Emma Mcrae

Dallas

Education Reporter at The Commercial Dispatch

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Articles

Large tire dump sites suggest business is responsible

2 weeks ago | cdispatch.com | Emma Mcrae

Driving through the backroads of Lowndes County, you’re likely to see fields of grass, an occasional cow pasture and people enjoying their front porches. You might also see tires, maybe even hundreds of them at a time. For the last two months, supervisors have been trying to nail down a solution to the county’s problem with illegal tire dumping. Several dump sites have popped up on private properties throughout the county, including off Nobel Lane, Golding Road and Harrison Road.
Remaining suspects in Artesia robbery arrested

2 weeks ago | cdispatch.com | Emma Mcrae

The three remaining suspects in a Lowndes County assault and robbery are now in custody. Diquavious Gray, 19, of Starkville, Zykeriya Wilbon, 19, of Artesia, and Dekhia Wood, 20, of Columbus, turned themselves in to the sheriff’s office Thursday at the same time, Sheriff Eddie Hawkins told The Dispatch. Hawkins said each will be charged with one count of robbery, but more charges may be added as the investigation continues.
Second defendant in racing death gets 17 years for manslaughter

2 weeks ago | cdispatch.com | Emma Mcrae

The second of two cousins involved in a three-car collision that left a man dead in 2020 has been sentenced. Dustin Wayne Gwathney, 25, of Columbus, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in Lowndes County Circuit Court. Judge Lee “Jay” Howard handed down a sentence of 17 years in the Mississippi Department of Corrections. Five of those years will be suspended, leaving Gwathney to serve 12, Assistant District Attorney Marc Amos told The Dispatch.
Court of Appeals denies discovery request in 2001 assault case

2 weeks ago | cdispatch.com | Emma Mcrae

The Mississippi Court of Appeals has upheld a lower court’s decision to deny providing discovery records to a man convicted in 2001 of cutting a woman with a knife. Appellant Tommy Lee Page was indicted for aggravated assault in early 2001 by an Oktibbeha County grand jury for cutting Karen Hendrix with a knife. He was found guilty at trial of aggravated assault and sentenced as a habitual offender to life imprisonment, according to an appeals court opinion.
Schools gearing up for summer meal programs

2 weeks ago | cdispatch.com | Emma Mcrae

With the end of the school year just around the corner, area school districts are preparing to keep cafeteria doors open next month with the goal of ensuring students stay fed through the summer holiday. For many students, free summer meal programs may be the difference between eating a hot meal for lunch and going hungry for the day.
My Book closes final chapter at Franklin Academy

2 weeks ago | cdispatch.com | Emma Mcrae

When Betty Bryan first walked into Franklin Academy as a student in 1951, one of her aunts was the principal and another was a third-grade teacher. “It was just like being at home,” she told The Dispatch on Monday. “My family was here, and I loved every minute that I was here.
LCSD third-graders outperform state average on reading assessment

3 weeks ago | cdispatch.com | Emma Mcrae

Third-graders in the Lowndes County School District once again scored higher than the state average of 77.3% on the first round of the state reading assessment, with 82.5% of students passing on the first try. While students in the Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District performed lower than the state average, with 69.9% of students passing, the pass rate did increase from last year by 3.6%.
Summer camp season kicks off soon in Golden Triangle

3 weeks ago | cdispatch.com | Emma Mcrae

With the end of the school year right around the corner, organizations across the Golden Triangle are gearing up for summer camp season. A variety of summer camps planned across the region create a range of options for kids to keep busy this summer, from fine arts and cooking to sports and science. At the Golden Triangle Theatre in Columbus, there are three camps on the schedule for June, all designed to expose campers to the ins and outs of theater.
Mississippi School Boards Association to lead superintendent search

3 weeks ago | cdispatch.com | Emma Mcrae

Columbus Municipal School District has tapped the Mississippi School Boards Association to lead its search for a new superintendent. Superintendent Stanley Ellis resigned from his position in April to take a new role in the Humphreys County School District. He agreed to stay on board with the district until July. The board’s decision was between MSBA, who the district has used in the past, and McPherson and Jacobson, a Nebraska-based firm that specializes in superintendent searches.
Ask The Dispatch: How are crowd sizes determined for free outdoor events?

3 weeks ago | cdispatch.com | Emma Mcrae

Thousands packed the Cotton District on May 3 for the third annual Starkville Derby, where organizers estimated a record-breaking attendance of 80,000, topping a headcount of more than 50,000 at the event last year. The same day in downtown Columbus, residents and visitors braved the rain to attend the annual Market Street Festival, which has drawn as many as 30,000 people in the past, Main Street Columbus Executive Director Barbara Bigelow told The Dispatch.