ESTABLISHED 1879 | COLUMBUS, MISSISSIPPI C DISPATCH.COM 50 ¢ NEWSSTAND | 40 ¢ HOME DELIVERY THURSDAY | JULY 14, 2016 CMSD posts D rating for 2014-15 RICKY BALL SHOOTING Lowndes schools keep B; the school district will improve moving 2014-15 School Accountability Ratings Ball family forward. Starkville and Oktibbeha The Lowndes County School District Columbus Municipal School District D scored the highest among Golden Tri- Stokes Beard Elementary B County maintain C ratings angle districts, maintaining its B rating. Sale Elementary B The ratings are part of the 2014-15 files intent BY ALEX HOLLOWAY Franklin Academy C [email protected] school accountability results published by the Mississippi Department of Ed- Cook Elementary D Columbus Municipal School District ucation. They assign each school dis- Columbus Middle School D maintained its D rating, but Superinten- trict a letter based on performance on to sue city Columbus High School C dent Philip Hickman is optimistic that See GRADES, 8A Attorney: Still in preliminary stages WELCOME HOME BY ALEX HOLLOWAY [email protected] Ricky Ball’s fami- ly has filed a notice of intent to sue the city of Columbus. The city con- firmed Wednesday evening that it re- ceived the letter on Tuesday. Ball Ball, 26, was shot and killed by former Columbus Police Officer Canyon Boy- kin on Oct. 16, 2015. His family may sue the city for wrongful death. The Mississippi Turnage Bureau of Investigation conducted a criminal investigation into Ball’s death. MBI sent its findings to District Attorney Scott Colom at the beginning of June. Colom has since sent the case to Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood’s office and requested a special prosecutor. Mose Lee Sudduth, a Vernon, See RICKY BALL, 3A Luisa Porter/Dispatch Staff Master Sgt. Darious Williams and Capt. Justin Cadwell descend the walkway from their flight home arriving at Golden Triangle Regional Airport Wednesday. Clay Co. grand jury Service members return home indicts accused Airmen complete jail escapee deployments in Qatar, Iraq DISPATCH STAFF REPORT BY ALEX HOLLOWAY A grand jury in [email protected] Clay County has indicted an inmate For Air Force Capt. Justin Cadwell, for trying to escape some good bacon is just one of the from jail. small things he’s look- Depriest Gray, 30, ing forward to after INSIDE allegedly escaped returning home to Co- ■ SLIMANTICS: from the Clay Coun- lumbus from deploy- There are no ty Jail on Oct. 14, Gray ment in Iraq. ‘small’ sacrifices 2015. Authorities with the Oktib- “When I asked him in the military. beha County Sheriff’s Department PAGE 6A what he wanted from and the Starkville Police Depart- the grocery store, he ment found Gray on South Mont- gomery Street in Starkville the said ‘good bacon,’” said Cadwell’s wife, Luisa Porter/Dispatch Staff Meredith. “He said he was looking for- LEFT: Meredith Cadwell cries tears of joy upon seeing her husband Capt. Justin Cad- next morning. ward to good bacon.” well after six months of deployment in the Middle East on Wednesday. RIGHT: Mas- Gray escaped by tearing out a See AIRMEN, 7A ter Sgt. Darious Williams will reunite with his family today in Edwards, Mississippi. See ESCAPEE, 8A CLCC holds annual luncheon at Lion Hills Luncheon attendees get marketing of Commerce President Jessie Brous- Joey Bragg said. He add- sard, of Nash- ed that in addition to the ville, Tennes- tips, hear year in review of Chamber see, speaks 30 new members, existing at Lion Hills BY ISABELLE ALTMAN Commerce and a short pre- members became more Center during [email protected] sentation on digital mar- engaged and active in the the annual keting at the Chamber’s CLCC than in previous Columbus More than 150 busi- annual luncheon Wednes- years. Lowndes ness and community rep- day at Lion Hills. At the luncheon, key- Chamber of Commerce resentatives heard a year note speaker Jessica The Chamber recruit- Luncheon on in review of the Colum- ed 30 new members over Broussard, the Southwest Wednesday. bus-Lowndes Chamber of the past year, Chamber See LUNCHEON, 7A Luisa Porter/Dispatch Staff WEATHER FIVE QUESTIONS CALENDAR LOCAL FOLKS PUBLIC MEETINGS 1 What is the process of coating iron Friday July 15: Lowndes with zinc to prevent rusting called? ■ China Circus: Acrobats of China present China 2 The title character in “King Kong” County Supervi- Circus at 8 p.m. in Mississippi University for Women’s was inspired by which animal? sors, Courthouse, Whitfield Hall on campus. For ticket information, call 3 Where did Pete Maravich play col- 9 a.m. lege basketball? 877-212-4462, press 1, ask for Columbus performance. Aug. 1: Lowndes 4 Which MLB pitcher holds the record Tickets: adults $25, children $15, family pass $69. County Supervi- David Easterling for surrendering the most home runs Discounted tickets for MUW faculty, staff and students. sors, Courthouse, all-time? ■ Clay County Relay for Life: Join Relay teams and First grade, Col. Christian Aca. 5 Who wrote “Mary Poppins”? 