News 1-5-2009

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COLLEGE HOOPS: Western Kentucky has MSU’s attention Sports, Page 1B MONDAY

THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH www.cdispatch.com

JANUARY 5, 2009

129TH YEAR, NO. 256

A locally owned newspaper with a mission of service

© 2009 THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH

The Commercial est. 1894, The Dispatch est. 1879, Consolidated March 12, 1922, Columbus, Mississippi

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All together now …

Columbus mayor, City Council all to announce re-election plans Tuesday Dispatch Staff Report

The announcement will come at 10 a.m. Tuesday on the steps of City Hall on Main Street, and will mark the first time the mayor and the council have jointly announced their intentions to qualify for an election.

Columbus Mayor Robert Smith and all the members of the Columbus City Council plan Tuesday to jointly announce their intentions to seek re-election this year. Please see COUNCIL on Page 5A

LOOKING AHEAD

Cause for optimism After Bryan Foods closing, West Point officials opt for fewer eggs in more baskets By Wade H. Leonard [email protected]

Kelly Tippett/Dispatch Staff

Pipe repair — Columbus Light and Water Department personnel work this morning to repair a sewer pipe on Fifth Street South. Foreman David Gray said he did not yet know if the section of Fifth Street would be closed.

Dem aide: Obama supports $300M tax cut plan By Philip Elliott Associated Press Writer — WASHINGTON President-elect Barack Obama, commencing face to face consultations with congressional leaders Monday, is embracing an unexpectedly large tax cut of up to $300 billion. Obama said the country faces an “extraordinary economic challenge.” Besides $500 tax cuts for most workers and $1,000 for couples, the Obama proposal includes more than $100 billion for businesses, an Obama transition official said. The total value of the tax cuts would be significantly higher than had been signaled earlier. “The reason we are here today is because the people’s business cannot wait,” Obama said as he arrived on Capitol

Gerald Herbert/AP

President-elect Barack Obama meets with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, of California, in her office on Capitol Hill today in Washington.

Hill in late morning for talks with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. “The speaker and her staff have been extraordinarily helpful in working with

the nation’s 44th president in just over two weeks. The tax cuts for individuals and couples would be similar to the rebate checks sent out last year by the Bush administration and Congress in a bid at that time to boost the slowing economy. A key difference is that the tax cuts this time around may be awarded through withholding less from worker paychecks. That provision would cost about $140-150 billion over two years. For businesses, the plan would allow firms incurring losses last year up to take a credit against profits dating back five years instead of the two years currently allowed. Another provision brought to the negotiations by the

our team so we can shape an economic recovery plan and start putting people back to work.” Obama will be sworn in as Please see OBAMA on Page 5A

ty of the Bryan Foods Plant. When the plant, which was owned by the Sara Lee Corporation, closed its doors in March 2007, putting nearly 2,000 people out of work, it looked as if the removal of the economic keystone of the community would cause the whole machine to come crashing down. “I feel the city and county government had as much to do with Bryan’s closing as Gov. Barbour had to do with Hurricane Katrina hitting,” said West Point Mayor Scott

WEST POINT — To say the least, 2008 has been a rough year for the city of West Point. While the city as a whole came together in November to celebrate West Point’s 150th anniversary, the city’s economic situation has been a dark one. However, as 2009 makes its way over the horizon things might be looking up for the beleaguered Clay County town of about 12,000 people. For decades, West Point’s fortunes were tied to the vitali- Please see AHEAD on Page 5A

Wade Leonard/Dispatch Staff

West Point Mayor Scott Ross recounts what a rough year 2008 was for his city and optimistically looks forward to the town’s future successes.

Poised, graceful and almost paralyzed

Leap from 40-foot cliff leaves woman with broken back and a long road to recovery By Wade H. Leonard [email protected]

MONDAY PROFILE

Elizabeth James, 21, is poised and graceful — both requirements for her job as a formal dining room server at Woody’s On The Water. Until recently, there was a question as to whether she would ever be able to walk again. On June 15, 2007, Elizabeth and a group of friends went to Smith Lake in Lowndes County and thought it might be fun to jump off a 40foot cliff into the water. Many of her friends had done this several times before, but Elizabeth — who is afraid of heights — never had. Summoning her courage, she climbed the Luisa Porter/Dispatch Staff After eight months of rehabilitation, bluff and made a fateful leap, which would Elizabeth James continues to recover fol- determine the course of the rest of her life. The impact with the water was so great it lowing a jump from a 40-foot cliff into Smith broke her back, sending her into months of Lake that left her with a broken back.

recovery. Now, except for a slight limp in her left leg, Elizabeth is doing remarkably well. In the past she has been reticent to share her experience. She now feels she owes it to people in a similar situation to explain how she managed to find the strength needed to learn to walk again.

Tell me about the day you got hurt and the days following. It was the scariest day of my life. We went to Smith Lake one weekend; it was just a random weekend. It was about 12 of us. We were out on a boat and decided to go to this cliff, which everybody else had jumped off before, and I decided I would do it, too.

Well, I did it and I landed wrong and broke my L1 (vertebra in the lower back). Anyway, they got me into the boat, and they got me to the marina and they called an ambulance. I was flown to Birmingham, (Ala.), and I was in the trauma room for about five hours lying flat on my back. It was something like you’d see on “ER,” doctors came running in and out. They stripped me down, took off my bathing suit, and from there I was doing MRIs (magnetic resonance imaging), CAT (computerized tomography) scans and couldn’t feel from my knees down. I was laying there by myself when the doctor came in and asked, “Have they told you anything?” And I said, “No.” And he said, “Well, you broke your back.” He just kind of put it out there just like that, Please see PROFILE on Page 5A

TODAY’S DISPATCH Proverbs By James Brewer

To change one’s character, we must begin at the control center – the heart.

Five questions

1. What U.S. state started hawking its toll-booth attendants’ gaudy tropical shirts as souvenirs in 2001? 2. What Rob Reiner movie chronicles the efforts of valiant Westley to rescue fair Buttercup? 3. What’s the face value of the 1933 gold double eagle coin that fetched $6.6 million at a 2002 auction? 4. What has two tiny companions named Phobos and Deimos? 5. What musclebound slugger retired in 2002, after spanking 462 homers for seven teams? Answers: 8B

Weather

A grieving family

Inside

Abby 5B Classifieds 7-8B Comics 6B Obituaries 6A Opinions/Letters 4A Weather 2A

John Travolta and wife Kelly Preston are “heartbroken” over their son’s death. 5B

Carla Clemmons, second grade, Stokes-Beard

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SOUTHERN

MONDAY, JANUARY 5, 2009

Jackson mayor: I’m willing to pay price if it helps city By Holbrook Mohr Associated Press Writer JACKSON — Mayor Frank Melton, facing three felony charges for the sledgehammer destruction of a suspected crack house, says he’s willing to pay the price if his unorthodox crime fighting helps the city. Melton, an outspoken 59-year-old former television executive, is accused of violating the civil rights of a duplex owner and her tenant. The trial was

scheduled to begin today but was postponed until Feb. 2 due to Melton’s recent heart problems. Melton and his former police bodyguard are accused of leading a group of young men in August 2006 to destroy the duplex with sticks and sledgehammers. Melton believes the ramshackle home in a poor neighborhood was a haven for prostitution and drug use. He and a bodyguard, Michael Recio, have pleaded not guilty and insist they did nothing wrong. During a news conference this past

week, Melton acknowledged “mistakes of passion,” but scoffed at the idea of resigning as part of a deal with federal prosecutors. “I will pay whatever price I need to pay to make this community get back on the right footing,” Melton said. “If they would supervise the bad guys like they supervise me, we would be in good shape.” It’s not clear if the government has offered Melton a deal. A gag order prohibits both sides from discussing the case. And Melton’s remarks at the news

conference brought a strong rebuke from U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan III, who said that future infractions of the gag order “will lead to proceedings for contempt of court.” Melton insists he did not break the law in the duplex destruction. He claims the apartment’s tenant, 48-yearold diagnosed schizophrenic Evans Welch, had asked for help because he was being bullied by drug dealers who were using the property as a distribution site, according to court records.

