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Thursday | November 19, 2020

KING ROBERT II
Already basketball royalty in Columbus, Robert
Woodard set to begin pro career with Kings
BY GARRICK HODGE
ghodge@cdispatch.com

T
he picks continued to be read on national
television Wednesday, but Robert Wood-
ard II’s phone remained silent as he sat
quietly on the couch at his home in Columbus.
With his hand firmly planted on his chin, the
Mississippi State standout watched NBA team
after NBA team pass on drafting him. Wood-
ard II had been told by his agent to expect to
be selected anywhere from No. 20 to No. 40 in
the 60-pick draft. Several mock drafts had the
sharpshooting wing going in the first round.
Most didn’t have him slipping past pick 36. Yet
well into the second round, the player once
called a “Greek figure” as an ode to his raw
athleticism by his collegiate coach did not hear
his name called.
Then, at long last, Woodard II’s phone rang.
After a few seconds, the Columbus native
grinned from ear to ear before turning to his
father, Robert Woodard.
See WOODARD II, 6A

Garrick Hodge/Dispatch Staff

Mississippi State standout Robert Woodard II Garrick Hodge/Dispatch Staff
shares a moment with his family after being Mississippi State standout Robert Woodard II tries on the Sacramento Kings hat for the first time after
drafted by the Sacramento Kings Wednesday. being drafted Wednesday. Woodard II is the first Columbus-born player taken in the NBA draft since 1985.

Military Road semi-roundabout to BUSINESS MOVES

WITH MARY

reach completion by end of November Coffee

Project manager: Pass-through traffic
slowed down construction ‘tremendously’ truck opens
BY YUE STELLA YU
syu@cdispatch.com

The semi-
went to the roundabout con-
struction, Gill said, and the
remaining funds helped pay
for a series of traffic improve-
in Starkville
BY MARY POLLITZ
roundabout ments on 18th Avenue, which biz@cdispatch.com
c onst r uc t ion was completed in the spring.

at the
intersection of
Military Road
and Highway
82 will be
Gill
completed
by the end of the month,
project manager James Gill
of Gregory Construction told
The Dispatch on Wednesday.
The project, part of a $5.8
million traffic improvement
project fully designed and
funded by the Mississippi
Department of Transpor-
tation, aims to build a pair
of “semi-roundabouts” be-
neath the highway bypass.
Two-thirds of the funding
— roughly $3.9 million —
At the semi-roundabouts,
drivers cannot take a full cir-
cle around the central island
if they miss their turns. They
must make a U-turn down
the road instead to return to
the circle.
In August, Gill told The
Dispatch the project was
scheduled to reach comple-
tion by Sept. 15. However,
the process was significant-
ly delayed because of how
much traffic passes through
the construction site every
day, he said.
“The traffic coming
through on the project just
has slowed us down tremen-
dously,” Gill said. “It just
I
drink so
much
coffee,
every
Slim Smith/Dispatch Staff
single cup
The semi-roundabout construction at the intersection of Military
I make —
Road and Highway 82 is scheduled to reach completion by the
end of November, project manager James Gill told The Dispatch. which is
The construction was originally scheduled to be finished by May a lot — is
but was delayed by bad weather and pass-through traffic. almost like
Déjà vu.
hampers our construction Highway 82 can only turn Well
when you’ve got traffic five right onto Military Road and now,
feet from where you are try- cannot turn left to travel un- there’s an Mary Pollitz
ing to work.” der the highway. orange
MDOT closed the inter- “I know (the closure is) coffee trailer bouncing around
section partially Nov. 8 in or- inconvenient, but it’s safe for Starkville, and it’s definitely some-
der to facilitate the construc- our workers and the traffic thing I haven’t seen before. Last
tion, The Dispatch reported. flow to do that,” Gill said. week, Deja Brew officially opened
The highway ramps are still “Some of the curbs that we up for business.
accessible, but traffic exiting See MILITARY ROAD, 3A See BUSINESS, 3A

WEATHER FIVE QUESTIONS CALENDAR LOCAL FOLKS PUBLIC

1 What store, whose rugs were used for “Game Today MEETINGS
of Thrones” costumes, created tongue-in-cheek Nov. 30: Lown-
■ Downtown Drawdown: Junior
instructions for customers to make their own at des County
home? Auxiliary of Starkville hosts a draw-
2 Which 95-year-old prince announced his retire- down-style fundraiser, 5:30-8:30 at Board of Super-
ment from public duties in 2017? South Lafayette Street. Winner gets visors meeting,
3 What endless exhibit features six environments $5,000. Tickets $100, available 9 a.m., Lown-
Laney Rhea created by Yayoi Kusama and began its tour at the now. Numerous prizes; food trucks
Hirshhorn in Washington, D.C.? des County
Pre-k, Annunciation on site, outdoor event. Do not have
4 A daguerreotype is an early form of what — cal- to be present to win. For tickets,
Courthouse,

69 Low 43
culator, audio recording or photograph? facebook.com/
5 How many consecutive games did the Golden Mary Dowell, 601-433-1599 or
High State Warriors win in the 2017 NBA postseason? maryarmour91@gmail.com. LowndesCoun-
Mostly sunny
tyMississippi/
Full forecast on Answers, 6B
page 3A. Saturday Dec. 1:
■ Hitching Lot Holiday Market: Columbus City
Find locally homegrown, homemade Council, 5 p.m.,
INSIDE and handcrafted items from 9
Municipal Com-
Business 5B Dear Abby 4B a.m.-noon at this annual event at
the Hitching Lot Farmers’ Market, Chevala Jackson, of Columbus, plex, facebook.
Classifieds 6B Obituaries 5A
Comics 4B Opinions 4A Second Street and Second Avenue has recently gotten into reading com/CityofCo-
141st Year, No. 215 Crossword 3B North, Columbus. 662-328-6305. health books. lumbusMS/

DISPATCH CUSTOMER SERVICE 328-2424 | NEWSROOM 328-2471

2A THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2020 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com

SOCSD DISTRIBUTES CHROMEBOOKS

Tess Vrbin/Dispatch Staff

Technology Integration and Data Management Coordinator Danielle McGee, second from right, helps Caleb Walk-
er, second from left, use his new Chromebook in the Partnership Middle School cafeteria on Wednesday while
his mother, Linda Halbert (right) and sister Skylin Triplett (left) watch and listen. The Starkville-Oktibbeha Consol-
idated School District used $600,000 of its own money and $1.6 million in federal funds allocated by the state
to buy 4,200 Chromebooks for grades 2-12 and 500 laptops for teachers. Pre-K through first-grade students will
use iPads the district already had on hand, so every student in the district will have a device. Caleb is learning
remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Halbert said she appreciates having an extra device in case there
are difficulties with the one Caleb usually uses for school.

Biden approaches 80M votes in historic victory

President Donald Trump has also
notched a high-water mark of the
most votes for a losing candidate
BY NICHOLAS RICCARDI
The Associated Press
President-elect Joe
Biden’s winning tally is
approaching a record 80
million votes as Demo-
cratic bastions continue to
count ballots and the 2020
election cracks turnout re-
cords.
Biden has already set
a record for the highest
number of votes for a win-
ning presidential candi-
date, and President Donald
Trump has also notched
a high-water mark of the
most votes for a losing
candidate. With more than
155 million votes counted
and California and New
York still counting, turn-
out stands at 65 percent
of all eligible voters, the
highest since 1908, ac-
cording to data from The
Associated Press and the
U.S. Elections Project.
The rising Biden tally
and his popular vote lead
— nearly 6 million votes
— come as Trump has es-
calated his false insistence
that he actually won the
election, and his campaign
and supporters intensify
their uphill legal fight to
stop or delay results from
being certified, potentially
nullify the votes of Amer-
icans.
“It’s just a lot of noise
going on, because Donald
Trump is a bull who car-
ries his own china shop
with him,” said Douglas
Brinkley, a presidential
historian at Rice Univer-
sity. “Once the noise re-
cedes, it’s going to be clear
that Biden won a very con-
vincing victory.”
Biden currently has
an Electoral College lead
of 290-232. But that does
not include electors from
Georgia, where Biden
leads Trump by 0.3 per-
centage points as officials
conduct a hand tally. The
AP has not called the race,
but if Biden’s lead holds he
will win the Electoral Col-
lege on 306-232 vote — the
identical margin Trump
won in 2016.
 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2020 3A

Deadlines set in lawsuit over Mississippi medical marijuana

Madison mayor argues that the signature-
gathering on petitions for Initiative 65
failed to meet state standards
BY EMILY WAGSTER PET TUS
The Associated Press
JACKSON — The Missis-
sippi Supreme Court is setting
deadlines for attorneys to file
arguments in a mayor’s lawsuit
that questions the legitimacy of
the medical marijuana initiative
that voters approved by a wide
margin.
Initiative 65 requires the
state Health Department to
create a medical marijuana pro-
gram by mid-2021 for patients
with debilitating conditions, as
certified by physicians. About
74 percent of Mississippi vot-
ers who cast ballots Nov. 3 ap-
proved the ballot measure.
Madison Mayor Mary Haw-
kins Butler and the city of
Madison filed a lawsuit days
before the election, arguing
that the signature-gathering on
petitions for Initiative 65 failed
to meet state standards. Like
many other mayors, Butler op-
posed the initiative because it
limits the ability of local gov-
ernments to set zoning regu-
lations for medical marijuana
businesses.
The state attorney gener-
al’s office called the lawsuit
“woefully untimely,” and the
initiative’s sponsors said Butler
has misinterpreted the signa-
ture-gathering requirements
for getting a proposal onto the
ballot.
State Supreme Court Justice
Josiah Coleman signed an or-
der Tuesday setting deadlines
of Dec. 7 for written arguments
from the mayor’s attorneys,
Dec. 28 for written arguments
from Secretary of State Michael
Watson’s attorneys and Jan. 7
for a response from the mayor.
The Mississippi Constitu-
tion requires that the certified
signatures required for an ini-
tiative come in equal number
from the five congressional dis-
tricts the state had when this
requirement was written in the
1990s. Mississippi lost a seat
after the 2000 Census, but the
constitutional requirement has
not been updated.
The state attorney general’s
office issued a legal opinion in
2009 saying that sponsors of
initiatives should gather sig-
natures from the five districts
used in the 1990s. And in Sep-
tember 2019, then-Secretary of
State Delbert Hosemann said
the medical marijuana initiative
qualified for the ballot because
petition sponsors had gathered
enough signatures from each of
the five old districts. They ulti-
mately gathered about twice as
many as the total of 106,190 sig-
natures required statewide.
However, Butler and Mad-
ison argue that the initiative
process is outdated because
the constitution specifies that
no more than one-fifth of the
signatures may come from any
congressional district, and that
creates a mathematical impos-
sibility with four districts.
Legislators put an alterna-
tive proposal, 65A, on the Nov.
3 ballot. It would have set dif-
ferent standards for regulating
medical marijuana. Voters re-
jected it in favor of the original
proposal.

