Archive - 2012 - Latest News
January 12th
United States Representative Gregg Harper got an opportunity to climb into the driverâs seat of the East Oktibbeha Volunteer Fire Departmentâs newest truck Thursday.
Oktibbeha County Fire Coordinator Kirk Rosenhan said the truck is classified as a tanker, carrying 3,000 gallons of water and pumping at a rate of 750 gallons per minute. Greg Ball, EOVFD chief, joined Harper in the cab, demonstrating the tankerâs lights, sirens and other features.
When Harper climbed out, his words were few and his smile was wide.
âGuys, that was amazing,â Harper said. âUnbelievable.â
Included among the many full, conditional and medical pardons former Gov. Haley Barbour issued Tuesday were 15 convictions stemming from Oktibbeha County.
The fate of many pardons throughout the state is still undecided as the Mississippi Attorney Generalâs office reviews whether individuals properly issued public notifications in time to receive a Jan. 10 pardon by the outgoing governor.
Mississippi Circuit Judge Tomie Green issued an injunction late Wednesday temporarily blocking the release of a number of convicted felons who received pardons, medical releases or sentence suspensions. The injunction was given at the request of Miss. Attorney General Jim Hood.
At its winter retreat Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, the Starkville Board of Aldermen will discuss new plans for developing the cityâs municipal facilities, review its six-fold strategic plan and discuss ideas of its capital improvement plan.
The board will meet Friday from 1-5 p.m. at the Greater Starkville Development Partnership to assess and amend the two-year-old strategic plan and discuss capital improvement plans Saturday from 9 a.m.-noon. All aldermen are confirmed to attend the retreat with the exception of Ward 6 Alderman Roy A. Perkins.
The strategic plan is broken down into six specific categories: city services, comprehensive planning and land use, image, infrastructure, municipal complex and regional cooperation.
This weekend in Starkville, the Mississippi Horse Park is literally going to the dogs. Beginning Saturday and continuing through Sunday from 8:30 a.m.-until, the Golden Triangle Kennel Club will host a dog show, competition and microchip clinic.
The entire arena floor will be divided into judging zones, grooming areas and vendor booths.
This event is free to the general public and concessions will be open throughout the show.
Golden Triangle Kennel Club Vice President Sonya Baird said people might be surprised to know how much goes into dog show judging.
January 11th
At a meeting of the Starkville Convention and Visitors Bureau board Tuesday, Jennifer Gregory, vice president for tourism development with the Greater Starkville Development Partnership, announced the money visitors spend on tourism in Oktibbeha County annually has increased nearly 25 percent over the last two years.
From 2009-2010, Gregory said, the Mississippi Development Authorityâs tourism division reported an increase of nearly 10 percent, reaching about $65.2 million. She said such reports primarily account for money tourists spend on gas, food and hotels.
In 2011, Gregory said, tourism revenue reached about $74.9 million, an increase of about 14.8 percent. When the two consecutive increases are added together, she said, they approach a 25 percent increase over two years. She said this is a testament to the success of all the CVBâs tourism partners, including Mississippi State University athletics, the Mississippi Horse Park, the Starkville Area Arts Council and others.
Starkvilleâs Friends of the Library will present its ongoing series, Books and Authors, at noon today at the Starkville Public Library. The program is free and open to the public.
This month features Suzanne Marrsâ âWhat There Is to Say We Have Said: The Correspondence of Eudora Welty and William Maxwell,â chronicling the friendship between Pulitzer Prize-winning author Welty and Maxwell, her editor at âThe New Yorkerâ magazine through 50 years of correspondence.
Welty herself wrote, âAll letters, old and new, are the still-existing parts of a life.â
Reading the letters between these two friends and remarkable fiction writers brings Welty and Maxwell to life for readers.
By NATHAN GREGORY
Mississippi State University junior business management major Parker Stewart said he has always had business ideas, but he wanted to make one of them work.
EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS
Associated Press
January 10th
Starkville Community Theatre will perform its production of âCabin 12â Thursday at McComas Hall on the campus of Mississippi State University. The play begins at 7:30 p.m., and admission is $10 for adults and $5 for students. SCT members said this play contains language and situations some may find offensive and is not appropriate for children.
âCabin 12,â a one-act play written by John Bishop, is SCTâs submission to this weekendâs Mississippi Theatre Association Festival in Gulfport. The play is directed by Kris Lee and features cast members Paul Ruff, Ben Lang, Rick Jordan and Jessica Taylor.
Matt Crane, MTA public relations director for Starkville, said the competition challenges the community theatreâs ability to put on a one-act show within the confines an hour.
A suspect allegedly involved in a Monday shooting death at 1816 Stowood Road has been charged with murder, Oktibbeha County Deputy Sheriff Chadd Garnett said.
Bail for Kewon Delarryous Doss, 19, of 1816 Stowood Road, will be set today. The time he will appear before the Oktibbeha County Justice Court is unknown. Doss is charged with killing 38-year old Larry Davis, his uncle, with what authorities say is a medium caliber handgun.
The pursuit for Doss, which Garnett said lasted approximately five hours, ultimately took officers to a pasture in the Rock Hill Road area in eastern Oktibbeha County. When the main officers returned to the sheriffâs office to determine a new plan for finding him, Doss, with assistance from family members, turned himself in at approximately 9:45 p.m.