Alabama-Mississippi search focuses on missing crop-duster GREENVILLE, Ala. — A search for a crop-duster aircraft that went missing on the way from Alabama to Mississippi has been hampered by bad weather. Civil Air Patrol Maj. Patricia Mitcham of Huntsville said today the yellow aircraft, with blue markings, was reported missing Friday afternoon on a flight from Greenville, Ala., to Cleveland. Only the pilot was on board. Mitcham said the air patrol in both states began a search Saturday morning. But a two-day search of parts of east Mississippi and west Alabama was suspended Sunday because of bad weather, which also threatened Monday’s search efforts. The aircraft was last reported near Livingston, Ala. Mitcham said anyone with information about the plane can contact the air patrol at 334-467-0897 in Alabama or 601-529-1580 in Mississippi.

Newton Record from American Publishing Co. in 1999.

Miss./Ala. Briefs

Newton Record closes after 107 years Police probe slaying NEWTON — The Newton Record will print its of Tuscaloosa woman final edition next week. The weekly newspaper will print its last edition on Jan. 14. It has four employees. The newspaper began publication in 1901. It is owned by Birmingham, Ala.-based Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. Newton Record publisher Robbie Robertson says the paper had a paid circulation of 2,400. He says the current recession has caused advertising to slow and the paper was not able to stay afloat. The first edition of the Newton Record was published on Dec. 5, 1901. Community Newspaper Holding acquired the

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Police say a 29-yearold Tuscaloosa woman was found shot to death over the weekend. Officers said April Barger was found outside her mobile home near Buttermilk Road just after 9 p.m. Saturday. Captain Loyd Baker, commander of the Tuscaloosa Metro Homicide Unit, said investigators are sorting through evidence to learn whether Barger was targeted or the victim of a random crime. No arrests were made. — From Wire Reports

Olive Branch aldermen to show support for hospital The Associated Press OLIVE BRANCH — Olive Branch aldermen will vote on a resolution supporting construction of a city hospital that state health regulators have targeted for disapproval. Mayor Sam Rikard said the resolution will be presented to lawmakers in support of a bill to approve the project. Aldermen are expected to take up the issue Tuesday. Memphis-based Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare has proposed a 100-bed, four-story patient tower on a 20-acre site along U.S. Highway 78. The proposal calls for the 276,000square-foot facility to be completed by January 2012. State Health Department staff have recommended rejecting the project, citing the number of vacant beds in the area. The Legislature can approve a project over Health Department objections.

AreaObituaries EDITOR’S NOTE: Notices for inclusion in the obituary column of The Commercial Dispatch must be submitted to the newspaper no later than 4 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 8:30 a.m. for the Monday edition.

Burns Arthur Brown, 79, died Jan. 3, 2009, at Hospice of West Alabama. Services are Tuesday at 11 a.m. at Glen Echo Free Will Baptist Church with the Revs. Gary Mullenix, Tony Latham and Randy Gray officiating. Burial, with full Masonic Rites, will follow at the church cemetery. Visitation is today from 68 p.m. at Skelton Funeral Home of Reform, Ala., and the body Brenda Blanton will be at the church 30 minutes prior to services on Tuesday. Brenda Blanton, 63, died Mr. Brown was born May Jan. 5, 2009, at Aurora Australis 14, 1929, in Pickens County, Lodge in Columbus. Ala., to the late Virgil and Arrangements are incomplete and will be announced by Willie Martin Brown. He was a 1952 graduate of Carrollton Memorial Funeral Home of High School and a member and Columbus. deacon at Glen Echo Free Will Baptist Church. He was a Burns Brown member of Pickens County CARROLLTON, Ala. — Camp of the Gideons, Reform

Mary Ellen Jaynes Mary Ellen Burgess Jaynes, 100 of Ethelsville, AL, passed away January 2, 2009, at Baptist Memorial Hospital. Funeral services will be held at Mineral Springs Baptist Church on Tuesday, January 6, 2009, at 2:00 pm with Bro. Mel Howton officiating and Bro. Jimmy Ray assisting. Burial will follow at Ethelsville Community Cemetery in Pickens County. Visitation will be held Tuesday, January 6, 2009 from 1-2 pm at the church. Dowdle Funeral Home of Millport, AL is in charge of arrangements. Mrs. Jaynes was born April 20, 1908, in McShan, AL, and was a lifetime resident of Ethelsville. She and her husband A.L. Jaynes were self employed on their farm where they raised their children and worked very hard. She later worked at Seminole Mfg. and later at Bosch. She was a member of Ethelsville Baptist Church. She loved her Lord, reading his word, attending Church, Gospel music, working with flowers, crocheting, quilting, and loved cooking delicious meals for everyone. Her door was always open to relatives and many friends. Mrs. Jaynes is preceded in death by her mother Dora Frances Burgess and father - William Roland Burgess; husband - A.L. Jaynes; two sisters; five brothers; her sons - Laverne Jaynes and Boyd Jaynes; and daughter - Mildred Hortense Lollar. Mrs. Jaynes is survived by her daughters - Margie Brooks of Ethelsville and Doris Neil (Jerry) Of Birmingham; sons - Charles Jaynes (Ann) Birmingham, Lewis Jaynes (Vivy) of Columbus and Larry Jaynes (Linda) of Ethelsville. Better known as Mammaw Jaynes and Grandma to seventeen grandchildren; thirtyseven great-grandchildren; twenty-one great-greatgrandchildren and many special nieces and nephews, especially faithful was Jr. and Mary Shaw, Annie and Earl Ponds, Merlene and Owen Cowart and special friend and caretaker Paralee Tilley and others. Pallbearers will be Mike Jaynes, Jeffrey Jaynes, Chad Jaynes, Ronnie Jaynes, Greg Thompson, and Hal Newsome. Honorary pallbearers will be Mark Flanagin, J.C. Simpson, Jessie Simpson, Hank Duncan, Doug Duncan, Jr. Shaw, Owen Cowart, Earnie Buston, Joe Simson, The Church family of Ethelsville Baptist Church, the staff of Home Health Care of Carrollton who lovingly took such good care of her; Dr. Nernez and all the nurses and staff at Baptist Memorial Hospital who took such tender care. In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to Ethelsville Baptist Church Building Fund, 230 Main St., Ethelsville, AL 35461.

Paid Obituary - Dowdle Funeral Home

Masonic Lodge II, Woodman of the World Camp at Carrollton and Gordo Senior Activity Center. He was a retired employee of Partlow State School, a U.S. Air Force veteran of World War II, and a legislator for Pickens County for the past six years. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brothers, Marvin, Thomas, Cecil and James Brown; and sister, Nora Shelton. He is survived by his wife, Reva Cameron Burns of Carrollton; daughters, Denise Brown Wilkins of Carrollton and Darlene Brown Neenan of Dothan, Ala.; son, Dale Brown of Tuscaloosa, Ala.; sisters, Dora Johnson of Carrollton, and Ola McBee of Garden City, S.C.; six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Pallbearers will be William and Glenn Brown, James Lang, John Johnson, Coby Neenan, and David, Glen and Tim Fulgham. Memorials may be made to: Glen Echo Free Will Baptist Church; Gideons International Pickens County Camp, P.O. Box 287, Carrollton, AL 35447; or Hospice of West Alabama, 3851 Loop Road, Tuscaloosa, AL 35404.