Business
Continued from Page 1A
Rather than your reg-
ular, faithful cup of joe,
owners Beth and Allen
Chandler are bringing in
a new wave of coffee to
town: third wave coffee.
Third wave coffee
offers customers premi-
um-processed coffee,
just like fine wine or
craft beer. Customers
can see and understand
the beans, roasting and
qualities of each cup.
The process of third
wave coffee has simply
been a passion for the
Chandlers for some time.
“Our obsession with
coffee started four to
five years ago and our
hobby turned into Deja
Brew,” Beth said. “ … We
have spent many hours
reading, soaking in all we
could learn over the past
years. … Practicing and
(doing) barista trainings
to learn all we could.
Our passion (for coffee)
definitely fueled this
adventure.”
Just like many other
coffee lovers and connois-
seurs, Chandler believes
there really is no such
thing as too much coffee.
“Starkville has great
coffee shops. We still fre-
quent them often to help
support local business-
es,” Chandler said. “We
are not trying to take
away, but simply add to
our community of coffee
lovers.”
Deja Brew will open
at various locations in
Starkville, setting up
shop at local events
and festivals. Chandler
added the coffee trailer
would be available for
private events. If all goes
as planned, the couple
hopes to have another
mobile unit and expand
to surrounding counties.
Deja Brew offers hot “We are thrilled to be Auto in Starkville, just in Starkville, West Point
and cold coffees such as in this beautiful space finalized the purchase of and Columbus.
Americanos, drip coffee, right in the middle of Three Star Tire and Auto “It’s a Golden Triangle
lattes and specialty holi- Starkville,” she said. in East Columbus. thing,” Wells said. “I’m
day treats. “This is home for us, Wells said the oppor- just trying to cover the
Keep up to date with and we love being a part tunity to purchase the whole Golden Triangle.”
Deja Brew’s hours and of the thriving business auto-repair center at 1625 Wells said he added
locations by following the community in Starkville Gardner Blvd. just came several services to Three
coffee company on social and the Golden Triangle.” up and he was excited Star including tires, oil
media or by just keeping Love Poppy Jewels to expand. Wells now changes and other regu-
an eye out for the big is a handmade jewelry has auto repair centers lar car maintenance.
orange trailer. wholesale company that
Staying in Starkville, launched in Starkville in
we have a Starkville 2013. McIntosh said with
business moving into the the new office setting
former Glo building on near downtown, she may
Lampkin Street. Chelsea start to offer local pick-
McIntosh, owner of Love ups, but customers can
Poppy Jewels, moved search her inventory and
from a warehouse on 182 make online purchases
into the brown Bungalow on her website: lovepop-
at 419 E. Lampkin St., pyjewelswholesale.com.
Suite 2 last month. Starkville is the trend
McIntosh said when this week, but a Starkville
she toured the Bungalow business owner just ex-
she instantly loved the panded to the third point
idea of creating an office in the Golden Triangle.
in a prime Starkville William Wells, who owns
location. William Wells Tire and

AROUND THE STATE

Mississippi reports the highest single-day
totals since the pandem-
almost 1,600 new ic began.
confirmed virus cases The health depart-
JACKSON — The ment said Mississip-
Mississippi Department pi, with a population
of Health reported 1,593 of about 3 million, has
new cases of coronavirus reported more than
on Wednesday, one of 137,390 confirmed coro-
navirus cases and at using death certificates.
least 3,601 deaths from While most people
COVID-19 as of Tues- who contract the coro-
day evening. That’s an navirus recover after
increase of 20 deaths suffering mild to moder-
from the day before. ate symptoms, it can be
The deaths occurred be- deadly for older patients
tween Aug. 4 and Nov. 17 and those with other
and were identified later health problems.

Military Road
Continued from Page 1A
poured, some of the big
trucks coming through
there, they were running
over and breaking it as
soon as we would get it
poured. … It’s nobody’s
fault, it’s just so tight in
there they don’t have
room to turn.”
Now, the project is
scheduled to reach com-
pletion by the end of No-
vember, Gill said, and
the closure will likely last
until next Wednesday. All
that’s left to do is some
shoulder work, concrete
paving, asphalt paving
and some striping in the
area, he said.
For those who are frus-
trated about the project,
Gill said the end is near.
“Just be patient,” Gill
said. “Believe me, we
want to get through as fast
as they do.”

SOLUNAR TABLE
The solunar period indicates
peak-feeding times for fish and game.
Thurs. Fri.
Major 4:47a 5:43a
Minor 12:34p 1:22p
Major 5:15p 6:09p
Minor 9:54p 10:56p
Courtesy of Mississippi Department
of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks

The Dispatch
The Commercial Dispatch (USPS 142-320)
Answers to common questions:
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516 Main St., Columbus, MS 39703
Opinion
4A THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2020
PETER BIRNEY IMES Editor/Publisher
BIRNEY IMES III Editor/Publisher 1998-2018
BIRNEY IMES JR. Editor/Publisher 1947-2003

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

ZACK PLAIR, Managing Editor

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

Other editors
Mississippi needs state-wide mask
mandate leading into holiday
Gov. Tate Reeves added seven more
counties to the state’s mask mandate
Monday, including Itawamba and
Pontotoc counties. These counties join
Benton, Marshall and Lee in our cover-
age area of Northeast Mississippi as we
continue to watch as COVID-19 cases
rise in the state.
As of Sunday, according to the
Mississippi State Department of Health,
723 individuals are hospitalized across
the state, with 180 in an ICU. Our peak
number of hospitalizations occurred
during the summer with 987. We cur-
rently have around 38 ICU beds avail-
able in our region, including 11 at North
Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo.
The most recent data on hospital-
izations from North Mississippi Health
Services, which includes NMMC,
shows that the system is again nearing
the number of peak hospitalizations,
previously seen in late July.
After the spike in hospitalizations in
July, which was seen across the state,
we saw a significant decrease across
the state. We believe this to be in part
because of the statewide mask mandate
Gov. Reeves issued. The governor even
said himself in September that mask-
ing helped control the spread after the
spike in July. And as he announced the
seven additional counties added to the
masking order on Monday, he again em-
phasized that wearing a mask helps.
When Gov. Reeves extended the
statewide order in September, he said
it was in anticipation of the Labor Day
holiday and a possible spike, based on
what we saw after other holidays. So
with the Thanksgiving holiday upon us,
we must ask why can we not return to a
statewide mask mandate?
We did not understand Gov. Reeves’
piecemeal approach during the summer
and we do not understand it now. As
Mississippians travel around the state,
it’s difficult to keep up with the require-
ments for each county. And if a county
is not under a mask mandate, it could
give a false sense of security, during a
time when we all must be diligent.
With the holidays upon us, chang-
ing weather, and a significant increase
in cases, we implore Gov. Reeves to
reinstate the statewide masking order
before conditions worsen in our state.
In the meantime, please wear a
mask, regardless of where you live
and whether you’re under the current
mandate.
(Tupelo) Daily Journal
Masks work. Get over it
Scrolling through social media
feeds in recent days has been no less
divisive and combative than the days
before the general election. But, every
once in a while, in between the “not my
president” and “get over it” comments,
you come across a gem that provides a
much-needed laugh.
In and among those vehemently
complaining about ongoing mask
mandates within the city of Vicksburg
and Warren County — a requirement
that local medical officials say work and
have helped control the spread of the vi-
rus — there was a comment that stood
out. “I wonder if people complained this
much when the wearing of clothes was
first required.”
And it made us think, when seat
belts were first required, was there this
much division among the masses? Did
one group say “my body, my choice”
when states began issuing fines for
those who did not wear seat belts? And
what about those pesky speed limits?
Medical officials at every level — you
know, the people who know what they
are talking about — have said the wear-
ing of masks helps minimize the spread
of the COVID-19 virus. It works. Why
argue against it?
Locally, public officials have made
tough decisions in requiring masks be
worn in public buildings and in envi-
ronments where social distancing is not
possible.
This does not mean you have to
wear one in your car when you are by
yourself. This does not mean you have
to wear one in the privacy of your own
home.
In schools, children are required to
wear a mask. At churches, masks are
required. When entering a business,
a restaurant or any public building, a
mask is required.
Masks do work and a report by the
Centers of Disease Control this week
reinforced their effectiveness.
The election is over. Using masks as
a political toy is over. They work. Get
over it.
Vicksburg Post

The Republican Wing of

the Democratic Party
T
he Democrats’ most
interesting conflict
isn’t moderates versus
the left. It’s the never-Trump
Republicans versus the left.
The never-Trumpers, best
embodied by The Lincoln Proj-
ect, romped through the last
campaign with verve and wit.
They lasered in on crushing
Donald Trump.
The Democratic left, by
contrast, is deep into griev- Froma Harrop
ance. Yes, its members wanted
Trump defeated but were too
much into their humorless selves to go for a clean kill.
Prominent voices treated the campaign to save the de-
mocracy as an appropriate time to, in effect, threaten Joe
Biden if he didn’t do their bidding. Never mind that he
needed to get elected first.
The two groups have very different styles: The Lin-
coln Project fights. The left wing withholds.
In April, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Bernie
Sanders surrogate, told VICE TV, “I have not yet en-
dorsed Vice President Biden, but I will be voting for him
in November.” She added, “I don’t necessarily know if
he’s going to move us forward.”
It’s April. The alternative is another four years of Don-
ald Trump, and AOC is holding back a straightforward
endorsement of Biden. For what reason? To force him
into taking positions that would cost him states he need-
ed to win? She had absolutely no idea what time it was.
The Lincoln Project, meanwhile, was running viral
ads that scorched Trump on the coronavirus catastro-
phe, his laziness and the dangers he posed on America’s
security. “Thank you, Mr. President,” one mocking ad
went, “for threatening America with violence when you
lose, demanding only your votes are counted.”
Small wonder so much anti-Trump money gushed into
The Lincoln Project and it was able to spend $48 million
getting rid of him. All that gusto aroused jealousy on the
left.
After the election, AOC tweeted, “Lincoln Project
should ... publicly pledge to give a lot of their fundraising
to the people who actually made a big difference.” Pre-
sumably, she meant her and her cohorts.
To which Reed Galen, a Lincoln Project founder,
responded: “Hi Congresswoman. We have 500,000
individual donors who gave an average of less than $60. I
think it’s up to them to decide whether @LincolnProject
is worth their investment.” He added, “And WE were in
the fight.”
And so, who made the difference? The activist left
may very well have brought some new voters to the polls.
But its defund-police nonsense and irritating cancel cul-
ture may have cost Democrats even more votes. Some-
one will undoubtedly try to build that balance sheet.
The Lincoln Project went for disaffected Republicans
and independents. The goal was to breach the “Bannon
line,” the 3 to 4 percent of Republican voters whom Steve
Bannon said Democrats would need to beat Trump.
To get there, the never-Trumpers targeted a key de-
mographic: white male college graduates. “We were just
pounding these voters,” Mike Madrid, another Lincoln
Project founder, said. In the end, this group made a
9-point shift from Trump in 2016 to Biden in 2020.
In Arizona, 10 percent of Republican Trump voters
moved to Biden. Arizona flipped to blue.
Independents (aka “dual haters”) were also essential.
They went for Trump by 4 percentage points in 2016.
Four years later, they backed Biden by 12 points.
The left wing does not speak to Republicans and inde-
pendents. And so, it doesn’t have much role to play in the
all-important senatorial runoff races in Georgia, a purple
state that just switched from Trump to Biden. But that’s a
custom-made job for the never-Trumpers.
The left can keep itself busy griping that Biden prob-
ably won’t grant Sanders’ apparent wish to be named
labor secretary. And The Lincoln Project can take on
Georgia.
Trump is over. Now on to Trumpism.
Froma Harrop, a syndicated columnist, writes for the
Providence (Rhode Island) Journal. Her e-mail address is
fharrop@gmail.com.
 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2020 5A

