Established 1879 | Columbus, Mississippi
CDISPATCH.COM
Columbus
police plan
data-gathering
strategy to get
at causes of
crime in city
Plan the first goal
of mayor’s community
crime prevention
task force
BY ISABELLE ALTMAN
ialtman@cdispatch.com
The first goal of
Columbus’ Commu-
nity Crime Preven-
tion Task Force is to
identify underlying
causes of crime in
the city so task force
members can brain-
storm ways to ad- Shelton
dress those causes.
Columbus Police
Chief Fred Shelton,
who was named vice
chairman of the task
force at its first meet-
ing Thursday, said he
plans to implement a
survey for arrestees Smith
to voluntarily fill out
that will look at their background
and determine similarities and po-
tential causes of criminal behavior,
specifically in Columbus.
“Some people say crime is due
to drug use, some say crime is due
to poverty,” Shelton said. “What
specifically is driving the crime in
Columbus? That’s what we want
to identify. Then once we identify
it, we want to come up with some
practical ways to solve it.”
Identifying and addressing the
causes of crime — from poverty to
drug and alcohol abuse to domes-
tic violence — was one goal Mayor
Robert Smith said he had in mind
when he announced the formation
of the task force earlier this month
following a slew of high-profile
shootings in the city in December.
Violent crime was down both
locally and nationwide for the past
several years before it increased
sharply during the COVID-19 pan-
demic in 2020, with national media
outlets reporting the homicide rate
was up by more than 30 percent in
some major US cities.
Shelton and Smith both said
Thursday’s meeting served as an
introduction to name officers and
brainstorm initial ideas, while
members will suggest more practi-
See TASK FORCE, 3A
More than 100,000 have had 1st vaccine dose in Mississippi
‘We’re not where we need to be and we’ve got a long way to go’
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
JACKSON — More than
100,000 people in Mississippi
have received their first dose of
the coronavirus vaccine, and of-
ficials are taking further steps
to administer the state’s supply
of shots more efficiently, Gov.
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Tuesday | January 19, 2021
MLK JR. DAY CELEBRATIONS
MLK Day keynote speaker asks
audience to ‘give Mississippi a chance’
Slim Smith/Dispatch Staff
Tasha Beckum, a Starkville Strong volunteer, and Santee Ezell, a Black Girls Rock volunteer, prepare food packag-
es for distribution Monday at the J.L. King Center in Starkville. Volunteers gave out 100 hot meals and 100 food
boxes as part of a Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service event.
Anderson recounts lifetime of becoming “I spent the first five years of
my legal career as a lawyer for the
first Black justice in state supreme court, NAACP Legal Defense Fund,” An-
derson said. “Dr. King was an inspi-
involvement in civil rights movement ration to me and the leader of the
civil rights movement for a couple of
BY SLIM SMITH In Starkville, Anderson provided the generations. He was a unique man in
ssmith@cdispatch.com highlight of the holiday during Mis- so many ways.”
sissippi State University’s 27th annu- Drawing on King’s inspiration,
Five years before al MLK Jr. Day celebration, deliver- Anderson’s career continued with
he became the first ing a short message broadcast on the a series of “firsts’’ — first Black
Black student to earn university’s web-based TV channel. municipal judge in 1976, first Black
a law degree from Ole “When (university) President county judge in 1977, first Black cir-
Miss, 23 years before (Mark) Keenum asked me to make cuit court judge in 1981.
he became the first some remarks about Dr. King, I In 1985, Gov. Bill Allain appoint-
Black justice on the couldn’t turn him down,” Anderson ed Anderson as the state’s first Black
Mississippi Supreme said. “Dr. King played an import- supreme court justice, a position he
Anderson
Court and 58 years be- ant role in my life. I first heard him held until 1990.
fore he would lead a commission to speak when I was a student at Touga- But during Monday’s speech, it
select a new state flag for the state, loo College in 1962. I knew even then was another milestone Anderson
Reuben Anderson was just another that I wanted to be a part of the civil seemed most proud of.
19-year-old undergraduate at Touga- rights movement.” “I know 2020 was a difficult and
loo College. When Anderson earned his law challenging year for all of us,” he
Despite the scaling back of some degree in 1967, he became just one said. “We’ve lost over 5,000 people in
celebrations due to the COVID-19 of six Black attorneys to practice law Mississippi to COVID-19 and it will
pandemic, volunteers throughout in the state, carrying a law diploma probably get more difficult.
the Golden Triangle commemorated to court with him at a time when “But something happened in 2020
Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a many judges would not permit Black that was enormous and will impact
day of community service Monday. lawyers in the courtroom. See MLK DAY, 6A
The state’s
website for mak-
working to free up more shots
for the general population aged
Gov. Tate Reeves
ing vaccine ap- 65 and older by getting several
Tate Reeves said Monday. coming weeks and months.” pointments has thousand doses from nursing
“There is no higher priority Inoculation rates in Missis- been upgraded to homes that received more than
and we’re acting accordingly,” sippi have lagged far behind handle increased they need, Reeves said. If in-
Reeves told a news conference. most of the U.S., according to traffic, and more dividual providers don’t use at
“We’re not where we need to be the federal Centers for Dis- people are an- Reeves least 65 percent of their weekly
and we’ve got a long way to go. ease Control and Prevention. swering calls dose allocation, their share of
With 100,000 Mississippians But Reeves insisted Monday from those booking by phone, the following week’s supply will
vaccinated, we’ve got hundreds that health officials are making he said. go to others in the state.
of thousands more to do in the changes to speed things along. Meanwhile, state officials are See VACCINE, 3A
FIVE QUESTIONS LOCAL FOLKS PUBLIC
1 What Michigan city declared MEETINGS
a state of emergency over its Today: Starkville
tainted water supply in 2015? Board of Alder-
2 GQ called a 1976 poster of men meeting,
whom “the most influential
5:30 p.m., City
piece of men’s art of the last 50
years”? Hall
Jan. 29:
3 What color is the center circle
in the iconic logo of Google Starkville Board
Chrome, the free Web browser of Aldermen work
released in 2008? session, 10 a.m.,
4 Where would you wear an as-
City Hall
cot — on your head, around your
waist or around your neck?
5 What region of France was
given World Heritage Status in
2015 for its development of a
namesake beverage?
Answers, 6B
Deneen Archibald enjoys inspiring people
and works at McKellar Technology Center.
DISPATCH CUSTOMER SERVICE 328-2424 | NEWSROOM 328-2471
2A TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com

Biden, Harris take break from

inaugural prep to mark MLK day
Inaugural rehearsals
Jackson State band to perform in inauguration event
briefly paused after a THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

fire broke out at nearby
homeless encampment
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
PHIL A DELPHI A
— President-elect Joe
Biden and Vice Pres-
ident-elect Kamala
Harris pitched in on
Martin Luther King
Jr. Day service proj-
ects as a militarized
and jittery Washing- Biden
ton prepared for a
swearing-in that will
play out under ex-
traordinary security.
Biden and his wife,
Jill, joined an assem-
bly line in the parking
lot of Philabundance,
an organization that Harris
distributes food to
people in need, and helped fill about
150 boxes with fresh fruit and non-
perishables.
As Biden and Harris took breaks
from their inaugural preparations
to honor the civil rights hero Mon-
day, outgoing President Donald
Trump remained out of public view
at the White House for the sixth
straight day. In past years, Trump
has marked the holiday with unan-
nounced visits to the King memori-
al in Washington.
Such a visit would have been
complicated because Washing-
ton has become a fortress city of
roadblocks and barricades before
Wednesday’s inauguration, as secu-
rity officials work to avoid more vi-
olence following the Jan. 6 riot by a
JACKSON — A Mississippi college marching band is set to partici-
pate in an official event celebrating diversity ahead of the inauguration
ceremony of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala
Harris.
Jackson State University’s Sonic Boom of the South will be a featured
band in the “We Are One” virtual event Tuesday, the historically Black
college said in a statement Monday. The show is one of several such
official inaugural events marking Biden and Harris’ swearing-in the fol-
lowing day.
Harris and other Black leaders are also expected to speak during the
livestreamed show, which the school said will “honor the Black commu-
nity and African Diaspora through powerful speakers, inspiring stories
and musical entertainment.”
“Being invited to participate in the virtual inauguration activities for
President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is one
of the most prestigious honors bestowed upon our program,” said Jack-
son State band director Roderick Little. “This is a historical mark in the
history of civilization, and our students get to partake in this event and
be immortalized in the storybook of this great nation.”
pro-Trump mob at the U.S. Capitol. my shoulders back,” Harris told re-
In a measure of how nervous the porters after volunteering at a food
capital city has become, U.S. Capi- bank.
tol Police on Monday briefly locked Still, Washington residents were
down the Capitol complex and on high alert and much of the city
paused inaugural rehearsals after felt desolate, with large swaths of
fire broke out at a nearby homeless the area around the Capitol, White
encampment. House and National Mall sealed off
Biden transition officials, includ- from all but authorized personnel.
ing incoming Homeland Security Katie Henke, 40, a southwest
adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall and D.C. resident, said the city felt on
the deputy attorney general nom- edge. She’s concerned enough that
inee, Lisa Monaco, held a video- she packed a “go-bag” with clothes
conference with acting heads and and other personal items in case
career staff from national security she feels she must flee her neigh-
agencies to discuss the security borhood.
situation surrounding Inauguration “This is legitimately scary,” she
Day. said. “Between the pandemic and
Harris played down any person- Trump, I feel like our country is at
al security concerns, saying she’s a weak and vulnerable point. And
“very much looking forward to be- we know there are forces inside and
ing sworn in.” outside the country that see that
“I will walk there, to that mo- vulnerability as an opportunity to
ment, proudly with my head up and do something.”

Biden to propose 8-year citizenship path for immigrants

An estimated 11 million people live
in the U.S. without legal status
BY LISA MASCARO
AND BILL BARROW
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — quicker. So-called Dream-
President-elect Joe Biden
plans to unveil a sweeping
immigration bill on Day
One of his administra-
tion, hoping to provide
an eight-year path to citi-
zenship for an estimated
11 million people living
in the U.S. without legal
status, a massive reversal
from the Trump adminis-
tration’s harsh immigra-
tion policies.
The legislation puts
Biden on track to deliv-
er on a major campaign
promise important to
Latino voters and other
immigrant communities
after four years of Pres-
ident Donald Trump’s
restrictive policies and
mass deportations. It pro-
vides one of the fastest
pathways to citizenship
for those living without le-
gal status of any measure
in recent years, but it fails
to include the tradition-
al trade-off of enhanced
border security favored
by many Republicans,
putting passage in a nar-
rowly divided Congress in
doubt.
Expected to run hun-
dreds of pages, the bill is
set to be introduced after
Biden takes the oath of of-
fice Wednesday, accord-
ing to a person familiar
with the legislation and
granted anonymity to dis-
cuss it.
As a candidate, Biden
called Trump’s actions on
immigration an “unrelent-
ing assault” on American
values and said he would
“undo the damage” while
continuing to maintain
border enforcement.
Under the legislation,
those living in the U.S.
as of Jan. 1, 2021, without
legal status would have
a five-year path to tem-
porary legal status, or a
green card, if they pass
background checks, pay
taxes and fulfill other ba-
sic requirements. From
and provides grants for
workforce development
there, it’s a three-year
path to naturalization, if
and English language
learning.
they decide to pursue cit-
izenship.
For some immigrants,
the process would be
ers, the young people who
arrived in the U.S. illegal-
ly as children, as well as
agricultural workers and
people under temporary
protective status could
qualify more immediately
for green cards if they are
working, are in school or
meet other requirements.
The bill is not as com-
prehensive as the last ma-
jor immigration overhaul
proposed when Biden was
vice president during the
Obama administration.
For example, it does
not include a robust bor-
der security element, but
rather calls for coming up
with strategies. Nor does
it create any new guest
worker or other visa pro-
grams.
It does address some of
the root causes of migra-
tion from Central Amer-
ica to the United States,

Canada urges Biden not to cancel oil pipeline

Keystone XL pipeline would carry
roughly 800,000 barrels of oil a day
from Alberta to the Texas Gulf Coast
BY ROB GILLIES
The Associated Press
TORONTO — Top of-
ficials in Canada want a
chance to make the case
for a long disputed oil
pipeline to be built amid
reports President-elect Joe
Biden will cancel Keystone
XL.
Alberta Premier Jason
Kenney said Monday he
will seek legal damages if
reports are true that Biden
plans to scrap the pipeline
on his first day upon tak-
ing office. Biden’s plan is
outlined in transition doc-
uments seen by Canadian
media outlets.
“We hope Presi-
dent-elect Biden will show
respect for Canada and will
sit down and at the very
least talk to us,” Kenney
said.
Biden spokesman An-
drew Bates said Monday
the transition team had no
comment on the pipeline.
A person familiar with the
pipeline matter said Mon-
day that the document
cited by Canadian news
media was a draft slide
that was a few weeks old.
Despite the timing sug-
gested in the draft slide,
everything on it “may not
happen on day one,” the
person said, speaking on
condition of anonymity
because they were not au-
thorized to speak on the
record on the matter.
The 1,700-mile pipe-
line would carry roughly
800,000 barrels of oil a
day from Alberta to the
Texas Gulf Coast, passing
through Montana, South
Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas
and Oklahoma.
First proposed in 2008,
the pipeline has become
emblematic of the ten-
sions between economic
development and curbing
the fossil fuel emissions
that are causing climate
change. The Obama ad-
ministration rejected it, but
President Donald Trump
revived it and has been
a strong supporter. Con-
struction already started.
Canadian Prime Minis-
ter Justin Trudeau raised
Keystone XL as a top pri-
ority when he spoke with
President-elect Biden in a
phone call in November.
The project is meant to
expand critical oil exports
for Canada, which has the
third-largest oil reserves in
the world.
 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021 3A

