stablished olumbus ississippi d w | maY Family …e...2020/05/27 · WEATHER 141st Year, No. 65...

WEATHER

141st Year, No. 65

James CancellareFifth grade, Annunciation

High 80 Low 65Chance t-stormsFull forecast on

page 3A.

FIVE QUESTIONS1 Mexico City was built on the ruins of Tenochtit-lan, the capital city of which lost civilization?2 The practice of watching several episodes (for seasons) of one TV series in a single sitting is most commonly known as what?3 What creator of a classic sci-fi television series was a World War II pilot who won the Distin-guished Service Cross?4 Which Romanian region, known for its Medieval castles inspired the setting for Bram Stokes’s most famous work?5 Which optical disc format was the precursor to DVD and Blu-Ray?

Answers, 8B

INSIDEClassifieds 7BComics 3BCrossword 8BDear Abby 3B

Food 4BObituaries 4AOpinions 6A

DISPATCH CUSTOMER SERVICE 328-2424 | NEWSROOM 328-2471

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LOCAL FOLKS

Romonica Parks, left, Mariyah Smart, center, and Shykerriah Smart are from Brooksville.

PUBLIC MEETINGSMay 28: West Point Board of Supervisors, 9 a.m., CourthouseJune 1: Lowndes County Board of Supervisors, 9 a.m., County CourthouseJune 1: West Point Board of Supervisors, 9 a.m., CourthouseJune 2: Columbus City Council, 5 p.m., Municipal Complex, stream live at face-book.com/CityofCo-lumbusMS/June 4: West Point Board of Supervisors, 9 a.m. Courthouse

Theo DeRosa/Dispatch StaffLess than an hour before the only flight of the day at Golden Triangle Regional Airport, very few passengers and staff workers are visible in the terminal. Roughly 12 to 15 passengers a day come through the airport, a slight increase over the average of five to seven about two weeks ago.

BY ISABELLE [email protected]

What Michael Jones’ siblings re-member most about him is his smile.

That, and the way he would cock his head to one angle and say their names, said his younger brother Chris Jones.

“That happens every time I see him,” Chris said. “And I can’t get that out of my head, because he was so friendly. He would always see you and he would smile and lean his head to the side and go, ‘Hey, Chris.’ Just his smile. He was always happy. … That’s my favorite memory, any time I’d see him smile.”

Michael Jones, 45, of Columbus, was killed in Bessemer, Alabama last week in what investigators think may have been a robbery that turned dead-ly. His family reported him missing on Wednesday, and Bessemer police found his body two days later. He had been shot to death.

The news left his friends and family — including his wife, Bethie, two chil-dren and six siblings — devastated.

“People are sick with us,” said his youngest sister Keisha Jones. “They’re hurting with us. It’s not just us, it’s anybody he touched, anybody that knew him. Everybody knew him.”

Family remembers slain Columbus man, seeks answers‘He was the best part of all of us’

Courtesy photo

Michael Jones,

right, poses for a family photo with

his wife, Be-thie Jones,

left, and his children

Taytiyona Tatum, now

21, and Immanuel

Jones, now 18. Michael

was killed in Besse-mer, Ala-

bama last week during an apparent

robbery.

Mayor ends curfew in ColumbusDISPATCH STAFF REPORT

Columbus resi-dents are no longer banned from non-essential travel be-tween 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. as Mayor Robert Smith lifted the city-wide curfew Wednes-day morning, accord-ing to a press release.

The curfew, which prohibited all travel for residents who are 18 or younger and nonessential trav-els for those older during that time frame, was implemented on March 21 due to the COVID-19 pandem-ic. It remained in place when mul-tiple surrounding municipalities, including Starkville, Oktibbeha County and Lowndes County, had lifted theirs as the state worked to reopen.

While still hit hard by virus, GTR showing slight improvement

See JONES, 3A

BY THEO [email protected]

Paul Binford stood on the curb outside the ter-minal, waiting for a bus that never came.

Binford, an assistant professor of secondary social studies education at Mississippi State, had just flown into Golden Tri-angle Regional Airport on Tuesday after-noon on his way back from a trip to visit family in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

That morning, he had arrived at Min-neapolis-Saint Paul International Airport an hour and a half before his flight took off only to walk through an empty termi-nal and move quickly through a scarce security line. He saw the same “eerie” emptiness strolling through the typi-cally packed Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport during his layover.

Neither flight was more than 60 per-cent full, and everyone was wearing masks. Attendants passed out hand sanitizer.

“I feel like there’s been a little bit of overreaction,” said Binford, who noted that the experience was “fine” — apart from wearing a mask for multiple hours, which grew uncomfortable.

Once he arrived in Columbus on a flight he estimated to have roughly 20 people on it, Binford stood outside GTR’s terminal around 2 p.m., the lone passenger hoping to catch the Starkville-MSU Area Rapid Transit bus on its way through.

But no bus came, with pickup from

Airport director: ‘The business community is not traveling yet’

See GTRA, 8A

Binford

Smith

Police search for suspect accused of attacking hotel employee

DISPATCH STAFF REPORT

Columbus police are asking the public’s help to find the suspect in a physical assault from over the weekend.

The suspect, who appears on security footage investigators re-leased to media, is accused of as-saulting an employee of a local ho-tel in North Columbus, according to a Columbus Police Department

Man had been knocking on doors, harassing guests before employee confronted him

See SUSPECT, 8A

See CURFEW, 8A

Theo DeRosa/Dispatch StaffA large section of the main terminal at Golden Triangle Regional Airport sits closed on Tuesday. Executive Director Mike Hainsey said the airport is down to one flight a day from four before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

The DispaTch • www.cdispatch.com2A WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 2020

BY EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS The Associated Press

JACKSON — Mississippi can ex-pect a long, slow economic recovery from the shock of job losses and the steep decline in commercial activi-ty tied to the coronavirus pandem-ic, state economist Darrin Webb told legislators Tuesday.

At the beginning of this year, the U.S. economy, and to a lesser extent the Mississippi economy, were do-ing “quite well,” Webb said. Then, businesses were forced to close be-cause of government orders aimed at slowing the spread of the virus.

“This is like slamming on the brakes for the economy,” Webb said.

At the end of 2019, Mississippi’s gross domestic product was just short of the level it had been when the Great Recession began in 2008, Webb said. He predicted it could be 2023 before the state reaches that 2008 level again for jobs and eco-nomic activity.

Republican Sen. Philip Moran of Kiln said he’s concerned that some people who are collecting $600 a week in federal unemployment ben-efits will choose not to return to work because their jobs would pay them less than the unemployment. Webb said that’s possible.

“They do want to work,” Webb said, “but they also respond to mar-ket forces.”

Mississippi legislators will spend the next few weeks deciding wheth-er to trim state agencies’ budgets for the year that ends June 30. They also must set a new budget for the year that begins July 1.

Mississippi tax collections ex-

ceeded expectations for the first eight months of the budget year but have fallen sharply. The state also delayed its income tax filing deadline from April 15 until July 15, which means some money that should be collected during the cur-rent budget year will be collected in the coming year.

The commissioner of the state Department of Revenue, Herb Fri-erson, told legislators Tuesday that they could play a “shell game” by counting the anticipated income tax collections from the first two weeks of July as part of the overall revenue for the budget year that ends June 30.

Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said Tuesday that he, House Speaker Philip Gunn and the Senate and House Appropriations Committee chairmen sent state agency direc-tors a letter in late April telling them to find ways to save money before June 30. Hosemann said agencies were not required to submit doc-uments showing how they might make cuts but “I hope they recog-nized it was serious business.”

Speaking of budget writing, Hosemann told reporters: “We’re fixing to have the most difficult de-cisions I think have been made in the state of Mississippi, certainly in the last 100 years.”

Expert: Slow economic recovery for Mississippi amid virus‘This is like slamming on the brakes for the economy’

State economist Darrin Webb

BY ASTRID GALVAN AND REBECCA SANTANA The Associated Press

PHOENIX — Like students across the U.S., Christa Schall was work-ing toward graduation when the coronavirus closed her school. But unlike many, she can’t finish her classes online — her cosmetology pro-gram, like the course-work at many technical and trade schools, re-quires hands-on training.

Schall needs to cut, paint and style hair at the Aveda Institute in Ohio to graduate and get her license to practice, but weeks of closures have put her behind. Her last client, a woman who got

her highlights retouched every two weeks, pan-icked when she learned the salon was closing after her mid-March appointment. Schall had her own moment of panic, realizing her life would be on hold. Now, instead of graduating in September, she must wait until spring.

Traditional students “can take that learning anywhere. For us, we have to do it a certain way,” she said.

For Schall and oth-er students at technical and trade colleges, the coronavirus is disrupting their education in a very different way than that of more traditional college students. Learning how

to stick a needle in some-one’s vein or mix just the right amount of hair col-or for the perfect shade doesn’t translate well to Zoom meetings. Those specialized skills, known as career and techni-cal education, require hands-on learning.

About 8.4 million stu-dents are seeking post-secondary certificates and associate degrees in career and technical ed-ucation fields, according to the Association for Ca-reer and Technical Edu-cation. Many are black or Hispanic and come from low-income households, according to the George-town University Center on Education and the Workforce analysis. For many, technical careers are a path out of poverty. Roughly 30 million Amer-ican jobs that pay a medi-an income of $55,000 re-quire less education than a bachelor’s degree, the

ACTE reports. Across the country,

teachers and students in technical training class-es have had to adapt to class closures rapidly and creatively.

Butler Tech, which teaches Ohio high school and post-secondary stu-dents subjects ranging from police academy to welding, has started slowly reopening cam-pus after being closed for several weeks.

When the pandemic first hit, it had to transi-tion to online learning quickly. Jon Graft, the school’s superintendent and CEO, said Butler has learned some valuable lessons about having to teach in a completely dif-ferent way.

“There will be a new normal for us because of the lessons we’ve learned being forced upon being online and virtual learn-ing,” Graft said.

For trade students, online classes can’t replicate hands-onAbout 8.4 million students are seeking postsecondary certificates and associate degrees in career and technical education fields

Some visit Mississippi attractions as COVID-19 rules easeTHE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BILOXI — With water parks and amusement parks reopen in Missis-sippi, visitors at one Gulf Coast attraction said they believed they were safe from coronavirus infection.

Margaritaville, which includes an elaborate indoor arcade and roof-top pool, began greeting visitors in Biloxi on Thursday. Other water parks and amusement parks statewide were allowed to reopen Monday, as long as they operated at half capacity of less and met additional re-quirements for sanitizing and social distancing.

“It’s been a great experience so far. We are just glad to be out and have a place welcome us,” Amber Yochim, a visitor from Louisiana, told WLOX-TV. “All the staff are wearing masks. There’s been social dis-tancing in line at the slide and the staff has been great at serving us and getting our food and drinks.”

The Mississippi State Department of Health on Monday reported 206 new confirmed cases and 10 new deaths. That brings the state’s to-tal cases to nearly 13,500 and total reported deaths to 635. The state re-ports that 1,706 cases and 322 deaths have occurred in nursing homes, assisted living centers and other long-term care facilities.

A Jackson firefighter was among those who tested positive. He and two fellow firefighters were sent home on quarantine.

In Biloxi, Margaritaville general manager Joe Farruggio said indoor attractions were rearranged. Employees are wearing gloves and masks.

“We’ve actually redid the whole floor and we spaced it out quite a bit,” Farruggio said. “That’s the first thing we did. We have social distancing signs probably every 6 feet — they should be 6 feet, just letting them know.”

SOLUNAR TABLEThe solunar period indicates peak-feeding times for fish and game.

Courtesy of Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks

Wed. Thurs.MajorMinorMajorMinor

5:01a10:40a5:30p12:23a

5:58a11:48a6:25p1:11a

The Commercial Dispatch (USPS 142-320)Published daily except Saturday.

Entered at the post office at Columbus, Mississippi. Periodicals postage paid at Columbus, MSPOSTMASTER, Send address changes to:

The Commercial Dispatch, P.O. Box 511, Columbus, MS 39703Published by Commercial Dispatch Publishing Company Inc.,

516 Main St., Columbus, MS 39703

Answers to common questions:Phone: 662-328-2424Website: cdispatch.com/helpReport a news tip: [email protected]

The DispaTch

The DispaTch • www.cdispatch.com WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 2020 3A

AROUND THE STATECoroner IDs Mississippi man killed in road rage encounter

OCEAN SPRINGS — Authorities on Tues-day identified a Missis-sippi man who was shot to death during a road rage incident the day be-fore, and they were still searching for the suspect who was driving a vehicle with Louisiana license plates.

Brandon Box, 30, of Gulfport, was killed during Monday’s en-counter on Interstate 10 in south Mississippi, Jackson County Coroner

Bryce Lynd Jr. told the Sun Herald.

The Mississippi Bu-reau of Investigation re-sponded to a shooting call around 4:30 p.m. Monday and found a truck sprayed with bullet holes on an interstate near Ocean Springs.

Box had been driving the truck. He was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead.

Investigators deter-mined that Box and a suspect had engaged in a road rage incident that be-gan about 20 miles down the interstate before the suspect began shooting

at the truck, according to the Mississippi Highway Patrol.

The suspect’s vehicle continued driving after the shooting, Highway Patrol Sgt. Justin Elkins said. The agency has asked witnesses to come forward.

Firefighter arrested for sexual assault, placed on leave

JACKSON — A Jack-son firefighter has been placed on administrative leave after being accused of sexual assault.

Audric Simmons was arrested by Byram police

Saturday on charges of statutory rape and sexual battery.

Jackson Fire Chief Willie G. Owens tells lo-cal news outlets that Sim-mons was immediately placed on leave from the fire department pending the outcome of an internal affairs investigation.

Simmons remains jailed Sunday, according to Hinds County jail re-cords. It’s unclear if he has a lawyer to speak for him.

The Byram Police De-partment hasn’t respond-ed to calls seeking infor-mation about Simmons’ arrest.

BY EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS The Associated Press

JACKSON — A Missis-sippi judge ruled Tuesday that the state Health De-partment must respond to a newspaper’s public records request about long-term care facilities where outbreaks of the new coronavirus have oc-curred.

Hinds County Chan-cery Judge Tiffany Grove granted an emergency injunction in favor of Hat-tiesburg Publishing Inc., which owns the Pine Belt News.

Grove wrote that the

Health Department has seven days to either pro-vide information what the newspaper is requesting or cite a specific exemp-tion in the state Public Re-cords Act for denying the information.

The judge wrote that “the public interest is served by maintaining transparency and public access to public informa-tion when the appropriate requests for such infor-mation are made.”