Pfizer: COVID-19 shot 95 percent effective, seeking clearance soon

Food and Drug Administration advisory panel is on
standby to publicly debate the data in early December
BY LINDA A. JOHNSON
AND FR ANK JORDANS
The Associated Press
Pfizer said Wednes-
day that new test results
show its coronavirus vac-
cine is 95 percent effec-
tive, is safe and also pro-
tects older people most
at risk of dying — the
last data needed to seek
emergency use of limited
shot supplies as the cat-
astrophic outbreak wors-
ens across the globe.
they have accumulated
more infections — 170
corner, warning “we are
now awaiting a hard win-
The companies have
not yet released detailed
— and said only eight of
them occurred in volun-
ter.” data on their study, and
“The available vac- results have not been
The announcement The companies also teers who got the actual cine doses are just too analyzed by indepen-
from Pfizer and its Ger- have begun “rolling sub- vaccine rather than a small to ensure that we dent experts. Also still
man partner BioNTech, missions” for the vaccine comparison dummy shot. could make a significant to be determined are im-
just a week after they with regulators in Eu- One of those eight devel- difference to the soci- portant questions such
revealed the first promis- rope, the U.K. and Cana- oped severe disease, the ety” right away, Sahin as how long protection
ing preliminary results, da and soon will add this companies said.
said. But next year if sev- lasts and whether people
comes as the team is new data. “This is an extraor- eral companies’ vaccine might need boosters —
preparing within days to Pfizer and BioNTech dinarily strong protec-
candidates also work, leading experts to cau-
formally ask U.S. regula- had initially estimated tion,” Dr. Ugur Sahin,
“we might be able to get tion that people should
tors to allow emergency the vaccine was more BioNTech’s CEO and
control of this pandemic focus less on the specif-
use of the vaccine. Antic- than 90 percent effective co-founder, told The As-
situation late summer ic numbers and more on
ipating that, a Food and after counting a group sociated Press.
Drug Administration ad- of the earliest infections Even if regulators 2021.” the overall promise.
visory panel is on stand- that occurred in its fi- agree, he dispelled any
by to publicly debate the nal-stage testing. With notion that an end to the
data in early December. the new announcement, pandemic is around the

Who will be the first to get COVID-19 vaccines?

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Who will be the first to get
COVID-19 vaccines?
No decision has been made, but
the consensus among many ex-
perts in the U.S. and globally is that
health care workers should be first,
said Sema Sgaier of the Surgo Foun-
dation, a nonprofit group working
on vaccine allocation issues.
An expert panel advising the
U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention is also considering
giving high priority to workers in
essential industries, people with
certain medical conditions and peo-
ple age 65 and older.
Once a vaccine gets a green
light from the Food and Drug Ad-
ministration, the panel will look at
clinical trial data on side effects and
how people of various ages, ethnici-
ties and health statuses responded.
That will determine the panel’s rec-
ommendations to the CDC on how
to prioritize shots.
State officials are expected to
follow the CDC’s guidance as they
distribute the first vaccines.
Vaccine supplies will be limit-
ed at first. There won’t be enough
to protect everyone, yet getting
the shots to the right people could
change the course of the pandemic.
Many other questions about
distribution remain unanswered,
Sgaier noted, such as whether to
distribute shots equally across the
country, or to focus on areas that
are hot spots.

COMMERCIAL DISPATCH
OBITUARY POLICY
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tion including visitation and
service times, are provided
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tion and other details families
may wish to include, are avail-
able for a fee. Obituaries must
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publication. For more informa-
tion, call 662-328-2471.
William Jones Jr.
COLUMBUS — Wil-
liam Jones Jr., 63, died
Nov. 12,
2020, at
Baptist
Memorial
Hospital.
Ser-
vices will
be at noon
Jones Jr.
Friday, at
Lee-Sykes
Funeral Home Chapel.
Lee-Sykes Funeral
Home of Columbus is
in charge of arrange-
ments.
Mr. Jones was born
Sept. 27, 1957, to the
late William Jones Sr.
and Ernestine Barron
Jones. He was formerly
employed as the owner
and general contractor
of WJ&F Builders Con-
struction Co.
He is survived by his
wife, Audrey C. Jones;
children, William Jones
III, TraMarcus Jones
and Victoria P. Jones;
siblings, Matthew
Frierson and Pamela
Jones; and two grand-
children.
Teresa Weatherspoon
COLUMBUS — Te-
resa Weatherspoon, 58,
died Nov. 15, 2020.
Services will be at
11 a.m. Friday, at New
Prospect M.B. Church,
with James McCoy
officiating. Lee-Sykes
Funeral Home of
Columbus is in charge
AREA OBITUARIES
of arrange-
ments.
Ms.
Weather-
spoon was
born Sept.
7, 1962, in
Crawford, Weatherspoon
to the late
Roosevelt and Coraine
O’neal Weatherspoon.
She was formerly em-
ployed with Seminole
Manufacturing Compa-
ny and JD&M Enter-
prises Inc. She was a
member of Tabernacle
of Faith Full Gospel
Ministries.
She is survived by
her son, Travis Weath-
erspoon; siblings,
Willie B. Turner, Willie
James Weatherspoon,
Clarence Weather-
spoon, Sadie Evans,
Annie McCoy, Mary
Brooks, Sophie Wash-
ington and Lucy Miller;
and two grandchildren.
Lavonda McCarthy
COLUMBUS — La-
vonda McCarthy, 31,
died Oct.
27, 2020,
at Tupelo
Sanctuary
Hospice
House of
Tupelo.
Grave-
side McCarthy
services
will be at 2 p.m. Friday,
in Sandfield Ceme-
tery, with Leroy Jones
officiating. Visitation is
from 2-6 p.m. today, at
Carter’s Funeral Ser-
vices. Carter’s Funeral
Services of Columbus
is in charge of arrange-
ments.
Ms. McCarthy was
born Sept. 14, 1989, in
Columbus, to Bernice
McCarthy and the late
Lee Surell. She was
formerly employed as a
home health aide with
ComForCare.
In addition to her
mother, she is survived
by her brother, Lavonte
McCarthy of Columbus.
Sadie Bradford
MACON — Sadie
Bradford, 79, died Nov.
16, 2020, at Baptist Me-
morial Hospital-Golden
Triangle.
Graveside services
will be at noon Friday,
in Macedonia Baptist
Church Cemetery, with
Billy Goodwin officiat-
ing. A private visitation
will be held. Lee-Sykes
Funeral Home of
Macon is in charge of
arrangements.
Mrs. Bradford was was formerly employed
born July 7, 1941, in as a store manager.
Noxubee County, to the She is survived by
late Tennie Patterson her children, Eddie
Rice and Celix Rice. Mitchell, Kelly Martin
She is survived Sr., Charley Martin Jr.,
by her children, Lise Charlean Edwards and
and Rese Bradford of Geraldine Weathers;
Macon; siblings, Idella siblings, Auther Ever-
Hibbler of Macon, son, Willie Everson,
Bernice Phillip, Ruthie Henry Everson, Betty
Beck both of Chicago, Edwards and Ellen
Illinois, Cody Rice, Rambus; 17 grandchil-
William Rich both of dren; 16 great-grand-
Macon and L.C. Rice of children; and one great-
Starkville.
great-grandchild.
Girtha Howlett
SHUQUALAK —
Girtha Howlett died
Nov. 13, 2020, at her
residence.
Arrangements are
incomplete and will be
announced by Lee-
Sykes Funeral Home of
Macon.
Rosie Martin
WEST POINT —
Rosie Lee Martin, 82,
died Nov. 11, 2020, at
her residence.
Graveside services
will be at 11 a.m.
Friday, in Pool’s Memo-
rial Gardens, with the
Rev. Henry L. Vaughn
officiating. Visitation
will be from 10:30-11
a.m. prior to service at
the cemetery. Carter’s
Mortuary Services of
West Point is in charge
of arrangements.
Mrs. Martin was
born Dec. 5, 1937, in
West Point, to the late
Henry A. Everson and
Mary Lee Marble. She
Reta Burchfield
Visitation:
Friday, Nov. 20 • 11 AM - 1 PM
College St. Location
Services:
Friday, Nov. 20 • 1 PM
College St. Location
Burial
Memorial Gardens
College St. Location
Gladys Fancher
Incomplete
2nd Ave. N. Location
memorialgunterpeel.com
6A THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2020
Woodard II
Continued from Page 1A
“Sacramento,” Wood-
ard II said.
“Praise Jesus,” Velma
Woodard, Robert’s moth-
er, said in relief.
After completing a
trade with the Memphis
Grizzlies, the Sacramento
Kings selected Woodard
II with the 40th overall
pick, fulfilling his lifelong
dream.
He became the first
Columbus-born player
taken in the NBA draft
since Sedric Toney in
1985 and the first MSU
player to be drafted since
Woodard II’s former col-
legiate teammate Quin-
ndary Weatherspoon
was selected by the San
Antonio Spurs in 2019
(No. 49 overall).
Shortly after the call
ended, Woodard II put
his phone down to watch
his name be announced
on live television by
ESPN. A small chorus of
cheers erupted from the
Woodard household, as
a select few friends and
family were with the sud-
denly new professional
basketball player on the
biggest night of his life.
“Any parent wants
the best for their kids,”
the elder Woodard said.
“When they want some-
thing so bad and you get
to see it come true, it’s
truly a blessing.”
The smiles continued,
and never ceased. After
his family dug through 30
different hats given to the
Woodards by the league
before the draft — one
for each NBA franchise
— Robert was finally
presented with the cap
bearing the Kings’ logo.
Then came a nev-
er-ending barrage of
photos. Dressed for the
occasion, Woodard II
donned a special suit that
was lined with photos of
his family and his dog,
Titan.
“This is like the first
time the draft has been
in the fall, so I wanted a
fall type of feel,” Woodard
II said. “The inside was
full of my family; I mean,
they’ve been here with
me the whole way and
made sacrifices for me.
And I put Titan in there,
because he’s like my son,
couldn’t leave him out.”
As the news of Rob-
ert’s selection by the
Kings spread through the
neighborhood, more rel-
atives and friends came
pouring through the
Woodard residence, with
each donning a mask as a
COVID-19 safety mea-
sure.
In that moment, Wood-
ard II seemed to have
forgotten about what felt
like an agonizingly long
wait and soaked in the
moment, appreciating the
sense of community he
had in Columbus.
“It was kind of a long
night for me, but patience
is the key,” Woodard
II said. “I just had to
stay consistent through
everything and stay even-
keeled the whole way
through.”
Betting on himself
It wasn’t long ago
some thought Woodard
II could be considering
returning to MSU for his
junior year. His fateful
decision came down to
the eleventh hour.
Despite declaring for
the NBA draft almost im-
mediately after his colle-
giate season was abruptly
cut short by the cancella-
tion of the Southeastern
Conference tournament,
Woodard II maintained
his right to return to
college if the feedback
After-school fun:
Boys and Girls Club
244-7090
Mississippi State standout Robert Woodard II poses for
a picture with his dog, Titan, after being selected by the
Sacramento Kings Wednesday in the 2020 NBA draft.
he received from scouts
wasn’t optimal.
For months, sources
close to Woodard II were
unsure which way he was
leaning. Some thought
he’d stay in the draft.
Others thought he’d be
back with the Bulldogs.
The majority just flat out
didn’t know.
MSU coach Ben
Howland pleaded with
Woodard II to make sure
he was going to be a
first-round pick if he was
going to stay in the draft,
citing a much higher
chance of a long, fruitful
pro career if selected in
the first 30 picks than
if he fell to the second
round.
Days prior to the Aug.
3 deadline, Woodard II
got to work on a pros and
cons list. The decision
wasn’t an easy one for
Woodard II, who has
always valued education,
graduating Columbus
High as the valedictori-
an his senior year. One
of Woodard II’s worst
collegiate games of his
career could be attribut-
ed to pulling all-nighters
studying for final exams.
But that weekend,
Woodard II had an
epiphany. He felt in his
heart he was ready, both
mentally and physically,
for the grind of the NBA
schedule. And even if he
wasn’t taken in the first
round, so much uncer-
tainty surrounded the
prospects of returning
to college. What if he
returned to MSU, and
the season was canceled?
Or, worst-case scenario,
he tested positive for
COVID-19 and had to
The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com
Garrick Hodge/Dispatch Staff
miss an extended period
of time, resulting in his
draft stock slipping even
further?
Wednesday’s results
didn’t bring any regrets.
Woodard II remains fully
at peace with his deci-
sion.
“I just didn’t know how
(a college) season would
go,” Woodard II said. “I
wanted to bet on myself,
and I feel confident with
what I decided.”
Going to California
The next time Wood-
ard II travels to Sacra-
mento, it will be his first
time setting foot in the
city he’ll now work in and
call home.
“I’m excited, definitely
not where I was expect-
ing to be out in Califor-
nia,” Woodard II said.
“It’s a big transition for a
Mississippi guy. But I’m
ready for it, and I’m most
definitely excited.”
Woodard II’s life is
about to change tremen-
dously. From living in
a completely different
geographic area of the
country, to playing at the
highest level of basket-
ball, to his bank account.
If the monetary value
stays similar to what 2019
40th overall pick Justin
James received, Woodard
II will be in line to sign
a contract resembling
three years, $4.2 million
with the first two years
guaranteed. He’s already
tried to plan ahead for his
new fortune, speaking
with Weatherspoon the
last few months about
how to manage his mon-
ey. When his first check
clears, his first purchase
will likely be very mod-
est, though.
“I’ve thought about it a
little bit, but I really just
don’t need anything right
now,” Woodard II said of
his first purchase as a pro
athlete. “Probably just
some clothes, that’s about
it for now.”
Woodard II hasn’t spo-
ken with any members of
the Kings’ organization,
so it’s unclear when he’ll
make the trek to Cali-
fornia, but he believes
it could be before this
weekend ends.
There won’t be any
offseason to speak of,
with training camp
opening Dec. 1 and the
season scheduled to start
Dec. 22.
But after training for
seven straight months,
Woodard II can’t get on a
court soon enough.
“Coming in, I’m
going to be the Energizer
Bunny, the guy who does
it on both ends,” Wood-
ard II said. “Especially
on the defensive end, I
want to guard the best
player on the opposing
end. On offense, I want
to stretch the floor and
make life easier for my
teammates.”
It’s unclear how much
playing time the former
Columbus Falcon will
earn in his rookie year.
The only decision that
has been made is that
Woodard II will wear No.
13 as a pro, one number
higher than the one he
wore in college.
But whenever Wood-
ard II makes his NBA
debut, he’ll be ready.
“It’ll be a lot of emo-
tions that night. I mean,
there’s a lot of emotions
right now, and I don’t
have a jersey on yet; it’s
just a hat,” Woodard II
said. “It’s just a dream
come true; I’m ready to
compete with the elite
talent in the world. I just
can’t wait, man.”
Sports
MISSISSIPPI STATE FOOTBALL
SPORTS LINE
662-241-5000
THE DISPATCH n CDISPATCH.COM n THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2020
B
SECTION

