ESTABLISHED 1879 | COLUMBUS, MISSISSIPPI CDISPATCH.COM 50 ¢ NEWSSTAND | 40 ¢ HOME DELIVERY THURSDAY | MARCH 23, 2017 O-Kay Foods agrees to close at 5 p.m. The store has been the site of rial Hospital-Golden Triangle, at the time of Tuesday’s inci- Owner bends to pressure from city in wake more than 120 incident reports one of whom was later airlift- dent, for which he has not yet of Tuesday shooting incident in store in the past year, according to ed to University of Mississippi been arrested. City Attorney Jeff Turnage. Medical Center in Jackson. In addition to the early BY ALEX HOLLOWAY Mutee Nagi, owner of O-Kay Councilman Stephen Jones of Columbus Police Depart- closing, Nagi agreed to install [email protected] Foods at 1801 Seventh Ave. N., Ward 5, where O-Kay Foods is ment has named Leronn 24-hour surveillance cameras agreed Wednesday afternoon to located, said there have been Kayshaw Gregory, 25, as a inside and outside the store; A local business owner has begin closing his store at 5 p.m. three shootings in the last two person of interest. Gregory prohibit loitering on O-Kay agreed to restrict his conve- in the wake of a shooting the pre- years at the store. was previously indicted for the Foods’ premises; contact police nience store’s operating hours vious day that injured two peo- Tuesday’s shooting, which January 2016 shooting death of if loitering or suspicious activi- after initial resistance to re- ple. The store had operated from police responded to at 2:15 p.m., Brandon Michael Gordon and ty happens during store hours; quests from city officials. 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. sent two men to Baptist Memo- was out of jail on $100,000 bond See O-KAY FOODS, 7A Two arrested ‘Life’ happens at CMS in December shooting BY ISABELLE ALTMAN [email protected] Deputies with the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office have arrested two men in- volved in a shooting at an occupied vehi- cle back in Decem- ber. Joshua Tate, 21, Tate of 775 Land Road, Apt. 58, is in custo- dy at the Lowndes County Adult Deten- tion Center on two charges of aggra- vated assault man- ifesting in extreme indifference to life. Tenney Deputies arrested him in Columbus Saturday for the alleged shooting. On Sunday, they arrested Cody Tenney, 28, of 76 Atkins Road in Steens, and charged him with accessory after the fact and misdemeanor failure to appear. Deanna Robinson/Dispatch Staff The shooting occurred De- Cory Lucius shocks Levaris Williams by giving him twins during a life simulation game put on by Golden Triangle Leadership cember 24, 2016, after a narcot- group at Columbus Middle School on Wednesday. Due to having twins Levaris had to purchase a larger home, doubling his ics deal gone wrong, according to mortgage. The activity helped the students learn the financial ups and downs of life. documents from Lowndes County Justice Court. Tenney and Tate al- courtesy of Lucius, that he had chil- legedly met up with two other peo- Golden Triangle Leadership group creates fun way dren. Eager to spread the misery, he ple at the Dollar General on High- begged Lucius to inflict some disaster way 12, one of whom stole money to teach eighth graders about hard choices onto O’Neal. “I can’t have kids,” O’Neal said with from Tate. The two victims then BY ALEX HOLLOWAY in the school gymnasium. Lucius, got in their truck and drove off. [email protected] who works with Shelter Insurance in a confident smile. “I’m single.” Tenney then drove Tate to the Starkville, wandered around the gym Lucius had other thoughts. He took intersection of Wolf Road and Nel- ndrew O’Neal thought he was picking out students at random from the sheet of paper from O’Neal’s hand, son Road where they caught up safe. the 100 or so in attendance bestowing and with a few strokes of a marker, told with the first truck. Tate leaned A The eighth-grade Columbus bad news upon them as they worked him he was now married and had a out the window and shot at the Middle School student was part of a their way through the “Game of Life.” child. But that wasn’t all. See ARRESTS, 7A gaggle of children around Cory Lucius O’Neal’s friend had just discovered, See CMS, 8A Mississippi chicken operators keeping watchful eye on Alabama bird flu cases Expert urges local chicken growers to take precautions BY SLIM SMITH Mississippi keeping a watchful eye on, Debbie Law- poultry grow- [email protected] said Tom Tabler, a professor rence, who has ers are taking of Poultry Science for the been keeping precautions Reports of avian influenza, Mississippi State