The publishing com-pany filed a lawsuit May 12 against the Health De-partment, saying that the department had improper-ly denied the newspaper’s

request for the names of Forrest County nurs-ing homes where at least one case of COVID-19 had been found. The law-suit said the department spokeswoman did not pro-vide a specific reason for not releasing the informa-tion and said her action violated the state’s public records law.

Other news organi-zations have sought the names of nursing homes where coronavirus cases have been found.

The state health offi-cer, Dr. Thomas Dobbs, said in response to ques-tions at a May 13 news conference that the Health Department will not release the names of long-term care facilities where residents or em-ployees test positive for COVID-19, just as it does not release the names of facilities where other dis-

eases such as tuberculo-sis are found.

“Ever since I’ve been at the Department of Health, we’ve recognized the real potential danger of iden-tifying nursing homes in outbreaks,” Dobbs said. “In other states, we’ve seen adverse events where people are identi-fied and stigmatized and even the centers were stigmatized. If a center gets stigmatized, there’s difficulty finding staff, and then there is a possi-bility of undermining the integrity of the care.”

In a news release Tues-day, Pine Belt News pub-lisher David Gustafson praised Grove’s ruling.

“Unfortunately, we live in a day and age when secrecy in government generates suspicion and mistrust on the part of our citizenry and I’m proud to lead a news organization

that isn’t afraid to ask the tough questions and seek the answers that our read-ers deserve,” Gustafson said.

The Health Depart-ment said Tuesday that at least 1,727 cases of the virus have been con-firmed in long-term care facilities such as nursing homes, with at least 332 virus-related deaths in those facilities.

Dobbs also said Tues-day that the department

has completed coronavi-rus testing on about 60% of residents and employ-ees of long-term care fa-cilities in the state, with a goal of testing all of them within days.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For others, especially old-er adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause severe symp-toms and be fatal.

Judge: Health Dept. must respond to public records requestHattiesburg Publishing Inc. seeking information about long-term care facilities where outbreaks of the new coronavirus have occurred

JonesContinued from Page 1A

‘A family man’Michael’s mother died

when he was a teenager and Keisha just 2, the oth-er siblings all falling in between them. Chris said that’s when Michael be-came like an “extra par-ent” to the rest of them.

“He had to grow up real fast,” Chris said. “… It just extended through-out the last 20 years. He’s always been that big brother person we could lean on. And he always did the right thing.”

Michael’s other broth-ers, Joseph and Lester Jr., said Michael was the one to offer guidance, and oc-casionally get the young-er siblings out of trouble.

His sister, Chanda Burns, agreed.

“He was the best part of us,” she said. “He was the best part of all of us.”

When Chris moved away from Columbus at 19, it was Michael who was constantly putting money on his emergency credit card to make sure Chris had funds.

“Mike … was able to take out the noise and just point you in the right di-rection,” said Joseph. “No matter what.”

Michael graduated Mississippi State Uni-versity with a degree in computer science and math, his siblings said — something not many people knew since Mi-chael worked at Steel Dynamics and enjoyed manual labor. He married his wife, Bethie, and the two raised two children: Taytiyona Tatum, now 21; and Immanuel Jones, 18.

In a message delivered to The Dispatch through her sister, Martha Salone, Bethie said Michael will “forever be her sweet-heart.” She said he always used to watch movies and play games with their children, finding special things to do with them.

“He would hide Easter eggs in so many crazy places, and they just loved it because he would hide money and candy in it,”

she said. “But (he said) next time, if they thought those places were hard to find, next time he’s going to have some even hard-er places to look for the eggs.”

Immanuel called his father a “true family man,” and Tatum called him a “gem of a father.”

“I wouldn’t have traded this man for anything,” she said in a message Sa-lone delivered.

Salone said even though Michael was her brother-in-law, he was more like a brother. The two often spent time to-gether watching movies with Michael and Beth-ie’s children, she said.

His hobby was garden-ing, Salone said.

“He used his hands to plant beautiful gardens,” she said. “... We’d pick fresh vegetables from the gardens and make salads and Michael loved that. He was always so proud of his garden. He’d tell ev-eryone, ‘You see my gar-den? You see my garden? Look what I did.’”

His other hobby was finding good deals on second-hand items at trade shows and online. He used to call people to tell them what a good deal he’d found.

It was that love of a deal that led Michael to go to Bessemer on May 20. He was going to buy a phone when he was killed.

Salone said she finds it strange that a hobby Michael loved so much played a role in his death.

“He was always look-ing for a good deal,” she said tearfully.

The investigationMichael first went

missing early Wednes-day morning when he left work at Steel Dynamics at about 6:15 a.m. He didn’t arrive for his next shift 12 hours later, which su-pervisors said was unlike him.

By Thursday, family and friends were circu-lating posts on Facebook

asking for help search-ing for him. Bethie filed a missing persons report at Lowndes County Sher-iff ’s Office, whose inves-tigators later teamed up with Bessemer Police De-partment.

On Friday afternoon, Bessemer police found Michael’s truck, said BPD’s Public Informa-tion Officer Lt. Christian Clemons. Bessemer po-lice began searching the surrounding area and found Michael’s body in an abandoned house in the 1800 block of Fair-fax Avenue. He had been shot.

“He was led up here to purchase a phone through (an) app,” Clem-ons said. “We did not find his phone or the mon-ey he was using to buy a phone … at the crime scene.”

That’s what led police to believe he was the vic-tim of a robbery, Clemons said.

There are no suspects in custody yet.

Michael’s family mem-bers said the news took everyone by surprise. Chris said Michael’s su-pervisor at work called in tears when he learned Michael was missing. Tatum said she received numerous messages of support, and thanked ev-eryone for sending them.

Joseph said his nor-mally “jovial family” has suddenly become much more somber.

“I can tell you the hard-est thing right now is to laugh and joke,” he said.

Bethie said she prays Michael’s family sees jus-tice served.

His siblings, in partic-ular, have been working on their own unofficial investigation, feeding ev-ery piece of information they think might be rele-vant to investigators.

“We found him, but we’ve got to find out why and how,” Chris said. “That’s kind of what we’re focused on. Each other is what we’ve always had.”

The siblings all said they have been keeping in touch more now, plan-ning vacations and ways to spend time in each other’s company, not just sending each other mes-sages through a Face-book thread they’ve had for several years now.

Chris said it’s similar to what they went through when they were children when their mother died. Except this time, he and his siblings agreed, Mi-chael isn’t here to help them through it.

“The only way we got through it … was that we had each other,” he said. “That’s missing now. It’s hard.”


Brian FedorkaIncomplete

College Street Location

memorialgunterpeel.com

AREA OBITUARIES

Lisa RichardsonLisa Carol Richardson

passed away May 21, 2020, at her residence at the age of 55 after valiantly battling cancer.

A Memorial service was held Saturday, May 23, 2020, at Stateline Baptist Church.

Lisa was born on November 14, 1964, in Columbus, MS. She was married to Gary Allen Richardson for 37 years. She is survived by their two daughters, Brandy (Ike) Andrews of Madison, MS and Amanda (Jason) Drish of Guntown, MS.

Lisa was extremely devoted to her family and friends. She loved spending time with her grandchildren, gardening, her dog Dixie, and Fox news. Family and friends would describe Lisa as both fierce and loyal.

She was extremely proud of her five grandchildren, Brantley Andrews, Spencer Andrews, Kyle Drish, Mary Caroline Drish and Ella Rose Drish.

Lisa was a loyal sister and is survived by her sisters, Kathy Littles, Kay Patterson, Rene Vasser (Jason), Lynn Browning (Joe), Robbie Brown (Adam), Angie Browning; and brothers, Bubba Browning, Casey Browning and Luke Browning. She also has a host of nieces and nephews that she loved dearly.

She is proceeded in death by her parents, Juanita and Bobby Browning; and sister, Rebecca Browning.

Sign the online guest book at www.memorialgunterpeel.com

716 Second Avenue North • Columbus, MS

Alice LancasterAlice Stallworth Lancaster

departed this life for her Heavenly home on Ascension Day, May 21, 2020, at Merit Health Central Hospital in Jackson, Mississippi.

She is survived by her husband, Judge Robert L. “Bob” Lancaster; daughter, Lea Alice Lancaster Parker and husband, Matthew, of Arlington, VA; daughter, Katie Lancaster Johnson and husband, Bill, of Nashville, TN; son, Dr. Richard Jeptha Lancaster and wife, Chelsey, of Fairhope, AL; three grandsons, Knox George Parker, Logan Lancaster Parker of Arlington, VA and William Jeptha Lancaster of Fairhope, AL; two granddaughters, Mary Francis Johnson and Kingslea Stallworth Johnson of Nashville, TN; mother-in-law, Irene Burrow Lancaster of Columbus, MS; and brother-in-law, William Otis Lancaster and wife, Lynn, of Columbus, MS. Alice is also survived by her sister, Nancy Stallworth Thomas of Houston, TX; sister, Clementine Stallworth deRoode of Huntsville, AL; and brother, Dr. John Clement Stallworth and wife, Pamela, of Highlands Ranch, CO. Alice was pre-deceased by her parents, Dr. William Lea Stallworth and Dr. Alice Johnston Fitch Stallworth of Columbus, MS; brother, Dr. William King Stallworth and his wife, Jean, of Mt. Pleasant, SC; father-in-law, Otis G. Lancaster; and brother-in-law, Dr. Sellers J. Thomas of Houston, TX.

Alice was born in Columbus, MS on January 13, 1949, and delivered by Dr. Tom Wolford at the Columbus Hospital. She took piano lessons from Mrs. McPherson. She was a graduate of Demonstration School, Cook Junior High and S. D. Lee High Class of 1966. At Lee High, she was President of the Student Council, member of Hall of Fame, received the DAR Good Citizenship Award, Four year letterman on Lee High Tennis Team, member of the LAT Social Club, and member of Columbus Pilgrimage Court. She attended Sophie Newcomb College, Tulane University where she was a member of the Chi Omega Sorority. She was presented to Society at the Gold and White Ball of the Southern Debutante Assembly in Greenwood, MS. She graduated with Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Mississippi University for Women and with a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Mississippi. She taught art at the University of Mississippi; Mississippi State University; Mississippi University for Women; and the Columbus Public Schools. She had one high school student win a Bill and Melinda Gates Scholarship. She did free-lance artwork, calligraphy, and painting. She won first place in Graphics at the First Gum Tree Arts Festival.

Alice was the 1970 Columbus Pilgrimage Queen; a member of the Billups Garth Foundation; President of the Columbus Garden Club 1989-90 and 2012-2013; Member of the Northeast Mississippi Chi Omega Alumni Association; President of Susanna Pope Chapter and Alabama State Organizing Secretary of the National Society of Colonial Dames of the Seventeenth Century; Recording Secretary and past Regent of Colonel George Reade Chapter and Alabama State Regent of the National Society Daughters of the American Colonists; Past Regent of the Bernard Romans Chapter and Mississippi State Recording Secretary of Daughters of the American Revolution; member of the Master Gardeners Association; volunteer at Friendship Cemetery; former Phi Delta House Corporation President of Chi Omega at Mississippi State University; and a descendant of Colonel George Reade of Yorktown, VA and William the Conqueror. Alice was a volunteer gardener at Baskerville Manor and loved creating many flower arrangements and playing in the dirt.

Alice was a lifelong member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. She was a member of St. Paul’s Altar Guild. She will always be remembered as a true Christian, wonderful teacher, faithful friend, loving mother and beloved wife.

Memorials may be made to the Altar Guild of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 318 College, Columbus, MS 39701.

Pall Bearers will be David deRoode, Brent Lancaster, Bowen Lancaster, Hank Merkel, Will Stallworth, Rufus Ward, and George Winton. Honorary Pall Bearers will be Rachel George, Betty Bryan, Charon Hardy, Susannah Brown, Louise Kaye, Linda New, Tjajuan Boswell, Dr. James F. Hooper, Robert A. Ivy Jr., Don DePriest, John R. Davis, Ralph Winton Sr., Ralph Winton Jr., Watts Ueltschey, John Owings and Chuck Sanders.

A graveside service was held Tuesday, May 26, 2020, at Friendship Cemetery in Columbus, MS.

Sign the online guest book at www.memorialgunterpeel.com

716 Second Avenue North • Columbus, MS

Compliments ofLowndes Funeral Home

www.lowndesfuneralhome.net

Martha BrownMartha L. Brown, 89 of

Columbus, MS passed away Monday, May 25, 2020, at her residence.

Services will be at a later date, with Lowndes Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Brown was born September 14, 1930, to the late David and Ida P. McGarity Brazeale in Palmetto, AL. She attended Bread of Life Fellowship Church, Columbus, MS. Mrs.Brown worked as a waitress for many years at Suggs BBQ, Mexican Kitchen, and Old Hickory Steak House. She loved flowers and gardening. Mrs. Brown enjoyed painting, quilting, and angels.

In addition to her parents, Mrs. Brown was preceded in death by her brother, Henry Jackson Brazeale; and two grandchildren.

Mrs. Brown is survived by her husband; James A. Brown, Columbus, MS; children; Joe (Nelda) Brazeale, Jimmy Knight, Carol Skains, Sharon Jones, Ricky (Kathy) Knight and James (Judy) Smith; 12 grandchildren; 31 great-grandchildren; and 19 great-great-grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to Bread of Life Fellowship Church, 100 Old New Hope Road, Columbus, MS 39702.

Compliments ofLowndes Funeral Home

www.lowndesfuneralhome.net

Michael SpencerMichael Wayne

Spencer, 47, of Columbus, MS passed away Friday, May 22, 2020, at Baptist Memorial H o s p i t a l – G o l d e n Triangle, Columbus, MS.

A family memorial service was held Sunday, May 24, 2020, at 2:00 PM in the Lowndes Funeral Home Chapel, with Pastor Chuck Eubanks officiating. Immediately following the service there was a drive-through visitation in the funeral home parking lot. Friends may view the service online at www.lowndesfuneralhome.net.

Mr. Spencer was born December 26, 1972, to Sharon Spencer Bennett in Leland, MS. He moved to Columbus, MS 35 years ago from Greenville, MS. He was a member of The River Church, Columbus, MS. He worked as a service tech with Clark Beverage for 12 years. He had his Exodor license with the Church of God, was the Youth Pastor at The Heights and chaplain of CMA(Christian Motorcycle Association), Columbus Chapter. He loved riding motorcycles, forging metal, playing disc golf, and softball. Mr. Spencer enjoyed get-togethers with friends and families especially with people in the ministry. He organized fundraisers for The Height Church of God Youth camping trip and was a big kid at heart.