Defensive tackle Pickering opts out of 2020 season

BY BEN PORTNOY
bportnoy@cdispatch.com
STARKVILLE — Mississippi State is
down another body.
Sophomore defensive tackle Nathan
Pickering announced Wednesday via
Twitter that he would be opting out of the
rest of the 2020 campaign, becoming the
second player to do so in as many weeks.
“I love Mississippi State University Pickering
and all the people surrounding it,” Pick-
ering wrote. “There’s not a school I (would) rather play
for. God has a plan for everything. This is not about
transferring, but something I have to do. That being
said I will be opting out of the 2020 season!”
In five games this season, the Mount Olive native
recorded 16 tackles, two sacks and a quarterback hur-
ry. During his inaugural season in Starkville, Picker-
ing was named to the 2019 Southeastern Conference
All-Freshman team.
With Wednesday’s announcement, Pickering joins
star running back and Columbus native Kylin Hill and
starting safety and West Point product Marcus Mur-
phy as the three Bulldogs to have opted out of the sea-
son mid-year. Junior cornerback Tyler Williams and
walk-on receiver Taury Dixon also did so prior to the
start of the year.
MSU has also seen a slew of changeover on its ros-
ter over the past month and a half. Since October 1, sev-
en players have left the program for varying reasons,
including Alabama transfer receiver Tyrell Shavers,
running back Kareem Walker and quarterbacks Gar-
rett Shrader and Jalen Mayden.
The Bulldogs were unable to play their scheduled
game against No. 23 Auburn last week due to COVID-19
positive tests and contact tracing. That game has been
rescheduled for Dec. 12.
MSU is slated to play No. 13 Georgia on Saturday,
but it remains up in the air whether the maroon and
white-clad Bulldogs will have enough players to satisfy
the SEC’s 53 scholarship player threshold required to
partake in competition this year.

How West MISSISSIPPI STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL

Point has built
a dynasty at
running back Surrounded by family in person and in spirit,
Perry returns to his roots on draft night
BY THEO DEROSA
tderosa@cdispatch.com

WEST POINT — Ja-

Kobe Pate knew he was
ready.
In the summer be-
tween his freshman and
sophomore years at West
Point High School, the
running back took note
of the physical improve-
ments he had made. How
he was able to run faster;
how he could lift more
weight.
“Your time’s going to
come,” Pate told himself,
trying to be patient.
Now, for the senior,
it has. Pate, a senior, is
part of the Green Wave’s
“four-headed monster,” a
quartet of running backs
that also features Camer-
on Young, Chris Ivy and
Keshawn Henley and
that has led West Point
into Friday’s MHSAA
Class 5A second-round
game at Grenada.
Pate’s transformation
is hardly unique among
West Point rushers in
recent years. Coach
Chris Chambless and
the Green Wave have fos-
See WEST POINT, 3B

Johnson leads
Noxubee Co.
into 3A north
half semifinal
BY THEO DEROSA
tderosa@cdispatch.com

