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.
Plexiglass, face shields, being considered for upcoming elections
Clay County Circuit Clerk Kim Brown Hood and Election Commissioner Chairman Lindy Ivy asked the Clay County Board of Supervisors Monday to look into acquiring plexiglass at voting precincts for the upcoming special election on Sept. 22 for the vacant Mississippi House of Representatives seat in District 37.
Governor on county mask mandate: Supes allowed to be ‘bad guy’ too
Lowndes County supervisors passed a resolution Monday morning asking Gov. Tate Reeves to place the county under tighter restrictions — including a mask mandate — to help curb the spread of COVID-19.
They did not, however, enact any such restrictions themselves, with some supervisors citing concerns about lawsuits and infringing upon citizens’ rights.
Starkville-Oktibbeha libraries request more funding for staffing, programming
Loraine Walker has held a livestreamed storytime for children “every day at 10 a.m. without fail” on Facebook since the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic halted most activity in March.
Lowndes supes to vote on mask mandate Monday
Lowndes County Board of Supervisors agreed it should issue some sort of mandate that citizens wear masks in public, particularly in businesses, at one of its rare work sessions on Friday.
Employees flock back to local restaurants after closures, though some say they had no choice
Before Anthony’s Good Food Market in West Point reopened in May after a closure of more than six weeks, owner Ray Hamilton had a message for his 34 employees. “If you want to come back, come back, and we’ll figure it out from there,'” he told them.
As COVID testing increases, some see nearly two week delays on results
When a person tests for COVID-19, the first thing they want to know is whether they have contracted the virus.
More and more, the answer is yes. On Monday, Mississippi State Department of Health reported 1,635 new cases, shattering the previous high single-day case record.
Given the increase, the next logical question posed at a lab, clinic or drive-in test site is how long it will take to get the results.
SOCSD board members raise questions about COVID-19’s effect on school year
The COVID-19 pandemic and the various ways it will affect students and teachers in the rapidly approaching school year dominated discussion at Starkville-Okitbbeha Consolidated School District’s Board of Trustees’ meeting Tuesday night.
LCSD to start school ‘hybrid’, then move to fully in-person by Aug. 20
Lowndes County School District plans to start the school year with a hybrid learning method, then return to a fully in-person traditional method after two weeks.
CPD adopts complaint-based enforcement on mask requirement
A week after Columbus’ mask-wearing mandate went into effect, Assistant Police Chief Doran Johnson told Exchange Club members that the police department is trying its best to enforce the newly-implemented regulations — mostly through responding to business complaints.
Masks required in Starkville, Columbus, West Point
Employees and customers of businesses and city-owned buildings in Columbus, Starkville and West Point must wear protective face coverings in order to curb the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, all three cities decided 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.
Local leaders weighing face mask mandates in light of COVID spikes
Recent spikes in confirmed cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus, both locally and statewide, are prompting city and county leaders in the Golden Triangle to consider requiring citizens to wear protective face coverings in public.
Area medical professionals differ on whether to mandate masks
As local government leaders across the Golden Triangle weigh mask-wearing ordinances to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, area medical professionals differ on just how far those ordinances should go and how effective such requirements actually will be.
Does wearing a mask pose any health risks?
Does wearing a mask pose any health risks? No, not for most people. Babies and toddlers should not wear masks because they could suffocate. The
Police departments evolve strategies to reduce exposure to coronavirus
Two Columbus police officers had to be tested for COVID-19 after a woman who had tested positive for the virus entered the police station without wearing a mask to talk to them.
‘I think the peak is to come still’: Area cleaning companies experiencing rebound after pandemic lull
Since opening Worker Bees in Starkville in 2015, Shannon Voges-Haupt never once had a day without a single customer — until April 3, the day Gov. Tate Reeves’ statewide shelter in place order went into effect because of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
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.
Mississippi announces 550 new reported COVID cases
The Mississippi Department of Health announced an additional 550 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus Friday, after record-high numbers reported the day before.
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.