Mr. Spencer is survived by his wife, Carla Clinton Spencer, Columbus, MS; mother, Sharon Spencer Bennett, Columbus, MS; children, Clinton Michael Spencer, Columbus, MS and Carley Rachal Spencer, Columbus, MS; sisters, Andrea M. Swails, Caledonia, MS and Brittney Hodo Arney, Columbus, MS; and one grandson, Carson Noah Brooks.

Honorary pallbearers will be Christian Motorcycle Association, Jason Vest, Shane Richardson, Rodney Pollard, Mike Gray, Mike O’Bryant, Lane Kornegay, Randy Daily, Randy Price, Bobby Richardson, David Mayo, Alvin Clinton and Carlos Brooks.

Memorials may be made to Christian Motorcycle Association at cmausa.org.

COMMERCIAL DISPATCH OBITUARY POLICYObituaries 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 sci-ence. 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 edi-tion. Incomplete notices must be received no later than 7:30 a.m. for the Monday through Friday editions. Paid notices must be finalized by 3 p.m. for inclusion the next day Monday through Thursday; and on Friday by 3 p.m. for Sunday and Monday publication. For more information, call 662-328-2471.

Jimmie TurnerNOXUBEE COUN-

TY — Jimmie Turner, 78, died May 25, 2020.

Arrangements are incomplete and will be announced by Carter’s Funeral Services of Macon.

Ann GatesCARROLLTON, Ala.

— Ann Jones Gates, 71, died May 18, 2020, at DCH Regional Medical Center. A graveside service was at 11 a.m. May 20, 2020, in Sprin-ghill Baptist Church Cemetery, with Tommy Smothers officiating. Visitation followed in the church. Skelton Funeral Home of Re-form was in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Gates was born Sept. 3, 1948, in Columbus, to the late James Frank Jones and Willie Lucille Duncan Jones. She was for-merly employed with Pickens County Herald and was a member of Springhill Baptist Church.

In addition to her parents, she was pre-ceded in death by her step-mother.

She is survived by her husband, Charlie Gerald Gates; children, John Wayne Gates and Marty Gerald Gates; siblings, Nan Elliott, Diane Cowart, Jeanette Swain, Bobby Jones, Bubba Jones and Son-ny Johnson; and five grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to St. Jude Chil-dren’s Hospital, 501 St. Jude PL, Memphis, TN 38105.

Jessie WheelerVERNON, Ala. —

Jessie Mae Wheeler, 83, died May 24, 2020, at her residence.

A private family funeral service is at 2 p.m. today, at Chandler Funeral Home chapel, with Danny Thomp-son and Stuart Vail officiating. Burial will follow in Shiloh Cem-etery. Services will be live streamed at www.chandlerfh.net.

Mrs. Wheeler was born Feb. 6, 1937, in Vernon, to the late Coy Lee and Ila Mae Shel-ton. She was formerly employed with Chrom-alox.

In addition to her parents, she was pre-ceded in death by her daughter, Vickie Reed; and siblings, Wayne Shelton and Grady Shelton.

She is survived by her children, Jimmy Wheeler of Vernon and Cheryl Sizemore of Sulligent; siblings, Daniel Shelton, Betty Jack and Anna Tanner; two grandchildren; and three great-grandchil-dren.

Carolyn DiehlCOLUMBUS — Car-

olyn Diehl, 72, died May 25, 2020, at Baptist Me-morial Hospital-Golden Triangle.

Memorial serviced will be held at a later date. Lowndes Funeral Home of Columbus is in charge of arrangements.

Ms. Diehl was born July 30, 1947, to the late George and Kathryn

Euting. She was former-ly employed with Missis-sippi State Department of Health. She was a member of First Baptist Church.

She is survived by her children, Julie Gilchrist of Richmond, Virginia and Thomas Gilchrist of Las Vega, Nevada; and brother, Lee Euting of Buffalo Junction, Virginia.

See OBITUARIES, 5A

Send in your church event!

Email editorialassistant@

cdispatch.com

Subject: Religious brief


BY LAURAN NEERGAARD AND HANNAH FINGERHUT The Associated Press

Only about half of Americans say they would get a COVID-19 vaccine if the scientists working furiously to create one succeed, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Af-fairs Research.

That’s surprisingly low consider-ing the effort going into the global race for a vaccine against the coro-navirus that has sparked a pandem-ic since first emerging from China late last year. But more people might eventually roll up their sleeves: The poll, released Wednesday, found 31 percent simply weren’t sure if they’d get vaccinated. Another 1 in 5 said

they’d refuse.Health experts already worry

about the whiplash if vaccine prom-ises like President Donald Trump’s goal of a 300 million-dose stockpile by January fail. Only time and sci-ence will tell — and the new poll shows the public is indeed skeptical.

“It’s always better to un-der-promise and over-deliver,” said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt Uni-versity Medical Center.

“The unexpected looms large and that’s why I think for any of these vaccines, we’re going to need a large safety database to provide the reassurance,” he added.

Among Americans who say they wouldn’t get vaccinated, 7 in 10 wor-ry about safety.

“I am not an anti-vaxxer,” said Melanie Dries, 56, of Colorado Springs, Colorado. But, “to get a COVID-19 vaccine within a year or two ... causes me to fear that it won’t be widely tested as to side effects.”

Dr. Francis Collins, who directs the National Institutes of Health, in-sists safety is the top priority. The NIH is creating a master plan for testing the leading COVID-19 vac-cine candidates in tens of thousands of people, to prove if they really work and also if they’re safe.

“I would not want people to think that we’re cutting corners because that would be a big mistake. I think this is an effort to try to achieve ef-ficiencies, but not to sacrifice rig-or,” Collins told the AP earlier this month.

“Definitely the worst thing that could happen is if we rush through a vaccine that turns out to have sig-nificant side effects,” Collins added.

Among those who want a vac-cine, the AP-NORC poll found pro-tecting themselves, their family and the community are the top reasons.

AP-NORC poll: Half of Americans would get a COVID-19 vaccine‘The unexpected looms large and that’s why I think for any of these vaccines, we’re going to need a large safety database to provide the reassurance’

Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center

ObituariesContinued from Page 4A

Brian FedorkaCOLUMBUS — Bri-

an Fedorka died May 26, 2020, at his resi-dence.

Arrangements are incomplete and will be announced by Memori-al Gunter Peel Funeral Home and Crematory College Street location.

Mary Green WEST POINT —

Mary Nell McClain Green, 88, died May 26, 2020, at her residence.

A private family graveside service will be at 11 a.m. Friday, in Memorial Gardens Cemetery. Robinson Funeral Home of West Point is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Green was born in Lowndes County to the late Ola Mae Cog-gins and John Wesley McClain. She was formerly employed as a homemaker.

In addition to her parents, she was pre-ceded in death by her husband, Jack Green Sr.; siblings, Ruby Mae Cliett, John Edward McClain, Clemmie Lee McClain and William Herrone McCain.

She is survived by her children, Peggy Coleman, Jack Green Jr. both of West Point and Pay Reynolds of Bran-don; five grandchildren; and one great-grand-child.

Memorials may be made to the West Point/Clay County Animal Shelter, 5122 Old Tibbee Road, West Point, MS 39773.

Anthony AycockDALLAS, Texas —

Anthony Nolen Aycock, 35, died May 22, 2020, at his residence.

A family funeral service will be at 10 a.m. Thursday, at Tisdale-Lann Memo-rial Chapel, with John Longmire officiating. Burial will follow in Mixon Cemetery in McCondy. Tisdale-Lann Memorial Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Aycock was born Feb. 8, 1985, in Amory, to Laurenda Provias Aycock and William Wade Aycock III. He was a veteran of the Army National Guard and was a graduate of The University of Mississippi. He was formerly employed as an accounting repre-sentative with Osburn Contractor, LLC.

He was preceded in

death by his brother, William Wade Aycock, IV.

Pallbearers will be Tony Provias, Tyki Jurney, Baker Martin, Beau Martin, Steven White and Kenneth “JT” Toler.

Memorials may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, P.O. Box 50, Memphis, TN 38101.

Jean BomanSTARKVILLE —

Jean O’Brian Boman, 93, died may 25, 2020, at OCH Regional Medi-cal Center.

A private family graveside service will

be Friday, in Cedar Bluff Cumberland Presbyterian Cemetery, with the Rev. Karl No-vak officiating. Calvert Funeral Home of West Point is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Boman was born April 25, 1927, in Oktibbeha County, to the late Horace and Dovie Hamilton O’Bri-an. She was formerly employed as a secre-tary for a doctor’s office and was a member of Faith Baptist Church.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her siblings, Marilyn White, Arlis and Den-nis O’Brian.

She is survived by her children, James C. Boman of Jacksonville, Florida and Gerry Boman of Starkville; and siblings, Maxine Jenning, Betty Tribble and Kenneth O’Brian all of Cedar Bluff.

Pallbearers will be Jimmy Boman, Gerald Boman, David Tribble, Ricky Tribble, and Andrew Wheatley.

Memorials may be made to Cedar Bluff Cumberland Presby-terian Cemetery, c/o Anna Sims, 703 Hen-ryville Road, Cedar Bluff, Mississippi 39741.

6A WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 2020

OpinionPETER BIRNEY IMES Editor/PublisherBIRNEY IMES III Editor/Publisher 1998-2018BIRNEY IMES JR. Editor/Publisher 1947-2003BIRNEY IMES SR. Editor/Publisher 1922-1947

ZACK PLAIR, Managing EditorBETH PROFFITT Advertising DirectorMICHAEL FLOYD Circulation/Production ManagerMARY ANN HARDY ControllerDispatch

the

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

OUR VIEW

Area cities, counties show commendable leadership during pandemicI f communities were graded

on how well citizens have responded to the guidelines

put in place to fight COVID-19, the Golden Triangle has fared better than most, based on what we’ve seen and heard from other parts of the state.

As an example, last Satur-day thousands of people, few wearing masks and even fewer even pretending to exercise social distancing, attended a crawfish festival in Ocean Springs, an act of defiance of the state’s Safer at Home guide-lines. The event was given a permit by the city, whose may-or has been openly opposed to the state guidelines.

In Jackson, a minister was spit on for wearing a mask.

In shops and business-es throughout the state,

mask-wearers are often in a clear minority.

By contrast, we’ve neither heard nor seen many examples of such aggressive defiance of the safeguards put in place to mitigate the spread of the virus.

That is not to say that there aren’t some who defy the guidelines. We still see plenty of people in public places who refuse to wear masks, for example. Social distancing is often neglected as well. Gripes on social media about the guidelines are fairly prevalent too.

But the majority of Golden Triangle residents seem to be making a good-faith effort to follow these guidelines. As restrictions continue to be relaxed or eliminated, that’s

more important than ever. Bar-ring an outbreak on a scale that would compel the state and cities to again impose severe restrictions, it seems likely that our safety will rely almost entirely on our own personal conduct.

If that’s the case, we believe the Golden Triangle has established a “safety first” culture that will serve us well. We know the virus has not disappeared, that it remains a serious threat to public health, that we have an important role — perhaps the most important role — in limiting the spread of the virus. Most of us have taken that obligation seriously.

We believe our city and county leaders have provided good leadership in helping create a culture of compliance,

even though they have at times faced sharp criticism.

We especially commend the city of Columbus for bringing to the table stakeholders - pastors and business owners from all types of businesses — in developing its plans for re-opening.

Churches, in particular, have responded admirably. Although they’ve been allowed to hold services, few — if any — have rushed to throw open their doors. Most continue to worship virtually.

Aside from long-term care facilities, there is no higher concentration of people over age 60 — those who are most vulnerable to the virus — than is commonly found at church services. Our pastors seem to understand the stakes.

Yet in other parts of the state and nation, churches have struck defiant tones and have resumed services. There are those who will tell you that attending church at this time is an act of faith, yet scripture addresses this clearly: “Thou shalt not put the Lord Thy God to the test.”

Our churches, in particular, have shown true leadership. They have put the health of their congregants above all other concerns.

Our communities have, in large measure, been equal to the challenge. We urge con-tinued vigilance and restraint, guided always by the knowl-edge that our actions will play an ever increasing role in meeting the challenges that await us.

Voice of the peopleAppreciates the kindness of a stranger

Kudos to Mr. Timothy Dismukes, the guardian angel who came to my rescue when I fell on my face while walking on Main Street on a recent Sunday morning. Mr. Dis-mukes ministered to me in a way that I will never forget, and I am very thankful for the kindness of this stranger!

Dixie ButlerColumbus

STATE OF THE WORLD

Jinping takes up the US challengeI s the U.S. up for a

second Cold War — this time with China?

What makes the question newly relevant is that Xi Jinping’s China suddenly appears eager for a showdown with the United States for long-term supremacy in the Asia-Pacific and the world.

With the U.S. con-sumed by the corona-virus pandemic that has killed 100,000 Americans and crashed our economy to depths not seen since the Great Depression, China’s dictator seems to be making his move.

At the Communist Party conclave this May, China announced that it was seizing control of Hong Kong’s security. From now on, subversion, sedition, secession and foreign meddling within the city will be crushed.

Whatever sanctions the U.S. and its allies impose, there will be no free and independent Hong Kong.

“For an Ascendant China, Rein-ing in Hong Kong Is Just the Start,” is the headline over The New York Times story on China’s new asser-tiveness.

“China’s move to strip away another layer of Hong Kong’s autonomy was not a rash impulse. It was a deliberate act, months in the making,” writes reporter Steven Lee Myers. “It took into account the risks of international umbrage and reached the reasonable assumption that there would not be a significant geopolitical price to pay. ...

“With the world distracted by the pandemic’s devastating toll, China has taken a series of aggressive steps in recent weeks to flex its economic, diplomatic and military muscle across the region.

“China’s Coast Guard rammed and sank a fishing boat in disputed waters off Vietnam, and its ships swarmed an offshore oil rig operat-ed by Malaysia. Beijing denounced the second inauguration of Taiwan’s

President Tsai Ing-wen, and pointedly dropped the word peaceful from its annual call for uni-fication with the island democracy.

“Chinese troops squared off again last week with India’s along their contentious border in the Himalayas.”

To warnings that China is risking Cold War II, Beijing seems to be responding: If a

Cold War with the United States is the price of securing our strategic interests and position in Asia and the world, bring it on.

Beijing has put the ball in Ameri-ca’s court. What do we do now?

Consider the list of nations with which China has territorial quarrels that have lately produced military clashes.

Beijing claims Indian lands China has occupied since their 1962 war.

China claims virtually all the islets and reefs in the South China Sea and now uses naval vessels to deal with the rival claimants of Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Beijing asserts that Taiwan and all of its offshore islands in the East China Sea belong to China. While the Senkaku Islands have long been controlled by Japan, China claims these islands as well.

As for protests of the suppression of Tibetans and incarceration in concentration camps of Muslim Ui-ghurs and Kazakhs, Beijing brushes them off.