Coronavirus deaths rising in 30 US states amid winter surge

U.S. death toll surpassed 398,000, by far the
highest recorded death toll of any country
BY DAVID CRARY
AP National Writer
NEW YORK — Coronavirus
deaths are rising in nearly two-
thirds of American states as a
winter surge pushes the overall
toll toward 400,000 amid warn-
ings that a new, highly conta-
gious variant is taking hold.
As Americans observed a
national holiday Monday, New
York Gov. Andrew Cuomo
pleaded with federal authorities
to curtail travel from countries
where new variants are spread-
ing.
Referring to new versions
detected in Britain, South Af-
rica and Brazil, Cuomo said:
“Stop those people from coming
here.... Why are you allowing
people to fly into this country
and then it’s too late?”
The U.S. government has al-
ready curbed travel from some
of the places where the new
variants are spreading — such
as Britain and Brazil — and
recently it announced that it
would require proof of a nega-
tive COVID-19 test for anyone
flying into the country.
But the new variant seen in
Britain is already spreading in
the U.S., and the Centers for
Disease Control and Protection
has warned that it will probably
become the dominant version
in the country by March. The
CDC said the variant is about 50
percent more contagious than
the virus that is causing the
bulk of cases in the U.S.
While the variant does not
cause more severe illness, it
can cause more hospitalizations
and deaths simply because it
spreads more easily. In Britain,
it has aggravated a severe out-
break that has swamped hos-
pitals, and it has been blamed
for sharp leaps in cases in some
other European countries.
As things stand, many U.S.
states are already under tre-
mendous strain. The seven-day
rolling average of daily deaths
is rising in 30 states and the
District of Columbia, and on
Monday the U.S. death toll sur-
passed 398,000, according to
data collected by Johns Hopkins
University — by far the highest
recorded death toll of any coun-
try in the world.
Ellie Murray, an assistant
professor of epidemiology at
the Boston University School of
Public Health, said cases have
proliferated in part because of
gatherings for Christmas and
New Year — and compounded
previous surges from Thanks-
giving and the return of stu-
dents to schools and universi-
ties in the fall.
The pace of any further
spread will depend on whether
those who did gather with fam-
ily and friends quarantined af-
terward or went back to school
or work in person, she said.
One of the states hardest
hit during the recent surge is
Arizona, where the rolling aver-
age has risen over the past two
weeks from about 90 deaths per
day to about 160 per day on Jan.
17.
“It’s kind of hard to imagine
it getting a lot faster than it is
right now, because it is trans-
mitting really fast right now,”
said Dr. Joshua LaBaer, direc-
tor of the Biodesign Institute re-
search center at Arizona State
University. “But there is some
evidence that Thanksgiving
didn’t help things.”

Task force
Continued from Page 1A
cal goals at the next meet-
ing.
“We just wanted to es-
tablish some guidelines
on what we’re trying to
do,” Shelton said.
Smith said the issues
members discussed
ranged from education
and job opportunities for
incarcerated people to
the prevalence of drugs
in the community.
While it’s universally
understood that those
factors contribute to
crime in various ways
nationwide, Shelton said
he wanted to use surveys
and other data-gathering
methods to figure out
which of those specifi-
cally pertains to people
in Columbus. He said
he and Chairman Leroy
Brooks, who also serves
as District 5 supervisor
for the Lowndes County
Board of Supervisors,
plan to come up with a list
of survey questions with
help from board mem-
bers. Then his officers
will use those surveys
to learn more about the
city residents involved in
crime.
“We’re going to in-
terview people,” Shelton
said. “Some statistical
information we get when
they go to jail. We find out
what’s the highest grade
they’ve completed, have
they ever been on drugs,
stuff like that. We’re go-
ing to go deeper with an
assessment of that per-
son. What’s driving them
to commit the crime and
do what they do?”
Make-up of the
task force
The task force commit-
tee — which Smith esti-
mated will end up having
20-25 members — will
meet once per month, but
will also be broken into
subcommittees which will
each address issues like
youth development, edu-
cation and community in-
volvement, neighborhood
enhancement revitaliza-
tion, community policing
and crime. Subcommit-
tees will meet as needed,
and members can choose
which subcommittee to
serve on.
As chair, Brooks said
he wants the subcom-
mittees to come up with
both short term and long
term goals addressing is-
sues like cleaning up city
streets, addressing dilapi-
dated buildings and hous-
es and coordinating volun-
teer efforts, as well as law
enforcement issues.
“There were some
good comments that peo-
ple had in terms of their
thinking to what needs to
happen,” he said. “Howev-
er, my recommendation
was that we form some
committees with specific
goals in mind. At some
point, you’re going to have
to transform the conver-
sation into some kind of
public policy.”
The task force mem-
bers included local law
enforcement officials,
including Lowndes Coun-
ty Sheriff Eddie Haw-
kins, narcotics task force
CONCERNED CITIZENS CRIME
PREVENTION TASK FORCE
■ Priscilla White
■ Stephen Harrison
■ Scott Colom, District
Attorney
■ Leroy Brooks, Supervisor-
District 5
■ Dennis Erby, Former US
Marshall
■ Captain Brian Turner,
Columbus-Lowndes Joint
Drug Task Force
■ Sheriff Eddie Hawkins,
Lowndes County Sheriff’s
Department
■ Chief Fred Shelton,
Columbus Police Department
■ Captain Rick Jones, CPD
Criminal Investigations
Division
■ Attorney Nicole Clinkscales
■ Angela Jones
■ Meisha Miller
■ George Lowe
commander Capt. Brian
Turner, CPD Criminal In-
vestigation Division head
Capt. Rick Jones, and rep-
resentatives from Missis-
sippi Department of Cor-
rections and the District
Attorney’s Office, most of
whom spoke, Smith said.
“I thought it was a
real productive meeting,”
Smith said. “The law en-
forcement people shared
some good ideas … as to
what the city and county
and other law enforce-
ment agencies could do to
work together to decrease
crime in the city of Co-
lumbus, even though we
know it’s not going to hap-
pen overnight. But ... the
different classes of law en-
forcement all working to-
gether can’t do anything
drug rehabilitation, then
he wants to be involved in
helping find grants or oth-
er ways to establish hous-
■ Councilman Bill Gavin,
ing and drug programs.
Ward 6
■ Jason Spears, Columbus If law enforcement finds
the primary problem is
Municipal School District
Trustee education opportunities,
■ Dr. Cherie Labat,
Brooks Spears
he wants CMSD to be in-
Superintendent, Columbus of ways he could address volved in providing work-
Municipal School District concerns they raised. force training through
■ Billy Wayne White
“From the business its partnership with East
■ Councilman Stephen
side, what I tried to lis- Mississippi Community
Jones, Ward 5
ten for was what exactly College.
■ Nathan Blevins, Deputy
can be done, as a busi- He said he thought the
Commissioner of Community
Corrections ness owner myself,” he task force is a good first
said. “What are some of step in coming up with
■ Tereda Hairston,
Mississippi Dept. of the things that those in- concrete solutions to prob-
Corrections dividuals are seeing from lems in the community.
■ Debra Taylor, Executive MDOC or the sheriff’s Shelton agreed.
Director, Columbus Housing office or the police depart- “If we want to solve the
Authority
ment?” issues of Columbus then
■ Greg Lewis, Director,
For example, he said, we have to involve the
Columbus Recreation
if what they’re seeing is stakeholders, and (those
Department
that people coming out of are) the citizens of Colum-
prison need housing or bus,” he said.
but help decrease crime
here in the city.”
Other task force mem-
bers represented the ed-
ucation community, the
business community and
citizens living in the area.
Brooks said he also wants
to reach out to members
of the parks and recre-
ation and building code
departments.
Jason Spears, who as
president of Columbus
Municipal School Dis-
trict’s Board of Trustees
and president and chief
investment officer of JDS
Wealth Strategies rep-
resents both the business
and education communi-
ties on the task force, said
he was there to hear what
law enforcement officers
said and to start to think

Vaccine
Continued from Page 1A
Reeves said he’s will-
ing to reallocate vaccine
supplies “as long as shots
get in arms of Mississip-
pians who want it and
who need it.”
The pharmacy chains
tasked with vaccinat-
ing nursing home resi-
dents and employees say
they’re on track to finish
by the end of January, the
governor said. After that
he wants to expand eligi-
bility to first responders
and teachers.
Meanwhile, more
people will need appoint-
ments to receive their
second of two vaccine
doses. The State Depart-
ment of Public Health
reported Monday that
more than 9,700 people in
Mississippi have already
received both shots.
The number who have
received just their first
dose as of Monday had
topped 105,000.
State health officials
reported Monday that
Mississippi had 1,457
new confirmed cases of
the virus as of Sunday wearing masks, avoid-
evening. The depart- ing large gatherings and
ment reported just three maintaining distance
deaths over the weekend. from others.
The state has reported
nearly 254,000 cases of
the virus and 5,524 relat-
ed deaths since the pan-
demic began.
Dr. Paul Byers of the
Mississippi State De-
partment of Health said
there’s hope new infec-
tions may be starting
to decline after a surge
over the holidays. But he
urged people to continue

SOLUNAR TABLE
The solunar period indicates
peak-feeding times for fish and game.
Tues. Wed.
Major 6:06a 6:46a
Minor 12:37p 1:05p
Major 6:26p 6:46a
Minor 12:26a 1:20a
Courtesy of Mississippi Department
of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks

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Opinion
4A TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021
PETER BIRNEY IMES Editor/Publisher
BIRNEY IMES III Editor/Publisher 1998-2018
BIRNEY IMES JR. Editor/Publisher 1947-2003

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

ZACK PLAIR, Managing Editor

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

OUR VIEW

More relics of a regrettable era

M
ississippi, along with
six other states, will
recognize April as
Confederate Heritage Month.
On April 26, Mississippi will
join four other states in obser-
vation of a state holiday known
as Confederate Memorial Day.
We also note that Mississip-
pi observes Robert E. Lee Day
as a state holiday on the same
day as Martin Luther King
Day, as odd and inappropriate
coupling as you are ever likely
to encounter.
Robert E. Lee Day and Con-
federate Memorial Day were
established by the Legislature,
while Confederate Heritage
Month is made each year by a
proclamation of the Governor.
We are hard-pressed to
understand the value of any
of them, but we do not doubt
the damage each does to the
reputation of our state.
Lee’s connection to the
state is tenuous if not outright
non-existent. We cannot think
of any contribution he made to
the people of Mississippi that
should warrant a state holiday
in his name.
Likewise, Confederate Heri-
tage Day is a relic of a regretta-
ble era, celebrating Mississippi
at its absolute worst. Gov. Tate
Reeves, like his predecessors,
says in the annual proclama-
tion that Confederate Heritage
Month is time to reflect on
our Confederate Heritage. We
wonder, though, what Confed-
erate heritage almost four-
in-10 Mississippians, the black
population, have to reflect on.
It’s embarrassing. Gov.
Reeves knows that. It’s no
accident that of all the state
proclamations he has issued,
Confederate Heritage Month
is the only one that isn’t posted
on the Governor’s official web-
site and is not announced by
a press release. He does it in
secret because he’s ashamed
to do it in public.
As for the Robert E. Lee
and Confederate Memorial
Day observations, the Legis-
lature could end both at any
time.
But it hasn’t. The reason
given most often is that leg-
islators fear the wrath of the
voters. Voters may not be as
backward in their thinking as
legislators assume them to be.
In November, Mississippians
approved a new state flag by
a 3-to-1 margin, replacing
the Jim Crow-era flag and its
prominent Confederate im-
agery. It was a clear message
that most Mississippians want
to look forward, not back.
And what of Confederate
Memorial Day? We already
have a memorial day set aside
for fallen soldiers and see no
reason why our Confederate
dead are entitled to special
distinction above every other
conflict in which our sons and
daughters have participated.
It’s time to leave behind this
glorification of the Confedera-
cy, once and for all. The Legis-
lature and the Governor could
achieve this before spring.

