South Panola blanks Columbus

BATESVILLE — Qyen Griffin returned the opening kickoff for an 81-yard touchdown Friday night to lead the top-ranked and Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 6A defending state champion South Panola High School football team to a 44-0 victory against Columbus.

Bell, Patterson help East Webster move to 8-0

ACKERMAN — Timakis Bell rushed for two touchdowns and Ledrick Patterson rushed for one score and threw for another Friday night to lead the East Webster High School football team to a 41-14 victory against Ackerman in a Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 2A, Region 2 game.

Win helps Pickens Academy prepare for key region game

CARROLLTON, Ala. — The Pickens Academy football team will carry a lot of momentum into a playoff-deciding game next week.

Jacob Acker rushed for two scores, threw for anther, and returned an interception for a touchdown Friday night to lead Pickens Academy to a 47-0 victory against Flint Hill Christian in an Alabama Independent School Association Class AA, Region I game.

Aberdeen regroups to beat Water Valley

ABERDEEN — More times than not, bad practices tend to have disastrous results come game time.

But that wasn’t the case here Friday when another Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 3A, Region 2 pretender bit the dust, as Aberdeen posted a come-from-behind 35-14 win against Water Valley.

Starkville High football wins fourth in a row

The Starkville High School fotball team improved its position for a playoff spot out of Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 6A, Region 1 on Friday night with a 49-19 victory against Horn Lake.

Cotton District Arts Festival unveils new poster Tuesday

The Starkville Area Arts Council will reveal the winning poster design for the 2011 Cotton District Arts Festival on Tuesday, Oct. 12, at 3:30 p.m.

Columbus Speedway in action Saturday; Immanuel girls soccer players honored

Columbus Speedway will be back in action this Saturday with the final weekly racing series points event of 2010.

Ole Miss’ defense gets much needed week off

OXFORD — Injured and ineffective, the University of Mississippi football team’s defense gets a much-needed breather this weekend with an off date before facing top-ranked Alabama on Oct. 16.

Northeast Mississippi C.C. beats EMCC in key divisional tilt

SCOOBA — In a game that featured five ties, the Northeast Mississippi Community College football team defeated East Mississippi C.C. 49-42 on Thursday night in a MACJC North Division shootout at Sullivan-Windham Field.

Prep Football / Radio Schedule for Friday, Oct. 8

Here is this week’s prep football schedule, including the listings for radio stations in the area:

The Monroe Journal: monroe360.com – Aberdeen city employee charged with assault (link)

An Aberdeen official faces simple assault charges after allegedly punching a reporter

Miss. judge jails attorney for not citing Pledge of Allegiance

A Mississippi judge jailed a lawyer for several hours for refusing to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, ordering the attorney to “purge himself” of contempt by standing and repeating the oath like the rest of the courtroom.

Arrest report 10-7-10

Columbus police found two pistols on a 22-year-old convicted felon early Wednesday after he fired shots, then ran from officers.

Miss. governor declares statewide burn ban

Gov. Haley Barbour has issued a statewide burn ban as record dry weather continues to increase the risk of wildfires in Mississippi.

Cadence press release: Q&A about Community Bancorp sale

Frequently asked questions distributed by Cadence to the media Wednesday.

Voting begins for new Ole Miss mascot

Step aside Colonel Reb. The next University of Mississippi mascot could well be a fierce black bear, a toothy land shark or a character in a full-body muscle-suit.

Israeli official tours Columbus’ Stark Aerospace plant

Israel’s infrastructure minister said he was pleased with the quality of workers he met Tuesday while touring an Israeli-owned factory in Mississippi.

Expert: State poised to lead in biofuel research, production

Mississippi is poised to become a nationwide leader in renewable energy production.

Starkville school board examines test performance

Only three members of the public were present for Tuesday night’s Starkville School District board meeting where officials discussed results of statewide testing that show much room for improvement.

Starkville schools look at safety, sports facility improvements

An architect suggested specific ways to improve the safety and security of the Starkville School District’s four primary campuses in a meeting where the board handled just a few items of business.