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Wednesday | April 29, 2020

City cuts employee hours, freezes hires and travel

Mayor, council to take 25-percent pay cut over next 3 straight year the
city has imple-
But this time, in addition to
the hiring freeze, all city de-

months to mitigate sales tax revenue downturn mented drastic

BY YUE STELLA YU
syu@cdispatch.com
Beginning Monday, the city
of Columbus will enact a series
of cost-saving measures in the
wake of a projected sales tax
revenue downturn in the com-
ing months, the city council
decided unanimously during a
special-call meeting Tuesday
morning.
The measures include work
hour reduction, pay cuts and a
hiring freeze, which are expect-
ed to save the city at least $1.56
million, Mayor Robert Smith
said. The policies were prompt-
ed by a projected 40-percent
drop of the city’s sales tax reve-
nue as the COVID-19 pandemic
rocks local businesses, he said.
“(Implementing the policies)
is probably one of the most dif-
ficult decisions I’ve ever made,”
Smith said at the meeting, “es-
pecially when you are dealing
with the livelihood of employ-
ees.”
This will be the second
cost-saving mea-
partment travels are banned un-
til July 31, and most city employ-
sures. The coun- ees, including the mayor and
cil suspended council members, are taking
promotions and 25-percent pay cuts until then.
new hires last Instead of 40 hours a week
Smith
year to avert a fi- Monday through Thursday, city
nancial crisis, which could have employees, except for police of-
left the city out of cash by Octo- ficers and firefighters, will work
ber. It ended its fiscal year with four 7.5-hour days four days per
$1.2 million in its general fund week starting next Monday,
balance and lifted the months- according to Smith. They will
long freeze in January. See COUNCIL, 8A

‘ALL I NEED ARE CUSTOMERS’ LINK CEO warns

Local retailers begin reopening after
some have been shuttered since March
BY SLIM SMITH
ssmith@cdispatch.com
One of the major concerns Mis-
sissippi Gov. Tate Reeves had about
his decision to allow retail stores to
reopen was whether retailers could
ensure social distancing.
Among the governor’s orders
were restrictions on how many cus-
tomers could be allowed in a store
at any given time. Reeves set the
threshold at 50-percent capacity.
On Tuesday afternoon, none of
the handful of retailers who had
chosen to reopen in Starkville and
Columbus had any trouble enforcing
that rule.
Rebecca Kraker, owner and, for
now, sole employee of R. Tabb &
Co., a women’s apparel and gift shop
store on Main Street in Starkville,
stood on the threshold of her store at
about 3:30 p.m., debating whether to
call it a day.
Kraker hasn’t been open for regu-
lar business hours since mid-March.
In the interim, she’s made some
sales over the phone or through so-
cial media, filling orders that can be
picked up curbside. While the gover-
nor’s order allows Kraker to resume
“normal” operations, she isn’t sure
she’ll adopt a “business-as-usual” ap-
proach.
“I haven’t had anyone come in off
the street yet today,” she said. “I’m
going to see how it goes this week
and next week. When people are
broke, I’m not going to sit up here
seven hours a day and wait for some-
body to just walk in off the street.”
Only a handful of retail stores in
Columbus and Starkville appear to
have taken advantage of the gover-
nor’s decision.
See RETAILERS, 8A
cuts coming as
local businesses,
governments deal
with pandemic
Even as COVID-19
threatens local tax
bases, industry keeps
going
BY THEO DEROSA
tderosa@cdispatch.com
Golden Triangle
Development LINK
CEO Joe Max Hig-
gins remembers the
atmosphere in Co-
lumbus as the city
dealt with the tail end
of the Great Reces-
sion in 2009. Higgins
“Things were tough, but people
were still eating at Harvey’s,” Hig-
gins told Columbus Rotary Club
members in Tuesday’s Zoom meet-
ing. “People were still going to Mi
Hacienda. People were still going
out to Proffitt’s Porch and having
lunch even though the economy
was bad.”
That year, the city suffered a
$900,000 sales tax shortfall, ac-
cording to Higgins. What about this
year, with the Golden Triangle area
still in the midst of the COVID-19
coronavirus pandemic?
“I think it’s going to be worse,”
Higgins said.
Columbus, Starkville and West
Slim Smith/Dispatch Staff
Point all make roughly 40 percent
Rebecca Kraker, owner of a women’s apparel and gift shop on Main Street in
Starkville, said she’s unsure if she’ll maintain regular business hours even after of their income from sales taxes,
Gov. Tate Reeves’ order allowing retail stores to reopen. “I’m not going to sit around but with many businesses closed
here for seven hours a day waiting for people to come in off the street,” she said. or limited and restaurants directed
“I’ll see how it goes for the next couple of weeks and figure out what makes sense.” See HIGGINS, 3A

MSU cyberdefense tool being considered for use by U.S. military

Netmapper program simulates
cyberattacks, allowing government
entities to test their defenses
BY TESS VRBIN
tvrbin@cdispatch.com
The next six to nine
months will prove critical
for a project in the works
for six years at Mississip-
pi State University’s Cen-
ter for Cyber Innovation.
The computer program
Netmapper, designed
by CCI researchers Phil
Akers and
Bob Re-
military so that govern-
ment entities can use it
get official permission in
the next six months to be
ese, scans
computer
to simulate cyberattacks
and test out their defens-
used on any military base
nationwide.
networks to es. Reese and CCI Direc-
identify all Circadence Corpora- tor Drew Hamilton both
of its devic- tion, a cyber readiness said it’s unusual for a
es, installed company that has an of- piece of university-creat-
Akers Reese Hamilton
programs fice in Tupelo, contracted ed software to be consid-
and services and makes a been customizing Net- Netmapper for the project ered for use by the U.S.
map of them on a screen. mapper to scan the com- in 2014. Reese said he be- Department of Defense.
Akers and Reese have plex networks of the U.S. lieves the program will See CYBERDEFENSE, 3A

WEATHER FIVE QUESTIONS LOCAL FOLKS PUBLIC

1 To which sport do the Marquess of Queens- MEETINGS
berry rules apply? May 4: Lowndes County
2 What storied pathway starting in Georgia Board of Supervisors, 9
finally reaches its northernmost point atop a.m., County Courthouse
Maine’s Mount Katahdin? May 5: Columbus City
3 What Stanley Kubrick film featured the Council, Municipal Com-
oft-quoted line: “Open the pod bay door,
HAL”? plex, 5 p.m.
John William Milstead May 11: Columbus Mu-
4 What popular-with-kids mixture of ditali,
Kindergarten, Annunciation nicipal School District,
ditalini, tubetti and tubetini first hit dinner

72 Low 51
bowls in 1965? 6 p.m., Brandon Central
High 5 What “Sideways” and “Straight Outta Comp- Services Center
Chance p.m. t-storm
ton” star portrayed the comic book writer of May 15: Lowndes
“American Splendor” in a 2003 film? County Board of Super-
Full forecast on Answers, 8B
page 3A. visors, 9 a.m., County
Courthouse
May 19: Columbus City
INSIDE De’Andre Scott, left, lives in Columbus and likes playing Council, Municipal Com-
Classifieds 7B Food 5B with his nephew Cameron Scott, center. Valeria Scott, plex, 5 p.m.
Comics 3B Obituaries 4A right, likes spending time with her grandchildren and going June 1: Lowndes County
Crossword 8B Opinions 6A to church. She thinks we should show love and do what Board of Supervisors, 9
141st Year, No. 42 Dear Abby 3B we can for one another during these times. a.m., County Courthouse

DISPATCH CUSTOMER SERVICE 328-2424 | NEWSROOM 328-2471

2A WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2020 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com

Easing lockdowns makes day-to-

day choices more complicated
‘There will never be a perfect amount of protection. were among the latest countries to
announce their plans for restarting
... Everybody has to decide, person by person, what their economies. As governments
make their moves to reopen busi-
risk they’re willing to tolerate.’ nesses and schools, the next deci-
sions made will be personal.
Josh Santarpia, a microbiology expert
Jill Faust, 53, of Council Bluffs,
at the University of Nebraska Medical Center
Iowa, said she would hesitate to eat
BY CARLA K. JOHNSON, ADAM “There will never be a perfect at an indoor restaurant when such
GELLER AND ERIC OLSON amount of protection,” said Josh businesses are allowed to reopen in
The Associated Press Santarpia, a microbiology expert at her community Friday.
the University of Nebraska Medical “We would have to know ahead of
Things were so much clearer Center who is studying the corona- time what precautions they’re tak-
when just about everything was virus. “It’s a personal risk assess- ing,” she said, citing the way some
locked down. ment. Everybody has to decide, restaurants may rely on limited
Now, with states lifting coro- person by person, what risk they’re seating, well-spaced tables, masks
navirus restrictions piecemeal willing to tolerate.” for employees and disposable cups
and by often arbitrary timetables, The quandary comes as the con- and plates. Even then, she said, it
Americans are facing bewildering firmed death toll from coronavirus might not be worth the trouble.
decisions about what they should in the U.S. on Tuesday surpassed “Going to a restaurant to me is
and should not do to protect their the 58,220 American service mem- this lovely, relaxing experience
health, their livelihoods and their bers killed in Vietnam, according to where you can sit with people and
neighbors. Johns Hopkins University. Globally, relax and catch up after a long day.
Is it safe to join the crowds at the at least 216,000 have died, thought If your experience is going to be
beach or eat at a restaurant? To visit the true toll is undoubtedly much limited by all these safety concerns,
the elderly parents you haven’t seen higher because of limited testing, why spend the money?” she said.
in nearly two months? To reopen a differences in counting the dead In California, Gov. Gavin New-
struggling business? and concealment by some govern- som said schoolchildren could re-
In many cases, the less-than-sat- ments. turn to classrooms as early as July,
isfying answer from the experts is: With the crisis easing in many though a formal decision had not
It depends. places, France, Spain and Greece yet been made.

Hillary Clinton becomes latest Democrat to endorse Biden

‘This is a
moment when we
Biden wins Ohio’s mail-in primary
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS the virus, it’s a decision that we will
need a leader, have made the best of,” Republican
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Joe Biden Ken Blackwell, a former Ohio elections
a president like won Ohio’s presidential primary Tues- chief who chairs the bipartisan Inter-
day, clinching a contest that was less national Foundation for Electoral Sys-
Joe Biden’ about the Democratic nomination and tems, said of mail-in balloting.
more about how states can conduct
BY BILL BARROW Overall turnout was surprisingly
elections in the era of the coronavirus.
The Associated Press strong, said Secretary of State Frank
The primary was the first major test
LaRose. While his office said about 1.5
Hillary of statewide elections via mail amid an
outbreak. million votes had been cast as of mid-
Clinton, the day Saturday, down sharply from the
first wom- There were reports of confusion but
no widespread disruption. It wasn’t like 3.2 million cast in Ohio’s 2016 presi-
an to be- dential primary, he said some larger
come a ma- Wisconsin earlier this month, when
voters were forced to overlook social counties received tens of thousands of
jor party’s
distancing guidelines to stand in line additional ballots Tuesday.
presidential
wearing masks to cast ballots. “It was better than OK. It was great,”
nominee,
“Within the context of the threat of he said.
e n d o r s e d Clinton
Joe Biden’s
W h i t e popular vote. “Think of Given her 2016 experi- of the electorate’s left
House bid what it would mean if ence, Clinton could offer flank. Sanders battled her
on Tuesday, we had a real president,” Biden unique insight as to the end of the prima-
c ont i nu i n g Clinton continued, rather he prepares for the No- ry calendar and waged a
Democrats’ than a man who “plays vember general election. bitter fight over the party
efforts to one on TV.” Her endorsement is the platform before endors-
coalesce Biden, as a former vice latest example of leaders ing her and campaigning
around the Biden president and six-term from across the Demo- for her in the fall. Hillary
former vice president as senator, “has been pre- cratic spectrum rallying and Bill Clinton have ar-
he takes on President paring for this moment behind Biden. gued that Sanders’ push
Donald Trump. his entire life,” said Clin- In recent weeks, Biden deeply wounded her cam-
Clinton made her an- ton, a former secretary of has picked up support paign against Trump.
nouncement during a state. “This is a moment from former President The Trump campaign
Biden campaign town hall when we need a leader, a Barack Obama, House sought to foment the
to discuss the coronavi- president like Joe Biden.” Speaker Nancy Pelosi and same tension on Tuesday
rus and its effect on wom- With her historic can- leading progressives such by arguing that the Dem-
en. Without mentioning didacy, Clinton remains a as Sens. Elizabeth War- ocratic establishment is
Trump by name, Clinton powerful — and complex ren of Massachusetts and again asserting itself.
assailed the Republican — figure in American Bernie Sanders of Ver- “There is no greater
president and hailed life. Her 2016 campaign mont. Hillary Clinton’s concentration of Demo-
Biden’s experience and inspired many women, husband, former Presi- crat establishment than
temperament in compar- and her loss to Trump dent Bill Clinton, has not Joe Biden and Hillary
ison. resonates to this day. yet publicly endorsed Clinton together,” Brad
“Just think of what a The female candidates Biden and has kept a Parscale, Trump’s cam-
difference it would make in the 2020 Democratic lower profile during the paign manager, said in
right now if we had a presidential primary of- Trump era. a statement. “Both of
president who not only ten faced skepticism that The swift unification them carry the baggage
listened to the science ... a woman could win the around Biden stands in of decades in the Wash-
but brought us together,” White House. stark contrast to four ington swamp and both
said Clinton, who lost the Biden has pledged to years ago, when Hillary of them schemed to keep
2016 election despite lead- select a woman as his vice Clinton was unable to win the Democrat nomination
ing Trump in the national president. over a significant portion from Bernie Sanders.”

Worried about virus, US House won’t return — for now

‘If the House physician recommends
that we not come back, then we have
to take that guidance.’
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
BY LISA MASCARO
AP Congressional Correspondent
WASHINGTON — smaller numbers, still ex-
Facing the stark, startling
reality that Congress may
not be able to fully resume
for a year, House leaders
are desperately reaching
for work-from-home op-
tions after a revolt from
the ranks over the health
risks of convening during
the coronavirus pandemic.
House Democratic
leaders abruptly reversed
course Tuesday, shelving
plans for the chamber’s
400-plus lawmakers to re-
turn for work on the next
virus aid package after
warnings from the Capi-
tol physician that the pub-
lic health danger was too
great. The Senate, with its
pects to return next Mon-
day.
“We had no choice,”
House Speaker Nancy
Pelosi said. “If the House
physician recommends
that we not come back,
then we have to take that
guidance.”
It’s not just the elected
officials at risk. The U.S.
Capitol is a throwback of
crowded hearing rooms,
packed hallways and thou-
sands of congressional
staff crunched in office cu-
bicles and cafeteria lunch
lines — all unwelcome in
the new era of social dis-
tancing. It additionally re-
lies on an army of cooks,
custodians, electricians
and police, who keep the
iconic domed building and
sprawling maze of offices
running.
Despite a halt in pub-
lic tours, started in mid-
March and extended
Tuesday through mid-May
by the House and Senate
sergeants at arms, few oth-
er protocols have been an-
nounced beyond masks for
lawmakers and staggered
roll call votes.
Closing normal oper-
ations for weeks, months
or even longer seems un-
thinkable to some, more
dire than actions taken
during the deadly 1918
Spanish flu or the Sept. 11
attack. There really is no
direct comparison in U.S.
history.
President Donald
Trump scoffed from the
White House that the stay-
home House members
were “enjoying their vaca-
tion.”
Trump derided Pelosi’s
recent appearance on a
comedy show displaying
her home kitchen freezer
stocked with specialty ice
cream.
“You look at Nancy
Pelosi eating ice cream
on late night television,”
Trump said. “They’re hav-
ing a good time. I think
they should be back. I
think they should all come
back and we should work
on this together.”
Pelosi and House Ma-
jority Leader Steny Hoy-
er declared the sudden
about-face on regular
meetings after consulta-
tion with the Capitol phy-
sician as lawmakers vig-
orously objected to next
week’s schedule.
 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2020 3A

