish on Boylston
Street, residents and run-
ners are preparing for a
spring without the Boston
Marathon — the first in
124 years. Organizers and
authorities have postponed
the race originally sched-
uled for Monday until Sept.
14 because of the corona-
virus pandemic, stripping
the streets of brightly
colored singlets and open-
ing a gap in the sporting
schedule for runners from
all over the world.
“Tradition’s an over-
used word. But this really
is a rite of spring,” Kilduff
said. “So this year it will
way to work or to con-
certs at the gazebo. An
International Marathon
Center is planned for the
town, a sister city of Mar-
athon, Greece, where the
long-running tradition was
birthed. There are three
marathon-related stat-
ues in Hopkinton, includ-
ing “The Starter,” which
stands at the starting line,
pistol raised, ready to send
the field off for another
race to Boston’s Back Bay.
These days, his face is
covered with a cloth mask.
“This is not the NBA or
baseball or the NFL. This
is ours,” said Kilduff, who
was the race director in
1983-84, ran the marathon
in 1985 and for the last 33
years has been a spotter
on the truck that leads the
men’s field to the finish
line.
“Anybody who has run
where the cheering is so
loud it is known as the
Scream Tunnel, students
traditionally wave signs
encouraging the runners
to stop for a kiss. It’s hard
to imagine this custom —
already a relic of another
era — surviving post-pan-
demic.
“A lot of the signs are
jokes about kissing. That’s
part of the tradition, too,”
said Erin Kelly, a senior
who returned home to San
Diego when the campus
closed. “The marathon is
just a big part of Welles-
ley’s culture. I was looking
forward to seeing it as a
student one last time.”
___
Oncologist Amy Co-
mander decided to run
the Boston Marathon in
2013, when colleagues at
Massachusetts General
Hospital treated many of
course,” Comander said. the same number only once. The difficulty level
“You’re talking to some- increases from Monday to Sunday.
one who truly loves every-
thing about the Boston
Marathon.”
Comander is regis-
tered to run for her sev-
enth year in a row, this
time to raise money for
cancer survivors and
their families; she is still
determined to do so in
September. But on Mon-
day, she will be caring
Sunday’s Cryptoquote:
for cancer patients, a task
more stressful because of
the danger the coronavi-
rus poses to their weak-
ened immune systems.
“I will be a little sad,”
said Comander, who plans
to take a break from the
clinic to get in an 8-mile
run — but not on the
course, per the request
of authorities concerned
about crowds. “I feel like I
need to do that for myself.”

Sports
Continued from Page 1B

next season.
Major League Base-
ball in the U.S. is
talking about bringing
all 30 teams to Mar-
icopa County, Arizona,
for a regular season at
spring training sites.
Dr. Anthony Fauci,
the infectious disease
expert who has been
calling for restraint in
resuming any normal
activities, offered a
glimmer of hope when
he suggested sports
could conceivably re-
turn. He suggested no
fans in arenas and con-
stant testing for the
players, who would like-
ly need to be quaran-
tined in hotels for weeks
or months.
Not all the players
are on board.
“I’m going to go four
or five months without
seeing my kid when it’s
born? I can tell you right
now that’s not going to
happen,” Ryan Zim-
merman of the Nation-
als wrote in a diary for
A P. Zimmerman’s third
child is due in June.
Whether Zimmerman
shows or not, baseball
could be a vastly differ-
ent game if it returns in
2020. Some other ideas
f loated include wrap-
ping up the season in
December, scheduling
a multitude of double-
headers with seven-in-
ning games and quickly
deciding ties with home
run derbies.
Yet for all those sce-
narios, nobody’s quite
sure what will happen
if, despite all the pre-
cautions, an outbreak
hits a team. Could one
positive test eviscerate
an entire season?
Before setting any-
thing in motion, all the
leagues are waiting for
a consensus to emerge
from government and
health experts, to say
nothing of players and ACROSS
owners. 1 Leopard
features
Right now, Monta-
6 Jeans joint
gliani said, “the para-
mount skill set required 10 Flat
11 Book of maps
from us is risk manage-
13 French
ment and nothing else.” farewell

NFL
Continued from Page 1B
and running backs.