VOICE OF THE PEOPLE

Commends local
vaccination process
I wanted to commend the Mis-
sissippi State Department of Health
and the Lowndes County branch
of same, along with the Fairview
Baptist Church, for their combined
efforts in organizing an extraordi-
narily efficient vaccination opera-
tion. I was fortunate enough to be
able to make an appointment for
Monday. What I encountered when
I got there was a very well-orga-
nized and tightly run operation in
which I arrived at 3:35 for a 3:40
appointment and was checked in,
vaccinated, completed the 15-min-
ute post-vaccination waiting period,
and was driving away at 4:03. I
want to also thank the many pleas-
ant and helpful members of the
Mississippi National Guard present
to make this system work so well.
It really could not have been any
easier short of sending a limo to
fetch me at home. My hat is off to
all involved! Mission accomplished
and job extremely well done!
I hope as many people as possi-
ble will take advantage of this great
opportunity to help our city and the
local economy. But I’ll keep wear-
ing my mask as long as necessary.
Paul Mack
Columbus

Believes free speech comes

with responsibility
In response to letter-writer
Annette Holland, who states that a
doctor in Starkville was brought to
light about his tweets pertaining to
the Capitol riots: Never mind the
doctor; it was Trump who commit-
ted the most dangerous crime ever
by a President, when he tweeted
and spoke directly to his support-
ers to fight like hell over a lie that
the election was stolen from him,
which may lead to criminal charges
being filed against him.
The way I see it, free speech
is free speech as long as it is the
truth. We shouldn’t have any prob-
lems with telling the truth.
But promoting conspiracies and
disinformation and lying is exact-
ly what social media is shutting
down and rightfully so. Trump was
complaining that the media was
not being fair to the conservatives,
because they deleted more of their
accounts, including his. That’s
because they were guilty of more of
the above.
With the Washington Post
saying Trump has lied over 29,000
times during his presidency, it
should be hard for him to complain.
Twitter said within two days
after the riots, they closed 70,000
QAnon accounts alone.
Holland also asks the question:
Is Hitler our leader now?
Trump’s first wife, Ivana, during
their divorce, told her lawyer that
her husband kept a book of Hitler’s
speeches in a bookcase by his bed,
and occasionally, he would read
them.
You be the judge.
James Hodges
Steens
A letter to the editor is an excellent
way to participate in your communi-
ty. We request the tone of your letters
be constructive and respectful and
the length be limited to 450 words.
We reserve the right to edit letters for
clarity, grammar and length. Letters
may be emailed to voice@cdispatch.
com or mailed to The Dispatch, Attn:
Letters to the Editor, PO Box 511,
Columbus, MS 39703-0511.
THE NATION
Now, the left owns it all
T
hat mob that split
off from the Donald
Trump rally of Jan.
6 to invade the Capitol has
proven a godsend to the left.
The death of a Capitol
cop has enabled the left —
which spent the summer
after George Floyd’s death
trashing “racist cops” and
shouting, “Defund the
Police!” — to posture as
fighting allies of the men in Patrick Buchanan
blue.
Liberals who implored
us to understand the grievances of
the rioters, looters and arsonists last
summer have become sudden converts
to the church of law and order.
Elites who had condoned the
smashing of statues and monuments to
Columbus, Washington, Jefferson and
Jackson as a needed cleansing of our
hateful history have declared them-
selves sickened that Trumpists would
desecrate the temple of democracy.
Had it been antifa or BLM that
carried out the invasion, not one
statue would have been left standing in
Statuary Hall, and we would have been
instructed that it was slaves who had,
after all, built the Capitol building.
The media is airing endless footage
of the mob marauding inside the Cap-
itol. Purpose: to plant indelibly in the
public mind the fiction that this was the House and national power and responsi-
deliberate work of Donald Trump and
his people, and our elites are the real
adversaries of violent protest.
Indeed, to protect the nation from
rightist uprisings in state capitals, this
weekend saw the widespread deploy-
ment of the National Guard.
Sunday was to be the day the
murderous violence of the right would
manifest itself.
What happened? As The Washington Democrats.
Post reported Monday:
“Authorities in cities from coast to
coast mobilized a military-style defense “deep state” that bedeviled Trump for
of state capitol complexes on Sunday,
rolling out Humvees, concertina wire
and thousands of National
Guard troops clad in bat-
tlefield helmets to defend
against a possible onslaught
of rioters whipped up by the
baseless claims of the Amer-
ican president.
“The assault never came.
Despite warnings from
the FBI and boasts from
armed, far-right extremist
groups, security forces in
every instance outnumbered
scattered groups of demon-
strators, and there were no
reports of violence.”
In anticipation of Wednesday’s
inauguration, 25,000 National Guard
have been deployed in and around D.C.
to defend against right-wing mobs
or would-be assassins. Three or four
times as many troops are here in D.C.
as there are U.S. troops in Afghanistan,
Iraq and Syria combined.
Now, an ounce of prevention is
worth a pound of cure. And better too
much security than not enough. But
even given the Jan. 6 outrage, to arm
our capital city as though Stonewall
Jackson’s Confederates were going to
march up Manassas Road and capture
Abe Lincoln after the Union defeat at
Bull Run seems a bit excessive.
Yet, Wednesday is a historic day.
Trump will be gone from the White
bility will pass to the Democratic Party.
Democrats take over the House,
Senate and White House. Virtually
all major media will be in their camp.
They will be welcomed in a city that has
never elected a Republican mayor and
has no Republicans on the city council,
a city that voted for Joe Biden 18-1 over
Trump. The 30,000 registered Repub-
licans in D.C. are outnumbered 12-1 by
The government bureaucracies
here are as deeply Democratic as the
four years. Biden’s Cabinet is the most
racially and ethnically diverse ever; the
majority of its members are women and
people of color. Obama administration
holdovers dominate the national securi-
ty team.
Most of America’s major cities —
New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlan-
ta, D.C., Baltimore, Detroit, St. Louis
— are run by liberal Democrats, and,
coincidentally, all experienced surges in
shootings and killings in 2020.
While the figures on the criminal
perpetrators are rarely reported, it
appears that not a great many of the
violent and lethal crimes were the work
of rogue cops or white supremacists in
MAGA hats.
Other problems Trump failed to
solve — the pandemic now killing 3,000
to 4,000 Americans a day, the failure to
get vaccines into the arms of millions
of more Americans — are now Joe’s
problems.
Calling Trump names will no longer
cut it.
Now, Democrats must decide wheth-
er to proceed with the impeachment tri-
al of Trump for inciting a riot that began
on the Capitol steps as he was speaking
a mile away, a riot planned long before
the rally on the Mall.
Now, Democrats can choose whether
they will forego extracting their pound
of flesh as the first order of business
in the Senate and let Nancy Pelosi sit a
while on her impeachment resolution.
Now, Democrats have it all. If they
wish, they can abolish the filibuster,
pack the Supreme Court, make D.C. and
Puerto Rico states, forgive all student
debt, and vote for slavery reparations.
One reads that a caravan of thou-
sands is forming up in Honduras to
pass through Guatemala in the hope of
reaching and crossing the U.S. border
when Biden becomes president.
That, too, is Joe’s party’s problem
now.
Patrick J. Buchanan, a nationally syn-
dicated 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 TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021 5A

A new COVID-19 challenge: Mutations rise along with cases

‘The best way to prevent mutant strains from
emerging is to slow transmission’
Harvard University’s Dr. Michael Mina
BY MARILYNN MARCHIONE
AP Chief Medical Writer
The race against the virus
that causes COVID-19 has tak-
en a new turn: Mutations are
rapidly popping up, and the lon-
ger it takes to vaccinate people,
the more likely it is that a vari-
ant that can elude current tests,
treatments and vaccines could
emerge.
The coronavirus is becom-
ing more genetically diverse,
and health officials say the high
rate of new cases is the main
reason. Each new infection
gives the virus a chance to mu-
tate as it makes copies of itself,
threatening to undo the prog-
ress made so far to control the
pandemic.
On Friday, the World Health
Organization urged more ef-
fort to detect new variants. The
U.S. Centers for Disease Con-
trol and Prevention said a new
version first identified in the
United Kingdom may become
dominant in the U.S. by March.
Although it doesn’t cause more
severe illness, it will lead to
more hospitalizations and
deaths just because it spreads
much more easily, said the
CDC, warning of “a new phase
of exponential growth.”
“We’re taking it really very
seriously,” Dr. Anthony Fauci,
the U.S. government’s top infec-
tious disease expert, said Sun-
day on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
“We need to do everything
we can now ... to get transmis-
sion as low as we possibly can,”
said Harvard University’s Dr.
Michael Mina. “The best way
to prevent mutant strains from
emerging is to slow transmis-
sion.”
So far, vaccines seem to re-
main effective, but there are
signs that some of the new mu-
tations may undermine tests for
the virus and reduce the effec-
tiveness of antibody drugs as
treatments.
“We’re in a race against
time” because the virus “may
stumble upon a mutation” that
makes it more dangerous, said
Dr. Pardis Sabeti, an evolution-
ary biologist at the Broad Insti-
tute of MIT and Harvard.
Younger people may be less
willing to wear masks, shun
crowds and take other steps
to avoid infection because the
current strain doesn’t seem
to make them very sick, but
“in one mutational change, it
might,” she warned. Sabeti doc-
umented a change in the Ebola
virus during the 2014 outbreak
that made it much worse.

Panel: China, WHO should have acted quicker to stop pandemic

WHO did not describe the COVID-19
outbreak as a pandemic until March
11, weeks after the virus had begun
causing explosive outbreaks
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
GENEVA — A panel
of experts commissioned
by the World Health Or-
ganization has criticized
China and other coun-
tries for not moving to
stem the initial outbreak
of the coronavirus earlier
and questioned whether
the U.N. health agency
should have labeled it a
pandemic sooner.
In a report issued Mon-
day, the panel led by for-
mer Liberian President
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
and former New Zealand
Prime Minister Helen
Clark said there were
“lost opportunities to ap-
ply basic public health
measures at the earliest
opportunity” and that
Chinese authorities could
have applied their efforts
“more forcefully” in Janu-
ary shortly after the coro-
navirus began sickening
clusters of people.
“The reality is that
only a minority of coun-
tries took full advantage
of the information avail-
able to them to respond to
the evidence of an emerg-
ing pandemic,” the panel
said.
The experts also won-
dered why WHO did not
declare a global public
health emergency sooner.
The U.N. health agency
convened its emergency
committee on Jan. 22, but
did not characterize the
emerging pandemic as an
international emergency
until a week later. At the
time, WHO said its expert
committee was divided
on whether a global emer-
gency should be declared.
“One more question
is whether it would have
helped if WHO used the
word pandemic earlier
than it did,” the panel
said.
WHO did not describe
the COVID-19 outbreak
as a pandemic until
March 11, weeks after the
virus had begun causing
explosive outbreaks in nu-
merous continents, meet-
ing WHO’s own definition
for a flu pandemic.
As the coronavirus be-
gan spreading across the
globe, WHO’s top experts
disputed how infectious
the virus was, saying it
was not as contagious as
flu and that people with-
out symptoms only rarely
spread the virus. Scien-
tists have since concluded
that COVID-19 transmits
even quicker than the flu
and that a significant pro-
portion of spread is from
people who don’t appear
to be sick.

COMMERCIAL DISPATCH
OBITUARY POLICY
Obituaries with basic informa-
tion including visitation and
service times, are provided
free of charge. Extended obit-
uaries with a photograph, de-
tailed biographical information
and other details families may
wish to include, are available
for a fee. Obituaries must be
submitted through funeral
homes unless the deceased’s
body has been donated to
science. If the deceased’s
body was donated to science,
the family must provide official
proof of death. Please submit
all obituaries on the form 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.
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.
Eula Johnson
CENTER GROVE —
Eula Kathleen Johnson,
99, died Jan. 17, 2021, at
her residence.
Funeral services
are at 2 p.m. today, at
Center Grove Baptist
Church. Visitation
is from 12:30-2 p.m.
prior to services at the
church. Welch Funeral
Home of Starkville is
in charge of arrange-
ments.
Mrs. Johnson was
born March 26, 1921, in
Bradley, to the late Lula
May Fergerson and
Neely Bascom Quinn.
She was formerly
employed as a lunch-
room lady with Sudduth
Elementary School and
with Garan Manufactur-
ing. She was a member
of Center Grove Baptist
Church.
In addition to her
parents, she was pre-
ceded in death by her
husband, Dot Johnson;
children, Jim Harris,
AREA OBITUARIES
Robert and Curtis; one
brother; two sisters; and
one great-grandchild.
She is survived
by nine grandchil-
dren; 16 great-grand-
children; and 21
great-great-grandchil-
dren.
Christine Dorsey
COLUMBUS —
Christine Dorsey, 78,
died Jan. 15, 2021.
A private graveside
service will be held
Wednesday. Hairston
and Hairston Funeral
Home of Columbus is
in charge of arrange-
ments.
Ms. Dorsey was born
Aug. 23, 1942, in Alliga-
tor, to Oveal and Ruby
Lee Paden.
She is survived by
her children, Rodney
Paden, Sophia Dorsey
and Brian Dorsey;
siblings, Ophelia Wash-
ington and Katie Rouse;
and three grandchil-
dren.
Ronald Bates
MILLPORT, Ala. —
Ronald “Ronnie” Bates,
67, died Jan. 16, 2021,
at Windsor Place of
Columbus.
The family will hold
a private service at a
later date. Lowndes
Funeral Home of Co-
lumbus is in charge of
arrangements.
Mr. Bates was born
July 20, 1953, in Los
Angeles, California, to
the late Ina Mae Ren-
froe Bates and Thomas
Hilton Bates. He was
formerly employed as
a laborer with Beloit
Manhatten and as a
carpenter.
In addition to his
parents, he was pre-
ceded in death by his
siblings, Sherrie Bach,
Bonita White and Wan-
da Bates.
He is survived by
his son, Jericho Bates
of Columbus; brother,
Thomas Bates of Eight
Mile, Alabama; and
three grandchildren.
Memorials may
be made to Ronald
Bates memorial fund
c/o Lowndes Funeral
Home, 1311 N. Lehm-
berg Road, Columbus,
MS, 39702.
Bobby Garner
Robert Harris Jr. Graveside Services:
Saturday, Jan. 23 • 11 AM
NORTHPORT, Friendship Cemetery
Burial
Ala. — Robert Edward Friendship Cemetery
“Junior” Harris Jr., 39, 2nd Ave. N. Location
died Jan. 15, 2021, at
DCH Regional Medical
Center of Tuscaloosa,
Alabama.
A home going
celebration will be at
noon Friday, at Mount memorialgunterpeel.com
Hebron Baptist Church
of Aliceville. Visitation
will be from 2-5:30 p.m.
Thursday, at Laven-
der’s Funeral Service.
Lavender’s Funeral
Service of Aliceville is cdispatch.com
in charge of arrange-
ments.

