Bond set for man charged in Lee County slaying

Bond has been set at $1 million for a man charged with murder in a slaying on Monday in the Pratts community of Lee County.

Ohio.com: Omnova shares sink on report

Omnova Solutions Inc. is coming off what its executives say was a highly profitable and record year in many respects, including a major acquisition. Yet fourth-quarter earnings disappointed Wall Street.

Vanderbilt drops Ole Miss to 0-4 in SEC

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Vanderbilt University men’s basketball team is aching and hurting. The Commodores also are learning how to quit letting games get away from them at the end.

John Jenkins scored 20 points to lead five players in double figures in an 84-74 victory against the University of Mississippi on Wednesday night to send the Rebels to their worst start in Southeastern Conference play since 2000.

Ole Miss adds Brewer to coaching staff

OXFORD — The University of Mississippi has hired Gunter Brewer to be its passing game coordinator and receivers coach.

Pardon our dust: Dispatch undergoing renovations

Visitors to The Dispatch’s building in downtown Columbus may have noticed renovations taking place in the front office.

Pickens Academy boys edge Victory Christian

The Pickens Academy and Victory Christian Academy boys basketball teams battled Tuesday night with neither team getting a solid advantage until the final minutes.

Fortunately, the final score — Pickens Academy won 58-54 — didn’t mean anything in each team’s district standings. The game was played “for fun” — if you can call a nail-biting, nip-and-tuck contest “fun.”

Alabama men hold on to beat Kentucky

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Ben Eblen matched his scoring average with one free throw in the final seconds for his lone point.

How the reserve guard on the University of Alabama men’s basketball team got to the free-throw line was much more important, though.

Pearl River Co. official running for Governor

Pearl River County Supervisor Hudson Holliday will formally kick off his campaign for the Republican nomination for governor on Thursday with a rally at the courthouse in Poplarville.

‘Unsung heroes’ of equality in Columbus honored

Dream 365 ended its Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend Celebration lauding what a visiting figure in the civil rights movement called “unsung heroes” of the community. A commemorative breakfast at Trotter Convention Center on Monday wrapped up the local group’s fifth and biggest year celebrating the MLK Jr. holiday.

Rebounding edge helps Patriots beat Raiders

Heritage Academy boys basketball coach Yandell Harris could see his team’s advantage before the game started, so he decided to “go big.”

With a three-post setup on offense, Heritage Academy dominated the boards en route to a 54-46 victory against Oak Hill Academy on Monday night in non-division action.

Oak Hill’s pressure too much for Heritage

Press, press, press.

The strategy of the Oak Hill Academy girls basketball team Monday night was simple: Use defense to control the tempo against Heritage Academy.

That plan proved effective, as Oak Hill Academy’s full-court, player-to-player defense led to offense from its defense in a 52-33 victory in non-division action.

Rutgers’ Stringer, FSU associate coach visit Heritage, Hollivay

Heritage Academy’s girls basketball team — specifically 6-foot-5 junior center Rachel Hollivay — attracted two college recruiters to Columbus on Monday night for her team’s game against Oak Hill Academy.

Aberdeen’s Barker driven to be a leader

Regina Barker takes what she has and makes other teams deal with it.

Barker, a senior guard for the Aberdeen High School girls basketball team, is a natural athlete on the basketball team, said coach Latorrence Bivens. Her abilities have helped her be a leader and to develop a scoring sense that has helped pace the Lady Bulldogs.

Barbour: Mississippi to celebrate Freedom Riders

Plans for Mississippi to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Rides of the civil rights movement have been announced by Gov. Haley Barbour.

MUW fire victims remembered in high school ceremony

Two of four teenagers killed a year ago in a fire at a Hoover motel were honored at the high school where they had graduated seven months earlier.

Ala. hunter dies in fall from deer stand

Emergency officials say a 36-year-old Madison County man died after falling about 20 feet from a deer stand.

Bentley sworn in as Ala. governor

Robert Bentley has made the transition from physician and state legislator to Alabama’s governor.

Sunday wreck sends five to Columbus hospital

A Sunday evening car wreck sent five people to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle.

Columbus man freezes to death in unheated apartment

A Columbus man known to panhandle downtown died Friday of hypothermia. Hozzie Hawthorne, 72, was found unresponsive in his apartment at 1515 13th Ave. N. Friday around 1 p.m. after a neighbor called 911 on his behalf.

Immigration bill dividing Miss. Capitol

An Arizona-style immigration bill is shaping up as one of the most divisive topics of the 2011 Mississippi legislative session, and Republican Gov. Haley Barbour might end up as a moderate voice on the issue.