Higgins
Continued from Page 1A
to shut their dining-room
doors to customers, that
source of money is scarc-
er.
That led Higgins to
warn Tuesday that munic-
ipal governments might
soon need to meet with
banks and talk about re-
structuring payments on
their current tax-incre-
ment financing bonds,
which can help build
certain improvements —
such as roads and water/
sewer infrastructure —
for private developments
and are repaid by sales
and property tax generat-
ed there over time.
“I don’t like to use the
word ‘default,’ but they’re
likely not going to be able
to make those bond pay-
ments because there’s
not going to be the money
there,” Higgins said.
He said cuts will like-
ly be coming by the end
of Fiscal Year 2020 on
Sept. 30 in Columbus and
Starkville, as both cities
must make adjustments to
make ends meet. Accord-
ing to previous Dispatch
reporting, Starkville May-
or Lynn Spruill estimated
her city stands to lose out
on $1.3 million of previ-
ously expected sales tax
revenue in 2020.
Higgins noted that
West Point, whose fiscal
year ends June 30, should
be alright for now but
might need to make cuts
to meet its budget for Fis-
cal Year 2021.
Special use taxes for
prepared foods — which
help fund recreation proj-
ects for Lowndes County
and the city of Colum-
bus, as well as general
operations for the Colum-
bus-Lowndes Convention
and Visitors Bureau and
LINK — will be signifi-
cantly down, Higgins said.
Starkville increased its
hotel and restaurant tax
by 1 percent in May 2019
to help fund the construc-
tion of Cornerstone Park,
but Higgins said funding
the new recreation com-
plex, estimated at be-
tween $18 million and $22
million, is “kind of a prob-
lem” at the moment.
But there is still opti-
mism for local companies,
Higgins stressed Tuesday. sure that everybody’s
The Steel Dynamics and as healthy and strong as
International Paper plants they can be, but we know
in Columbus remain open, on the back side of this,
and Paccar and Boeing there’s going to be some
Aurora in Columbus and heavy cuts and things and
Yokohama Tire in West impacts to people.”
Point reopened Monday.
“We think that’s a Hospitals facing
good thing,” Higgins said
of the reopened plants, challenges
During Tuesday’s
though he acknowledged
meeting, Lowndes Coun-
it will “take them probably
ty District 2 Supervisor
weeks to ramp back up.”
Trip Hairston said Baptist
Higgins said the LINK,
whose employees are cur- Memorial Hospital-Gold-
rently working in their en Triangle’s Intensive
locked offices, has used Care Unit was at 80 to 85
videoconferencing tech- percent capacity before
the pandemic; now it sits
nology to contact land-
at just 20 to 25 percent
owners, prepare options
and get signed forms. In full.
the past two weeks, Hig- Higgins said he is cog-
gins said, the agency has nizant the postponement
over 4,000 acres of control of elective surgeries has
in Oktibbeha and Clay greatly driven down de-
counties for alternative mand at hospitals around
energy projects. the country.
But he’s well aware The CARES Act,
things may not stay as passed by Congress in
strong down the line. late March, allocates $100
“We know we’re going billion for hospitals and
to take a hit,” Higgins said. other health care provid-
“We just don’t know how ers, but even before the
big the hits are going to pandemic, rural hospitals
be. We’re trying to make were suffering. Pickens
County Medical Center
in Carrollton, Alabama,
closed its doors March 6.
But the pandemic, Hig-
gins said, has made him
and others more aware
of the challenges facing
smaller hospitals in the
U.S.
“When something
like this happens, it sure
makes you think, ‘Man, it
sure would be good if that
little hospital in that little
town wasn’t closed,’” Hig-
gins said. “I don’t know if
that’ll make us re-look at
that.”
Flight grounded
Before the pandemic,
Higgins heard plenty of
hopes that Golden Tri-
angle Regional Airport
would expand its selection
of flights and add trips to
locations west of Missis-
sippi.
That won’t happen
any time soon, Higgins
knows.
“I just hope we keep
what we got as far as
service when this thing
bounces back,” he said.
Higgins said he ap-
preciates that the airport
pays its own way, but he
knows COVID-19 will
“change what people do.”
“If they don’t have peo-
ple flying, it cannot be
good for their business,”
Higgins said.
There’s still flying go-
ing on across the county
at Columbus Air Force
Base, where training is
proceeding as normal. But
only 50 percent of staff is
manning the base, with A
and B teams alternating
days, Columbus Lowndes
Chamber of Commerce
President Lisa James said.
The Department of De-
fense has suspended all
travel until June 30, and
only personnel with DoD
ID cards are currently al-
lowed on the base.

Mississippi legislators regroup in mid-May amid pandemic

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
JACKSON — Mississippi legisla-
tors will start meeting again May 18,
two months they suspended their
session because of the coronavirus
pandemic, House and Senate lead-
ers said Monday.
The announcement came the
same day that Republican Gov. Tate
Reeves eased some restrictions on
people’s movements, allowing many
businesses to reopen but limiting
how many customers they can have
in their stores. The state has sur-
passed 6,000 confirmed cases of the
highly contagious virus, according
the Health Department.
“We know that the threat is not
over. It is real, it is deadly and we
must take it very, very seriously,”
Reeves said Monday. “Even as we
phase into more and more reopen-
ings across the state of Mississippi,
we want the people to continue to be
vigilant.”
Officials at the Capitol will take
precautions when the legislative ses-
sion begins again, possibly limiting
the number of people in the building
and screening visitors for symptoms
of COVID-19, Republican Lt. Gov.
Delbert Hosemann said during a
conference call with reporters.

Cyberdefense
Continued from Page 1A
“Trying to determine
what’s on a network and
to do network planning is
a huge problem, so I think
this is a major contribu-
tion that we’re looking at
making from MSU,” Ham-
ilton said.
In 2018, Reese and
Akers took over respon-
sibility for the creation of
automation tools that can
replicate a network and
simulate cyberattacks be-
cause “other groups could
never deliver something
that was working,” Reese
said.
Netmapper creates a
visual display of how ev-
ery device in a network
is linked, what kinds of
devices and programs are
in the network and how
the links between them
have changed over time.
It also duplicates the set-
tings from a real computer
network into a simulated
environment so program-
mers do not have to build
one from scratch, Reese
said.
The Army’s Threat Sys-
tems Management Office
works with Circadence to
create simulated comput-
er networks and has been
funding the collaboration
between Circadence and
MSU for seven years. Mis-
sissippi’s congressional
delegation directed the
first year of funding to
TSMO specifically for ac-
ademic and economic de-
velopment in Mississippi,
Reese said, and the proj-
ect has performed well
enough for the funding to
be renewed every year.
TSMO is a cyber range,
or “a collection of people
and computers that are
used to simulate computer
networks,” Reese said. If
other cyber ranges adopt lot of fun and I hope it will
Netmapper as a defense continue to be fascinating
tool, the developers will for some time.”
receive funding from
sources outside Congress,
he said.
Circadence would like
to develop Netmapper as
a commercial tool, but the
research team is focusing
on “trying to make gov-
ernment users happy”
right now, Reese said.
Akers described the
project as “fascinating” to
work on, especially since
he and Reese are primar-
ily electrical engineers
and had not considered
computer networks to be
an area of focus for them
when they started work-
ing on it.
“We’ve both learned
a huge amount in the
course of this project, and
we’ve both enjoyed doing
it,” Akers said. “It’s been a

SOLUNAR TABLE
The solunar period indicates
peak-feeding times for fish and game.
Wed. Thur.
Major 6:15a 7:11a
Minor 11:51a 12:56p
Major 6:44p 7:11a
Minor 1:39a 2:31a
Courtesy of Mississippi Department
of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks

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4A WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2020
Medicare applications raise anxiety for seniors in pandemic
Advocacy group Medicare Rights Center is asking
Congress to hold seniors harmless from Medicare
application problems during the coronavirus emergency
BY RICARDO
ALONSO-ZALDIVAR
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — her health could be jeop-
At greater risk from
COVID-19, some seniors
now face added anxiety
due to delays obtaining
Medicare coverage.
Advocates for older
people say the main prob-
lem involves certain ap-
plications for Medicare’s
“Part B” coverage for
outpatient care. It stems
from the closure of local
Social Security offices in
the coronavirus pandem-
ic.
Part B is particularly
important these days be-
cause it covers lab tests,
like ones for the corona-
virus.
Social Security han-
dles eligibility determi-
nations for Medicare,
Pence comes under fire for going maskless at Mayo Clinic
BY STEVE K ARNOWSKI
AND KEVIN FREKING
The Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS — only participant not to
Vice President Mike
Pence chose not to wear a
face mask Tuesday during
a tour of the Mayo Clinic
in Rochester, Minnesota,
an apparent violation of
the world-renowned med-
ical center’s policy requir-
ing them.
Video feeds show that
Pence did not wear a mask
when he met with a Mayo
employee who has recov-
ered from COVID-19 and
is now donating plasma,
even though everyone
else in the room appeared
to be wearing one. He was
also maskless when he
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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 pro-
vided by The Commercial Dis-
patch. 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.
Irrfan Khan, of ‘Slumdog
Millionaire,’ ‘Life of Pi,’ dies
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW DELHI — Irrfan
Khan, a veteran charac-
ter actor in Bollywood
movies and one of India’s
best-known exports to
Hollywood, has died. He
was 54.
Khan played the police
inspector in “Slumdog
Millionaire” and the park
executive Masrani in “Ju-
rassic World.” He also
appeared in “The Amaz-
ing Spider-Man” and the
adventure fantasy “Life of
Pi.”
Khan died Wednes-
day after being admitted
to Mumbai’s Kokilaben
Dhirubhai Ambani hospi-
tal with a colon infection.
“Irrfan was a strong
soul, someone who fought
and while many issues
can still be resolved on-
line, some require per-
sonal attention. That can
now entail hold times of
90 minutes or more to
reach Social Security on
its national 800 number,
according to the agency’s
website.
Even in normal times,
signing up for Part B
could be tricky for people
who worked past age 65
and kept their workplace
coverage. People need to
apply separately for the
outpatient coverage, and
provide Social Security
with documentation of
their employer policy, to
avoid hefty late-enroll-
ment penalties.
Fred Riccardi, pres-
ident of the advocacy
group Medicare Rights
Center, said an already
visited a lab where Mayo
conducts coronavirus
tests.
And Pence was the
wear a mask during a
roundtable discussion
on Mayo’s coronavirus
testing and research pro-
grams. All the other par-
ticipants did, including
Food and Drug Admin-
istration chief Stephen
Hahn, top Mayo officials,
Gov. Tim Walz and U.S.
Rep. Jim Hagedorn.
Mayo tweeted that it
had informed the vice
president of its mask pol-
icy prior to his arrival.
The tweet was later re-
moved. Mayo officials did
not directly respond to a
request for comment on
AREA OBITUARIES
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.
George Flack
MILLPORT, Ala. —
George Eugene Flack,
57, died April 27, 2020,
at Baptist Memorial
Hospital-Golden Trian-
gle.
Arrangements will
be announced by Dow-
dle Funeral Home of
Millport.
He was born to Leon-
ard Eugene Flack and
Jewel Fay Cockerham
Flack.
He is survived by
his son, Scott Flack
till the very end and al-
ways inspired everyone
who came close to him,” a
statement released by the
actor’s team said.
Khan made his screen
debut in the Academy
Award-nominated 1988
drama “Salaam Bombay!,”
a tale of Mumbai’s street
children. He later worked
with directors Mira Nair,
Wes Anderson and Ang
Lee.
Khan in 2018 was di-
agnosed with a rare neu-
roendocrine cancer and
underwent months of
treatment in the United
Kingdom.
“I trust, I have sur-
rendered,” he wrote in
a heartfelt note after he
broke the news of his bat-
tle with cancer.
The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com
cumbersome process has
been exacerbated by the
pandemic shutdown, rais-
ing the risk that some se-
niors will fall into a cover-
age gap or end up owing
penalties.
“We are concerned
that people who are eligi-
ble will go without cover-
age due to unnecessary
administrative barriers
and the lack of informa-
tion from federal agen-
cies,” said Riccardi. “The
problem is serious.”
His organization is
among groups asking
Congress to hold seniors
harmless from Medicare
application problems
during the coronavirus
emergency. It’s unclear
how many are affected.
Social Security de-
clined several interview
requests and instead sent
why it was removed, or at
whose request.
“Mayo shared the
masking policy with the
VP’s office,” the health
care system said in its re-
sponse.
Pence explained his
decision by stressing that
he has been frequently
tested for the virus.
“As vice president of
the United States I’m test-
ed for the coronavirus on
a regular basis, and ev-
eryone who is around me
is tested for the coronavi-
rus,” Pence said, adding
that he is following CDC
guidelines, which indi-
cate that the mask is good
for preventing the spread
of the virus by those who
have it.
of Gautier; and sister
Janet McAdams Baily
of Eagle, Colorado.
James Gettys Jr.
COLUMBUS —
James Gettys Jr, 68,
died April 28, 2020, in
Tupelo.
Arrangements are
incomplete and will be
announced by Century
Hairston Funeral Home
of Columbus.
Hattie Stewart
NOXUBEE COUN-
TY — Hattie B. Stew-
art, 98, died April 28,
2020.
Arrangements are
incomplete and will be
announced by Carter’s
Funeral Services of
Macon.
The Associated Press
written responses to ques-
tions. The agency said it
has seen an increase in
requests for Part B en-
rollment because of older
workers losing job-based
coverage.
Social Security said it
worked with the Centers
for Medicare and Med-
icaid Services to waive
certain signature require-
ments for Part B forms
during the pandemic and
has set up a dedicated fax
number to receive appli-
cations.
Social Security gets
credit for trying, said Les-
lie Fried of the National
Council on Aging, but
that “I don’t know anyone
who has a fax machine
anymore.”
With the economy
shedding millions of jobs,
older workers going from
employer coverage to
Medicare can find them-
selves in a holding pat-
tern.
Carol Berul of Sacra-
“And since I don’t have
the coronavirus, I thought
it’d be a good opportunity
for me to be here, to be
able to speak to these re-
searchers, these incredi-
ble healthcare personnel,
and look them in the eye
and say ‘thank you.’”
Pence is not the only
White House official who
has shown a reluctance
for face masks. When
President Donald Trump
announced new federal
guidelines recommend-
ing that Americans wear
face coverings when in
public, he immediately
said he had no intention
of following that advice
himself, saying, “I’m
choosing not to do it.”
mento, California, retired
from state government
triggered by a medication
that she once took.
on Feb. 1. She said she’s “I’ve been avoiding go-
still trying to figure out ing anywhere,” she said.
what happened to her Berul said she’s faced
Medicare Part B applica- hold times of more than
tion, which she mailed in an hour trying to call So-
January. In her early 70s, cial Security. When she
Berul said she’s worried finally got through, she
learned the agency had
ardized by bogged-down no record of her Part B
paperwork. She has an application. She resub-
immune system disorder mitted it.
Marlin Medford
Pittman
Marlin Medford Pittman
died at his home, on April 17,
2020, with his devoted wife by
his side.
For those that knew him, he
fought a lifelong battle against
leukemia, multiple diagnoses,
and countless hospital stays,
with grit, determination
and perseverance. He never
complained, ever, no matter how
tough the situation ended up being. Surviving
leukemia in 1986 was truly a fight. Whenever he
made the decision to put his head down, it was
amazing what he could overcome.
He was born on May 11, 1948, in Alcorn
County, Mississippi, to the late Arnold and Ruth
Pittman of Farmington. He loved growing up in
Mississippi and spoke of this time in his life with
his parents, siblings and extended family fondly,
especially Sunday lunches at Mama and Papa
Pittman’s. After lunch, he then enjoyed going to
visit the Littlejohns. He met his bride in the spring
of 1966, and the two were by each other’s side from
that moment on. After graduation from Alcorn
Central High School in 1966, he graduated from
the University of Mississippi, with a degree in
Chemical Engineering in 1970. His first position
was an Engineer, with the Corinth Mississippi
Light and Water Department. He worked in
various positions for the state of Mississippi
early in his career. He spent many years as the
Waste Water Manager for for Columbus Light
and Water, and eventually retired as the City
Engineer from LaVergne, TN. He was a man of
strong faith and always found humility in the gift
of healing provided by his savior. He credited his
survival to prayer, especially the prayers from
the ladies of Farmington Baptist Church. He was
an avid gardener and had a beautiful, pristine
garden. He loved spending time with his siblings,
nieces and nephews, traveling, telling stories,
not watching Ole Miss football because the team
played better if he did not watch, and his wife’s
banana pudding. He was notorious for picking
out the perfectly tailored, sarcastic birthday card
for his family.
Marlin is survived his wife of 48 years, Trudys
of Rienzi; his son, Paul; daughter-in-law, Sandy
Pittman; grandchild, William Pittman of Madison,
AL; daughter, April Pittman of Starkville; sister,
Margaret Pittman of Corinth, MS; brother, Alan
(Sherrie) Pittman of Selmer, TN; sister, Bernice
(David) Eppes of Bartlett, TN; and sister, Liz
Fulgham of Bartlett, TN. He is also survived by
his “rented” grandchildren, great-nieces, Katie
and Kelsey Horton, and great-nephew, Matthew
Horton.
Visitation will be Tuesday, April 21, 2020, at
Hinkle Baptist Church, outside, at 1:00 PM. Due
to the Corvid 19 pandemic and out of concern
for our family and friends, all CDC guidelines
must be followed. There will be a private family
graveside service to follow. Magnolia Funeral
Home has been entrusted with the arrangements.
In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to
the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research.
Honorary pallbearers will be the Alcorn
Central Class of 1966, Oneal Hutson, Danny
Sisson, Don Pittman, Jimmy Holmes, Glenn
Duckworth and Kenneth Hood.
*Visit www.magnoliafuneralhome.net to send
your condolences*
Paid Obituary - Magnolia Funeral Home
 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2020 5A