Census Bureau director to resign amid criticism over data

Census used to determine how many congressional seats pressured statisticians to
produce a report on the
and Electoral College votes each state gets number of people in the
U.S. illegally.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The Census Bureau di- Dillingham, 68. “Let me A report by the Office
rector’s departure comes make it clear that under of Inspector General said

Facing criticism that he
was acceding to President
Donald Trump’s demand
to produce citizenship in-
formation at the expense
of data quality, U.S. Census
Bureau director Steven
Dillingham said Monday
that he planned to resign
with the change in presi-
dential administrations.
Dillingham said in a
statement that he would re-
sign on Wednesday, the day
Trump leaves the White
House and President-elect
Joseph Biden takes office.
Dillingham’s term was sup-
posed to be finished at the
end of the year.
Prominent anti-abortion activist Joe Scheidler dies at 93
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHICAGO — Joe
Scheidler, the founder
of the Pro-Life Action
League and prominent
figure in the anti-abor-
tion movement, died
Monday, the organization
announced. He was 93.
Scheidler died of
as the statistical agency
is crunching the num-
bers for the 2020 cen-
sus, which will be used
to determine how many
congressional seats and
Electoral College votes
each state gets, as well
as the distribution of $1.5
trillion in federal spend-
ing each year.
In his statement, Dil-
lingham said he had
been considering retiring
earlier, but he had been
persuaded at the time to
stick around.
“But I must do now
what I think is best,” said
pneumonia at his Chi-
cago home, according
to Thomas Ciesielka, a
spokesman for the group.
His oldest son, Eric
Scheidler, told the Chica-
go Sun-Times on Monday
that his father “devoted
five decades of his long
life to proclaiming the
value of human life at its
other circumstances
I would be honored to
serve President-Elect
Biden just as I served the
past five presidents.”
A Census Bureau
spokesman said the
agency’s chief operating
officer, Ron Jarmin, will
assume the director’s du-
ties. Jarmin served in the
same role before Dilling-
ham became director two
years ago.
Last week, Democratic
lawmakers called on Dil-
lingham to resign after a
watchdog agency said he
had set a deadline that
most vulnerable stage,
the child in the womb.”
If people in Chicago,
where his organization
is based, didn’t know his
name they likely knew
of him as the man who
routinely stationed him-
self on downtown street
corners carrying signs
emblazoned with photo-
bureau workers were un-
der significant pressure
from two Trump political
appointees to figure out
who is in the U.S. illegal-
ly using federal and state
administrative records,
and Dillingham had set
a Friday deadline for bu-
reau statisticians to pro-
vide him a technical re-
port on the effort.
One whistleblower
told the Office of Inspec-
tor General that the work
was “statistically inde-
fensible” and others said
they worried its release
would tarnish the Census
Bureau’s reputation.
graphs of fetuses.
According to the or-
ganization’s website,
Scheidler and his wife,
Ann, founded the Pro-
Life Action League in
1980. Since then, he
wrote a book about fight-
ing abortion and pro-
duced videos on the sub-
ject.
Estelle Gore
Estelle Burgess Gore, 87,
of Columbus, MS passed away
Sunday, January 17, 2021, at
Windsor Place, Columbus, MS.
A graveside service will
be Wednesday, January 20,
2021, at 1:00 PM at Friendship
Cemetery with Bro. Steve
Brown officiating and Lowndes
Funeral Home directing.
Mrs. Gore was born on March 30, 1933, in
Columbus, MS to the late Belva Wilder Burgess
and Floyd Augustus Burgess. She was a member
of Calvary Baptist Church. Mrs. Gore enjoyed
sewing, cooking, getting her hair fixed, and
watching the Braves play baseball.
In addition to her parents, Mrs. Gore is
preceded in death by her husband, James Clifton
Gore.
Mrs. Gore is survived by her son, Jim Gore
of Columbus, MS; daughter, Diane Jones;
grandchildren, Emily (Jason) Clark, Taylor Gore,
Jamie (Jessica) Gore, Bethany Gore and Jessica
Hill; and three great-grandchildren.
Honorary pallbearers will be Jamie Gore,
Daylon Ferguson, John Gore, Gene Gore, Donnie
Brown, Randy Edmondson, Tim Upton, Doug
Brown and Men of Calvary Baptist Church.
Memorials may be made to Calvary Baptist
Church 295 Dowdle Dr. Columbus, MS 39702.
Compliments of
Lowndes Funeral Home
www.lowndesfuneralhome.net
6A TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com

Health
HEALTH TIP
n Drink a glass of water after every alcoholic beverage: Nope, we’re not going to tell you to refrain
from alcohol (though you certainly can if you want!). Drinking alcohol in moderation can be part of
“healthy” lifestyle if done in a responsible manner. A glass of water after every alcoholic beverage helps
to detoxify the alcohol from your body, as well as slow your alcohol consumption and keep you hydrated.
Source: https://fourwellness.co

Health tips from Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen

Cold weather exercise helps
you burn more fat
Every year, thousands of
folks join in the Hypother-
mic Half Marathon, a frigid,
multi-city run in Canada.
Although it’s virtual this year,
in 2016, more than 500 folks in
Winnipeg endured -52 degree
temperatures (with wind chill
figured in) for the fun (?) and
glory of doing it. Fortunate-
ly, according to a study by
researchers from Laurentian
University (located in Sud-
bury, Ontario, natch!), you
don’t have to endure such
extreme exposure to reap the
benefits of cold-weather exer-
cise. They took moderately fit,
overweight participants, ages
18 to 30, and had one group
do two sessions of high-in-
tensity exercise in 32 degree
temperatures. Another group
did the same in 70 degree
temperatures. The cool group
burned 358 at a distance true. But healthful weight loss two weekly 20-minute resis-
percent more (and with a isn’t just about numbers. You tance exercise sessions. We
fat (measured mask) is not want the reward for all your also recommend you balance
by lipid oxy- just good for hard work to be looking good protein intake with healthy
genation) than you physically, and feeling strong — and that carbs like 100 percent whole
those working it will boost means you want to maintain grains and fiber-rich veggies
your mood
out in a basi- and even build muscle as you and fruits.
and help you
cally neutral shed excess pounds. Weight loss is not won
sleep better.
room tempera- A new study published in by the speedy but by the
And after that,
ture. Medicine & Science in Sports consistent, committed and
you can finish
So if winter & Exercise looked at the controlled. To shed one to two
weather is getting your results of a six-month weight pounds a week, reduce your
Drs. Oz and Roizen 10,000 steps
making you loss program for postmeno- calorie intake by 300-500 a
reluctant to get or equivalent pausal women. It reveals that day as you increase your exer-
on an indoor
your exercise if you combine a protein-rich cise routine. And don’t let in-
stationary bike or treadmill.
outside, think again (as long diet with exercise, you can creased exercise fool you into
as your doc says it is OK for maintain and build muscle thinking you can eat anything
your heart). Bundle up and Want to keep muscle as strength while you lose you want — it’s still necessary
head outdoors. If you do you lose weight? Exercise weight. But if you just opt for a to reduce your calorie intake.
intervals of intense activity, is essential high-protein diet without exer- Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of
you may burn as much fat in You’ve heard over and over cise, you will lose strength as “The Dr. Oz Show,” and Mike
30 minutes as you would in that the key to losing weight is you shed pounds. Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness
90-plus minutes on a mild reducing food intake, not exer- So it’s essential that any Officer and Chair of Wellness
April afternoon! Plus, getting cise. And exercise plus control weight loss program be paired Institute at Cleveland Clinic.
out of the house, immersed in of portion size is what’s need- with 30 to 60 minutes of phys- To live your healthiest, tune
nature at a local park, inter- ed to keep weight off once you ical activity five or more days into “The Dr. Oz Show” or visit
acting with the world even lose it. Well, that’s technically a week. That should include www.sharecare.com.

MLK Day
Continued from Page 1A
all of our lives, especially for young people,”
he continued. “The leadership of our state —
the lieutenant governor and speaker of the
House — decided to pass legislation to take
down the state flag that had the Confederate
symbol and appointed a commission to select
a new design to be presented to the voters.”
Anderson was chairman of the nine-mem-
ber commission, which chose a flag featur-
ing the state flower — a magnolia — from
among more than 1,500 submissions.
In November, voters approved the new
design by a 3-to-1 margin and the Legisla-
ture officially approved the flag earlier this
month.
The flag, Anderson said, is much more
than symbolic.
“I grew up in Mississippi in the ‘40s and
‘50s, and throughout my whole lifetime, Mis-
sissippi has been at the bottom, whether it’s
income, education, health care, even though
we have the greatest people, the most talent- Slim Smith/Dispatch Staff
ed people, great poets and authors and musi- Mississippi State Maroon Volunteers Flannery Egner, 20, and
cians, the most fertile land, the Mississippi Mitzi Roukoski, 20, sort canned goods Monday at the J.L. King
River and 90 miles of coastland,” he said. Center in Starkville. They joined volunteers from Starkville Strong,
“But we have always lingered on the bottom.” Black Girls Rock and the J.L. King Center to provide 100 hot
Anderson said the change of the flag rep- meals and 100 food boxes as part of a Martin Luther King Jr. Day
of Service event.
resents a new start and brighter future for
the state.
“When that flag is hoisted, people around
America will know that we are an inclusive
state and a welcoming state,” he said. “Mis-
sissippi will ascend from the bottom, not in
my lifetime, but in the lifetime of you stu-
dents. So I’m going to ask you and almost
beg you to please give Mississippi a chance.
If we’re going to get off the bottom, we need
you and the education you have attained. Do
it for your parents, for your grandparents, do
it for any reason, but do it. Stay with Missis-
sippi. Give us a chance.”
While MSU’s virtual MLK breakfast was
the only speaker’s event held in the Golden
Triangle this year, planned day-of-service
events continued. Isabelle Altman/Dispatch Staff
In Lowndes County, the United Way of New Hope High School seniors Korey Green, 18, and Jeremiah
Lowndes and Noxubee, with the help of 21 Jethroe, 17, load boxes of personal protective equipment and
volunteers, distributed 71 boxes of personal cleaning supplies into the van of an area day care worker at the
Lowndes County Soccer Complex during Martin Luther King Jr.
protective equipment and cleaning supplies Day of Service Monday. They were two of 21 volunteers who gave
to child care facilities from across the coun- out 71 boxes of bleach, paper towels, garbage bags, disinfectant
ty. In Starkville, volunteers provided 100 spray and cleaner, masks, gloves and hand sanitizer to day cares
food packages and 100 hot meals to people at that registered with United Way of Lowndes and Noxubee. Jethroe
the J.L. King Center. is the son of Ronald and Michelle Jethroe.
Sports
MISSISSIPPI STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
SPORTS LINE
662-241-5000
THE DISPATCH n CDISPATCH.COM n TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021
B
SECTION

In crucial moments, MSU is losing production from most important pieces

BY BEN PORTNOY far the program has to ing scorers — junior
bportnoy@cdispatch.com go and how mortal MSU Jessika Carter and soph-
is when its stars aren’t omore Rickea Jackson
STARK VILLE — In a clicking. — were nowhere to be
game Mississippi State “First of all, we just found.
needed them most, its did not play well tonight For Carter, Sunday
brightest stars were at all,” head coach Nik- is the latest in a string
held largely silent. ki McCray-Penson said of recent slow and rela-
Sunday’s 69-41 throt- Sunday. “From the start, tively average outings
tling at the hands of No. we knew that they were despite her gaudy 15.6
8 Texas A&M was dis- going to change defens- points and 9.2 rebounds
heartening on plenty of es against us. We’ve per game. After making
levels. It was a chance been working against just one of her first sev-
for the Bulldogs to claw it. We just acted like we en shots in a home loss
their way back from an didn’t know what was to No. 12 Kentucky, the
upset loss to Alabama happening. We didn’t former four-star recruit
three days prior. It was play well. It is that sim- was listless against
an opportunity to re-ce- ple.” the Aggies. Marred by
ment themselves toward Turning in a pro- early foul trouble, she
the top of the Southeast- gram-worst three points played just 20 minutes
ern Conference ledger. in the opening quarter and finished 0 of 7 from
Mississippi State athletics
Instead, it proved more in College Station, the the floor. Carter’s only Mississippi State sophomore forward Rickea Jackson missed her first seven shots
an indictment on how Bulldogs’ top-two lead- See WBB, 3B in Sunday’s 69-41 loss at Texas A&M in College Station.

Signs MISSISSIPPI STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL

point to
Saints
Mississippi State men ready to clash with
entering Ole Miss for first time in 2021
new era
in 2021
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW ORLEANS —
Signs point to new era
dawning for the New
Orleans Saints, even if
an opportunity remains
to keep together much
of the young core that
has powered the club
to four straight NFC
South titles.
The Saints must be
ready for Drew Brees
to retire after he start-
ed at quarterback for 15
years. They also must
decide how to approach
extension talks with
prominent young play-
ers such as cornerback
Marshon Lattimore,
sack leader Trey Hen-
drickson and right tack-
See SAINTS, 3B

Chiefs’
Mahomes in
concussion Mississippi State athletics
After feeling under the weather against Florida, Abdul Ado feels much better ahead of Mississippi State’s matchup with Ole Miss,

protocol according to MSU coach Ben Howland.

