AUGUST 22, 2009 10:48:00 PM

TIM PRATT

A Starkville man who went missing Wednesday was found safe and sound Friday in Florida.

Mark Jarrod Wroten, of 202 Greenbriar Street, had hitchhiked from Starkville to the Tallahassee area, where he went to visit a relative who was receiving treatment for an illness, Starkville Police Department Lt. Bill Lott said. He was picked up by Liberty County police Friday and reunited with his father, who also lived in the area, Lott said.

“He just took off down there and didn’t let anybody know,” Lott said Friday afternoon. “But he’s down there and he’s OK and that’s what counts.”

Authorities were concerned because Wroten left Starkville without the medication he takes to prevent seizures. Family members were working Friday to get Wroten his medication in Florida, Lott said.

“I know they were going to get his prescription faxed to a local pharmacy where he could get some of his medication,” Lott said.

Read complete article at Commercial Dispatch.

AUGUST 21, 2009 11:04:00 AM

TIM PRATT

A Starkville man who went missing Wednesday has been located in Florida.

The Starkville Police Department Friday downgraded the report on Mark Jarrod Wroten, of 202 Greenbriar Street, from a missing person to a welfare concern. Wroten, 54, is in Florida to visit a sick relative and has made contact with family members there, Starkville police said in a press release.

He still may be considered as a vulnerable adult since he is not taking his seizure medication, police said.

Read complete article at Commercial Dispatch.

From the Dispatch:

Columbus considers Sunday liquor sales

August 20, 2009 10:11:00 AM

Kristin Mamrack

A majority of the Columbus City Council Wednesday favored changing a city ordinance to allow the sale of alcohol on Sundays and extend the on-premise sale hours of bars and restaurants.

During an all-day council workshop Wednesday, Ward 6 Councilman Bill Gavin, a former restaurateur, suggested allowing Sunday alcohol sales and giving bars and restaurants an extra 30 minutes to sell alcohol.

The council only discussed the matter; no vote was taken.

The discussion came in the wake of Starkville aldermen voting on Tuesday to allow Sunday beer sales, and to petition the state to allow sale of liquor and wine on Sunday.

“We’re trying to find innovative ways to bring in some money for the city, since sales tax has been down,” said Gavin, noting now “strictly beer” can be sold in Columbus on Sundays.

The city’s current ordinance allows for the sale of alcohol only from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. Monday through Saturday.

“I know this gets into a moral issue with a lot of people, but we already have alcohol sales,” he added, suggesting Columbus bars and restaurants be allowed to sell alcohol until 1:30 a.m. “Being a previous restaurant owner, I realize these people do not start making money until 11 p.m.”

Gavin noted extending sale hours (and days) would add substantially to the city’s sales tax revenue, provide “areas to expand restaurant sales” and make Columbus more marketable to professionals considering locating in the Friendly City.

“It also, I believe, will make our city look more progressive,” he explained. “We will now open ourselves to a lot of different restaurants that may locate in Columbus. It’s an avenue that says we’re open for business.

“We’re serving beer on Sundays, so we’re already serving alcohol,” he added.

Ward 5 Councilman Kamal Karriem, Ward 4 Councilman Fred Stewart and Ward 1 Councilman Gene Taylor agreed with Gavin.

Ward 2 Councilman Joseph Mickens and Ward 3 Councilman Charlie Box are opposed to Sunday alcohol sales and extended bar and restaurant sale hours.

“I’ve seen what alcohol can do to a person,” said Box, who noted his father “was an alcoholic.” “I would be totally against selling alcohol on Sundays. I think we’ve got plenty of time for people to drink.”

“It’s totally against my belief,” said Mickens, a pastor.

“I understand it’s going to be a very controversial subject,” Gavin said. “We already have alcohol sales on Sunday. We’re just extending it to a different venue. I’m looking at it strictly from a dollar standpoint.”

