Suspect Identified in Highway 82 Road Rage Shooting
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ESTABLISHED 1879 | COLUMBUS, MISSISSIPPI C DISPATCH.COM FREE! FRIDAY | JANUARY 12, 2018 Suspect identified in Highway 82 road rage shooting DISPATCH STAFF REPorT 45, who has been charged Thomas, while Miley said Thomas was driv- he passed, according to Depu- with aggravated assault mani- driving, pulled ing a Toyota 4Runner and kept ty Tony Cooper. Cooper added A Starkville man was arrest- festing in extreme indifference out a gun and driving after the shot was fired. Mississippi law does not pro- ed Thursday morning for al- to life. shot through his Officers stopped Thomas near hibit individuals from carrying legedly shooting into a vehicle Investigators said LCSO window and into the Columbus city limits on handguns in their cars without during a “road rage” incident received a call from a driver at the victim’s back Community Road. conceal carry permits. on Highway 82. about 8 a.m. reporting he had window, nearly The victim was driving a Thomas has been released Deputies with Lowndes been driving on Highway 82 striking the vic- Ford F-150. from Lowndes County Adult County Sheriff’s Office arrest- near Highway 45 South when tim in the head. Thomas The victim reported Thom- Detention Center on $5,000 ed Mark Bealanger Thomas, he passed Thomas’ vehicle. LCSO Chief Deputy Marc as was on his cell phone when bond. Facebook, MSU highlight Student pilots tested in virtual reality flights cybersecurity partnership University one of eight to partner with tech giant BY ALEX HoLLOWAY [email protected] Mississippi State University wel- comed representatives from Face- book’s cybersecurity team to cam- pus Thursday to highlight a new partnership with the tech giant. MSU is a new partner in Face- book’s Cybersec University Spon- sorship program, through which the university can offer CodePath classes to teach students about cy- bersecurity. Associate Professor of Comput- er Science and Engineering Byron Williams said MSU joined the pro- gram in July 2017. “Basically, what the program does is it allows us to teach a course that was developed by Facebook Deanna Robinson/Dispatch Staff and a company called CodePath,” Lt. Kenneth Soyars and Lt. Keegan Reynolds participate in an hour-long session Thursday using virtual reality Williams said. “This course pro- technology designed to provide information on how pilots learn. The system, which is part of a research project by vides our students with lots of students from Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama, uses biomet- hands-on training in software se- rics and eye-tracking to gauge how efficiently students learn new skills. curity. …It’s really just a great op- portunity for hands-on experience with actual code and training that’s Three-day VR training part relevant to Facebook cybersecurity and Facebook security engineers.” MSU is one of eight universities of Air Force student research project across the country to be a part of the partnership with Facebook. BY SLIM SMITH While flight simulators show what variables we can Facebook InfoSec Program [email protected] what a pilot has learned, this week’s determine that would Manager Stephanie Siteman said research focuses on how they learn indicate people’s per- the company wanted to reach out Virtual reality training is hardly through the use of a VR headset formance at certain across the country to try to draw on a new concept in the U.S. Air Force. that not only better replicates the tasks,” Maj. Matt El- a more diverse talent pool. Student pilots have been using a actual experience of flying, but more said. “It’s par- “We want a representation of, form of “VR” for decades in the allows instructors to monitor the ticularity relevant really, the users who use our plat- form of flight simulator (SIM) tech- pilot’s biometrics to maximize the using flying training form,” she said. “Whether that’s Elmore nology. learning experience and identify with what we’re deal- from the Midwest or the East But this week, 30 students at Co- weaknesses. ing with in the Air Force and our Coast, from Harvard or a commu- lumbus Air Force Base are taking “What we are looking to study is need for pilots.” nity college, we feel that’s going Elmore and Maj. Travis Sheets to represent our community in a part in a research project with a dif- really how people learn, especially much better way.” ferent type of VR. with emerging technologies, and See CAFB, 6A Siteman said the program also See MSU, 6A Taylor Battey and The power of theater Chiraag Bhakta, both 17, of North- MUW hosts state festival a moment in front of INI S DE west Rankin High a backdrop donning ■ OUR VIEW: Ex- School rehearse a this weekend for second a 20th century family tra-curricular actives one-act play they portrait and covered often the key to will perform today with classmates. time in six years in images of 1970s academic success. Page 4A The play is part propaganda posters BY INDIA YARBOROUGH of the Mississippi [email protected] from the Irish Repub- Theatre Associa- lican Army — a prop she and her theater tion’s 2018 the- Taylor Battey hustles across the stage, troupe made themselves. ater festival held Battey isn’t Irish. And she’s not a pro- at Mississippi Uni- shouting in an Irish accent and throwing versity for Women foam bricks at a fellow actor hidden be- fessional actor. She’s a 17-year-old student this weekend. hind the left stage curtain. She pauses for See THEATER, 6A Deanna Robinson/Dispatch Staff WEATHER FIVE QUESTIONS C ALENDAR LOCAO L F LKS PUB LIC 1 What federal agency governs the both days. Free. For informa- MEETINGS Saturday tion, visit mshorsepark.com/ Jan. 12: Board issuance of U.S. passports? ■ Symphony Winter Winds: 2 What movie star makes up half the events/2018/01/gtkc-dog- of Aldermen work band Tenacious D? The Starkville-MSU Symphony show, or call 662-325-0508. session, 1 p.m., 3 Jessica Hahn was the church secre- Association presents a Winter City Hall tary for what televangelist? Winds concert at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 15 Jan. 15: Board of 4 What fictional land is Peter Pan set in Lee Hall Auditorium on the Supervisors, 5:30 ■ Unity Breakfast and Day Jasmine Jordan in? Mississippi State campus. p.m., Oktibbeha 5 What baseball team was dubbed of Service: Mississippi State First grade, Caledonia Conducted by Barry E. Kopetz, County Court- “Big Bad Machine” during the 1970s? hosts a free community-wide the concert features works by house breakfast at 8 a.m. at The Mill, Answers, 8B Mozart, Schubert and Richard Jan. 16: Board of High Low 600 Russell St., Starkville, 64 28 Strauss. Free. Aldermen, 5:30 Chance of t-storms followed by a 9 a.m. program p.m., City Hall Full forecast on featuring former Rep. Tyrone page 2A. Saturday and Sunday Ellis. Doors open 7:30 a.m.; ■ Golden Triangle Kennel seating first-come. For informa- Club show: This two-day dog tion, contact Hannah Owens INSIDE show at the Mississippi Horse at [email protected] Classifieds8B Obituaries 5A Park at 869 E. Poorhouse Road or 662-325-2493. Sign up to Comics 6B Opinions 4A in Starkville includes conforma- volunteer from 10:45-12:45 Symone Kennedy is a Crossword 8B Religion 7A tion events, obedience and rally p.m. at nonprofits through caregiver at Florida Care Dear Abby 6B trials beginning at 8:30 a.m. mlkdaystarkville.org. Property in Starkville. DISPATCH CUSTOMER SERVICE 328-2424 | NEWSROOM 328-2471 2A FRIDAY, JANUARY 12, 2018 THE DISPATCH • www.cdispatch.com DID YOU HEAR? SAY WHAT? “She is one of the best players in college basketball.” Bill Cosby’s next trial will carry Ole Miss coach Matt Insell on Mississippi State University wom- weight of #MeToo movement Friday en’s basketball junior center Teaira McCowan. Story, 1B. ‘Given the split last time, the challenge is going to be in jury selection’ A THOUSAND WORDS BY KRISTEN DE GROOT of sexual harassment and The Associated Press assault — and the near-im- mediate ramifications for PHILADELPHIA — so many famous men — Jurors couldn’t agree the will surely trickle into the first time around whether Cosby retrial, slated to be- to accept a woman’s story gin April 2. that “America’s Dad,” Bill “Given the split last Cosby, sexually assault- time, the challenge is go- ed her over a decade ago. ing to be in jury selection,” Now he faces a retrial said Los Angeles lawyer in less than 90 days in a Mark Geragos, who is not vastly different cultural cli- involved in the Cosby case mate, one in which power- but whose clients have in- ful men from Hollywood to cluded Michael Jackson. the U.S. Senate are being “Almost all cases are won toppled by allegations of and lost in jury selection, sexual misconduct. this case in particular.” The jury in Cosby’s In Cosby’s first trial, case was hopelessly dead- jury selection was moved locked on charges he to Pittsburgh over defense drugged and molested a fears that widespread pub- woman in 2004, and the licity could make it difficult judge declared a mistrial to find unbiased jurors in in June. But that was be- the Philadelphia area. Cos- fore the revelations about by has a new legal team, so movie producer Harvey their strategy may be very Weinstein and the #Me- different. Too movement burst into The star of “The Cos- the public sphere. by Show” is charged with The shift is clearly on knocking out accuser An- Cosby’s mind.