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Tuesday | February 5, 2019

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Residents seek Kratom ban in Lowndes

Some state lawmakers skeptical of Kratom's harmfulness, due to lack of data on drug

A Chevron gas station off Highway 45 in Columbus has a street-facing flashing sign advertising the sale of Kratom. A citizen-formed task force asked Lowndes County supervisors to pass an ordinance making the sale of Kratom a misdemeanor. -- Photo by Amanda Lien/

Dispatch Staff

Angela Jourdan has seen firsthand what the addictive, but legal, substance Kratom can do to a family.

During Monday's meeting of the Lowndes County Board of Jourdan Supervisors, Jourdan

By Amanda Lien and Slim Smith alien@; ssmith@

recounted her year-long ordeal, using a packet of 13 chronologically-arranged photographs to illustrate her family's descent from a "perfect life" into fear and violence.

The title page of the document bore simply: 2018.

It began, she told the supervisors, in February, when her husband was intro-

duced to the substance at work as a way to keep him awake during long overnight shifts. By April, it was a $600-to$800 per week habit. By the end of the year, Jourdan had a lifetime restraining order against the man she still calls her "husband and best friend."

"When he started doing this, I start-

See Kratom, 3A

BGC Golden Triangle seeking grant funding for new clubs

Oktibbeha supervisors authorize working with GTPDD to apply for community block grant

By Alex Holloway aholloway@

The Boys and Girls

Club of the Golden

Triangle is pushing

along with prelim-

inary steps to seek

funding for a new

center in Oktibbeha

County. BGC Golden Tri- Williams

angle CEO Nadia

Colom spoke to the

Oktibbeha County

Board of Supervisors

at Monday's meeting

to request support in

seeking a communi-

ty block grant to help

fund the project.

Miller

Colom said the current Oktib-

beha County club, located at Lynn

Lane in Starkville, has been a good

facility. However, the club has seen

growth beyond what the building

can accommodate. BGC Golden

Triangle impacted more than 1,600

children last year, Colom said, and

about 700 of them were in Oktibbe-

ha County.

"We've been in the facility that

we're currently in now for about 16

years," Colom said. "While it has

served a tremendous purpose for us

in being able to see at least 140 chil-

dren each day at the club, this sum-

mer we had a difficult time turning

down 100 more children who could

have been served because we just

didn't have the space."

Colom further noted the

Alex Holloway/Dispatch Staff

Boys and Girls Club of the Golden Triangle CEO Nadia Colom talks to Oktibbeha County supervisors during Monday's meeting. Supervisors unanimously approved allowing the Boys and Girls Club to work with the Golden Triangle Planning and Development District to seek a community block grant for a new Starkville facility.

Starkville facility doesn't have the kitchen amenities to provide hot meals to students, as the Columbus club does.

"The schools have been a tremendous partner so we've been able to do some things in the summer as far as providing breakfast and lunch, but in the after-school hours, it really becomes something that's a challenge for us," she said.

Supervisors unanimously voted to allow Colom to work with the

Golden Triangle Planning and Development District to seek a block grant for funding the club.

"This could be just what we're looking for," District 5 Supervisor Joe Williams said. "We never know until we submit the proposal."

District 4 Supervisor Bricklee Miller said the new club is a "great idea" and encouraged Colom to return to the board once the grant application is submitted.

See Grant funding, 6A

Man arrested

for choking,

punching

woman in car

Suspect held in the

Oktibbeha County Jail

on $15,000 bond

Dispatch staff report

A Starkville man has been arrested for aggravated assault after reportedly choking and punching a female victim.

Police arrested Christopher Harris, Harris 26, on Thursday on suspicion of aggravated assault, possession of a weapon by a felon and a misdemeanor charge of discharging a weapon within the city limits. Harris was arrested on three warrants.

According to an affidavit The Dispatch obtained from Starkville Municipal Court, Harris strangled a female victim with both hands while she was parked, seated and buckled in a vehicle seat. The affidavit says he then used one hand to repeatedly punch the victim in the head while continuing to strangle her with the other.