“It allows you to dis-
guise your looks defen-
sively, allows you to con-
fuse quarterbacks and
allows you to match up
with the athletes you’re
going to see,” Jeremiah
said. “So those guys have
never been more valuable.
“And one of the con-
versations that I’ve had
over the last few years
and really even more so
this year is with the line-
backers. It doesn’t matter
if you are an unbelievably
instinctive player and
14 Sell tickets for
profit
15 Skillet
16 Cheering cry
18 “Fifth Beatle”
you’re tough and you’re mer Buccaneers general “Twenty-five years ago Sutcliffe
physical. If you cannot manager. “Now, coaches when I first was in the 19 Nocturnal
run, they can’t hide you are like, ’Let’s put the 6-4 league, versatility used to wanderer
anymore. You’re going receiver inside at the slot mean a corner that could 22 Director
to get exposed. At that and let’s see if we can find Spike Sunday’s answer
kick return,” Dominik
position you have to lean mismatches that way.” said. “It’s not like that 23 Sunrise site 45 Cars’ scars wonder
toward athleticism.” The value of the versa- 24 Audibly 20 Steer clear of
anymore, right? That’s all
Teams also covet nim- tile player really hit home 27 Dance’s de DOWN 21 Court-related
good, but can the corner Mille
ble behemoths who can for Dominik when McCaf- 1 Openhanded 24 Ridiculous
move back to the safety 28 Role for Craig hits 25 Clubs, in
play up and down the line frey, the only player in his-
in a pinch, or can he go in- 29 Nabokov 2 Bike part bridge
and defensive backs who tory with 2,500 yards re-
can play all over the field. ceiving and rushing in his side to the nickel, can he novel 3 Like lambs 26 Here
“It used to be the 6-4 re- first three NFL seasons, handle that? 30 Expert at 4 Golf peg 27 Made suitable
ceiver was always outside signed a four-year, $64 “If you find those play- cajoling 5 Drank noisily 29 Money
ers, I think you put a little 35 Much of N. 6 One of the machine
and the 5-9 guy always million contract. It made
asterisk on them because Amer. Obama daugh- 31 Hawk’s
had to be in the slot,” said him the game’s high-
36 Guitar blaster ters grasper
Mark Dominik, SiriusXM est-paid running back “all they bring so much more
37 Hoppy brew 7 Series-ending 32 Singer Car-
NFL Radio host and for- because of his versatility.” to your roster.” 38 From the abbr. penter

MSU
Continued from Page 1B
multiplicity.”
As for where MSU
goes next, it stands to
add at least another
linebacker or two in the
2021 class. Thompson
will graduate at the end
of the 2020 season, while
Starkville native Wil-
lie Gay Jr. has already
departed for the NFL.
With that in mind, MSU
has reportedly offered
16 2021 linebackers as
of Sunday. Of note, all
16 of those offered stand
at least 6 -foot-1 and 195
pounds or more.
That said, expect the
Bulldogs to be major
players for three-star
Texas product Jaydon
Williams and Florida
native Timar Rogers.
247sports analysts see
Williams as a Texas-lean
but Arnett has reported-
ly served as the primary
contact in his recruit-
ment — giving some
insight into MSU’s inter-
est. He’s scheduled to
commit on May 1.
As for Rogers, he was
previously offered by
Leach’s staff at Wash-
ington State back in
November and was
quickly re-upped by the
new MSU contingent in
February. He told The
Dispatch Sunday that
he’s expecting to make
a decision in December
and currently boasts a
top five of Auburn, N.C.
State, Kansas, Missouri
and MSU.
“The defense fits me
well and the coaches
communicate with me
well — they text me ev-
ery day,” Rogers said of
MSU.
“They said they
would have me come off
the edge and go after
running backs and stuff
like that,” he continued.
Mississippi Gulf
Coast Community Col-
lege prospect Navonte-
que Strong could also be
in play for the Bulldogs.