Should the U.S. seek sanctions on China if it crushes the resistance in Hong Kong, how many U.S. allies would support those sanctions, when, for Australia, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan, China, not America, is their largest market and trading partner?

How did we allow ourselves to get into this position where a lately backward China is suddenly a great-er rival for global hegemony than was the Soviet Union of Josef Stalin

and Nikita Khrushchev?Said Secretary of State Mike

Pompeo ruefully this month:“China’s been ruled by a brutal,

authoritarian regime, a communist regime since 1949. For several de-cades, we thought the regime would become more like us through trade, scientific exchanges, diplomatic outreach ... (but) that didn’t happen.

“We greatly underestimated the degree to which Beijing is ideolog-ically and politically hostile to free nations. The whole world is waking up to that fact.”

Yet, the rising totalitarian power of China, even with its imperial ambitions undisguised, does not threaten the vital interests of the United States.

So, again, the question: If China is prepared for a Cold War II with the United States to establish its predominance, what are we pre-pared to do should China absorb Hong Kong and convert it into a second Shanghai?

What are we prepared to do if China puts new pressure on Taiwan and seizes offshore islands in the East China Sea, as she did in the South China Sea? Sanctions against Vladimir Putin’s Russia to compel it to return Crimea and vacate eastern Ukraine have conspicuously failed.

Are we prepared to fight for any of the islands, none of which we claim and many of which we agree ultimately belong to Beijing?

The Chinese have stolen our in-tellectual property, coerced technol-ogy transfers from our businesses and sent spies posing as students into our universities to thieve our secrets.

Meanwhile, we allowed ourselves to become dependent on China for medicines and drugs vital to the health and the survival of millions of Americans.

Who did this to us? We did it to ourselves.

Patrick J. Buchanan, a nationally syndicated columnist, was a senior advisor to presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan. His website is http://buchanan.org/blog.

OTHER EDITORS

State legislators should target the help

The $1.25 billion Mississippi has received in coronavirus relief is a chunk of money. To put it in perspective, that’s about one-fifth of the state’s annual general fund budget.

But, as with all pots of money that state government has, there will be more requests and needs than there will be money to cover. That means the Legislature, which has assert-ed its control over how most of the money is spent, will have to make some choices.

It already has made a $300 million choice. That’s how much lawmakers have set aside for grants to small businesses, with priority given to those that have not received forgiv-able loans from the federal government for keeping their employees on the payroll. Ear-lier, during a dust-up with Gov. Tate Reeves, the Legislature gave him discretion over $100 million for emergency spending related to battling the spread of COVID-19.

That leaves $850 million still to allocate — and there will be no shortage of suitors. The Mississippi Department of Education has said it would like $250 million to equip all of the state’s public school students with computers and broadband access on the possibility that the schools will still be closed in the fall and forced to continue distance learning. Missis-sippi hospitals are asking for more than $300 million to offset some of the losses they are suffering from treating COVID-19 patients. Municipal governments, which are anticipat-ing a huge drop in revenues due to a decline in sales tax receipts, want help. So do county governments.

Lawmakers can take two approaches with this money. It can try to spread it as far as it can, giving as many corners of the public and private sectors a piece so as to try to amelio-rate the most people possible. That seems to be the federal government’s approach in the $3 trillion it has spent so far on relief.

Or it can target the funding to a few select areas — such as health care and manufactur-ing — that could produce the biggest bang for the buck.

For Mississippi, which, unlike the feder-al government, does not have the power to print money, we would recommend the more targeted approach.

Most areas of the economy have been hit hard by the shutdowns of the past two months. Even though Mississippi is gradually lifting many of those restrictions, it looks like it will be a slow recovery. The quicker that some of the state’s largest job providers are back on their feet, the quicker the recovery can come and ripple through to everyone else.

A targeted approach means having to set priorities. That’s not easy politically, but that’s what lawmakers signed up for when they ran for office — that is, to help manage the state’s finances through the good times and the bad.

In all times, but particularly in bad times, that means saying “no” to requests that may be worthy but just not worthy enough.

Greenwood Commonwealth

Patrick Buchanan


BY WILL WEISSERT The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Joe Biden said Tuesday that wearing a mask in public to combat the spread of the coronavirus is a sign of leadership and called President Donald Trump a “fool” who was “stoking deaths” for suggesting otherwise.

The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee’s comments came a day after he wore a black face mask while making his first public appearance in more than two months. Biden has remained at his Delaware home amid a pandemic that has frozen the presidential cam-paign, but he marked Memorial Day by laying a wreath at a nearby veter-ans’ memorial with his wife, Jill.

Trump later retweeted a post that appeared to make fun of a photo of Biden in his mask, though he later said he didn’t mean to be critical. In an interview with CNN, Biden responded, “He’s a fool, an absolute fool, to talk that way.”

“He’s supposed to lead by exam-ple,” Biden said. The former vice president also noted that nearly 100,000 Americans have been killed by the virus and suggested that as many as half of those deaths were avoidable but for Trump’s “lack of attention and ego.”

Federal officials have recom-mended that people cover their nose and mouth in public when other measures, such as practicing social

distancing of at least 6 feet, aren’t possible. But the issue has become increasingly politically charged, with Trump refusing to wear a mask and polls finding that conservative Americans are more likely to forgo them as well.

Biden didn’t wear a mask during the CNN interview, which was con-ducted outside his house, but he sat 12 feet from the reporter.

“It’s just absolutely this macho stuff,” Biden said of Trump bristling at wearing a mask in public, a prac-tice the former vice president called being “falsely masculine.” “It’s cost people’s lives.”

Biden added that the president is politicizing the issue and “it’s stok-ing deaths. That’s not going to in-crease the likelihood that people are going to be better off.”

Biden knocks Trump for ‘this macho stuff’ in shunning masks‘He’s supposed to lead by example’

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden

Atlanta is home to 2 potential contenders for Biden’s vice presidentBY BILL BARROW The Associated Press

ATLANTA — Neither public rivals nor personal friends, Keisha Lance Bottoms and Stacey Abrams spent years climbing parallel lad-ders at Atlanta City Hall and the Georgia Capitol.

They are now Georgia’s most influential African American women. Bottoms, the 50-year-old Atlanta mayor, is a top surrogate for Joe

Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. Abrams is the 46-year-old voting rights activist who nearly became the first black female governor in American history. Now, the pair occupy the same political intersection: Biden’s list of potential running mates.

That potential has highlighted the different styles of the two law-yers-turned-politicians. Abrams embraces the possibility of the vice presidency and, already having acknowledged her own presidential as-pirations, openly touts how she’d help Biden win and govern. Bottoms, while not sidestepping the talk, plays the more traditional role of loyal party lieutenant.

While the possibility of being up for the same job could stoke con-flict, Abrams, Bottoms and their associates instead frame their national profiles as a boost for black women.

“I see them leading in very different ways because of the positions they hold, and I adore them both,” said state party chairwoman Nikema Williams. It’s “inspiring” to watch “two black women from the South be elevated.”

Beyond Abrams and Bottoms, Biden is believed to be considering other women of color as his running mate, including California Sen. Kamala Harris and Rep. Val Demings of Florida.

BY MARY CLARE JALONICK AND ERIC TUCKER The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has closed investigations into stock trading by Sens. Dianne Feinstein of California, Kelly Loeffler of Georgia and Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, according to people familiar with notifications sent to the senators. The senators came under scrutiny for transactions made in the weeks before the corona-virus sent markets down-hill.

The developments in-dicate that federal law enforcement officials are narrowing their focus in the stock investigation to Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C, the former Senate Intelli-gence Committee chair-man. Agents showed up at his Washington-area home about two weeks ago with a warrant to search his cellphone.

Senate records show that Burr and his wife sold between roughly $600,000 and $1.7 million in more than 30 transac-tions in late January and mid-February, just before the market began to dive and government health officials began to sound alarms about the virus. Burr has denied any wrongdoing.

Loeffler, Inhofe and Feinstein were notified Tuesday that they are no longer under investiga-tion, according to three people familiar with the contacts but not autho-rized to speak about them. A spokesman for Loeffler, who is in a com-petitive reelection race, said in a statement that the Justice Department’s decision “affirms what Senator Loeffler has said all along — she did noth-ing wrong.”

The spokesman, Ste-phen Lawson, said that scrutiny of the trades was a “politically motivated attack” by her political op-ponents and the news me-

dia. Loeffler, a Republican who became a senator in January, and her husband dumped substantial por-tions of their portfolio and purchased new stocks around the time Congress was receiving briefings

on the seriousness of the pandemic. Loeffler’s hus-band, Jeffrey Sprecher, is chairman of the New York Stock Exchange, and she has said the ac-counts were managed by third-party advisers.

Feinstein reported that her husband sold off between $1.5 million and $6 million worth of stock in Allogene Therapeutics before the market drop.

US closes probes into 3 senators over their stock trades

cdispatch.com


SuspectContinued from Page 1A

press release. The suspect had alleged-ly been harassing guests at the hotel by knocking on doors. He attacked the em-ployee when the employee confronted him.

The employee was treated for inju-ries at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Gold-en Triangle before being released, the press release says.

The video released shows a bearded, African-American man in a black shirt and a head covering.

“We have a good clear picture of the suspect,” said Police Chief Fred Shel-ton in a prepared statement. “Someone knows who this is, so all we ask them to do is to call us and give us the name. The information will be held confidential.”

Investigators are asking anyone with information to call Golden Trian-gle Crime Stoppers at 800-530-7151 or leave a tip through the P3 app for smart-phones.

Courtesy imageColumbus police are seeking the public’s help to find a suspect, pictured here in security footage, accused of assaulting an employee of a local hotel over the weekend.

CurfewContinued from Page 1A

“I appreciate the co-operation of our citizens during these trying times,” Smith said in the release. “The curfew was put in place to protect our citizens, and now as part of our ‘Restart Columbus’ work, I am allowing the curfew to

expire. At this time, end-ing the curfew is the best decision for our city, our residents and visitors as we work to return life to normal.”

However, Smith still encouraged residents to remain cautious amid the pandemic.

“This is not the time to be less careful,” Smith said. “You are protect-ing yourself and those around you with social distancing and other safety practices. Please stay six feet apart and wear a mask to protect yourself and others.”

GTRAContinued from Page 1A

the airport limited to once a day — around 1:30 p.m. — due to decreased passenger traffic at the airport. After waiting a while, Binford headed back inside the terminal to rent a car from the Avis/Budget kiosk inside.

Binford’s journey was just a reminder that things are far from back to normal at GTR in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. The airport is down to one flight per day from its normal four, and passenger travel is just 10 percent of what it was this time last year.

But Executive Director Mike Hainsey said the situation at GTR is im-proving — if only slight-ly. In the past two weeks, Hainsey said, the airport has gone from an average of five-to-seven passen-gers a day to an average of 12-to-15. It’s far off the pre-pandemic average of 175 passengers per day, Hainsey said, but it’s a start.

Typically, nearly 80 percent of passenger travel at the airport is for business, but Hainsey said travelers like Binford make up most of the cur-rent populace.

“The passengers we’re seeing are ones that have to fly to see family,” Hainsey said. “The busi-ness community is not traveling yet.”

Robin Wynn, salesper-son for Avis/Budget at GTR, said the terminal has been fairly empty since the end of spring break at Mississippi State and Mississippi Universi-ty for Women, when the pandemic first hit the re-

gion. Memorial Day week-end, however, offered an increase in volume.

Wynn said 39 rent-als have been booked in roughly the past two weeks, a step up from the company’s pandemic av-erage of 11 per week be-fore that.

She said before the pandemic, the first four rows of the airport’s parking area were always chock full; now, Wynn al-ways lands a “prime park-ing spot” at the very front of the lot.

Hainsey said the air-port remains fairly busy with non-commercial travel. A flight school, a crop-dusting service, medical helicopters and military training ensure GTR is never empty.

Federal grant helps airport survive

According to previ-ous Dispatch reporting, Hainsey estimated in ear-ly April that GTR could receive up to $190,000 in aid from the federal gov-ernment during the pan-demic.

But he said Tuesday that the airport received $1.2 million of funding through the CARES Act, significantly more than he expected. The money will fund payroll and reg-ular budget operations, Hainsey said.

“Since it is going to take a while to recover, it’ll allow us to still stay in good financial position,” he said.

The airport will sustain an estimated $300,000 to $400,000 loss due to the pandemic, Hainsey said, but with the grant, it won’t have to tap into roughly a year’s worth of reserves.

Hainsey said the mon-ey from the CARES Act will be used over the cur-rent fiscal year as well as the next one.

GTR’s board decided early on not to cut any staff during the pandem-ic, Hainsey said.

Social distancing, sanitation measures still in place

Social distancing mea-sures and sanitation pre-cautions are still priori-ties at GTR despite the limited passenger traffic.

Though, as Hainsey pointed out, “(i)t’s not hard social distancing in the terminal.” Fewer than

five people filled the spa-cious gate area roughly half an hour before the only departing flight of the day, the 2:40 p.m. Del-ta jaunt to Atlanta, left the airport.

But hand sanitizing

stations are all around the terminal, and Hainsey — citing safety as his “No. 1 concern” — said the jan-itorial and maintenance staffs are still working hard to keep the airport clean.

“We’ll take the mea-sures required and make sure both the people that travel and also our em-ployees, the people that are working there, are protected and taken care of, too,” he said.

WynnHainsey

Theo DeRosa/Dispatch StaffThe first four rows of Golden Triangle Regional Airport’s parking area are typically full, but Avis/Budget sales-person Robin Wynn said the lot has been thin during the COVID-19 pandemic. Wynn has been able to snag a “prime” parking spot every day of late.

SECTION

BSPORTS LINE662-241-5000Sports

THE DISPATCH n CDISPATCH.COM n WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 2020

MISSISSIPPI STATE FOOTBALL

How MSU’s special teams recruits are adapting to Covid-19

Photos courtesy of Nolan McCordGeorgia native and 2020 kicker Nolan McCord is one of several Mississippi State recruits that has struggled to find useable field space in the midst of the pandemic.

BY BEN [email protected]

STARKVILLE — Perched in the middle of the field in the midst of a workout, 2021 Mississippi State commit Marshall Nichols took off running.

Having previously jumped the fence at a near-by high school to access its field, Nichols could see a security guard heading his way. Rather than wait for orders, he sprinted at

the barrier he’d jumped prior to his discovery and headed toward the park-ing lot.

“I’ve been jumping a lot of fences and been chased off by a lot of security guards,” he joked of how he’s adapted to finding field space in the midst of the COVID-19 pandem-ic. “The last month or so my school has kind of let it slide for me to get on there.”