The incident happened in the early morning hours of Jan. 22 at the Forest Creek Apartments on Louisville Street.

Harris was previously convicted and sentenced to probation for possession of more than 30 but less than 250 grams of marijuana in January 2018.

Harris is being held in the Oktibbeha County Jail on $15,000 bond.

Weather

Jaqueline Mareler Kindergarten, Caledonia

High 72 Low 64 Cloudy, chance of a t-storm Full forecast on page 2A.

Five Questions

1 What men's magazine has awarded its annual Sexiest Woman Alive title to Kate Beckinsale, Halle Berry and Charlize Theron? 2 A baby vampire bat lives on its mother's -- blood, milk or saliva? 3 What musical workout program was created by Judi Sheppard Missett? 4 What native rodent is an important source of protein for many Peruvians? 5 According to Fountains of Wayne, whose mom "has got it goin' on"?

Answers, 6B

Inside

Classifieds 6B Comics 5B Crossword 6B Dear Abby 5B

Health 6A Obituaries 5A Opinions 4A

Calendar

Today through Saturday

"The Heiress": Starkville Community Theatre presents this stirring costume drama about a young woman in the Victorian Age challenging strictures placed on her life by society and a domineering father. Show times are 7:30 p.m. at Playhouse on Main, 108 E. Main St., Starkville. Limited seating; contact the box office for reservations, 662-323-6855.

Wednesday

WWII talk: Military historian Stephen Bourque discusses his book "Beyond the Beach," on impacts of Allied bombings on French cities before and during Normandy landings on June 6, 1944, at 3:30 p.m. in MSU's Mitchell Memorial Library Grisham Room. Free to the public. For information, call 662- 325-3604.

Local Folks

Stacy Jones is an avid CrossFitter.

DISPATCH CUSTOMER SERVICE 328-2424 | NEWSROOM 328-2471

Public meetings

Today: Board of Aldermen, 5:30 p.m., City Hall Feb. 12: Planning and Zoning Commission, 5:30 p.m., City Hall Feb. 12: Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District Board of Trustees, 6 p.m., Greensboro Center Feb. 15: Board of Aldermen work session, 5:30 p.m., City Hall Feb. 18: Board of Supervisors, 5:30 p.m., Oktibbeha County Courthouse

2A TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2019

Did you hear?

Super Bowl reaches 100.7M people, down from 2018

Game traditionally the most-watched television event of the year in the U.S.

DAVID BAUDER AP Media Writer

PASADENA, Calif. -- The New England Patriots' competitive but action-starved Super Bowl victory over the Los Angeles Rams was seen by 100.7 million people on television and streaming services, the smallest audience for football's annual spectacle in a decade.

A boycott by disgruntled New Orleans Saints fans, a campaign by fans of quarterback Colin Kaepernick and a game with only one touchdown combined to shrink the audience. On CBS alone, the game was seen by 98.2 million people, compared to 103.4 million who watched on NBC last year, according to the Nielsen company.

Since reaching a peak of 114.4 million viewers for the Patriots' 2015 victory over the Seattle Seahawks, the Super Bowl audience has slipped each year since. The Super Bowl is traditionally the mostwatched television event of the year in the U.S., and its audience hadn't dipped below 100 million since the Pittsburgh Steelers-Ar-

izona Cardinals game in 2009.

CBS dealt with a city that held a major grudge. Many fans in New Orleans, where the hometown Saints were victimized by a blown referee's call toward the end of its loss to the Rams in the NFC championship, skipped the game entirely. Preliminary ratings from New Orleans showed that Super Bowl viewership this year was half what it was in 2018.

New Orleans' Times Picayune newspaper printed a mostly blank front page on Monday with the words, "Super Bowl?" What Super Bowl?"

The newspaper asked, "you think the NFL is sad that the Saints weren't in it to spice up the night?"

