ESTABLISHED 1879 | COLUMBUS, MISSISSIPPI CDISPATCH.COM 50 ¢ NEWSSTAND | 40 ¢ HOME DELIVERY MONDAY | MARCH 5, 2018 Local man Columbus water tower gets makeover hospitalized after trying to make own fireworks Tupelo Fire Department Bomb Squad checks home, removes materials DISPATCH STAFF REPORT A Columbus man was hospital- ized Sunday night after he appar- ently tried to make fireworks in his own living room. First responders with Columbus Police Department and Columbus Fire and Rescue responded to a call about a chemical injury at a home on 12th Street North at about 7:30 p.m., city spokesperson Joe Dillon said. The 27-year-old victim was taken to Baptist Memorial Hos- pital-Golden Triangle with non life-threatening chemical burns to his stomach, Dillon said. The man apparently was work- ing with fireworks’ chemicals Deanna Robinson/Dispatch Staff The water tower near the Riverwalk is covered in canvas shrouds Saturday to prevent debris from descending on when some of the material caught surrounding homes while Columbus Light and Water has the 2 million-gallon reservoir cleaned and painted. fire, causing the burns. Two other people in the residence drove the victim to Baptist Memorial Hospi- Columbus Light and Water tal-Golden Triangle. meets with nearby residents See FIREWORKS, 3A to explain projects BY SLIM SMITH [email protected] LCSO searching Hal McClanahan’s neighbor to the north of his home on Second Street for man who cut South has always been pretty quiet. That changed Saturday morning. woman’s throat The hum of compressors and the hiss of the sand blasters could be Victim required heard a couple of blocks away, but McClanahan is taking it all in stride. stitches, will recover “I don’t have any complaints,” Mc- McClanahan Clanahan said cheerfully as he stood in his drive- DISPATCH STAFF REPORT way while the neighboring property received a makeover. Lowndes County investigators The “neighbor” is the towering water tower be- are searching for a suspect in a tween First and Second streets near the Riverwalk. weekend aggravated assault. Columbus Light and Water, which owns the wa- A woman was hospitalized after ter tower, is having the 2 million-gallon reservoir Deanna Robinson/Dispatch Staff a man slashed her throat on Sand Workers begin the process of raising buckets of paint to Road Saturday night, said Lowndes cleaned and painted. the top of the 160-foot-tall water tower near the Riverwalk And this time, McClanahan said, CLW is think- County Sheriff’s Office investiga- in this Feb. 24 photo. Columbus Light & Water, which owns tor Tony Cooper. ing of the neighbors. the water tower, is having the 2 million-gallon reservoir Cooper said the victim and sus- See , 3A cleaned and painted. WATER TOWER pect, who had been dating, were sitting in a vehicle outside the See ASSAULT, 3A Columbus woman pushes for rare disease awareness ‘Rare Disease Week is an important a neurotoxin in the brain, which, depending on severi- reminder for the need to spur innovative ty and treatment, can cause a range of debilitating symp- Shannah Hud- medical research and remove barriers to toms, including hemorrhag- son, left, is es, seizures or death. pictured with groundbreaking new patient treatments’ Emmalyn, now 7, is the her 7-year-old daughter Em- reason Shannah started her BY ALEX HOLLOWAY vealed her daughter, Em- malyn. Shannah advocacy for research on [email protected] malyn, had a rare genetic is a rare dis- rare diseases. ease advocate disorder called Glutaric Ac- Within a few weeks of “We want to give Emmalyn after learning her bringing her newborn daugh- iduria/Acidemia Type 1 (GA- the best life she can possibly daughter suffers ter home from the hospital, 1), which prevents the body have,” Shannah said. “She’s from a disorder from completely breaking incredibly blessed, even with that prevents her Columbus resident Shannah body from proper- Hudson learned something down certain types of amino the disorder—she’s actually ly breaking down was wrong. acids. These partially-bro- the best case scenario for the amino acids. A newborn screen re- ken down acids can work as See AWARENESS, 6A Courtesy photo WEATHER FIVE QUESTIONS CALENDAR LOCAL FOLKS PUBLIC 1 What type of cats sing a song in MEETINGS Today Today: Colum- Disney’s “Lady and the Tramp”? ■ A Community Conversation: The Lowndes 2 According to the makeup commer- bus Historic Community Foundation and CREATE Foundation cial, “Maybe she’s born with it. Maybe Preservation will host a facilitated discussion about Lowndes it’s ___.” Commission, County, the challenges it faces and the efforts 3 What state elected Ronald Reagan 5:30 p.m., City governor twice? underway to address those challenges. Trotter Hall 4 What punk rock band proclaimed, “I Convention Center (lower level) beginning at Jack Clanton March 6: want to be stereotyped. I want to be 5:30. Registration begins at 5 p.m. Sixth grade, Annunciation classified.”