ESTABLISHED 1879 | COLUMBUS, MISSISSIPPI C DISPATCH.COM FREE! TUESDAY | JUNE 19, 2018 How to catch a gator: Reagan shares alligator research stories with Rotarians BY ALEX HolloWAY ‘How hard can it be?’” he said to Noxubee Wild- [email protected] the Starkville Rotary Club at the life Refuge club’s weekly meeting Monday. “In Director Steve When Steve Reagan moved to wildlife and science you go the li- Louisiana in 1998, he had no idea Reagan shows brary and you look up all kinds of a noose used he’d end up capturing hundreds of research and do all kinds of neat to capture alli- alligators. things. We know everything there gators during Reagan, the current director is to know about alligators.” a talk to the for the Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee Starkville Almost all alligator knowledge at Wildlife Refuge, said he’d planned Rotary Club. to take a job studying Louisiana the time — and to this day, Reagan Reagan stud- black bears at Louisiana State Uni- later pointed out — came from one ied alligators versity. When those plans fell apart, book, published in 1935: “The Alli- for three he went to work for the zoo in Baton gator’s Life History” by E.A. McIl- years in the Rouge. As part of that, he crafted a henry. late 1990s The first night in Louisiana, Rea- while working proposal to study alligators. on his doctor- At the time, he knew nothing gan, his wife and his professor went ate at Loui- about alligators — he just wanted out on the bayou to find an alliga- siana State to work with animals. tor. The first one they found was a University. “The funny part is, I figured, See REAGAN, 6A Alex Holloway/Dispatch Staff Sears Hometown RESTI NG AT PLAY Store in Columbus scheduled to close soon Liquidation sale slated through July 23 BY MARY POLLITZ [email protected] The Sears Hometown Store, lo- cated at 1404 Old Aberdeen Road in front of Leigh Mall, will reportedly close its doors later this year. The Columbus Sears store web- site and Facebook page both posted advertisements announcing a liqui- dation sale due to the upcoming store closure. The sale will contin- ue through July 23. An exact clo- sure date has not been released. Sears in Columbus opened in December 2012, according to pre- vious Dispatch reports. As a Home- town Store, it is independently owned and operated, according to a spokesperson with Sears Corpo- ration. Joe Wallace owns the franchise for the Columbus store. He did not return multiple calls and messages from The Dispatch seeking com- ment. His son, Dean Wallace, who is the manager of Sears, declined to comment. According to a representative from Lowndes County Tax Asses- Luisa Porter/Dispatch Staff sor’s Office, the store was leasing Shyiatd Wells, 6, stops at the end of her slide ride to laugh at her friends playing at J.L. King Memorial Park last week. Shy- See SEARS, 6A iatd is the daughter of Nick Brown and Felicia Womp of Starkville. CRA confident Lee property will be developed Turnage: Potential tax breaks, developers’ track record be in the same situation INI S DE except it will be owned by ■ OUR VIEW: Public deserves ample evidence proposed project will come to fruition a private person who will to know details on Lee develop- be paying taxes. ment. Page 4A BY ZACK Plair the development group’s fails to build its planned “You’d be a fool to buy AND HANNah GRECO reputation to ensure the mixed-use project on the all that land, and not do includes roughly 15 acres [email protected], hgreco@ pending sale of Lee Mid- shuttered public school anything with it,” he add- cdispatch.com dle School property actu- site on Military Road, ed. — for $450,000. Colum- Turnage Acker ally produces everything there’s little the city or CRA announced Sat- bus Municipal School Columbus Redevelop- the buyers have prom- CRA can do about it. said Jeff Turnage, at- urday Military Lee LLC District owns the proper- ment Authority is depend- ised. “Legally, we can’t do torney for both the city had agreed to purchase ty, and its board of trust- ing on the potential for de- But if the Military Lee anything (to make the and CRA. “The property the former Lee Middle ees must first approve a veloper tax incentives and LLC development group group develop the site),” would just sit there and School Property — which See LEE, 6A WEATHER FIVE QUESTIONS CALENDAR L OCAL FOLKS PUBLIC 1 What is the antonym of antonym? this free concert. No cool- MEETINGS Today ers or pets. Food and drink Today: Board of 2 What did Amerigo Vespucci feed ■ NACUSA recital: Six sailors to prevent scurvy — lemons, vendors on site. Presented Aldermen, 5:30 composers from Mississip- peppers or pickles? by the Columbus