after playoff
win
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
K ANSAS CITY, Mo.
— The Kansas City
Chiefs built a defense
and signed a backup
quarterback that were
good enough to pre-
serve a win.
Now, are they good
enough to win on their
own?
The Chiefs, who lost
Patrick Mahomes to a
concussion in the third
quarter of Sunday’s di-
visional-round win over
Cleveland, might have
to find out with their
hopes of back-to-back
AFC titles and a Super
Bowl repeat on the line.
Mahomes remained
in the league’s concus-
sion protocol Monday
and coach Andy Reid
declined to speculate on
when he’ll be cleared.
“Because of the pro-
tocol it’s a no-brainer,”
Reid explained of the
decision, which rests
not in his hands but
those of team doctors
See CHIEFS, 3B
BY GARRICK HODGE
ghodge@cdispatch.com
STARK VILLE — Almost
predictably and without fail,
you can count on Mississippi
State men’s basketball coach
Ben Howland to say some-
thing paying homage to the
“one game at a time” cliche
every press conference.
The next opponent on the
docket could be an Anthony
Davis-led Kentucky team,
the Fab Five or a directional
school you’ve never heard of,
the sixth-year MSU coach will
always tell reporters his team
is approaching each matchup
with the same mindset. Well,
maybe with one minor excep-
tion.
In the continuation of a
historic rivalry, Ole Miss and
MSU will meet for the 263rd
time at 8 p.m. Tuesday at
Humphrey Coliseum.
“I think both teams are al-
ways up for this game being
a long-standing rivalry in the
conference,” Howland said.
“Of all the SEC teams that play
basketball, Mississippi State
and Ole Miss have played the
longest and played the most
games. Our fanbase in this
state and as we know living in
this state, understand this is
the biggest game of the year
for everybody each and every
year.”
Both teams enter Tuesday
eager for a win, but for vastly
different reasons.
MSU, picked 12th in the
Southeastern Conference pre-
season poll, has surpassed ex-
pectations and is fighting for
its first 5-2 start in SEC play
since the 2008-2009 season.
More importantly, the contest
marks the finish of a three-
game homestand before the
Bulldogs venture out for four
straight SEC road contests.
From a record standpoint,
Howland hasn’t had a plethora
of success in the rivalry in his
MSU tenure, accumulating a
4-6 mark against the Rebels.
But the Bulldogs have won 16
of the last 20 meetings against
Ole Miss at Humphrey Colise-
um.
The Bulldogs will prepare
for a unique 1-3-1 zone defense
the Rebels utilize under Ker-
mit Davis, which gave them
fits after they committed 17
turnovers in a blowout loss in
Oxford a season ago before
countering with a 25-point
victory in Starkville in the
second meeting.
“They do a great job with
their 1-3-1 and really force
a lot of turnovers,” Howland
said. “That’s something Ker-
mit has always done with his
team whether it be Middle
Tennessee State or Ole Miss.”
It’s true that Davis’ bunch
has caused chaos on the de-
fensive end of the floor this
season, ending 25 percent of
their defensive possessions
with a turnover, the 10th-best
margin nationally according
to KenPom.com. But lack of
outside shooting (around 29
percent from beyond the arc
as a team) and poor execution
down the stretch has Ole Miss
sitting at 6 -6 overall and 1-4
in SEC play. The Rebels have
lost three SEC contests in a
row with two of the three de-
feats coming in Oxford.
“Ben has done a good job
with the team, and I expect a
hard-fought game in Starkville
Tuesday,” Davis told the Ole
Miss radio network following
Saturday’s 78-74 loss to Geor-
gia.
Devontae Shuler (14.1
points per game) and Romel-
lo White (11.2 PPG) are the
leading scorers for Ole Miss,
which like MSU, is shooting
below 67 percent from the free
throw line.
“They are a really talented
team,” Howland said of Ole
Miss. “I think their team has
so much depth, and it is one of
the things that makes them so
difficult. They can play a lot
of guys. This is a really good
defensive team, and they’ve
been at the top of all the de-
fensive stats if you look at de-
fensive field goal percentage
and forcing turnovers.
“They really get out and
pressure you. Not only is the
1-3-1 zone part of what they
do but they are really good
in man-to-man. They are
doubling the post more than
they’ve done the previous two
years under Kermit. So they
are adding things to what they
are doing and forcing more
baseline in their man-to-man
defense.”
Davis set to return, Ado
fine after brief sickness
After a four-game absence
that wasn’t academic or disci-
plinary related, Howland said
MSU forward Javian Davis is
expected to play against the
Rebels on Tuesday. Davis,
averaging 4.5 points and 5.5
rebounds per game, is typical-
ly the first post player off the
bench for the Bulldogs, a role
that has subsequently gone
to Cameron Matthews and
Quinten Post in his absence.
“He will practice today,
which is his first practice in
See MBB, 3B
2B TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com

3 more COVID-19 cases linked to Australian Open arrivals

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Australian Open tourna-
ment director Craig Tiley
has ruled out any change in
the best-of-five set format for
men’s singles matches at the
season-opening tennis major
as three more COVID-19 cas-
es were reported among the
international arrivals for the
tournament.
There are 72 players now
in hard quarantine and un-
able to practice because of
nine active coronavirus cases
— an increase in three since
the weekend — among the
incoming travelers to Mel-
bourne. There was no imme-
diate indication from health
officials Tuesday that there
would be any increase in the
number of affected players.
In good news for players
in lockdown, there were sug-
gestions that some may be
allowed to leave their rooms
for practice before the 14-day
hard quarantine period.
More than 1,200 play-
ers, coaches, staff, officials
and media have arrived on
17 charter f lights since last
Thursday to prepare for the
Australian Open, which starts
Feb. 8. COVID-19 cases have
been linked to three f lights,
from Abu Dhabi, Doha, Qatar
and Los Angeles.
Victoria state Premier
Daniel Andrews said some of
the cases linked to the tour-
nament will be reclassified
as “non-infectious shedding,”
potentially allowing changes
for some players in lockdown.
“If you’ve got say 30 people
who are deemed a close con-
tact because they’ve been on
a plane with a case, and the
case is no longer an active
case but a historic shedding,
well that would release those
people from that hard lock-
down,” Andrews said.
All people traveling to Aus-
tralia for the tennis had to
return a negative test before
boarding the charter f lights,
although there was at least
one exemption in the case of
the historic shedding.
Tennys Sandgren, a two-
time quarterfinalist at Mel-
bourne Park, originally tested
positive for the coronavirus in
November and the Victorian
state health authorities de-
termined after reviewing the
American player’s medical
records that he was no lon-
ger contagious, although still
shedding viral particles. So
he was given approval to f ly
to Australia last week.
“My two tests were less
than 8 weeks apart. I was sick
in November, totally healthy
now,” Sandgren tweeted.
“There’s not a single docu-
mented case where I would
be contagious at this point.
Totally recovered!”
Tiley, appearing on Nine
Network television on Tues-
day, rejected calls from some
men’s players to reduce Aus-
tralian Open matches to best-
of-three sets instead of best of
five.
“We’re a Grand Slam,” Ti-
ley said. “Right now, three out
of five sets for the men and
two out of three sets for the
women is the position we plan
on sticking to.”
Some players have used
social media to detail their
perceived hardships of being
in lockdown.
“These are high perform-
ing athletes and it is hard to
keep a high performing ath-
lete in a room,” Tiley said.
“This is the contribution that
they have to make in order to
get the privilege of when they
do come out to compete for
$80 million (US$62 million)
in prize money.”
Tiley said the positive tests
among some of the arriving
players and officials were not
a surprise.
“There was going to be an
expectation to have several
positive cases,” Tiley said.
“But now we’re in a position
where they’re in lockdown,
designed to protect the com-
munity.”
Tiley defended Novak
Djokovic for appealing to
Australian Open organizers
to ease restrictions in a list
reported on Monday, includ-
ing a request to shift as many
players as possible in Mel-
bourne to private residences
with tennis courts.
Djokovic’s requests were
quickly refused by Andrews.
“In the case of Novak, he
wrote a note, these weren’t
demands, they were sugges-
tions,” Tiley said. “But he,
too, is understanding what
two weeks of lockdown means
. . . every player coming down
knew that if they were going
to be close contacts or test
positive that these were going
to be the conditions.”
A smaller group of play-
ers who landed in the South
Australia capital of Adelaide,
including Serena Williams,
Naomi Osaka, Novak Djokov-
ic and Rafael Nadal, are also
allowed outside for practice
sessions under bio-secure
protocols.
The season-opening Grand
Slam event was delayed for
three weeks because of the
pandemic.
Australia’s international
borders are mostly closed, al-
though there are exemptions
in special circumstances. All
arrivals must do mandatory
quarantine. Each of Austra-
lia’s states and territories
has its own border and trav-
el restrictions, and those can
change on very short notice.
Victoria state, which has
Melbourne as its capital, ac-
counted for 810 of Australia’s
909 deaths from COVID-19,
most of those during a dead-
ly second wave three months
ago which resulted in curfews
and lockdowns for the city.

Tennessee fires Pruitt, 9 others for ‘serious’ NCAA issues

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Tennessee foot-
ball program is starting
over yet again, this time
after coach Jeremy Pruitt
and nine others were fired
Monday for cause when
an internal investigation
found what the universi-
ty chancellor called “se-
rious violations of NCAA
rules.”
Chancellor Donde
Plowman said Pruitt was
responsible for oversee-
ing the program. Tennes-
see has been conducting
an internal investigation
since a tip Nov. 13 about
alleged recruiting viola-
tions.
Also fired were two as-
sistants and seven mem-
bers of the recruiting and
support staff.
“While the investi-
gation is continuing the
information provided to
us indicates serious vio-
lations of NCAA rules,”
Plowman said. “They
occurred. These serious
infractions warrant im-
mediate action.”
Among those fired
Monday were inside line-
backers coach Brian Nie-
dermeyer and outside
linebackers coach Shel-
ton Felton, four members
of the on-campus football
recruiting staff, the direc-
tor and assistant director
of football player person-
nel and a football analyst/
quality control coach.
The Volunteers went
3-7 last season. Pruitt’s
firing means Tennessee
will be looking for its fifth
different coach since the
Vols last won the South-
eastern Conference East-
ern Division title in 2007.
Attorneys from Bond,
Shoeneck & King from
Kansas were retained on
Nov. 19 to assist the inves-
tigation and they updat-
ed Plowman, President
Randy Boyd and athletic
director Phillip Fulmer
about the investigation
Friday.
The chancellor said
the potential NCAA is-
sues involved Level I and
II violations with a num-
ber of people and inci-
dents. Plowman said she
did not know how many
violations or other specif-
ics. NCAA investigators
opened a case in Decem-
ber and became more ac-
tively involved within the
past 10 days.
“It was stunning, the
number of people in-
volved ... and the number
of incidents,” Plowman
said. “And so, yes, that
was shocking. That’s
partly what you see in the
level of the actions that
were taken today.”
This means Tennessee
will not be paying Pruitt
a $12.6 million buyout af-
ter he went 16-19 in three
seasons.
“His termination was
for cause, which means
no buyout,” Plowman
said.
Attorney Michael Ly-
ons of Lyons & Simmons
in Dallas issued a state-
ment Monday night say-
ing Pruitt was “extreme-
ly disappointed.” Lyons
said Pruitt didn’t have a
chance to respond and
that his termination letter
was leaked immediately
as part of “an orchestrat-
ed effort to renege” on
Pruitt’s contract.
“The timing of the
university’s actions and
decision appear to be pre-
ordained and more about
financial convenience and
expediency than a fair
and complete factual de-
termination by the univer-
sity. Moreover, it seems
clear the recent leaks to
the press are indicative
of an interest to steer the
narrative in a way that is
desirable to the university
to justify a decision likely
made weeks ago,” Lyons
said in the statement.
“Coach Pruitt and I
look forward to defending
any allegation that he has
engaged in any NCAA
wrongdoing, as well as ex-
amining the university’s
intent to disparage and
destroy coach Pruitt’s
reputation in an effort to
avoid paying his contrac-
tual liquidated damages.”
The Vols played an
SEC-only season in 2020
and each loss was by
double digits. Tennes-
see had been picked to
play in the Liberty Bowl
but withdrew a day later
after a batch of positive
COVID-19 results, includ-
ing Pruitt.
Fulmer, 70, will be re-
tiring, and Tennessee is
retaining Parker Execu-
tive Search to help hire
a new athletic director.
Plowman said that athlet-
ic director then will hire
the new coach.
“We’re looking for
someone who is a strong
leader, who has prin-
ciples and values, who
also has experience in
hiring coaches, and who
can help us look to the
future,” Plowman said.
“We’ve got a great future
here. As disappointed as
we are, we’re determined
to get this right.”
Boyd made clear that
anyone who can’t win
“the right way” doesn’t
belong at Tennessee.
“If there is anyone in
our athletic department
in Knoxville or elsewhere
who hasn’t heard that
message yet, you’re hear-
ing it now,” Boyd said.
Fulmer said he always
expected to move on
from athletics, and the
timing makes sense now
so a new athletic director
and coach can work to-
gether. Fulmer also said
he thinks the program
went from “quite a mess”
to having “lots of good
things” that have hap-
pened.
“This is very unfor-
tunate in the sense that
we’re going to have to
work really hard to keep
it from setting us back,”
Fulmer said.
Kevin Steele, hired
last week as a defensive
assistant coach, will be
the acting coach. Plow-
man and Fulmer planned
to meet with the football
team later Monday. The
next national signing day
is Feb. 3.
Pruitt ends a tenure
that started after a tumul-
tuous coaching search
highlighted by Tennes-
see replacing John Cur-
rie as athletic director
with Fulmer.
The first-time head
coach guided Tennessee
to an 8-5 record in his
second season capped by
a Gator Bowl win over In-
diana. That earned Pruitt
a contract extension and
raise. The Volunteers
opened the 2020 season
ranked 16th and extend-
ed their winning streak
to eight straight.
That’s when the sea-
son started falling apart.
Tennessee wound up
matching the longest
skid in program history,
losing six in a row. Pruitt
fired defensive line coach
Jimmy Brumbaugh in
October only months af-
ter hiring him, and the
former defensive coordi-
nator took over the defen-
sive line.
Tennessee wrapped
up the season with a 34-
13 loss to No. 5 Texas
A&M.