Trump orders meat processing

plants to remain open
Executive action uses
the Defense Production Virus is expected to reduce
Act to classify meat
processing as critical
meat selection and raise prices
BY DAVID PIT T
infrastructure The Associated Press

BY JILL COLVIN
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — President
Donald Trump took executive ac-
tion Tuesday to order meat pro-
cessing plants to stay open amid
concerns over growing coronavirus
cases and the impact on the nation’s
food supply.
The order uses the Defense Pro-
duction Act to classify meat pro-
cessing as critical infrastructure to
try to prevent a shortage of chicken,
pork and other meat on supermar-
ket shelves. Unions fired back, say-
ing the White House was jeopardiz-
ing lives and prioritizing cold cuts
over workers’ health.
More than 20 meatpacking plants
have closed temporarily under pres-
sure from local authorities and their
own workers because of the virus,
including two of the nation’s largest,
one in Iowa and one in South Dako-
ta. Others have slowed production
as workers have fallen ill or stayed
home to avoid getting sick.
“Such closures threaten the con-
tinued functioning of the national
meat and poultry supply chain, un-
dermining critical infrastructure
during the national emergency,” the
order states.
The United Food and Commer-
cial Workers International Union,
which represents 1.3 million food
and retail workers, said Tuesday
that 20 food-processing and meat-
DES MOINES, Iowa — Meat isn’t going to disappear from supermar-
kets because of outbreaks of the coronavirus among workers at U.S.
slaughterhouses. But as the meat plants struggle to remain open, con-
sumers could face less selection and slightly higher prices.
Industry leaders acknowledge that the U.S. food chain has rarely
been so stressed and that no one is sure about the future, even as they
try to dispel concerns about shortages.
On Sunday, the meat processing giant Tyson Foods ran a full-page
advertisement in the New York Times and other newspapers outlining
the difficulty of producing meat while keeping more than 100,000 work-
ers safe and shutting some plants.
“This means one thing — the food supply chain is vulnerable,” the
statement said. “As pork, beef and chicken plants are being forced to
close, even for short periods of time, millions of pounds of meat will
disappear from the supply chain.”
Company spokesman Gary Mickelson said the Tyson family thought
it was important to explain their perspective.
“The letter encourages government leaders to unite to address food
supply chain challenges,” Mickelson said. “We are taking a proactive
approach to balance safety and production by moving aggressively with
testing and plant closures when necessary.”
packing union workers in the U.S. porarily closed operations, reduc-
have died of the virus. An estimated ing the availability of meat in super-
6,500 are sick or have been exposed markets by as much as 80 percent.
while working near someone who The official, who spoke on con-
tested positive, the union says. dition of anonymity to discuss the
The 15 largest pork-packing order before its release, said the
plants account for 60 percent of all White House was also working
pork processed in the U.S., and the with the Labor Department to pro-
country has already seen a 25 per- vide enhanced safety guidance for
cent reduction in pork slaughter ca- meatpacking workers. That will
pacity, according to UFCW. include trying to minimize the risk
A senior White House official to workers who may be prone to se-
said the administration was trying rious complications from the virus,
to prevent a situation in which a including strongly recommending
“vast majority” of the nation’s meat those over the age of 65 and with
processing plants might have tem- preexisting conditions stay home.

Groups sow doubt about COVID vaccine before one even exists
BY DAVID KLEPPER of modern medicine and of the anti-vaccine group “Many of us are anxi-
AND BEATRICE DUPUY government. Others say in Long Island called ety stricken at the thought
The Associated Press mandatory vaccine re- My Kids, My Choice, is of being forced to get a
quirements violate their among those who say vaccine,” Palma said.
NEW YORK — A coro-
religious freedom. their families won’t get
navirus vaccine is still
Rita Palma, the leader the coronavirus vaccine.
months or years away,
but groups that peddle
misinformation about im-
munizations are already
taking aim, potentially
eroding confidence in
what could be humanity’s
best chance to defeat the
virus.
In recent weeks, vac-
cine opponents have
made several unsubstan-
tiated claims, including
allegations that vaccine
trials will be dangerous-
ly rushed or that Dr. An-
thony Fauci, the nation’s
top infectious diseases
expert, is blocking cures
to enrich vaccine mak-
ers. They’ve also falsely
claimed that Microsoft
founder Bill Gates wants
to use a vaccine to inject
microchips into people —
or to cull 15 percent of the
world’s population.
Vaccine opponents
in the U.S. have been
around for a long time.
Their claims range from
relatively modest safety
concerns about specific
vaccines or the risk of
side effects to conspiracy
theories that border on
the bizarre.
The movement is re-
ceiving renewed atten-
tion, especially as it aligns
itself with groups loudly
protesting restrictions on
daily life aimed at con-
trolling the spread of the
virus. Health profession-
als say vaccine misinfor-
mation could have lethal
consequences if it leads
people to opt for bogus
cures instead.
“Only a coronavirus
vaccine can truly protect
us from future outbreaks,”
said Dr. Scott Ratzan, a
physician and medical
misinformation expert at
the City University of New
York and Columbia Uni-
versity. “But what if the
effort succeeds and large
numbers of people decide
not to vaccinate them-
selves or their children?”
While vaccines for
diseases such as polio,
smallpox and measles
have benefited millions,
some skeptics reject the
science, citing a distrust
Opinion
6A WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 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

LETTERS TO EDITOR
Voice of the people
An open letter
to health care workers
I grew up with a fighting fear of
needles. This all began when I was
four years old. My mom took me to the
Health Department in Calhoun City,
MS for my four-year vaccinations. I was
the kid others could hear screaming at
the top of their lungs when the vaccine
needle came out. I don’t have the cour-
age to do what doctors and nurses do.
That nurse and all the doctors and
nurses I have had the privilege of
knowing are all really nice people that
I respect. Your needles aren’t instru-
ments to torture and terrorize 4 year
olds. Rather, they are a tool of healing
the sick and protecting us from harm-
ful viruses, for which I am very grateful
and now gladly offer my arm when my
doctor asks me.
Speaking of viruses. Our lives are
consumed by one right now: COVID-19.
A microscopic parasite has hijacked
its way into our cells bringing nations,
economies, and life as we know it to a
halt. We are social distancing and shel-
tering in place to help stop the spread,
but not you. Like first responders
rushing into a burning building when
everyone else is running out, are the
men and women dressed in their PPE.
You are on the front lines of this fight,
not our military. You are our heroes,
and we are cheering you on in our time
of crisis.
Today, I woke up with you on my
heart. I am thankful you are in our
community healing the sick and
comforting the dying. I believe if you
are on my heart you must certainly be
on God’s heart for his heart is so much
more loving than mine.
Jesus spent most of his ministry
among people who suffered from vari-
ous physical and mental illness. These
were the people that burdened his
heart. Often, we are told in the Gospels
that Jesus was moved with compassion
for the sick and would stop everything
to give them his attention.
Jesus said that all who visit the sick,
clothe the naked, feed the hungry, and
welcome the stranger would be doing
it to him. Those who serve others,
serve Christ. There can be no greater
mission on earth. Those who possess
the gifts of healing and compassion
for the sick share the heart of Jesus
and his mission. You will fight against
COVID-19 with the courage of a Ma-
rine because it is an enemy that must
be defeated. I pray and I hope that one
day your needle will contain a vaccine
for COVID-19. You have the heart of
Christ in you, and you are the heart of
our community. Your friends and neigh-
bors are praying for you. Keep the faith
and keep being His Heart!
Jimmy Criddle
Lead Pastor,
First United Methodist Church
Columbus
Appreciates public
works department
Thanks to the public works depart-
ment for finally picking up the yard
debris on my avenue!
Lee J. Hackett
Columbus
Comments on recent virus headlines
The New York Times writes, “World
missing American leadership;” Dalai
Lama said, “Prayer is not enough;”
Mikhail Gorbachev said, “The immedi-
ate challenge today is to defeat this new
vicious enemy.”
Taiwan President, Tsai took ex-
treme measures once they identified
the first case on Jan. 21, whereas the
U.S. leadership played down concern
of pandemic, saying, “We have it totally
under control.”
When lock-down and social distance
are the only “medicine and treatment”
for this pandemic, we try to bypass
FDA in declaring antimalarial drugs
as a game changer. Should we inject
disinfectants? No way. Long clinical
trials can take years.
Looking at India, nobody can imag-
ine what a drastic measure Modi took!
He did not wait to apply “medicine and
treatment” together at the right time
to save India, a country of 1.38 Billion
people. MIT magazine also credited to
Kerala, an Indian state, as a role model
in combating coronavirus.
No doubt, there will be a vaccine.
Let us hope we survive to have that
vaccine. Meanwhile, let us move in
logical and scientific ways to open the
economic front while citizen still follow
rules.
Jiben Roy
Columbus

MUSINGS
Mouse-demic
response: fail-
ure and success
A
s the government
of an extremely
small nation/
house, our first mistake
was ignoring the experts.
For days, our two
cats, Maggie and Jack,
had spent their evenings
in the kitchen, staring
fixedly at a cabinet.
“Maybe we have a
mouse,” my wife, Debo-
rah, said. Marc Dion
We looked. No mouse
droppings. Nothing had been nibbled.
“No mouse,” I said.
In other words, our Mouse-demic Response
Team tried to warn us, but we didn’t listen. After
all, they’re just cats. We’re in charge.
Deborah saw the mouse on a Wednesday. I was
at work, doing three hours of talk radio. Deborah
is a newspaper reporter, and she was working at
home.
While there is no formal balance of power in
our house, in a situation like this, the one furthest
from home is considered to be the president,
while the one on the scene is the governor. This
holds true in hurricanes, when there’s a burst
pipe or when one of the cats is sick.
Deborah locked the cats in a bedroom, far from
the mouse because, while she wanted the mouse
gone, she did not want to watch the cats torture
it to death. It was an act of compassion, and not
entirely for the mouse’s benefit.
She texted me just before I went on the air, and
we continued to text on my breaks, maintaining
an open and respectful channel of communica-
tion.
As president, I suggested that we buy traps.
As governor, she said she wanted to buy humane
traps. I had three more hours on the air, so she
went out to buy traps. I did not ask her where she
planned to buy the traps, and when she texted me
that she’d purchased traps, I didn’t ask her how
much she’d spent. We both knew that we had to al-
locate all possible resources to the mouse-demic.
While she was buying traps, I texted a Realtor
friend of mine. He flips houses, and I figured he’d
know the name of a good fast-response extermina-
tor. Always seek and accept the advice of experts.
We’d learned that hard lesson by ignoring our
furry Mouse-demic Response Team.
My Realtor friend did know an exterminator. I
texted the exterminator’s name and contact infor-
mation to Deborah and trusted her to make the
call. She did. The exterminator comes tomorrow.
Trust, cooperation, communication and lack of
ego are crucial when battling a mouse-demic.
We’re hoping the humane traps catch the
mouse tonight because the exterminator won’t
use humane traps.
I took tomorrow off from work. I hardly ever do
that, but we’ve never had an exterminator in our
house before. I figure we may need to apply more
trust and communication to the mouse-demic.
This is the time for us to stand together.
It’s a small thing, really, just a mouse, a
mouse smaller than my thumb. Still, I can’t help
but think that the principles we applied to the
mouse-demic might be applied to bigger, maybe
even worldwide problems.
Probably not. It’s just a mouse.
Marc Dion, a nationally syndicated columnist,
is a reporter and columnist for The Herald News,
the daily newspaper of his hometown, Fall River,
Massachusetts. For more on Dion, go to go to www.
creators.com.
STATE OF THE WORLD
Up for a new Cold War — with China?
I
s America, in lock-
down, with 26 million
unemployed and
entering a new depres-
sion, up for a confronta-
tion and Cold War with
China?
For that appears to be
where the GOP wishes
to lead us.
According to Politico,
a 57-page memo from
Mitch McConnell’s Patrick Buchanan
senatorial committee
instructs GOP candidates to blame
the coronavirus pandemic on
China, commit to stand up to China, seeks to intimidate Taiwan by send-
end U.S. dependence on Chinese
manufacturing and tell voters “my
opponent is soft on China.”
“China is not an ally, and they’re
not just a rival — they are an adver-
sary and the Chinese Communist
Party is our enemy,” reads one of
the talking points.
Sunday, Sen. Tom Cotton of Ar-
kansas echoed the memo, charging
that China’s leaders wanted the
coronavirus to spread because they
“did not want to see their relative
power and standing in the world
decline.”
Cotton went on: “It’s a scandal to
me that we have trained so many of
the Chinese communists. If Chinese tion of how China has conducted
students want to come here and
learn Shakespeare and the Federal-
ist Papers — that’s what they need
to learn from America; they don’t
need to learn quantum computing
and artificial intelligence from
America.”
The Wall Street Journal ran back-
to-back editorials last week urging a morality of an act is determined
more confrontational stance toward
Beijing and endorsing GOP plans
for new defense spending on U.S.
air and naval forces in the Western
Pacific.
Cotton and the Journal are not
wrong in their characterization of
China’s behavior. It is belligerent
toward its neighbors and hostile
toward the United States.
China has indeed sent stu-
dent-spies to study at
U.S. universities.
Under cover of the
coronavirus crisis, Bei-
jing is moving to strip
the 7 million people of
Hong Kong of the rights
they were guaran-
teed when the British
departed. The Uighurs
of Xinjiang are being
persecuted and coer-
cively cleansed of their
cultural and religious
beliefs.
The Peoples Liberation Army
ing military aircraft near the island.
China’s warships have harassed
Vietnamese, Malaysian, Philippine
and Indonesian commercial vessels
to assert its claim to the entire
South China Sea.
Chinese propagandists have
accused the U.S. of creating the
coronavirus crisis that broke out in
Wuhan last winter.
JFK may have been inexact when
he observed: “When written in Chi-
nese, the word ‘crisis’ is composed
of two characters. One represents
danger and the other represents
opportunity.”
But that is an accurate descrip-
itself since it unleashed the Wuhan
virus upon the world.
But why did Americans, after a
40-year struggle with another “Evil
Empire,” ever believe differently
about the Communist Party of
China?
Under the code of that party, the
by whether it advances or retards
the goals of the regime: expansion,
conquest and domination.
As President Ronald Reagan un-
diplomatically observed in an early
press conference, Communists
reserve to themselves “the right to
lie, cheat and steal,” which is pretty
much how the Chinese Communists
have been behaving toward us since
we reengaged with them in 1972.
What course does the Journal
recommend that we pursue?
“Freedom of navigation exercis-
es” by U.S. naval and air forces are
“not enough to secure the Western
Pacific from Chinese domination.”
Instead, the Journal says the
U.S. “may need to start recognizing
claims of countries like Vietnam to
make China pay a price for further
expansion. The U.S. should also try
to maintain its defense pact with the
Philippines’ mercurial President
Rodrigo Duterte.”
The Journal seems to be suggest-
ing that we formally recognize and
back Vietnam’s claims to disputed
islands in the South China Sea.
None of these islands belongs to us?
Why should the U.S. Navy risk a
clash at sea by making us a party to
these latest quarrels halfway around
the world?
Vietnam is a country of 95
million people. Like China, it is also
Communist. The Philippines have
more than 7,000 islands and 100
million people. Indonesia has 17,000
to 18,000 islands and is the fourth-
most populous nation on earth with
267 million citizens.
Cannot the nations that share the
South China Sea with China acquire
coastal navies to defend their own
waters? Why is the Journal volun-
teering the U.S. as Coast Guard of
the South China Sea?
The Journal argues that with
Chinese nationalism rising under
Xi Jinping, “It’s more important
than ever for the U.S. to signal that
it considers the independence of
Pacific states a vital interest and
isn’t retreating.”
The independence and borders
of these states is undeniably vital
to them. But how is that vital to us,
8,000 miles away, on the other side
of the Pacific? This is power politics,
pure and simple.
Patrick J. Buchanan, a nationally
syndicated columnist, was a senior
advisor to presidents Richard Nixon,
Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan. His
website is http://buchanan.org/blog.
 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2020 7A