MSU already boasts
JUCO linebackers Nick
Jarrett and 2020 mid-
year enrollee Tyrus
Wheat. Strong ranks as
the No. 5 junior college
prospect in America ac-
cording to 247sports and
he’d be an experienced
addition to a group that
will need it come 2021.
country 8 Nome native 33 Put in office
40 Car quartet 9 Blue-gray cat 34 Takes ten
42 “The same” 12 Bursts of 39 Had supper
43 Put up energy 41 Anger
44 Subsequently 17 Stunned
And while it remains
to be seen who will
be the next addition
to MSU’s linebacking
corps, Davis’ physical
makeup offers a look at
what fans can expect in
a defensive scheme that
thrives on athleticism.
“I think anytime you
run something that’s a
little bit different, that
people have to prepare
for, hopefully there’s
going to be some break-
downs in what they do
because they don’t see it
week in and week out,”
MSU defensive line
coach Jeff Phelps said of
the 3-3-5 in February. “It
changes the picture so it
gives our guys an oppor-
tunity to be successful
on some plays.”

Byron wins 2nd NASCAR virtual race in a drama-free event
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHARLOTTE, N.C.
— Nobody did anything to
get fired or lose a sponsor
in this week’s edition of
NASCAR virtual racing.
William Byron won his
second consecutive NA-
SCAR virtual race on Sun-
day by holding off Timmy
Hill — the driver who
moved him out of the way
to win an earlier iRacing
event — in a race low on
dramatics.
Matt DiBenedetto
was parked after twice
crashing at virtual Rich-
mond Raceway with Ryan
Preece, the second inci-
dent clearly intentional.
It triggered a Twitter spat
between the two, with
DiBenedetto demanding
Preece’s address to go
Comics & Puzzles
DILBERT
ZITS
GARFIELD
CANDORVILLE
BABY BLUES
BEETLE BAILEY
MALLARD FILLMORE
to his house to fight and
Preece replying he’d give
it to him if DiBenedetto
showed up in the giraffe
costume he wore while
competing Sunday.
Jimmie Johnson manu-
ally disconnected his sim-
ulator rather than wait out
late-race repairs, and Kev-
in Harvick ate his lunch
from the seat of his rig as
he was in a 20-minute hold
for repairs.
But that was about it in
terms of controversy on a
day NASCAR desperate-
ly needed a drama-free
event.
Kyle Larson was fired
this week for using a ra-
cial slur during a non-NA-
SCAR sanctioned iRacing
event last Sunday night,
and drivers and fans are
showing signs of losing
FAMILY CIRCUS
The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com
some of the excitement
that initially engulfed
this virtual racing league
when it launched during
the coronavirus pandem-
ic.
Byron, 22 and in his
third Cup season driving
for Hendrick Motorsports,
is an avid iRacer who
learned to drive a stock
car through the platform.
“I wasn’t in a racing
family growing up and
obviously this was my av-
enue to cut my teeth,” By-
ron said. “I’m very thank-
ful for what it has done for
me. Driving the 24 car in
real life for Hendrick Mo-
torsports is a dream and
I was really just a kid on
here that was excited, a
NASCAR face in a channel
when I was racing against
them. Now I am racing
against them in real life.”
Resets were eliminated
to make it a cleaner race,
and NASCAR and broad-
cast partner Fox initially
trimmed the field in an ef-
fort to avoid the wreck-fest
from virtual Bristol two
weeks ago. That created
a wave of backlash as the
drivers dropped were both
full-time Cup participants
or had sold sponsorship
for the iRaces.
As a concession, a heat
race was held Sunday
morning in which 11 driv-
ers tried to finish inside
the top two to advance into
the main event. Bobby La-
bonte and Landon Cassill
raced in, and because it is
an invitational, Fox offered
two more spots to Dale
Earnhardt Jr. and Daniel
Suarez. Earnhardt earlier
Dear Abby
D
EAR ABBY:
During the
past year,
my wonderful
father-in-law was
widowed and
became unable to
live alone. He lives
with us now and
is part of our daily
life. However, he
has dementia. He
is still quite social
and verbal. If
you met him, you
might not realize
that his short-term
memory rarely
Dear Abby
functions or that
the filters this well-educated
and proper man once had no
longer work 24/7.
