Leach: SEC Hasn't Decided 'Whether It's the Dog Or the Vehicle' on Playing 2020 Football Season
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ESTABLISHED 1879 | COLUMBUS, MISSISSIPPI CDISPATCH.COM 75 ¢ NEWSSTAND | 40 ¢ HOME DELIVERY TUESDAY | AUGUST 11, 2020 Leach: SEC hasn’t decided ‘whether it’s the dog or the vehicle’ on playing 2020 football season ing a potential fall League, who’s been happily Starkville braces for economic impact if conference scraps play season. playing all along, I’m not sure BY BEN PORTNOY hopeful the SEC and coaches and hope we get the chance to “I mean, I that it does.” [email protected] around the league would be in share it with everybody around think I’m proba- While Leach’s words are favor of playing this fall. the country.” bly not supposed sure to garner attention, the If first-year Mississippi State “Right now college foot- Citing how British Premier to say anything, landscape of college football head coach Mike Leach has his ball hasn’t quite figured out if League soccer has thrived but I’m not a big has shifted by the minute over way, the Southeastern Confer- they’re the dog or the vehicle throughout the COVID-19 pan- fan of it,” Leach Leach the past days and weeks. ence will play football this year. and whether they’re going to demic, Leach argued that oth- said of the Big Late Sunday night, some As reports surfaced Mon- stay,” he said. “I wish there ers have been able to weather Ten’s impending decision. “If of college football’s brightest day morning that the Big Ten was more clarity to that. We’re the storm while still playing we are going to cancel I think stars, including Clemson’s is close to canceling its fall all waiting to see, and we’re sports. He also said he’d want we need to make sure the sci- Trevor Lawrence and Ohio season, Leach told members of excited about our team, we’re science to back up any deci- ence holds it up, and if you look State’s Justin Fields, tweeted the Starkville Rotary Club he’s excited about this opportunity sions that are made in cancel- at the British Premier Soccer See LEACH, 3A PLAY BALL County property values increase; city assessment remains flat Greg Andrews: Pandemic may affect property tax collection BY YUE STELLA YU [email protected] Lowndes County saw more than $100 million of growth in its assessed real and personal property value over the past year, whereas the city of Columbus’ val- ue remained roughly Andrews level compared to the prior year, according to the latest assessment conducted by Tax Assessor/Collec- tor Greg Andrews. Antranik Tavitian/Dispatch Staff The assessment, conducted an- Oak Hill Academy pitcher Mollie Caroline Brand practices her pitch during a game against Starkville Academy on Thursday in nually, appraises the value of real West Point. Oak Hill was on the receiving end of a 34-14 loss. and personal properties within the county, municipalities and school districts — an instrumental esti- mate government entities use to calculate potential property tax See PROPERTY VALUES, 3A LCSD files $2 million suit over leaky roof at New Hope High Caledonia Energy District will buy up to 10 new buses over next two years ing within two months of completion. Partners sees $20M Nearly 200 leaks occurred within the BY THEO DEROSA GAF Materials and Lindsey Roofing first year and caused “massive” damage spike in property value [email protected] LLC. to the school, according to the suit. BY YUE STELLA YU LCSD’s suit claims it is entitled to An independent inspector — Ben [email protected] Lowndes County the installation of a new roof or its mon- Hixson of Alabama-based Hixson Con- School District is suing etary equivalent due to a breach of the sultants Inc. — examined the building A new round of property value the contractor, materi- contract the district made with West and delivered a report to the district in assessment, conducted by Lown- al supplier and installer Brothers and its subcontractors and April. Hixson concluded that Lindsey’s des County Tax Assessor Greg of the leaky roof at the materials. The district also cited negli- installation was faulty and that GAF had Andrews, places the actual value of 2-year-old New Hope gence, breach of warranty and breach of not communicated with Lindsey about county-based natural gas company High School building for good faith and fair dealing by the three proper installation and application tech- Caledonia Energy Partners at $86.5 $2 million. Smith defendants. niques. million — a $20-million jump from The district filed suit in The $24.3 million New Hope High “Based upon the many facts causing last year’s $66.4 million. Lowndes County Circuit Court on July School — the most expensive of several the roofing deficiency failures, GAF as Sheldon Alston, attorney for the 30 seeking at least $1 million in compen- district facilities paid for by a $44 million the