One of the six spe-cial teams commitments MSU boasts between the classes of 2020 and 2021, Nichols’ chase with an At-lanta-area security guard is just a glimpse at the varying sacrifices and creative endeavors he and his future Bulldog spe-cialists have endured to get their kicks, holds and punts in over the past two months.

After field space near

his home in Lilburn, Georgia was closed when a group of athletes left a mess following a session of seven-on-seven, 2020 kicker Nolan McCord has begun trekking wherever he hears others have had success working out.

“There’s certain fields we can go to and certain one’s we can’t because of cops and stuff like that,” McCord told The Dis-patch. “Private schools al-

low you, so I would drive about 40 minutes every other day just to get on a field, but they kicked ev-eryone off because people were littering. So I’m driv-ing an hour to an hour and a half just to kick.”

McCord, an Atlanta-ar-ea native, and Nichols have also spent a handful of sessions together in re-cent weeks. Acquainted through camps over the past few years, the pair

have long been familiar with each other, but never close. That’s changed of late as the kicker-holder combination have spent ample time practicing kicks and holds off the ground in anticipation of their joint futures in Starkville.

Allowed at the high school level, but barred collegiately, Nichols ex-plains a kicking block af-

Five-star WBB recruit Hayes sticking with MSUBY DISPATCH STAFF

STARKVILLE — Nikki McCray-Penson earned her biggest pledge of the offseason Tuesday as five-star guard Mad-ison Hayes announced her intention to stick with her commitment to Mis-sissippi State via Twitter.

Hayes — who never asked for a release from the national letter of in-tent she signed prior to Vic Schaefer’s departure — will join the Bulldogs after a standout high school career at East Hamilton High School in Ooltewah, Tennes-see. As a junior, she av-eraged 25.8 points, 11.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. Hayes was rat-ed the No. 28 player in the ESPN HoopGurlz top 100 class of 2020 rankings and earned Gatorade Player of the Year honors in Tennessee.

“As we move forward, it’s more about learning

the vision, the style of play, and where they see them-selves,” McCray-Penson said in response to a ques-tion regarding her com-munication with Hayes during her introductory press conference on April 14. “That’s where we’re getting to next. It’s just getting a feel for them and their needs. All the conversations have been great, and everyone is awesome.”

With Hayes on board heading into next sea-son, McCray-Penson now has 10 scholarship play-ers under her watch as she begins her tenure in Starkville.

The Bulldogs were rat-ed No. 3 in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early top 25 rank-ings earlier this spring and will return second team All-SEC selections Rickea Jackson and Jes-sika Carter. Jackson was also named to the SEC All-Freshman team.

Mississippi State softball’s first-generation college students take pride in accomplishments, hope to inspire othersBY THEO [email protected]

Friends, teammates and relatives all congrat-ulated Fa Leilua when she graduated from Missis-sippi State on May 1, but Leilua remembers one call above the rest.

When she got on the phone with her mother Paiao, back in Southern California, Leilua finally got to say the three words she’d been waiting so long to utter.

We did it.After five years of col-

lege and four seasons on the softball field, Leilua had become the first per-son in her family to grad-uate from college. She was proud to share the big moment with her mother, whose longtime work and support helped Leilua get to that point.

“I think that the biggest thing for me that day was

Photo courtesy of Mississippi State athleticsFa Leilua became the first in her family to graduate from college when she received her bachelor’s degree this spring. “I just couldn’t really fathom it just because of all the years and hard work I put in,” Leilua said.See STUDENTS, 2B

See RECRUITS, 2B

The DispaTch • www.cdispatch.com2B WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 2020

to tell my mom we final-ly finished something that we worked so hard for,” Leilua said.

Leilua’s time in Starkville isn’t over yet, as she has taken anoth-er year of collegiate el-igibility and will play for the Bulldogs in 2021 while pursuing a mas-ter’s degree. But her graduation — despite being virtual — acted as the culmination of years and years of hard work.

As a first-genera-tion college student, the Hawthorne High School and Arizona State product knows the importance of her recent accomplishment. Attending college was a goal shared by Leilua and her father, Sio, ever since Leilua received her first-ever letter of interest from the Uni-versity of Arizona in eighth grade.

But after Leilua had two standout seasons at Arizona State, Sio died of a heart attack while his daughter was home for Christmas break in 2017. Leilua sat out the 2018 season, then transferred to Missis-sippi State in search of a fresh start.

And while Leilua was

overjoyed to receive her bachelor’s degree, she wishes she’d been able to call her father so they could celebrate the news together.

“It ’s something that I know he was proud of,” she said. “That ’s some-thing I can trust and have faith in.”

Leilua’s mother, who helped support the dream her husband had for their daughter, re-assured Leilua that Sio was still proud of her.

“‘He’s smiling down on you,’” Paiao said that day on the phone. “‘From here on out, you’ve just gotta keep moving forward.’”

Losing her father was just one of the obstacles Leilua encountered as she fought to achieve a goal she wasn’t initial-ly sure was possible for her.

She had to balance time spent on the field with time spent in the classroom. She battled the towering expecta-tions she set for herself, realizing she played best when she was having fun and relaxing on the diamond. She also had to deal with changing circumstances in soft-ball, playing under five

different head coaches in her five years of col-lege to date.

“I just couldn’t really fathom it just because of all the years and hard work I put in,” Leilua said. “It was a very sur-real moment for me.”

For freshman Ce-leste Soliz, the first member of her family to attend college in the United States, that un-real feeling — of doing something unprece-dented — didn’t mani-fest itself until she was home in Texas after the Bulldogs’ 2020 season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“‘At a time like this, yeah, this is kind of cra-zy — in a good way,’” Soliz thought to herself.

The catcher and util-ity player, an academ-ic standout at Lovejoy High School in Lucas, Texas, said she planned to attend college regard-less of softball but that the scholarship she re-ceived definitely helped her reach that point.

During her high school days, attending a long-ago softball camp at Arizona State, Soliz remembers that she and a friend were given a tour of the locker room

by none other than Lei-lua, whom Soliz had of-ten seen playing on TV and looked up to. (Lei-lua, used to young play-ers coming in and out, doesn’t remember the event.)

“She was kind of a big name, really,” Soliz said of the player who would be her teammate years later and more than 1,500 miles away. “She still is.”

Soliz eventually set-tled on the Sun Devils, but after the fall se-mester, she needed a change. She transferred to MSU mid-year and switched her major from earth and space explora-tion to mechanical engi-neering.

“Going to Mississippi State was like a brand-new opportunity, real-ly,” Soliz said.

Soliz’s grandmother, raised in Mexico, was the valedictorian of the 1980 graduating class of the Instituto Tecnológi-co de Zacatecas, but the Bulldogs’ freshman is in a unique spot stateside.

Acknowledging the opportunity she’s got-ten, Soliz hopes to be a good role model and invite her two young-er brothers to walk the

trail she has blazed.“I think it ’s a big re-

sponsibility,” she said. “I’m kind of making a path they can hopefully follow.”

Three-year-old Ga-briel is nowhere close to such a decision, but Sol-iz hopes 15 -year-old Co-rey is inspired by what she’s accomplished. If Corey wants to go to col-lege, he can just look at his sister as an example of how to achieve that dream, Soliz said.

“I hope he can look at me and say, ‘My sister did it. I can do it, too,’” she said.

Leilua, who said that she never would have made it to college with-out softball, hopes to be an example to the gen-erations to come. While her two brothers, Sio and Lipo, and her sis-ter Nila did not attend college, Leilua has her eyes on her two nieces: 10 -year-old Kinai and 6 -year-old Kiairagi.

She wants her broth-er’s daughters to live out their childhood a bit more first, but before long, their softball edu-cation will begin.

“Soon, we’re gonna pop up some nets and some tees and kind of

just teach them the ba-sics,” Leilua said.

Leilua’s own school-ing — both within and outside of softball — isn’t over just yet. In the fall, she’ll start her mas-ter’s program, some-thing she said goes be-yond the goal she and Sio set so many years ago.

“This is something that my dad and I didn’t even think to do or didn’t even have a perspective on,” Leilua said.

She said she hopes the things she has al-ready accomplished will inspire people like her who don’t feel like they have a shot at achieving the same goals.

“I’m here to say that it is possible,” Leilua said. You can get through it.”

Leilua, who hopes to become a college coach when her playing ca-reer and her schooling eventually come to an end, emphasized that her graduation was just the close to one chapter of her life, just a step-ping-stone for her and the people she hopes to inspire.

After all, there’s still more to be done.

“It doesn’t only stop here,” Leilua said.

StudentsContinued from Page 1B

fords a physical point to look at when approaching a kick or hold. By con-trast, working from the ground takes away some of the leverage a tee al-lows, while also making the actual spot in which the kicker will aim for less exact.

“He sets off where my finger is,” Nichols said. “And if I lift my finger up it completely messes up the spot. So I’ve got to

put the ball down right where he set up his steps off of, so he can hit the ball right.”

“It’s been kind of cool just getting the rhythm down for the future,” McCord, the elder of the duo, added. “It allows us to connect faster when he gets to campus quicker on the hold and snap.”

In Texas, kicker com-mit Aidan Martin has also had to get creative

in finding field space around his home in Hous-ton.

Rated the No. 17 kick-er in the class of 2020 by 247sports composite, Martin was previous-ly committed to Hous-ton before then-special teams coordinator Blake Gideon moved into the same role at Ole Miss. After being offered by current MSU special teams coordinator Matt

Brock during his time at Washington State, he again recruited Martin upon taking his new post in Starkville.

“When Brock gave me the opportunity I for sure couldn’t pass him up twice,” Martin told The Dispatch.

Now working through an offseason that has been plagued with coro-navirus concerns, Martin has spent time kicking on

baseball fields as he pre-pares for his first fall camp at MSU.

“I’ve really just grinded and (I’m) getting a lot of detail work in so that I’m polished for when I get to Mississippi State,” he said. “I’m not trying to come from behind, I want to be on top of everything.”

While Nichols is still a year away from arriving in the maroon and white, Martin and McCord will

join Arizona State transfer kicker Brandon Ruiz and long snappers Colby Cox and Hayes Hammond as newcomers to this year’s specialist group.

And though it remains to be seen exactly when the Bulldogs’ special teams contingent will get the chance to kick, punt, snap or hold on the field at Davis Wade Stadium, there should be less fence climbing involved.

RecruitsContinued from Page 1B

NHL moves ahead with 24-team playoff format if play resumesTHE ASSOCIATED PRESS

The NHL will aban-don the rest of the regular season and go straight into the play-offs with 24 teams in-stead of 16 — if it is able to resume play.

The decision, an-nounced Tuesday by Commissioner Gary Bettman, is no guaran-tee that games are com-ing back. The NHL and the NHL Players’ Asso-ciation must still f igure out health and safety protocols and solve oth-er issues.

“This is a meaning-ful start, I think, but it ’s only a start,” NHLPA executive director Don Fehr told The Associ-ated Press after the an-nouncement. “We have to make sure that we can actually implement all the things which are necessary in order to protect the health and safety of the players and all the rest of the staff.”

Still, ironing out the format and narrowing down its two potential playoff host cities to a list of 10 represents significant progress since global sports were largely shut down in March as the corona-virus outbreak turned into a pandemic. Play could resume in late

July or early August, with the Stanley Cup Final in September or even later.

“Realistically if we’re in training camp mid-Ju-ly, that would be a good thing, and if we can be playing by the end of July or the beginning of August, that would be a good thing too,” Bett-man said. “But if it has to slide more, then it ’ll slide. There’s a reason that we’re not giving you dates now because anybody who gives you a date is guessing, and we think we’d rather take a more holistic ap-proach to doing this.”

Groups of 12 teams representing each of the two conferences will be limited to playing in two cities, yet to be deter-mined, with three-week training camps open-ing no earlier than July 1. Voluntary workouts could begin in early June.

“We hope this is a step back toward nor-malcy,” Bettman said. “We think we’ve been able to work very collab-oratively with the Play-ers’ Association and the players to come up with a framework that is fair and has integrity and should result in a ter-rific, competitive play-offs and the awarding of

the best trophy in all of sports.”

Earlier this week, the league and NHLPA issued extensive proto-cols once players are al-lowed to return to their facilities. They include a maximum of six players on the ice at a time, no contact and no coaches for voluntary workouts.

Teams will be respon-sible for testing during those workouts and training camp, with the league taking over when games begin. Deputy commissioner Bill Daly said players would be tested for COVID-19 daily.

Instead of limiting the Cup chase to the usual 16 teams that qualify for the playoffs, the league and players agreed to expand the field to 24 of its 31 teams because of the unusual circumstances.

This means the likes of the Montreal Cana-diens are still alive de-spite being nine points out of a playoff spot when hockey was halt-ed March 12. But not all teams will have the same path to hockey’s storied trophy.

The top four teams in each conference ranked by points percentage — Boston, Tampa Bay, Washington and Phila-

delphia in the East and St. Louis, Colorado, Ve-gas and Dallas in the West — will play sepa-rate round-robin tour-naments to determine seeding.

The remaining 16 teams will be seeded by conference, setting up best-of-five series in the East of No. 5 Pittsburgh vs. No. 12 Montreal, No. 6 Carolina vs. No. 11 New York Rangers, No. 7 New York Island-ers vs. No. 10 Florida and No. 8 Toronto vs. No. 9 Columbus. In the West, it would be No. 5 Edmonton vs. No. 12 Chicago, No. 6 Nash-ville vs. No. 11 Arizona, No. 7 Vancouver vs. No. 10 Minnesota and No. 8 Calgary vs. No. 9 Winni-peg.

These games will be played without fans.

“It ’s completely dif-ferent than what the norm is,” Minnesota Wild general manag-er Bill Guerin said. “I think we all understand how unique this year is and how crazy it ’s been. We’ve just kind of got to roll with it a little bit.”

Games are expected to be played in two hub cities and Bettman said 10 are in the running: Chicago, Columbus, Ohio, Dallas, Las Vegas, Pittsburgh and Minne-

apolis/St. Paul in the U.S. and Edmonton, To-ronto and Vancouver in Canada. The Canadian government’s manda-tory 14-day quarantine could force the NHL to pick two U.S. locales.

“The interpretation of the quarantine con-sistent with our players’ ability to travel in and not have to do a strict self-quarantine in a ho-tel room, we won’t be in a position to use any of the Canadian cities as a hub city,” Daly said. “We’re faced with hav-ing to find a solution to that. Hopefully we can.”

While there are still details to work out, in-cluding whether the first two rounds are best of five or seven, Bett-man said he expects the best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final to be played in full in one of the two hub cities. Each team would be limited to a total of 50 people in the city it plays in.

