Against Policy, Councilman Receives Trotter Discount
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ESTABLISHED 1879 | COLUMBUS, MISSISSIPPI CDISPATCH.COM 75 ¢ NEWSSTAND | 40 ¢ HOME DELIVERY WEDNESDAY | APRIL 10, 2019 Against policy, councilman receives Trotter discount Ward 4’s Fred Jackson pays discounted fee Trotter Direc- ONLINE the full-price combined total of tor Rogena Bon- ■ RENTAL AGREEMENT: View an the booking and cleaning fees ner told The Dis- altered copy of the rental agreement for a weekend event. for graduation party, originally given half patch $300 is the at cdispatch.com The Dispatch inspected the Monday-Thurs- records as part of a Mississip- price rate for May wedding day rate for Regal price — $625 — for the space, pi Public Records Act request BY ZACK PLAIR city policy. Hall, while the with an additional $150 clean- submitted on March 26. The [email protected] Fred Jackson, Ward 4, paid Friday-Sunday ing fee. However, the $625 is newspaper submitted the re- Jackson quest after receiving an anon- $300 to rent Regal Hall — the rate is $500. marked through and $1,400 A Columbus councilman ap- Other records written above it, along with the ymous letter alleging Jackson smallest of the city-owned event pears to have paid a discounted The Dispatch inspected show letters “RA.” The change was was hosting personal events at rate to rent a Trotter Convention spaces downtown under the Trot- an altered rental agreement not dated. Trotter for free. Center space in December and ter umbrella — for an event on for Jackson’s May 11 wedding So far, the records show, Jackson, serving his first was almost allowed to pay half- Sunday, Dec. 9, according to a in the Trotter’s upper level. It Jackson has only paid a $200 term on the council, reserved price for another to hold his May rental agreement and receipt The appears the original agreement deposit for the space. the Regal Hall event on Nov. wedding, an apparent violation of Dispatch inspected on Tuesday. was for Jackson to only pay half- Bonner said the $1,400 was See TROttER, 3A Starkville Walmart clear after bomb threat Man who pleaded to murdering MSU student sentenced to life Suspect involved in robbery, shooting of 21-year-old BY ALEX HOLLOWAY [email protected] Columbus resi- dent Jaylen Barker re- ceived a life sentence in the Mississippi De- partment of Correc- tions Tuesday after pleading guilty to a murder in Starkville Barker two years ago. Barker, 22, was charged with capital murder in the November 2016 shooting death of Mississip- Alex Holloway/Dispatch Staff pi State University student Joseph Starkville police cleared the Walmart Supercenter in west Starkville after receiving a report about a bomb threat. Police re- Tillman. Barker pleaded guilty ported that no bomb was found during the investigation. Tuesday morning in Lowndes County Circuit Court. As a capital murder defendant, Nichols: No bomb found in store during investigation Barker was eligible for the death penalty, and District Attorney Scott BY ALEX HOLLOWAY and would be detonated secured the scene, we go in and search Colom said his office was “absolute- [email protected] in a specific time. While the building. With there being a time ly” prepared to pursue it if the case Nichols declined to re- notification on that note, we decided to went to trial. The Walmart Supercenter in west lease the time the note wait outside of that time. That’s why it “Mr. Barker got in front of the Starkville is clear and open again after court and the judge asked very specified, he said police may have seemed like we were there for a bomb threat closed it for more than clearly, ‘Did you kill Joseph Till- cleared the building and a long time. But we weren’t going to go three hours Tuesday evening. man,’ and (Barker) said ‘Yes, I waited until after the in before the time. We weren’t going to Starkville Police Department re- specified time to begin a did,’” Colom said. “He was under let it open back up for business when ceived a report about the threat at 4:51 search. Nichols oath when he said that. There’s no p.m. Police Chief Frank Nichols said “We don’t take this as a joke when there could have been a bomb inside of longer any mystery as to who killed a customer found a note in the store we get a call like this, so we secured the store.” Joseph Tillman. that said a bomb was in the building the scene,” Nichols said. “Once we’ve See BOmb THREAT, 8A See SENTENCE, 3A CMSD to use $200K audit windfall to help fund employee pay incentives Audit reveals two programs in 2018 where district budgeted more than it spent from classroom teachers and cafeteria workers to BY MARY POLLITZ after CMSD’s audit re- if schools’ accountability Spears said. “Teachers custodial staff. Starting [email protected] vealed the district had grades improve year-to- are