There was also a campaign on Twitter by people who said they would not watch the game because of Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback who hasn't been able to land a job in the NFL since leading demonstrations in protest of police treatment of minorities.

The Dispatch ?

Tuesday

Say What? "On paper, this team has a chance to be

really good offensively."

MSU softball coach Vann Stuedeman said in assessing her team before the start of

the season. Story, 1B.

Trump to call for unity, face

skepticism in State of Union

"You're also going to see the president call on Congress and say, `Look, we can either work together and get great things done or we can fight each other and get nothing done'"

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders

By JULIE PACE AP Washington Bureau Chief

WA S H I N G T O N -- The White House says President Donald Trump will call for optimism and unity in his State of the Union address, using the moment to attempt a reset after Trump two years of bitter partisanship and deeply personal attacks.

But will anyone buy it? Skepticism will emanate from both sides of the aisle when Trump enters the House chamber for the prime-time Tuesday address to lawmakers and the nation. Democrats, emboldened after the midterm elections and the recent shutdown fight, see little evidence of a president willing to compromise. And even

the president's staunchest allies know that bipartisan rhetoric read off a teleprompter is usually undermined by scorching tweets and unpredictable policy maneuvers.

Still, the fact that Trump's advisers feel a need to try a different approach is a tacit acknowledgment that the president's standing is weakened as he begins his third year in office.

The shutdown left some Republicans frustrated over his insistence on a border wall, something they warned him the new Democratic House majority would not bend on. Trump's approval rating during the shutdown dipped to 34 percent, down from 42 percent a month earlier, according to a recent survey conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders indicated the president would highlight what he sees as achievements and downplay discord.

"You're going to continue see the president push for policies that help continue the economic boom," Sanders said Monday night while appearing on "Hannity" on Fox News. "You're also going to see the president call on Congress and say, `Look, we can either work together and get great things done or we can fight each other and get nothing done.' And frankly, the American people deserve better than that."

But Washington's most recent debate offered few signs of cooperation between Trump and Democrats. Under pressure from conservative backers, Trump refused to sign a government funding bill that did not include money for his long-sought border wall. With hundreds of thousands of Americans missing paychecks, Trump ultimately agreed to reopen the government for three weeks to allow negotiations on border security to continue.

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Physical address: 516 Main St., Columbus, MS 39701 Mailing address: P.O. Box 511, Columbus, MS 39703-0511 Starkville Office: 101 S. Lafayette St. #16, Starkville, MS 39759

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Periodicals postage paid at Columbus, MS POSTMASTER, Send address changes to: The Commercial Dispatch, P.O. Box 511, Columbus, MS 39703 Published by Commercial Dispatch Publishing Company Inc.,

516 Main St., Columbus, MS 39703

FIVE-DAY FORECAST FOR THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE

Turmoil over governor tests Democrats' zero-tolerance policy

`We can't call out Donald Trump, we can't call out Steve King, if we're not walking the talk'

Karine Jean-Pierre of MoveOn

The Associated Press

The denunciations began within hours of the disclosure that Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam's medical school yearbook page featured a person in blackface standing next to a person in a Ku Klux Klan outfit. Democratic activists and presidential contenders quickly called for his resignation. By the time the Democratic governor held a press conference to defend himself, both the national and state party had also demanded he leave.

Northam has refused to step down so far -- he says he's not in the photo. But the pressure he faces highlights his party's insistence on policing its own when it comes to wrongdoing related to race and, in some cases, sexual misconduct. As the Republican Party has frequently shied away from disciplining or expelling its own members, Democrats have largely embraced a hard line.

That stance allows Democrats to draw a stark contrast with Pres-

ident Donald Trump and other Republicans who have made racist or sexist remarks. It's also a response to the demands of an increasingly diverse Democratic Party whose staunchest supporters are African-Americans and women, whose last president was a black man and who has two black people, one Latino and several women running for president.