Column: Stewart balances personal bliss, professional angst

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHARLOTTE, N.C.
— Tony Stewart is angry
— what else is new? —
and wants the record set
straight regarding recent
business decisions.
He also is in love —
wait, who? Smoke? — and
five months away from his
50th birthday finds himself
happier in his personal life
than ever before.
But even as he’s settled
into a blissful routine with
drag racer Leah Pruett, a
relationship that began ear-
ly in the pandemic when
Stewart’s hectic schedule
was suddenly wiped clean,
he can’t overlook the criti-
cism being lobbed his way.
It was him, he insists,
not NASCAR, who didn’t
renew the Truck Series
race at Eldora Speedway.
And he tried to sign Kyle
Larson to Stewart-Haas
Racing but couldn’t get
partner approval on the
NASCAR driver suspend-
ed for most of 2020 for us-
ing a racial slur.
Publicly, fans left dis-
gruntled comments on his
social media posts. Pri-
vately, his beloved sprint
car community whispered
and wondered how Stewart
blew two deals.
Stewart understands
being rebuffed on signing
Larson, even though that
slammed the brakes on
Stewart’s attempt to help a
friend resurrect his career
while adding a top NA-
SCAR talent to SHR’s four-
car organization. Compa-
nies make tough business
decisions and Larson,
since signed by Hendrick
Motorsports, still has to
redeem himself to corpo-
rations that pay the racing
bills.
But the Truck Series de-
bacle is one Stewart can’t
let go. He’s heard too many
people say it was NASCAR
that left Eldora, the Ohio
dirt track Stewart owns,
after an eight-year part-
nership. It was Stewart’s
group that got a dirt track
placed on the NASCAR
national schedule, invested
in capital improvements at
the facility and built one of
the most popular events on
the Truck Series schedule.
In an interview with
The Associated Press,
Stewart said his goal had
always been to use the
Truck Series event as proof
that Xfinity and Cup can
race on dirt and should
race at Eldora. But two
days before NASCAR re-
leased the Cup schedule
in September, Stewart re-
ceived a tip that Bristol Mo-
tor Speedway was going to
transform its facility into a
dirt track for its first 2021
Cup race.
“I felt like I’d been mule-
kicked in the gut,” Stewart
told the AP.
Incensed that not a sin-
gle NASCAR executive
had given him a heads-up,
he immediately told his
staff to tear up the sanc-
tioning agreement he’d yet
to sign for the 2021 Truck
Series race.
A short dialogue with
NASCAR finally began,
and Stewart took the week-
end to calm down. His staff
looked at the numbers and,
even though the trucks
were profitable for the
track, the race ranked only
fourth on Eldora’s events
— while requiring double
the effort and sweat equity.
When he reconvened
with NASCAR after a few
days to think, Stewart said
he was direct.
“I asked if Eldora was
under consideration for an
Xfinity or Cup race in the
future, and I was told not
at this time,” Stewart said.
“So I said we were done.”
Some believe NASCAR
pulled the race from El-
dora or that NASCAR
moved the Truck Race to
Knoxville Raceway to spite
Stewart, but he’s adamant
neither is true.
“This was entirely our
decision and people need
to understand. I am ex-
tremely frustrated as a
track owner that there was
zero communication from
NASCAR,” he said. “No-
body ever had any conver-
sation with me about Eldo-
ra or Cup on dirt until the
deal with Bristol was about
to be announced.”
He added he was also
ignored when he inquired
about his eligibility for next
month’s exhibition Busch
Clash on the road course
at Daytona International
Speedway. Stewart said he
absolutely wanted to run
the race, but no one at NA-
SCAR followed up with the
three-time Cup champion.
Stewart, feted as a
first-ballot inductee into
the NASCAR Hall of Fame
last January in one of the
final industry-wide events
before the pandemic, now
feels snubbed by the series
he’s been devoted to for
more than two decades.
He has plenty on his
plate, though, and has be-
come the T-shirt and jeans
version of Roger Penske
with his motorsports port-
folio. He’s got a full 2021
schedule of sprint car rac-
es that starts this weekend,
full ownership of Eldora
and partial ownership of
Paducah (Ky.) Interna-
tional Raceway and Macon
(Ill.) Speedway. Stewart
also owns a World of Out-
laws team and is the series
owner of both the All Star
Circuit of Champions and
a grassroots racing series
he renamed the All Star
Circuit of Champions TQ
Midgets.
This year will also mark
a new venture with Hall
of Fame crew chief Ray
Evernham on the Super-
star Racing Experience
aimed at attracting all-
stars no longer competing
full-time. The six-race,
short-track series will air
on Saturday nights on
CBS, with Stewart compet-
ing alongside Helio Castro-
neves, Tony Kanaan, Bob-
by Labonte, Mark Webber
and other big names from
various disciplines.
He scoffs at a false
narrative spreading that
Eldora was punished by
NASCAR for Stewart’s
SRX involvement — “If
people are worried about
Ray Evernham, me and six
races, they’ve got bigger
things to worry about,” he
said — and notes that SRX
is racing at both Eldora
and Knoxville, the lone dirt
track on the Truck Series
schedule.
All his business deal-
ings, and next month’s
start of SHR’s NASCAR
season, have Stewart
spread very thin when he’s
trying to prioritize some-
one else in his life for the
first time. He and Pruett
were introduced in 2019 via
FaceTime by drag racing
legend Don Prudhomme.
They didn’t meet in person
until they wound up at the
same motorsports event
appearance, and their first
date was the week before
the pandemic shut down
the country in March.
With nowhere to be for
the first time in his life as
a racer, Stewart accepted
Pruett’s invitation to spend
four days with friends at
Lake Havasu in Arizona.
He stayed for four months,
dragged her to short tracks
across Oklahoma and Tex-
as when his racing sched-
ule resumed, then became
a constant spectator at her
events when NHRA began.
Stewart is adapting to
life as the supportive spec-
tator at Pruett’s events, but
his need to understand
Pruett’s form of racing led
him to two recent sessions
at Frank Hawley’s Drag
Racing School. The two
are diligently working on a
master calendar of all their
events because Stewart
hopes to attend the major-
ity of her NHRA races.
His first conflict comes
at NASCAR’s season-open-
ing Daytona 500, where
he’s hoping COVID-19
procedures have relaxed
enough to allow him into
the garage and around his
team. Stewart has not been
inside the NASCAR bubble
with SHR since the Las Ve-
gas race last February. But
the 500 is also Feb. 14 and
he’s not sure how that will
fly with Pruett on their first
Valentine’s Day together.
“My personal life is the
best it’s ever been, by far,”
he said. “She gets me. And
I enjoy going to her events
and being the one doing
the supporting. I mean, if
she wanted me to support
her at basket-weaving
competitions I probably
wouldn’t enjoy it, but I am
very happy with this re-
lationship and where my
life is right now.”
 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021 3B

Chiefs
Continued from Page 1B
and outside experts. “You
don’t even have to think
about it. You just go for-
ward. You have an answer
if he’s there and if he’s not
there. I can’t tell you an
answer from a medical
standpoint. I just don’t
know.”
If Mahomes is unable
to play, 35-year-old jour-
neyman Chad Henne
would start against Buf-
falo in Sunday’s AFC title
game.
Henne took over when
Mahomes sustained
the concussion with the
Chiefs leading 19-10, and when Reid elected to go clinch it.”
he finished the drive by for it rather than punt, the That throw wouldn’t
leading Kansas City to coach put the game in his have been possible with-
a field goal. But more hands by calling a short out a big stand by the
memorable will be the pass play to Tyreek Hill Kansas City defense.
two plays he made in the that gave Kansas City a After allowing the
fourth quarter, when the first down. Browns to convert their
Chiefs were trying to hold “I thought Chad played own fourth down with
onto a 22-17 lead and run with great composure, 5:30 to go, they stuffed
out the clock on the win. particularly for that sit- Nick Chubb and forced
On third-and-14 in uation,” Reid said, “and Baker Mayfield to throw
his own territory, Henne to come down to that last an incompletion. And
scrambled to his left and series, that big run was when they tackled Ka-
found some open space, gravy. He dusted off those reem Hunt for a loss on
then sacrificed his body old legs, got them moving the ensuing third-down
by diving for the first- a bit, came up a hair short, pass play, the Browns Sudoku YESTERDAY’S ANSWER
down marker. Henne came back and made a were forced to punt with
came up just short, and nice throw to Tyreek to 4:23 left in the game. Sudoku
Sudoku is a number-
placing puzzle based on
Yesterday’s answer
Sudoku
a 9x9 gridis witha several
num- 6 5 4 9 7 2 8 3 1

Saints
ber-placing
given numbers.puzzleThe object 8 3 7 4 6 1 9 2 5

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

based onthe
is to place a 9x9
numbers 2 1 9 5 3 8 7 4 6
grid
1 to 9with
in theseveral
empty spaces 7 4 2 1 8 6 5 9 3
Continued from Page 1B given
so that numbers.
each row, eachThe 3 9 5 7 2 4 6 1 8
object
column and each 3x3 the
is to place box
le Ryan Ramczyk, among others. around,” Rankins said. “I think it contracts, similar to the way In-
numbers 1 8 6 3 5 9 4 7 2
The potential for great- bodes well going forward.” dianapolis landed Philip Rivers in contains the1same to 9 number
in
4 7 8 6 1 3 2 5 9
the empty spaces so
er-than-usual roster upheaval this 2020. only once. The difficulty 5 2 1 8 9 7 3 6 4
that each row, each
offseason is why Sunday’s 30 -20 Calling it a career? level increases from
column and each 9 6 3 2 4 5 1 8 7
loss to Tampa Bay in the division-
al round of the NFC playoffs was
Brees, who turned 42 last Fri- Core concerns Monday
3x3 boxtocontains
Sunday. Difficulty Level 1/18

particularly disheartening for a
number of Saints players.
They won their fourth con-
secutive NFC South title, only to
come up short of a Super Bowl
in a fourth straight postseason.
When the previous three seasons
ended, there was relative certain-
ty about which front-line play-
ers were likely to be back. Now,
much less so.
“Guys are aware of how con-
tracts and everything like that
works and who will be leaving
and different things like that,”
said defensive tackle Sheldon
Rankins, a 2016 first-round draft
choice who is scheduled to be-
come a free agent this offseason.
“We definitely felt like this was
a year, with the talent we have
and the guys we could throw at
people, that this was a year where
we really got to capitalize and be
able to make that run,” Rankins
continued. “Obviously, we weren’t
able to do it, came up short, but
it’s definitely something that we
thought about.”
Center Ryan McCoy said Mon-
day that he hadn’t watched video
cut-ups of Sunday’s game as he
normally would have because he
“couldn’t stomach it.”
“This one hurt,” McCoy said.
“This one hurt a lot.”
Still, Rankins sees a strong
franchise culture built by coach
Sean Payton, and a core of talent-
ed players who are relatively cer-
tain to be back — including run-
ning back Alvin Kamara, receiver
Michael Thomas and linebacker
Demario Davis — that could help
the Saints sustain success going
forward.
“The foundation they put in
place is beautiful, something
that anybody would want to be
day and is the NFL’s all-time lead-
er in yards passing, has not made
his intentions known publicly.
He declined even after Sunday’s
playoff loss to confirm recent
widespread speculation about his
plans to retire after this season.
But Brees also has given no indi-
cation he’s seriously considering
playing next season either.
The past two seasons have
been tough on him physically. He
missed five games in 2019 with
a throwing hand injury that re-
quired surgery. He missed four
more this season with multiple
fractured ribs and a collapsed
lung.
Still, Brees was 9-3 as a start-
er while completing 70.5 percent
of his passes for 2,942 yards and
24 TDs against six interceptions
during the regular season. He
also won a playoff game against
Chicago before his worst game
this season — marred by three
interceptions and a career-play-
off-low 134 yards passing —
against the Buccaneers.
Rankins said the notion that
Brees might be done in the NFL
is “crazy to think about.”
“He’s been doing it at such a
high level for so long,” Rankins
said. “That hasn’t really sunk in
with me just because I know he
can still go out there and com-
pete and be one of the best in the
league.”
The Saints have been groom-
ing Taysom Hill, who started four
games this season while Brees
was out, as the club’s quarterback
of the future. New Orleans also
might try to lure Jameis Winston
back for another season. Other
options could present themselves
if other teams choose to move on
from prominent veterans with big
The Saints have team options the same number only once. The difficulty level
to keep Lattimore and Ramczyk, increases from Monday to Sunday.
but going that route could create
a salary cap hardship. It could
benefit the Saints more to reach
long-term extensions with both to
spread out the 2021 cap hit over
subsequent years.
Unrestricted free agents
Like Rankins, Saints 2020 sack
leader Trey Hendrickson is due
to become a free agent. After a
relatively quiet first few years of
his career since being drafted in
2017, he broke out in his fourth
season with 13 1/2 sacks, which
tied for second in the NFL. After
a season such as that, he might
command more of a price than
the Saints are willing to pay.
Safety Marcus Williams and
linebacker Alex Anzalone are
other members of the Saints’
2017 draft class who also are
scheduled to become free agents.
Cap casualty candidates
The Saints are expected to con-
front some salary cap challenges
this offseason, which could mean
either renegotiations or the out-
right release of some productive
veterans.
Linebacker Kwon Alexander
has a backloaded contract call-
ing for about $25 million in base
salary over the next two seasons.
Tight end Jared Cook, defensive
tackle Malcom Brown and of-
fensive lineman Nick Easton are
other veterans who could be cut
if they don’t renegotiate more
cap-friendly deals.
The same could go for starting ACROSS
cornerback Janoris Jenkins and 1 Latin land
receiver Emmanuel Sanders, who 6 “Great!”
each have one season remaining
11 Shark’s home
on their contracts.
12 Madrid
museum
13 Overly sen-