the first in line of us in December, those staff budgeted $193,000 more year. Board of Trustees being successful at our members will see checks Columbus Municipal coming in, dependent on than it spent last year in President Jason Spears mission. We want to make School District will use accountability increases. nearly $200,000 of excess its unemployment fund said the plan is in place sure teachers and all staff Mississippi rates pub- funds found in its 2018 au- balance and a nutrition to not only encourage em- members who play a role Spears Labat lic school districts, as dit to help fund its Teach- program. ployees, but also provide a in child’s development Unlike state incen- well as individual cam- er Incentive Pay Plan. TIPP was approved level of support. and success are going to tives, TIPP provides a puses, on a letter-grade District trustees voted last year and awards bo- “We firmly believe feel like they are appreci- bonus for each staff and scale — ranging from A Monday for the transfer, nuses to all its employees in investing in people,” ated and rewarded.” faculty member of CMSD, See CMSD, 3A WEATHER FIVE QUESTIONS CALENDAR LOCAL FOLKS PUBLIC 1 What NASCAR driver is known for a MEETINGS Thursday April 12: signature sweeping bow to the fans ■ Edible Book Festival: Columbus-Lowndes Public Li- after winning a race? Lowndes County brary, 314 Seventh St. N., hosts an Edible Book Festival, 2 What state hosts the Bonnaroo Music School District and Arts Festival? 4-5:30 p.m. View creative interpretations in food of book 3 What catch phrase does Tim Gunn titles and themes. 662-329-5300. regular board in “Project Runway” use to motivate ■ “The Trail of Tears: Cherokee Legacy”: The Colum- meeting, 12:30 Miles Johnston contestants? bus Arts Council screens this documentary at 6:30 p.m. p.m., Central 4 How many syllables does the second Second grade, Heritage at the Rosenzweig Arts Center, 501 Main St. Narrated by Office line of a haiku have in English? James Earl Jones and Wes Studi. Free. 662-328-2787. April 15: 5 What is not found in cigarette smoke ■ Poetry reading: The W’s Gordy Honors College Lowndes County High Low — ammonia, asbestos, arsenic, form- 85 61 aldehyde, hydrogen cyanide or carbon Forum hosts readings by poets T.K. Lee and C.T. Salazar, Supervisors, 9 Sunny monoxide? 6 p.m., Nissan Auditorium. Free. a.m., County Full forecast on Answers, 8B Courthouse page 2A. Friday through Sunday April 15: Colum- ■ Super Bulldog Weekend: Weekend events in bus-Lowndes INSIDE Starkville include the Maroon and White spring foot- Convention and Visitors Bureau Classifieds7,8B Food 5B ball game, Diamond Dawgs baseball, tennis, soccer Comics 4B Obituaries 4A and more. The Cotton District Arts Festival is April 13. Board regular Crossword 8B Opinions 6A Follow MSU Athletics on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, Ollie Lee enjoys life and meeting, 4 p.m., 140TH YEAR, NO. 25 Dear Abby 4B Scene & Seen 2A #SBW19. loves people. CVB office DISPATCH CUSTOMER SERVICE 328-2424 | NEWSROOM 328-2471 2A WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2019 THE DISPATCH • www.cdispatch.com DID YOU HEAR? Capitol Hill hearing on online hate sees it firsthand Wednesday Livestream of the proceedings was TACO HOP bombarded with racist and anti- Tacos, craft beers and live music were on the menu at the inau- gural Taco Hop in downtown Starkville Saturday, organized by the Semitic comments from online users Greater Starkville Development Partnership. — Photos by Austin Scene&Seen Frayser/Special to The Dispatch. BY BARBARA ORTUTAY, rector of public policy, and MARCY GORDON AND Alexandria Walden, coun- RACHEL LERMAN sel for free expression and The Associated Press human rights at Google, defended policies at the WASHINGTON — A congressional hearing on two companies that prohib- online hate turned into a it material that incites vio- vivid demonstration of the lence or hate. Google owns problem Tuesday when a YouTube. YouTube livestream of the “There is no place for proceedings was bombard- terrorism or hate on Face- ed with racist and anti-Se- book,” Potts testified. “We mitic comments from inter- remove any content that net users. incites violence.” YouTube disabled the The hearing broke live chat section of the down into partisan dis- streaming video about 30 agreement among the law- minutes into the hearing makers and among some of because of what it called the witnesses, with Repub- “hateful comments.” lican members of Congress The incident came as ex- denouncing as hate speech ecutives from Google and Democratic Rep. Ilhan Facebook appeared before Omar’s criticism of Ameri- the House Judiciary Com- can supporters of Israel. mittee to answer questions As the bickering went about the companies’ role on, committee chairman in the spread of hate crimes Rep.