Recently, he has started
ogling women and making
comments about their physical
attributes when we go grocery
shopping or take a walk. He
is also starting to confuse the
women’s roles in our household
(me, my daughter, daughter-
in-law and niece), which has
become even more awkward.
My daughter confided that he
made a sexual comment about
me. (I’m a middle-aged, no-non-
sense kind of woman.)
How does one approach
such a situation? We don’t want
someone slapping him — or
worse. I can say, “That’s not ap-
propriate,” then deflect or laugh
it off at home, knowing he won’t
remember what he said 20
Horoscopes
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (April
20). In the months to come,
you’ll become more accepting
of your own impulses and
trust yourself in a wider range
of situations. You’ll succeed
beyond your own expectations
at things you didn’t even know
you could do. You’ll give support
and love and have it in equal
measure, although not always
from the same people. Virgo
and Sagittarius adore you. Your
lucky numbers are: 20, 4, 10,
13 and 8.
ARIES (March 21-April 19).
Good drivers don’t accelerate
while fixated on the rearview
mirror. To avoid crashing into
something ahead, look where
you’re going, not where you’ve
in the week pulled out of
the race to give his spot
to an active driver, but he
joined the heat race when
the rules were changed
and competed in the main
event.
There were still crash-
es, including one involving
Bubba Wallace and Clint
Bowyer for the second
consecutive iRace. Wal-
lace had “rage quit” at vir-
tual Bristol after wrecking
with Bowyer and his spon-
sor for the event fired him
on the spot.
Right before Sunday’s
race started, Wallace
pleaded on his stream:
“Clint, don’t wreck me!
Don’t wreck me!”
But he and Bowyer
did have early contact, to
which Bowyer noted, “two
races in a row I got Bub-
minutes later, but
how do we make
the best of these
circumstances
without diminish-
ing his outside
social experienc-
es? Moving him
to a senior living
community is not
an option at this
point for financial
reasons. —
CAREGIVER WITH
A PROBLEM
DEAR CARE-
GIVER: It’s time
for you to contact
the Alzheimer’s
Association. It offers guidance
for caregivers like you. Changes
in behavior caused by Alzhei-
mer’s and other dementias are
challenging. It’s important to
remember that these behaviors
are the result of a damaged
brain and not something the
person is doing purposely.
If inappropriate behavior
occurs in public, be consistent
and kind, but firmly remind the
person that the behavior is not
OK. It may help to distract the
person from the immediate
situation by directing their
attention elsewhere or giving
them something else to do.
Caregivers can create
“business cards” stating briefly,
“My companion has dementia.
Please be understanding.”
Caregivers would give these to
hosts and hostesses when en-
been.
TAURUS (April 20-May
20). When it comes to certain
subjects, you don’t have to work
at loving them. When you’re
engaged in their practice or
study, you naturally radiate joy,
as though this is what you were
made for.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21).
You’re trying to accomplish
something that requires you to
dig deeper into your feelings,
behaviors and thought process-
es. For this reason, ignore all
things petty and shallow.
CANCER (June 22-July 22).
Ironically, if you want peace,
you’ll have to fight for it. Start
with building your defense and
erecting protective guards
MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2020 3B
ba-ed.” Bowyer has been
Fox’s in-race reporter and
was invited to join Mike
Joy and Jeff Gordon in the
“booth” but tweeted “Beer
:30 folks!” before settling
in as a commentator. Wal-
lace, for his part, was the
final car on track this Sun-
day.
Harvick made his iRac-
ing debut, likely pushed
by his sponsors and race
team to get involved in the
only activity drivers can
do right now to promote
their partners. Brad Kes-
elowski got his directive
straight from team owner
Roger Penske. After using
a borrowed simulator in
his first event, Keselows-
ki sprung for his own rig
this week — a purchase
he’s not sure he can ex-
pense back to the boss.
tering restaurants, or discreetly
hand them to salespeople if
situations start to deteriorate
because the companion exhib-
its unusual behavior or lack of a
verbal filter.