Mr. Ferguson was born March 15, 1957. He was retired from working as a welder at Babcock & Wilcox Manufacturing, and he was a member of Cumberland Baptist Church in Cumberland. He is survived by his wife, Sherry Ferguson of Maben; and sister, Gail Laws of Columbus. Pallbearers were Bruce Edwards, Bobby Dexter, Terry Doss, David Fondren, Jim McIlwaine, Randy Perkins, George Simmons, Stanley Sisk and Danny Burney. Memorials may be made to: “Catch a Dream,” P.O. Box 6280, Mississippi State, MS 39762; or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his sister, Louise Files Reed. He is survived by his wife, Helga Herrmann Koch Files of West Point; daughters, Mary Ann and Christina Files, both of Nuernberg, Germany; sons, Oscar Files of Nuernberg, Robert Koch of West Point and Andreas Koch of New Orleans; and six grandchildren. Pallbearers will be Tom Keller, Hunter Thompson, Tommy Riddle, Allen Fowler, Stephen Young, Patrick Culley, Jon Jon Smith and Richard Coggins.

Lona McCarley

SULLIGENT, Ala. — Lona McCarley, 89, died Jan. 5, 2009, at Care Center of Vernon, Ala. Arrangements are incomplete and will be announced by Otts Funeral Home of Sulligent.

Hildrid Northington

DETROIT, Ala. — Hildrid Northington, 88, died Jan. 3, 2009, at Gilmore Memorial Hospital–Amory. Services are today at 2 p.m. at Detroit United Methodist Church with Bro. Dalton Donald Hall Eason and Bro. Greg Cook FAYETTE, Ala. — Donald officiating. Burial will follow R. Hall, 53, died Jan. 3, 2009, at Wesley Chapel Cemetery. at his residence. The body will be at the church Billy Files Services are Tuesday at 1 one hour prior to services WEST POINT — Billy Joe p.m. at Bethel Church of Christ with Jeff Harvill offici- today. Otts Funeral Home of Files, 68, died Jan. 3, 2009, at Sulligent, Ala., is in charge of ating. Burial will follow at North Mississippi Medical arrangements. Liberty Freewill Baptist Center–West Point. Mr. Northington was born Cemetery in Vernon, Ala. Services are Tuesday at 11 March 9, 1920, in Lamar Visitation is today from 6-8 a.m. at Calvert Funeral Home p.m. at Chandler Funeral County, Ala., to the late Bama Chapel in West Point with Home in Vernon, and the body and Hettie Farr Northington. Brother Jerry Allen officiating. will be at the church one hour He was a member of Detroit Burial will follow at Memorial prior to services on Tuesday. United Methodist Church. He Garden Cemetery in West Mr. Hall was born May 6, was a 1938 graduate of Point. Visitation is today from 1955, in Fayette. He was a Sulligent High School, and he 5-8 p.m. at the funeral home. truck driver. served on several farm-related Mr. Files was born May 7, He is survived by his wife, boards over the years. 1940, in Starkville to the late Nancy Hall of Fayette; son, Steve Ferguson In addition to his parents, Carrie Elizabeth Jackson and James Hall of Fayette; daughhe was preceded in death by MABEN — Steve John William Files. He was a ter, Shree Hall of Mobile, Ala.; his wife, Dorothy Northington; Ferguson, 51, died Dec. 28, mold maker for Miller Paper stepsons, William Wolfe of son, Michael Northington; sis2008, at Whites Creek Lake in Corp. in Germany for 20 Vernon, David Wolfe of Eupora. years, and he worked as a Florida and Anthony Wolfe of ter, Nettie Mae Barnes; and Services were Friday at 11 mechanic when he returned to Kentucky; adopted daughter, one grandson. a.m. at Oliver Funeral Home West Point. He was a veteran He is survived by his son, Brenda Hughes of Winfield, Chapel in Eupora with the of the U.S. Army, having Harry Northington of Detroit; Ala.; and 11 grandchildren. Revs. Ed Newman, Stanley served during the Vietnam sister, Gaila Heim of Sisk and Terry Doss officiatWar. He was a Catholic. He Greenville, N.C.; six grandEdith Hunter ing. Burial followed at was a former member of the children and six great-grandMACON — Edith K. Clarkson Cemetery in Webster Boiler Makers Union of West Hunter, 93, died Jan. 3, 2009, children. Point. County. Pallbearers will be David at Brooklyn Hall Personal Brooks, Kevin Carter, Wade Care Home in Mathiston. Burton, and Hildrid Lyle, Arrangements are incomMichael Lynn and Thomas plete and will be announced Scott Northington. by Cockrell Funeral Home Myrtis Wheeler Gordon, 85 of Searcy, AR passed Inc. of Macon. away on Saturday, January 3, 2009 at her residence. Hilda Pendley Graveside Services will be held Monday, January 5, WEST POINT — Hilda 2009 at 2 PM at Lone Oak Church of Christ Cemetery, Pendley, 83, died Jan. 5, 2009, Lowndes County, MS with Bro. Glenn Rob officiating at Dugan Memorial Home in and Lowndes Funeral Home, Columbus, MS directing. West Point. Mrs. Gordon was born on May 30, 1923 in Arrangements are incomLowndes Co, MS to the late Festus Buren Wheeler and Brenda Blanton plete and will be announced Tillie Wells Wheeler and was a resident of Searcy, AR by Gunter & Peel Funeral -IncompleteHome of Columbus. for the past four years having moved from Atlanta, GA. uuu She was a homemaker and a member of Downtown There is no charge for runChurch of Christ, Searcy, AR. In addition to her parning an obituary in The ents, Mrs. Gordon is preceded in death by her husband, Commercial Dispatch. Lt. Col Anyan Gordon. Obituaries are run as a pubMrs. Gordon is survived by her daughter – Priscilla lic service, although submission through a funeral home Funeral Home & Crematory Gordon (Tom) Parsons, Searcy, AR; sisters – Martha 716 Second Ave. N. • Columbus is required. There is a $10 Wheeler Egger, Caledonia, MS; Nell Wheeler (Joe) (662) 328-4432 charge if there is a photoRobertson, Jackson, MS; grandchildren – Johnanyan www.memorialfuneral.net graph. Hardin Parsons, William Wheeler Parsons, Richard Stewart Parsons, and Kathryn Ashel Parsons; special When Caring Counts... relatives – Clifton and Emma Wheeler, Aberdeen, MS; Wade and Doris McCrary, Caledonia, MS; and Sally Burroughs, Cottondale, AL; special friend – Hospice/ Homecare of Searcy, AR; a host of nieces and nephews. Memorials may be sent to Mission Upreach, FUNERAL HOME Campus View Church of Christ, 196 Alps Road, Suite & CREMATORY 2-395, Athens, GA 30606. 1131 Lehmberg Rd. Columbus Compliments of 662-328-1808

Myrtis W. Gordon

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Lowndes County Shrinkdown focuses on promoting a healthier lifestyle By Kristin Mamrack [email protected] The YMCA and Leadership Lowndes County want to help residents live a healthier lifestyle, Barbara Bigelow, director of community relations for the YMCA, told the Board of Supervisors this morning, announcing Lowndes County Shrinkdown, a cooperative effort between the YMCA and LLC, a nine-month leadership program held by the Columbus-Lowndes Development Link. An eight-week program, Lowndes County Shrinkdown is designed to “offer residents ways to achieve a healthier lifestyle,” Bigelow said, noting the program is free and open to all residents; a YMCA membership is not required to participate in the program. Lowndes County Shrinkdown is a two-fold program; incentives are offered for those trying to lose weight and participation opportunities, including educational materials and speakers, are available for those who do not want to lose weight, but wish to live a healthier life. Participants will weigh-in each week, Bigelow said, noting those whose weight is recorded will be eligible to win weekly prizes. Additionally, two cash prizes will be given at the end of the program, recognizing the participant who has experienced the highest percentage of weight loss and a person who has “participated the most,” she added.