AP-NORC poll: Rising support

for mail voting amid pandemic
Democrats are much more likely than Republicans
to support their state conducting elections
exclusively by mail, 47 percent to 29 percent
BY NICHOLAS RICCARDI
AND HANNAH FINGERHUT
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Americans’
support for mail-in voting has
jumped amid concerns about the
safety of polling places during the
coronavirus pandemic, but a wide
partisan divide suggests President
Donald Trump’s public campaign
against vote by mail may be reso-
nating with his Republican backers.
A new poll from The Associated
Press-NORC Center for Public Af-
fairs Research finds Democrats are
now much more likely than Republi-
cans to support their state conduct-
ing elections exclusively by mail, 47
percent to 29 percent.
In 2018, about half as many
Democrats were in favor, and there
was little difference in the views of
Democrats and Republicans on the
question.
The survey also found a partisan
divide on support for no-excuse ab-
sentee voting, the system in place
in most states, including almost all
the top presidential battlegrounds,
even as a majority of Americans say
they favor that practice.
The increased partisanship in
the debate over how America votes
comes just as that question has
been thrust into the forefront of
American politics. As health offi-
cials warn about the risk of spread-
ing the coronavirus at polling plac-
es, some in the Republican Party
have tried to limit the expansion of
mail voting, with Trump and others
openly fretting that it may enable
too many people to cast their ballots
for the GOP to win in November.
All states conduct elections dif-
ferently, and only five states auto-
matically mail ballots to every voter.
But in response to the virus, some
states — including Ohio on Tues-
day — have shifted their prima-
ries to virtually all-mail elections.
On Monday, New York Democrats
canceled their presidential prima-
ry, which had already been delayed
until June 23.
The Republican National Com-
mittee has been fighting some of
those moves. Republicans success-
fully petitioned a New Mexico court
to block the state from holding its
June primary exclusively by mail,
forcing the state to open some poll-
ing places and only send applica-
tions for absentee ballots to voters.
The Republican Attorney Gener-
al in Texas argued unsuccessfully
in a legal case that the coronavirus
should not be an automatically ac-
cepted excuse for people seeking
absentee ballots in that state.
Most prominently, the Republi-
can-controlled Wisconsin legisla-
ture rebuffed a last-minute request
to hold that state’s April 7 primary
and state court election by mail.
Democrats won a contested Su-
preme Court race, but not before
shuttered polling locations left vot-
ers in long lines at polling places in
Green Bay and Milwaukee, where
only five of 183 stations were open.
But the debates over the prima-
ries may only be a preview of the
partisan battles ahead if the virus
is still forcing stay-at-home orders
and social distancing in November.
The poll finds that 39 percent
of Americans favor conducting all-
mail elections, up from 19 percent
in 2018. Another 40 percent are op-
posed. But even more, 48 percent,
favor a move to voting only by mail
if the coronavirus outbreak is ongo-
ing in November.
The poll also shows 60 percent of
Americans support allowing people
to vote via absentee ballot without
requiring them to give a reason
if the outbreak is still happening.
That includes 73 percent of Demo-
crats and 46 percent of Republicans.
Some 40 percent of Republicans are
opposed.

In rural US, fears of virus seem far away as stores reopen

‘We don’t have the fear of the virus. It’s been more concern Monday where dozens
urged nonessential busi-
about our shut-ins and older people who can’t come out’ nesses to reopen.
Only a fraction of peo-
Roundup, Montana, resident Shannon Thompson ple in the state have been
BY MAT THEW BROWN come with a handshake. what we’re supposed to infected by COVID-19,
AND AMY BETH HANSON Despite some grum- do.” and it doesn’t make sense
The Associated Press bling that the lockdown By contrast, in some to keep small business-
was too harsh, most peo- rural parts of states es closed, Mayor Martin
ROUNDUP, Mont. — ple cooperated, county where stay-at-home or- “Modey” Hicks said. New
Traffic got a little busier commissioner Adam Carl- ders remain in place, lo- Mexico has almost 3,000
along Main Street, but son said. cal leaders have pledged confirmed cases of the vi-
otherwise, it was hard to Thompson said she defiance. The mayor of rus and 110 deaths.
tell that coronavirus re- practices social distanc- Grants, New Mexico, pop-
strictions were ending in ing and “we’re all doing ulation 9,000, led a rally
the tiny Montana town of
Roundup.
That’s because it’s
largely business as usual
in the town of 1,800 peo-
ple. Nonessential stores
could reopen as a state-
wide shutdown ended this
week, but most shops in
Roundup — the pharma-
cy, the hardware store,
two small grocers —
were essential and never
closed.
A florist and a thrift
shop reopened Monday,
apparently two of the
only stores that had to
shut down at all. Bars and
restaurants remain shut-
tered and getting takeout
is still the only option un-
til May 4, when they can
open with restrictions.
Parts of the U.S. are
starting to lift closures,
and some of the quickest
to do so have been ru-
ral states like Montana,
Vermont and Alaska.
The effects of the pan-
demic in small towns
can seem a world away
from cities grappling
with overwhelmed hospi-
tals, packed morgues and
economies pushed to the
brink.
The consequences of
easing restrictions in ru-
ral communities won’t
be fully known for some
time, and health officials
said they will be watching
for a resurgence of infec-
tions.
But for now, there’s
little doubt in places like
Roundup that it was the
right thing to do after
weekslong stay-at-home
orders.
“We don’t have the
fear of the virus. It’s been
more concern about our
shut-ins and older people
who can’t come out,” said
Shannon Thompson, who
works in the deli at Pic-
chioni’s IGA supermarket
and has two sons home
with school still canceled.
The coronavirus is
largely a distant threat
that so far has touched
few people here directly.
Face masks are a novelty,
and greetings often still
8A WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2020 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com

Council
Continued from Page 1A
receive a 25-percent cut
in paychecks, since they
only will be working 30
hours weekly through
July 31.
The mayor’s salary is
$83,596 a year (which will
be cut by $5,224.75 over
the next three months),
and all council members
make an annual $17,500
(which will be cut by
$1,093.75 each for a total
of $6,562.50), the city’s
Chief Administrative Offi-
cer David Armstrong told
The Dispatch.
Employee pay cuts,
alone, are projected to
save the city $237,109, ac-
cording to Smith.
Hiring freeze
But the biggest save,
Smith said, would come
from the suspension of
all new hires across city
departments, which will
remain in effect until Dec.
31.
The hiring freeze on
the city’s police, fire and
public works departments
will leave a total of 31 po-
sitions open for the rest of
the year, saving an esti-
mated $1.3 million, Smith
said.
The police depart-
ment, which is budgeted
for 64 officers, will be al-
lowed a maximum of 54
officers. Fire and Rescue
will be allowed 60 of the
70 budgeted officers, and
public works will operate
with 53 of its 64 budgeted
employees.
Faced with the hiring
freeze, some department
heads are adjusting to the
new norm.
The police depart-
ment currently has 53
officers and
will seek to
fill the va-
cant slot by
transferring
in a certi-
fied officer,
Police Chief
Fred Shel- Shelton
ton told The
Dispatch. The depart-
ment can also rely on its
team of 20 reserve offi-
cers, who work part-time
when needed, he said.
“I don’t have any con-
cern,” Shelton said. “Our
job remains the same.”
For Fire Chief Martin
Andrews, hiring a full
staff of 70
firefight-
ers has
long been
a struggle.
Even before
the maxi-
mum staff-
ing level was Andrews
cut back,
Andrews said the depart-
ment, which now has 59
firefighters, had troubles
reaching its full capacity.
“We had not even been
able to hire 70,” Andrews
said. “We are not cutting
services or anything, we
are just not going to be
able to hire the number
we were projected to hire
this year.”
A limited staff will cer-
tainly lead to overtime
shifts, Andrews said, but
the department will de-
vise a plan to keep the
overtime down.
As part of the cost-sav-
ing measures, the depart-
ment will also cut down
work hours by allowing
four commanding officers
to work a 24-hour shift
every two weeks without
extra pay, Andrews said.
This way, the department
doesn’t have to pay regu-
lar firefighters overtime
for working those shifts,
he said.
The policy could save
the city $10,500, Smith
said.
Council reaction
Ward 3 Councilman
Charlie Box told The Dis-
patch the
pay cuts,
although
painful, are
w a r r a nt e d
given the
projected
revenue
downturn. Box
“It’s nev-
er a good thing to cut
back on employee hours,”
he said. “It’s people’s live-
lihood. But it’s just some-
thing we had to do.”
The pandemic, he said,
may hit the city harder
than the city’s financial
crisis would have last
year. And the city’s scale
of cost-saving policies is
bigger than last year.
“We just don’t know
what’s going to happen
with this (pandemic). I
think it probably is a big-
ger crisis than what we
had last year,” he said.
“We had a travel re-
striction last year, but we
had people tell us they
needed to go (for various
purposes), so we just gave
in to it,” Box added. “And
it’s not fair to cut your em-
ployee hours and the city
council (and the mayor)
not take a cut too.”
Ward 4 Councilman
P i e r r e
Beard said
he wished
the council
would have
allowed
the public
works de-
p a r t m e n t Beard
to remain
40 hours a
week.
“They
need to op-
erate fully,”
he said.
Ward 6
C o u n c i l - Gavin
man Bill
Gavin told The Dispatch
he hopes residents will be
understanding. Reduced
work hours for city em-
ployees, he said, means
limited and delayed ser-
vices.
“When we (imple-
ment) these cost-saving
measures to save money,
probably some of these
services (the public) are
used to getting … are go-
ing a little bit away,” he
said. “When they come in,
they need a ditch cleaned
out, and we get there in a
day or two … it may be de-
layed a little bit more than
that.”
Businesses allowed
to reopen with
restrictions
The city council also
unanimously passed a
resolution to comply with
Gov. Tate Reeves’ “Safer
At Home” order last week,
which allowed some previ-
ously deemed non-essen-
tial businesses to reopen
with certain restrictions.
Retail stores can now
open but have to cap the
number of customers al-
lowed in the store at half
their normal capacity, ac-
cording to the resolution.
Stores have to frequently
clean high-contact surfac-
es, practice social distanc-
ing and provide hand san-
itizers to all customers
upon entry.
Golf courses and ten-
nis clubs are now allowed
to open with restrictions.
Complying with the
governor’s order, gyms,
dance studios, barber
shops, hair and nail sa-
lons and tattoo parlors
will remain closed to the
public but are allowed to
offer drive-through, curb-
side and delivery of retail
sales.
The city also renewed
the curfew from 10 p.m.
to 6 a.m., which was put in
place Tuesday night and
is expected to expire on
May 11.