Be transparent with family
and friends about the person
with the disease. When they
understand what’s causing
these behaviors and that the
individual needs their help and
compassion, they tend to be
less reactive or judgmental. The
Alzheimer’s Association may be
reached online (alz.org) or via
the toll-free helpline (800-272-
3900). Please don’t wait.
DEAR ABBY: I’m a teen living
with a foot in each world. My
parents are religious and don’t
approve of my sexuality (I am
bisexual), and my peers harshly
stereotype my beliefs. I feel
rejected by both worlds, and I’m
trying to make it until I’m 18 so
I can leave the situation.
Lately, things have taken a
turn for the worse. Both sides
won’t accept me until I am com-
pletely Christian or completely
not Christian. Is there any ad-
vice you can give me? — TEEN
IN TURMOIL
DEAR TEEN IN TURMOIL:
Just this. You are a teenager.
There are better days ahead for
you. Your current circumstances
may be unpleasant, but they
won’t last forever. If living your
truth will result in your being
shunned, do whatever you must
to survive for now.
around your peace so it’s very
difficult for anyone to rob you
of it.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). A
retreat isn’t always fleeing the
scene. It can be a strategic
move away from potential
trouble sources and toward your
own essence. Any move toward
balance is a move toward
strength.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22).
You’ve taken enough risks to
know that if you risk in the same
way many times, eventually, you
will get comfortable with the
very things that once frightened
you. This is happening now.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23).
You will wonder how much re-
sponsibility you should take for
another person’s emotions. It
depends on what the relation-
ship is. Think of your connection
and responsibility levels as com-
mensurate.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov.
21). Most emotional dynamics
are not something to overcome
but rather something to accept.
It is futile to reject any feeling
you’re having. Just remember
that you don’t have to act on
your feelings.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec.
21). You want to make a deci-
sion based on your own values
and metrics, and others want
you to do what works for and
pleases them. Do it your way,
as a compromise will please
no one.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan.
19). Everyone is different.
You’d be surprised by where
the discrepancies lie and how
vast they can be. It’s best not
to assume that others know
and understand what comes so
easily to you.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb.
18). You know what’s at stake
and are unsure of how willing
you are to risk it. Should you
lose, what’s your backup plan?
Gauge how eager you would be
to follow that plan and you’ll
know your next move.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March
20). What goes disguised as a
complex and nuanced problem
is actually quite simple. It boils
down to having the guts to
do what falls in line with your
own values, regardless of how
acceptable that is to others.
Right on time
SOLUTION:
4B MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2020 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com

Reports suggest many have had coronavirus with no symptoms

The head of the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention says 25 percent
of infected people might not have symptoms
BY MARILYNN MARCHIONE
AP Chief Medical Writer
A flood of new research
suggests that far more peo-
ple have had the coronavirus
without any symptoms, fueling
hope that it will turn out to be
much less lethal than originally
feared.
While that’s clearly good
news, it also means it’s impos-
sible to know who around you
may be contagious. That com-
plicates decisions about return-
ing to work, school and normal
life.
In the last week, reports
of silent infections have come
from a homeless shelter in Bos-
ton, a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier,
pregnant women at a New York
hospital, several European
countries and California.
The head of the U.S. Cen-
ters for Disease Control and
Prevention says 25 percent of
infected people might not have
symptoms. The vice chairman
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen.
John Hyten, thinks it may be as
high as 60 percent to 70 percent
among military personnel.
None of these numbers can
be fully trusted because they’re
based on flawed and inadequate
testing, said Dr. Michael Mina
of Harvard’s School of Public
Health.
Collectively, though, they
suggest “we have just been off
the mark by huge, huge num-
bers” for estimating total infec-
tions, he said.