Council

Continued from Page 1A

“We all respect each other, we support each other and we get along,” Columbus Vice Mayor and Ward 5 Councilman Jay Jordan said this morning. “Since we are all running, we thought it would be a good time to show our unity and the unity in our community. “We have a good group of people in the council right now, and I would love to see all of them come back,” Jordan added. After Tuesday’s announcement, the incumbents will have

Ahead

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Ross. “But it’s fair to judge him on his performance after Katrina, and I think it’s fair to judge us on how we reacted. And I think the way we reacted to the closure of the plant shows how we could work together as a city and a county.” Today, however, the city of West Point is showing the buds of growth. Although not substantial, the city’s employment numbers are actually a bit higher today than they were when the food plant closed. Much of this growth comes from Navistar Defense Systems, which builds armored vehicles for the military. When the company announced its plans to locate in West Point two years ago, it offered the promise of almost 1,000 jobs. In October of this year, however, more than 250 of those people were laid off.

Lessons learned Despite what many might see as more bad news for the community, Ross says the lessons of the past do not go unheeded. “I think what we said a lot when Bryan closed is we have to reinvent ourselves,” he said. “You can’t have all your eggs in one basket. I’d rather have 10 100-person employers than one 1,000-person employer, just because of that risk.” Currently, Navistar’s facility is leased from Babcock and Wilcox, which manufactures industrial boilers and furnaces. B&W employs about 500 people, and Ross wants to try and help broker a deal between the two companies that will be beneficial to both in coming years. “I think we’ve got a great opportunity to help with the expansion of Navistar Defense,” he said. “Our goal is to make sure they are a permanent presence in this community. They have a good workforce; they are putting out a good product. But they are leasing their property from Babcock and Wilcox; and we are working along with the (West Point/Clay County Community) Growth Alliance and the Clay County Board of Supervisors to work with both companies to come up with a permanent solution with Navistar that would be beneficial to both B&W and Navistar.” Recruiting business Ross says the city and county governments along with the Community Growth Alliance have vigorously acted to get new businesses in the community. Specifically, the city is welcom-

Lowndes County Shrinkdown also includes a “lunch and learn” program each Friday at Baptist Memorial Hospital–Golden Triangle; the program features a speaker on a different health topic each week. Registration for Lowndes County Shrinkdown will be held Friday, from noon to 7 p.m., at any of the county’s four YMCA locations. Participants must weigh-in each week at the location at which they registered for the program, Bigelow said, noting Board President and District 1 Supervisor Harry Sanders already has committed to join the program. “This could be real important,” District 5 Supervisor Leroy Brooks said of Lowndes County Shrinkdown, instructing County Administrator Ralph Billingsley to get information on the program to each county employee. In other matters, the supervisors: n Approved a request from Brooks to pay the $100 registration fee of county employees, including Brooks, who plan to attend a Jan. 23 National Association of Counties conference on methamphetamines in Little Rock, Ark. A 5-member “team of law enforcement and court personnel” are expected to attend, Brooks said, noting NACO will pay for travel mileage, meals and hotel stays. n Approved a request from Coroner Greg Merchant to appoint Rochelle Murray, a nurse at BMH-GT, as deputy coroner.

two months to qualify for the election. “Right now, we only have one person qualified for the election,” Columbus City Registrar Brenda Williams said this morning, as she noted the March 6 qualifying deadline. “And that’s Kenneth McFarland, who has qualified to run for councilman, Ward 5.” Following the qualifying deadline, the city will hold the election primary May 5, and the general election June 2. If a primary runoff is necessary, it will be held May 19, said Williams. After the general election, those elected will be sworn in July 6 and will serve until 2013. ing new businesses and seeing old businesses expand. Companies like Navistar, Ultralight Batteries, Magnolia Seasoning — formerly FlavoTech — and Ellis Steel are all helping shoulder the economic burden which was once carried in large part by Bryan Foods. Ellis Steel, for example, is working to expand its operation by locating a subsidiary — Fabricator Supply — in West Point. Once the project is finished at least 30 new jobs will come to the area. Other economic increases made in the past year include the opening of the city’s Super Wal-Mart and the opening of a CVB Pharmacy and the announcement of a new Hampton Inn coming to the area. These additions to the city keep Ross hopeful for the future. “I believe we are in a position to grow and bring in some additional retail development which I’m confident is about to happen with restaurants and the hotel situation, but we’ve got some infrastructure improvements we need to make,” he said.

Infrastructure needs Which leads to perhaps the most contentious subject to hit the city over the past few months — a proposed $2.9 million dollar bond issue for street repair and recreational enhancement. Ross, who supports the issue, says he does so because at this time it is possible to issue new bonds without raising taxes. “The reason we can issue additional bonds without increasing any taxes is because we’ve paid off whole bonds,” said Ross. “There isn’t any rampant spending, we haven’t done that. But there are clearly infrastructure needs that need to be met. For years, the city has funded those improvements through bond issuance. I think it’s a very legitimate use of the public’s funds to maintain our streets and recreational facilities and our public buildings.” This is an election year for West Point, and Ross, who qualified to run for re-election early Friday morning, says he’s still committed to the ideas he proclaimed and championed when he was first elected in 2005.

“I think that as everybody’s going to find out with Presidentelect Obama, no change happens immediately,” said Ross. “It takes time. Government doesn’t work nearly as quickly as anyone would like for it. You know, I guess if you’re in office when the new cataclysmic event takes place, you’re going to get some of the blame for it whether it’s deserved or not deserved; but I intend to live here the rest of my life and I want to see this community grow and prosper.”

Obama

Continued from Page 1A

Obama team would award a oneyear tax credit costing $40-50 billion to companies that hire new workers, and would provide other incentives for business investment in new equipment. “We’ve got an extraordinary economic challenge ahead of us,” Obama said. “We’re expecting a sobering job report at the end of the week.” Of Pelosi, Obama said: “I can’t think of a better partner in doing what is necessary in putting this economy back on track.” Said Pelosi: “It is a great honor and personal privilege to

Kelly Tippett/Dispatch Staff

Greg Merchant looks to supervisors as they vote to approve Merchant’s request to appoint Rochelle Murray, a nurse, as deputy coroner.

n Approved a request from Billingsley to begin seat, soon to be vacated by Dale Tate, is for a fourtaking applications to fill a seat on the Golden year term. The county will take applications for 15 Triangle Regional Solid Waste Authority Board; the days. welcome you to this office. Tomorrow we will swear in a new Congress and we will hit the ground running on the initiatives ... to ease the pain being felt by the American people.” Obama had meetings scheduled later Monday with a broad array of House and Senate Democratic leaders and with a bipartisan group of key lawmakers. He had hoped to have Congress enact the recovery plan in time for him to sign when he takes office Jan. 20. But even his spokesman, Robert Gibbs, conceded Sunday night that was “very, very unlikely.” “We don’t anticipate that Congress will have passed, both houses, an economic recovery agreement by the time the inauguration takes place,” Gibbs

said. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland said Sunday he wants the House to approve the plan by the end of the month, sending it to the Senate in time for action before Congress leaves on its mid-February break. Obama has insisted that bold and quick action is necessary if the nation is to rebound from the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression. He has said repeatedly he wants a plan that will create 3 million new jobs. “Economists from across the political spectrum agree that if we don’t act swiftly and boldly, we could see a much deeper economic downturn that could lead to double-digit unemployment

and the American dream slipping further and further out of reach,” he said in his Saturday radio and YouTube address. Obama arrived Sunday night in Washington — a place he largely has shunned since winning election — just hours after New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson withdrew from consideration as commerce secretary amid a grand jury investigation into how some of his political donors won a lucrative state contract. The Richardson withdrawal marked the first major hiccup in a smooth transition that saw Obama select his Cabinet in record time, largely because of the magnitude of the economic and national security challenges facing the new administration.