"We can't call out Donald Trump, we can't call out Steve King, if we're not

walking the talk," said Karine Jean-Pierre of MoveOn, a group founded in the late `90s to fight impeachment proceedings against President Bill Clinton over his affair with a White House intern.

The contrast with King, an Iowa Republican congressman, is one Democrats are eager to make. King had a long history of controversial rhetoric about immigrants, but it wasn't until he defended white supremacy in an interview with The New York Times last month that Republicans in Congress moved to strip him of committee assignments and called for his resignation.

Prosecutors subpoena Trump's inaugural committee

The Associated Press

NEW YORK -- Federal prosecutors in New York issued a subpoena Monday seeking documents from Donald Trump's inaugural committee, furthering a federal inquiry into a fund that has faced mounting scrutiny into how it raised and spent its money.

Inaugural committee spokeswoman Kristin Celauro told The Associated Press that the committee had received the subpoena and was still reviewing it.

"It is our intention to cooperate with the inquiry," she said.

A second spokesman, Owen Blicksilver, declined to answer questions about which documents prosecutors requested. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Man-

hattan, which issued the subpoena, declined to comment.

The investigation is the latest in a series of criminal inquiries into Trump's campaign and presidency. Special counsel Robert Mueller is looking into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia and whether the president obstructed the investigation. In a separate case in New York, prosecutors say Trump directed his

personal lawyer Michael Cohen to make illegal hush-money payments to two women as a way to quash potential sex scandals during the campaign.

The Wall Street Journal, citing a copy of the subpoena, reported that prosecutors asked for "all documents" related to the committee's donors and vendors, as well as records relating to "benefits" donors received after making contributions.

TONIGHT

Cloudy, some rain and a t-storm late

62?

WEDNESDAY

Mostly cloudy with a shower in spots

75? 64?

THURSDAY

Periods of sunshine; rain at night

76? 33?

FRIDAY

Cooler with decreasing clouds

48? 27?

SATURDAY

Some sun

50? 39?

ALMANAC DATA

Columbus Monday

TEMPERATURE HIGH LOW

Monday Normal Record

64?

47?

57?

34?

76? (2008) 13? (1970)

PRECIPITATION (in inches)

Monday

0.12

Month to date

0.12

Normal month to date

0.79

Year to date

6.59

Normal year to date

6.15

TOMBIGBEE RIVER STAGES

In feet as of 7 a.m. Mon.

Flood

24-hr.

Stage Stage Chng.

Amory

20 11.96 +0.30

Bigbee

14 5.57 +0.93

Columbus

15 6.30 -0.11

Fulton

20 9.20 -0.17

Tupelo

21 1.92 none

LAKE LEVELS

In feet as of

24-hr.

7 a.m. Mon. Capacity Level Chng.

Aberdeen Dam 188 163.57 -0.32

Stennis Dam 166 136.93 -0.32

Bevill Dam

136 136.53 +0.13

SOLUNAR TABLE

The solunar period indicates peak feeding times for fish and game.

Major Minor Major Minor

Tue. 12:41p 6:56a 1:07p 7:18p Wed. 1:33a 7:43a 1:54p 8:05p

Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ?2019

Shown are tomorrow's noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.

Showers T-Storms Rain Flurries Snow

Ice

Cold

Warm

Stationary

Jetstream

-10s -0s 0s 10s 20s 30s 40s 50s 60s 70s 80s 90s 100s 110s

City

Atlanta Boston Chicago Dallas Honolulu Jacksonville Memphis

WED Hi/Lo/W

71/59/c 39/33/s 36/33/c 77/57/t 80/68/c 77/56/pc 73/67/r

THU Hi/Lo/W

77/52/pc 41/38/r 40/14/r 60/26/c

81/67/pc 78/56/pc

71/27/t

City

Nashville Orlando Philadelphia Phoenix Raleigh Salt Lake City Seattle

WED Hi/Lo/W

72/65/r 79/60/pc

43/37/r 57/35/c 73/62/pc 30/16/c 38/24/pc

THU Hi/Lo/W

73/29/pc 81/60/pc

53/46/r 57/39/s 76/61/pc 29/14/pc 41/29/c

Weather(W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice.