“It ’s not easy getting everybody on board with all the different countries, the players, the teams that were in the playoffs, teams that may not be in the play-offs and getting that all agreed upon with the union,” Buffalo Sa-bres owner Kim Pegula told The AP. “For us to

even finish the season and award (the Stanley Cup), I know a lot of work went into it. But I know how important it was for our players, our fans, our league to make sure that we conclude it.”

The decision to call off the 189 regular-sea-son games that were not played ends the season for Buffalo, New Jersey, Anaheim, Los Angeles, San Jose, Ottawa and Detroit.

Those seven teams will now prepare for one of potentially two draft lotteries to determine the top 15 selections. The lottery will be held June 26, with another scheduled later depend-ing on which of the re-maining eight teams qualify for the 16 -team playoff.

The NHL is still plan-ning for a full 82-game 2020 -21 season, though Bettman acknowledged the start could be as late as early January. It could mean nine months or more without game action for players on non-playoff teams.

“Among the long list of things that we haven’t come to grips with is that,” Fehr said. “There are a lot of things that have yet to be talked about.”

Dolphins owner: There definitely will be an NFL season

MIAMI — Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross says he’s confident the NFL will play in 2020, with or without spectators.

“I think there definitely will be a foot-ball season this year,” Ross said Tuesday during an interview on CNBC. “The real question is will there be fans in the sta-diums?”

The NFL has said it expects to play a full schedule beginning Sept. 10, but is preparing contingency plans in case

the coronavirus pandemic makes venue changes or games without fans neces-sary.

“Right now, today, we’re planning on having some fans in the stadiums,” Ross said. “But I think the NFL is very flexible so that we will be able to start on time and bring that entertainment that is really so needed to all of us in this country.”

The league has kept to its offseason schedule of conducting free agency, the draft and the release of the schedule. Some teams reopened training complex-es on a limited basis last week.

The NBA, NHL and MLB have been idled by the pandemic.

“One thing we miss is our sports,” Ross said. “I don’t think a lot of people realize it until they no longer have it. Certainly the NFL, I think, will be ready to go. I know we’re all looking forward to it. I know I am.”

Earlier this month, the Dolphins said their stadium committed to becoming the first to receive accreditation from a cleaning industry association for infec-tious disease prevention efforts. CEO Tom Garfinkel said the team is consid-ering social distancing proposals for

games, and perhaps limiting crowds to 15,000.

“We’ve done a lot of things down in Miami,” Ross said. “We’re prepared ei-ther way, and hopefully there will be fans in the stadiums.”

Ross, a New York real estate develop-er and chairman of Related Companies, said the hotel and retail industries are being hit hardest by the pandemic.

“You are going to have such a flood of cases going to the bankruptcy court,” Ross said.

SOURCE: AP

The DispaTch • www.cdispatch.com WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 2020 3B

Comics & PuzzlesDear AbbyDILBERT

ZITS

GARFIELD

CANDORVILLE

BABY BLUES

BEETLE BAILEY

MALLARD FILLMORE

HoroscopesTODAY’S BIRTHDAY (May

27). The solar journey is marked by the qualities of determination and stamina. Many mornings, you will be up before the sun to get the most productivity out of your days. Loved ones make you proud as they build on what you’ve given them and shine on. An important rite of passage will be crossed in August. Libra and Sagittarius adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 6, 30, 21, 44 and 11.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). There are more senses than touch, taste, smell, sight and sound. Senses will come alive in your intellect — the cerebral

tickle of humor, the shiver of distaste and the tingle of an electric idea.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Bad feelings need air, too. There’s no one correct way to release them. Some pestiferous feelings are effectively pro-cessed through the structure of media, sports, art or religion.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Goodness, faith and sweet-ness owe a debt to wrongness, faithlessness and bitterness, as they would not exist without their opposites. Recognizing shadows allows you to dance in the light of wisdom.

CANCER (June 22-July 22).

All rewards have a cost. You can have what you want, so long as you want the cost of it just as much as you want the rest of it. In figuring that out, experi-ence will teach you more than analysis.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). If the rules are not written down, spoken or communicated other-wise, then the only way to find out what they are is to break them. This is also the fastest way to get to the actual rules as opposed to the ideal ones.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You hate to say no, but it’s necessary for honest living. It’s easier when no comes quickly, briefly and impersonally. No offer can be right for everyone.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You can succeed alone, but it will take three times longer, and will feel like 10 times longer, as that route is a slog. Bring another person in or, better yet, a team.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You may imagine you know how a scene will play out, but even an Oscar-winning script-writer can’t predict what people will say and do in real life. You’ll never know unless you make your entrance.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). The last thing you want to be perceived as right now is bossy. Even if you are the boss, asserting authority will only go over well if done with genial diplomacy.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You don’t need a dance floor. All you need is a floor. Your dance will be spontaneous, if subtle, and expressive of an emotion you know well, just not usually at this level of intensity.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). A true empath, you will read all cues, mostly without even being aware you are doing it. And you’ll hear people before they tell you in words what it is they are feeling.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Many learn a thing, but few act on it. It is action, not education, that creates change. When you make your move, it will be straight to the top, mostly because of your timing and initiative.

SOLUTION:In on the secret

FAMILY CIRCUS

DEAR ABBY: I married my husband 40

years ago. A few years later, he was diagnosed with diabetes. He refused to take care of himself and ended up with double leg amputations 13 years ago. He had prosthetics but wouldn’t use them. I stood by him and was his advocate, but he blamed me!

He has major health issues now, but I’m not too concerned. According to him, it’s “none of my business.” Family doesn’t care because he doesn’t care. My daughter blames me, but she doesn’t bother to have much contact with her father.

I have had enough of trying to help a man who doesn’t want help. This is a loveless marriage and has been for years. He’s also addicted to computer porn. He stays at a computer for hours, even when people are around. He doesn’t care who’s around. He broke his computer recently, and I have refused to allow him on mine, so he is angry at me for that too.

For most of our marriage I have worked outside the home. I still do. I would rather be out of the house than here with a

husband who doesn’t care if I’m around or not. Please advise me what I can do. — REACHED THE LIMIT

DEAR REACHED: What you can do de-pends upon what you WANT to do. There must be a reason why you have remained in this loveless marriage as long as you have.

Since you asked, I do have a word of ad-vice. Help your husband to get another computer. If you do, it may lessen some of the hostility that is ruling your household. He will be occupied, and you can do whatever you need to do to keep yourself sane.

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I are dealing with a terminal health condition, and many folks have offered to help, par-ticularly in the area of providing meals, which we really appreci-ate. Recently, a family from our church brought us over a meal that included a nice entree, dessert, bread and breakfast pastries, all homemade. We enjoyed the entree, but quickly lost our appetites after opening the dessert to find a hair of unknown origin in it. We were, unfortunately, unable to enjoy

the rest of the food because of this.

My dilemma is how to handle this with the family. I’m sure we will see them at church, and they have already reached out asking when they can bring us another meal. I don’t want to embarrass anyone, but neither do I think I can consume anoth-er one from them.

For what it’s worth, we have someone who comes in weekly who prepares meals for us (whom we pay). This has been a huge help because it alleviates the time and effort required to shop, cook and clean up for most of the work week because I work full time as well as care for my husband. How can I tact-fully decline this family’s kind offers without coming right out and saying why we don’t want their food? — GROSSED OUT IN THE WEST

DEAR GROSSED OUT: It should not embarrass those nice people if you thank them for offering to send you more food, and tell them you no longer need food because you have hired someone who comes in and cooks for you. It’s short, sweet and it’s the truth.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

Dear Abby

Players call MLB economic proposal ‘extremely disappointing’THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK — A rook-ie at the major league minimum would make a higher percentage of his salary than multimillion-aire stars like Mike Trout or Gerrit Cole under a sliding-scale proposal by big league teams that players found “extremely disappointing.”

Major League Base-ball made the proposal to the players’ union on Tuesday during a digital meeting rather than the 50-50 revenue-sharing plan that owners initially approved for their nego-tiators on May 11, two people familiar with the plan told The Associated Press. The people spoke on condition of anonymity

because the details were not announced.

In addition, the union said “the sides also re-main far apart on health and safety protocols” aimed at starting the pan-demic-delayed season around the Fourth of July.

“We made a proposal to the union that is com-pletely consistent with the economic realities facing our sport,” MLB said in a statement. “We look for-ward to a responsive pro-posal from the MLBPA.”

The revenue-sharing plan earlier this month was met with immediate-ly hostility from the union the day owners gave their negotiators the go-ahead. That plan was not present-ed to players when talks began the following day.

During that session, MLB gave the union a presentation claiming billions of dollars of antic-ipated losses and held off making a proposal for two weeks.

Salaries in the ma-jor leagues range from $563,500 at the mini-mum to $36 million each for Trout, the three-time MVP outfielder on the Los Angeles Angels, and Cole, the pitcher signed by the New York Yankees as a free agent.

According to a study by the AP, 369 of 899 players have salaries of $600,000 or less, according to the rosters frozen in March.

Under MLB’s propos-al, the playoffs would ex-pand from 10 teams to 14 and players would receive

more money if the post-season is played. Usual-ly, salaries are earned during the regular season only and players receive money from the postsea-son pool, a maximum of about $382,000 last year for a full share on World Series champion Wash-ington.

Players agreed March 26 to a deal in which they would receive prorated shares of their salaries based on what percent-age of each team’s 162-game schedule is played. In exchange, players were guaranteed that if no games are played they would receive service time for 2020 matching what they accrued earned in 2019.

MLB told the union on

May 12 it hoped to play a season with an 82-game schedule that would have teams play 13 games against each division rival and six against every club in the corresponding divi-sion in the other league: AL East vs. NL East, for example.

Several governors have said teams are welcome to play in their regular-sea-son ballparks but without fans due to the new coro-navirus and mandates for social distancing. MLB told the union during the May 12 presentation if teams paid players pro-rated salaries the clubs would combine to have negative $3.58 billion earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.

Players were sched-uled to earn about $4 bil-lion in salary this year. Many players and union leadership have said the March 26 agreement would stand and no ad-ditional salary should be given up. Tampa Bay Rays All-Star pitcher Blake Snell , the 2018 AL Cy Young Award winner, said he would not take the mound this year if his pay is cut fur-ther, proclaiming: “I’m not playing unless I get mine.”

Teams are worried about being at risk if a second wave of the virus causes cancellation of the postseason, which results in MLB receiving $787 million in broadcast revenue this year.

Food THE DISPATCH n CDISPATCH.COM n WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 2020 n 4B

LIFESTYLES EDITORJan Swoope: 328-2471

A simply A simply sensational sensational summer mealsummer meal

FAMILY FEATURES

Whipping up a fresh cooked meal is one of the true joys of summer, especially when grilled grub is paired with tantalizing sides and

tempting desserts. Spice things up with Mexican Beef Sliders with

Jalapeno Salsa and Avocado Cream coupled with a side like roasted potatoes then cap off a filling meal with sweet and decadent Strawberry Cream Cheese Tartlets. If you’re looking for ways to mix meat and veggies all at once, these ideas for kebabs are a surefire way to please a variety of palates.

Find more summer meal ideas at Culinary.net.

Cook up kebabsAs one of the most versatile main

courses that can be grilled, kebabs offer nearly endless opportunities for customization. From protein to veggies, soaked wooden skewers can be loaded with just about any favorite flavors before hitting the grates. Consider these op-tions for kicking your kebabs up a notch: Steak, cut into chunks; chicken, cut into chunks; bratwurst or sausage, cut into slices; ground beef, shaped into balls; shrimp; salmon, cut into chunks; bacon, cut into small pieces; sliced onions, bell peppers, jalapenos, mush-rooms, cucumbers or tomatoes.

See SUMMER MEAL, 5B

TOP: Versatile grilled kebabs of-fer endless ways to combine pro-teins and veggies for a summer meal. RIGHT: Strawberry cream cheese tartlets are a refreshing dessert to cap off a warm-weath-er feast.

Photos by familyfeatures.com

Comfort food with zest and flavorFAMILY FEATURES

A s families spend more time at home, Amer-icans are finding comfort in a surprising source: bread. In fact, a 20-year trend of declin-

ing grain food consumption has been reversed. A national

study by the Grain Food Foundation suggests that the turnaround is more than a one-time sales blip due to pan-try loading. In reality, consum-ers count bread among their top comfort foods. The study revealed one-third of Amer-icans named pasta and bread as foods that are comforting during a stressful time.

In addition to comforting flavor, this trend pro-vides valuable nutritional benefits. As a part of many healthy eating plans, bread and pasta are nutritionist approved and provide nutrients needed for healthy aging such as B vitamins, magnesium, selenium, iron, folate and fiber.

“For years, we’ve been telling consumers that grain foods are the foods we love that love us back,” said Christine Cochran, executive director of the Grain Foods Foundation. “The stress has given us permis-sion to enjoy bread and pasta again, but unlike most comfort foods, consumers recognize that grains have nutritional value.”

The highest-ranking comfort foods were ice cream; baked goods like cakes, cookies and pastries; salty snacks; candy; and fast food. However, when asked to identify comfort foods with nutritional advantages, consumers identified bread and pasta as the top two.

“We can all rest assured that there is enough sup-ply of grain food products in this country,” Cochran said. “Shoppers may be experiencing some sporadic unavailability of certain high-demand items. Howev-er, manufacturers are working closely with retailers to make sure that out-of-stocks are short lived. Con-sumers will be able to buy their favorite grain-food products and eat them, too.”

To learn more about the role of grain foods in a healthful diet, visit GrainFoodsFoundation.org.

familyfeatures.comCheesy black bean toast with pico de gallo delivers fla-vor on toasty bread, one of America’s comfort foods.

familyfeatures.comWhole grain rotini pasta with mushrooms and sausage makes a filling dish.

See COMFORT FOOD, 5B

Simple, plant-powered mealsFAMILY FEATURES

With more than half of Americans willing to eat more plants and less meat in 2020 (and beyond),

according to a study conducted by Yale and Earth Day Network, one thing holds true: Even when food is better for you and the planet, families crave quality taste.

Walnuts are one of the original plant-based superfoods that can carry sweet or savory flavors to satisfy snackers, add hearty crunch to salads or breakfast dishes and serve as a simple, whole-food meat alternative. In addition to being a delicious plant-based staple, 1 ounce of walnuts contains important nutrients including 4 grams of protein, 2 grams of fiber and good fats with 2.5 grams of monounsaturated fat and 13 grams of polyunsaturated fat, including 2.5 grams of omega-3 alpha-lino-lenic acid (ALA).

Try walnuts as an alternative to meat in recipes like Walnut “Chorizo” Tacos or Sweet Potato Walnut Falafel Bowls, and find more plant-based recipes at walnuts.org/plant-based.