MACON — Macardi
Johnson still remembers
the relatively simple ad-
vice his predecessors
at wide receiver for the
Noxubee County football
team gave him.
“Stay in the playbook
and stay in the school-
book, and you’ll be al-
right,” Johnson was told
by past Tigers standouts
like Rashad Eades and
Kyziah Pruitt.
This year, as Noxu-
bee County’s only se-
nior wideout, Johnson
has made efforts to pass
that lesson to the Tigers’
younger pass-catchers.
“He took it upon him-
self to be a leader, and it’s
showing up,” head coach
Teddy Young said. “It’s
showing up in the way
the younger guys are
playing and the way he’s
playing on both sides of
the ball.”
While Noxubee Coun-
ty’s defense remains as
dominant as it has been
all season, it’s improve-
ment from Johnson, the
team’s younger wide re-
ceivers and quarterback
Chrishaad Rupert that
have the Tigers prepared
for Friday’s MHSAA
Class 3A quarterfinal at
North Panola.
“We’re clicking,”
Young said. “At this part
See NOXUBEE, 3B
Mississippi State forward Reggie Perry (1) dunks the basketball in a game against Alabama on Feb. 25 at Humphrey Coliseum in
Starkville. Perry was drafted 57th overall in Wednesday’s NBA draft, while Alabama guard Kira Lewis Jr. (2) was 13th overall. Perry was
drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers, but his rights were traded to the Brooklyn Nets in a draft-night deal.
BY BEN PORTNOY
bportnoy@cdispatch.com
STARKVILLE — Reggie
Perry glanced down at the
glimmering pendant dangling
around his neck.
Residing in a fist-sized pen-
dant embroidered with dia-
monds and resting squarely in
the center of his chest Wednes-
day night was a photo of Doro-
thy Williams-Wesley, Perry’s
deceased grandmother.
“I got this to keep her in the
room,” he said. “She was with
me the whole time.”
While Williams-Wesley was
not physically present, her spir-
itual representation coupled
with the more than 20 friends
and family members that gath-
ered at a rental house mere min-
utes from Humphrey Coliseum
shone as Perry was selected
with the No. 57 pick in the 2020
NBA draft.
“Just a proud dad now, ready
to move on,” Al Perry, Reggie’s
father and an assistant coach at
Mississippi Valley State, said.
“(Former NBA coach) Sam
Mitchell always said, ‘It’s easy
to get drafted; it’s tougher to
stay.’ So now we’ve got to stay.”
Though Wednesday’s festiv-
ities proved a celebration, the
night was wrought with tension.
From the moment family mem-
bers poured into the living room
beginning around 6 p.m., there
was an eerie silence to the space
as ESPN’s draft coverage blared
on a flatscreen television at the
forefront of the gathering.
Seated on the couch beside
Al, who played at MSU during
the mid-1970s, and his mother
Kim, Reggie Perry glared into
the television with growing anx-
iousness.
In the kitchen to Perry’s
right, hats from every team in
the league resided on the mar-
ble bar top. One by one they
were whisked away as the picks
cycled through. Next up.
Seated beside the bar, Per-
ry’s uncle Reggie Neal slowly
sipped on a cool glass of Gentle-
man Jack in hopes of easing the
growing tension. A trio of Per-
ry’s Omega Psi Phi fraternity
brothers also briefly exited the
house before returning with two
24-packs of Corona.
After MSU teammate Rob-
ert Woodard was selected with
the 40th overall pick, a slew of
scattered claps filled the room.
Perry’s phone began buzzing
incessantly. Initially mocked
where Woodard was chosen,
there was a growing expecta-
tion his name would be called.
Perry’s agent insisted the New
Orleans Pelicans liked him with
the 42nd overall selection, but
they instead chose to ship their
choice to Charlotte.
“This is crazy, man,” Perry
said softly as he palmed his face
in frustration.
As the final few picks of
Wednesday’s draft trickled in,
name after name was called.
Perry’s was not.
At 10:49 p.m., the former
five-star recruit’s iPhone rang.
Brooklyn Nets General Manag-
er Sean Marks was on the line.
“Welcome to the family and
have a good time (tonight),”
Marks told Perry.
With the news subtly spread-
ing about the room but not re-
vealed in total as the broadcast
lagged behind, Neal grabbed a
hat from the stack of discard-
ed lids and hid it under his suit
jacket so as not to allow an in-
kling of where his nephew was
headed. Minutes later, NBA
deputy commissioner Mark
Tatum read Perry’s name aloud.
He’d been selected by the Los
Angeles Clippers and subse-
quently shipped to Brooklyn in
an already agreed upon draft
Jim Lytle/Dispatch file photo
night trade.
The room rejoiced. The gath-
ering that felt funeral-esque for
four-plus hours suddenly turned
jovial. Perry embraced his
mother and father. Handshakes,
high-fives and hugs followed
throughout the room. Stepping
away from the commotion, Al
Perry cracked open a fifth of
Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Fire
and poured himself a stiff drink.
“That’s really why I was ner-
vous,” Perry said, referencing
his gathered friends and fami-
ly. “I just wanted to make them
proud. I didn’t want to make
them trip (out).”
Draft night’s perpetually
serve as a crapshoot of sorts,
but there was a layer of fate in
Perry’s landing in Brooklyn.
For a family whose home has
shifted south over the years,
there’s a familiarity in New York
City and its eccentricity. Neal
and brother Kendall, who was
also in attendance Wednesday,
grew up in Brooklyn. Al himself
is from Harlem.
“I know he’s a southern boy,”
Reggie Neal said through an
ear-to-ear grin. “But his roots
are in New York.”
Over the next few days, Per-
See DRAFT, 3B
2B THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2020
Pac-12’s postseason hopes dim among canceled games, virus
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
With so much un-
certainty ahead, Pac-12
teams are doing every-
thing they can to make
sure they get enough
games in to legitimately
be considered for a bowl.
Any bowl.
UCLA and California
even got together and
scheduled their own Sun-
day morning game at the
Rose Bowl. But time is
quickly running out as
the league enters its third
weekend with coronavi-
rus cases spiking across
the nation.
No Pac-12 team has had
it worse than Utah. The
Utes have seen their first
two games of the short-
ened season canceled
because of COVID-19 out-
breaks, but on Saturday
night they’re set to host
No. 20 USC (2-0).
Asked what Utah can
accomplish this sea-
son with limited games,
coach Kyle Whittingham
said the Utes just want to
play at this point.
“I think we’re the only
Power Five team that
hasn’t played yet, so that’s
first and foremost — just
get on the field and get-
ting an actual game, see
Mets 2B Canó suspended 162 games
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — Strike
two against Robinson
Canó.
The New York Mets
second baseman was
suspended for 162 games
by Major League Base-
ball on Wednesday after
he tested positive for a
performance-enhancing
drug for the second time
in his decorated career.
The 38-year-old Canó
will miss the entire 2021
season and lose $24 mil-
lion in salary. The eight-
time All-Star hit a robust
.316 with 10 home runs
and 30 RBIs in this year’s
what we’ve got with these
new players,” he said.
Whittingham didn’t
rule out on-the-fly sched-
uling to get in games,
similar to what the Bruins
and Cal pulled off.
“As long as it’s not a
health and safety factor
for our players, we’re
good to go,” he said. “But
a caveat to that is making
sure that if one team has
been planning all along
for the possibility of play-
ing a certain team, and
the other team was sched-
uled to play another team
and then last minute had
to switch gears, that isn’t
ideal.
“But this is a unique
year, unique circumstanc-
es, and you’ve to to be
ready to adapt and make
changes like that.”
Four Pac-12 teams —
Cal, Washington, Arizona
and Arizona State — have
played just once this sea-
son. Five games have
been canceled, including
Colorado’s meeting with
the Sun Devils that was
set for next Saturday. An
outbreak at Arizona State
meant the team did not
have the required players
available.
Buffaloes coach Karl
pandemic-shortened sea-
son.
Minus Canó, the Mets
could give offensive
sparkplug Jeff McNeil a
regular spot at second
base — probably his most
natural position. The
suspension also might
prompt them to pursue
free agent infielder DJ
LeMahieu, an AL MVP
contender the past two
years with the crosstown
Yankees.
The penalty came less
than two weeks after
Steve Cohen bought the
Mets for $2.4 billion, a
move that created an av-
The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com
Dorrell said his team is
closely watching how
the week shakes out.
Should another game be
canceled, Colorado (2-0)
could potentially play the
unaffected team.
“We are on high alert
for anything and every-
thing that could happen
in this given week,” said
Dorrell, who is in his
first season with the Buf-
faloes. “It’s kind of the
nature of this year. It’s a
year where everything
can change day to day.”
The possibility re-
mains that division games
could be made up the fi-
nal weekend of the season
(Dec. 18-19) for the teams
that are not in the Pac-12
championship game. The
NCAA has already ruled
teams do not have to fin-
ish at .500 to be eligible
for bowl games.
The bowl prospects
could shrink further, too.
The Pac-12 initially had
eight bowl partners, but is
now down to six because
the Redbox Bowl and the
Holiday Bowl have been
canceled for this season.
Under pressure to get
games in, Cal and UCLA
threw together their im-
promptu Sunday game in
alanche of positivity for a
team that has reached the
playoffs just three times
in the last 20 years.
The commissioner’s
office said Canó tested
positive for Stanozolol, an
anabolic steroid. He was
penalized 80 games in
May 2018 while with Se-
attle after a positive test
for Furosemide, a diuretic
that some athletes have
used to mask other sub-
stances.
“We were extremely
disappointed to be in-
formed about Robinson’s
suspension for violating
Major League Baseball’s
less than 48 hours. The
Bruins emerged with a
34-10 victory.
UCLA coach Chip Kel-
ly said he joked with Cal
coach Justin Wilcox fol-
lowing the game that the
Golden Bears should just
stay in Los Angeles and
play the Bruins if more
games get canceled.
“I don’t know what the
future holds, so every
opportunity that you get
to play football in a safe
environment, and that
is the one thing that we
ask all the time, as long
as it is going to be safe,
then we’ll go play,” Kelly
said. “I think our players
understand that. They’re
very appreciative of the
fact they get an opportu-
nity. We are lucky. We’ve
got two games in so far
and there are teams in our
league — I feel for Kyle
Whittingham and Utah.
He’s missed two games. I
feel for that group.”
So far, USC and No.
11 Oregon (2-0) appear
to be in the best shape
for a bowl bid, after what
is likely to be a meeting
between the two for the
league championship.
Joint Drug Prevention
and Treatment Program,”
new Mets president San-
dy Alderson said in a
statement. “The violation
is very unfortunate for
him, the organization, our
fans, and the sport. The
Mets fully support MLB’s
efforts toward eliminat-
ing performance-enhanc-
ing substances from the
game.”
Canó was set to head
into the eighth season of
his $240 million, 10-year
contract. He will not be
eligible for the playoffs if
the Mets make the post-
season.
 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2020 3B

Draft
Continued from Page 1B

ry will head to Brooklyn with lit-
tle more than a month before the
NBA season is set to start. After a
two-year spell at the school his fa-
ther played for, he now returns to
the city that bears his roots. And
while his grandmother couldn’t be
there to see it in person, Perry not-
ed through bated breath, she was
watching from above.
“She told me, ‘Just make me
proud; just keep your head on
straight,’” he recalled of one of their
final conversations. “I can still hear
her voice saying it.”
The draft was originally scheduled
for June 25 before multiple delays
caused by the virus pushed it back
and out of its usual home at Barclays
Center in Brooklyn. Boxes of hats
were shipped to the top prospects
to put on the one they needed after
their name was called.
Edwards watched while seated
next to portraits of his late mother
and grandmother. He was emotional
after his name was announced.
“As far as just being excited and
just being happy and ready to go
and ready to work and ready to get
there as soon as possible, those emo-
tions were overwhelming with just
Greg played for the Knicks, at No. 15.
Some moments triggered deeper
emotions. Okongwu, taken No. 6 by
Atlanta, recalled his older brother,
Nnamdi, who died after a skate-
boarding accident in 2014.
Toppin, the national player of the
year last season at Dayton, strug-
gled to speak after New York took
him at No. 8, bringing the Brook-
lyn-born forward to his hometown.
“I’m from New York, that’s why
it’s important,” Toppin said. “Me
repping my city, it’s amazing.”
Edwards became the 11th
straight one-and-done player to be
the No. 1 pick, coming in a year
Sudoku YESTERDAY’S ANSWER

Edwards goes No. 1

Anthony Edwards paid tribute to
my mother and grandmother being where there was no clear obvious Sudoku
Sudoku is a number-
placing puzzle based on
Yesterday’s answer
there,” Edwards said. “I mean, it was choice. He averaged 19.1 points for Sudoku 8 7 2 3 4 5 6 1 9
his mother and grandmother. Onye- a 9x9 gridis witha several
num-
just a dream come true and just a the Bulldogs, tops among all fresh- ber-placing
ka Okongwu recalled his brother. given numbers.puzzleThe object 4 3 6 8 1 9 2 5 7

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

blessing.” men. based onthe a 9x9
Obi Toppin thought about coming is to place numbers 5 9 1 6 7 2 4 8 3
And though there wasn’t the usu- The Golden State Warriors, grid
home. al family table in the green room and stung by the news that Klay 1 to 9with
in theseveral
empty spaces 6 2 5 1 3 8 9 7 4
Tears flowed freely for those and given
so that numbers.
each row, eachThe 7 1 3 9 2 4 8 6 5
trip on stage to meet the commis- Thompson sustained another leg object
many more players Wednesday night sioner, some players still were outfit- injury earlier Wednesday, took column and each 3x3 the
is to place box 9 8 4 5 6 7 1 3 2
numbers
contains the1same to 9 number
in
when their long-awaited, months-de- ted in fashionable attire — perhaps Memphis center James Wiseman 1 4 7 2 5 6 3 9 8
the empty spaces so
layed NBA dreams were finally real- none more than No. 12 pick Tyrese with the second pick. only once. The difficulty 3 5 9 4 8 1 7 2 6
that each row, each
ized. Haliburton of Sacramento, whose LaMelo Ball then went to the level increases from
column and each 2 6 8 7 9 3 5 4 1
Edwards was taken by the Min- blue, floral suit had the words “Black Charlotte Hornets, the next stop Monday
3x3 boxtocontains
Sunday. Difficulty Level 11/18

nesota Timberwolves with the No. 1
pick in an NBA draft delayed multi-
ple times because of the coronavirus
pandemic.
Commissioner Adam Silver an-
nounced the pick from ESPN head-
quarters in Bristol, Connecticut.
Lives Matter” on the inside.
They celebrated with family,
friends, coaches — and in Cole An-
thony’s case, even celebrity fans.
Movie director Spike Lee jumped up
and down with his family when Or-
lando took Anthony, whose father,
on a lengthy basketball journey the same number only once. The difficulty level
that sent the guard from high increases from Monday to Sunday.
school in California to stops as
a professional in Lithuania and
Australia.
SOURCE: AP