9 a.m. supporters at 6 p.m. at Sally Kate Winters Park in down- Aug. 8: Colum- town West Point for this county-wide American Cancer Answers, 8B bus Municipal High 89 Low 74 Society fundraiser. Chance of t-storms School District Full forecast on Board of Trustees, page 2A. Saturday Brandon Central ■ Boys & Girls Club Golf Benefit: The Boys & Girls Offices, 6 p.m. Club of the Golden Triangle presents this 14th annual Aug. 12: golf tournament benefit at the Mississippi State Univer- Lowndes County INSIDE sity Golf Course, 1520 Old Highway 82 E., Starkville. School District Shotgun start is at 8 a.m. For entry and sponsorship in- Deborah Gardner is the Board of Trustees, Classifieds 7B Obituaries 5A formation, contact Nadia Dale, 662-418-7285 or email owner of Melange Boutique in District Office, 137TH YEAR, NO. 105 Comics 6B Opinions 6A [email protected]. Columbus. 11 a.m. DISPATCH CUSTOMER SERVICE 328-2424 | NEWSROOM 328-2471 2A THURSDAY, JULY 14, 2016 THE DISPATCH • www.cdispatch.com SAY WHAT? DID YOU HEAR? “The talent level is there and they will be determined to make it back.” Lawsuit seeks to block Fred Francis, a national junior college writer, on East Mississippi Community College’s upcom- charter schools in Mississippi Thursday ing football team. Story, 1B. Bryant: Lawsuit a frivolous attempt by ‘Democrats and their allies’ to A THOUSAND WORDS usurp decisions made by the GOP- majority Legislature THE ASSOCIATED PRESS money but are operated by a state Charter School JACK- Authorizer Board that’s SON — A separate from local school new lawsuit districts and from the state seeks to Board of Education. block char- Mississippi’s only two ter schools charter schools are in in Mississip- Jackson, and a third one is pi, arguing Bryant set to open in the city this that they vi- year. olate the state constitution Supporters say charter by making school districts schools allow for greater share property tax collec- innovation in curriculum tions with schools they and teaching styles. Bry- don’t supervise or control. ant signed the Mississippi Republican Gov. Phil Charter Schools Act of Bryant called the lawsuit a frivolous attempt by “Dem- 2013, and the suit refers to ocrats and their allies” to the law as the CSA. usurp decisions made by “The CSA heralds a fi- the GOP-majority Legisla- nancial cataclysm for pub- ture. lic school districts across The Southern Poverty the state,” the lawsuit says. Law Center filed the suit It says that “as a direct result of the unconstitu- Monday in Hinds County Luisa Porter/Dispatch Staff Chancery Court on behalf tional CSA funding pro- Taraji Jones, 4, helps her great-grandmother Martha J. Stevenson water the plants in the front yard on Dogwood of seven parents who send visions, traditional public Boulevard Wednesday. Taraji is the daughter of Nico Audrey and Tanisha Jones of Columbus. their children to Jackson schools will have fewer Public Schools. The suit is teachers, books and edu- against the Jackson school cational resources. These district, the governor and schools will no longer be the Mississippi Depart- able to provide Missis- ment of Education. sippi schoolchildren the Mississippi leaders divided Charter schools are op- education that they are erated by private, nonprof- constitutionally entitled to it groups. They receive tax receive.” on religious-beliefs law appeal CONTACTING THE DISPATCH ‘Simply stated, all HB 1523 has done is tarnish Mississippi’s Office hours: Main line: n 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon-Fri n 662-328-2424 image while distracting us from the more pressing issues ... HOW DO I ... Email a letter to the editor? BY EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS tally ill and the need to solve our sex should only take n [email protected] The Associated Press state’s financial mess,” Hood said place in such a mar- Report a missing paper? in a statement. riage; and that a per- n 662-328-2424 ext. 100 Report a sports score? JACKSON — Mississippi’s Amid lobbying from Baptist and son’s gender is deter- n Toll-free 877-328-2430 n 662-241-5000 Democratic attorney general said Hood Pentecostal groups, the Republi- mined at birth and n Operators are on duty until Wednesday that he won’t join the Submit a calendar item? can-led Legislature passed House cannot be altered. 6 p.m. Mon.-Fri. and 6:30 - Republican governor in appealing a n Go to www.cdispatch.com/ Bill 1523 this spring in response to It would allow clerks to cite re- 9:30 a.m. Sun. community federal judge’s ruling that blocked last summer’s U.S. Supreme Court a state law on religious objections ligious objections to recuse them- Buy an ad? ruling that legalized same-sex mar- selves from issuing marriage li- Submit a birth, wedding to gay marriage.