EPA testing soil at local church

Officials with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency soon will determine if a black substance discovered near the Maranatha Faith Center on Waterworks Road is a toxic industrial byproduct.

Brother, sister arrested for fight

STARKVILLE — A case of domestic violence between siblings appeared among the crimes on the books Thursday at the Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Office.

Counterfeit money returns to Starkville

STARKVILLE — It made its grand appearance last Friday night.

As Lt. Bill Lott of the Starkville Police Department tells the story, “somebody was eating outside one of the restaurants (in the Cotton District) and was approached by two black males who sat down and started talking with the victim” between 10 and 10:20 p.m. on Friday, July 10.

Supervisor appointments

The Lowndes County Supervisor board meeting, July 7, 2009, was the first supervisor board meeting I have ever watched. As a citizen of Lowndes county, I guess I need a “thorn” for not keeping up with current affairs. Never the less, I find myself in disagreement with many of the assessments of various commentators on this meeting and the state of affairs related to our supervisors.

Scottie D.: Remembering Donna

As a former Radio and TV journalist I thought I had become inured to the tragedies that befall us as humans; with the death of Donna Blakney, I learned otherwise.

Talking up Starkville business on the radio

WEST POINT — When she began speaking into the microphone, she did not lean in or make herself look awkward in any way. She looked like a natural.

“Good morning,” she said. “I’m Allison Matthews with the Greater Starkville Development Partnership …”

She glanced at her guests, the Starkville restaurateurs Ty Thames and Hall Roberts, and introduced them.

Raid yields pot, cash

STARKVILLE — An eight-month investigation into marijuana trafficking led city and county officials to conduct a raid and arrest four people Friday.

Despite recession, MSU boasts strong fundraising year

STARKVILLE — Mississippi State University received the third-highest number of fundraising dollars in a single year this fiscal year, despite the onset of a global economic recession.

The 2002 and 2006 fiscal years saw the highest donations.

Anne Freeze: Pass the Hibiscus esculentus, please

The vegetable garden is starting to produce. It took longer than I expected, but this past weekend we harvested our first edamame (it was a little too early), and I have cut two beautiful pristine okra pods. I’m not sure if there were ready; they are the size I like but not as deeply green as the ones I bought from Phil Lancaster at the Farmers’ Market. Nonetheless, they are like an ugly baby, beautiful in their momma’s eyes.

Achievement gap divides black, white students

Results around the country show reading and math scores are rising for black students, but not enough to close the gap between them and their better-scoring white peers, an Education Department report released Tuesday found.

Rezoning draws ire of residents

Residents of the Academy Place and Stonegate subdivisions were fuming Tuesday after the Starkville Planning and Zoning Commission voted to approve the rezone of a parcel of land in their neighborhood.

City schools present budget

Starkville School District board members heard details on the 2009-2010 budget in a public hearing that didn’t really have an audience.

Rob Hardy: Author gives a look at magic books, their origin and their influence

If you thought you were outside the realm of magic, think again.

There has been “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” on television, for instance, with magic books central to some of the plots. When the program was popular, Owen Davies used to get e-mails from teenage girls asking about specifics of casting spells. “They had seen my personal website,” writes Davies, “presenting my historical studies on witchcraft and magic and assumed I was a practitioner.”

Supports Sarah

Thanks again for The Dispatch, a fine paper that allows freedom of speech (one of our most sacred rights) of both the left and right.

Re: Kathleen Parker’s article “A League of Her Own”

Yes, you are absolutely correct in this idea. Sarah Palin (I still have two Palin campaign signs in my yard and will keep them there as she leads us out of this encroaching governmental tyranny.) is a courageous Christian patriot that God has called for these dangerous “Last Days.”

MSU expanding through improvements, new projects

STARKVILLE – A drive around Mississippi State University this summer reveals the fact slowly but surely: The campus is awash with construction.

Mississippi reports first 2009 case of West Nile Virus

The state Health Department reported Mississippi’s first case of West Nile Virus on Tuesday, alerting the public to avoid standing water and mosquito-prone areas when insects are most active.

CAFB mum on pilot’s identity

Columbus Air Force Base will not release the name or the nationality of the pilot involved in Thursday’s T-6 Texan II crash.

Betty Stone: Small town kudos

Several times lately we have mentioned small town living versus city style. Maybe that means we should think about it a little more.

Roses and thorns 7-12-09

Columbus Nationals 10-year-old Dizzy Dean baseball team, District 5 Supervisor Leroy Brooks, Lowndes County nonprofit agencies and their volunteers, and Starkville developers Jeremy Tabor and Dan Curran

Meaders named new MUW police chief

The former Columbus Municipal School District chief of police, Kennedy Meaders, began work July 2 as Mississippi University for Women’s new chief of police.