“I think most businesses, if you gave them that extra time, would be appreciative,” said Columbus Mayor Robert Smith.

“I strongly feel like we need to look at this thing from more than a financial standpoint,” said Mickens. “You’ve got to look at it from a people standpoint. Are we going to be responsible for lives after 1 o’clock?”

“I think the city’s taking a step backwards when the city does this,” said Box.

The four councilman who favored Sunday alcohol sales also supported allowing bars and restaurants to sell alcohol until 1:30 a.m. and requiring them to close for business by 2 a.m.

City Attorney Jeff Turnage was asked to draw up a working ordinance and then the council will schedule a public forum on the matter.

If the council votes to approve a new alcohol ordinance, it would be submitted for approval by the Mississippi State Tax Commission Alcoholic Beverage Control division.

Kristin Mamrack is a staff reporter for The Commercial Dispatch.

August 20, 2009

by Erin Kourkounis

Two days after the Board of Aldermen approved Sunday alcohol sales, Starkville residents are still talking about the controversial issue.
Proponents of Sunday sales say the revised alcohol ordinance is a progressive move that will lead to economic development.

Jay Yates, chef and owner of The Veranda, said he’s happy to finally see some resolution come out of the long-debated issue.
“I think once this thing gets in place, the conflict will quickly be forgotten,” said Yates, a supporter of Sunday sales.

Former Columbus Mayor Jeffery Rupp, who also supports the revised ordinance, said it shows the positive direction in which the community is headed. “I personally think it is a barometer of the city’s progressive attitude,” he said.

Rupp said the only drawback to the decision is its divisiveness to the Starkville community.

As a local business owner, Yates said very little of the city’s potential has been achieved thus far.
“It is setting us up in a master plan scenario of encouraging smart growth,” he said. “It creates a good environment to expand our retail base.”

As part of that growth, he said more jobs must be created. And if he decides to open his restaurant on Sundays, he would need to hire a whole new crew of employees.

Yates does not yet know if he will decide to open The Veranda on Sundays.
“I’d really like it to be my choice, not someone else’s choice,” he said. “That’s what this country is about.”

Fourth-year Mississippi State University architecture student Chris Estill said with the revised ordinance in place, Starkville will be a more appealing destination for restaurant-owners and national chains.

“It also keeps the sales revenue in our city instead of going to nearby towns,” he said.
Many against Sunday sales cite religious reasons for their opposition.

During Tuesday’s board meeting, Vice Mayor Roy A. Perkins said Sunday sales would not be the best thing for Starkville.
“Money’s not everything. It’s not going to get you to heaven,” he said.

Perkins added that he wishes a law could be passed that would require people to attend church on Sundays.

But Estill said religion should not have been a determining factor in the decision.
“There’s a separation between church and state,” he said. “It’s your own personal decision whether or not you take part in drinking on Sunday.”

Pastor Kenny Hodges of Emmanuel Baptist Church, said in an e-mail that he opposes Sunday sales. But he doesn’t believe that alcohol itself is evil. The Bible never prohibits drinking alcohol, but it does call those who abuse it “fools,” he said.
Hodges said his ideas are firmly based on a “Biblical worldview.”

“I believe God clearly revealed His ideals and gave us many guidelines in the Bible to help us live life to the fullest,” he said. “Abuse of alcohol is one of those areas that does not enhance life but actually diminishes the quality of a person’s life.”

Others, such as Starkville resident Stan Bullington, oppose Sunday sales because they believe it could threaten public safety.
“A serious accident almost certainly will occur late on a Sunday evening,” Bullington said.

Hodges said he doesn’t see any positive aspects of Sunday sales. Negative aspects include the potential for abuse, drinking too much at a restaurant and then driving a vehicle.

The fact that Starkville is a university town also raised concern. Some in opposition of Sunday sales have said it could take a toll on the study habits and well-being of MSU students.

Hodges said many of those who abuse alcohol are young people, a group that makes up much of Starkville’s population.