WBB
Continued from Page 1B
points on the afternoon
came on a pair of trips
to the free throw line,
where she hit just one of
two shots each time.
The larger issues
for MSU’s semi-dom-
inant big has come in
games like Sunday’s
when faced with stiffer
competition. In meet-
ings with Kentucky’s
Dre’una Edwards, Texas
A&M’s Ciera Johnson
and South Carolina’s Ali-
yah Boston in last sea-
son’s SEC tournament
final, Carter has aver-
aged seven points and
2.3 fouls per game. Sun-
day, for example, faced
with a physicality and
size most teams can’t
match in her 6 -foot-5
frame, Carter struggled
to find her footing in the
blocks. Instead, she re-
sorted to fadeaway and
elbow jumpers that have
sitive
15 Junior, to
senior
16 Take the prize
failed her all too often. No. 14 South Florida, Al- “When Rickea has 17 Print mea-
“We don’t want people abama and Texas A&M, energy on both ends of sures
to continue to push her it’s come, in large part, the floor,” McCray-Pen- 18 Handed over
up the block; we want due to Jackson’s ineffec- son explained after the 20 Humidor item
her to get deep, deep, tiveness from the floor. Alabama loss, “we’re a 23 Radio dial
deep,” McCray-Penson In MSU’s losses this different team.” 27 Sneaker
said. “And she does season minus the Ken- Sunday’s shellack- problem
have stuff in the bag tucky game, the Michi- ing in College Station 28 Not wild 4 Galloped 24 D.C. base-
when they do push it up gan native averaged 14.7 brought serious ques- 29 Spoil 5 Solution baller
the block, but she has points — roughly one tions about where the
31 Carry on 6 Small piano 25 Aussie bird
32 Curbside 7 Coffee dis- 26 Workout unit
to recognize that in the point below her season Bulldogs, who sit at 8-4
pickup penser 30 Ducks’ mates
moment and continue to average — on 52.9 per- and 3-3 in SEC play,
34 Cry loudly 8 Window 31 Rate
get deep.” cent shooting. And while stand both in the present 37 Burro section 33 Volcanic dust
Then there’s Jackson. those numbers aren’t and future. With games 38 Cain’s mother 9 Genesis 34 Leave
A second team all-SEC quite as grim as Carter’s against No. 4 South Car- 41 Doltish garden speechless
performer a year ago, might appear, it’s how olina, No. 15 Arkansas 44 Not called for 10 Reactor parts 35 “Dear me!”
the former No. 5 overall they’ve come together and No. 25 Tennessee on 45 Goodman’s 14 Young one 36 Auction
recruit in the 2019 class that’s more pressing. In the docket over the next music 18 Rock unit actions
was expected to take a Sunday’s loss to Texas four weeks, MSU has its 46 Attendance 19 Kind of doors 38 Falco of “The
step forward this winter. A&M, Jackson missed chances to right the ship count or oven Sopranos”
There have been spurts her first seven shots and against a handful of the 47 Squalid 20 Machinery 39 Sell
of brilliance from Jack- didn’t make a bucket un- conference’s elite. But DOWN part 40 Tense
son — take her 30 -point til the third quarter. She should Carter and Jack- 1 Young ones 21 Wedding 42 Stage prompt
outburst against Troy was similarly stymied son be rendered most- 2 Canyon sound words 43 Impress
or her 23-point, toe-to- early in the loss at South ly ineffective as they 3 Horse strap 22 Dollop greatly
toe effort against Rhyne Florida, finishing with were this past weekend,
Howard and Kentucky. nine first-half points but MSU’s teetering season
But when MSU has fallen converting just 3 of her will be sent into a full-on
short in games against first 10 shots. nosedive.

MBB
Continued from Page 1B
terms of getting a lot of
time out there on the
floor,” Howland said of
Davis. “Prior to the Flor-
ida game and on the day
of the game, he could
have practiced some,
but it made no sense be-
cause we knew he wasn’t
going to be able to play.
So he’s been getting
good conditioning in
and working out hard.
So we expect him to play
minutes tomorrow.” He still scored 11 points
Meanwhile, senior on 5 of 5 shooting and
center Abdul Ado played grabbed nine rebounds.
in Saturday’s game “You know what, it’s
against Florida but funny how many ath-
told reporters he was letes, if you talk to guys,
shivering in the locker that played games when
room at halftime due they were sick or didn’t
to an illness. The sick- play well, it is amazing
ness wasn’t related to how some of the best
COVID-19, as Ado tested games ever are guys that
negative multiple times played when they were
in the week, including not feeling well,” How-
as recently as Friday. land said. “I know the
most points I ever scored
in a high school game, I
was really sick.
“But if you ask any ath-
lete if they played sick or
hurt, they will tell you.
I don’t know what it is. I
don’t know if it is a focus
you get because you’ve
been dealing with so
much and are locked in.”
Howland added Ado
was feeling much better
Monday.
4B TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021
Still playing: Bills, Bucs risen from Super Bowl droughts
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
In the 1990s, the Bills
buffaloed their way to
four successive — if
not successful — Super
Bowls. No other fran-
chise has managed that.
About a decade later,
the long-downtrodden
Buccaneers swashbuck-
led to an NFL title.
Ever since, pretty
much nothing for those
teams. Until now.
Next weekend, Buf-
falo, which last got this
far in the 1993 season,
heads to reigning Super
Bowl champion Kansas
City. And the Chiefs
could be missing their
dynamic star quarter-
back, Patrick Mahomes,
who was concussed in
Comics & Puzzles
DILBERT
ZITS
GARFIELD
CANDORVILLE
BABY BLUES
BEETLE BAILEY
MALLARD FILLMORE
a 22-17 victory Sunday
over Cleveland.
“It’s a special time to
be a Buffalo Bill, ” tackle
Dion Dawkins said.
Meanwhile, TB (as
in Tampa Bay), led by
TB (as in Tom Brady)
heads to Green Bay for
the NFC championship
game. Yes, the same
Bucs who made the post-
season once, in 2007,
after their 2002 league
crown, and not since —
until Brady and his six
Super Bowl rings arrived
from New England for
this season. Their 30-20
win at New Orleans sent
them to Lambeau Field
for the NFC champion-
ship match.
“It’s great for our
team,” said Brady, who
FAMILY CIRCUS
The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com
further establishes how mances to advance. Sure,
responsible he was for the Bucs and Pack are
all those titles in New lauded for their offense,
England with each victo- from their quarterbacks
ry in Tampa. “We worked — Green Bay’s Aaron
hard to get to this point. Rodgers has had per-
Two road playoff wins is haps the best season of
pretty sweet.” his illustrious career
Which two teams will — to strong runners
be sweetest? The teams Leonard Fournette and
that will head to Tam-
Aaron Jones, to a bevy of
pa — yes, that’s where
receivers, to solid lines.
the Super Bowl will be
But holding down All-
staged on Feb. 7, and no
Pros Rodgers and wide
team has played in the
receiver Davante Adams
big game on its home is a must for Tampa Bay.
field. So is neutralizing Brady
hooking up with Mike
Tampa Bay (13-5) at Evans, Chris Godwin,
Green Bay (14-3) Rob Gronkowski and
Both teams used key Cameron Brate.
plays by their defense “It was huge. I think
to win in the divisional the defense was the key
round, and likely will to the game,” Brady said
need similar perfor- after the win over the
Dear Abby
D
EAR ABBY:
Yesterday,
my daughter
informed me that
her boyfriend will
soon come to
me to ask for her
hand in marriage.
She also told
me she intends
to have both her
stepfather and me
walk her down the
aisle. This creates
a huge problem
for me.
Her mother Dear Abby
and I divorced
13 years ago
because of marital infidelity on
her part. She was having an
affair with the man who is now
my daughter’s stepfather. When
my daughter told me her plans,
it took all my self-control not to aisle, you will have to figure out
go through the roof.
I have thought about my
daughter’s wedding day since
the day she was born, and now
she wants me to share it with
this individual who has caused
me so much pain. Her feeling
is he has been with her her
entire life, and she wants him in
the wedding. I understand it to
some extent, although for her to
ask me to give up even a bit of
this honor cuts me to my core.
One of her reasons for
asking is we had a strained
Horoscopes
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY
(Jan. 19). Your worldview has
changed since your last solar
return. It’s as though you’ve
blown out the frame and now
you see the world as bigger
and wider than your own scene.
People need you, and you
give accordingly. More will be
made aware of what you need;
fulfillment will happen. Life will
get funny, too, especially in May.
Sagittarius and Libra adore you.
Your lucky numbers are: 30, 16,
4, 21 and 47.
ARIES (March 21-April 19).
When you click with one person,
you’re actually hooking into
an entire world of potential ex-
changes. One connection leads
to the next; interests overlap;
the horizon expands.
Saints. It needs to be
huge once more.”
As for the conditions
at Lambeau Field, well,
forecasts call for tempera-
tures in the 20s, which
certainly is cold for a team
from Florida, but not frig-
id. And remember where
Brady won all those titles.
Oddly, the Packers
have not won an NFC
championship game at
home since the 1996 sea-
son. They are four-point
favorites in the earli-
est betting lines. If that
seems low, remember
who is quarterbacking
the opposition.
Buffalo (14-3) at Kan-
sas City (15-2)
So much will depend
on Mahomes’ condition.
relationship for a
number of years.
I was never out of
her life, although
there were peri-
ods of time when
we would fight
constantly.
I don’t want
to miss the oppor-
tunity to walk my
baby girl down the
aisle, but I simply
cannot share this
honor with some-
one who basically
stole my family.
— NOT FORGIV-
ING IN TEXAS
DEAR NOT FORGIVING: I
know this is painful for you, but
you are not in control. If you
are going to have the honor of
walking your daughter down the
a compromise. I’m suggesting
you walk her halfway to the altar
and your daughter’s stepfather
take her the rest of the way, or
vice versa. It has been done
before.
DEAR ABBY: At what age is
it no longer appropriate to share
a bed with your child? My sister-
in-law “Mara” is a single mom
with a 13-year-old daughter.
Until recently we were quite
close, but we haven’t spoken
in a few months. Mostly it’s
because of COVID restrictions,
TAURUS (April 20-May 20).
You appreciate when a transac-
tional relationship is clean and
professional, but you’ll accept
blurred lines and messiness
with personal relationships, as
the emotional unpredictability is
truly a thrill.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21).
Nobody wants to be wrong today
or think they were wrong in the
past, and certainly, nobody
wants to be wrong in the future.
You’re wise to take correctness
out of the conversation. Focus
on what works.
CANCER (June 22-July 22).
You don’t want to make people
jealous on purpose, but it may
be unavoidable, as you only
have so much attention to give
and many will compete for it
While journeyman back-
up Chad Henne did well
enough after Mahomes
departed Sunday in the
third quarter, even mak-
ing two big plays to clinch
the win, the Chiefs would
be severely hampered if
Mahomes can’t play.
Andy Reid, whose will-
ingness to gamble and al-
ways play to win should be
lauded regardless of cir-
cumstance, has designed
a nearly unstoppable at-
tack — when Mahomes
is behind center. It’s hard
to imagine Travis Kelce,
Tyreek Hill and the oth-
er threats being, well, as
threatening without him.
Reid maintains there
is something else at play
in KC.
but we had begun drifting apart
even before.
Last week I saw on Face-
book that she had made a
comment about them still shar-
ing a bed. I think it’s weird and
creepy. It goes against every
boundary I have as a mother
myself.
Should I keep my mouth
shut? She won’t listen to my
husband (her brother) because
he has been branded an “abu-
sive misogynist.” Mara loves to
play the victim and interprets
any criticism, however slight, as
abuse — especially if it comes
from a man.
Getting in touch with her
out of the blue to talk about
this seems over the top, but I’m
genuinely concerned about the
long-term impact on her daugh-
ter, who has voiced in the past
(not in front of Mara) that she
prefers to sleep alone. Is this
none of my business? — OVER
THE LINE
DEAR OVER: If you suspect
your niece is being sexual-
ly abused, child protective
services should be contacted.
Otherwise, it is none of your
business. Not every family — or
culture, for that matter — has
the same standards. Until your
niece finds the courage to tell
her mother she no longer wants
to share a bed, nothing will
change in that household.
today, ever watchful of where
your love flows.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22).
When it’s about your pursuits,
you care the most. It would be
weird to expect others to put in
more work than you were willing
to... and yet, someone comes
to you with a similar deal today.
Obviously, it’s a hard pass.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22).
There are many ways to com-
municate, and often, they are
happening simultaneously on
different levels. So, if you flub
the words, it’s not a problem.
Your intent has multiple ways of
showing itself.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct.
23). You don’t have to wait for
inspiration, because the muses
like to play with you. You do,
however, have to start the game
so they know the rules and
where to join you.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21).
At that fruitless point in the pro-
cess where the less tenacious
would throw up their hands in
defeat, you take a breath and
ask, “Is there anything else I
should try?” That makes all the
difference.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec.
21). You know what it’s like to
feel overqualified for a role you
embody on the regular. Then,
suddenly, from out of the blue,
doubts rain down. Sure, you
still have things to learn, but
you’re enough. You’re more than
enough.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan.
19). The rules might not make
sense, but it makes sense to
follow them. The team will trust
those who follow protocol and
respect the chain of command.
Doing what’s proper and doing
what’s smart will be the same
thing.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb.
18). You won’t know who your
fans are until you put your work
out into the world in a bigger
way. In the end, you’ll be well
compensated for all the time
you spend making things just to
your liking.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March
20). You’re too busy to inves-
tigate the unproven tract, and
it won’t make sense to do so
when there are so many well-
worn options with testimonials
and money-back guarantees to
boot!
Third degree
SOLUTION:
The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021 5B