middle. I’m doing good, but I’m not normal.

very quiet and keep to myself, but I’ve opened up a lot and I stand up for myself more now. People say I’m different, but I Continued from Page 1A How long after you jumped did you know think they like it. I guess there are a lot of and I freaked out. something wasn’t right? changes, but I’m glad. People will ask me Afterwards, I got to see some of my As soon as I hit the water. It felt like if I would change anything, and my family, and they took me to ICU and did hitting concrete. It was a 40-foot jump, answer is, “Yeah, I wish I had not another CAT scan, and said I would have which is insane. But as soon as I hit the jumped.” But I like how things have water I knew something was wrong with turned out. surgery at 7 the next morning. So it was my back. I landed in a sitting position pretty serious. Before surgery, they had and kept going under the water. I couldn’t no idea if I’d be able to walk again. And So, if everyone jumped off a cliff, would move my legs, but somehow I managed when they told me that, I really didn’t you jump too? to swim to the surface using only my know what to think. So, we’re going to And see, I’m not that type person at do surgery the next morning and the doc- arms. I couldn’t catch my breath. My friends eventually realized something was all. I’ve never jumped off anything. I’m tor said it would take about five hours. I really not a daredevil. I’m actually scared wrong because I was bobbing in and out don’t remember much about going into of the water. And a guy came and pulled of heights. I just wanted to try, and just the operating room, but after surgery I remember saying, “I don’t hurt anymore.” me out. I wouldn’t tell anybody I couldn’t my luck, the first time I try it I get hurt. There was no pressure whatsoever on my feel from my knees down. I just thought, maybe once I get to the boat I’ll be OK. back, and I could move my toes. The Thousands of people suffer injuries doctors still didn’t know if I was going to They pulled the ladder down and I could similar to yours every year, and many of be able to walk, but I never really thought see myself kicking the ladder, and I couldn’t feel anything. That’s when I told those people continue to struggle with I’d be paralyzed. I knew I’d be OK. therapy. What would you say to people After that, I stayed in Birmingham for them there was something really wrong. who are in a position like you were in, eight days and laid flat on my back. I who were thinking about giving up? Are you fully recovered? couldn’t hardly roll over. I couldn’t sit Don’t give up. I was the second I’m just not like I used to be, and in up. I couldn’t use the bathroom on my youngest person in rehab in Jackson. own. Two days before I left, the physical some ways I don’t think I ever will be. My foot, my left foot, is still messed up. I Mostly, it was older people, and half of therapist came in and I took a few steps, still have a little limp because that muscle them were paralyzed and had really no and that was a lot for me. It was really isn’t working right. My surgeons though, hope of walking or anything again, but hard, I had no balance whatsoever. Then they took me in an ambulance to Jackson. they have great hope someday I’ll be they continue to go to therapy. Therapy is back to normal. They just told me to keep just amazing; it really did save my life. And I was there for a little over two working at it. I was in rehab here probaweeks at a place called In House Rehab. Even if you are paralyzed, continue to do bly for eight months at Rehab at Work. I it. There’s that small chance something This was at the Methodist hospital. I was there from 9 in the morning to 3 would go three days a week for two and a good might happen. half hours at a time. It was like a major in the afternoon, non-stop. And that’s There was an older man in therapy workout with a trainer. So, now I’m on pretty much why I’m doing so well. It with me, who was paralyzed from the my own and I continue to workout and was hard core, and I cried a lot and was waist down, and he couldn’t really move hope one day I’ll be able to run again, angry, but I got through it. I don’t know. his hands. He kept me going every day. because it’s my favorite. I can jog some, It was really tough, and some days I ask He was always in great spirits. On my but I probably shouldn’t because my myself how I got through it. I don’t last day he was standing up, moving his ankle could roll at any time. know, I think I’m proof there is a God legs, and that really hit me. It was just and I think maybe I’m a miracle, I think. amazing. I’ve never given up on anyOther than physically, do you think I don’t know. It’s just the toughest thing thing. I couldn’t give up. I feel like I have I’ve ever been through. And the hardest you’ve changed since the accident? part has been the past few months. I’m Yes. Mentally, it’s been hard, but a lot a duty now to show people anything is not 100 percent yet, but I’m like in the possible. of good has come out of it, I think. I’m

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4A THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH

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OPINION/LETTERS

MONDAY, JANUARY 5, 2009

THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH A locally owned newspaper with a mission of service CONSOLIDATED IN 1922

BIRNEY IMES SR. Editor/Publisher 1922-1947 BIRNEY IMES JR. Editor/Publisher 1947-2003 BIRNEY IMES III Editor/Publisher

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Richardson withdraws

A campaign finance controversy sinks a cabinet nominee

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, D made the right call in withdrawing as President-elect Barack Obama’s choice for commerce secretary. Given the ongoing grand jury investigation into his administration’s awarding of state contracts to a firm whose president contributed generously to Mr. Richardson’s political committees, his confirmation would inevitably have been delayed and the controversy an unnecessary distraction for the new Obama administration. What’s less clear is whether Mr. Richardson did anything wrong — he claims that the investigation will show that “I and my administration have acted properly in all matters” — or whether he is simply the victim of exquisitely bad political timing, with the pay-to-play scandal involving Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, D, making otherwise survivable questions about Mr. Richardson’s own fund-raising activities untenable. It’s also unclear whether Mr. Obama’s transition team failed to adequately scrutinize Mr. Richardson — after all, the Albuquerque Journal reported the grand jury probe in August — or whether the political ground simply shifted on them in the wake of the Blagojevich arrest. In the end, we suspect that the Richardson nomination will have little impact on the incoming administration, which will be judged on its handling of the much larger prob-

lems confronting it. Mr. Richardson’s withdrawal is an unpleasant embarrassment, but it’s an unusual administration that does not confront some trouble with a Cabinet nominee, and the trouble was resolved before it became an issue. The larger question raised by the withdrawal is, as with Mr. Blagojevich, the inevitable problems created by the unseemly intersection of large campaign contributions and even larger government contracts. In Mr. Richardson’s case, a California firm, CDR Financial Products Inc., received consulting contracts worth $1.48 million with the New Mexico Finance Authority for advice on transportation bond financing. In 2003 and 2004, around the time the contracts were awarded, CDR President David Rubin donated about $100,000 to two political committees connected to Mr. Richardson. Both Mr. Richardson and the company say that the two transactions are unrelated. Yet it is nearly impossible to avoid the stench of pay-to-play politics when campaign finance laws allow for large contributions and when those seeking state business are allowed to donate. Mr. Richardson’s conduct may have been entirely legal, but his predicament underlines how important it is to change the flawed system of which he has been both beneficiary and victim. The Washington Post

VOICE OF THE PEOPLE

Agrees with columnists

The Imes column (”Lives quietly lived”) this weekend was right on the mark. Those mentioned in your paper previously and in the column led notable lives and all led by example. Mr. (Paul) Cockrell was a real gem of a man and is missed by many of us in Columbus. Another notable life that you did not mention in your recent article was that of Col. Henry “Pete” Warden. His

death this past year brought to light all of his great accomplishments, some of which help provide us the freedom we enjoy every day. Though I don’t always agree with Ms. (Adele) Elliott’s column (”Resolutions”), the one in this week’s paper was great. It provided the readers with little ways each of us can improve our lives both for ourselves and others. Robert Voller Columbus

