Aldermen hope Streatery will boost business activity downtown

An outdoor seating and dining space will temporarily occupy nine parking spaces on Main Street between Restaurant Tyler and Moe’s Original BBQ, thanks to a 5-2 board of aldermen vote Tuesday.

Masks now required in Oktibbeha County

All visitors to Oktibbeha County-owned buildings, as well as churches and social gatherings outside the Starkville city limits, must wear protective face coverings in order to curb the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, the board of supervisors voted 5-0 at Monday’s meeting.

Monday Profile: Teacher reflects on spending time with her daughter during pandemic

The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic changed a lot of things in Omini Parks’ life, she said, but “in some ways it’s been a godsend” for her and her 5-year-old daughter, Gibson.

Black organizers plan to address divisions within their community

Despite the turnout of a few thousand people at Starkville’s racial justice protest on June 6, Eric Chandler said many Black residents of the city did not attend the protest and did not feel their goals and interests were represented.

Upcoming Starkville housing development aimed at ‘workforce’

Thirty-six houses are coming to the corner of Reed Road and Westside Drive in Starkville, with the goal of housing the city’s low-to-middle-income residents, Oxford-based developer Stewart Rutledge said.

Miller to run for District 15 Senate seat

Oktibbeha County Supervisor Bricklee Miller has announced she plans to run for the state Senate seat vacated Tuesday by longtime Sen. Gary Jackson (R-French Camp).

Projected state revenue loss will be less than 2 percent at SOCSD

The Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District might get significantly more funding from the state than administrators previously thought, they said at a special-call meeting and budget work session Monday.

School districts making tentative plans to reopen buildings for 2020-21

Keeping track of the ever-changing impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic is a lot of work, said Cherie Labat, the superintendent of Columbus Municipal School District.

Starkville readvertises open parks director job

The city of Starkville is renewing its search for a new Parks and Recreation executive director after the board of aldermen’s first choice declined the position, Mayor Lynn Spruill told The Dispatch.

Nearly-complete Partnership School to be ready for students in August

Now that the Partnership School is almost finished and ready to open, it’s “a huge relief” for Eddie Peasant, the Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District superintendent.

OCH nurses working overtime to handle COVID-19, return of other patients

Michelle Welander thought $20 per hour would be enough of an incentive.

The chief nursing officer at OCH Regional Medical Center offered “crisis pay” to try to fill shifts, and some nurses accepted it.

Group works to get historically Black cemetery ‘on the map’

Shane Miller and Molly Zuckerman perked up when an organizer of Starkville’s racial justice protest mentioned a local cemetery during the rally at the Mississippi State University Amphitheatre on June 6.

Dating apps, websites draw increased traffic in Golden Triangle during pandemic

In 1977, musician John Paul Young first released the hit song “Love Is in the Air.”

If a musician tried to write lyrics to detail the virtual dating scene in the Golden Triangle amidst the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, they probably would have a different message.

Monday Profile: Veterinary student helps bolster MSU’s LGBTQ community

Keegan Jones changed his name about a year ago, between finishing his bachelor’s degree at Mississippi State University and starting veterinary school.

State legislators see hope for changing the state flag in light of NCAA ruling

The futures of the Mississippi state flag and Mississippi State University athletics — and by extension, the city of Starkville’s financial health — are intertwined and in the hands of the state Legislature for the foreseeable future.

Aldermen approve certification training for some city employees

Starkville aldermen voted 3-1 in a special-call meeting Thursday to allow some city firefighters, police and utilities employees to attend necessary and recently available training, making an exception to their decision in April to suspend all new travel and equipment purchases until further notice.

Oktibbeha supervisors approve $3.16 million road plan for next four years

Oktibbeha supervisors unanimously approved a $3.16 million, four-year road project plan Monday after postponing the vote at their previous meeting.

Oktibbeha jail employees and inmates test positive for COVID-19

The Oktibbeha County Jail implemented stronger safety protocols after a few inmates and employees tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus in the last couple weeks, head jailer Shawn Word told The Dispatch.

New Starkville policy allows spontaneous First Amendment expression

Aldermen voted unanimously Tuesday on a new policy to allow freedom of assembly, a right protected by the First Amendment, to happen on short notice without any procedural roadblocks if it is “in response to spontaneous events,” according to the policy provided with the meeting agenda.

Water management district guarantees a few projects a year, director says

The Tombigbee River Valley Water Management District will tackle multiple drainage projects in Oktibbeha County per year, agency Executive Director David Kennard told supervisors at their Monday meeting — a promise that contradicted some supervisors’ concerns last month when the board voted to join the Tupelo-based state agency.