JULY 31, 2009 11:00:00 AM

TIM PRATT

STARKVILLE — The dead old pine tree stands ominous and gray in a section of woods just off the beaten path in the Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge.

Much of the bark has peeled and fallen off and the branches up top are broken and lifeless.

Also nestled at the top, however, in a cone-shaped mass of branches and twigs, sits a Bald Eagle’s nest. The nest is empty this time of year. Refuge officials have come to expect the eagles to return in early winter.

But when the eagles do return to their nesting place later this year, they also will find a new home nearby.

Friends of Noxubee Refuge President Larry Box was on hand with refuge officials and a team of tree climbers Thursday to construct a new nest for the eagles in a tree about 20 yards from the dead pine. The new location is a bit higher and sits in a tree that is still very much alive.

The project is necessary for the safety of the eagles, Box said.

Read complete article at Commercial Dispatch.

JULY 31, 2009 11:00:00 AM

TIM PRATT

STARKVILLE — The Starkville Police Department is continuing to investigate a break-in this week at the Sears store on Highway 12.

The incident happened between the time employees left the store Tuesday night and when they arrived Wednesday morning, Starkville Police Department Capt. Frank Nichols said.

Police were called to the store in University Crossing Shopping Center shortly before 9 a.m. Wednesday when an employee arrived and found glass broken out of the front door, Nichols said. Officers canvassed the scene and found the suspect or suspects had gone through the store’s cash registers, though Nichols was unsure how much money, if any, was stolen.

Police found partial footprints at the scene they think could belong to the suspect or suspects, Nichols said.

Read complete article at Commercial Dispatch.

JULY 30, 2009 10:33:00 AM

TIM PRATT

STARKVILLE — The railroad tracks beneath the University Drive bridge in Starkville are overgrown, littered with garbage and stink of stagnant water.

A Mississippi State University alumni group, however, is looking to rid the stretch of one of those problems next weekend and they want the public’s help.

The local Phi Beta Sigma alumni chapter will be out in force Aug. 8 to pick up trash along the stretch of track, which runs between Stromboli’s and the Starkville Fire Department. The group will meet at 10 a.m. at BankFirst, at the intersection of Lampkin and Russell Streets.

Communications Secretary Antonio Arrington said the group picked the cleanup location after hearing about and seeing all the garbage there.

Read complete article at Commercial Dispatch.

JULY 28, 2009 10:12:00 AM

TIM PRATT

STARKVILLE — The son of a former Starkville Board of Aldermen member is set to be sentenced today in Oktibbeha County Circuit Court for a drug violation that dates back more than two years.

Michael Self, son of former Ward 7 Alderwoman Janette Self, pleaded guilty Monday to the sale or transfer of cocaine. He faces a maximum sentence of up to 30 years in the Mississippi Department of Corrections system and a $5,000 to $1 million fine, Judge Lee Howard said. Sentencing was scheduled for 9 a.m. today.

The charges against Self, 51, stem from an incident on June 2, 2007, when he met with a confidential informant in the area of the Brooksville Gardens housing complex, Assistant District Attorney Charlie Hedgepeth said. The informant was working with the Starkville Police Department at the time, Hedgepeth said.

The informant gave Self $40, then Self left the area and returned with .37 grams of cocaine, Hedgepeth said. Unbeknownst to Self, the informant was wearing a hidden camera, which recorded the entire transaction. Self was arrested shortly thereafter.

Monday wasn’t the first time Self has been in trouble with the law. He has one prior conviction for forgery and another for the sale or transfer of a controlled substance.

Read complete article at Commercial Dispatch.

JULY 25, 2009 8:48:00 PM

TIM PRATT

STARKVILLE – A look at sales tax figures released Friday by the city of Starkville shows revenues are down over the past year.

As of May, the most recent month for which figures were available, the city received $1,098,487.98 in sales tax. This compares to $1,239,757.53 reported by May 2008.

Revenues this year also are less than figures reported in 2006 and 2007. The city received $1,201,600.23 as of May 2007 and $1,140,073.14 by May 2006.

Starkville’s sales tax revenues are split up among five entities.

Read complete article at Commercial Dispatch.

The Greater Starkville Development Partnership, a collaboration of the Chamber of Commerce, Starkville Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Oktibbeha County Economic Development Authority (OCEDA), released guidelines and specifications for a logo/slogan competition for the Starkville community today.

“The purpose of this new logo/slogan will be to help graphically market and promote the community of Starkville. Instead of seeking out a specific graphic design firm, we’ve opened up the opportunity to all members of the Starkville community, including students, MSU faculty, graphic design professionals, and anyone else interested in being a part of this unique opportunity,” said Jennifer Glaze, vice president for tourism development for the GSDP.

Submissions must be made by Wednesday, August 12, 2009, by 5:00 p.m. and will be judged by a panel of Starkville community members. Submissions will be displayed in the GSDP Welcome Center for community viewing from Thursday, August 13 – Tuesday, August 18, 2009, during regular business hours, and guests will be asked to cast their vote for their favorite logo. In the judging process, twenty percent of the final score will represent votes cast by community members visiting the Welcome Center. The winning logo/slogan will be unveiled on Wednesday, August 19, 2009, at 11:00 a.m. in the GSDP Welcome Center. All members of the Starkville community are invited to participate in these events.

Specifications and guidelines are available on the GSDP website at www.starkville.org or may be picked up at the GSDP Welcome Center, located at 200 East Main Street in Starkville. For more information on specifications and guidelines, the application process, or the GSDP, please contact Jennifer Glaze, vice president for tourism development, at 662-323-3322 or jglaze@starkville.org.

JULY 24, 2009 10:12:00 AM

TIM PRATT

With plans for the proposed Lynn Lane multi-use path at a standstill, Starkville officials this week asked the state to keep more than $1.2 million in unspent federal grant money until the project is ready for construction.

The city would have needed to obtain all the necessary rights-of-way, and utility companies would have needed to relocate all their utilities along the proposed route, to meet the Mississippi Department of Transportation’s Sept. 30 deadline, City Engineer Edward Kemp said. The city also needed to have environmental and cultural assessments done by the cutoff date.

But with the deadline approaching, it became obvious the project wouldn’t be ready in time to receive the funding, Kemp said.

Mayor Parker Wiseman Wednesday wrote a letter to MDOT and asked the state to keep the roughly $1.2 million — the city never actually possessed the funds — until the project is “shovel ready.” The grant comes from the Federal Highway Administration, but is being administered by MDOT.

Read complete article at Commercial Dispatch.