West Point
Continued from Page 1B
tered a running back dynasty that
persists year in, year out — an em-
pire that has carried West Point to
four straight state titles and hopes
to secure a fifth.
“We know it takes a special kind
of individual to run the ball and be
mentally tough as well as physical-
ly tough,” Chambless said. “Our
coaches do a great job of developing
the right skill sets that we need to
be able to do so.”
A ‘grueling’ offseason
It starts early.
As soon as West Point students
hit seventh or eighth grade, Cham-
bless and his staff began to evaluate
their talent. A longstanding history
of success helps recruit, too; with
11 state championships, the Green
Wave are tied with South Panola
among Mississippi public schools
all time.
“This is a good spot for athletes,
but it’s more the tradition: kids
coming up from elementary school
wanting to carry on the tradition of
the teams that they’ve seen,” Cham-
bless said.
Young, a junior who scored five
touchdowns in last week’s 42-28
first-round win at Holmes County
Central, pointed to West Point’s
second of four championship teams
in 2017. Then, he watched guys like
Chris Calvert and Marcus Murphy
lead the Green Wave to a 15-0 sea-
son and a win over Hattiesburg in
the state title game.
The Monday after that, the
Green Wave did what they do ev-
ery year: They got right back in the
gym.
Yes, Chambless’ offseason rou-
tine starts as soon as the regular
season draws to a close. It never
stops: West Point practices from
1:15 to 3 p.m. Monday through Fri-
day year-round.
“It can be really grueling,” Cham-
bless said. “A lot of times, we have
just as many injuries in the offsea-
son as we do in season just because
of the fact our kids go at it so hard in
the weight room and outside on the
field doing drills.”
The Green Wave coaching staff
focuses not just on physical fit-
ness but mental toughness as well.
Through competition — pitting
players against each other in any-
thing from wrestling to running —
West Point hopes to push its players
past the hang-ups in their head.
“When their mind says no, their
bodies can still go,” Chambless
said.
And with all that time spent to-
gether, it’s no surprise West Point’s
players grow close — its running
backs in particular.
“It’s amazing to see how all
those skill guys pull for each other,”
Chambless said. “It’s almost like it
doesn’t matter which one gets the
carry as long as one of them gets
the tote.”
Eleven brothers
Perhaps no duo embodies that
mentality better than Pate and
Young.
“That’s my boy,” Pate said.
“When he scores, I score. When I
score, he scores. How he goes, I go.
When he runs the ball hard, I run
the ball hard. We’re just like bread
and butter.”
And while Young had the lion’s
share of scores against the Jaguars
— although he didn’t even realize
the extent of his performance un-
til afterward — Chambless said it
could have been Pate, Ivy, Henley
or another rusher.
“We feel like at any given mo-
ment, any of our backs can go score
with it,” Chambless said. “(Young’s)
number was called, and he made
the best of it.”
Chambless said Young is well
liked by teammates and carries a
“quiet strength” into each game,
trying to improve week by week.
“He has no enemies that I know
of — except on Friday nights, the
teams we play,” the coach said.
In fact, West Point’s whole team
might be just as close as its run-
ning backs are. Chambless said
the Green Wave preach a simple
saying: They play like “11 brothers”
every Friday.
That’s why, after West Point lost
at Grenada on Oct. 16 — a shocking
second straight defeat — the whole
team was emotional together. They
knew they struggled with ball secu-
rity and missed an opportunity to
extend the game in overtime.
Now, the Green Wave seek re-
venge together. Young said he feels
prepared.
“It’s hard to beat a team twice,” ACROSS
he said. “The first time, there were 1 Airport line
some things that we did wrong that 5 He hit 61 in ’61
we corrected since then. I think 10 Test type
we’re ready.” 11 Sand sub-
And when West Point takes the stance
field again Friday, Young will be 12 Odometer
thinking about the guys who came unit
before him — Calvert and Murphy 13 Tooth layer
— as well as those whose time is 14 Nightmare
still to come. 16 Many corny
“They built it for us,” Young said. puns
“It’s up to us to build it for the young 20 Blood line
kids to keep it going.” 23 Afternoon

Noxubee
Continued from Page 1B
of the season, you need to
be playing your best foot-
ball, and I feel like we’re
getting close to playing
our best.”
Noxubee County isn’t
all the way there yet,
Young said — 85 or 90
percent rather than 100 —
but the Tigers are fast ap-
proaching. They’ve post-
ed 54-6 and 32-8 home
wins over Byhalia and
Booneville, respectively,
in the postseason’s first
two rounds.
Young said Rupert, a
converted wide receiver
in his first year at signal
caller, has improved —
and with him, so have the
Tigers.
“I think that’s the main
reason why the offense is
taking off now: because
our quarterback’s playing
better,” Young said.
But Johnson’s impact
on Noxubee County’s
receiving corps can’t be
understated. The senior
makes sure players like
AJ Little, Antonio Fowler
and Dequadrion Welch
remain focused on foot-
ball, whether that takes
the form of texting them
reminders to watch film
and study their next oppo-
nent or intervening in the
classroom.
“When they’re doing
wrong, I have to help
them out and make sure
they stay on the right
track,” Johnson said.
Young said what John-
son learned from Eades
and Pruitt as well as last
year’s senior wideouts,
including Kobee Lockett,
Jaqualon Sherrod and Jef-
fery Malone, showed him
what he would need to do
this fall.
“I feel like he learned
from those guys that ev-
ery day you’ve got to come
to work and you’ve got to
be a leader,” Young said.
“The better your group is,
the better you’ll be.”
But Johnson’s impact
isn’t only being felt on of-
fense for the Tigers. For
the first time since his
freshman season, he’s
lining up on cornerback,
too. Even after two years
off, he remembers how to
play the position — and
how much more condi-
tioning he needs than do
his teammates.
“Even though they get
to jog, I know I’ve got to
sprint and get in better
shape because I’m going
to be starting on both
sides of the ball,” Johnson
said.
Though he admitted
he likes playing wide re-
ceiver better, Johnson
break
24 Demi or
Julianne
25 Selected 3 Lacking locks Bonheur
27 Free TV spot: 4 Luge compet- 22 Swamp
said he’ll do whatever the quarterback all night,” Abbr. itor croaker
is asked of him on both Brown said. 28 Protectively 5 Singer Nicki 25 NYSE entry
sides of the ball. That in- Brown said he feels covered 6 Texas land- 26 Harvest
cludes playing through good about his team’s 29 Weeper mark festival event
fatigue if necessary. game plan and knows how
“If coach Young says
32 Big-time 7 Brink 28 Does some
North Panola will try to
he needs me on defense, kudos 8 Rink makeup programming
attack, but it won’t be easy
I can just go and try to 36 Tex-Mex treat 9 Mule of old 30 Petite
to stop receiver Carl Rob-
do the same on defense,” 39 Concept song 31 Yarns
inson and the Cougars’
Johnson said. 40 Banished 11 Squalid 33 Freshener
passing attack.
Johnson, of course, “That’s a big task,” he
people 15 Steak choice target
is joined by 10 other said. “The secondary’s 41 Some deer 17 Macramé unit 34 Jury member
dominant players on the got to hold up. I know 42 Bargains 18 Move slowly 35 Pert talk
Tigers’ flat-out nasty de- our defensive line’s going 43 Goes astray 19 Went 90 36 Slugger
fense. With a forfeit win to provide pressure, so I DOWN 20 Band boost- Williams
over Aberdeen excepted, think we’ll be OK.” 1 Rooster topper ers 37 Log chopper
Noxubee County has al- Young knows North 2 Opera piece 21 Painter 38 Farrow of film
lowed just 8.9 points per Panola coach Randal
game.
Montgomery from Mont-
“I told these guys all
gomery’s time at Co-
year going into the spring,
lumbus High School,
‘If we want to get back to
admitting he’s glad the
the state championship
Cougars coach won’t have
game, we’ll have to rely
on our defense,’” Young a weapon like former Fal-
said. “They’ve been play- con and Mississippi State
ing lights out lately.” standout Kylin Hill at his
The Tigers will have disposal.
to keep that success go- With a chance to host
ing against a dangerous the north state champi-
North Panola team that onship game against the
has scored 45 and 41 winner of Friday’s Amo-
points, respectively, in ry-Winona contest, the
playoff wins over Aber- Tigers are ready for their
deen and Nettleton. Nox- road test in Sardis, Young
ubee County linebacker said.
Trillo Brown Jr. didn’t “We know what’s at
mince words in describ- stake,” the coach said.
ing his team’s plan of at- “Our guys feel like we’re
tack for signal caller Q.D. very prepared mentally
Walls and the Cougars. and physically, so we’ve
“We’re going to blitz just got to go out and play.”
4B THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2020 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com
All NFL teams to enter intensive COVID-19 protocol Saturday
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS tacts by more than 50% to address now,” Goodell ed players or coaches be-
since the fifth week of the wrote. “Because we have ing ruled out of practice
The NFL is placing all regular season, according a highly sophisticated or games.”
teams in intensive pro- to a memo obtained by program of daily testing, The NFL said Tuesday
tocol starting Saturday The Associated Press that we know when the vi- there were 17 new con-
to mitigate the risk of was sent from NFL Com- rus enters our facilities, firmed positives among
COVID-19 as the number missioner Roger Goodell which underscores the players and 35 among oth-
of cases rises around the
to teams on Wednesday. importance of contact er personnel during test-
country. “These sustained re- tracing and other steps to ing from Nov. 8-14. That
Use of masks will be
ductions and the resulting minimize close contacts brought the league’s total
mandatory at all times at
health and safety benefits within a facility. to 95 players and 175 oth-
team facilities, including
make it appropriate to “Recent experience er personnel since Aug. 1,
during practice and in
implement the intensive has highlighted the im- not counting new cases
weight rooms. Meetings
must be held either vir- protocols on a mandatory, portance of minimizing this week.
tually or in the largest league-wide basis,” Good- high-risk close contacts; “The biggest motivator
ell said in the memo. on multiple occasions, I find when we talk to the
indoor space with approv-
al by the league. Meals So far, 28 teams have we have seen individu- clubs about this is simply
entered intensive proto- als identified on that ba- that if they are not in com-
have to be made available
col at some point and 16 sis test positive within a pliance with the protocols
for grab-and-go to avoid
teams have done it more short time. We have also from a mask-wearing
players and staff congre-
gating in cafeterias. Time than once. seen many instances in perspective or for some
spent in the locker room “The upcoming hol- which effective action by reason somebody forgot
also has to be limited. idays, beginning with clubs to minimize these their device or something
Clubs operating under Thanksgiving next week, close contacts prevented like that, they’re much
the intensive protocols will introduce new risks the virus from spreading more likely to be identi-
have reduced close con- of exposure that we need within the club, and avoid- fied as a high-risk close
Comics & Puzzles
DILBERT
Dear Abby
D
EAR ABBY:
Since I
moved eight
years ago, my
son, “Jim,” has
visited me only
once, and that’s
because I gave
his son my car. I
rarely hear from
him, and when
I have visited,
ZITS we barely talk.
We have totally
different ideas
on life, and it has
caused a rift in
our relationship. Dear Abby
When I have
visited Jim and his wife, they
just sit, watch movies and eat
takeout food unless I take
them out and pay for the meal.
Over the years, I have given
my son money and housed
him when he went through a
terrible divorce. His children
GARFIELD are grown now, and I don’t hear
from them either.
He remarried a woman he
met on the internet who has
different ideas on things than
my family and the way I was
brought up. It hurts me very
much. What’s your opinion on
what to do about this situation?
I’m at a loss. — LET DOWN IN
IDAHO
DEAR LET DOWN: It’s sad,
but the breakdown in your
relationship with Jim started a
long time ago. It should have
CANDORVILLE
Horoscopes
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Nov.
19). Even with the challenges
of social distancing, you find a
way to bond with new people
and make friends. This new era
is marked by the many lives you
influence and are influenced by
as you do what comes naturally
to you — follow your interests
and share your process. Your
project gets funded in January.
BABY BLUES Libra and Gemini adore you.
Your lucky numbers are: 4, 40,
22, 18 and 36.
ARIES (March 21-April 19).
You can tell what people value
because they talk about it,
arrange their lives around it and
make it the star of their show.
Your observations will bring the
insight to improve relationships.
BEETLE BAILEY
MALLARD FILLMORE
FAMILY CIRCUS
contact than they would
otherwise,” said Jeff Mill-
er, the league’s executive
vice president of commu-
nications, public affairs
and policy.
“So when that indi-
vidual coach or player is
removed from the team
environment for five days
because their mask was
down, that’s a lesson
learned throughout the fa-
cility. And so I don’t think
we see a lot of repeat prob-
lems as far as that goes.
Not everybody’s perfect
all the time. But I think
the biggest enforcement
piece is taking somebody
out of the team environ-
ment and potentially cost-
ing them the opportunity
to play in the game or
to go through a week’s
worth of the practice. I
been addressed
then.
It’s not
uncommon
for adults to
have ideas that
differ from their
parents’, but it
shouldn’t cause
a rift. If your son
and his wife are
hiding behind
their television
set rather than
conversing, the
situation may be
as uncomfortable
for them as it is
for you.
If the dynamics in your rela-
tionship are going to improve,
you will have to convince them
to discuss where things went
off track, agree to disagree on
certain topics and talk about
other things when you see
them. From what you have writ-
ten, it appears you are doing
all the work in the relationship,
and that isn’t fair to you.
DEAR ABBY: I’m a gay male
who has fallen in love with my
best friend, who is straight. Af-
ter months of feeling dishonest
in our friendship, I told him how
I felt. At first he seemed OK
with it. He told me he couldn’t
reciprocate those feelings, but
he still loved me as his friend
and asked me not to make it
“weird.”
A month later, he said if I
TAURUS (April 20-May 20).
Searching for meaning is a bit
silly since it’s never “out there”
and always self-assigned.
Meaning must be created. With
all creations, there’s a stage of
experimentation. Meanings can
be tried on. See what fits.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21).
A problem is always an opportu-
nity and, in the case of today, a
moneymaking one. You’ll extend
your imagination in a financial
direction and come up with
lucrative solutions.
CANCER (June 22-July 22).
Social comparisons abound
lately. You have options and
will exercise them. Spending
time with those who honor your
company makes it very hard to
think that part of it is a lit-
tle bit undersold. It feels
like a lot when we talk to
the clubs as a behavior
change mechanism.”
Teams not having been
in the intensive protocols
are the Jets, Buccaneers,
Seahawks and Washing-
ton.
“Well, it does shift
some things,” Seattle
coach Pete Carroll said.
“It’s not a problem for us
. ... So we’ll do whatever.
... We’re gonna follow to
the letter of the law, and
continue to really have an
attitude that we can pull
this thing off. I think the
mentality of it is import-
ant as anything, because
it has to carry over into all
aspects, and all facets of
everybody’s lives.”
can’t find a way to fall out of
love with him, we could no lon-
ger be friends. I didn’t change
anything about my relationship
with him. I maintained the sta-
tus quo, and he seemed good
with it. I don’t know what to do.
I am extremely sad because
I don’t want to lose my best
friend. We had a great relation-
ship, which is why I thought he
would appreciate my honesty
and we could work through the
issue. What’s your advice? —
TURNED DOWN IN TENNESSEE
DEAR TURNED DOWN: This
person may be wonderful, but
he could not handle the re-
sponsibility of a close personal
relationship with someone who
was in love with him if it wasn’t
reciprocal. My advice is to ac-
cept it and move on. You really
have no alternative because
the decision has already been
made for you. You have my
sympathy, but you WILL heal
from this. I promise.
DEAR ABBY: All my boy-
friend wants to do is clean the
house and make love to me. He
also cooks for me, massages
me, worships my body, insists
that I take naps and makes me
laugh nonstop. What’s wrong
with him? — PONDERING IN
THE SUNSHINE STATE
DEAR PONDERING: What’s
wrong with YOU? This must be
a new relationship. Give it time,
and I am sure you will uncover
something.
spend time with anyone who
doesn’t.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22).
Vague ideas of who and how
you should be will only leave
you feeling unmoored. You need
clear, measurable standards for
yourself. Decide what tangible
results to expect from yourself.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept.
22). The theme is immediate
feedback, instant karma and
fast turnarounds. It’s as though
the world is waiting for your
interaction or even just your
thoughts. You’ll get help before
you ask for it.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23).
It’s unlucky to peak early or,
even worse, to succeed on the
first try. It’s far luckier to make
mistakes aplenty along the way
so that you may experience
the entire learning curve and
become adept at duplicating
success.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21).
You collect experiences by the
dozen and add to your collection
daily. This makes you sophisti-
cated, which comes with perks
including a worldly point of view
and a sense of comfort in a
wide range of scenarios.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-
Dec. 21). There’s authority in
stillness. A nonmoving presence
exudes power, but it also
requires power. Such control
must be fueled. Before you take
on busy work and busy people,
consider the value of making no
move at all.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan.
19). You have been an excellent
listener and a kindred spirit.
Now, you will be on the other
side of that experience, under-
standing what value it brings to
weary hearts.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb.
18). The precipice of overwhelm
is not a very empowered zone.
This is the moment to narrow
your focus. Pick one goal to
crush and make it a small one,
not too far off from where you
are now.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March
20). As soon as you sense that
someone is trying to get you to
do something, your first instinct
will be to rebel. You reject the
control of others. You’re still
exploring your own ideas and
require no input at this time.
Burning the midnight oil
SOLUTION:
 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2020 5B

