Articles by Carl Smith
City sheds layer of transparency with Spruill’s firing
One key job function of the vacant chief administrative officer’s position remains unassigned by the Starkville Board of Aldermen: A prior board resolution made Lynn Spruill’s the city’s primary point of contact for Freedom of Information Act requests.
Budget committee faces pay disparity, turnover
Aldermen face two significant issues as they approach budgetary planning for the upcoming fiscal year: looming internal turnovers and income gaps between city employees and those of comparable municipalities.
Civil rights monuments could be unveiled in August
Tarp-covered plaques honoring champions of civil rights and education could soon be removed and officially dedicated in a late-August ceremony, supervisors said Monday.
Board defies citizens, ousts Spruill
An impassioned plea from a state representative on the steps of City Hall, 19 residents’ demands for transparency and a last-second recusal from Mayor Parker Wiseman could not save Chief Administrative Officer Lynn Spruill’s job Tuesday.
Trainer plans to resume talks with Capella on OCH lease
Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors President Orlando Trainer asked fellow supervisors Monday to come to the 9 a.m. Aug. 5 county meeting prepared to discuss a 50-year lease proposal for OCH Regional Medical Center previously offered by Capella Healthcare.
Board expected to attempt veto override
Starkville aldermen are expected to amend Tuesday’s board agenda to include a vote on Mayor Parker Wiseman’s veto of chief administrative officer Lynn Spruill’s termination despite its absence from the official plan.
Sturgis to hire part-time police chief, officers
Sturgis will soon hire a new police chief, assistant chief and officer to recently vacated, part-time positions, Mayor Walter Turner confirmed Friday.
Teen entrepreneurs turn ‘know how’ into business
Technological advances in computer hardware and software have so come fast and furious over the past decades that they’ve even carved out a place in our language with idioms like “There’s an app for that.”
Highway 182 improvement project given green light
Starkville commuters should see increased activity and potential delays on Miss. Highway 182 in the coming weeks as workers begin a significant improvement project to the important thoroughfare.
Perkins inducted into Municipal League Hall of Fame
Starkville’s senior board member, Ward 6 Alderman Roy A. Perkins, was inducted into the Mississippi Municipal League Hall of Fame last week and honored for his 20 years of civic duty.
Starkville receives 2013 Healthy Hometown accolade
For the second time in three years, Starkville was awarded a Healthy Hometown designation by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi. Starkville earned this
MSU again surpasses $80M mark in donations
Mississippi State University reported its third-straight year receiving more than $80 million in donations Wednesday.
Chism: Legislators will address consolidation in both ’14 and ’15 sessions
State Rep. Gary Chism, R-Columbus, said lawmakers are expected to use legislative sessions in both 2014 and 2015 to address Oktibbeha County school consolidation issues.
Committee wants input on merger questions
Local representatives say public input is needed before they broach one of the biggest questions surrounding school consolidation: Should the state merge one or a combination of Oktibbeha County’s four campuses with a neighboring county’s public education system?
West Point begins work on $6 million water system retrofit
West Point officials said improvements to the city’s waste water system will put its processing operations on par with Starkville and Columbus.
Resignations leave Sturgis without police force
Sturgis Mayor Walter Turner said he is hopeful the city will name a new police chief by the end of the month and then begin hiring officers after recent board action and subsequent resignations depleted the town’s law enforcement agency.
Reports: Spruill received high internal marks for job performance
Starkville aldermen dismissed Chief Administrative Officer Lynn Spruill last week despite receiving consistently high performance marks from her elected bosses in 2010 and 2012, internal city documents show.
Democrats pressure Little on Spruill vote
A door-to-door Ward 3 campaign seeking support for embattled Starkville Chief Administrative Officer Lynn Spruill could begin soon in an effort to swing a possible veto override, an Oktibbeha County Democratic Party member confirmed Wednesday.
Wiseman’s veto hammers aldermen over transparency
Starkville Mayor Parker Wiseman took to the offensive Tuesday, hammering aldermen over transparency issues in his veto of Chief Administrative Officer Lynn Spruill’s abrupt removal from office.
Wiseman vetoes Spruill firing
Starkville Mayor Parker Wiseman issued his promised veto Tuesday against the aldermen’s decision to fire Chief Administrative Officer Lynn Spruill.
Chain’s life in the water leads to a lap around Key West
July 19, 2025
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