Articles by Carl Smith
Gandy charged in June officer-involved shooting
Zyterrious L. Gandy, the 19-year-old Starkville resident injured during an officer-involved shooting in June, will make his initial appearance in municipal court Thursday after he was recently released from medical care.
Night market returning as launch event of New South Weekends
The second iteration of the Greater Starkville Development Partnership’s Friday night farmers market will begin the organization’s New South Weekends fall event schedule Sept. 1, the Partnership announced Wednesday.
Latimer returning as Starkville’s board attorney
Chris Latimer will return as Starkville’s board attorney this term after a new contract for his legal services was approved Tuesday.
SOCSD budget contains cuts, grows cash reserves
Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District Superintendent Eddie Peasant’s first budget for operations is a leaner, trimmer document compared to its previous counterpart that juggles decreasing Mississippi Adequate Education Program funding and internal cuts, all while growing the district’s ending fund balance without calling for a tax increase.
Ex fashion model qualifies for District 38 House race
The candidate list for Nov. 7’s special election to fill the Mississippi House of Representatives’ vacant District 38 seat now includes two Starkville women after former fashion model-turned-entrepreneur, media executive and activist Narissa Bradford qualified for the race.
Auditor demands almost $102K from deceased Oktibbeha clerk
Mississippi State Auditor Stacey Pickering’s office is working to collect almost $102,000 in taxpayer funds owed by deceased Oktibbeha County Chancery Clerk Monica Banks.
Oktibbeha County funds industrial park
Oktibbeha County and Starkville leaders took what Ward 3 Alderman David Little called “a bold step forward” Thursday, passing a combined $14 million bond issuance that will fund an almost 400-acre industrial park in the northern part of the city.
Oktibbeha’s circuit clerk field grows to 4
Four people have now qualified to become Oktibbeha County’s next circuit clerk after Mississippi State University employee Elaine Turner filed her candidacy forms Thursday.
Starkville police arrest 5 in separate burglaries
Five people face felony burglary charges stemming from three separate incidents in Starkville this week.
Unity Park induction process expected this fall
A process to honor Oktibbeha County residents who positively impacted their community at Unity Park is expected to begin this fall.
Five educators sue SOCSD for age, racial discrimination
A group of Oktibbeha County School District educators claim they were let go by the school district in 2015 because of their age and were replaced with less-experienced African-American counterparts, court documents state.
Elmore in, Taylor out for Oktibbeha’s circuit clerk race
The field for Oktibbeha County’s circuit clerk’s race grew to three candidates Monday after Deputy Elections Clerk Sheryl Elmore qualified for the Nov. 7 special election.
Oktibbeha fire chiefs stump for more funding
It’s going to take more than selling chicken and catfish plates to fill the gaps of Oktibbeha County’s seven volunteer fire departments’ budgets.
Five candidates emerging for Oktibbeha’s circuit clerk race
Five Oktibbeha County residents have either qualified for November’s circuit clerk race or announced their intentions to run for the vacant position.
Everglade Ave. apartment shooting injures 1
A July 8 shooting at an Everglade Avenue apartment complex in Starkville left one person injured and another person behind bars.
Wynn announces bid for vacant District 38 House seat
Lisa Wynn is the first candidate to qualify for Nov. 7’s special election for District 38’s vacant Mississippi House of Representatives seat.
MDOT grants to bolster area transportation systems
Four Golden Triangle transportation hubs and systems will receive a combined $666,761 in Mississippi Department of Transportation grants to help bolster their infrastructure and efforts, Northern District Transportation Commissioner Mike Tagert announced Thursday.
SOCSD continues school administrator rotations
The Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District Board of Trustees rotated three administrators between jobs and announced the hire of a new high school assistant principal Thursday, continuing staff shake-ups begun last month.
State: 2 Oktibbeha bridges require immediate closure
Oktibbeha County has closed two bridges — one on Moor High Road and the other on Sturgis-West Point Road — to traffic after a Federal Highway Administration inspection, done in conjunction with the Mississippi Department of Transportation and Office of State Aid Road Construction, was recently completed.
Bryant schedules District 38 House election for Nov. 7
A special election to fill retired District 38 Rep. Tyrone Ellis’ Mississippi House of Representatives seat will be held Nov. 7, Gov. Phil Bryant announced Wednesday.
Blake Shapen embracing leadership under center and in the QB room
July 18, 2025
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