Business
BUSINESS BRIEF
Duggin named
Executive Director
Upon the retirement of Jackie
Edwards, the Board of Commis-
sioners for Region VII Mental
Health/Intellectual Disabilities
has appointed Richard Duggin as
the executive director of Commu-
nity Counseling Services (CCS).
Duggin has been employed at CCS
as the Chief Financial Officer since
2013. Prior to his tenure at CCS,
Richard served as the Executive
Director of Delta Community Men-
tal Health Center in Greenville.
Duggin will serve as the fifth
executive director of CCS since
it began operations in the 70’s.
Community Counseling Services’
mission is to provide quality, af-
fordable, person-centered, compre-
hensive behavioral health services
to individuals in need of mental
health services. CCS employs ap-
proximately 375 employees, over a
seven-county region and has been
recognized as an industry leader in
the state of Mississippi.
“We are fortunate to have some-
one with Richard’s background and
experience to lead CCS moving for-
ward. He has the benefit of work-
ing with Jackie for the past seven
years and is positioned to continue
her vision of ensuring that individ-
uals with mental health issues can
and should have access to needed
services in his/her community,”
said Billingsley, board president.
“With the impact of COVID, we are
well aware that many individuals in
our communities are experiencing
higher rates of anxiety, depression,
substance use, etc. We are confi-
dent in Richard’s abilities to lead
his dedicated team in ensuring that
the mental health needs of individ-
uals in our service area are met.”
Duggin said, “I am very appre-
ciative of the confidence that the
Commission has placed in me for
this leadership role. CCS is a vital
service in the community for those
with mental health, substance use,
and intellectual disabilities and I
am committed to ensuring they
receive the best quality care.”
For those in need of support,
you can contact any of our county
offices or our administrative office
at 662-524-4347. For more infor-
mation, please visit our website at
www.ccsms.org.

BUILDING PERMITS
City of Columbus
Nov. 9-13, 2020
■ Tayburg LLC; 611 Warpath
Road; renovate smoke/water
damage; same
■ S Spradley Holcombe; 604
20th Ave North; repair floor/
ceiling/fascia board; Stepha-
nie Holcombe
■ Vivian Lyons; 407 Summer-
haven Drive; Metal storage
building installation; Willie
Jethroe
■ Alexius Jones; 1511 21st
Street North; demolish s/f
residence; same
■ Katherine and mack Murray;
406 Winterset Drive; Electri-
cal; Guerry Electric LLC
■ Douglas Walker and Stacey
Petty; 1506 22nd Street
North; electrical, Harris
Electric.
■ K&D Rental Properties LLC;
802 Lehmberg Road; electri-
cal; Guerry Electric LLC
■ Ann and Mark Piersol; 113
Sleepy Hollow Drive; electrical;
Weldon Electric
■ Jennifer and Tyrone Porter;
74 Stokes Road; electrical;
Absolute Power Solutions
■ Frank Loftis; 1301 2nd
Ave North; plumbing; P & H
Plumbing
■ Commercial Property
Investments LLC; 1210 18th
Avenue North; plumbing; Scott
Rushing
■ Burt Rentals Inc; 1204
main Street; plumbing; P & H
Plumbing
■ Gracie May Brown Life
Estate; 915 4th Street South;
plumbing; P & H Plumbing
■ Ron Verdell; 202 College
Street; plumbing; same
■ Wilbur O Colom; 220 20th
Street South; plumbing; Klutts
Plumbing
■ Wilbur O Colom; 222 20th
Street South; plumbing; Klutts
Wilkins Wise Road; plumbing;
Klutts Plumbing
■ Truelove Rentals LLC; 437
Wilkins Wise Road; plumbing;
Klutts Plumbing
■ Livingston Rental Property
LLC; 613 Peach Street; plumb-
ing; P & H Plumbing
■ Jeffrey Lipsey; 505 Lincoln
road; plumbing; P & H Plumb-
ing
■ Livingston Rental Property
LLC; 1100 Ash Street; plumb-
ing; P & H Plumbing
■ Lori Smith; 158 Community
Road, Lot 9; plumbing; Tabor
Plumbing
■ Johnny Will Latham; 1710
22nd Street North; plumbing;
Tabor Plumbing
■ Robinson Construction &
Real Estate Inc.; 406 Peach
Street; plumbing; Tabor
Plumbing
■ Juanita and Willie Fields;
2302 Washington Ave; plumb-
ing; Tabor Plumbing
■ Truelove Rentals; 431
Wilkins Wise Road; plumbing;
Klutts Plumbing
■ Bidpee LLC; 815 13th
Street North Apt D1; plumbing;
Klutts Plumbing
■ Bidpee LLC; 815 13th
Street North Apt C7; plumbing;
Klutts Plumbing
■ Bidpee LLC; 815 13th
Street North Apt C8; plumb-
ing; Klutts Plumbing
■ Bidpee LLC; 815 13th
Street North Apt C9; plumb-
ing; Klutts Plumbing
Lowndes County
Nov. 18, 2020
■ Bankhead, Dyquishe; 180
Bush Street; set up mobile
home; Guerry Electric
■ Bankhead, Dyquishe; 180
Bush Street; move mobile
home; Columbus Mobile Home
Brokers
■ Lewis, Gene; 849 West-
■ Scheer, David; 264 Ander-
son Grove Road; construct
storage/shop; owner
■ Family Dollar; 60 Mike Parra
Road; construct commercial
bldg.; Executive Contracting
■ Reed, John; 437 Wells Dr.;
construct garage; owner
■ Williamson, Drew; 2711
Nashville Ferry Road; con-
struct s/f residence; owner
■ Sherrod, Barry; 441 Eulie
Dr.; addition to s/f residence;
owner
■ Achter, Eric and Deborah;
4480 Caledonia-Steens Road;
construct pool; Sunrise Pools
■ Williams, Sammie; 163
Ben Morgan Dr.; construct
storage/shop; owner
■ Abrams, Mary; 288 Willow
Lane; remodel a/f residence;
owner
■ Shepherd, Ashley and
Dominique; 59 Brady Lane;
construct s/f residence; David
Knight, LLC
■ Little; Stirling Dr.; construct
s/f residence; Clardy Home
Development
■ Spec; Frye Circle; construct
s/f residence; Frye Tile &
Exterior
■ Spec; Frye Circle; construct
s/f residence; Frye Tile &
Exterior
■ Spec; Frye Circle; construct
s/f residence; Frye Tile &
Exterior
■ Pennington, Marty; Mayfield
Dr.; construct s/f residence;
owner
■ Tate, Tanner; Sobley Camp
Road; construct s/f residence;
Bostick Construction
LOCAL GAS PRICES
Source: gasbuddy.com
COLUMBUS
1.82 MURPHY USA
1913-A US-45 N.