SWEET POTATO WALNUT FALAFEL BOWLSFalafel:1 raw sweet potato (12 ounces), peeled and cut into chunks1 cup cooked quinoa1/2 cup California walnuts1 teaspoon sea salt1/2 teaspoon ground cumin1/2 teaspoon onion powder1/2 teaspoon garlic powder1/2 cup flour1 eggvegetable oil

Tahini dressing:1/4 cup tahini3 tablespoons lemon juice2 tablespoons water1 tablespoon pure maple syrup1/4 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4teaspoon garlic powderSea salt, to taste

Bowls:4 cups loosely packed curly kale, coarsely chopped2 cups cooked quinoa1 cup julienned carrots1 avocado, sliced

Toasted, chopped California walnuts, for garnish familyfeatures.comSweet potato walnut falafel bowls pack flavor as well as nutrients.See PLANT POWERED, 5B

The DispaTch • www.cdispatch.com WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 2020 5B

Summer mealContinued from Page 4B

Slide into summer Summer sliders with a

spicy kick are an idea way to enjoy a downsized version of a warm-weather favorite. These Mexican Beef Sliders with Jala-peno Salsa and Avocado Cream are perfect for summer with their spicy kick of salsa and bright, cooling cream.

Find more tasty summer reci-pes at beefandlambnz.com.

MEXICAN BEEF SLIDERS WITH JALAPENO SALSA AND AVOCADO CREAMPrep time: 20 minutesCook time: 15 minutesServings: 4

Patties:1 1/3 pounds lean ground beef (New Zealand grass-fed beef recommended)1 clove garlic, crushed1 medium onion, grated or finely chopped1 egg, lightly beaten3/4 cup red kidney beans, rinsed and drained2 tablespoons tomato paste3 teaspoons dried oregano, chopped2 teaspoons mild smoked paprika2 teaspoons ground cumin1 teaspoon ground coriander1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, gratedSalt, to tastePepper, to tasteOlive oil

Jalapeno salsa:1 cup cucumber, thinly sliced into long

ribbons3/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped1 red onion, finely sliced1/2 cup pickled jalapenos, finely choppedSalt, to tastePepper, to tasteOlive oilLime juice

Avocado cream:1 avocado, mashed1/2 cup sour cream1 lime, juice and zest onlySalt, to tastePepper, to taste

8-12 slider buns, halved2-3 cobs sweet corn, cooked and sliced into shards8-12 small bamboo skewers

n To make patties: In bowl, combine beef, garlic, onion, egg, kidney beans, tomato paste, oregano, paprika, cum-in, coriander, Parmesan cheese, salt, to taste, and pepper, to taste. Shape into 8-12 small patties. Cover and refrigerate 15 minutes.n Heat grill or frying pan to medium heat.n Brush patties with oil on both sides. Cook 2-3 minutes on each side, turning once to brown both sides evenly, until cooked through.n To make Jalapeno salsa: In bowl, combine cucumber, cilantro, onion and jalapenos; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Drizzle with olive oil and lime juice.n To make avocado cream: In bowl, combine avocado, sour cream, lime juice and lime zest; season with salt and pepper, to taste. n Spread avocado cream on bottom buns and place patties on top. Top patties with Jalapeno Salsa, corn and

top buns. Press down gently and poke in skewers to secure sliders.

STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE TARTLETSMakes: 24 tartlets (4 ounces each)

1/2 cup water2 tablespoons lemon juice3 tablespoons lemon zest 2 tablespoons gelatin 4 cups WellPict Strawberries, sliced, divided1/3 cup honey2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese1/2 cup sour cream1 cup ice cubes2 cups graham cracker crumbs1/2 cup melted butter1 cup WellPict Strawberries, rinsed, for garnish1 cup WellPict Raspberries, rinsed, for garnish

n In blender, mix water, lemon juice, lemon zest and gelatin until frothy. n Add 2 cups strawberries and honey; blend until smooth. Pour into bowl and chill mix 15 minutes. n In blender, mix cream cheese, sour cream and ice cubes while incorporat-ing strawberry mixture. Mix in remain-ing strawberries. n In blender or food processor, mix graham crackers and melted butter to crumb consistency. Lightly grease two medium muffin pans and pack graham cracker mixture at bottom of each opening. Pour strawberry mixture over graham cracker mixture and chill until set. Gently pull tartlets from muffin tins and place on serving tray. Garnish with strawberries and raspberries.(Source: WellPict.com)

Family fun with fudgsicles FAMILY FEATURES

P lanning snacks you can enjoy with your children is a winning parenting strategy for spending more time together while creating

tasty treats. Take it a step further with a recipe like these

Homemade Fudgsicles, which are an ideal exam-ple of an easy treat made with the goodness of real milk kids can help make, giving them an added incentive to enjoy moments together. To help your children reach the recommended two to three servings of dairy each day, serve with a glass of milk.

Find more snack recipes at milkmeansmore.org.

HOMEMADE FUDGSICLESTotal time: 10 minutes, plus 12 hours chill timeServings: 12

3 cups milk1 cup sugar3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder1/4 cup honey1/4 teaspoon salt12 ice pop sticks

n In pot over medium heat, heat milk, sugar, cocoa powder, honey and salt, stirring often, until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Pour into ice pop molds and insert sticks then freeze until firm, about 12 hours.n Remove ice pops from molds and place in freezer-safe bag until ready to eat.(Source: Milk Means More)

Comfort foodContinued from Page 4B

CHEESY BLACK BEAN TOAST WITH PICO DE GALLOPrep time: 15 minutesServings: 4

6 Roma tomatoes, diced1 ⁄2 medium onion, finely chopped1 clove garlic, finely minced2 serrano or jalapeno pep-pers, finely chopped3 tablespoons fresh cilantro,

chopped1 lime, juice only1 ⁄8 teaspoon oregano, finely crushed1 ⁄8 teaspoon salt (optional)1 ⁄8 teaspoon pepper1 ⁄2 Hass avocado, diced4 bolillos (6 inches) or large Kaiser rolls, sliced in half lengthwise1 can (16 ounces) seasoned low-fat refried black beans 2 cups shredded Chihuahua or mozzarella cheese

n Heat oven to 350 F.

n In medium mixing bowl, combine tomatoes; onion; garlic; peppers; cilantro; lime juice; oregano; salt, if desired; pepper; and avocado; set aside.n On medium platter, split rolls. With medium spatula, spread refried beans onto each bread half; sprinkle cheese among bread.n Bake 5-8 minutes, or until cheese is melted (Source: Sylvia Melen-dez-Klinger, MS, RD, on behalf

of the Grain Foods Founda-tion)

ROTINI WITH SAUSAGE AND MUSHROOMSPrep time: 18 minutesServings: 8

1 box (13 1/4 ounces) whole-grain rotini 1 tablespoon olive or vegeta-ble oil1 pound chicken sausage, sliced

1 cup leeks, thinly sliced1 cup green onions, thinly sliced2 cups mushrooms, sliced1 cup chicken stock1/4 cup parsley chopped6 leaves from tarragon sprigs, chopped 1 cup Romano cheese gratedParmesan-Romano cheese (optional)

n Prepare rotini according to package directions. Drain and transfer to large bowl.n In large skillet, heat oil over

medium heat. Cook sausage 2-3 minutes, or until well browned. Add leeks, onions and mushrooms; cook until tender. Add chicken stock and simmer 3-5 minutes, or until hot. Fold sausage mixture into warm pasta. Add parsley, tarragon and Romano cheese; toss again. Top with Parmesan-Romano cheese, if desired.(Source: Sylvia Melen-dez-Klinger, MS, RD, on behalf of the Grain Foods Founda-tion)

Plant-poweredContinued from Page 4B

(optional)Minced red onion, for garnish (optional)

n For falafel: In food processor, pulse sweet potato until finely minced. Add quinoa, walnuts, ground cumin, onion powder and garlic powder; pulse until all pieces are uniform in size. Add flour and egg; pulse until well mixed, scraping down sides as needed.n Using wet hands, shape mixture into 16 equal balls. n In deep skillet or pot, heat oil. Cooking in batches, fry falafel balls 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and cooked through. Let drain on paper towel-lined tray.n For tahini dressing: In small bowl, whisk tahini, lemon juice, water, maple syrup, ground cumin, garlic powder and salt.n For bowls: Place equal amounts kale, quinoa, carrots and avocado in four large salad bowls. Place four falafel balls in each bowl; driz-zle with dressing. Garnish with toasted walnuts and minced red onion, if desired.

WALNUT ‘CHORIZO’ TACOSPickled vegetables:1/2 cup fresh lime juice1 1/2 teaspoons sugar3/4 teaspoon sea salt8 radishes, thinly sliced2 medium jalapeno peppers, thinly sliced1 large clove garlic, thinly sliced

Walnut chorizo crumble:1 1/2 cups black beans, rinsed and drained2 cups California walnuts3 tablespoons olive oil, divided1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 tablespoon smoked paprika1 tablespoon ancho chili powder1 teaspoon dried oregano1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt1 teaspoon ground chipotle1 teaspoon ground cumin1 teaspoon ground coriander

Tacos:16 whole wheat tortillasOlive oil Thinly sliced romaine lettuceGresh cilantro leavesLime wedges

n To make pickled vegetables: In small bowl, stir lime juice, sugar and sea salt. Stir in radishes, jalapenos and garlic slices; let stand 30 minutes to pickle.n To make walnut “chorizo” crumble: In food processor, pulse beans and walnuts until coarsely chopped. Add 2 tablespoons oil, white vinegar, paprika, chili powder, oregano, salt, chipotle, cumin and coriander; pulse until mixture is finely chopped and resembles ground meat, stirring several times and moving mixture from bottom of food processor bowl to top to evenly mix.n In large nonstick skillet over medium heat, heat remaining oil. Add “chorizo” mixture and cook 10 minutes, or until mixture is browned and resembles ground meat, stirring frequently. n To prepare tacos: Brush each tortilla lightly with oil. On skillet over medium-high heat, cook briefly to brown on both sides, keeping warm in foil until all tortillas are cooked.n Remove pickled vegetables from liquid and discard garlic slices. Fill each tortilla with equal amounts “chorizo” and pickled vegetables. Garnish with lettuce and cilantro; serve with lime wedges.

Tell your child a bedtime story.

The DispaTch • www.cdispatch.com6B WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 2020

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Legal Notices

PUBLIC NOTICE:

Metro Site, Inc., is proposing tobuild a 265-foot Self-Suppor-ted Telecommunications Tower.Anticipated lighting applicationis medium intensity dualred/white strobes. The site loc-ation is 281 Mount VernonRoad, Columbus, LowndesCounty, MS 39702 (33° 29’18.48” North and 88° 18’12.76” West). The FederalCommunications Commission(FCC) Antenna Structure Regis-tration (ASR, Form 854) filingnumber is A1166446.

ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS –Interested persons may reviewthe application(www.fcc.gov/asr/applications)by entering the filing number.Environmental concerns maybe raised by filing a Requestfor Environmental Review(www.fcc.gov/asr/environment-alrequest) and online filings arestrongly encouraged. The mail-ing address to file a paper copyis: FCC Requests for Environ-mental Review, Attn: RamonWilliams, 445 12th Street SW,Washington, DC 20554. HIS-TORIC PROPERTIES - Publiccomments regarding potentialeffects on historic propertiesmay be submitted within 30days from the date of this pub-lication to: Rachel A. Keane,Terracon, 524 Elmwood ParkBoulevard Suite 170, New Or-leans, LA 70123; (504) 321-9379;[email protected].

PUBLISH: 5/27/2020

IN THE CHANCERY COURT OFLOWNDES COUNTY, MISSIS-SIPPI

IN RE: THE ESTATE OF ERN-ESTINE W. COCKRELL, DE-CEASED

JOHNNY FRANK COCKRELL, EX-ECUTOR

CAUSE NO. 2020-0081-S

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

STATE OF MISSISSIPPICOUNTY OF LOWNDES

Letters of Testamentary havebeen granted and issued to theundersigned upon the Estate ofERNESTINE W. COCKRELL, de-ceased, by the Chancery Courtof Lowndes County, Missis-sippi, on the 27th day of April,2020. This is to give notice toall persons having claimsagainst said estate to probateand register same with theChancery Court of LowndesCounty, Mississippi, withinninety (90) days from the firstpublication date of this Noticeto Creditors. A failure to so pro-bate and register said claimwill forever bar same.

THIS the 18th day of May,2020.

/s/ Johnny Frank CockrellJohnny Frank CockrellExecutor

PUBLISH: 5/20, 5/27, 6/3 &6/10/2020

Legal Notices


IN RE: THE ESTATE OF GAYRONA. WITTKE, JR., DECEASED

RETHA M. WITTKE, EXECUTOR

CAUSE NO. 2020-0086-F

NOTICE TO CREDITORS


Letters of Testamentary havebeen granted and issued to theundersigned upon the Estate ofGAYRON A. WITTKE, deceased,by the Chancery Court ofLowndes County, Mississippi,on the 4th day of May, 2020.This is to give notice to all per-sons having claims againstsaid estate to probate and re-gister same with the ChanceryCourt of Lowndes County, Mis-sissippi, within ninety (90) daysfrom the first publication dateof this Notice to Creditors. Afailure to so probate and re-gister said claim will foreverbar same.

THIS the 18th day of May,2020.

/s/ Retha M. WittkeRetha M. WittkeExecutrix

PUBLISH: 5/20, 5/27, 6/3 &6/10/2020


IN THE MATTER OF THE ES-TATE OF JIMMY N. LEWIS, DE-CEASED

NO. 2020-0096-PDE

ERNEST NEIL LEWIS, EXECUT-OR

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Letters Testamentary havebeen granted and issued toErnest Neil Lewis, Executor ofthe Estate of Jimmy N. Lewis,deceased, by the ChanceryCourt of Lowndes County, Mis-sissippi, on the 15 day of May,2020. This is to give notice toall persons having claimsagainst said estate to Probateand Register same with theChancery Clerk of LowndesCounty, Mississippi, withinninety (90) days from this date.A failure to so Probate and Re-gister said claim will foreverbar the same.

THIS the 15 day of May, 2020.

