TIM PRATT

The Starkville Fire Department plans to release an official cause of the fatal Academy Crossing Apartments fire by the end of the week, Chief Rodger Mann said Tuesday.

Mann told the Starkville Board of Aldermen Tuesday night he plans to meet with City Attorney Chris Latimer within the next few days, though he would not elaborate on what the pair will discuss, and hopes to release his theory on the cause of the blaze later this week.

“At this time, I need to have a conversation with the city attorney and hope to be able to bring this to a conclusion by the end of the week,” Mann said.

Mann addressed aldermen Tuesday night after Ward 6 Alderman Roy A. Perkins called him before the board to ask why, after 50 days, the Starkville Fire Department still had not determined what caused the fatal fire on Dec. 28, 2009.

The State Fire Marshal’s Office on Feb. 1st ruled the Academy Crossing blaze “accidental” and eliminated multiple causes of the fire, with the exception of “smoking-related materials.” However, Mann in the past two weeks repeatedly has said Starkville fire officials were still investigating the blaze and was leery to release a possible cause.

“I have seen news reports from some bureaucrats away from here indicating that the cause of the fire may be a cigarette or what-have-you, but you’re the fire chief and this is your town, this is your fire department,” Perkins said to Mann. “Of course, I’m not trying to get involved in your investigation, but I’m bringing this here now because every time I turn around there are constituents and others who are asking me about it. So, either we know the cause of the fire or we don’t know the cause of the fire. We need to put this thing to rest as soon as we can.”

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TIM PRATT

Construction on the long-awaited Oktibbeha County Hospital renovation project could begin as soon as next month.

The Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors on Monday accepted a bid from contractor Brasfield and Gorrie LLC, of Birmingham, Ala., to complete the project at a cost of $23,291,000. The county will meet soon with Brasfield and Gorrie representatives, and architects from Dean and Dean Associates, of Jackson, to finalize plans for the renovation and construction, board President Marvell Howard said.

“At this point, we’ve got to get the architect and the contractor together and sit down and finalize some plans,” Howard said. “We’ll be ready to proceed from there.”

Howard said he hopes construction at the hospital will begin “within the next month or month and a half.”

As part of the renovations, new patient rooms will be constructed and old rooms will be renovated. Additional patient rooms will be located in a new tower the hospital plans to have built.

Among other improvements, the hospital will renovate its birthing suites and, when complete, the facility will feature a state-of-the-art Caesarian section suite and recovery area. Patients also will encounter a new newborn nursery and viewing area, enlarged nurse stations and patient triage and observation rooms.

Plans also include a new drop-off and pickup area for patients and families, new elevators and restrooms, comfortable waiting spaces and new parking decks to make up for spaces lost due to construction.

Read complete article at Commercial Dispatch.

Almost every level of government resents being told from someone up the food chain that they have to do something, but pay for it out of their own pocket. Unfunded mandates can be particularly troublesome at the local level, especially for school districts that have to struggle with less money and more regulations.

Now the school board can see how it feels to be on the giving end by enacting an unfunded mandate with school uniforms.

Requiring uniforms to combat safety is along the lines of needing a new transmission for your car but fixing the problem by getting it repainted.

They are better ways to address the issue. Fences, cameras, more security personnel- all would be more effective than making kids dress alike.

We need better test scores and higher student retention for graduation instead of fretting about collars and khakis. That is what the school board should be concerned with.

TIM PRATT

STARKVILLE — The Mississippi State University Police Department has charged a MSU student from Columbus with aggravated assault for an attack with a cowbell last year at the Egg Bowl.

Brent Morgan Vowell, 23, turned himself in to MSU police Wednesday afternoon, was charged with aggravated assault and released on $5,000 bond. However, the investigation is ongoing, MSU Police Chief Georgia Lindley said.

“(The investigation) continues and there is still a possibility of other charges and other arrests,” Lindley said. “That’s about all I can say at this point, but we’re very pleased that it’s come this far. It was a slow, long process, but very successful.”

The assault took place Nov. 28, 2009 in the north end zone student section of Davis Wade Stadium after the Mississippi State football team defeated the University of Mississippi 41-27.

The victim, a 21-year-old MSU student, was with friends who were wearing Ole Miss gear, MSU Detective Brad Massey said at the time. Some verbal sparring began between the suspect, the victim and his friends, which culminated with the suspect striking the victim over the head with a cowbell, Massey said.

The victim, whom police have not identified, was taken to Oktibbeha County Hospital, where he was treated for a concussion and large gash on his head.

Read complete article at Commercial Dispatch.

JASON BROWNE

The State House of Representatives is back on board in helping Mississippi University for Women move some dead weight.

The House passed House Bill 977 Thursday, which would allow MUW to sell Carrier Lodge. Similar legislation died during last year’s session when the Carrier bill was lumped in with other measures which would have given all state universities the power to sell property without legislative approval. Nora Miller, vice president of finance and administration at MUW, says the omnibus bill met with contention and died.

Now the bill is back and Miller says she sees no obstacles to its passage.

If the Senate passes the bill and it’s signed by the governor, Miller says MUW will use the money to invest in technology or an energy project that could save the school money in the future. Such projects include replacing steam boilers installed in 1956 which are still used to heat some buildings or placing individual meters on buildings which can be monitored and controlled off-site.

“It depends on which hole we need to fill,” said Miller.

Read complete article at Commercial Dispatch.

TIM PRATT

STARKVILLE — As John Outlaw relaxed in the living room of his home Wednesday afternoon on Laurel Hill Road, he smiled when looking back at his 31 years of law enforcement experience.

He recalled joining the Starkville Police Department as a patrolman in 1979 under then-Chief John Gray, making about $690 a month and sometimes going an entire night without receiving a call. Some of his friends started to avoid him because he had become a police officer, and Starkville didn’t have as many of the “big city” problems as it does now, like drugs and the occasional violent crime, he said.

But Outlaw smiled even wider when talking about his future plans.

At 55 years old, Outlaw retired as assistant chief of the Starkville Police Department on Jan. 28 and plans to spend the next few months putting the stress of the past three decades behind him.

Outlaw hopes to travel to see his son, Travis Outlaw, play for the Portland Trailblazers of the National Basketball Association. Travis, 25, has been injured this season, but plans to return to the court shortly after the NBA All-Star break, his father said. The All-Star game is this weekend in Dallas.

The elder Outlaw also plans to travel with his wife, Markeeta, who serves as city clerk, and daughter, 13-year-old Kaehla, and to spend time with his oldest son, John Jr., 32, and nephew, Derrick, 24.

Read complete article at Commercial Dispatch.