Articles by Tess Vrbin
Third MSU Greek house sees COVID exposure
Members of a third Greek chapter at Mississippi State University left their chapter house to self-quarantine due to exposure to the COVID-19 coronavirus, MSU Chief Communications Officer Sid Salter has confirmed.
Water main break moves 22 MSU students to hotels
A water main break in a Mississippi State University residence hall on Friday temporarily moved 22 students to hotels in Starkville.
Unity Park will honor two new civil rights champions in 2021
Starkville’s Unity Park will start accepting nominations Tuesday for individuals who have worked for civil rights for the Black community in Oktibbeha County.
SOCSD purchasing devices for all students
All students in Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District will have their own electronic device thanks to a grant from Mississippi Department of Education and a unanimous vote Tuesday from the SOCSD Board of Trustees at a special-call meeting.
OCH CEO: MSU students not likely to require hospitalization for COVID
Administrators at both OCH Regional Medical Center and Mississippi State University have been in contact as MSU has resumed in-person classes, but OCH CEO Jim Jackson said he does not foresee the hospital having to admit any students who test positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus.
70 MSU students test positive for COVID-19
Only a week into the fall semester, 70 students at Mississippi State University have tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus, according to data published Monday on the MSU website.
Two MSU Greek houses see COVID-19 outbreaks
Two Greek Life houses at Mississippi State University have seen outbreaks of the COVID-19 coronavirus, and a total of 80 students are evacuating the houses and must quarantine for 14 days, MSU Chief Communications Officer Sid Salter confirmed Friday.
MDEQ provides Oktibbeha more money to clean up roadside garbage
Much of the garbage piled up on the gravelly Harrell Road in northwestern Oktibbeha County is unidentifiable, but the heap does include an upended toilet. A discarded mattress lies several yards east.
State looks into COVID outbreak at MUW
Four positive COVID-19 coronavirus cases in a nursing class at Mississippi University for Women this week prompted an investigation from Mississippi State Department of Health, MUW President Nora Miller confirmed Wednesday.
Ex-SPD officer will serve 7 years for child exploitation
A former Starkville police officer will spend seven years in prison after a jury found him guilty in July of five counts of child exploitation.
Aldermen debate tax increase, approve utility rate hike
Starkville aldermen on Tuesday debated raising property taxes by two mills in the Fiscal Year 2021 budget to offset an anticipated $1.1 million budget shortfall, with some aldermen who usually oppose tax increases firmly in favor of this one.
Oktibbeha board considering hazard pay for election workers
Oktibbeha supervisors tabled the suggestion to provide $50 maximum in hazard pay to each poll worker working the upcoming special election on Sept. 22 for two open seats in the state Legislature.
Petition against in-person classes at MSU gains traction
A petition for Mississippi State University not to hold in-person classes gathered more than 230 signatures by Saturday after concerned faculty started circulating it Wednesday, along with an open letter to administration declaring the current plans to reopen campus insufficient to protect the MSU community from the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
Oktibbeha EMA hopes to improve remote emergency response
The Oktibbeha County Emergency Management Agency hopes to add to its dispatch communication equipment to increase the productivity of its remote work, Director Kristen Campanella told the board of supervisors at a special-call budget meeting Thursday morning.
Officials: ‘Mystery seeds’ not dangerous, still should not be planted
Sissy Watson’s family received a package in the mail in mid-July with a label that indicated jewelry was inside. Instead, it “smelled almost like lavender” and contained tiny, oval-shaped seeds, she said.
MSU rents two Starkville hotels to quarantine students with COVID-19
Mississippi State University has rented two Starkville hotels for the entire fall semester in order for students who live in residence halls on campus to quarantine if they test positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus.
21 new RV parking spaces coming to Starkville
Starkville aldermen unanimously approved an expansion of Moreland Storage’s recreational vehicle park Tuesday evening.
Oktibbeha supervisors approve salary study from Stennis Institute
The Oktibbeha County supervisors will receive a proposal for changes to its employee pay plan from the Stennis Institute of Government and Community Development, a service and research organization at Mississippi State University that works with local governments to make them more efficient.
Starkville to accept bid for utilities building expansion
Starkville aldermen plan to accept a bid today for a Corinth-based construction company to add about 10,000 square feet, plus some extra parking, to the Starkville Utilities Department’s current electric division building.
SOCSD delays student start date to Aug. 24
Classes will start Aug. 24 in the Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District, Superintendent Eddie Peasant announced Friday, instead of Aug. 6 as originally planned, in order to prepare teachers for an unexpectedly high number of students who will learn through the district’s virtual option.