Retailers
Continued from Page 1A
In Starkville, George-Mary’s, a
dress shop/boutique across the street
from R. Tabb & Co., was open, as was
George Sherman’s, a men’s apparel
store on Russell Street. While in Co-
lumbus, Main Street businesses re-
mained shuttered, although three “big
box” retailers had resumed business.
Hobby Lobby, Dick’s Sporting
Goods and Michael’s were open for
business, but even with reduced staff-
ing, employees outnumbered cus-
tomers at all three stores Tuesday.
Managers at the stores referred all
questions to their corporate offices,
none of which responded to requests
for interviews.
Alesia Lucas, owner of George-
Mary’s, opened her store for the first
time since March on Tuesday.
“We’ve actually been busy for a
Tuesday,’’ she said. “I’ve been pleas-
antly surprised. I think maybe people
are ready to get out a little more.”
For Lucas, the decision to reopen Slim Smith/Dispatch Staff
was a little complicated.
“I work full time at (Mississippi ABOVE: Alesia Lucas,
State), so this is my side gig,” she said. owner of George-Mary’s,
“Before, I had eight employees. All of a women’s dress shop
them were (college) students. So when and boutique in Starkville,
school shut down, they went home.” opened her store for the
first time since March on
Lucas hopes that will soon change. Tuesday. She said she
“I applied for all the funding under was pleasantly surprised
the programs out there for small busi- by sales “for a Tues-
nesses, but we were behind a little bit day.” LEFT: A tent with
getting that going,” she said. “As soon “We’re Open” signs at
as we get the funding, I’ll be bringing Dick’s Sporting Goods on
some of my staff back.” Highway 45 in Columbus
Until then, Lucas is opening the alerts potential customers
store for reduced hours — noon to 4 the store is open or the
first time since March on
p.m., Monday through Saturday.
Tuesday. Retail stores
“We’re ready for things to get back were allowed to open
to normal a little bit,” she said. “We under the governor’s new
have our hand sanitizers and we’re “Safer at Home” orders as
telling everybody they have to wear of Monday, but traffic has
masks. Other than that, all I need are been slow so far.
customers.” Slim Smith/Dispatch Staff
Sports
Mississippi State pitching coach Scott Foxhall talks to starting pitcher Peyton Plumlee (13) in the top of the fifth inning against Vanderbilt in the
2019 NCAA Men’s College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park on June 19, 2019, in Omaha, Neb.
HOW THE CAPE COD BASEBALL LEAGUE’S CANCELLATION COULD IMPACT MSU PLAYERS
BY BEN PORTNOY
bportnoy@cdispatch.com
STARKVILLE — For
over 100 years, the Cape
Cod Baseball League has
functioned as the pinna-
cle of summer collegiate
baseball.
Thirty players com-
prise 10 teams, living
with host families in pic-
turesque beach towns up
and down the Massachu-
setts coast where the only
responsibility is baseball.
But for the first time
since 1947, the CCBL
will not be held due to
Heritage Academy senior Lizzy Howard signs to play soccer at MUW
BY THEO DEROSA
tderosa@cdispatch.com
Lizzy Howard wasn’t
sure what she wanted to
do.
Howard had played soc-
cer for the Columbus Unit-
ed club team for 12 years
and earned a starring role
on the Heritage Academy
squad by her junior year,
but she wasn’t sure an op-
portunity to play the sport
at the college level would
present itself to her.
Then Mississippi Uni-
versity for Women soccer
coach Catie Lyles reached
out with a question: Would
the Patriots’ center mid-
fielder be interested in
competing for the Owls?
“’Oh, this is my time,’” a
somewhat surprised How-
ard thought to herself.
“’Of course,” she told
Lyles.
Tuesday afternoon, in a
socially distanced ceremo-
ny in the Heritage Acade-
my library, Howard took
the next step toward the fu-
ture she wasn’t certain she
could achieve, signing her
letter of intent to MUW.
“I chose MUW because
COLLEGE BASEBALL
concerns over COVID-19
in the Northeast Unit-
ed States. And with the
country’s premier sum-
mer league now canceled,
it stands to have an im-
pact on a number of play-
ers from Starkville.
“I think it’s really, re-
ally important because
everybody in the coun-
try lost valuable valu-
able reps whether it’s
working with them daily
in practice or SEC play
and seeing and facing
some of the best arms in
the country or vice ver-
sa, right?” MSU hitting
it’s really close to home
and Coach Lyles’ program
really interests me,” How-
ard said.
Tom Velek, Howard’s
coach with Heritage Acad-
emy and Columbus Unit-
ed — and a professor at
MUW — said he was hap-
py to see Howard take the
next step in her soccer and
educational careers.
“As a coach, I’ve known
Lizzy for a very long time,
and I’m very confident that
The W is getting a great
player,” Velek said. “As a
professor at The W, I can
assure her and her fami-
ly that they are getting a
great institution for her to
continue her soccer career
and continue her higher
education.”
Howard said Heritage
Academy helped her get
out of her shell and into a
leadership position; she
was a team captain her se-
nior year.
“It really helped me a lot
coming out of my comfort
zone and teaching me a lot
more about how I need to
look at how to play soccer,”
Howard said.
coach Jake Gautreau told
The Dispatch last week of
why summer league is so
important this year. “....
So yes, you want guys to
be able to get out there
and play and kind of earn
some of those reps back.”
For those participat-
ing, the CCBL represents
a chance to play in
front of countless major
league scouts with the
best collegiate players
in the country. For two
months, teams compete
on a semi-daily basis. An
all-star game has also be-
come part of the mid-sea-
Lizzy Howard signs her letter of intent to play soccer at the Mississippi University for
Women on Tuesday at Heritage Academy. Howard’s parents, Bryant Howard and Christy
Kimbrell, and her brother Brady Kimbrell watched Howard sign.
Heritage Academy as-
sistant Jonathan Tuggle, vous about fitting into the the 5:45 a.m. practices at
who worked with Howard Owls’ roster, but knowing The W to Howard min-
from her years in youth three players who are al- utes before her signing,
soccer through her time ready on MUW’s squad said his midfielder is set
with the Patriots, said he — Caledonia High School to excel at her hometown
was proud of Howard for alumni Hanna Pettigrew college.
her signing Tuesday.
“She’s been a joy to former Heritage Acade- proud,” Velek said. “I’m
work with and really has my teammate Haley Ma- really happy for her, and
made the time fun for rie Fisackerly — should I think she’s gonna be
me,” Tuggle said.
THE DISPATCH n CDISPATCH.COM n WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2020
son norm.
In all, 305 CCBL alum-
ni were on MLB rosters
as of 2018, with more sure
to join those ranks soon.
At MSU, the Bulldogs
have made a concerted ef-
fort to send their best to
the Cape. In 2018, five for-
mer MSU players spent at
least one summer on the
Cape. Last season, four
Bulldogs were scheduled
to join the league, though
only Jordan Westburg did
so after Rowdey Jordan,
Tanner Allen and Justin
Foscue were added to the
U.S. Summer National
Howard said she’s ner-
and Lizzie Truelock and
help.
George Walker IV/USA TODAY Sports
team.
In response, Westburg
righted his late-season
hitting woes to the tune
of a .326 average, six dou-
bles and four home runs
in just 95 at-bats over 25
games.
Monday, MLB.com’s
Jonathan Mayo project-
ed the New Braunfels,
Texas, native as the No.
29 pick in the upcoming
MLB First-Year Player
Draft.
“I mean, we coach a
lot, but we don’t coach
See BASEBALL, 2B
Theo DeRosa/Dispatch Staff
Velek, who joked about
“I couldn’t be more
great.”
SPORTS LINE
662-241-5000
MAIS cancels
B
SECTION
all remaining
championships
for 2019-20
school year
BY DISPATCH STAFF
Hopes for a return
to high school sports in
Mississippi this spring
were officially dashed
Tuesday evening when
the Midsouth Associ-
ation of Independent
Schools canceled all re-
maining championships
for the 2019-20 academic
year.
According to a news
release from Executive
Director A. Shane Blan-
ton, member schools can
still practice, scrimmage
and compete against
each other per normal
summer guidelines.
The MAIS said April
17 that it was still consid-
ering options to resume
spring sports, but Tues-
day’s decision showed no
such avenues were avail-
able.
On April 15, the Mis-
sissippi High School
Activities Association
put an end to the spring
season for public schools
in the state, canceling
spring sports and sus-
pending all athletic activ-
ities through June 1 and
until further notice.
Tuesday’s decision
by the MAIS affects six
local schools: Heritage
Academy, Starkville
Academy, Columbus
Christian Academy, Oak
Hill Academy, Hebron
Christian and Starkville
Christian.
Heritage
baseball
coach Justin
Flake hired
at Choctaw
County
BY DISPATCH STAFF
Heritage Academy
baseball coach Justin
Flake has been hired as
the new head baseball
coach at Choctaw County
High School.
Joel Coleman of the
Starkville Daily News
first reported Tuesday
that Flake, who was in the
middle of his third season
with the Patriots, will join
the Chargers. He will also
be the head coach of Choc-
taw County’s junior high
baseball team.
Flake and Heritage
Academy won the MAIS
Class 3A championship
over Wayne Academy
in May 2019. He also
coached softball at Heri-
tage Academy.
He previously coached
at Copiah Academy in
Gallman and Winston
Academy in Louisville.
“Overall, he has an im-
pressive winning record
as a baseball coach and
has impeccable referenc-
es from coaches across
Mississippi,” Choctaw
County said in a Twitter
statement announcing the
news. “Coach Flake hopes
to bring his experience
coaching successful pro-
grams to the home of the
Chargers!”
2B WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2020
MLB teams adjusting as pandemic affects draft preparation
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Detroit Tigers
can feel certain about one
thing: They have the No.
1 pick in the draft.
What that Major
League Baseball draft
will look like, when and
where it will take place
and how the selections
will be made still isn’t
clear.
“It’s going to pres-
ent different challeng-
es, probably,” said Scott
Pleis, Detroit’s director
of amateur scouting. “It’s
just going to be different.
It’s not going to affect the
outcome, it’ll just be a dif-
ferent way of coming to
that outcome.”
The NFL experienced
that last week because of
the coronavirus pandem-
ic, conducting a remote
draft with video screens,
Zoom chats and other
tech innovations that
made the event popular
with fans.
Normally, the college
baseball season would
be in full swing right
now, giving major league
teams a chance to mon-
itor top prospects in the
Broncos, Raiders, Chargers add speed to try to catch Chiefs
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
With their blazing
speed on offense, the
Kansas City Chiefs ran
away from their AFC
West brethren en route to
their first Super Bowl title
in half a century.
So explosiveness was
a common theme on the
draft boards of rival gen-
eral managers John Elway
in Denver, Tom Telesco
in Los Angeles and Mike
Mayock in Las Vegas.
“Every move and sign-
ing we make we have
to have them in mind,”
Chargers coach Anthony
Lynn said of the Chiefs,
who have ruled the divi-
sion since 2016 and used
a 21-0 burst over the final
six minutes to beat San
Francisco in the Super
Bowl.
“Let’s be honest, the
entire league is chasing
the Kansas City Chiefs,”
said Mayock. “But we’re
in the same division.
They keep getting faster
and more athletic, more
dynamic every time you
turn around. Other teams
Rams chasing 49ers, Seahawks, Cards in power-packed NFC West
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
A year ago, the Los
Angeles Rams were fresh
off a Super Bowl trip and
back-to-back NFC West
titles, feeling good about
where they stood in the
division.
Now they seem to be
looking up at the competi-
tion in the NFL’s toughest
division. While the Rams
got rid of cornerstone
players Todd Gurley and
Brandin Cooks because
of bloated contracts and
dwindling production,
their counterparts got
stronger.
Arizona got promising
second-year quarterback
Kyler Murray one of the
game’s most talented re-
ceivers, acquiring DeAn-
dre Hopkins from Hous-
ton. It then landed a top
defensive player in the
draft in do-everything
Baseball
Continued from Page 1B
coach,” longtime MSU
head coach and Hyannis
Harbor Hawks assistant
Ron Polk told The Dis-
patch. “Basically, we’re
up there just to help them
and if they’re struggling
to work with him. But
mainly to put them on the
field and make sure they
get to showcase for all the
scouts, the agents and
front office personnel.
That’s what they’re going
to miss the most is the ex-
weeks leading up to the
draft. But with college
and high school games
shelved because of the vi-
rus outbreak, front offices
can only do so much in
what is clearly an abnor-
mal year.
Every team faces simi-
lar obstacles.
“The challenges have
been that they stopped
playing baseball about six
weeks into the spring sea-
son,” Washington Nation-
als general manager Mike
Rizzo said. “So that’s
been the biggest hurdle
that we had to face. For-
tunately, we dive into this
draft thing very, very se-
riously. We got a lot done
early on, especially the
higher-round type of pre-
mier prospects. We have a
really good feel of what’s
out there in the country.”
Last month’s deal be-
tween MLB and the play-
ers’ union paved the way
for changes to the draft,
which was set to be held
June 10-12 in Omaha,
Nebraska, in conjunction
with the College World
Series.
Under the agreement,
obtained by The Associ-
have to do the same.”
The Raiders signed
free agent linebacker
Cory Littleton to guard
the likes of Travis Kelce,
then chose Alabama wide
receiver Henry Ruggs III,
the fastest player at the
NFL scouting combine
with a 4.27-second 40-
yard dash, with the 12th
overall pick last week.
The Broncos used
their first two draft picks
on speedy wide receivers
Jerry Jeudy of Alabama
and KJ Hamler of Penn
State to keep up with the
likes of Tyreek Hill and
Sammy Watkins. Their
fourth-round selection
was Missouri’s Albert
Okwuegbunam, who had
the combine’s fastest 40
among tight ends at 4.49
seconds.
“We just feel like we
had to add that explosive-
ness,” Elway said.
The Chargers did, too,
so after selecting Oregon
QB Justin Herbert with
the sixth pick, they add-
ed fleet-footed Oklaho-
ma linebacker Kenneth
Murray at No. 23. They
Isaiah Simmons.
Seattle has added com-
plementary pieces and
will always be a threat
with Russell Wilson at
quarterback.
The defending NFC
champion 49ers filled two
big holes in the first round
when they drafted defen-
sive tackle Jevon Kinlaw
and receiver Brandon
Aiyuk. Then coach Kyle
Shanahan was able to
replace retiring six-time
Pro Bowl left tackle Joe
Staley with seven-time
Pro Bowler Trent Wil-
liams — at a cost of only
a pair of mid-round picks.
That didn’t exactly
make Rams coach Sean
McVay excited for his
good friend.
“Oh yeah, I couldn’t be
happier about one of the
better players at that po-
sition going to a division
opponent,” he said sar-
posure.”
As for this season, the
CCBL and other summer
leagues of its ilk were al-
ready set to be even more
important than previous
years given the cancel-
ation of the spring sea-
son. Speaking with The
Dispatch in late March,
Louisville coach Dan Mc-
Donnell stressed this im-
portance.
“The Cape Cod League
will be the most talented
The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com
ated Press, MLB has the
right to delay the dates of
the 2020 and 2021 drafts
to as late as July 20, and
MLB may reduce rounds
from 40 to five in 2020 and
to 20 in 2021.
Signing bonuses may
be deferred, and signing
bonuses for undrafted
players subject to the
draft will be capped at
$20,000.
If the draft were short-
ened all the way to five
rounds, that would be no
small thing. From 2006-
2010 — a five-year sam-
ple of players who have
had plenty of time to con-
tribute — the first five
rounds of the draft pro-
duced a total of 2,203.5
wins above replacement,
according to figures from
Baseball-Reference.com.
Rounds 6-40 produced
961.9 WAR (players who
were drafted but didn’t
sign aren’t included in
those totals).
Although the bulk of
the value is clearly con-
centrated in the first few
rounds, players taken in
the sixth round or later
can and do go on to pro-
ductive big league ca-
envision Murray stuffing
running back Damien
Williams and chasing
down QB Patrick Ma-
homes. They also added
Virginia’s Joe Reed, an-
other wide receiver with a
sub-4.4-second 40.
“Kansas City’s offense
can fly but it’s more than
covering those guys. It
is getting to the quarter-
back, too,” Telesco said.
“Murray is going to help
playing K.C. and every-
one because of his explo-
siveness and speed. The
way offenses are with
things so spread out you
have to run and chase.”
The Chargers, Raid-
ers and Broncos have
been chasing the Chiefs
for four years now, but
Kansas City (12-4) re-
ally pulled away in 2019
when nobody else in the
division had a winning
record.
So, did their rivals do
enough in free agency and
the draft to close the gap?
Remember, the Chiefs
didn’t sit still. They spent
the draft getting their de-
fense up to speed to com-
castically. “So fired up for
the 49ers. You know, it’s
really great for them. I’m
really happy for the Cardi-
nals to get DeAndre Hop-
kins. But other than that,
thanks for reminding me
I need to go drink a cou-
ple more beers.”
The NFL’s best divi-
sion has gotten better
after posting a .602 com-
bined winning percent-
age, tied for sixth highest
for any division in the
current eight-sector for-
mat that began in 2002.
That’s nothing new for
the NFC West, which has
had the best record of any
division over the past nine
seasons, with five of the
past eight NFC champi-
ons.
Filling holes
The 49ers wanted to
keep as many of the piec-
it’s ever been,” he said.
“Because you look at last
year, you have all those
guys that go to the USA
trials, and if they don’t
make it they go home. You
get guys that are tired,
guys that threw too many
innings, guys that are try-
ing to get healthy playing
the last two months hurt.
You’re gonna have some
injuries. Some guys that
have arm injuries are out
for a year, but for the most
reers — two-time NL Cy
Young Award winner Ja-
cob deGrom notably was
a ninth-round pick by the
Mets in 2010.
This year, the mar-
ket of undrafted players
could be crucial.
“We’re going to pre-
pare for, really almost
like we prepared for 40
rounds,” Pleis said. “We’re
going to go through them
all, we’re going to rank
them like we’ve always
ranked them.”
College programs
could reap the benefits
of both a shortened draft
and the cap on signing bo-
nuses for undrafted play-
ers. There may be less
incentive for prospects to
leave school with eligibili-
ty remaining.
The uncertainty about
the minor league season
this year — and even the
college season next year
— could also make for
some tricky decisions.
Will there be a place to
play whether a prospect
decides to go or stay?
“I think there’s a host
of information that you’d
want to know, and then
that’s really where I
plement all the burners
they have on offense.
Second-round pick
Willie Gay Jr. ran the sec-
ond-fastest 40-yard dash
among linebackers at
the combine, and fourth-
round pick L’Jarius Sneed
not only had the fastest
time among safeties at
4.37 seconds, but was
the fourth fastest of any
player that ran during the
week in Indianapolis.
One of the undrafted
free agents the Chiefs
signed is Auburn’s Javaris
Davis, who had the com-
bine’s second-fastest 40
time among cornerbacks.
“They’re the world
champs,” Mayock said.
“I’ve known Andy Reid
for a lot of years. Watch-
ing the way he and Brett
Veach approach the draft,
all they do is get faster.
They drafted that great
running back (Clyde Ed-
wards-Helaire) from LSU,
then they drafted Willie
Gay, the linebacker I love.
“They keep getting
faster and keep raising
the bar.”
es from last year’s NFC
champions as possible.
The three main players
lost were big ones: star
DT DeForest Buckner
traded to Indianapolis,
receiver Emmanuel Sand-
ers leaving in free agency
for New Orleans, and Sta-
ley retiring.
They believe they
found capable replace-
ments in Kinlaw, Aiyuk
and Williams.
“We feel we should’ve
won the Super Bowl last
year and we want to have
an opportunity to win it
again,” Shanahan said.
“So, every decision we
made was also with how
do we help this organiza-
tion for the future? But it
still feels like we’re in a
position to be the same
team, if not better this
year than we were last
year. ... It was a challenge,
but when it’s all said and
part you’re going to have
everybody else healthy,
hungry, chomping at the
bit. I think summer base-
ball is really as college
coaches what we are hop-
ing for.”
At present, summer
leagues across America
are debating cancella-
tions and postponements.
The Valley League has
announced it won’t play at
all this year. The Cal Rip-
ken Collegiate Baseball
think the clubs can dif-
ferentiate themselves,”
Texas Rangers GM Jon
Daniels said.
“I think that’s what
we’re going to be focused
on, demonstrating to
players, demonstrating
to parents, demonstrat-
ing to coaches, and peo-
ple that care about these
players, that we’re going
to go above and beyond
in taking care of our peo-
ple and developing our
players on and off the
field,” he said.
Shane Farrell, ama-
teur scouting director
for the Toronto Blue Jays,
said social distancing has
certainly created a differ-
ent routine for scouts.
“To tell a scout he’s
got to spend Friday
night at home in March,
April and May, that’s just
something we’re not ac-
customed to,” he said.
“We are spending a ton of
time on the phone com-
municating, whether it’s
through phone calls or
texts.”
Pleis said his team has
plenty of video it can use
to evaluate players. The
obvious problem is that
Speed and skill
The division didn’t just
see an infusion of speed
but of skill.
“We needed to score
more points, whether
we’re playing the Chiefs
or not,” said Denver
coach Vic Fangio, whose
team averaged a paltry
17.6 points a game last
season. “It’s always good
to be fast, but sometimes,
people make the mistake
of just getting fast with
players that aren’t good
football players. We be-
lieve our speed that we’ve
drafted has come with
players that also can play
the game.
“Hopefully we’re a
harder offense to defend
now once it evolves and
we get to playing games,
but we need to score more
points.”
Virtual trade
Defensive back Chris
Harris Jr. left the Broncos
for the Chargers in free
agency, and running back
Melvin Gordon bolted the
Bolts for Denver.
done, it was fun and I
like the decisions we’ve
made.”
Protecting Russell
Seattle’s priority in
free agency and the draft
largely centered on the of-
fensive line. At one point,
after drafting Damien
Lewis in the third-round,
Seattle had 19 O-linemen
on its roster. Then veter-
ans D.J. Fluker and Justin
Britt were released, clear-
ing $12 million in salary
cap space. But the over-
haul will mean Seattle has
three or four new starters
on its line.
The Seahawks also
landed a presumptive new
starter in the secondary,
trading for Quinton Dun-
bar with Washington, and
believe they could have
a starting linebacker in
first-round pick Jordyn
League, New York Col-
legiate Baseball League
and Texas Collegiate
Baseball League have
all decided on later start
dates.
Speaking with report-
ers in early April, MSU
coach Chris Lemonis
said his staff had placed
players in anticipation of
summer leagues being
played. Should leagues
continue to cancel or post-
pone, Lemonis and his as-
some prospects could
have taken a step forward
or backward this year.
Now they don’t have the
chance to show that.
It’s an issue particular-
ly for high school players
whose bodies can change
significantly from one
season to the next.
“It’s tough on those
guys, because we need to
see them more. We have
way more information
on the college players,”
Pleis said.
The logistics of the
draft itself are probably
less of a concern. The
NFL just completed its
remote draft without
much difficulty, and the
baseball draft was a less
ostentatious production
to begin with.
It’s just a question of
whether teams can make
informed decisions.
“We would, of course,
love to have infinite time
to scout and evaluate and
get to know these guys,”
Farrell said. “But that’s
just not the case this year
and we’ll make do with
what we have at the mo-
ment.”
Both men rejected
lucrative offers last sea-
son — Harris’ averaged
$9 million and Gordon
roughly $10 million annu-
ally — and found them-
selves accepting less in
free agency.
Gordon’s deal in Den-
ver is for $16 million over
two years and Harris
signed for two years and
$17 million.
Delayed returns
With teams limited to
Zoom position meetings
and weightlifting on their
own during the coronavi-
rus pandemic, it will be
a while before Mayock,
Elway and Telesco see if
their emphasis on speed
this offseason pays off.
“We feel like we got
better in free agency and
I know we feel like we
got better in the draft,”
Mayock said. “Nobody is
going to know how much
or if at all until we get out
on the field and compete.”
Brooks. They could still
use another edge rusher
even after signing veter-
ans Benson Mayowa and
Bruce Irvin, and drafting
Darrell Taylor and Alton
Robinson. They could
bring back Jadeveon
Clowney or sign Everson
Griffen.
Cap casualties
The Rams’ push for a
title came with a price.
They have significant
dead money cap tied up in
Cooks, traded to Houston,
and Gurley, cut and now in
Atlanta. Throw in the first-
round pick they gave up
last season to acquire cor-
nerback Jalen Ramsey and
the Rams had little ability
to make significant im-
provements on a roster that
went from the Super Bowl
in the 2018 season to out of
the playoffs last season.
sistants may be in line for
a game of musical chairs
with their player’s sum-
mer destinations.
“We’ll have to regroup
on some of our guys once
we know the ones that are
playing and when they’ll
start,” MSU pitching
coach Scott Foxhall told
The Dispatch last week.
“But I think that there’ll
be places for him to play if
we decide that’s the best
thing for him.”