SUN AND MOON

TUE

Sunrise

6:48 a.m.

Sunset

5:28 p.m.

Moonrise 7:24 a.m.

Moonset

6:20 p.m.

WED

6:47 a.m. 5:29 p.m. 7:58 a.m. 7:15 p.m.

MOON PHASES

FIRST FULL LAST NEW

Feb 12 Feb 19 Feb 26 March 6

@ MSU SPORTS BLOG

Visit The Dispatch MSU Sports Blog for breaking Bulldog news: msusports

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2019 3A

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CHS seniors volunteer for elementary mentoring pilot program

BY MARY POLLITZ mpollitz@

Typically, after Columbus High School senior Jordan Harris finishes his British Literature class at East Mississippi Community College, he heads home for the day.

For the rest of the school year, though, Harris will drive to his former elementary school, Fairview Elementary, to mentor younger students Mondays through Thursdays. Harris, along with nine other volunteers, will spend the next semester at Fairview Elementary and Franklin Academy leading the PALS (partners in active learning and support) program at Columbus Municipal School District.

"I was thinking how it would have been nice to have someone there to help me out at school be-

Mary Pollitz/Dispatch Staff

Columbus High School senior Jordan Harris helps Cameron Mitchell, 11, with subtraction and addition Monday afternoon at Fairview Elementary. Harris, along with nine other CHS seniors, will mentor small groups of students at Franklin Academy and Fairview Elementary with the partners in active learning and support (PALS) program over the course of this semester.

fore I got home," Harris said. "It would be really nice if I could be there for these kids."

Laurie Davis, a counselor at McKellar Technology Center, is spearheading the mentorship program for high school students who are taking dual enrollment courses.

"They have pretty much taken all the high school classes, a lot of them are taking full-time college classes," Davis said. "They had some time throughout the day that they weren't taking classes. I got to thinking, this would be a way to give back to our school

and the community." The PALS program

started Monday afternoon with five high school students volunteering at both Franklin and Fairview.

Fairview Principal Ben Alexander said he used benchmark assessment scores to gauge which students need specialized attention. Each mentor will work with one to two elementary students each day for about 90 minutes -- focusing first on class assignments with the hope of building a rapport with the elementary students that transcends academics.

"It's going well right now," Alexander said. "It's easier for kids sometimes, to connect with people they consider their peers. Sometimes they look at us like we are adults. When you are a little bit younger and on their level, there

can be a deeper connection there. So what we are hoping is that connection will help those students behaviorally and academically as well and maybe make sure those students reach their full potential."

Fifth grade student Cameron Mitchell, 11, worked with Harris on a math assignment Monday afternoon.

"It's nice because he could have been at home doing what he wants to do," Mitchell said. "But he's helping us get our grades up and sometimes I do need help with math."

Alexander said he is excited for his students to have those mentorships.

Davis said the elementary school principals are in charge of choosing students and class assignments for the high school mentors.

"They're mentoring them and helping them academically," Alexander said. "We will take any help we can get. These (mentors) have a good academic background and to have them come in and help our students is a good resource."

Though in the early stages, Davis said she hopes to have more students volunteer next year to help all elementary schools within the district.

Kratom

Continued from Page 1A

ed doing research," Jourdan told supervisors. "I found that 65 to 70 percent of stores in Lowndes County sell (Kratom). And that's scary. That's wrong."

Jourdan and other members of a community-based drug and crime task force appeared before supervisors to ask them to pass an ordinance making it a misdemeanor offense to sell Kratom in any form within the county limits. If passed, Lowndes County would be one of six Mississippi counties to criminalize the substance.

