Tax Assessor Investigating Gas Storage Company for Under-Reporting Assets Caledonia Energy Partners Could See Taxable Property Value Double in 2020
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ESTABLISHED 1879 | COLUMBUS, MISSISSIPPI CDISPATCH.COM 75 ¢ NEWSSTAND | 40 ¢ HOME DELIVERY THURSDAY | SEPTEMBER 5, 2019 Tax assessor investigating gas storage company for under-reporting assets Caledonia Energy Partners could see taxable property value double in 2020 BY ZACK PLAIR over that time, and he plans [email protected] to reassess the company this INSIDE year to determine the true ■ Records OUR VIEW: Corporations value of its assets for 2020. If should honor good faith Lowndes Coun- the reassessment yields what deals with the community. ty Tax Asses- Andrews believes it will, the Page 4A sor/Collector company’s taxable property Greg Andrews value could rise by $56 million for up to 10 years on a devel- has obtained or more. opment valued at $101 million. regarding Cale- Caledonia Energy Part- Through 2006, that fee donia Energy Andrews ners stores natural gas in a generated roughly $500,000 Partners ap- 3,000-acre underground cavi- in annual taxes, Andrews pear to indicate the company ty, buying the gas from third said, but after the fee-in-lieu has under-reported its assets parties and pumping it out to expired, it paid $1.1 million in to the county for as many as customers. In 2006, Lowndes full taxes in 2017 and 2018 — 13 years. County supervisors entered a an amount that factors in the That, Andrews said, has fee-in-lieu agreement with the depreciation of its assets over short-changed the county pos- company, allowing it to pay the first 10 years. sibly millions in tax revenue one-third of its property taxes See CALEDONIA, 6A istock.com Ninth and final A DAY AT THE PARK candidate qualifies for Ward 1 race Special election to be held Sept. 24 BY SLIM SMITH [email protected] A field of nine can- didates will square off Sept. 24 in a special election to fill the Ward 1 city council position left vacant by the Aug. 6 death of Gene Taylor. Adrienne R. Morris was the last of the nine Morris candidates to qualify for the race ahead of Wednesday’s qualifying deadline. Morris, 38, is a lifelong Columbus resident and works for Mississippi State Dining Services in Starkville. Morris qualified Wednesday, the last day to enter the race. “I did take some time to process Deanna Robinson/Dispatch Staff this,” she said. “When Gene Taylor Ashton Dumas, 2, plays at Crown Park in downtown Columbus Wednesday afternoon. “Ooooo Wow!” exclaimed Ashton. He died, it took everyone by surprise. is the son of Chris and Amber Dumas. Before rushing in, I wanted to stop and think it through. It’s a huge re- sponsibility.” Morris said a key focus for her will be on infrastructure and bringing Man dies in fatal collision between two tractor-trailers new businesses to the community. “As I was collecting signatures to Road at about 11:30 p.m. Lee was driving struck the qualify for the race, I wanted to hear Accident occurred between two tractor Beckom also confirmed one other vehicle in the rear. what was on their mind,” she said. fatality from the wreck. Lee was ejected from his “Over and over again, one of the sub- trailers near airport exit Lowndes County Coro- seat. jects that came up was roads and the BY ISABELLE ALTMAN tor-trailers on Highway 82 ner Greg Merchant identi- The other driver was un- condition of our infrastructure. Crime [email protected] West late Wednesday night. fied the victim as Isaiah Lee hurt, Merchant said. is another issue we have to deal with, MHP spokesperson Sgt. of Charleston, who works Beckom could not identi- too. If we’re going to bring new busi- Mississippi Highway Pa- Derrick Beckom confirmed for Florida-based Coast to fy which company the other ness and grow and make Columbus trol is investigating a fatal the two tractor-trailers col- Coast Trucking. Merchant driver worked for by press See WARD 1, 6A wreck between two trac- lided near the exit to Airport said it appears the truck time. WEATHER FIVE QUESTIONS CALENDAR LOCAL FOLKS PUBLIC MEETINGS 1 What one-word command does Captain Jean-Luc Today through Picard use to get the Enterprise moving? Sept. 9: Colum- 2 What senator and presidential candidate was Sunday, Sept. 5-8 bus Municipal dubbed a “maverick” for his often-unconventional ■ Tennessee Williams School Board of approach? Tribute: “Laugh Lines” is Trustees regular 3 What self-help book by Rhonda Byrne focuses on the theme of the 18th annu- meeting, 6 p.m., using the power of positive thinking to attain wealth al tribute celebrating Colum- Brandon Central Sawyer Callaway and happiness? 