Israel can’t find peace with bombs It’s a new year in an — terrorism, homemade old and bloody world. rockets — are the In Israel, politicians weapons of the weak. jockeying for power Since 2001, Hamas has have launched the most fired thousands of lethal military assault on unguided Kassam rockPalestinian territory in ets at Israel, but the decades. Israel has justirockets have killed only fied its bombardment of a handful of Israelis. Gaza on the grounds Israel’s military, in that Hamas broke a contrast, is one of the fragile, temporary most modern and effeccease-fire. The Israeli tive in the world (thanks Rosa Brooks government is right to in part to an annual $3 consider Hamas’ rocket billion in U.S. aid). attacks on Israeli civilians inexcusIsrael can easily bottle up the tiny able, but the timing of the Israeli Gaza Strip and its 1.5 million peomilitary offensive has more to do ple. Saturday, the first day of the with politics than anything else. offensive, Israeli bombs killed at Ehud Barak, Israel’s Labor Party least 180 Palestinians. By defense minister, and Tzipi Livni, Wednesday, the Palestinian death the foreign minister from the centoll exceeded 390. trist Kadima party, are both conBut if there is no reason to doubt tenders for prime minister in Israel’s Israel’s ability to pulverize Gaza, Feb. 6 national elections. there’s also no reason to think this A show of “toughness” against offensive will improve Israeli secuHamas could help Labor and/or rity. Destruction of Hamas’ infraKadima beat back the right-wing structure may temporarily slow Likud Party of Benjamin Hamas rocket attacks, but sooner or Netanyahu, which has been leading later they’ll resume. in the polls. Meanwhile, outgoing The Israeli assault may even Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who strengthen Hamas in the long run faces corruption charges, has just a and weaken its moderate secular few weeks to restore his own tatrival, Fatah. As Israel should know tered reputation. by now (as we all should know), Adding to the time pressure is dropping bombs in densely populatU.S. President-elect Barack ed areas is a surefire way to radicalObama’s upcoming inauguration. As ize civilians and get them to rally long as President George W. Bush around the home team, however was in the White House, Israel flawed. could count on a U.S. administraIronically, it’s precisely this psytion that wasn’t merely “supportive” chological phenomenon that Olmert, of Israel but blindly, mindlessly so. Barak and Livni are counting on Obama may be less willing to offer among Israelis, but they seem to Israel blank checks. Thus this New assume it doesn’t exist among Year’s military offensive, timed for Palestinians. (Or, worse, they’re too the crucial window before Israeli cynical to care, as long as they profelections and Obama’s swearing-in. it politically.) In a strictly military sense, Israel Israel has no viable political will “win” this battle against endgame here: There’s just no clear Hamas. For all its threats and brava- route from bombardment to a susdo, Hamas is weak, and its weapons tainable peace. But the damage

caused by this new conflagration won’t be limited to the Israelis and Palestinians. Israel’s military offensive already has sparked outrage and protests throughout the Arab world. The current crisis also may destabilize the more moderate Arab governments in the region — in Egypt, for instance — where leaders now face popular backlash if they don’t repudiate Israel. And if you think that none of this really matters for us here in the United States, you’re kidding yourself. Arab and Islamic anger over Palestine continues to fuel antiWestern and anti-U.S. terrorism around the globe. It’s time for the United States to wake up from its long slumber and re-engage — forcefully — with the Middle East peace process. Only the United States — Israel’s primary supporter and main financial sponsor — can push it to make the hard choices necessary for its own longterm security, as well as the region’s. In January 2001, the Taba talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority came achingly close to a final settlement, but talks broke down after Likud’s Ariel Sharon was elected prime minister Feb. 6, 2001. Sharon refused to meet with Yasser Arafat, and newly inaugurated Bush had no interest in pushing Israel toward peace. Eight years later, Israel faces another election, and we’re about to swear in a new president. When he takes office, Obama needs to push both Israelis and Palestinians to sit back down, with the abandoned Taba agreements as the starting point. Here’s to a less bloody 2009. Brooks is a professor at the Georgetown University Law Center. E-mail her at [email protected].

Taking stock of holidays star suits beside them, to observe the ceremonial first sunrise and to gather New Year’s Day is the hardest hol- sacred fire and pure water from the holy place with which to cook an ausiday to make sense of precisely picious first meal. To many in the because it’s the easiest one to sleep through; as the most arbitrary of des- Westernized nation, though, one of ignations — New Year’s falls on dif- the most popular shrines to visit on New Year’s Day is Tokyo ferent days in Nepal or Ethiopia or Disneyland, where priestly duties China or California — it asks us, even compels us, to find its meaning may be performed by Mickey and Goofy. within ourselves. Hanukkah, Yet the most crucial rite of what Christmas, Ramadan, Divali: They all is the most important day of the follow a larger calendar and come year in Japan — even if you begin with their own rites and duties. But it in Tomorrowland — is to go pay what to do with a day that, in our your respects to Grandma and root Western culture at least, involves your newness in the old. Like most mostly snoozing through the bowl traditional cultures in the world, games and resolving to remember the Japan knows that “new” is not resolutions that you know you’ll for- always the same as “improved” and get by next Tuesday? that “old” does not quite translate as My answer is as arbitrary as any“outdated.” one else’s, but it is to see what “new” I am only a would-be Japanese, and “year’s” might really mean, by and more of a global being, so I don’t taking myself off to see the grandfahave any grandparents nearby or a ther cultures of the world. In Japan, local shrine to which I can claim full where I live — old enough to think allegiance. Thus, last New Year’s carefully about new beginnings — found me visiting the global village’s chic girls in kimonos, with stylish elders in Jerusalem, where ancient stoles around their necks, stream passions sob and flare through the through the orange “torii” gates of a thin stone passageways, reminding us Shinto shrine soon after a bronze bell that constant turmoil is not the same tolls in the new year, swains in rock- as change. The beauty of the Old City By Pico Iyer

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dresses. When the light came up on the new year, nearly everyone else had to awaken to a country with few schools or roads or hospitals or hopes. Wherever I am, whether Egypt or Ethiopia, I observe my own makeshift rites on New Year’s Day, as if superstition might be the first step toward sacrament. I wake up early and compile lists of the cultural of the year just past. A new year is a time to reflect highlights Then I begin writing out a on change and to see what swelling catalog of all the endures beyond the flash and moments that moved and astonished me, annual proof that even grab of the moment. the emptiest-seeming year is rich. I take care, as my Japanese neighbors do, over my first thought, my first sentence, my first change and to see what endures meal; the day itself is for me like the beyond the flash and grab of the folded white paper that the Japanese moment. At the turn of the millennicollect from shrines outlining their um, therefore, I emptied my savings future for the year to come. When, account to take my mother to Easter Island, where the 21st century looked four years ago, New Year’s Day found me barreling down a narrow to be mostly a matter of tall stone mountain road at 12,000 feet in statues and ancestral taboos. Four years earlier, I spent New Year’s Eve southern Bolivia and then bouncing in Port-au-Prince, seeing the modern and banging around as my taxi rolled globe in miniature: All night long, the over and over — the driver had fallen Creole elite danced the evening away asleep at the wheel, a victim of New in soigne French restaurants, stunning Year’s Eve — I had the distinct impression that the year that followed in that season’s Dior and backless there is that its spiritual fervor hasn’t diminished in 2,000 years or more; everyone has an acutely keen sense of what he or she believes in. The sorrow of the Old City is that its personal enmities do not seem to have abated much either; everyone knows just whom he or she doesn’t trust. A new year is a time to reflect on

THE STAFF OF THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH

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might not be entirely happy. (I survived with just a scar, though the driver and the only other passenger ended up in the hospital.) But my most haunting New Year’s in recent times — walking through the Cambodian jungle at four in the morning, surrounded by Khmer Rouge ghosts and the towers of Angkor — taught me that the calendar’s arbitrary markings are really just asking you how much you define yourself by what’s shifting or what’s still. This year, as it happens, I plan to mark the new year in California, wondering how much our fresh young president will draw on the ancestral wisdom of Kansas and Kenya to guide him — and us — into a new century. You don’t have to travel far, my Japanese neighbors remind me, to turn a new page in your life. The only important thing on New Year’s — I should have reminded my Bolivian taxi driver — is to wake up. Iyer is the author, most recently, of “The Open Road: The Global Journey of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama.” His previous book, “Sun After Dark,” describes New Year’s Day around the globe.