Column: No fans means same sport, different arena
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Rory McIlroy contem-
plated what golf would
be like without fans. This
was five days before there
was no golf at all.
“I’d be OK with it,” he
said at the Arnold Palm-
er Invitational, unaware
the new coronavirus was
about to shut down golf
for at least three months.
“It would be just like hav-
ing an early tee time on
the PGA Tour.”
And then he added
with a laugh, “I guess for
a few guys, it wouldn’t be
that much different.”
McIlroy had one of
those early times when
he was a 20-year-old
rookie on the PGA Tour.
He teed off in the second
Comics & Puzzles
DILBERT
ZITS
GARFIELD
CANDORVILLE
BABY BLUES
BEETLE BAILEY
MALLARD FILLMORE
round of the Honda Clas-
sic at 6:59 a.m.
So this will be going
back in time for McIlroy,
along with the rest of the
sport.
The PGA Tour set a
target of June 8-14 at Co-
lonial in Texas to resume
its schedule, with no fans
for at least a month. Even
if the Charles Schwab
Challenge doesn’t prove
to be the return, golf will
be without spectators
whenever it starts.
Will it matter?
Low score still wins,
no matter who’s there to
see it.
But it will be a new
arena.
“I could play without
fans, but I don’t think
I’d play as well,” McIl-
FAMILY CIRCUS
The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com
roy said Tuesday on his stands being erected.
GolfPass podcast with That wouldn’t be a big
Carson Daly and Stephen problem at the TPC Riv-
Curry. “Especially on a er Highlands, which fea-
Sunday, back nine, you tures a stadium design
feed off that energy. You and allows for good view-
hear roars on other parts ing, especially over the
of the golf course and you closing holes.
sort of know what’s going But imagine other
on. All those dynamics courses without stands,
are in play when you have without hospitality
people there.” suites, with nothing but
The dynamics go be- green grass, white sand
yond noise, of course. in the bunkers, the occa-
Nathan Grube, the sional water hazard.
tournament director of Think about Macken-
the Travelers Champi- zie Hughes trying to play
onship in Connecticut, a cut into the 18th green
is preparing it to be the at the Honda Classic, only
third tournament, the to pull it into the middle
last weekend in June, if of the bleachers. He was
golf resumes on sched- given a free drop. Years
ule. There is hope. There ago, the safe play on the
is excitement. 18th at Doral was to put
There are no grand- it into the grandstands
Dear Abby
D
EAR ABBY:
I cannot
believe
it! My parents
tricked me into
comforting a child
molester.
When I was
young, my uncle
“Dave” went
to prison. My
family told it like
this: “Dave had
an affair with a
17-year-old girl
who was pretend-
ing to be 18. They
made a sex tape,
Dear Abby
her parents found
it and accused him of rape. He
went to prison for life.”
My parents visit and talk to
him regularly, although nobody
else in the extended family
does, and they always encour-
aged me to communicate with
him. They say he made “poor
decisions” but doesn’t deserve
his prison sentence or the fam-
ily neglect. I felt bad for him, so
I willingly joined in phone calls
and letter writing.
I recently mentioned all this
to a friend who is experienced
in the legal field. He thought
the story sounded peculiar, so
we looked up Dave and found
out he had multiple counts of
sexual assault on a child under
14. In other words, my parents
tricked me into regular conver-
sations with a child molester.
I’m floored. Should I
confront them? If so, what do
Horoscopes
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (April
29). You want to learn things for
yourself. This year you’ll make
bigger efforts to get hands on
with matters that once seemed
beyond your scope, or perhaps
below it. You’ll gain even more
integrity and deep knowledge,
which makes for interesting con-
versations, relationships and
work. You’ll be paid very well for
your expertise. Aries and Cancer
adore you. Your lucky numbers
are: 5, 30, 22, 1 and 18.
ARIES (March 21-April
19). You’ve a terrific instinct
for which change to make. One
habit shift can be life-altering.
Just imagine how things could
beyond the green to take
water out of the equation,
knowing there would be
a free drop.
“They’re not going
to catch errant shots on
some holes,” said Mark
Russell, a senior rules
official on the PGA Tour.
They are temporary
immovable obstructions,
and they are a big part of
modern golf.
That’s why the USGA,
and then the R&A, cre-
ated a number of drop
zones (white circles) in
front of the grandstands
around the 18th hole,
starting with Winged
Foot in 2006, to avoid tak-
ing too much time figur-
ing out where to drop for
shots into or behind the
stands. In a few cases,
I say? Should I
tell my brother?
I want nothing to
do with Dave, and
I’m horrified that
my parents would
lie in his defense.
— HORRIFIED IN
OKLAHOMA
DEAR HOR-
RIFIED: I can
understand why
you want nothing
to do with this
relative. Tell your
parents that you
have written to
me. Ask them
why they chose
to minimize what your uncle did
and encourage you to commu-
nicate with a predator. Doing
so was a gross betrayal of your
trust. I’m not sure how they can
justify their actions because it
is the job of parents to protect
their child.
You should absolutely
tell your brother what has
been happening because it’s
appalling.
DEAR ABBY: I love my boy-
friend. We have been together
nearly six years, but there are a
few issues. The biggest one is
his diet.
He eats like it’s going out of
style. The only reason he’s not
400 pounds is because his job
keeps him active. He has put
on 60 pounds since we started
dating, and we can no longer
sleep together because of the
snoring his weight gain has
be in six months’ time if you
were to start now.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20).
You’re a busy person juggling
to get things done when the
circumstances of life have tied
your hands. The limitation is
what makes you remarkable.
Give yourself credit.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21).
Physical clutter represents
mental clutter. Clear one and
the other clears up, too. None
of it will be hard for you to figure
out once you dive in. If you can’t
dive, ask someone to give you a
little push.
CANCER (June 22-July 22).
If you can find a lot of compas-
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2020 3B
it allowed for a player to
advance his ball closer to
the hole without hitting
it.
Speaking of Winged
Foot, consider that no
fans on the course means
the rough will remain
just that. Phil Mickelson,
as an example, has been
known to hit tee shots so
far off line that the ball
comes to rest in an area
where gallery traffic has
trampled thick grass and
led to a reasonable lie.
(Maybe if there were
no fans at Winged Foot,
he would have had to play
toward the 18th fairway
instead of hitting 3-iron,
which led to double bo-
gey and a runner-up
finish in the 2006 U.S.
Open.)
caused. He can no longer stand
to be outdoors when he’s home
because it’s always “too hot.”
When we first started seeing
each other, he was fit and ac-
tive. Now he comes home, eats
and stares at his phone. He’s
always unhappy with his weight,
but when I ask him to please
eat better, his response is,
“Nothing makes me as happy
as a cookie.” He would rather
be a 500-pound blob who never
had to move if it meant he
could eat cake all day.
I feel he has chosen food
over me. I’m only 27, and I
know I’ll have to sleep alone
for however long I’m with him.
I don’t know if I can do that.
I make an effort to maintain
myself for him, but clearly, the
favor isn’t returned. What are
your thoughts? — WORRYING
IN FLORIDA
DEAR WORRYING: If nothing
makes your boyfriend happier
than eating a cookie, it’s time
you got to the bottom of what
is eating HIM. When a fit and
active person suddenly loses
interest in his health and be-
comes careless about his diet,
one has to wonder if he may be
using food to cope with painful
or unpleasant emotions. Contin-
ue to help and support him as
much as you can, but frankly, it
may be time for the two of you
to seek relationship counseling
from a licensed mental health
professional before your boy-
friend’s diet causes permanent
damage to his health.
sion in your heart and then heap
it onto yourself, that’s what’s
needed for this time. It does
absolutely no good to be critical.
Cheerlead instead.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22).
You’ve a curiosity and a desire
to investigate new avenues.
Don’t think about it too much
now. The answers aren’t in your
own head. Research. Explore
what’s out there for you.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22).
Get personal. Show your face.
Tell stories. Reveal yourself.
When you let people connect
with you, what follows will be a
relationship, which is something
far greater than a role.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23).
When you see people showing
signs of nervousness and
apprehension, help them relax.
Do or say something to reduce
their worry and yours will be
significantly and simultaneously
dialed down.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov.
21). What stands between you
and success? Indecision. Don’t
agonize. Just choose. Jump in
with the confidence that many
before you made the same
choice and it worked out just
fine.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec.
21). Stop putting so much
pressure on yourself. It’s not
wrong to overachieve, but it’s
only worthwhile if you’re enjoy-
ing yourself. Give yourself some
grace.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan.
19). Alter egos are a creative
invention but also a discovery
— and not just for pop stars,
sports moguls and comic book
heroes. If you haven’t explored
your alter ego, this is a day to
get curious.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb.
18). You’re on the right path.
Let yourself dream a little, not
of the big picture but the next
milestone. The more vivid your
vision, the more momentum
you’ll gather in the weeks
ahead.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March
20). You’ll be testing something
out, committing to a small or-
der, just enough to get a feel for
the bigger picture. This is the
wise route, as there’s no reason
to rush in.
A step in the right direction
SOLUTION:
4B WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2020 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com
Food LIFESTYLES EDITOR
Jan Swoope: 328-2471
THE DISPATCH n CDISPATCH.COM n WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2020 n 5B

Breakfast blues?
familyfeatures.com
Crazy candy ice cream sandwiches
can brighten up a day for kids of
all ages.

Give a treat
with a kid-
friendly sweet
FAMILY FEATURES

L
etting kids get hands-on in
the kitchen is an easy way to
keep them busy while teach-
ing important life skills. Planning
for delicious snacks children can
make all on their own (or with
minimal assistance) makes for a
winning solution, and these Crazy
Candy Ice Cream Sandwiches
are a prime example. Find more
kid-friendly snack ideas at milk-
familyfeatures.com
meansmore.org.
Avocado toast with poached eggs makes breakfast special and adds nutrition to the day as well.
CRAZY CANDY ICE CREAM
Wake up from a ‘Groundhog Day’ rut SANDWICHES
Prep time: 10 minutes
Servings: 6

BY JAN SWOOPE
1 cup vanilla ice cream
1/4 cup chopped candy bar
jswoope@cdispatch.com 6 graham cracker sheets, broken into 12

M
ornings at my house are beginning to feel a
little like the movie “Groundhog Day.” Even
without an alarm, I’m waking up as early, or
earlier, than I did before Working From Home became
the order of the day. Now, instead of eating a quick
bowl of cereal or hard-boiled egg and downing vita-
mins before dashing off to the office, there’s time in
the morning — every morning — time with a capital T.
Time to feel a cloak of responsibility to “make break-
fast.” To feed others under our roof.
If your morning creativity has waned to the point of
cheese toast or a box of frozen sausage biscuits from
the grocery, I’m with you. And some days, that’s just
fine. But these many weeks at home, with an all-access
pass to the kitchen every moment we feel restless or
anxious, is not, I’ve discovered, a good thing. Retain-
ing some grasp on what’s healthy eating and what’s
not is important to how we come out of this thing.
So, to help spark some ideas on starting the day off
right (and to support immunity), today we include a
couple of recipes from Family Features and SimplyPro-
tein that focus on protein and fiber, while being low in
sugar. The dishes are uncomplicated; if there are kids
at home, let them get involved.
Better breakfast tips
To re-boot a healthy breakfast plan, consider these
familyfeatures.com
Fruits and almonds help change plain Greek yogurt into
a delicious yogurt parfait.
energy through a process known as “diet-induced
thermogenesis” when they consume high-calorie
breakfasts rather than high-calorie dinners. This can
ultimately help with weight loss and suggests that
squares
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
1 1/2 tablespoons refined coconut oil or
vegetable oil
Multi-colored sprinkles (optional)
n In medium bowl, stir ice cream until
just softened. Stir in chopped candy.
n Working quickly, scoop ice cream
mixture onto six graham cracker squares.
Top with remaining graham cracker
squares, gently pressing down until ice
cream reaches edges of crackers. Place
in shallow, wax paper-lined pan. Freeze
1 hour.
n In small, microwave-safe bowl, com-
bine chocolate morsels and coconut oil.
Microwave on high 40-60 seconds, or
until melted, stirring vigorously every 20
seconds. Let stand at room temperature
10 minutes.
n Remove sandwiches from freezer. Dip
half of each sandwich into chocolate
mixture. Immediately scatter sprinkles
over chocolate, if desired. Return to wax
paper-lined pan. Freeze about 5 minutes,
or until chocolate sets. Serve immediate-
ly or individually wrap in plastic wrap and
store in freezer.

tips, provided by Family Features, from Dr. Jonathan
Clinthorne and SimplyProtein:
n Factor in fiber. When supporting immunity with
nutrition, fiber feeds gut bacteria, which helps produce
numerous compounds that accelerate the development
of immune cells and boost their function. The immune
system performs better when people replace highly
A comfort
eating more food early in the day is better for you than
eating a large amount before bedtime.
n Skip the sugar. Avoid the post-lunch sleepy feel-
ing by ditching sugar. Instead, focus on low-glycemic
snacks that won’t spike blood sugar, helping to control
your appetite.
food classic
n Feel more full longer. Eating immune supportive FAMILY FEATURES
foods like vegetables, berries, nuts, seeds and pro-

T
refined, low-fiber carbohydrates with fiber-rich carbo-
hydrates. tein-rich snack bars can help keep you full and satis- his is a perfect time for
n Pick ingredients packed with protein to boost im- fied while avoiding less nutritious alternatives. comfort foods, and this
mune function. Protein energy malnutrition is linked These recipes for avocado toast and yogurt parfait recipe with crumbled bacon
to poor immune function and can impair the ability of provide protein and energy with simple prep. Find and cubed potatoes smothered in
the immune system to fight viruses and bacteria. more protein-packed recipes at simplyprotein.com. melted cheddar cheese is sure to
n Build a balanced breakfast. People burn more See BREAKFAST, 6B satisfy.
Find more meal ideas at culi-
nary.net.
See CLASSIC, 6B

Go big with BUTTER TOGETHER

a bread bowl A cookie that will knock your socks off … if you were wearing any
W
FAMILY FEATURES hen I told the girls it calls for ingredients I background for the cookie, so it’s defi-
I thought I’d write keep on hand. I also like nitely worth the extra step. But it also