? Columbus ■ Guest artist recital: Pianist Alexey 5 What did George W. Bush declare City Council, 5 Trushechkin presents a recital at 7:30 p.m. at High Low war against in a speech on Sept. 20, p.m., Municipal 66 47 2001? The W’s Poindexter Hall, funded by the Leslie Chance of a t-storm Complex F. Threadgill Lecture & Artist Series. Free. Full forecast on March 6: Answers, 6B Trushechkin also presents a master class Tues- page 2A. Caledonia day at 7:30 p.m. Aldermen, 6 p.m., Town Hall Tuesday March 20: INSIDE ■ Guest pianist: Guest artist Jonathan Levin Columbus Classifieds6B Dear Abby 5B and Mississippi State faculty perform at 7:30 City Council, 5 Comics 5B Obituaries 5A p.m. in the Band and Choral Rehearsal Hall on Linda Chandler likes to p.m., Municipal 138TH YEAR, NO. 303 Crossword 4B Opinions 4A the MSU campus. Free. cook and clean. Complex DISPATCH CUSTOMER SERVICE 328-2424 | NEWSROOM 328-2471 2A MONDAY, MARCH 5, 2018 THE DISPATCH • www.cdispatch.com SAY WHAT? DID YOU HEAR? “This is not anything catastrophic.” MSU coach Vic Schaefer, talking about his team’s first loss of the season, a 62-51 setback to South Carolina ‘Black Panther’ is box-office in the championship game of the Southeastern Confer- king for third straight week Monday ence tournament. Story, 1B. BY ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writer Estimated ticket sales for Friday LOS ANGELES — LILAPALOOZA Wakanda’s reign shows through Sunday no signs of waning. “Black 1. “Black Panther,” $65.7 Panther” is king of the box million. office for the third straight 2. “Red Sparrow,” $17 weekend. million. The release from Mar- 3. “Death Wish,” $13 million. vel and Disney brought in 4. “Game Night,” $10.7 $65.7 million domestically million. this weekend, easily outpac- 5. “Peter Rabbit,” $10 ing new releases “Red Spar- million. row” and “Death Wish,” ac- 6. “Annihilation,” $5.6 cording to studio estimates million. Sunday. 7. “Jumanji: Welcome to “Black Panther” has now the Jungle,” $4.5 million. 8. “Fifty Shades Freed,” grossed $500 million do- $3.3 million. mestically after three weeks 9. “The Greatest Show- of release. It’s the third fast- man,” $2.6 million. est film to reach the $500 10. “Every Day,” $1.5 million plateau. million. “Disney is clearly on a roll with ‘Black Pan- boot of the Charles Bron- ther’ showing incredible son action franchise star- strength as it posts the third ring Bruce Willis, was third biggest third-weekend with $13 million. gross of all time,” said Paul “Both newcomers per- Dergarabedian, senior me- formed to expectations but dia analyst for comScore, had to compete in a mar- “and most notably becomes ketplace totally dominated the 10th highest grossing by ‘Black Panther,’” Derga- movie of all time in North rabedian said. America after just 17 days Wakanda’s king may in theaters.” finally be knocked from Fox’s “Red Sparrow,” his box-office throne next featuring Jennifer Law- weekend with the release rence as a Russian bal- of director Ava DuVernay’s lerina-turned-super-spy, “A Wrinkle in Time,” anoth- earned $17 million in its er Disney film that gives first weekend. groundbreaking represen- ABOVE: Willa Greenan, Another new release, tation to African-Americans 12, makes slime during “Death Wish,” MGM’s re- on both sides of the camera. Lilapalooza at Town Creek Farms in West Point Saturday afternoon to CONTACTING THE DISPATCH raise money for 9-year-old Lila Usry, who is fighting Office hours: Main line: leukemia at Mayo Clinic n 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon-Fri n 662-328-2424 in Minnesota. Willa and Email a letter to the editor? Lila shaved their heads HOW DO I ... together during a Face- n [email protected] Report a missing paper? Time call with Lila while she was in the hospital. n 662-328-2424 ext. 100 Report a sports score? n 662-241-5000 Willa’s parents are Daryl n Toll-free 877-328-2430 and Shannon Greenan. n Operators are on duty until Submit a calendar item? LEFT: Graycen Mercier, 5 p.m. Mon.-Fri. n Go to www.cdispatch.com/ 4, dances to live music community during Lilapalooza. The Buy an ad? event supported leukemia n 662-328-2424 Submit a birth, wedding treatment for Lila Usry. Report a news tip? or anniversary announce- Graycen’s parents are Josh and Hannah Mercier. n 662-328-2471 ment? n Download forms at www. — Photos by Deanna Rob- n [email protected] inson/Dispatch Staff cdispatch.com.lifestyles Physical address: 516 Main St., Columbus, MS 39701 Mailing address: P.O. Box 511, Columbus, MS 39703-0511 Starkville Office: 101 S.