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TODAY’S QUOTE: “You can’t have all your eggs in one basket. I’d rather have 10 100-person employers than one 1,000-person employer, just because of that risk.”

—West Point Mayor Scott Ross on the city’s economic past and future; story on Page 1A

PAGE 3

ON THE AGENDA: The Columbus-Lowndes Recreation Authority meets today at 6 p.m. in the CLRA office at Propst Park. The Columbus City Council meets Tuesday at 5 p.m. in the Municipal Complex.

THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH / MONDAY, JANUARY 5, 2009

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Monroe County wreck claims lives of two North Mississippi men Dispatch Staff Report SHANNON — Two men were killed during a Friday afternoon wreck on Highway 45 Alternate near the Lee County-Monroe County line. Calvin Jones, 20, of 430 Highway 341 in Vardaman, and his cousin, 30-

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I. Call to order and invocation II. Approve minutes for the meeting of Dec. 16 III. Approve docket of claims for Jan. 6 IV. Confirmation of/or amendments to the agenda V. Consent agenda: J. St. John: Approve request for a lieutenant and a sergeant to attend the “First Responder Training Program” in Oxford and approve payment for lodging and meals for each. J. St. John: Approve request for a patrolman to attend the Clan Lab and WMD and Site Safety Certification School at the RCTA in Meridian, at no cost to the city. J. St. John: Approve request for a police sergeant to attend the “Office Safety, High Risk Operational Skills Level II” course in Meridian, at no cost to the city. J. St. John: Approve request for an officer and a lieutenant to attend the “Analytical Investigative Techniques Overview” course at the RCTA in Meridian, at no cost to the city. K. Moore: Approve request for a fire captain to attend the “Fireground Leadership” course at the Mississippi Fire Academy and approve payment for the course fee and meals. R. Smith: Approve request to pay the Mississippi Conference of Black Mayors Inc. 2009 annual membership fee. F. Goodman: Approve request to refund $233 to an applicant for the date of July 22. VI. Reports, proclamations, recognitions agenda: R. Smith: General comments from the mayor and council members. J. St. John: Recognition of Officer Tommy Watkins and Marie Wallace. D. Armstrong: Board vacancies: Convention and Visitors’ Bureau, appointment can be made today; Zoning Board of Adjustment and Appeals, appointment can be made Jan. 20; City Planning Commission, appointment can be made Jan. 20; Columbus Municipal School District, appointment can be made Feb. 17. VII. Citizens input agenda: (Please limit to two to five minutes) Bob Morgan: State accreditation Warner Depriest: Building the bridge at the Riverwalk VIII. Policy agenda: D. Armstrong: A. Discuss/approve resolution for new Mississippi Development Authority $5 million line of credit. J. St. John: B. Approve request to hire an applicant as the property and evidence control technician for the crime lab, contingent on successful completion of pre-employment medical examination, drug screen and psychological evaluation. P. Mitchell/J. Turnage: C. Discuss legal publication bid. G. Irby/K. Stafford: D. Reject lowest bid and accept lowest qualifying bid for the Columbus-Lowndes County Airport nested T-Hangar addition. G. Irby: E. Discuss Riverwalk grant. R. Smith: F. Discuss/approve employment status of interim Public Works director to permanent Public Works director. IX. Executive session

M

City Council meets Tuesday at 5 p.m. in the Municipal Complex

State gas prices

Extreme treat — Nine yearold Ahzandre Williams takes another bite of his Air Heads Extremes candy during the Noxubee CountyMcAdams girls’ basketball game Saturday at the East Oktibbeha Basketball Classic. Ahzandre, a thirdgrader, is the son of Derek A. Williams and Katrina Dooley and the grandson of Coach A.E. Williams, the Noxubee County High School girls’ basketball coach.

M M M M M

Council agenda —

Confidential

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2A THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH

CMYK

MONDAY, JANUARY 5, 2009

WEATHER REPORT FIVE-DAY FORECAST FOR THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE AND SURROUNDING AREA TONIGHT

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

Rain and a thunderstorm

Partly sunny and breezy

Mostly sunny and warmer

Low: 47°

56° 43°

51° 36°

62° 38°

60° 41°

MISSISSIPPI WEATHER TOMORROW Shown is tomorrow’s weather. Temperatures are tonight’s lows and tomorrow’s highs.

Temperature

High temperature ....................... Low temperature ........................ Normal high ............................... Normal low ................................

65° 52° 53° 32°

55

Fulton 46/48

Tupelo 42/48

Oxford 40/42

Greenville 38/40

ARKANSAS

When rain falls to the earth and freezes on cold objects, it is called freezing rain. Freezing rain on Jan. 5, 1983, tied up morning traffic from North Carolina to eastern Pennsylvania.

SUN AND MOON

MOON PHASES New

Jan. 17

Jan. 26

Feb. 2

SOLUNAR TABLES

According to the Solunar Tables calculated for the area, the best times for hunting and fishing will be in the coming days. Day a.m. p.m. Major Minor

Major Minor

7:14 8:06 9:01

7:42 8:36 9:34

1:00 1:50 2:45

1:28 2:21 3:18

Carthage 49/52 Meridian 55/64

Starkville 47/56

COLUMBUS 47/56

59

20

Aliceville 51/60

Jackson 50/52

Natchez 50/52

55

Macon 50/60

Brookhaven 53/58

59

Hattiesburg 60/65

LOUISIANA

Biloxi 61/71

Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2009

10

REGIONAL CITIES

First

Vernon 48/56

West Point 48/56

Tue.

Wed.

City

Hi/Lo/W

Hi/Lo/W

Baton Rouge Biloxi Birmingham Greenville Gulfport Jackson Meridian Mobile Monroe Montgomery Natchez New Orleans Shreveport Tupelo

66/45/t 71/49/r 66/46/r 40/38/r 70/48/r 52/41/t 64/43/r 75/50/r 46/39/r 72/51/r 52/40/t 75/49/t 45/39/r 48/41/r

62/44/s 62/51/s 53/37/pc 55/41/s 62/43/s 54/40/s 55/37/s 62/42/s 59/43/s 57/37/s 58/44/s 64/47/s 68/43/s 50/38/pc

Wed.

Tue.

Wed.

Hi/Lo/W

Hi/Lo/W

City

Hi/Lo/W

Hi/Lo/W

Baghdad Beijing Berlin Cairo Hong Kong Jerusalem London

59/37/s 36/19/s 22/14/s 68/48/s 69/61/pc 65/43/s 36/27/pc

61/41/s 32/14/pc 24/12/sn 69/49/pc 70/57/s 62/42/s 37/28/pc

Moscow Paris Rome Seoul Sydney Tel Aviv Tokyo

10/7/sf 24/19/c 48/42/c 36/18/s 92/72/s 66/52/s 48/36/pc

18/1/sn 27/23/s 51/41/sh 34/14/s 90/68/pc 68/50/s 48/36/pc

Tue.

Wed.

Tue.

Wed.

City

Hi/Lo/W

Hi/Lo/W

City

Hi/Lo/W

Hi/Lo/W

Atlanta Atlantic City Baltimore Boston Chicago Dallas Denver Des Moines Detroit Fairbanks Honolulu Houston Jacksonville Kansas City Las Vegas

62/48/c 40/36/sn 38/32/i 36/30/pc 34/21/sn 53/38/s 40/21/pc 34/21/c 36/27/sn -25/-39/s 81/68/s 52/44/r 81/63/pc 42/24/c 58/37/pc

57/36/pc 49/31/r 44/28/r 36/30/r 26/18/sf 66/42/s 55/27/pc 34/20/pc 37/22/sn -25/-40/s 81/67/s 68/51/s 73/41/r 47/32/pc 63/42/s

Los Angeles Memphis Miami Minneapolis Nashville New York City Oklahoma City Orlando Philadelphia Phoenix Raleigh Salt Lake City Seattle Tucson Wash., D.C.