Kratom is a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia, with leaves containing two addictive compounds -- mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine -- that interact with opioid receptors in the brain, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

There is no minimum age to purchase Kratom. It is sold in convenience stores as a .25-ounce bottled liquid, similar to an energy shot, or as an e-cigarette cartridge. There are also capsuled and powdered versions of the substance available online from major retailers such as .

Jourdan and Lt. Eddie Hawkins with the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, who also spoke at the meeting, fear that the accessibility of the substance will raise addiction rates.

"We've already heard about student athletes in high schools using (Kratom) to improve athletic performance," said Hawkins. "And it's hard to tell them that it's a dangerous substance because why would you stop taking it when it makes you feel good and perform well?"

Hawkins fears a lack of available information about Kratom will discourage legislation against the substance. Aside from statistics collected by the Food and Drug Administration in 2017, little to no data exists on the distribution, purchase and usage of Kratom at the national, state or county level.

"We do know there are something like 44 deaths the FDA has linked partially to Kratom," Hawkins said. "But that's it. There isn't even enough data and research about the effects, or about overdose treatments."

Supervisors voted to hold a public hearing on the ordinance next month during a regularly scheduled supervisor's meeting. Board president Harry Sanders told The Dispatch he expects the ordinance will pass.

Inside

n OUR VIEW: Drawing the line between pain management and addiction. Page 4A

"I think we're all ready to vote on it," he said. "And after the public has a chance to comment, we will."

State legislation

While supervisors and Columbus city councilmen only have the authority to make the sale of Kratom a misdemeanor, the Mississippi Legislature can add Kratom to its list of Schedule 1 narcotics, which would make its sale a felony.

A House bill (HB 1168 filed by Rep. Jeff Smith of Lowndes County) has been filed to make Kratom a Schedule 1 drug in this year's session, something Sen. Chuck Younger (RColumbus) tried unsuccessfully to get passed in the Senate last year.

Younger had never heard of Kratom until last year, when Monica Flowers, director of Last House on the Block for Women, approached him about the substance.

"She said a lot of the women there were really having trouble with this stuff," said Younger. "So I proposed the bill."

Younger's bill died in the Senate's Drug Policy committee.

"The chairman of the committee, David Jordon, was really behind it, but some senators got calls from people saying it was great for pain relief," Younger said. "That's bull. It's just another way to get high, in my opinion."

This session, Younger said he hoped to attach his bill to opioid legislation presented by Sen. Sally Doty (R, Brookhaven). Doty told The Dispatch on Monday she is reluctant to agree.

"I'm on the drug policy committee and I remember Chuck's bill coming up last year," Doty said. "My feeling is there wasn't enough information for me to be comfortable supporting it. I do know a lot of constituents said that (Kratom) was really providing some pain relief for them. Again, I think we need more information."

Another avenue is to add Kratom to the list of Schedule 1 drugs that are added during committee meetings.

"We haven't met as a committee yet, but every year there are new drugs that come up," Doty said. "It's possible that Kratom could be added to the list of scheduled drugs."

Flowers told The Dispatch Kratom has been around for "four or five years" and several of her residents have grown dependent on the drug.

"A lot of these women

are opioid or heroin addicts," she said. "For them, it gives them the same high and it's legal and easy to get here."

Flowers said Kratom had become such a problem that they began using more sophisticated drug tests to detect Kratom.

"Most tests don't detect it, so we started sending our tests to a lab that does more extensive testing," she said. "Since then, we've had several residents who've failed tests for Kratom. It's a serious problem."

4A TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2019

Opinion

DThe

ispatch

BIRNEY IMES SR. Editor/Publisher 1922-1947 BIRNEY IMES JR. Editor/Publisher 1947-2003 BIRNEY IMES III Editor/Publisher 1998-2018 PETER BIRNEY IMES Editor/Publisher ZACK PLAIR, Managing Editor BETH PROFFITT Advertising Director MICHAEL FLOYD Circulation/Production Manager MARY ANN HARDY Controller

Our View

Drawing the line between pain management and addiction

Until Monday' s meeting, it was obvious that the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors had never heard of Kratom, although those in the addiction recovery field have been dealing with the effects of the product for years.