/s/ Ernest Neil LewisErnest Neil Lewis

OF COUNSEL:William T. Cooper, MBN 9588Crowell Gillis & Cooper, PLLCPost Office Box 1827Columbus, MS 39703PHONE: (662) 243-7334FAX: (662) [email protected]

PUBLISH: 5/20, 5/27 &6/3/2020

PUBLIC NOTICE

INVITATION TO BID FOR HUNT-ING AND FISHING LEASE


To all persons interested in thefollowing described school trustland classified as "FORESTLAND" in Lowndes County, Mis-sissippi, to wit:

The West Half (W 1/2) of Sec-tion 16, Township 18 North,Range 17 East; the West Half(W 1/2) of the NortheastQuarter (NE 1/4) of Section16, Township 18 North, Range17 East, LESS AND EXCEPTTHE FOLLOWING tract or par-cel of land, to wit:

Beginning at the Northwestcorner of the SouthwestQuarter (SW 1/4) of the South-west Quarter (SW 1/4) of Sec-tion 16, Township 18 North,Range 17 East; thence run-ning East 00 degrees, a dis-tance of 5 chains, thenceSouth 5 degrees West, a dis-tance of 10 chains; thence dueWest to the Section line, andthence North 5 degrees West,a distance of 10 chains to thepoint of beginning; containingfive (5) acres, more or less; to-gether with a right-of-way 50feet wide from the JacksonHighway along the Section lineto the corner of the SouthwestQuarter (SW 1/4) of the South-west Quarter (SW 1/4) of saidSection 16; and being the landand property conveyed by C. H.Cocke to Prairie ConsolidatedSchool District of LowndesCounty, Mississippi, by deeddated October 13, 1924, andrecorded in Deed Book 122 atpage 613 of the land recordsof Lowndes County, Missis-sippi; said real estate beingalso known and described as:

Beginning at a point on theSection line between Section16 and Section 17 in Town-ship 18 North, Range 17 East,which said point is a distanceof 869 feet North of an iron pinat the Southwest corner of theSouthwest Quarter (SW 1/4) ofsaid Section 16, Township 18North, Range 17 East; thencerunning North along said Sec-tion line a distance of 667feet; thence South 84 degrees30 minutes East, a distance of338 feet; thence South 0 de-grees 30 minutes East (interi-or angle of 96 degrees) a dis-tance of 673.5 feet; andthence North 82 degrees 35minutes West, a distance of343 feet to the point of begin-ning; containing 5.2 acres andbeing situated partly in theNorthwest Quarter (NW 1/4) ofthe Southwest Quarter (SW1/4) and partly in the Southw-est Quarter (SW 1/4) of theSouthwest Quarter (SW 1/4) ofsaid Section 16, Township 18North, Range 17 East, ofLowndes County, Mississippi;together with a strip of landknown and more particularlydescribed as and being en-closed by a line run as follows,to wit:

Beginning at a Point on theSection line between Section16 and Section 17 in Town-ship 18 North, Range 17 East,which said point is a distanceof 1536 feet North of an ironpin at the Southwest corner ofthe Southwest Quarter (SW1/4) of said Section 16, Town-ship 18 North, Range 17 East;thence running North alongsaid Section line between saidSection 16 and said Section17,a distance of 475 feet tothe South line of a county road(formerly known as the Jack-son Highway); thence North-easterly along the South line ofsaid road, a distance of 82.6feet; thence South parallel withsaid Section line a distance of545.5 feet; and thence North84 degrees 30 minutes West,a distance of 50 feet of thePoint of Beginning. Containingin the aggregate 395.00 acres,more or less, and further identi-fied, as Tax Parcel NO. 27E00-00-01400

You are hereby notified thatsealed proposals to lease theabove described tract for hunt-ing and fishing rights for a peri-od of five (5) years may be filedwith the County Superintend-ent of Education of LowndesCounty, Mississippi, at his of-fice located at 1053 Highway45 South, Columbus, Missis-sippi 39701 so as to arrive pri-or to 10:00 AM, Monday, June1, 2020 . Any bid receivedafter 10:00 AM will be rejec-ted. Please identify your bid byplacing the words "BID FORHUNTING AND FISHING LEASE16/T18N/R17E" on the face ofyour envelope.

The lease form and the termsso prescribed for this lease areon file and available for inspec-tion in the office of County Su-perintendent of Education ofLowndes County, Mississippi,located at 1053 Highway 45South, Columbus, Mississippi39701. You are also notifiedthat as a condition of obtain-ing these hunting and fishingrights, you will be required tofurnish and maintain general li-ability insurance in an amountnot less than $1,000,000.00which shall protect and holdharmless the Lowndes CountySchool District from any and allliability on the part of the LESS-EE(S), its licensees, invitees ortrespassers , and any and allother third parties, should theyfile suit or have a claim in anyform or fashion against theLESSEE(S).

The sealed bids which are sub-mitted will be opened at thetime and on the date above setforth, or as soon thereafter asconveniently possible.

Prospective bidders are here-with informed that there is sub-ject to bid only the annuallease rental amount to be paidto the Lowndes County Boardof Education at the beginningof each of the five (5) years in-cluded in the term of the lease.Also, the current leaseholder ofthese rights, if he/she/theyhave made an offer, shall havethe final right to extendhis/her/their lease at an annu-al rental equal to said highestoffer.

The Board of Education ofLowndes County reserves theright to reject all bids for leaseof hunting and fishing rights onsaid tract.

/s/ Sam AllisonSam AllisonSuperintendent of EducationLowndes County, Mississippi

PUBLISH: 5/20/20 & 5/27/20

Legal Notices

PUBLIC NOTICE














PUBLISH: 5/20/20 & 5/27/20

Legal Notices

PUBLIC NOTICE














PUBLISH: 5/20/20 & 5/27/20

NOTICE OF PUBLICATION

Bryan Jones, who was sen-tenced for two counts of Saleof Cocaine and one count ofAggravated Assault in LowndesCounty, Mississippi, has ap-plied for executive clemency.Persons wishing to commentshould send information in writ-ing to the above address with-in fifteen (15) days after thedate of publication.

Bryan Jones was arrested in2007, and subsequently con-victed of two counts of Sale ofCocaine and one count of Ag-gravated Assault, following hisplea and sentenced to six (6)years to serve in the custody ofMississippi Department of Cor-rections for each count of Saleof Cocaine to run consecut-ively to each other and onecount of Aggravated Assault toserve ten (10) years in the cus-tody of Mississippi Depart-ment of Corrections to run con-secutively to the two counts ofSale of Cocaine.

Mr. Jones is by any measurerehabilitated and ready have allrights restored based on myencounters and correspond-ence with him. In addition, asevidenced by the character let-ters from family and friends,Mr. Jones has demonstratedhis willingness to work wellwithin the rules, policies andexpectations of society. Mr.Jones presents no danger tohimself, and is not a threat toothers. The retributive in-terests of justice have beenfairly and adequately served.

PUBLISH: 5/20, 5/27, 6/3,6/10, 6/17 & 6/24/2020

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The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com8B WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 2020

SudokuSudoku is a num-ber-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty spaces so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s answer

ACROSS1 Prepares for battle5 Bill collector, of a sort11 Ring event12 Baltimore player13 Easter symbol14 Like some prunes15 Building wing16 Galileo’s home17 Pasta topper19 Pussy foot22 Concise24 Diver’s gear26 Bee’s home27 Baseball’s Rodriguez28 Perfect30 Colt’s coun-terpart31 Pricing word32 Some tour-neys34 Test of knowl-edge35 Mine matter38 Show to be false41 Track shape42 Glacial period43 Cribbage markers44 Think about

45 Apple or pear

DOWN1 Skilled2 Muddy up3 Thinks about4 Pig’s place5 Subject6 Van Gogh work7 Falafel holder8 Write hastily9 Hoppy brew10 Spectrum color16 Place18 Open space19 Stops for speeding

20 Third person21 Like paraffin22 Pack and send23 Conceal25 Fourth person29 Hotel area30 Mideast topper33 Tightwad34 Campus part36 Latest fad37 Different38 Brief drop39 Earth-friendly prefix40 Golfer Hogan41 Make a choice

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Difficulty Level 5/26

Sudoku YESTERDAY’S ANSWER

Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty spaces so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level increases from Monday to Sunday.

Log cabinWHATZIT ANSWER

ON THE WEBVisit www.cdispatch.com for a printable copy of

these puzzles.

Five Questions:

1 Aztec Empire

2 Binge-watching

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4 Transylvania

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CLEANING

1 Room − $502 Rooms − $70

3+ Rooms − $30 EARugs−Must Be Seen

Car Upholstery CleaningAvailable

662−722−1758

Childcare

Emmanuel’s ChristianAcademy−Child careAVAILABLE SOON For ages6 weeks to 12 years [email protected] text 662−245−6998

Electrical

MOUNTING TV’S AND

HIDING WIRES

Mount TV:$60/TV (mount not incl)Mount TV & hide wires:$120/TV (mount not incl)

Johnny Beamon662−251−8472

General Services

A & T TREE SERVICES

Bucket truck & stumpremoval. Free est.Serving Columbussince 1987. Senior

citizen disc. Call Alvin @242−0324/241−4447

"We’ll go out on a limb foryou!"

PRESSURE WASHING

Commercial & residential.Bricks, concrete & siding.

Call for quote,662−295−6880.

General Services

WORK WANTED:

Licensed & Bonded.Carpentry, minor electrical,minor plumbing, insulation,painting, demolition,gutters cleaned, pressurewashing, landscaping,cleanup work, moving help.662−242−3608.

HILL’S PRESSURE

WASHING. Commercial/Residential. House,concrete, sidewalks &mobile washing. Free est.662−386−8925.

CHAPTER 7 BANKRUPTCY$545 plus Filing Fee

CHAPTER 13 BANKRUPTCYAll Attorney Fees Through The Plan

Jim Arnold, Attorney662-324-1666 • 601-656-6914104 South Lafayette Street, Starkville

SKILLED CRAFTSMAN.

Any kind of work! We canbuild, paint, drywall, clean& cut grass. Reasonablerates. Safe & Reliable.

662−386−3658.

Lawn Care / Landscaping

JESSE & BEVERLY’S

LAWN SERVICE

Mowing, cleanup,landscaping, sodding,

& tree cutting.662−356−6525

Lawn Care / Landscaping

LAWN CARE

Mowing, weed eating,blowing, etc.

Free estimates.Reasonable prices.662−549−3790

SAM’S LAWN SERVICE

No lawn too large or toosmall. Mowing, trimming &

weedeating.Call 662−243−1694

Painting & Papering

QUALITY PAINTING.

Ext/Int Painting.Sheet Rock Hang, Finish &Repair. Pressure Washing.Free Estimates. Ask forspecials! Larry Webber,

662−242−4932.

SULLIVAN’S PAINT

SERVICE

Special Prices.Interior & Exterior Painting.

662−435−6528

Houses For Sale: Other

Place an ad safely from home with the Classifieds.

ads.cdispatch.com

General Help Wanted

THE COMMERCIALDISPATCH seeks a motiv-ated, contracted carrier forthe Brooksville & Maconarea. Excellent opportunityto earn money for college.Must have good transporta-tion, valid driver's license& insurance. Delivers onSunday morning and Mon-Fri afternoons. Apply at TheCommercial Dispatch, 516Main Street in Columbus.No phone calls please.

Real Estate

COLEMAN REALTY seeksAdministrative OfficeAssistant. Must possess:organizational skills withattention to detail; com-puter skills includingMicrosoft office, Excel,Outlook & QuickBooks;professional & courteouscommunication skills withclients, public & co-work-ers. Send resume' toP.O. Box 9306,Columbus, MS 39705.

Transportation

FLATBED DRIVERSWANTED. Steel Coilexperience required.$1,000+ per week oppor-tunity. Home most nights &every weekend. Healthinsurance available. Paidvacation. Columbus.662-251-4536.Leave msg if no answer.

rEntalsaDs startinG at $25

Apts For Rent: North

Studio apartment for rent.Hwy 45 between CAFB andColumbus. $400 a month+ $400 deposit. No pets.No smoking. Water, sewer,and trash included.205−243−3653

Apts For Rent: West

VIPRentals

Apartments & Houses

viceinvestments.com327-8555

1 Bedrooms2 Bedroooms3 Bedrooms

1, 2, & 3 BathsLease, Deposit& Credit Check

Furnished & Unfurnished

Apts For Rent: Other

1ST MONTH − RENT FREE!1−2 BR Apt: $350−435

1−2BR TwnHm: $625−650Lease, Dep, Credit Check.

Coleman Realty662−329−2323

COLEMANRENTALS

TOWNHOUSES & APARTMENTS

1 BEDROOM2 BEDROOMS3 BEDROOMS

LEASE,DEPOSIT

ANDCREDIT CHECK

662-329-23232411 HWY 45 N

COLUMBUS, MS

© Th

e Disp

atch

Mobile Homes for Rent

2BR/2BA MH. Window AC,natural gas heat. Stove/fridge incl, fenced yard,storage shed & carport.$375/mo + $375 dep.662−352−4776.

rEal EstatEaDs startinG at $25

Houses For Sale: New Hope

16 WIDNER IN NEW HOPE

Newly remodeled. 3BR/2BA home. Approx. 1,500sqft. Has 25’x30’ wiredmetal shop w/ roll−up front& side door. $158,500.662−549−9298.

Lots & Acreage

1.75 ACRE LOTS.

Good/Bad Credit Options.Good credit as low as 10%down, $299/mo. EatonLand, 662−361−7711.

mErChanDisEaDs startinG at $12

Appliances

CENTRAL AC UNIT. Onlyused 1 day, too small forspace. Revolv brand, 2.5btu, 208−230 voltage.$900. Crawford, MS.662−497−2754.

General Merchandise

WHITE POSTER BOARD

24"x23"$0.50 each100 in stock

Visit 516 Main Streetor call 662−328−2424

vEhiClEsaDs startinG at $12

Motorcycles & ATVs

1993 KAWASAKI

VOYAGER XII Only 25,500miles. Runs & looks good.No problems. $3000 OBO.

Can be seen local.501−545−7750.

CommunityaDs startinG at $12

Special Notices

ATTENTION:

If you or someone youknow worked out ofPlumbers/PipefittersUnion Local 714 (or619) between 1967

and 1970 or worked forWarren Kleban

Engineering between1967 and 1969 please

call Rebecca atSimmons Hanly Conroytoll−free at (855) 988−2537. You can alsoemail Rebecca at

[email protected]

Lady in Black & WhiteStriped Shirt Would thenice lady who waitedwith me and offered mea ride home after myaccident on Saturday,25 April, at about10:00am in themorning at theintersection of Bluecuttand Hwy 45 please callme? 662−328−1286

Travel & Entertainment

PUBLIC CATFISH POND

@ 130 Hillcrest Drive.Open Tues−Sat, 7a−5p

662−386−8591Call for pricing.

Have a rental property?List it here for fast results.

ads.cdispatch.com

Visit us online:cdispatch.com

Grow your businesswith Classifieds.

Are you a painter? Advertise here!

stablished olumbus ississippi d w | maY Family …e...2020/05/27 · WEATHER 141st Year, No. 65...

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