ESTABLISHED 1879 | COLUMBUS, MISSISSIPPI C DISPATCH.COM 50 ¢ NEWSSTAND | 40 ¢ HOME DELIVERY FRIDAY | SEPTEMBER 4, 2015 Former MSU student’s attorney speaks out com mu n ic ated describing an “active shooter” to lack of evidence. Phu-Qui Cong ‘Bill’ Nguyen was arrested about threats on situation at the Drill Field. Uni- Nguyen’s family hired Yoste the campus and a versity officials later reported after Nguyen was unable to after shooter scare last week at university shooter and now no shots were fired and that voluntarily check out from a BY ALEX HOLLOWAY communicated about threats.” Bill is suffering Nguyen, who was allegedly sui- mental hospital after he was de- [email protected] Charles Yoste, a Starkville for it.” cidal, was unarmed. tained. Yoste told The Dispatch attorney, has been hired by the Nguyen, 20, Officials said Nguyen was his client was taken to a mental The attorney for the former care facility in Columbus, rath- family of Phu-Qui Cong “Bill” of Madison, was Nguyen taken into custody on suspicion Mississippi State University Nguyen. detained by au- of disorderly conduct. However, er than one in Jackson, as of- student taken into custody last “Bill has never been charged thorities on Aug. the Associated Press report- ficials first reported following week amid reports of an active with anything anywhere or any 27 following reports of an active ed County Prosecutor Haley last week’s incident. shooter says his client is suf- time, including this incident,” shooter on MSU campus. MSU Brown said no charges have “They gave him the option to fering because “somebody mis- Yoste said. “Somebody mis- sent out a Maroon Alert that day been filed against Nguyen due See ATTORNEY, 8A EMCC falls RADIO VOICES to Co-Lin 25-game winning streak snapped in Wesson DISPATCH STAFF REPORTS The East Mississippi Communi- ty College f o o t b a l l team lost its first game in more than two years Thursday night. EMCC fell 31-24 to Copi- ah-Lincoln Community College at H.L. Stone Stadium in Wesson. EMCC went into the game riding a 25-game winning streak that stretched over three sea- Mark Wilson/Dispatch Staff sons. The Lion were ranked No. 1 Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science creative writing teacher Emma Richardson works with students, from left, going into the game. Co-Lin was Joy Carino, Carly Sneed and Laurel Lancaster on Tuesday. Several students from MSMS had work featured on Rural Voices ranked No. 4. Radio this week. Prior to Thursday night’s loss, the last time the Lions had lost was during the 2012 Mississippi Association of Community and MSMS students featured on Rural Voices Radio Junior Colleges state playoffs. That loss — 47-46 — also came to Co-Lin. Radio program plays recordings of students reading Sumayia Young, of West Point, read The game Thursday night was her piece “The Crooked Letter” about action-packed, with EMCC eras- their poems on growing up in Mississippi memories of her grandmother. Thurs- ing a 10-point halftime deficit to day featured junior Adam Stewart, from take a 24-17 lead with 2 minutes, BY ISABELLE ALTMAN ing program. Brookhaven, read his piece, “Flea-Hop 42 seconds left in regulation. ialtman@cdispatch The program is a two-minute seg- Farm.” Co-Lin answered, though, ty- ment that airs on MPD during Fresh Air. Young and Stewart are two of 13 ing the game at 24-24. Then over- This week, two students from the During that segment, a student reads a students from Emma Richardson’s time began and EMCC came up Mississippi School for Math and Science poem or short prose piece he or she has creative writing class at MSMS who short. read poems they wrote on “Rural Voices written about growing up in Mississippi. submitted pieces of writing to Missis- For complete coverage, see Radio,” a Mississippi Public Broadcast- During Tuesday’s segment, senior See MSMS, 8A Sports, 1B. LABOR DAY CLOSINGS The following businesses will be closed Monday in observance of THURSDAY WRECK: Labor Day: Two men were trans- ported to Baptist Me- ■ All local banks morial Hospital-Gold- ■ U.S. Postal Service en Triangle with non ■ Lowndes County Clerk’s office life-threatening inju- ■ Mayor’s office and city depart- ries after a motorcycle ments accident on Highway ■ Columbus Light and Water 82 around 3:25 p.m. ■ 4-County Electric Thursday. The driver and a passenger in ■ Special notice: Golden Triangle a side-car were the Waste Services will run all normal only two injured and routes. no other vehicles were ■ The Dispatch will not publish involved, according to a Monday Edition. Offices will be Raymond Hackler, a closed and the paper will resume public information offi- operations Tuesday. cer with the Columbus Police