P
erfect for afternoon snack- about this skillet
ing or as an appetizer, this cookie for this week’s food
Spinach-Ham Dip is warmed column, they cheered.
inside a bread bowl and can be Last night, when our eldest
served with bread cubes, crackers finally tried it with some
or tortilla chips. ice cream on top, she
Find more snack ideas at culi- breathed, “This is good.
nary.net. This is life-changing.”
To be fair, I don’t think
she had ever before tried
Amelia Plair
SPINACH-HAM DIP any of the classic warm-
dessert-topped-with-ice-
2 cups ricotta cheese cream combos. I have a feeling we
1 cup sour cream will need to try brownie sundaes and
1 package (10 ounces) frozen spinach,
thawed and squeezed dry blackberry cobbler with vanilla ice
1/4 pound ham, cubed cream in the near future.
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese This big cookie is one of my favor-
See BREAD BOWL, 6B ites right now, though, in part because
that it creates one big
cookie instead of three
dozen small cookies that
I am tempted to snack on
throughout the day.
Plus — and this is a big
deal for me — it requires
literally one skillet. One
skillet for mixing AND
baking. I’m literally run-
ning my dishwasher three
times a day these days, so
a one-skillet ANYthing sounds like a
pretty good deal to me right about now.
It will require a bit of advance plan-
ning, though. The first step is melting
together the brown sugar and butter.
That creates a kind of caramelly
means that there’s a cooldown period
required before adding eggs (lest they
scramble) or chocolate (lest it melt).
If you want to serve this as an
after-dinner dessert, try doing step
one in the afternoon before you start
cooking supper. Then start your sup-
per. Finish the other steps while your
supper cooks and put this cookie in
the oven as soon as you can, even if it’s
right before you sit down to eat. Just
be sure to set a timer…this is one you
don’t want to risk burning up.
Amelia Plair is a mom and high
school teacher in Starkville. Email
reaches her at mamabadgerplair@
gmail.com.
See BUTTER TOGETHER, 6B
6B WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2020 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com

Naples’ beloved pizza is back after virus shutdown eases

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS home delivery only. of sick. In the end, Campania our city and our nation,” said of pizzeria Capuano, said even
Whereas pizzerias in Rome had a relatively manageable Giovanni Pezzuto, owner of a the partial reopening will help
NAPLES, Italy — and elsewhere were allowed to outbreak of about 4,300 people Neapolitan pizzeria. “This is a Campania’s economy because

W
ood is burning
again in Naples’
pizza ovens, giving a
symbolic and savory boost to
Neapolitans after two months
of lockdown meant an end to
their most iconic and favorite
food.
Pizzerias reopened Monday
night in the birthplace of pizza,
albeit under restrictions and for
operate for take-out and deliv-
ery service, they were banned
in Naples out of fears that such
a congested, high-density city
could fast become a new hot
spot for COVID-19 infections.
Campania’s governor, Vin-
cenzo De Luca, enforced strict
lockdown measures, knowing
that the region’s hospitals
couldn’t handle a major influx
infected, half of whom didn’t
need to be hospitalized.
With Italy as whole gradually
reopening, De Luca lifted bans
on pizza deliveries as well as
home deliveries from bars, pas-
try shops and ice-cream parlors
and restaurants.
“Surely this is a little restart
for the entrepreneurs, import-
ant for us and for our region,
symbol of hope for the little firm
that slowly can restart.”
It’s not a total reopening,
however. Clients can only
place orders by phone — not in
person — and all business must
close at 10 p.m. The pizzerias
have to be cleaned regularly and
workers must wear gloves and
masks.
Vincenzo Capuano, owner
all his ingredients are sourced
locally.
“To make pizza I have to
buy the local flour from Naples,
(local) San Marzano tomatoes,
I have to buy the potatoes, the
onions,” he said.
Without this support to the
local economy, “after the health
crisis we could have a much
worse economic crisis.”

Butter Together
Continued from Page 5B
LADY’S CHOCOLATE CHIP
SKILLET COOKIE
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 cup brown sugar (light or
dark)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups + 2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup chocolate chips (You
can play around with this. Half
milk chocolate and half semi-
sweet is good, but use what
you have on hand.)
Vanilla ice cream (optional, but
not really)
■ Preheat oven to 325. Place
butter in a 10 or 12-inch skillet
with ovenproof handle set over
medium heat. (Cast iron is
ideal.) Melt butter completely.
Add both sugars. If you have a
gas stove, keep the heat set at
medium. If you have an electric
stove, turn the heat down a bit.
Stir butter and sugars together
well, being sure to scrape all
sugars into the butter right
from the start. (Introducing new
sugar into the melted mixture
will cause the whole thing to
crystallize. Don’t ask how I
know that.) Stir constantly
until the mixture looks smooth
and glossy, like caramel. This
should happen within 5-10
minutes. Set the mixture to
the side to cool down; you can
speed this process along by
placing the pan into the refrig-
erator or freezer if you like.
■ When mixture is room tem-
perature, add eggs and vanilla.
Mix well. Add flour, baking
soda, and salt. Mix well. Fold
in chocolate chips. Smooth
top of cookie with a rubber
spatula. Bake in the preheated
oven for 26-33 minutes. The
inside will still be quite gooey
at 26 minutes; we like it that
way, but cook it for longer if
you prefer it. As with pie, if the
edges begin to brown before
you are ready to pull it from the
oven, make a hole in a sheet of
aluminum foil and place it over
the top of the cookie to protect
the edges and allow the center
to cook more.
■ Many pre-COVID recipe au-
thors recommend topping this
with a few scoops of vanilla ice
cream and handing everyone a
spoon. While that would work
in some circumstances, for
now I am slicing it into wedges
and topping each portion with
a scoop of ice cream. Still de-
licious and fewer germs. Stay
safe and enjoy!
(From modernhoney.com (Me-
lissa Stadler)

Bread bowl Breakfast

Continued from Page 5B
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 round bread loaf (16 ounc-
es), unsliced
n Heat oven to 350 F.
n In medium bowl, blend
ricotta cheese and sour
cream until smooth. Add
spinach, ham, Parmesan
cheese and green onions;
mix until blended.
n Cut 1-2-inch diameter
circle out of top of bread
loaf. Reserve top. Remove
bread inside loaf, leaving
about 1 inch along sides.
Pour cheese mixture into
bread bowl. Replace top.
Cover bread loaf in aluminum
foil and bake 60 minutes, or
until warmed through.
n Take bread removed from
inside bread bowl and cut
into dipping sized chunks.
n Remove bread from
aluminum foil and place on
platter. Scatter bread chunks
around bread bowl to use for
dunking in cheese sauce.
Continued from Page 5B
AVOCADO TOAST
2 slices whole-wheat bread
1 avocado, halved and sliced
2 poached eggs
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
1/2 cup crushed SimplyProtein Barbecue Crunchy Bites
(or small crushed croutons, etc.)
n Toast bread slices.
n Divide avocado slices among toast. Place one egg on
each piece of toast then sprinkle with salt and pepper, to
taste. Top toast with crushed crunchy bites.
YOGURT PARFAIT
1 cup Greek vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup assorted fruit, such as strawberries, blueberries
and kiwi
1 tablespoon shaved almonds
1 SimplyProtein Chocolate Chip Cookie Bar, crumbled (or
other protein bar)
Shaved coconut (optional)
culinary.net n In bowl, layer yogurt, fruit and shaved almonds. Top
Ham, cheeses, sliced green onions, spinach and sour cream marry in this tasty dip with crumbled cookie bar and shaved coconut, if desired.
suited to a bread bowl.

Classic
Continued from Page 5B

CHEESY BAKED POTATO

CASSEROLE
5 pounds red potatoes, cubed
1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 pound cheddar cheese, cubed
16 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
8 ounces sour cream
1 tablespoon minced chives
1 teaspoon salt This cheesy
1/2 teaspoon pepper baked • Firestarter
potato cas- • Packing
n Heat oven to 325 F. serole is
n In large bowl, combine potatoes and smothered Materials
bacon.
n In separate large bowl, combine in melted
cheddar
Extra • Shipping
cheese, onion, mayonnaise, sour cream,
chives, salt and pepper. Add to potato
and bacon mixture until combined.
cheese and
topped with Newsprint Materials
• Art Projects
n Pour into 9-by-13-inch baking dish. crumbled is a great, • Window
Bake 50-60 minutes until browned and bacon.
bubbly. culinary.net inexpensive solution for.... Cleaning

Visit
Get promoted? Win an award? Send us your business brief. Office at
516 Main Street
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Columbus, MS

Cost: 80¢/lb.

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LEGALS
Call us: 662-328-2424
Legal Notices
Advertisement for Bid
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mation System Upgrade
Sealed Bids may be mailed to
the Office of Purchasing or sub-
mitted electronically via
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sources/purchasing/bids. The
bid opening will be held in the
Office of Purchasing, Whitfield
Hall, Columbus, MS at 2:00
p.m. Tuesday, May 26, 2020
at which time they will be pub-
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ations may be obtained from:
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1628
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Telephone (662) 329-7126
https://www.ms.gov/dfa/con
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On this website, once you have
registered as a supplier, you
can find the open bid under
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Mississippi University for Wo-
men reserves the right to re-
ject any or all bids.
PUBLISH: 4/29 & 5/6/2020
IN THE CHANCERY COURT OF
LOWNDES COUNTY, MISSIS-
SIPPI
IN RE: THE ESTATE OF LOIS P.
NEYMAN, DECEASED,
MILTON C. NEYMAN, JR., EX-
ECUTOR
CAUSE NO. 2020-0068-DE
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
COUNTY OF LOWNDES
Letters Testamentary have
been granted and issued to the
undersigned upon the Estate of
Lois P. Neyman, Deceased, by
the Chancery Court of Lowndes
County, Mississippi on the
15th day of April, 2020. This is
to give notice to all persons
having claims against said es-
tate to probate and register
same with the Chancery Clerk
of Lowndes County, Missis-
sippi, within 90 (ninety) days
from the date of the first pub-
lication. A failure to so probate
and register said claim will
forever bar the same.
This the 20th day of April,
2020.
Milton C. Neyman, Jr.
Executor of the Estate of Lois
P. Neyman, Deceased
Prepared by:
Jeffrey J. Turnage, Esq.
(MSB#9447)
Mitchell McNutt & Sams, PA
215 5th Street North
P.O. Box 1366
Columbus, MS 39703-1366
Telephone: 662-328-2316
PUBLISH: 4/22, 4/29 &
5/6/2020
IN THE CHANCERY COURT OF
LOWNDES COUNTY, MISSIS-
SIPPI
IN THE MATTER OF THE ES-
TATE OF MARIE P. WILLIAMS,
DECEASED
NO. 2020-077-JNS
DOROTHY WILLIAMS LANG-
FORD, PETITIONER
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Letters Testamentary have
been granted and issued to
Dorothy Williams Langford, Ex-
ecutor of the Estate of Marie P.
Williams, deceased, by the
Chancery Court of Lowndes
County, Mississippi, on the 23
day of April, 2020. This is to
give notice to all persons hav-
ing claims against said estate
to Probate and Register same
with the Chancery Clerk of
Lowndes County, Mississippi,
within ninety (90) days from
this date. A failure to so Pro-
bate and Register said claim
will forever bar the same.
THIS the 24 day of April, 2020.
/s/ Dorothy Williams Langford
Dorothy Williams Langford, Ex-
ecutor
OF COUNSEL:
Crowell Gillis & Cooper, PLLC
Post Office Box 1827
Columbus, MS 39703
(662) 243-7329
wgillis@cgclawpllc.com
PUBLISH: 4/29, 5/6 &
5/13/2020
IN THE CHANCERY COURT OF
LOWNDES COUNTY, MISSIS-
SIPPI
IN THE MATTER OF THE ES-
TATE OF MARIE P. WILLIAMS,
DECEASED
NO. 2020-077-JNS
DOROTHY WILLIAMS LANG-
FORD, PETITIONER
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Letters Testamentary have
been granted and issued to
Dorothy Williams Langford, Ex-
ecutor of the Estate of Marie P. Jauregui & Lindsey, LLC as
Williams, deceased, by the
Chancery Court of Lowndes
Legal Notices
County,
Mississippi, on the 23 fice
day of April, 2020. This is to
give notice to all persons hav- 23508; and
ing claims against said estate
to Probate and Register same
with the Chancery Clerk of
Lowndes County, Mississippi,
within ninety (90) days from
this date. A failure to so Pro- having been declared to be due (205) 970-2233
bate and Register said claim
will forever bar the same.
THIS the 24 day of April, 2020. sociation, as Trustee for Struc- 2020, May 20, 2020
/s/ Dorothy Williams Langford tion Mortgage Pass-Through
Dorothy Williams Langford, Ex-
ecutor
OF COUNSEL:
Crowell Gillis & Cooper, PLLC
Post Office Box 1827
Columbus, MS 39703
(662) 243-7329
wgillis@cgclawpllc.com
PUBLISH: 4/29, 5/6 &
5/13/2020
IN THE CHANCERY COURT OF
LOWNDES COUNTY, MISSIS-
SIPPI
IN THE MATTER OF THE ES-
TATE OF PHILLIP GARY HOR-
TON, DECEASED
CAUSE NO.: 19-050-PDE
BY: PHILLIP ED LEE HORTON
PETITIONER
SUMMONS
THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
TO: SUMMONS TO ALL HEIRS
UNKNOWN, and CREDITORS OF
PHILLIP GARY HORTON, DE-
CEASED
NOTICE TO RESPONDENT
THE PETITION WHICH IS AT-
TACHED TO THIS SUMMONS IS Clerk of Lowndes County, Mis-
IMPORTANT AND YOU MUST
TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION TO
PROTECT YOUR RIGHTS.
You are required to mail or
hand-deliver a copy of a writ-
ten response to the Petition to ants and as shown by said re-
C. MARTY HAUG, the attorney
for the Petitioner, whose mail-
ing address is 212 N. Jackson TRACT 2:
Street, Starkville, MS 39759.
Your response must be mailed
or delivered within thirty (30) tates,
days from the date of delivery
of this summons and com-
plaint or a judgment by default
will be entered against you for 61 in the office of the Chan-
the money or other things de-
manded in the Petition.
You must also file the original
of your response with the Clerk grees 47 minutes East along
of this Court within a reason-
able time afterward.
Issued under my hand and the feet; thence South 29 degrees Clerk of this Court within a
seal of said Court, this the
24th day of April, 2020.
/s/CINDY E. GOODE
CHANCERY CLERK
of Lowndes County, MS
By: /s/SHANTRELL W.
GRANDERSON
DEPUTY CLERK
PUBLISH: 4/29, 5/6 &
5/13/2020
SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE’S NO-
TICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE
WHEREAS, on November 6,
2006, Samuel Lance Luckey
and Tammy Luckey executed a
certain deed of trust to Vinh
Pham, Trustee for the use and vested in me as Substituted
benefit of Mortgage Electronic
Registration Systems, Inc. act-
ing solely as nominee for BNC
Mortgage Inc, a Delaware Cor-
poration, which deed of trust is
of record in the office of the
Chancery Clerk of Lowndes,
County, state of Mississippi, in Suite 200
Book 2006, Page 31982; and
WHEREAS, Wells Fargo Bank,
National Association, as Trust- Publication dates: April 29,
ee for Structured Asset Securit- 2020, May 6, 2020, May 13,
ies Corporation Mortgage Pass- 2020, May 20, 2020
Through Certificates, Series
2007-BC1, the current holder
and/or assignee, substituted
Jauregui & Lindsey, LLC as
Trustee by instrument recor-
ded in the Chancery Clerk’s Of-
fice on November 5, 2018 in
Book MORT 2018, Page
23508; and
Just a click away!
WHEREAS, Default having been
made in the terms and condi-
tions of said deed of trust and
the entire debt secured thereby
having been declared to be due
and payable in accordance with
the terms of said deed of trust,
Wells Fargo Bank, National As-
sociation, as Trustee for Struc-
tured Asset Securities Corpora-
tion Mortgage Pass-Through
Certificates, Series 2007-BC1,
the legal holder of said in-
debtedness, having requested
the undersigned Substitute
Trustee in said deed of trust,
will on May 21, 2020 offer for
sale at public outcry and sell
within legal hours (being
between the hours of 11:00
a.m. and 4:00 p.m.), at the
main front door of the County
Courthouse of Lowndes County
in Columbus, Mississippi, to
the highest and best bidder for
cash the following described
property situated in Lowndes
County, Mississippi, to wit:
TRACT 1:
Lot Number Twenty-Two (22) of
Myers Estates, Lowndes
County, Mississippi, as shown
by plat recorded in Plat Book 3,
page 61, in the Chancery
Clerk`s Office, Lowndes
County, Mississippi.
SUBJECT TO those restrictive
covenants and conditions con-
tained in deed from Donald F.
Myers and Sid Myers, Jr. to
John B. Dexter and wife, Cyn-
thia L. Dexter, dated Novem-
ber 5, 1978, filed for record
November 14, 1978 and ap-
pearing of record in Book 600,
page 495, of the land records
in the office of the Chancery
Clerk of Lowndes County, Mis-
sissippi; and
SUBJECT, ALSO, to the reserva-
tion or easements for utility
and drainage installation as set
forth in said restrictive coven-
ants and as shown by said re-
corded plat.
TRACT 2:
Beginning at the Southeast
corner of Lot 22 of Myers Es-
tates, a residential community
in Lowndes County, Missis-
sippi, as shown by plat thereof
recorded in Plat Book 3 Page
61 in the office of the Chan-
cery Clerk of said county (said
corner being in the centerline
of a ditch) as the POINT OF BE-
GINNING; thence North 44 de-
grees 47 minutes East along
Pham, Trustee for the use and built) (20 feet from centerline)
benefit of Mortgage Electronic for 67.8 feet; thence South 44
Registration Systems, Inc. act- degrees 56 minutes East along
ing solely as nominee for BNC
Mortgage Inc, a Delaware Cor-
poration, which deed of trust is
Ads appear in The Commercial Dispatch,
said South side of road for 57
feet; thence South 39 degrees
49 minutes West for 30 feet to
of record in the office of the
Chancery Clerk of Lowndes,
County, state of Mississippi, in
the centerline of a ditch;
thence North 59 degrees 10
minutes West along said
The Starkville Dispatch and Online
Book 2006, Page 31982; and centerline for 163 feet to the
WHEREAS, Wells Fargo Bank,
point of beginning, containing
0.2 acres, more or less, and ly-
To place ads starting at only $12,
National Association, as Trust- ing in the Northeast Quarter of
ee for Structured Asset Securit- the Southeast Quarter of Sec-
call 662-328-2424 or visit ads.cdispatch.com
ies Corporation Mortgage Pass- tion 8, Township 16 South,
Through Certificates, Series Range 17 West, Lowndes
2007-BC1, the current holder County, Mississippi. THE DISPATCH n CDISPATCH.COM n WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2020 n 7B
and/or assignee, substituted
I will convey only such title as
Trustee by instrument recor- vested in me as Substituted
ded in the Chancery Clerk’s Of- Trustee.
Legalon
Notices
November 5, 2018 in Legal Notices Transportation
Employment
Book MORT 2018, Page Jauregui & Lindsey, LLC
Substituted Trustee
WHEREAS, Default having been Jauregui & Lindsey, LLC
made in the terms and condi-
tions of said deed of trust and Suite 200
244 Inverness Center Drive
Call us: 662-328-2424
the entire debt secured thereby Birmingham, AL 35242
Education
and payable in accordance with
the terms of said deed of trust, Publication dates: April 29, Teacher looking for Change
Wells Fargo Bank, National As- 2020, May 6, 2020, May 13,
St. Paul’s Episcopal School
is actively seeking a
tured Asset Securities Corpora-
Preschool Director. College
IN THE CHANCERY COURT OF
Certificates, Series 2007-BC1, LOWNDES COUNTY, MISSIS- degree or 5 years experi-
the legal holder of said in- SIPPI ence in the field of Early
debtedness, having requested Childhood is preferred.
the undersigned Substitute WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A. Starting salary is $32,000
Trustee in said deed of trust, PLAINTIFF with paid health insurance
will on May 21, 2020 offer for and retirement package.
sale at public outcry and sell VS.
within legal hours (being EOE. Email resume:
spesms.gmail.com Inter-
between the hours of 11:00 MONICO MARTINEZ, a/k/a
a.m. and 4:00 p.m.), at the MIKE MARTINEZ, a/k/a views start immediately.
main front door of the County MONICO MIKE MARTINEZ;
Courthouse of Lowndes County EMILY KAYE COURTEAU, solely
in Columbus, Mississippi, to in her capacity as Substitute
the highest and best bidder for Trustee; DEFENDANTS
cash the following
property situated in Lowndes
described Good help isn’t
CAUSE NO.: 2020-0083
County, Mississippi, to wit: hard to find
SUMMONS BY PUBLICATION
TRACT 1: if you know
Lot Number Twenty-Two (22) of THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
Myers Estates, Lowndes where to look.
County, Mississippi, as shown
TO: Martinez a/k/a Mike Mar-
by plat recorded in Plat Book 3, tinez a/k/a Monico whose Start your
page 61, in the Chancery
Clerk`s Office, Lowndes
identity and current post office
address and street address are
search here.
County, Mississippi. unknown to the Plaintiff after
diligent search and inquiry to
SUBJECT TO those restrictive ascertain same.
covenants and conditions con-
tained in deed from Donald F. The Complaint against you, Medical / Dental
Myers and Sid Myers, Jr. to which is on file at the Lowndes
John B. Dexter and wife, Cyn- County Chancery Clerk’s office
thia L. Dexter, dated Novem- in Columbus, Mississippi, in
ber 5, 1978, filed for record the above numbered cause, is
November 14, 1978 and ap-
important and you must take
pearing of record in Book 600, immediate action to protect
page 495, of the land records your rights.
in the office of the Chancery
You are required to mail or
sissippi; and hand deliver a written re-
sponse to the Complaint filed
SUBJECT, ALSO, to the reserva- against you in this action to
tion or easements for utility Kimberly D. Putnam, Attorney
and drainage installation as set for Plaintiff, whose address
forth in said restrictive coven- 855 S. Pear Orchard Rd, Ste
404, Ridgeland, MS 39157.
corded plat.
YOUR RESPONSE MUST BE
MAILED OR DELIVERED NOT
Beginning at the Southeast LATER THAN THIRTY DAYS
corner of Lot 22 of Myers Es-
AFTER THE -22nd DAY OF
a residential community APRIL, 2020 WHICH IS THE
in Lowndes County, Missis-
DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICA-
sippi, as shown by plat thereof TION OF THIS SUMMONS. IF
recorded in Plat Book 3 Page
YOUR RESPONSE IS NOT SO
MAILED OR DELIVERED, A
cery Clerk of said county (said
JUDGMENT BY DEFAULT WILL
corner being in the centerline BE ENTERED AGAINST YOU
of a ditch) as the POINT OF BE- FOR THE MONEY OR OTHER
GINNING; thence North 44 de-
RELIEF DEMANDED IN THE
COMPLAINT.
the East side of said lot for
79.7 feet; thence South 59 de- You must also file the original
grees 38 minutes East for 34.6 of your Response with the
03 minutes East along the reasonable time afterward.
South side of a public road
known as Sanders Lane (as Issued under my hand and the
built) (20 feet from centerline)
seal of said Court, this 8th day
for 67.8 feet; thence South 44 of April, 2020.
degrees 56 minutes East along
said South side of road for 57
Cindy E. Goode
feet; thence South 39 degrees LOWNDES COUNTY
49 minutes West for 30 feet to
CHANCERY COURT CLERK
the centerline of a ditch; P.O. BOX 684
thence North 59 degrees 10
COLUMBUS, MS 39703
minutes West along said
centerline for 163 feet to the
(SEAL)
point of beginning, containing BY:Tina Fisher, D.C.
0.2 acres, more or less, and ly-
ing in the Northeast Quarter of PUBLISH: 4/22/20, 4/29/20,
the Southeast Quarter of Sec-
5/6/20
tion 8, Township 16 South,
Range 17 West, Lowndes
County, Mississippi.
I will convey only such title as
Read local.
Trustee. cdispatch.com
Jauregui & Lindsey, LLC
Substituted Trustee
Jauregui & Lindsey, LLC
244 Inverness Center Drive
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8B WEDNESDAY, April 29, 2020 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com
Medical / Dental General Merchandise