Kratom comes from a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia, whose leaves contain two addictive compounds that interact with opioid receptors in the brain, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

There is no minimum age to purchase Kratom. It is sold in convenience stores as a ? oz. bottled liquid, similar to an energy shot, or as an e-cigarette cartridge. There are also capsuled and powdered versions of

the substance available online. Monday, supervisors heard

from a parade of speakers -- including a woman who said her life was ruined by her husband's abuse of Kratom, law enforcement official and medical professionals -- all urging the supervisors to pass an ordinance making the sale of Kratom a misdemeanor ? the maximum punishment a municipality can prescribe.

A bill to make the sale of Kratom a felony authored by Chuck Younger last year, died in committee, which probably underscores the difficulty in determining where legitimate pain relief ends and recreational use begins.

For some, Kratom is seen as a legitimate means of

pain management or a super-strength energy drink. For others, it's viewed as a legal substitute for heroin and other forms of opiates. A legal high, is the way Younger describes it.

In either case, those who spoke before the supervisors Monday say it has the potential for addiction.

Kratom is part of a larger debate that pits the legitimate need to relieve pain against the potential of abuse and addiction.

By their nature, substances powerful enough to effectively treat chronic pain are likely to create dependence, which is only a step away from addiction.

But not all pain-relief sub-

stances have the same potential for abuse.

Also in this session, legislators are considering a bill that would legalize medical marijuana, a measure 33 states and the District of Columbia have already approved.

Although there is some evidence that marijuana can be addictive in some cases, most people who use marijuana do not develop the sort of dependence generally associated with drugs such as heroin and other opiates. Withdrawal symptoms are generally mild among those who stop using marijuana.

What we all should be able to agree on is that, first, people suffering chronic pain should have access to pain-relief un-

der a doctor's supervision. Rest assured, those who argue most strenuously for banning powerful forms of pain-relief are not subject to the chronic pain that many people legitimately need, potential for dependence/addiction aside.

We can also agree that addiction is a scourge on our society and all practical measures should be taken to prevent it.

Almost 100 years ago, British essayist G.K. Chesterton observed that "art, like morality, consists of drawing a line somewhere."

What our elected officials are now grappling with is drawing the line between pain-management and addiction.

It matters very much where that line is drawn.

Letter to the editor

Voice of the people

Comments on Triplett letter

I read Mr. Triplett's response to my letter, and it seems he is threatened by a Muslim, trans-gender, or atheist running for office and holding office. Isn't this America where everyone is allowed to participate in the process? I myself welcome diversity in our elected officials as this allows for differing views and perspectives. He is afraid these people from diverse backgrounds will further their agendas. How funny this is since daily I am pelted with right wing politicians furthering their own agendas with ridiculous laws meant to disenfranchise the minorities and anyone who doesn't agree with their views. I'm not pleased with this, but I realize that unfortunately personalities become more important than principles and adherence to the constitution for some people. We are not all bigoted and close minded in this country nor in this city nor in this state. Please broaden your horizons! Travel around and speak to people and observe their lifestyles. Mr. Triplett is threatened by CHANGE. Education system usurped by Communists? Please! The education system encourages free thought and of course that also threatens the close-minded. It saddens me to think there are people out there like Mr. Triplett. Fear mongering by the religious right has them scared to death of diversity. How sad.

Jerry M Fortenberry Columbus

Today in history

Today is Tuesday, Feb. 5, the 36th day of 2019. There are 329 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Feb. 5, 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed increasing the number of U.S. Supreme Court justices; the proposal, which failed in Congress, drew accusations that Roosevelt was attempting to "pack" the nation's highest court.

On this date:

In 1917, Mexico's present constitution was adopted by the Constitutional Convention in Santiago de Queretaro. The U.S. Congress passed, over President Woodrow Wilson's veto, an act severely curtailing Asian immigration.