Plumbing brook Road; set up mobile

■ Lyla River Properties LLC;
725 10th Street North; plumb-
home; owner
■ Lewis, Gene; 849 West-
1.85 SPRINT MART
111 Lehmberg Rd.

ing; Klutts Plumbing

■ Truelove Rentals LLC; 435
brook Road; move mobile
home; McNairy Mobile Homes 1.85 UNITED DELI
212 Tuscaloosa Rd.

STARKVILLE
Get promoted? Win an award? 1.65 76 500 MS-12 W

Send us your business brief.

news@cdispatch.com 1.67 MURPHY USA
1012 MS-12

subject: Business brief

1.72 RACKLEY OIL
225 Industrial Park Rd.
Classifieds
Ads appear in The Commercial Dispatch,
The Starkville Dispatch and Online
To place ads starting at only $12,
call 662-328-2424 or visit ads.cdispatch.com
THE DISPATCH n CDISPATCH.COM n THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2020 n 6B

General Help Wanted Rooms For Rent Trailers & Heavy Equipment

LEGALS PART TIME mature person

for retail store. Sales ex-
ROOM FOR RENT, FULLY
FURNISHED, WEST POINT.
Community
perience a plus, computer Includes appls, furn & util.
Call us: 662-328-2424 skills and very flexible $400 per month. Ads starting at $12
hours. Email resume to No deposit.
Booze Legal Notices job115@cdispatch.com 662−295−4701. Good Things To Eat

LEGAL NOTICE RETAIL STORE needs entry

The undersigned East

level employee. Part time,
flexible hours, ideal for Real Estate
local college student.
Mississippi Com- Email letter of introduction Ads starting at $25
munity College (“EM- or resume to
CC”) intends to make job114@cdispatch.com Lots & Acreage
application for an on-
1.75 ACRE LOTS Good/
premise retailer per- JOB OPPORTUNITIES:
Bad Credit Options. Good
SECRETARY will provide
mit and caterer’s per- general clerical & office credit as low as 20% down,
mit as provided for by support. Clerical duties will
$499/mo. Eaton Land,
662−361−7711.
the Local Option Alco- include but not limited to
answering the phone, re-
holic Beverage Con- cord keeping, file mainten- LAMAR CO., AL−80 ACRES
trol Laws, Section 67- ance, editing employee hunting land, north of
time, Accounts Payable & Millport. $585 per acre.
1-1, et seq., of the Call for more info,
Receivable, basic com-
Mississippi Code of puter skills including Mi- 205−695−2248 or
1972, Annotated. If crosoft Word, Excel, etc. 205−799−9846.
granted such permits, Must be able to function in
high volume setting & pos-
we propose to oper-
ate as a sole owner
under the trade name
sess great communication
and interpersonal skills.
SITE LEAD SUPERVISOR
Garage Sales
will be responsible for su-
of Lion Hills Center & pervision of employees on Two free signs
Golf Course, 2331 the job site. Interested
Military Road, Colum- candidates should mail Estate Sales It’s a classified
resume to: Blind Box 678
bus, MS. East Missis-
sippi Community Col-
c/o Commercial Dispatch
PO Box 511 Estate Sale rule-of-thumb:
lege is a Mississippi Columbus, MS 39703 East Columbus
513 Catalpa St. We tell readers
community college Columbus, MS
which is governed by Fri. Nov. 20, 9am−4pm what they need
Rentals
Sat. Nov. 21, 9−4
its Board of Trustees.
The names and ad-
Sun. Nov. 22, 1−4
Mon. Nov. 23, 9−1 to know to buy
dresses of the Presid- Ads starting at $25
Contents of house,
bedroom suites, what they need.
ent of EMCC and the dining suite,
Apts For Rent: West curios, coca cola items,
Chairman and Vice
Chairman of the
pocketknives,
Five Questions:
VIP
porch rockers, washer,
Board of Trustees dryer, freezer,

Rentals
bookcases, kitchen
are: items, linens,
1 IKEA
Looking for
La−Z−Boy recliners,
President: Dr. Scott Apartments & Houses
hundreds of items.
photos @
Alsobrooks
1 Bedrooms
www.estatesales.net
2 Prince Philip,
1512 Kemper Street
Scooba, MS 39358 2 Bedroooms
Stewart’s Antiques &
Estate Sales
Benny Shelton the Duke of goods or
3 Bedrooms
Chairman: Kathy
Dyess
Furnished & Unfurnished
Columbus, MS
662−251−1515 Edinburgh services?
1, 2, & 3 Baths
1512 Kemper Street
3 “Infinity
Scooba, MS 39358 Lease, Deposit
& Credit Check Merchandise Mirrors”
Vice Chairman: Spen- viceinvestments.com Ads starting at $12
cer Brooks
327-8555 4 Photograph
1512 Kemper Street
Scooba, MS 39358 Apts For Rent: Other
Antiques
Find it in the classifieds!
5 15
CHRISTMAS OPEN HOUSE
Magnolia Antique Mall
If any person wishes Sat., Nov. 21, 2020
to request a hearing

to object to the issu-
ance of this permit a
request for a hearing
must be made in writ-
ing and received by
the Department of
Revenue within (15)
fifteen days from the
first date this notice
was published.
Request shall be sent
to
Chief Counsel, Legal
Division
Department of Reven-
ue
P. O. Box 22828
Jackson, MS 39225
Date of First Publica-
10AM−5PM
302 Alabama St.
Columbus
Building Materials
5 FT. Chain Link Fence.
Top rails, caps, band, etc.
Reasonably priced.
Call or text
662−549−7167
Firewood / Fuel
FIREWOOD FOR SALE.
Various lengths.
662−295−2274.
Musical Instruments
ALLEN DIGITAL ORGAN
for sale. $550.
Good for church.
COLEMAN Call 662−425−6505.
RENTALS Sporting Goods
TOWNHOUSES & APARTMENTS
1 BEDROOM Crawford Army Surplus
on Main in Crawford.
2 BEDROOMS Now for sale: Metal Ammo
Service Directory
Promote your small business starting at only $25
Building & Remodeling General Services Lawn Care / Landscaping Painting & Papering
SUGGS CONSTRUCTION JESSE & BEVERLY’S QUALITY PAINTING.
CO. Building, roofing, LAWN SERVICE Ext/Int Painting.
remodeling, & home repair. Mowing, cleanup, tree Sheet Rock Hang, Finish &
Licensed & Bonded. cutting, landscaping, Repair. Pressure Washing.
662−242−3471. sodding & bush hogging. Free Estimates. Ask for
662−356−6525 specials! Larry Webber,
Carpet & Flooring 662−242−4932.
Painting & Papering
TERRA CARE
LANDSCAPING L.L.C.
Phone: 662−549−1878 SULLIVAN’S PAINT
Landscaping, Property
Clean Up, Plant Care,
SERVICE
Special Prices.
Bush Hogging, Interior & Exterior Painting.
Herbicide Spraying 662−435−6528

Grow your
Fall Special: 4 Rms $99
3 BEDROOMS cans 30&50 cal, $10;
1 Room − $50
tion: 11/18/2020 .155mm Howitzer treated
2 Room − $70 WORK WANTED: Licensed
wood ammo boxes,
LEASE,
© The Dispatch

business.
$5&10; Army steel 3 Rooms − $90 & Bonded. Carpentry, minor
PUBLISH: 11/18 & DEPOSIT bunkbeds, $125; Field Carpet−Rugs−Tile−Cars electrical, minor plumbing,
DAVID’S CARPET & insulation, painting, demo−
11/19/2020 AND Artillery camo nets with
spreader poles, $225; UPHOLSTERY lition, gutters cleaned,
CREDIT CHECK Unissued camo (BDU/ CLEANING pressure washing, land−
ACU/ABU) military 6− Call for more info! scaping, cleanup work.

Employment 662-329-2323
pocket fatigues, $35 & M− 662−722−1758 662−242−3608.
65 field coats & fire−
retardant coveralls, $50; General Services Automotive Services
2411 HWY 45 N polypro col weather under
Call us: 662-328-2424 COLUMBUS, MS garment, $18; A & T TREE SERVICES
OCP T−shirts, $5. Bucket truck & stump
General Help Wanted Call 662.769.1889 removal. Free est.
Houses For Rent: North
Serving Columbus
PERSONAL CARE: Full and ED SANDERS GUNSMITH since 1987. Senior
part-time employees COLONIAL TOWNHOUSES. Open for season! citizen disc. Call Alvin @
needed at small personal 2 & 3 bedroom w/ 2−3 Tue−Fri: 9−5 & Sat: 9−12 242−0324/241−4447
care home in Columbus, bath townhouses. $650 to Over 50 years experience! "We’ll go out on a limb for
MS. Must pass back- $750. 662−549−9555. Repairs, cleaning, refin− you!"
ground check. Call Ask for Glenn or text. ishing, scopes mounted &
Collegeview Personal Care zeroed, handmade knives. DUMP TRUCK HAULING.
662-327-9463. Mobile Homes for Rent Located: Hwy 45 Alt, North Slag − $400
of West Point, turn right on Clay Gravel − $250
3BR/2BA MH in New Hope. Yokahama Blvd, 8mi & turn Available for hauling any
$650 dep + $650/mo. No left on Darracott Rd, will materials. Filling in
Read local. pets, quiet area. Leave full
name & message,
see sign, 2.5mi ahead
shop on left.
swimming pools.
Columbus. Call Walter,
cdispatch.com 205−712−6697. 662−494−6218. 662−251−8664.

Buy. Sell. Discover. In the Classifieds section.

On the web: ads.cdispatch.com • Or call: 662-328-2424
One call will bring you results. 662-328-2424