WANTED FREON R12.

We pay CA$H. ON THE WEB
R12 R500 R11.
Convenient. Visit www.cdispatch.com
Certified professionals.
312−291−9169 for a printable copy of
RefrigerantFinders.com/ad
these puzzles.
WHITE POSTER BOARD
24"x23"
$0.50 each
100 in stock
Visit 516 Main Street
or call 662−328−2424

Vehicles
Ads starting at $12
Campers & RVs

2012 JAYCO EAGLE 5th

WHEEL, 39ft, 4 slide−outs.
2BR, 48" TV & 27" TV.
$26,500. 662−386−9605.

Motorcycles & ATVs

1993 KAWASAKI

Sudoku YESTERDAY’S ANSWER

VOYAGER XII Only 25,500
miles. Runs & looks good.
No problems. $3000 OBO.
Can be seen local.
501−545−7750. Sudoku
Sudoku is a number-
placing puzzle based on
Yesterday’s answer
Sudoku
a 9x9 gridis witha several
num- 2 6 1 5 8 9 3 7 4
Houses For Sale: Other
ber-placing
given numbers.puzzleThe object 4 9 7 3 1 6 2 5 8
Rentals Community

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

based onthe
is to place a 9x9
numbers 3 8 5 4 7 2 6 9 1
grid
1 to 9with
in theseveral
empty spaces 7 4 3 2 9 8 1 6 5
Ads starting at $25 Ads starting at $12 given
so thatnumbers.
each row, each The 1 2 8 7 6 5 4 3 9
object
column and each 3x3 the
is to place box
numbers 6 5 9 1 4 3 8 2 7
Apts For Rent: West Travel & Entertainment contains the1same to 9 number
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8 3 6 9 5 4 7 1 2
the empty spaces so
only once. The difficulty 9 1 2 8 3 7 5 4 6
VIP
that each row, each
PUBLIC CATFISH POND level increases from
@ 130 Hillcrest Drive. column and each 5 7 4 6 2 1 9 8 3
Mondayboxtocontains
Sunday.
Rentals
Open Tues−Sat, 7a−5p 3x3 Difficulty Level 4/28

Appointment Only, call the same number only once. The difficulty level
Apartments & Houses
662−386−8591
increases from Monday to Sunday.

1 Bedrooms
2 Bedroooms Need a new
3 Bedrooms companion?
Furnished & Unfurnished
1, 2, & 3 Baths
Lease, Deposit
& Credit Check
viceinvestments.com
327-8555
Apts For Rent: Caledonia

2 BR, 1 BA w/ W/D
connections. Application
Fee, Background and Credit
Checks required. $500.00

When looking
662−436−2255
Apts For Rent: Other

1ST MONTH − RENT FREE!

1−2 BR Apt: $350−435
for a new pet,
adoption is
1−2BR TwnHm: $625−650
Lease, Dep, Credit Check.
Coleman Realty

always a
662−329−2323
Houses For Rent: North

NORTH COLUMBUS
54 Carolina Dr.
Real Estate good option.
3BR/2BA, nice yard, quiet
neighborhood. Caledonia Ads starting at $25
schools. $1,000/mo.
Deposit required. Houses For Sale: East
529 Justin Circle 2BR/1BA @ 1521
3BR/2BA, large corner lot, Shepherd Rd.
huge shop. Caledonia Sold as is, needs work.
Did you
?
Schools. $1,200/mo. Serious inquiries only,
Deposit required. 769−274−4110. know
662−356−4764
Leave message. Houses For Sale: New Hope

Mobile Homes for Rent 16 WIDNER IN NEW HOPE

4BR/2BA MH w/ private
setting & 1.5 acres in
Caledonia. Covered back
porch. No pets, no smok−
ing. Call 662−352−3205,
COLEMAN leave msg if no answer.
RENTALS
RENT A CAMPER!
TOWNHOUSES & APARTMENTS
CHEAPER THAN A MOTEL!
1 BEDROOM Utilities & cable included,
2 BEDROOMS
from $145/wk − $535/mo
Columbus & County School
3 BEDROOMS locations. 662−242−7653
or 205−442−2011.
LEASE,
© The Dispatch
Newly remodeled. 3BR/
2BA home. Approx. 1,500
sq. ft. Has 25’x30’ wired In 2015 The Dispatch won the ACROSS
metal shop w/ roll−up front Daniel E. Phillips Freedom of 1 Gung-ho
& side door. $154,500.
662−549−9298. Information Award for our 5 Knight’s atten-
investigative journalism. dant
Lots & Acreage 11 TV’s warrior
princess
Five Questions: 12 Activate
1.75 ACRE LOTS.
Good/Bad Credit Options.
Good credit as low as 10%
13 Highlands girl
down, $299/mo. Eaton 14 Put on the line
1 Boxing
Land, 662−361−7711. 15 Yale student
16 Casserole
staple

Merchandise
DEPOSIT 17 Because of
AND
RV/MOBILE HOME SITE
East or West Columbus or 2 The 19 Little rascal
CREDIT CHECK near CAFB, Caledonia
schools. 601−940−1397. Ads starting at $12 Appalachian 22 Baseball’s
Pee Wee
662-329-2323 Office Spaces For Rent Farm Equipment & Supplies
Trial 24 Dogpatch boy
26 Lotion additive
27 Land in the ’60s dangerous
2411 HWY 45 N OFFICE SPACE FOR
3 “2001:
JOHN DEERE MODEL M
LEASE. 1112 Main St., TRACTOR. A set of one row sea 20 Dissolve
COLUMBUS, MS Ste. 5. 3700 sq. ft. cultivators w/ hydraulic lift, 28 Compete with DOWN 21 Veep’s boss
Commercial Property For Rent
Plenty of private parking.
662−327−9559.
has been repainted, looks A Space a lance 1 Wheel con- 22 Indian prince
good & runs good, $3500. 30 Sudden all- nector 23 Musk of Tesla
FOR RENT LOCATED NEAR
Call 662−436−2037.
Odyssey” out attack 2 Schnitzel base 25 Potential law
DOWNTOWN. 3,000 sq. ft. 31 Little laborer 3 Wrong way to 29 Money-saving
truck terminal, 9,500 sq. General Merchandise
32 Brandish wear a shirt offer
4 SpaghettiOs
ft. shop & 3,200 sq. ft.
office/shop. Buildings can 2018 40FT Gooseneck 34 Musical 4 German article 30 Implore
be rented together or Trailer w/ 5ft dovetail, 12 number 5 Walk with pride 33 Unmoving
separately. All w/ excellent
Looking for a new home? ton axles, 10−4inch straps 35 Here, to Henri 6 High-protein 34 Long account
5 Paul Giamatti
access & Hwy. 82 visibility. & tarps. $8,500. 662−251
662−327−9559. Let us help, shop here. −3001. 38 Dangerous grain 36 Scout’s base
41 Varnish layer 7 — Major 37 Tiny
42 Paltry 8 Quill need 38 Strike caller

Service Directory
43 Runs 9 Fish eggs 39 “The Matrix”
smoothly 10 Stop hero
44 Warhol’s forte 16 Kicker’s aid 40 Maple fluid
45 Secret agent 18 Calls on 41 Greek X
TV show of the 19 Sneakily
Promote your small business starting at only $25
Carpet & Flooring General Services General Services Lawn Care / Landscaping

A & T TREE SERVICES HILL’S PRESSURE JESSE & BEVERLY’S

Bucket truck & stump WASHING. Commercial/ LAWN SERVICE
removal. Free est. Residential. House, Mowing, cleanup,
Serving Columbus concrete, sidewalks & landscaping, sodding,
since 1987. Senior mobile washing. Free est. & tree cutting.
citizen disc. Call Alvin @ 662−386−8925. 662−356−6525
242−0324/241−4447

ANNIVERSARY?
"We’ll go out on a limb for SAM’S LAWN SERVICE
you!" No lawn too large or too
small. Mowing, trimming &
RKERS CALL US!
PA
DAVID’S CARPET & DUMP TRUCK HAULING. weedeating.
ON

UPHOLSTERY Slag − $400 Call 662−243−1694

J.

CLEANING AND Clay Gravel − $250

DISINFECTING 1 Room Driveway & Trailer Park 100 Russell St. Painting & Papering
E
W ELER
J

− $50 Grating. Columbus. Call Starkville, MS

2 Rooms − $70 Walter, 662−251−8664.
3+ Rooms − $30 EA
Rugs−Must Be Seen
Car Upholstery
WORK WANTED:
Cleaning Available
Licensed & Bonded.
Carpentry, minor electrical,
662−722−1758 minor plumbing, insulation,
painting, demolition,
gutters cleaned, pressure
Are you a painter? washing, landscaping,
Advertise here! cleanup work, moving help.
662−242−3608.
662-268-8058 SULLIVAN’S PAINT
SERVICE
Special Prices.
CHAPTER 7 BANKRUPTCY Interior & Exterior Painting
$545 plus Filing Fee 662−435−6528
CHAPTER 13 BANKRUPTCY
All Attorney Fees Through The Plan
Jim Arnold, Attorney Got leaky pipes? Find a
662-324-1666 • 601-656-6914 plumber in the classifieds.
104 South Lafayette Street, Starkville