University chickens on against avian or bird flu, in Tennessee and Extension Service. her property flu after two Alabama — including a case Tabler, who has written ex- in Caledonia Tabler cases have in nearby Pickens County — popped up in tensively on the subject based for about sev- Alabama. are something Mississippi on his research at MSU, is en years, confessed she is Dispatch file photo chicken growers should be well-versed on bird flu. See BIRD FLU, 7A WEATHER FIVE QUESTIONS CALENDAR LOCAL FOLKS PUBLIC 1 In Australia, what type of event is a bush- MEETINGS Today March 31: Lown- man’s carnival? ■ Book signing: Mississippi native Mike McCall 2 Which film features these immortal lines — des County Board signs first edition copies of “Catfish Days: “I do wish we could chat longer but I’m having of Supervisors, From Belzoni to the Big Apple,” 3:30-5 p.m. at an old friend for dinner.”? 9 a.m., Lowndes BookMart, 120 E. Main St., Starkville. 3 Who was the Russian Communist leader County Courthouse who launched the De-Stalinization campaign ■ Homecoming recital: Mississippi University April 3: Lowndes in 1956? for Women presents a music student showcase, Brylee Kate County Board of 4 Which Australian media magnate acquired 8 p.m., Poindexter Hall. Free. Kindergarten, Annunciation his first British newspapers in 1969 before Supervisors, 9 entering the U.S. market in 1973? a.m., Lowndes High Low 5 What is the name given to the skin flakes Friday County Courthouse 77 49 similar to dandruff which are shed by animals Sunny ■ Book signing: BJ Hyman of Columbus signs April 4: Columbus during grooming? copies of the Day Zero Series novels, 3-7 p.m., City Council, 5 Full forecast on Answers, 8B page 2A. Books and Boards, 422 Main St., Columbus. p.m., Municipal ■ The Motown Experience: The Leslie F. Complex Threadgill Lecture and Artist Series presents April 10: Lowndes INSIDE The Motown Experience, 8 p.m. in MUW’s Rent County School Business 4A Dear Abby 7B Auditorium. Free tickets required, available at the District board of Classifieds8B Obituaries 5A Tennessee Williams Welcome Center or MUW Of- Trustees, 5:30 Comics 7B Opinions 6A fice of Development and Alumni. Reserve will-call Jennifer Porteous lives in p.m., New Hope 138TH YEAR, NO. 12 Crossword 6B tickets at 662-329-7148. Columbus. campus DISPATCH CUSTOMER SERVICE 328-2424 | NEWSROOM 328-2471 2A THURSDAY, MARCH 23, 2017 THE DISPATCH • www.cdispatch.com SAY WHAT? DID YOU HEAR? “Getting a degree was all I was thinking about.” Former Noxubee County High School standout Javancy Jones, who is completing his senior Hard times for Sears as retailer year at Jackson State. He hopes to be selected notes doubt about future Thursday in the NFL draft next month. Story, 1B. Sears Holdings Corp. said late Tuesday GOING GREEN it lost more than $2 billion last year Columbus Young Professionals held a St. Patrick’s Day BY ANNE D’INNOCENZIO started in the 1880s as a social at Buffalo Wild Wings in Columbus March 17. AND HANNAH WEIKEL mail-order catalog busi- Scene&Seen The Associated Press ness. At a largely empty Sears NEW YORK — Sears, store in St. Paul, Minne- a back-to-school shopping sota, where the available destination for genera- parking far outstripped tions of kids, has said that the number of cars in the after years of losing mon- lot, 85-year-old Jack Walsh ey that there is “substan- and his 82-year-old wife, tial doubt” it will be able Mary Ann, said they have to keep its doors open. shopped at Sears their But it also insisted that its entire lives, buying items actions to turn around its from curtains and window business should help re- treatments to tires and duce that risk. tools. It was still a dramatic “I bought my tools from acknowledgment from Sears and I’ve still got the chain that owns Sears them,” Jack Walsh said. and Kmart stores, which The company known has long held fast to its for DieHard batteries and stance that a turnaround is Kenmore appliances has possible, even as many of been selling assets, most its shoppers have moved recently its Craftsman tool on to Wal-Mart, Target or brand. But it says pension Amazon. agreements may prevent Sears has survived the sale of more business- of late mainly with mil- es, potentially leading to a lions in loans funneled shortfall in funding. through the hedge fund “It’s a sad story. This Colton Merchant, Clay Bowen, Reagan Merchant and Landon Bowen (in front) of Chairman and CEO Ed- is the place that created ward Lampert, but with the first direct to consum- sales fading it is burn- er retail, the first mod- ing through cash.