Worldwide, more than 2.3
million infections and more
than 160,000 deaths have been
confirmed. The virus has
caused nearly unprecedent-
ed economic and social harm
since its existence was reported
in early January.
Stealth cases
Based on known cases,
health officials have said the
virus usually causes mild or
moderate flu-like illness. Now
evidence is growing that a sub-
stantial number of people may
have no symptoms at all.
Scientists in Iceland
screened 6 percent of its pop-
ulation to see how many had
previously undetected infec-
tions and found that about 0.7
percent tested positive. So did
13 percent of a group at higher
risk because of recent travel or
exposure to someone sick.
Aboard the aircraft carri-
er USS Theodore Roosevelt,
where one crew member died
from the virus, “the rough num-
bers are that 40 percent are
symptomatic,” said Vice Adm.
Phillip Sawyer, deputy com-
mander of naval operations.
The ratio may change if more
develop symptoms later, he
warned.
In New York, a hospital test-
ed all pregnant women coming
in to deliver over a two-week pe-
riod. Nearly 14 percent of those
who arrived with no symptoms
of coronavirus turned out to
have it. Of the 33 positive cases,
29 had no symptoms when test-
ed, although some developed
them later.
Previously, tests on pas-
sengers and crew from the
Diamond Princess cruise ship
found nearly half who tested
positive had no symptoms at
the time. Researchers estimate
that 18 percent of infected peo-
ple never developed any.

TV doctors Oz and Phil explaining controversial Fox comments

BY DAVID BAUDER
AP Media Writer
NEW YORK — Two
television doctors — Dr.
Oz and Dr. Phil — are
finding themselves try-
ing to explain comments
they made about corona-
virus restrictions during
appearances on Fox News
Channel this week.
Mehmet Oz says that
he misspoke in an inter-
view with Fox’s Sean Han-
nity, when he said reopen-
ing schools was a “very
appetizing opportunity”
despite the coronavirus
pandemic.
Phil McGraw, another
daytime talk show host
who, like Oz, catapulted
to TV fame as a protege of
Oprah Winfrey, received
social media heat for com-
paring coronavirus deaths
to those caused by swim-
ming pool and automobile
accidents.
Oz, in a Twitter post
late Thursday, said that
he recognized his com-
ments had confused and
upset people, and that was
never his intention. The
heart surgeon talked with
Hannity on Tuesday about
ways to get “our mojo
back” during the outbreak
and mentioned schools,
which are largely closed
across the United States.
“I just saw a nice piece
in the Lancet arguing that
the opening of schools
may only cost us 2 percent
to 3 percent in terms of to-
tal mortality,” he said.
“You know, any life is
a life lost, but to get ev-
ery child back into school
where they are being safe-
ly educated, being fed and
making the most out of
their lives with the theo-
retical risk on the back-
side might be a trade-off
some folks would consid-
er,” he said.
It’s not clear exactly
what he was trying to
say — if he meant that a
certain number of deaths
was worth the benefit of
schools resuming — and
his representative did not
immediately offer a clarifi-
cation on Friday.
McGraw appeared on
Laura Ingraham’s show
Thursday. He pointed
out the number of people
who died because of ciga-
rettes, auto accidents and
swimming poll accidents
and noted that those didn’t
cause any lockdowns.
“The fallout is going
to last for years because
people’s lives are being
destroyed,” he said. Ingra-
ham has been among the
television personalities
who have pushed for a plan
to reopen the country.
In an online message
posted Friday, McGraw
said he used bad exam-
ples because they were
not contagious diseases.
He also said he incorrect-
ly stated the number of
swimming pool deaths.
“If I offended people’s
sensibilities last night
with my examples, then
erase those,” he said.
McGraw urged listen-
ers to follow guidelines
from health experts and
government leaders. He
said he was trying to ex-
press concern about the
mental health and eco-
nomic impacts of shutting
much of the country down.

