New Hope responds without its coach

PONTOTOC –– The New Hope Trojans responded to playing without coach Stacy Hester on Thursday by beating Pontotoc 15-5 in five innings in game one of their best-of-three Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 4A second-round state playoff series.

New Hope (21-9) played without Hester, who was suspended for three days by Lowndes County Superintendent Mike Halford and New Hope Principal Lynn Wright for unspecified reasons.

Hester, who is in his 17th season as New Hope’s coach, was suspended after an alleged incident during the Trojans’ playoff game at Hernando this past Saturday.

MSU beat Kentucky on walk-off home run

STARKVILLE — Mississippi State senior first baseman Connor Powers took out his frustration on one pitch Saturday afternoon.

Powers hit a walkoff solo home run in the 10th inning to help the Mississippi State Bulldogs beat the Kentucky Wildcats 4-3 at Dudy Noble Field. A season-high crowd of 10,210, the 22nd largest in MSU history and third largest in the Southeastern Conference this year, looked on during Super Bulldog Weekend.

After losing 5-4 in 11 innings on Friday, MSU (20-19, 6-11 Southeastern Conference) was able to even its series with Kentucky at 1-1.

Heritage Academy baseball ends streak against Jackson Academy

The Heritage Academy baseball team won two games in its last at-bat Thursday to sweep a Mississippi Private School Association Class AAA District 1 doubleheader from Jackson Academy.

Ole Miss wins Governor’s Cup

PEARL –– Senior left-hander Brett Bukvich struck out a career-high 11 batters and did not walk one on the way to Most Valuable Player honors as he helped Ole Miss beat Mississippi State 8-1 to claim the Governor’s Cup.

The fifth largest crowd in Trustmark Park history (7,458) watched Bukvich (5-1) pitch six innings and allow only one run on five hits with no walks as Ole Miss (26-10) claimed the annual non-conference contest between Southeastern Conference rivals.

Time to bury a dead dog

The only people who think the proposed names for MUW, Reneau and Waverley, are “racist” ARE racists. It’s way past time to bury that dead dog. These people constantly harp about how some glorify the past and want to relive it, while they themselves continue to keep the past alive with claims of being “offended.”

MUW naming

The dithering about a name change for MUW continues to amaze me. It’s obvious that there is no strong support for any of the suggested names and I wonder if anyone could demonstrate that there is support for one of them greater than for the current name. I admire the members of the committee for their fortitude because no matter which name is chosen, it’s likely that only a minority will respond to it positively.

Macon welcomes Jim Anderson pottery exhibit Friday at Welcome Center

Jim Anderson took a learned path on the way to being a potter whose works have been exhibited throughout the mid-South. On Friday, April 17, an exhibit of the Hernando resident’s work opens at the Macon Welcome Center on South Jefferson Street, where it will be through May 8.

Forbes makes event possible at MSU

Throughout the year, the Special Olympics organizes events that motivate and provide hope to people with intellectual disabilities.

The events give those athletes an opportunity to compete and to showcase their physical skills.

Deanie Forbes, the director of Area 6 (Chickasaw, Monroe, Clay, Oktibbeha, Lowndes, and Webster counties) in Mississippi helps make all of these things possible.

Forbes, who is a special education teacher, first got involved with the Special Olympics 20 years ago. She has been the Area 6 director for six years.

JA Charity Ball royalty honored for service to others

Junior Auxiliary of Columbus honored its 2009 Charity Ball king and queen Saturday at Trotter Convention Center during the 59th annual Charity Ball and Pageant.

A stitch in time: Area quilters advance to semifinals in international show

Sharon Hedrick, of Columbus, and Julia Graber, of Brooksville, have been selected as two of 388 semifinalists for the 25th anniversary American Quilter’s Society Quilt Show and Contest April 22-25 in Paducah, Ky.

Bryant believes race promotes area

At 8 a.m. April 4, the streets of Columbus will be filled with runners on a 6-mile course that will take them past the many faces of the city.

To promote tourism in the city, the Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau decided to sponsor a race in the middle of Pilgrimage, the annual tour of the antebellum homes in Columbus.

The race is used to promote tourism in Columbus. The event, which starts and ends at the Tennessee Williams Welcome Center, shows off the Mississippi University for Women, the city’s antebellum homes, and the river walk.

Speakers announced for Marszalek lecture series

STARKVILLE — A prominent University of Notre Dame historian and a Mississippi State University doctoral candidate will lead the 2009 John F. and Jeanne A. Marszalek Lecture Series.

International fiesta to showcase cultures March 28

STARKVILLE — The Drill Field at Mississippi State University will be the location for a multitude of colorful booths and displays representing more than 70 nations as the university sponsors the 19th annual International Fiesta Saturday, March 28.