4 Which of these describes when a whale pokes bus-born Pulitzer Prize-win- Services Kindergarten, Annunciation its head out of the water to take a look around — ning playwright and poet Sept. 10: bababooing, tipping or spyhopping? Tennessee Williams. Events Lowndes County High 89 Low 61 5 What drink is consumed by more people than any include a play, “Death of a School Dis- other except water? Streetcar Named Virginia trict Board of Not as hot Full forecast on Answers, 6B Woolf: A Parody,” Stella Trustees regular page 2A. Shouting Contest, Moon meeting, 12:30 Lake Gala, youth poetry p.m., Central contest, breakfast with Office INSIDE scholars, a movie, mem- Sept. 13: Business 4B Dear Abby 4B orabilia exhibit and more. Lowndes County Classifieds6B Obituaries 5A Many events are free. Visit Paul Brown Jr. works at Logista Supervisors, 9 Comics 4B Opinions 4A tennesseewilliamstribute. and enjoys participating in obsta- a.m., County 140TH YEAR, NO. 151 Crossword 2B org or call 662-368-8591. cle course racing and Star Wars. Courthouse DISPATCH CUSTOMER SERVICE 328-2424 | NEWSROOM 328-2471 2A THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2019 THE DISPATCH • www.cdispatch.com DID YOU HEAR? Steps outlined for journalists to protect against harassment Thursday THE ASSOCIatED PRESS vised to use a password manager, set up two-factor NEW YORK — Con- authentication for accounts DRESS REHEARSAL cerned about growing and consider using a ser- threats to safety, the Com- vice that deletes their per- mittee to Protect Journal- sonal information from the ists on Wednesday issued internet. In case of harass- a series of recommenda- ment, reporters should tions for reporters to take get offline, tell their boss to protect themselves from or colleagues and not re- digital harassment. spond to the trolls. The advice was particu- Other advice includes larly geared to women , and conducting regular search- included steps they should es to see what information take to limit the amount of appears online about a personal information they journalist and their fam- make available online. ilies. Social media plat- Harassment reports forms should be contacted have increased with the to delete posts that attack, growing use of digital threaten or use personal in- journalism techniques and formation without consent, the desire by many news CPJ said. Journalists were organizations that their advised to document offen- reporters have a greater sive posts. presence on social media, One hindrance to re- said Courtney Radsch, the porters, either real or imag- committee’s advocacy di- ined, is the sense that they rector. Some 85 percent of should toughen out such people responding to a CPJ attacks or ignore them. survey said they believed The CPJ also recom- journalists have become mended ways for journal- less safe over the past five ists who work alone in the years and that online ha- field to protect themselves. Deanna Robinson/Dispatch Staff rassment was the greatest As of Wednesday, the Cherri Golden and Melanie Tubbs have their final rehearsal for “Something Unspoken,” a one-act play by Ten- threat they faced. U.S. Press Freedom Track- nessee Williams, at the Columbus Lowndes Library Wednesday afternoon. “It’s extraordinary how you can know Radsch said she was er has documented 28 the depth of a character in such a short amount of time,” said Tubbs. The performance will be Friday at 11:30 surprised to hear so many physical attacks against a.m. in the meeting room of the library. journalists who responded journalists in 2019 . to the survey talk about the “There is a growing emotional toll that harass- awareness that online ha- ment has taken. rassment is an endemic “You can take pro-active part of being a journalist, HURRICANE DORIAN steps to make it harder to especially any journalists become a victim of online who identifies as female harassment,” she said. or as any sort of minority,” Journalists were ad- Dorian, back to a Category 3 hurricane Radsch said. Hugo in 1989. The storm has caused at least 20 deaths in the The Charleston County Emer- CONTACTING THE DISPATCH gency Operations Center advised Office hours: Main line: Bahamas and left thousands without power early Thursday that all bridges n 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon-Fri n 662-328-2424 were a Code Yellow due to 35 mph as it continues moving up the Southeast U.S. coast (56 kph) winds. It said high-profile Email a letter to the editor? HOW DO I ... THE ASSOCIatED PRESS vehicles such as box trucks and n [email protected] olina, where sheets of rain began tractor trailers should not travel the Report a missing paper? falling late Wednesday in the his- bridges and that the public should n 662-328-2424 ext. 100 Report a sports score? CHARLESTON, S.C. — Hurri- toric port city of Charleston, locat- use extreme caution. n Toll-free 877-328-2430 n 662-241-5000 cane Dorian , back to a Category 3 ed on a peninsula prone to flooding.