Classifieds
LEGALS
Call us: 662-328-2424
Legal Notices
IN THE CHANCERY COURT OF
LOWNDES COUNTY, MISSIS-
SIPPI
IN THE MATTER OF THE ES-
TATE OF ARTHUR JOE WILLI-
AMS, DECEASED
LUCY DIANN WILLIAMS DALE,
PETITIONER
CAUSE NO. 2020-0248-JNS
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
COUNTY OF LOWNDES
Letters Testamentary have
been granted and issued to the
undersigned upon the Estate of
Arthur Joe Williams, Deceased,
by the Chancery Court of
Lowndes County, Mississippi,
on the 5th day of January
2021. This is to give notice to
all persons having claims
against said estate to probate
and register same with the
Chancery Clerk of Lowndes
County, Mississippi, within
ninety (90) days from the first
publication date of this Notice
to Creditors. A failure to so pro-
bate and register said claim
will forever bar the same.
This the 6th day of January
2021.
/s/ Lucy Diann Williams Dale
LUCY DIANN WILLIAMS DALE,
Executrix
PUBLISH: 1/12, 1/19 &
1/26/2021
IN THE CHANCERY COURT OF
LOWNDES COUNTY, MISSIS-
SIPPI
IN THE MATTER OF THE ES-
TATE OF BETTY WEST OLIVER
LAND, DECEASED
JOHN OLIVER LAND and WILLI-
AM DRUARY LAND, CO-PETI-
TIONERS
CAUSE NO. 2021-0001-JNS
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
COUNTY OF LOWNDES
Letters Testamentary have
been granted and issued to the
undersigned upon the Estate of
Betty West Oliver Land, also
known as Elizabeth West Oliv-
er Land, deceased, by the
Chancery Court of Lowndes
County, Mississippi, on the 8th
day of January 2021. 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 the
first publication date of this No-
tice to Creditors. A failure to so
Probate and Register said
claim will forever bar the same.
This the 13th day of January
2021.
/s/ John Oliver Land, Co-Ex-
ecutor
/s/ William Druary Land, Co-Ex-
ecutor
PUBLISH: 1/19, 1/26 &
2/2/2021
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Ford Taurus for sale
MISSISSIPPI UNIVERSITY FOR
WOMEN
COLUMBUS, MS 39701
Sealed bids will be received at
the Office of Purchasing. The
bid opening will be held in the
Office of Purchasing, Whitfield
Hall, Columbus, MS 39701 at
2:00 p.m. December 2, 2020
at which time they will be pub-
licly opened and read. Specific-
ations may be obtained from:
Office of Purchasing
Whitfield Hall
1100 College Street MUW
1628
Columbus, MS 39701
Telephone (662) 329-7126
Email: Purchase@muw.edu
Mississippi University for Wo-
men reserves the right to re-
ject any or all bids.
PUBLISH: 1/19 & 1/26/2021 2007 Ford 500
IN THE CHANCERY COURT OF
LOWNDES COUNTY, MISSIS-
SIPPI
IN THE MATTER OF THE ES-
TATE OF WILLIE MAE HOWARD, PUBLISH: 1/12 & 1/19/2021
DECEASED
MARSHALL B. HOWARD, AD-
MINISTRATOR
NO. 2021-0004-JNS
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Letters of Administration have
been granted and issued to
Marshall B. Howard, Adminis-
trator of the Estate of Willie
Mae Howard, deceased, by the
Chancery Court of Lowndes
County, Mississippi, on the
14th day of January, 2021.
This is to give notice to all per- tate of Leon Earl Hines, de-
sons having claims against
said estate to Probate and Re- of Lowndes County, Missis-
gister same with the Chancery sippi on the 17th day of
Clerk of Lowndes County, Mis-
sissippi, within ninety (90) days give notice to all persons hav-
after the first publication of this ing claims against said estate
Notice to Creditors. A failure to to probate and register same
so Probate and Register said
claim will forever bar the same. Lowndes County, Mississippi
/s/ Marshall B. Howard
Marshall B. Howard, Adminis-
trator
OF COUNSEL:
M. Jay Nichols, MB # 10066
The Nichols Firm, PLLC
Post Office Box 1081
Columbus, MS 39703-1081
(662) 243-7330
jnichols@thenicholsfirm.net
PUBLISH: 1/19, 1/26 &
2/2/2021
Legal Notices
THE FOLLOWING VEHICLES
HAVE BEEN ABANDONED AT
COREY HERRING AUTOMOTIVE,
1230 GARDNER BLVD, COLUM- PUBLISH: 1/12, 1/19 &
BUS, MS. 1/26/2021
2007 FORD FUSION
VIN# 3FAHP07Z17R246669
1994 TOYOTA
VIN# 4T1GK12C1RU061526
2012 KIA SOUL
VIN# KNDJT2A52C7356348
fit of Mortgage Electronic Re-
2001 FORD MUSTANG gistration Systems, Inc., as be-
VIN# 1FAFP40441F110974 neficiary, as nominee for Ho-
metown Lenders Inc., its suc-
2003 PONTAIC GRAND AM cessors and assigns, which
VIN# 1G2NF52E73C257027 Deed of Trust is on file and of
2006 CHEVY HLT
VIN# 3GNDA23D06S611549
record in the office of the Chan-
cery Clerk of Lowndes County,
Mississippi, in Deed of Trust
November 7, 2018, in Book
IF NOT CLAIMED AND PAID FOR No. Mort 2018, at Page 23736
CHARGES, THESE VEHICLES thereof;
WILL BE PUT UP FOR PUBLIC
SALE ON THE 30TH DAY OF WHEREAS, said Deed of Trust
JANUARY 2021 AT 7:00 A.M. was ultimately assigned to
AT COREY HERRING AUTOMOT- Flagstar Bank by assignment
IVE, 1230 GARDNER BLVD., on file and of record in the of-
COLUMBUS, MS 39702. fice of the Chancery Clerk of
Lowndes County, Mississippi,
PUBLISH: 1/5, 1/12 & in February 14, 2020, in Book
1/19/2021 No. 2020, Page 3045 thereof;
and
The following vehicle has been
abandoned at Dixie Towing.
VIN# 1FAFP24177G111320
If this vehicle isn't claimed by of, by instrument recorded in
January 22, 2021 it will be auc- the office of the aforesaid
tioned off at 8:00am at Dixie
Towing LLC, 16 Oswalt Rd,
Columbus, Ms 39702.
IN THE CHANCERY COURT OF
LOWNDES COUNTY, MISSIS-
SIPPI
IN THE MATTER OF THE ES-
TATE OF LEON EARL HINES,
DECEASED
CAUSE NO.2020-0098PDE
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Letters of Administration hav-
ing been granted and issued to at public sale and outcry to the
the undersigned upon the Es-
ceased, by the Chancery Court sion of the sale, or credit bid
December, 2020. This is to
with the Chancery Clerk of
within 90 days from the date of scribed land and property be-
the first publication of this no- ing the same land and prop-
tice. A failure to probate and
register this claim will forever Trust, situated in Lowndes
bar the same.
This the 29th day of December,
2020.
/s/ LEE ASHLEY SINGLETON
LEE ASHLEY SINGLETON, AD-
MINISTRATOR
PUBLISH: 1/5, 1/12 &
1/19/21
Legal Notices
IN THE CHANCERY COURT OF
LOWNDES COUNTY, MISSIS-
SIPPI
IN THE MATTER OF THE LAST
WILL AND TESTAMENT OF
LYNN S. MOORE, DECEASED
RONALD VICTOR SMITH
EXECUTOR
CAUSE NO. 2020-0230-JNS
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Letters Testamentary having
been issued by the Chancery
Clerk of Lowndes County, Mis-
sissippi on the 23rd day of
December 2020 to the under-
signed as Executor of the Es-
tate of Lynn S. Moore, de-
ceased, in Cause No. 2020-
0230-JNS, in said court, no-
tice is hereby given to all per- Lowndes County, Mississippi.
sons having claims against the ALSO SUBJECT TO that certain
Estate of Lynn S. Moore, de-
ceased, to have the same pro- Kenneth B. Doyle and Nelson
bated and registered by the
Clerk of the Chancery Court of
Lowndes County, Mississippi,
within ninety (90) days from the in Deed Book 648 at page 29
date of first publication hereof, in the office of the Chancery
that failure to probate and re-
gister any such claim within
said ninety (90) day period will
forever bar the same.
Witness my signature this the
25th day of December 2020.
/s/Ronald Victor Smith
RONALD VICTOR SMITH, Ex-
ecutor of the Estate of Lynn S. the 2nd day of December,
Moore, Deceased
/s/Lee Ann S. Turner
Lee Ann S. Turner, Miss. Bar
No. 10438
The Winfield Law Firm, P.A.
224 East Main Street • Post
Office Box 80281
Starkville, MS 39759
Telephone: 662-323-3984 •
Facsimile: 662-323-3920
lturner@winfieldlawfirm.com
Counsel for the Estate of Lynn
S. Moore, Deceased
PUBLISH: 1/12, 1/19 &
1/26/2021
IN THE CHANCERY COURT OF
LOWNDES COUNTY, MISSIS-
SIPPI
IN RE: ESTATE OF WILLIAM
“BILL” E. OWEN, DECEASED
CHARLES E. OWEN, EXECUTOR
CAUSE NO. 2021-0003-PDE
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Letters Testamentary have
been granted and issued to
Charles E. Owen, Executor of
the Estate of William “Bill” E.
Owen, deceased, by the Chan-
cery Court of Lowndes County,
Mississippi, on the 8th day of
January, 2021. This is to give
notice to all persons having
claims against said estate to
Probate and Register same
with the Chancery Clerk of
Lowndes County, Mississippi,
within ninety (90) days after
the first publication of this No-
tice to Creditors. A failure to so
Probate and Register said
claim will forever bar the same.
/s/ Charles E. Owen
Charles E. Owen, Executor
OF COUNSEL:
M. Jay Nichols, MB # 10066
The Nichols Firm, PLLC
Post Office Box 1081
Columbus, MS 39703-1081
(662) 243-7330
jnichols@thenicholsfirm.net
SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE'S NO-
TICE OF SALE
WHEREAS, on the November 6,
2018, Terrance Logan, ex-
ecuted a Deed of Trust to Real 24−HOUR CAMERA
Estate Closing Services Inc., SURVEILLANCE. Benji &
Trustee for the use and bene- Ashleigh, 662−386−4446.
WHEREAS, the legal holder of
the said Deed of Trust and the
note secured thereby, substi-
tuted Wilson & Associates,
PLLC, as Trustee therein, as
authorized by the terms there-
Chancery Clerk in April 9,
2020, in Book No. MORT
2020, at Page 7626 thereof;
and
WHEREAS, default having been
made in the performance of the
conditions and stipulations as
set forth by said Deed of Trust,
and having been requested by
the legal holder of the in-
debtedness secured and de-
scribed by said Deed of Trust
so to do, notice is hereby giv-
en that Wilson & Associates,
PLLC f/k/a Adams & Edens,
P.A., Substitute Trustee, by vir-
tue of the authority conferred
upon me in said Deed of Trust,
will offer for sale and will sell
highest and best bidder for cer-
tified funds paid at the conclu-
from a bank or other lending
entity pre-approved by the suc-
cessor trustee, during the leg-
al hours (between the hours of
11 o'clock a.m. and 4 o'clock
p.m.) at the southeast front
door of Courthouse, on Febru-
ary 2, 2021, the following de-
erty described in said Deed of
County, State of Mississippi,
to-wit:
Lot No. 47, Doyle Estates Sub-
division, a subdivision of
Lowndes County, Mississippi,
as per map or plat thereof in
Plat Book 4 at Page 15 in the
Office of the Chancery Clerk of
Lowndes County, Mississippi.
SUBJECT TO a 10 foot wide
easement for utility and drain-
age facilities along and adjoin-
from a bank or other lending
entity pre-approved by the suc-
cessor trustee, during the leg-
Ads appear in The Commercial Dispatch,
al hours (between the hours of
11 o'clock a.m. and 4 o'clock
p.m.) at the southeast front
The Starkville Dispatch and Online
door of Courthouse, on Febru-
ary 2, 2021, the following de-
scribed land and property be-
ing the same land and prop-
erty described in said Deed of
Trust, situated in Lowndes
County, State of Mississippi,
to-wit:
Lot No. 47, Doyle Estates Sub-
division, a subdivision of
Lowndes County, Mississippi,
as per map or plat thereof in
Plat Book 4 at Page 15 in the
Office of the Chancery Clerk of
Legal Notices
Lowndes County, Mississippi.
SUBJECT TO a 10 foot wide
easement for utility and drain-
age facilities along and adjoin-
ing the East and west property
lines (front and rear) and a 5
foot wide drainage and utility
easement along and adjoining
the North and South property
lines of the above described
lot. ALSO SUBJECT TO those
restrictive covenants and condi-
tions as found in that certain
instrument dated January 8,
1981, and recorded in Deed
Book 652 at page 372 in the
office of the Chancery Clerk of
Lowndes County, Mississippi.
ALSO SUBJECT TO that restric-
tion prohibiting the sale of
beer, wine or other alcoholic
beverages as evidenced by
deed dated October 26, 1978,
and recorded in Deed Book
600 at page 148 in the office
of the Chancery Clerk of
right of way easement from
Chain to South Central Bell
Telephone Company dated Oc-
tober 16, 1980, and recorded
Clerk of Lowndes County, Mis-
sissippi.
Title to the above described
property is believed to be good,
but I will convey only such title
as is vested in the aforemen-
tioned Substitute Trustee.
WITNESS MY SIGNATURE , this
2020.
Sincerely,
/s/ Jillian Wilson,
WILSON & ASSOCIATES, PLLC,
Substitute Trustee
PREPARED BY:
Wilson & Associates, PLLC
400 West Capitol Avenue
Suite 1400
Little Rock, AR 72201
(501)219-9388
File # 346072
PUBLICATION TO BEGIN ON:
January 12, 2021
PUBLICATION TO END ON:
January 26, 2021
PUBLISH: 1/12, 1/19 &
1/26/2020
Employment
Call us: 662-328-2424
General Help Wanted
PROGRESSIVE HEATING &
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duct work installers. Applic-
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Darracott Access Road,
Aberdeen, MS 39730
Monday-Friday, 8am-4pm
(662)369-3694 or
(662)328-1080
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THE DISPATCH n CDISPATCH.COM n TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021 n 6B
Apts For Rent: West Mobile Home Spaces General Merchandise
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For Rent: Roper Dryer, standard size,
Offices 4−Private + good condition, $200.
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Vehicles
Apts For Rent: Other Good Investment
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Houses For Sale: East Ads starting at $12
FSBO: 4BR/2BA. New roof, Campers & RVs
new paint, fenced
backyard, driveway leads
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credit as low as 20% down,
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Estate, 662−328−0770
RENTALS
TOWNHOUSES & APARTMENTS
for plat and restrictions.
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AND
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Appliances: New in box
Electrolux front load washer
3 Blue
$500. Kenmore gas range/
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4 Around your
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