Lowndes p.m., City Hall pi, Alabama and Georgia 3 What video game has a similar Chamber of Commerce and June 26: OCH setting to the huge, rotating loop in will present new music at Main Street Columbus. For Regional Medical space in the “Ringworld” science 7:30 p.m. at Mississippi information, call 662-328- Center Board of fiction series? Kaylee Atkins University for Women’s 6305. Trustees, 4 p.m., 4 Which city is not on the Mississippi Poindexter Hall, a presen- First grade, Caledonia River — Detroit, Memphis, Minneapo- ■ Downtown at Sundown: OCH lis or New Orleans? tation of the Mid-South Starkville’s free summer June 29: Board High Low 5 What Broadway musical features chapter of the National concert series features of Aldermen 91 71 the music of ABBA? Association of Composers/ Work Session, Partly sunny music by Drew Dieckmann USA. noon, City Hall Full forecast on Answers, 6B and Starkville Community page 2A. Theatre from 7-9 p.m. at Thursday Fire Station Park. Bring ■ Sounds of Summer: Big lawn chairs and blankets. Hoss and The Little Joes No coolers. Food and INSIDE entertain from 7-9 p.m. at drink vendors on site. For Classifieds6B Dear Abby 5B the Columbus Riverwalk for information, visit starkville. Comics 5B Obituaries 5A Sounds of Summer. Bring org or call The Partnership, Kinley Coleman, 4, loves Crossword 4B Opinions 4A lawn chairs or blankets for 662-323-3322. to sing and dance. DISPATCH CUSTOMER SERVICE 328-2424 | NEWSROOM 328-2471 2A TUESDAY, JUNE 19, 2018 THE DISPATCH • www.cdispatch.com DID YOU HEAR? SAY WHAT? “He’s probably has a little bit of a stronger base at the Compulsive video-game playing plate. He’s in his legs a little more.” Mississippi State assistant coach Jake Gautreau, talking could be mental health problem Tuesday about Rowdey Jordan’s improvement at the plate. Story, 1B. ‘People need to understand this doesn’t mean every child who HOUSAND ORDS spends hours in their room playing A T W games is an addict ...’ THE ASSOCIatED PRESS Dr. Shekhar Saxena, director of WHO’s depart- GENEVA — Obsessive ment for mental health and video gamers know how substance abuse, said the to anticipate dangers in agency accepted the pro- virtual worlds. The World posal that gaming disorder Health Organization says should be listed as a new they now should be on problem based on scientif- guard for a danger in the ic evidence, in addition to real world: spending too “the need and the demand much time playing. for treatment in many In its latest revision to parts of the world.” a disease classification Dr. Joan Harvey, a manual, the U.N. health spokeswoman for the Brit- agency said Monday that ish Psychological Society, compulsively playing vid- warned that the new des- eo games now qualifies as ignation might cause un- a mental health condition. The statement confirmed necessary concern among the fears of some parents parents. but led critics to warn that “People need to under- it may risk stigmatizing too stand this doesn’t mean many young video players. every child who spends WHO said classifying hours in their room play- “gaming disorder” as a ing games is an addict, oth- separate addiction will erwise medics are going to Luisa Porter/Dispatch Staff help governments, fami- be flooded with requests From left, Lizzi Johnson, 14, Brooklyn Johnson, 18, and Jennifer Adams, 16, skate on their long boards on the lies and health care work- for help,” she said. Mississippi State University campus last week. “We come to skate and shop in Starkville often,” Johnson said. ers be more vigilant and Others welcomed Lizzi is the daughter of Tom and Marie Johnson and Jennifer is the daughter of Jeremy and Elizabeth Adams, all prepared to identify the WHO’s new classifica- of Brooksville. risks. The agency and oth- tion, saying it was critical er experts were quick to to identify people hooked note that cases of the con- on video games quickly dition are still very rare, because they are usually with no more than up to 3 teenagers or young adults percent of all gamers be- who don’t seek help them- lieved to be affected. selves. Experts say auto tariffs CONTACTING THE DISPATCH would raise prices, cost jobs Office hours: Main line: n 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon-Fri n 662-328-2424 ‘It seems like it is going HOW DO I ... Email a letter to the editor? n [email protected] to be so devastating Builder optimism fades Report a missing paper? n 662-328-2424 ext. 100 Report a sports score? that I can’t imagine n 662-241-5000 with potential trade war looming n Toll-free 877-328-2430 that they’re actually n Operators are on duty until Submit a calendar item? THE ASSOCIatED PRESS 5 p.m.