66/48/s 44/39/r 81/71/s 26/11/c 44/39/r 39/35/pc 47/27/pc 82/62/pc 38/34/sn 61/43/pc 46/41/r 36/28/sn 47/44/r 58/35/s 38/35/i

70/50/s 51/42/pc 82/58/t 19/5/sf 49/36/r 44/33/r 60/35/s 74/49/r 43/29/r 67/47/s 57/32/r 39/24/c 49/41/r 68/39/s 49/34/r

RIVER STAGES Yesterday River

Flood stage

NATIONAL WEATHER TOMORROW

7 a.m. 24-hr. yest. change

Tombigbee Amory Bigbee Fulton Tupelo

20' 14' 20' 21'

12.11' 6.72' 10.14' 2.74'

+0.23' +0.33' -0.51' +0.03'

-10s

-0s

0s

10s

20s

30s

40s

50s

™

What does socked in mean?

UV INDEX TOMORROW 1

1

1

0

10 a.m.

Noon

2 p.m.

4 p.m.

0-2: Low, 3-5: Moderate, 6-7: High, 8-10: Very high, 11+: Extreme

70s

Billings 35/26

255' 189'

254.78' 185.97'

+0.26' -0.34'

187' 140'

186.27' 125.81'

+0.03' N.A.

15'

7.11'

-0.26'

Los Angeles 66/48

Elevation in feet above sea level.

Washington 38/35

Atlanta 62/48 El Paso 57/33

Fronts Cold

Houston 52/44

Warm Stationary

7 a.m. 24-Hr. Capacity yest. change

188' 163.68' +0.35' 166' 137.27' +0.35' 136' 136.33' -0.17'

100s 110s

Detroit 36/27

Kansas City 42/24

Denver 40/21

LAKE LEVELS Aberdeen Dam Stennis Dam Bevill Dam

90s

New York 39/35

San Francisco 55/47

Luxapallila Columbus

80s

Minneapolis 26/11 Chicago 34/21

Bankhead Dam Upper Lower Holt Dam Upper Lower

Yesterday Lake

60s

Seattle 47/44

Black Warrior

WEATHER TRIVIA

Q:

Tue. City

Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice.

Gulfport 62/70

An airport closed because of poor visibility.

Sunrise today ................... 6:59 a.m. Sunset today .................... 5:00 p.m. Moonrise today .............. 11:55 a.m. Moonset today ............... 12:57 a.m. Sunrise tomorrow ............. 6:59 a.m. Sunset tomorrow .............. 5:01 p.m. Moonrise tomorrow ........ 12:34 p.m. Moonset tomorrow ........... 2:05 a.m. Sunrise Wednesday ......... 6:59 a.m. Sunset Wednesday .......... 5:01 p.m. Moonrise Wednesday ...... 1:22 p.m. Moonset Wednesday ....... 3:17 a.m.

55

COLUMBUS

49° 32°

NATIONAL CITIES Aberdeen 48/54

ALABAMA

WEATHER HISTORY

Houston 45/48

Grenada 40/48

A:

0.24" 0.39" 0.74" 0.39" 0.74"

Rather cloudy, breezy and colder

WORLD CITIES

Tupelo

Yesterday ................................ Month to date .......................... Normal month to date ............. Year to date ............................ Normal year to date ................

Tue. Wed. Thu.

LOCAL WEATHER

Corinth 36/45

Tunica 37/45

Precipitation

Last

SATURDAY

Rain

ALMANAC DATA

Jan. 10

FRIDAY Pleasant with times of clouds and sun

Columbus yesterday

Full

THURSDAY

Showers

T-storms

Rain

Flurries

Miami 81/71

Snow

Ice

Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. Forecast high/low temperatures are for selected cities.

What you want. When you want it.

www.

cdispatch.com

Local News • State & National News Obituaries • Weather • Sports Entertainment • Food • Business Opinion • Advertising

NEWS DIGEST

PEOPLE IN THE NEWS

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip

Cruise says church helped him overcome dyslexia

Diplomats converge on Israel in push for truce

Israel consolidated its hold on parts of the Gaza Strip today, seizing high-rise buildings on the outskirts of the territory’s biggest city as a stream of world leaders headed for the region to press for a truce. At least seven Palestinian children were killed, adding to the growing toll of civilian deaths that has caused international outrage. As the bruising campaign against Gaza’s Hamas rulers entered its 10th day, the Islamic militant group continued to pummel southern Israel with rockets. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said the offensive would continue until Israel achieved “peace and tranquility” for residents of southern Israel. Militants, defying the attacks, fired more than two dozen rockets by midday, and Hamas’ strongman urged Palestinians to “crush” the invading Israeli forces and target Israeli civilians.

CHICAGO

Burris to visit Capitol Hill as his Senate appointment remains in question

Illinois U.S. Senate appointee Roland Burris plans to have a high-stakes showdown on Capitol Hill this week with Democratic leaders who continue to say he won’t be seated in Congress. Dozens of black leaders and ministers organized by U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush gave

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Ashraf Amra/AP

Wounded Palestinian children arrive for treatment at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, after an Israeli strike early Monday.

Burris a rousing send-off Sunday at New Covenant Church on Chicago’s South Side. Burris took the stage to a crescendo of drums, organ music and applause as hundreds of supporters cheered his appointment. “We are hoping and praying that they will not be able to deny what the Lord has ordained,” Burris said. “I am not hesitating. I am now the junior senator from the state of Illinois. Some people may want to question that and that is their prerogative.” WASHINGTON

Richardson withdraws consideration for commerce

The Cabinet that President-elect Barack Obama picked on a fast track has an unexpected opening, with New Mexico Gov. Bill

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Richardson, Obama’s choice for commerce secretary, withdrawing under pressure of a federal investigation into how his political donors landed a lucrative transportation contract. Richardson insisted he would be cleared in a grand jury probe. But he and Obama said the investigation would have likely disrupted a timely nomination to a top economic post. “I have concluded that the ongoing investigation also would have forced an untenable delay in the confirmation process,” Richardson said in a statement. “Given the gravity of the economic situation the nation is facing, I could not in good conscience ask the president-elect and his administration to delay for one day the important work that needs to be done.”

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MADRID, Spain — U.S. actor Tom Cruise said Scientology teachings helped him overcome childhood dyslexia, a Spanish magazine reported. Cruise was quoted by Spanish magazine XL Semanal as saying he was diagnosed with the learning disability when he was 7 years old. Cruise said he was often anxious, frustrated and bored as a youth and couldn’t concentrate in class, the magazine reported on its Web site Sunday. The magazine quoted Cruise as saying he was functionally illiterate when he graduated from school in 1980, but learned to read perfectly as an adult through Scientology technology.

Bon Jovi to sing at Clinton fundraiser

NEW YORK — The final note of Hillary Rodham Clinton’s presidential campaign may very well be sung by Jon Bon Jovi. The musician is performing at a fundraiser for the former presidential candidate as she tries to close out her campaign

NEWS

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Tom Cruise

debt, which stood at $6.3 million as of last month. The Jan. 15 performance at Manhattan’s Town Hall is being billed as “a final evening in support of Hillary Clinton for President Debt Relief.” Ticket prices range from $75 to $1,000. The former first lady and New York senator has been working to pay down her debt to clear the way for confirmation as President-elect Barack Obama’s secretary of state. Federal ethics rules prohibit Cabinet officials from actively soliciting campaign contributions.

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