Department. Isabelle Altman/Dispatch Staff WEATHER FIVE QUESTIONS CALENDAR LOCAL FOLKS PUBLIC 1 What is the highest-grossing film to MEETINGS Today Sept. 8: Columbus star an African American, Will Smith, ■ Black Prairie Blues Festival: For- in the lead role? City Council, budget 2 Who designed the uniforms of the merly known as the Howlin’ Wolf Festival, hearing, Municipal Swiss Guard and sculpted tombs for this event features Eddie Cotton, Super Complex, 5 p.m. Giuliano and Lorenzo, members of the Chikan and Kingfish Ingram on the Mary Sept. 8: West Point Florence, Italy, Medici family? Holmes College campus, Highway 50 Board of Select- 3 What is the most toxic of all met- Logan Morris-Smith West, West Point. Doors open 5:30 p.m. men, West Point als? Music begins at 6:15 p.m. Tickets $20 Third grade, West Lowndes 4 What term, which is used to City Hall, 5:30 p.m. describe someone beyond help, origi- advance online at wpnet.org/index.php/ Sept. 11: Lowndes High 95 Low 70 nates from a description of World War attractions/howlin_wolf/blues_festival County School I soldiers who had lost both arms and ($25 at door). 662-494-2573. District Board of Mostly sunny both legs in battle? Full forecast on Trustees, District 5 What factory is on the outskirts of Central Office, 11 page 2A. Milwaukee, Wisconsin? Saturday ■ Answers, 8B Prairie Arts Festival: West Point’s a.m. 37th annual festival features hundreds of Sept. 14: Colum- fine arts, crafts and food vendors, multi- bus Municipal INSIDE ple music stages, Kidsville and more, 9 School District a.m.-4 p.m., downtown West Point. Visit Savannah Britt is a junior and Board of Trustees, Classifieds 7B Obituaries 4A wpnet.org, call 662-494-2573 or follow plays softball at New Hope High Brandon Central 136TH YEAR, NO. 151 Comics 5B Opinions 6A on Facebook for more information. School. Offices, 6 p.m. DISPATCH CUSTOMER SERVICE 328-2424 | NEWSROOM 328-2471 2A FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2015 THE DISPATCH • www.cdispatch.com SAY WHAT? DID YOU HEAR? “I didn’t do enough. I let my team down because I didn’t enough to help us win the game.” East Mississippi Community College sophomore running back ABC Family gets top marks D.J. Law following a 31-24 overtime loss to Copiah-Lincoln on for gay, lesbian inclusiveness Friday Thursday night. Story, 1B. GLAAD report: 74 percent of the programming hours on ABC Family included at least one LGBT character BY DAVID BAUDER ma “Pretty Little Liars,” AP Television Writer where one of the lead characters Emily Fields NEW YORK — The is a lesbian. “The Fos- television network that ters” follows the story of gets the most praise from a lesbian couple. “Chasing an advocacy group that Life” featured a bisexual monitors content featur- woman and a gay man, ing gays, lesbians and although the latter charac- transgender people has ter died of cancer. “Young “family” in its name and & Hungry” and “Mystery targets an audience of Girls” both featured gay teenage girls and young men, and there were a women. GLAAD said in a report number of gays and lesbi- issued Thursday that 74 ans in the supporting cast percent of the program- of “Switched at Birth.” ming hours on ABC Fam- Network viewers are ily included at least one also anticipating the Jan- LGBT character — the uary debut of “Shadow highest percentage any Hunters,” a show based network has recorded on the book series “The since the group began is- Mortal Instrument” that suing content reports in prominently features a 2007. GLAAD studied the gay couple. networks for a one-year Three-quarters of ABC period that ended May 31. Family’s typical audience “We feel it is our re- is female, with a median sponsibility to our view- age of 29, according to the ers to reflect the world Nielsen company. that they live in and it’s a The network is likely to diverse world,” said Kar- be more inclusive partly AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley ey Burke, executive vice because it seeks a young- Edgar Orea, right, preaches to a group of same sex marriage supporters that have gathered outside the Carl D. president of programming er audience, an age group Perkins Federal Building in Ashland, Ky., Thursday. at the Disney-owned net- that is more accepting of work. gays and lesbians, said ABC Family’s numbers Matt Kane, GLAAD pro- were boosted by the dra- gramming director. With clerk jailed, gay Kentucky CONTACTING THE DISPATCH couple gets marriage license Office hours: Main line: n 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon-Fri n 662-328-2424 Husband says wife issued the license, Smith, with a sheriff’s deputy stand- HOW DO I ... Email a letter to the editor? congratulating the ing guard in front of it.