NATHAN GREGORY

Starkville Police Department officials are currently searching for a suspect of an armed robbery which took place Tuesday.

Sammie Bernard Reed, 42, of 1507 Louisville St., allegedly robbed a resident of the Sandhill Arms apartment complex on Louisville Street two days ago. SPD Detective Stephanie Perkins said Reed used a revolver and stole $70 from the victim. Reed was out on bond from an April 6 arrest in which SPD charged him with false pretense. She said Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Office already has a warrant for him not being present at the hearing for that charge. Once he was indicted, he was reclassified as a county prisoner.

Oktibbeha County Chief Deputy Chadd Garnett confirmed Reed was already wanted.

“We have an active warrant for county circuit court where he did not show up,” Garnett said.

SPD Chief David Lindley said Reed is classified as a habitual offender. He was also charged with a robbery in Starkville in September 2011 after stealing money from a man who gave him a ride to a convenience store.
“He’s been sent to the penitentiary before. He’s a lifelong resident of the community and ought to still be in the area,” Lindley said. “He’s facing a severe set of charges, and it would be better for him if he would turn himself in.”

Perkins said residents should take caution as Reed is considered armed and dangerous. Anyone with information of his whereabouts is asked to contact SPD at 662-323-4131 or Golden Triangle Crime Stoppers at 1-800-530-7151.

Read complete article at the Starkville Daily News.

CARL SMITH

A 19-year-old Starkville resident was killed and six other passengers were injured in a single-vehicle accident Wednesday morning on Oktoc Road.

Oktibbeha County deputies responded to the Oktoc/Bluff Lake area approximately 12:11 a.m. Wednesday and discovered a 1999 Ford Explorer overturned 20-30 yards away from the T intersection of Oktoc and Skinner roads. Deputies said seven people were in the SUV at the time of the wreck.

Treasure K. Huffman, 19, of Starkville, was pronounced dead at the scene by Oktibbeha County Coroner Michael Hunt.

Six victims were transported to OCH Regional Medical Center, where three were treated and released. Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Office officials said two victims were transported to Jackson and one to Tupelo.
All three were listed in critical condition as of arrival, the release stated. No further information on the victims’ conditions was available at press time.

Sheriff Steve Gladney said alcohol was present in the vehicle at the time of the wreck and blood samples were taken from each victim.
Deputies did not officially announce the driver’s identity Wednesday due to the ongoing nature of the investigation. No charges have been filed in connection with the wreck, but Gladney did not rule out the possibility.

Oktibbeha County Fire Services Coordinator Kirk Rosenhan responded to the accident along with volunteer firefighters from Oktoc and District 5 volunteer fire departments. He said it appeared the Explorer left the road, went airborne for a short distance and hit a tree almost 70 feet from the intersection. Excessive speed, he said, played a role in the accident.

Read complete article at the Starkville Daily News.

STEVEN NALLEY

Jerry Richardson has taught four different subjects over the course of his 24 years at the Millsaps Career and Technology Center.

Richardson said he has taught information technology for about seven and a half years, but he began with seven years teaching industrial arts, often called shop class, before spending 10 years in a class Millsaps no longer offers called technology discovery, where ninth graders explored 13 different areas of technology.

Now, Richardson has decided it’s time for another change: He will retire at the end of the school year, and Millsaps will honor him together with fellow retiring teacher John Moore at a reception May 10 from 4-6 p.m.
Millsaps Director James Stidham said the celebration is open to the public and the district will later recognize all its retirees, but this is the first time Millsaps has hosted a retirement reception for any employees. Richardson has switched from subject to subject as needed with no complaints, Stidham said, and his flexibility is an asset Millsaps will dearly miss.

“Mr. Richardson has changed subject matter teaching for me on three different occasions and has been very gracious and very capable to move from program to program,” Stidham said. “Mr. Richardson really likes the kids, and he’s a good role model for them as well. Mr. Moore is too.”
Moore said he agrees Richardson is a role model for students, and he does not mind sharing the spotlight with him. He said it feels as if it was only a few years ago he saw Richardson join Millsaps, but that could be because his own career at Millsaps dates back to the building’s creation 40 years ago.

“I think Mr. Richardson is extremely dedicated,” Moore said. “He’s just a good person. We work kind of closely together. He is always supportive and helpful and does a good job with the students, preparing them for the world of work. I’m extremely supportive of him like he’s been supportive of me.”

When he retires, Richardson said plans he will consider include taking two months off, visiting his sisters in Ohio and Colorado, and switching to more casual work in a co-op or a home improvement store. He enjoys teaching, he said, but he wants to get away from lesson plans, lunch duty and bells ringing all day long.

“As a couple other older teachers I know told me, ‘When it’s your time to go, you’ll know it,’” Richardson said. “I love my students … but about a year or so ago, I began to get that sense that it was time to move on to something else. A former colleague of mine said, ‘When you start teaching grandchildren of people you’ve taught, it’s time to go home. I don’t want to get to that point … (but) I’ve had as students children of people I’ve taught. I can’t go anywhere in town without running into a former student.”

Read complete article at the Starkville Daily News.

STEVEN NALLEY

The Starkville Planning and Zoning Commission voted to recommend denial of rezoning 12.45 acres of property west of the Maison de Ville subdivision and approval of First United Methodist Church’s exception from form-based code regulations at its meeting Tuesday at City Hall.
The commission voted 4-1, with Jason Walker against and Jeremy Murdock absent, to oppose the zoning change from C-2 (general business) to R-5 (multi-family, high-density residential) for Georgian Square, a gated, upscale community with structures each containing 3-8 dwelling units for Mississippi State University students.

