Articles by Tess Vrbin
Oktibbeha County to pay $133K annually for flood control association membership
Oktibbeha supervisors voted 3-2 Monday to join the Tombigbee River Valley Water Management District after reviving a debate from last year over the pros and cons of becoming a member of the Tupelo-based state agency.
Starkville Utilities, TVA, United Way donate $15K to help pay late utility bills
Starkville Utilities Department announced Tuesday that a partnership with Tennessee Valley Authority has brought in $7,500 to help cover Oktibbeha County residents’ late utility bills, less than two weeks before the Mississippi Public Service Commission lifts its suspension on disconnections for missed and late payments.
Pleasant Acres water/sewer project poised to finish
Replacing the water and sewer lines in the Pleasant Acres neighborhood was initially estimated to cost $600,000 and take 90 days of construction.
Homegrown COVID-19 relief group gets a boost from Starkville Utilities, TVA
Local musician Jimmy Redd decided he had to do something when restaurants in Starkville closed their dine-in services in March due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
Oktibbeha woman found dead in partially burned mobile home
Deputies with Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the homicide of a woman found in a partially burned mobile home west of Starkville on Wednesday night.
MSU risk expert: ‘Invisible threat’ of COVID-19 requires collective caution
Public sentiment toward scientists during a crisis tends to be one of blame, and people historically claim scientists failed to warn them enough of the risks and dangers, but that hasn’t been the case during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, said Davide Orsini, an assistant professor of history at Mississippi State University.
Hospitality Association head: About 11 percent of state’s restaurants will shutter due to pandemic
Pat Fontaine started serving food at civic club meetings, including the local Rotary Club, when he was 8 years old at the motel and restaurant his family owned in Pascagoula.
Quitman High School principal to take over at SHS
Starkville High School will have a new principal starting July 1.
CARES Act funding helps area college students pay their bills
The application for federal relief funds for Mississippi University for Women students had 112 takers within a couple hours of opening on Thursday, MUW President Nora Miller said.
Mask requirement lifted for Starkville businesses; curfew still in place
Customers and employees at Starkville businesses are strongly encouraged, but no longer required, to wear protective face coverings as the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic continues, the board of aldermen decided in a 4-2 vote at a special-call meeting Saturday.
Starkville Athletic Club sues city for required closing during pandemic
The managers of a Starkville gym are suing the city in federal court, claiming that being required to close during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic violated their constitutional rights.
College graduates navigate uncertain job market during pandemic
At the end of March, Madeline Burdine and Ryan Ladd both had full-time jobs lined up for after their graduation from Mississippi State University.
Starkville parks won’t reopen Thursday; mask requirement lifted for restaurant customers
Aldermen voted 5-2 on Tuesday that customers at Starkville restaurants do not have to wear protective face masks as the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic continues, in light of Gov. Tate Reeves’ announcement Monday that restaurants can reopen with restrictions on Thursday.
Oktibbeha supes owe MDEQ data on county lake dam
Oktibbeha County will provide the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality with data on the county lake dam and a schedule to complete several studies by July 31, as requested by MDEQ at the county board of supervisors’ meeting on Monday.
Campanella: Oktibbeha EMA ‘did everything we could’ to prepare for COVID-19
2020 was already a “very busy year” for the Oktibbeha County Emergency Management Agency before the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, EMA Director Kristen Campanella told the Starkville Rotary Club at its virtual Monday meeting.
Officials: Cities need more data before deciding whether to restructure TIFs
Expected sales tax revenue shortfalls in Columbus and Starkville due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic mean both cities might have to look to restructure payments on their tax-increment financing bonds, Golden Triangle Development LINK CEO Joe Max Higgins is suggesting.
Starkville officials not concerned about Cornerstone bond payments
Starkville is well-positioned to pay for the multimillion-dollar Cornerstone Park project, city officials say, despite an expected sales tax revenue shortfall this year due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
SHS, Columbus High plan virtual graduations; LCSD schools ‘still holding out’ hope for big ceremony
Under normal circumstances, Starkville High School seniors would have picked up their graduation gowns and mortarboards in the school gym during their lunch periods on Wednesday.
8-year-old Starkville boy dies in Hwy 25 car crash
A two-vehicle wreck on Highway 25 in southern Oktibbeha County claimed the life of an 8-year-old Starkville boy and injured two other family members Wednesday afternoon.
MSU cyberdefense tool being considered for use by U.S. military
The next six to nine months will prove critical for a project in the works for six years at Mississippi State University’s Center for Cyber Innovation.