designer of record and Lindsey Roof- company, protested the value in satory damages and at least $1 million bond issue voters approved in 2015 — ing & Sheet Metal are responsible for front of the board of supervisors in general damages from West Brothers was completed in February 2018, and the problems,” Hixson said in his report. during its Aug. 3 meeting, claiming Construction Inc., New Jersey-based the roof at the new building began leak- See LCSD, 3A See CALEDONIA ENERGY, 6A WEATHER FIVE QUESTIONS LOCAL FOLKS PUBLIC 1 What kind of animal is a Rhode MEETINGS Island Red? Aug. 17: Lowndes 2 What cereal did Mikey like, much to County Board of Su- the surprise of his tablemates? pervisors meeting, 9 3 What country has a Christmastime celebration called “La Noche de Ra- a.m., Lowndes County banos” —Night of Radishes? Courthouse, facebook. Amelia Sullivan 4 What is the title of the person who com/LowndesCounty- Third grade, Annunciation creates background sound effects for Mississippi/ films? Aug. 18: Columbus 5 Who was the third woman appointed High Low to the U.S. Supreme Court? City Council, 5 p.m., 96 73 Municipal Complex, Humid, chance p.m. storm Answers, 6B facebook.com/Cityof- Full forecast on ColumbusMS/ page 3A. Aug. 31: Lowndes County Board of Su- INSIDE pervisors meeting, 9 a.m., Lowndes County Classifieds5B Health 6A Comics 3B Obituaries 5A Mickale O’Dell lives in Starkville and has a nail Courthouse, facebook. Crossword 6B Opinions 4A business. O’Dell aspires to be a veterinarian or a com/LowndesCounty- 141ST YEAR, NO. 130 Dear Abby 3B stand up comedian, “whichever one comes first.” Mississippi/ DISPATCH CUSTOMER SERVICE 328-2424 | NEWSROOM 328-2471 2A TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020 THE DISPATCH • www.cdispatch.com Mississippi school funding feud resolved with veto, new bill Legislators also expanded a grant Mask up: Mississippi lawmakers program for businesses return amid coronavirus outbreak that have been hurt State health officer: 49 legislators have tested by the pandemic positive for the virus, at least four hospitalized BY EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS BY LEAH WILLINGHAM AND EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS The Associated Press The Associated Press JACKSON — Mississippi leg- JACKSON — Most Mississippi legislators wore masks and practiced islators returned to the Capitol on social distancing Monday as they returned to the state Capitol for the Monday and resolved a dispute over first time since the start of the largest coronavirus outbreak in any education funding for the budget statehouse in the U.S. year that began July 1. “Please separate yourselves. I know it’s tempting to congregate and They also expanded a grant pro- talk,” Republican Speaker Philip Gunn told members of the House. gram for businesses that have been The state health officer, Dr. Thomas Dobbs, said Monday that 49 hurt by the coronavirus pandemic, Mississippi legislators have tested positive for the virus — more than increasing the minimum award 25 percent of them. Legislative leaders say most cases have come from from $1,500 to $3,500. the House. House and Senate negotiators Dobbs said at least four legislators have been hospitalized, with discussed a budget for the Depart- three requiring intensive care. ment of Marine Resources, but did At least 12 other people who work in the Capitol have tested positive, not reach a resolution by late Mon- and one of them has died, Dobbs said. day. Talks were expected to contin- The updated numbers are a significant increase from mid-July, when ue Tuesday. the state Health Department said 30 legislators and 11 others from the Republican Gov. Tate Reeves on Capitol were known to have tested positive for COVID-19. July 8 vetoed big parts of the edu- The outbreak among Mississippi lawmakers comprises nearly half cation budget because legislators of the more than 100 state lawmakers who have tested positive nation- did not fund a bonus pay program wide, according to an Associated Press tally. for teachers in schools that either maintain high academic perfor- and Democrats still controlled both legislators left the Capitol on July mance or show significant improve- chambers of the Legislature. 1 because the House and Senate ment. On Monday, the House and Sen- clashed over how to spend $40 mil- House and Senate leaders said ate passed a separate bill to fund lion a year that the state receives the omission of the bonus funding the bonus pay for more than 23,000 from oil and gas production in the was an oversight and the governor’s teachers. Gulf of Mexico. veto was unnecessary because they The first-year governor said Reeves also vetoed parts of a bill intended to fund the program in a Monday that he’s not surprised few months, in time for teachers to that allocated federal relief money about the override.