“It seems to me that those people who drink properly, that is in moderation without getting drunk or impairing their judgment, would have no problem that one day of the week (Sunday) alcohol was not served,” he said. “I think it is unfortunate that we now have another day, for Christians the day of worship, that we now sell alcohol to a group that typically does not handle it properly.”

However, Estill said it’s a matter of self-discipline.

“I think that if you’re a college student that can legally drink, you can make those decisions for yourself,” he said.

Yates said he’s proud of Mayor Parker Wiseman and the board for “showing leadership where it’s needed.”

Thanks to Robbie Ward for posting these videos:

Alderman Jeremiah explains why he supports Sunday alcohol

Aldermen voting for/against ordinance change for Sunday sales

Tim Pratt

Touting messages of progress and development, the Starkville Board of Aldermen Tuesday took another step toward allowing Sunday alcohol sales.
The board voted 4-3 in favor of amendments to the city’s alcohol ordinance which would allow alcohol sales on Sundays. The board also voted 4-3 to petition the State Tax Commission to allow the city to make the amendments.

Only businesses allowing on-site consumption, like restaurants, bars and nightclubs, would be permitted to sell alcohol on Sundays, and only from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., according to the proposed amendments.

The meeting Tuesday wasn’t without its share of controversy. More than a dozen city residents spoke out against the extended hours, along with two of the three opposing aldermen.

Ward 6 Alderman Roy A. Perkins was the most outspoken city official to vote against the amendments. He cited religious convictions and criticized proponents of Sundays sales who say the amendments could lead to more businesses and tax revenue in the city.

“Money isn’t everything,” Perkins said. “It’s not going to get you into heaven.”

During a 10-minute speech, Perkins spoke passionately and at one point drew jeers from some of the residents standing in the back of the packed courtroom in City Hall.

“I wish we could pass a law that would require people to go to church on Sunday,” Perkins said.

The statement was followed by cries of “unconstitutional” and other comments.

But Perkins’ sentiments were similar to those who had criticized the plan during the public hearing earlier in the meeting. Most cited religious and moral concerns, while others were afraid of an increase in drunken drivers and alcohol-related crimes.

Judge Jim Mills spoke out against the change.

“We’re constantly having problems (involving alcohol),” Mills said. “If you take the time to come to court, city or county, you will see the courtroom packed like it is tonight. And 95 percent of it is because of the effects of alcohol.”

Marnita Henderson, the Republican candidate for mayor who lost to Democrat Parker Wiseman this spring, also was opposed to Sunday sales.

“Starkville is a certified retirement community,” Henderson said. “Does the sale of Sunday alcohol help draw new retired residents? I think not.”

Henderson asked the board to put the Sunday sales issue up for a referendum.

“If you feel you must proceed with this, at least let the poeople vote and, if it passes, so be it, but at least it is a community decision,” she said.

Ward 5 Alderman Jeremiah Dumas has been the biggest proponent of Sunday alcohol sales.

“I think the key thing is we have to look at the depth of the issue,” Dumas said. “We can’t make generalized assumptions about crime and these other things.”

Allowing Sunday alcohol sales would give the city a progressive image in the eyes of businessmen looking to set up shop, Dumas said. He also called the city’s alcohol ordinance “archaic” and said the amendments are needed to stay competitive in the global marketplace.

“The reality is we have not yet reached our potential,” Dumas said.

Dumas also acknowledged how divisive the ordinance amendments have become.

“I’ve been called the anti-Christ,” Dumas said.

Ward 2 Alderman Sandra Sistrunk, Ward 3 Alderman Eric Parker and Ward 4 Alderman Richard Corey voted with Dumas in favor of Sunday sales. Perkins was joined by Ward 1 Alderman Ben Carver and Ward 7 Alderman Henry Vaughn Sr. in opposition. The votes were identical when it came time to vote on whether or not to petition the State Tax Commission.