The commission voted unanimously to grant FUMC’s request to use a building at the intersection of Washington Street and Lampkin Street as a facility for its contemporary worship service, “Pathways.” This request would require the city to make an exception to the form-based codes it passed in January, but it generated minimal discussion compared with Pritchard’s request.

Pritchard appeared at the meeting but left most discussion to his consultant for the project, Richard Ambrosino, Parkway Development Incorporated president. Ambrosino gave an extensive presentation on plans for the buildings and said he hoped the presentation would assuage worries residents of Maison de Ville expressed in letters to the city before the meeting.

Ambrosino said Georgian Square would aim for a higher standard of living than other student housing previously seen in Starkville, with brick where others use vinyl and wood and either gates or high-resolution camera systems around the community, for instance.

The plans also intentionally leave out one acre immediately to Maison de Ville’s west as a buffer zone between the two properties, which will remain a C-2 zone, he said.

Ambrosino said the complex would fill a growing need for student housing MSU is set to generate as its admissions grow. He said even though tuition rates are rising, MSU’s programs will remain a bargain compared with other schools throughout the country.

After the presentation, commission chair Jerry Emison opened the floor to public comment. Four people with ties to Maison de Ville commented in opposition, starting with John W. Hartlein, Maison de Ville Association president.

Harlein said he was concerned about future developers using Georgian Square to justify future R-5 rezonings in the Lynn Lane area for developments at lower standards than the ones Ambrosino presented.
“It’s not about the bricks and mortar … what we’re concerned about is the student housing element and the piggyback effect this is going to have on Lynn Lane and changing the character of the neighborhood,” Hartlein said. “If this were to happen, I’d feel like I’ve been baited and switched. My homeowners are comfortable with what’s there now. It’s incomprehensible and one of my worst nightmares right now that we have student housing right next door to Maison de Ville. I still have lots of houses to build there, and I’m very concerned about that.”

Read complete article at the Starkville Daily News.

NATHAN GREGORY

Funds raised from the 2012 Oktibbeha County Relay for Life eclipsed the $100,000 mark for the first time.

Relay for Life celebrates cancer survivors and raises awareness about the disease. Relay co-chair Barbara Foster said this year’s installment raised $102,000 with more donations still coming in. Proceeds go to the American Cancer Society for research, education and advocacy programs.
This year’s total out gained the amount raised in 2011 by more than $25,000. More than $76,000 was raised last year. Prior to this year’s relay, teams had already raised more than $57,000.

Foster said she is grateful to see the increased participation in and support for the relay each year it is held. She said having more money to provide to ACS means the organization has more to devote toward education, which can help in getting possible victims to recognize warning signs of cancer more quickly.

“(The funds) go for education, research, scientists — just all aspects of everything cancer touches,” Foster said. “Educating people on cancer as far as early detection (is important) because more and more lives are getting saved every day.”

She said in order to raise the bar each year more participation is needed.

“It’s just a matter of getting more and more people involved and getting everybody you know affected by this terrible disease, whether it be family members or friends,” she said. “When I got involved, my sister had breast cancer. I felt like I had to do something. I couldn’t just sit around and do nothing. This is a great avenue for me to participate, get involved and raise money because each dollar I raise makes me feel like I’m that much closer to a cure.”

Read complete article at the Starkville Daily News.

STEVEN NALLEY

Arnita Riley felt helpless on the day her father died. She said she never wanted to feel that helplessness again.

Riley, now an infection control and clinic nurse manager at OCH Regional Medical Center, said there were many reasons she chose to become a nurse, but her father’s death was the deciding factor.

“I felt like if I had known what to do for him, he would not have died,” Riley said. “I wanted to comfort people in their pain and suffering. I wanted to heal.”

Riley is one of several nurses OCH is celebrating for National Nurses’ Week and National Hospital Week, both of which run May 6-12.

According to an American Nurses Association press release, May 12 marks the birthday of Florence Nightingale, regarded as founder of modern nursing. Martha Fulcher, OCH Chief Nursing Officer, said because the two special weeks coincide, OCH is saving its celebration of nursing employees for June 15. The theme, she said, is a surprise.

“In the past, we’ve held various events such as (a) Western day, fiesta and Hawaiian luau,” Fulcher said. “These events always include a great meal along with special entertainment usually provided by ‘prominent’ hospital and nursing employees.”

Riley is not the only nurse at OCH who was motivated to join the profession by a death in the family. Kathleen Hilbun, OCH accreditation officer, said she chose nursing while losing her mother to cancer.

“At her bedside, I saw plenty of good and bad nurses,” Hilbun said. “I challenged myself to show the concern to help others with a sincere heart. My love for dealing with people and public encouraged me.”

To this day, Hilbun said it is still a challenge to comfort families during difficult times like the ones she faced, but the rewards of helping people are worthwhile. Riley said continuing her education to become a nurse was a challenge, but it was worthwhile in the end.

“There were many obstacles in the way, but with God’s guidance and the help of my friends, I was able to get my (nursing degree),” Hilbun said. “I (initially) came to OCH to stay a short while to help my daughter with her new baby. That baby is now 7 years old. I just enjoy working at OCH.”

Another nurse at OCH, Jessie Wall, said the job challenges nurses to be in multiple places at once. Nurses have to work weekends, holidays and nights, she said, and their families often have to rearrange their plans. It can be a difficult career, but she said it’s the one she’s always wanted.

“All I can ever remember wanting to do is be a nurse,” Wall said. “I always wanted to do something to help people. It is important because we make a difference for people. We are here to help teach them how to take care of their babies, breast-feed, how to put a baby in a car seat correctly, etc.”

Lynn Gregg, an acute care charge nurse at OCH, said what challenges her most about the job is not any task she does. The challenge, she said, lies in what she can’t do.

Read complete article at the Starkville Daily News.