COMMERCIAL DISPATCH
OBITUARY POLICY
Obituaries with basic informa-
tion including visitation and
service times, are provided
free of charge. Extended
obituaries with a photograph,
detailed biographical informa-
tion and other details families
may wish to include, are avail-
able for a fee. Obituaries must
be submitted through funeral
homes unless the deceased’s
body has been donated to
science. If the deceased’s
body was donated to science,
the family must provide official
proof of death. Please submit
all obituaries on the form
provided by The Commercial
Dispatch. Free notices must be
submitted to the newspaper
no later than 3 p.m. the day
prior for publication Tuesday
through Friday; no later than 4
p.m. Saturday for the Sunday
edition; and no later than 7:30
a.m. for the Monday edition.
Incomplete notices must be re-
ceived 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 informa-
tion, call 662-328-2471.
Elizabeth Vaughn
COLUMBUS —
AREA OBITUARIES
Elizabeth Vaughn, 77,
died April 19, 2020, at
her residence.
Arrangements are
incomplete and will be
announced by Lown-
des Funeral Home of
Columbus.
Ruth Pigué
COLUMBUS —
Ruth Loftis Pigué, 97,
died April 19, 2020, at
Windsor Nursing &
Rehab of Columbus.
Arrangements are
incomplete and will be
announced by Memori-
al Gunter Peel Funeral
Home & Crematory
Second Avenue North
Columbus.
Katherine Reifers
COLUMBUS —
Katherine Elizabeth
Eubanks Reifers, 60,
died April 17, 2020,
at North Mississippi
Medical Center of
Tupelo.
A family memorial
service will be held
at a later date. Cleve-
land-Moffett Funeral
Home of Amory is in
charge of arrange- She is survived by
ments. her children, Wendy
Mrs. Reifers was Morris and Amanda
born Oct. 22, 1959, Cunningham both of
in Honolulu, Hawaii, Amory; and 12 grand-
to the late Andrew children.
Jackson and Annette
Bynum Eubanks. She
was formerly employed
as a truck driver and a
member of the National
Guard. She was a mem-
ber of Christian Chapel
Church of Christ.
In addition to her
parents, she was pre-
ceded in death by two
grandchildren.

Betty Courtney
A private burial will be held.
Beershea Cemetery
College St. Location

Video tribute honors Oklahoma bombing victims amid outbreak
BY SEAN MURPHY
AND KEN MILLER
The Associated Press
OKLAHOMA CITY —
Survivors and loved ones
of the 168 people who
were killed in the Okla-
homa City bombing were
not able to gather Sunday
to mark the 25th anni-
versary of the attack, but
that did not stop them
from remembering.
Because the annual
remembrance ceremo-
ny was canceled due to
coronavirus restrictions,
those the victims instead
were honored with a vid-
eo tribute that included
the reading of the names
of those who died fol-
lowed by 168 seconds of
silence.
Ordinarily, the city
would have gathered
Sunday at the memori-
al where the Alfred P.
Murrah Federal Building
stood before it was de-
stroyed by a truck bomb
on April 19, 1995. Gates
to the memorial mark
time, 9:01 and 9:03 a.m.,
with a reflection pond
between them represent-
ing 9:02, the minute the
explosion permanent-
ly altered lives and the
nation. Stylized, empty
metal chairs represent
each person who died,
and the “Survivor Tree,”
a gnarled American elm
that withstood the blast,
now stands on a small hill
and shades the memorial
below.
It was “extremely dif-
ficult” to not be able to
attend in person, said
Ryan Whicher, whose fa-
ther, U.S. Secret Service
Agent Alan Whicher, was
killed in the bombing.
Raymond Lowe
A private family graveside
“I’m not with my sisters service will be held.
today, I’m not with my 2nd Ave. North Location
mother today,” in Okla-
homa City, he said by Ruth Pigué
phone from Baltimore, Incomplete
2nd Ave. North Location
where he now lives.
“But it’s all for the
right reasons. ... Every-
one is making sacrifices.
I don’t think it’s fair for
us in this coronavirus memorialgunterpeel.com
(environment) to feel we
should be treated any dif-
ferently,” he said.
The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2020 5B
Classifieds
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