In 1918, during World War I, the Cunard liner SS Tuscania, which was transporting about 2,000 American troops to Europe, was torpedoed by a German U-boat in the Irish Sea with the loss of more than 200 people.

In 1958, Gamal Abdel Nasser was formally nominated to become the first president of the new United Arab Republic (a union of Egypt and Syria which lasted until 1961).

In 1971, Apollo 14 astronauts Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell stepped onto the surface of the moon in the first of two lunar excursions.

In 1983, former Nazi Gestapo official Klaus Barbie, expelled from Bolivia, was brought to Lyon (leeOHN'), France, to stand trial. (He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison -- he died in 1991.)

-- The Associated Press

State of the nation

Sacrificing Northam will not be enough

"Once that picture with

Other Democrats are

the blackface and the Klans-

saying that even if Northam

man came out, there is no

is not in the "racist" photo,

way you can continue to be

he admitted to putting shoe

the governor of the com-

polish on his face, to imitate

monwealth of Virginia."

Michael Jackson and his

So decreed Terry McAu-

moonwalk, for a 1984 dance

liffe, insisting on the death

contest.

penalty with no reprieve for

To some Democrats,

his friend and successor

third-trimester abortions

Gov. Ralph Northam.

are a step forward for wom-

Et tu, Brute?

en's rights. Gov. Andrew

Yet Northam had all but Patrick Buchanan Cuomo was cheered in

sworn Saturday he had no

Albany for enacting a law

knowledge of the 1984 year-

to guarantee late-term

book photo and that he was not either abortions should Roe v. Wade be over-

man in the photo.

turned.

McAuliffe, who is considering a run

By week's end, Virginia Democrats

for president, joined Kamala Harris,

were bewailing the "horrible" history

Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders,

of their state, where, in 1619, the first

Cory Booker, Julian Castro and Joe

slave ship arrived at Point Comfort

Biden in the pile-on. All had washed

with men and women from Africa who

their hands of Northam.

would work the plantations until the

That a moderate Democratic gover- Civil War ended, 250 years later.

nor is near friendless in a fight for his

One cannot rewrite history.

life reveals much about the Democratic

Four of America's first six pres-

Party.

idents -- Washington, Jefferson,

Earlier last week, Northam was at Madison, Monroe -- were Virginians.

the center of another blazing controver- All were slave owners. Richmond, the

sy. He had backed legislation to permit capital of Virginia, was the capital of

abortions up to birth.

the Confederacy. The commander in

And then he volunteered that, if a

chief of the Confederate armies was a

child were born after a botched abor- Virginian, Robert E. Lee.

tion, the "infant would be resuscitated

Northam attended Virginia Mili-

if that's what the mother and the family tary Institute, where Thomas Jona-

desired, and then a discussion would than ("Stonewall") Jackson had been

ensue between the physicians and the Instructor of Artillery. The VMI cadet

mother."

corps fought proudly in the Battle of

Northam seemed to be not only

New Market.

endorsing third-trimester abortion,

The most memorialized of Virginia's

but infanticide, "mercy killing," the

heroes, in its monuments and statues,

murder of a living but wounded baby are colonists, Revolutionary War and

after birth. A public outcry forced the Confederate soldiers and statesmen,

legislature to back off the bill.

and 19th- and 20th-century senators

Then the photo from the yearbook and governors. Almost all supported

of Eastern Virginia Medical School

slavery or segregation.

surfaced. Yet, in term of moral gravity,

When the Warren Court outlawed

which is worse?

segregation in 1954, Virginia and the

Public advocacy of late-term abor- South replied with the Dixie Manifesto,

tions with an option to execute babies declaring open defiance and "mas-

who survive, or a stupid and insensitive sive resistance" to the court order to

35-year-old photo of two beer-drinking integrate.

guys, one dressed up in Klan costume,

Not until Nixon's presidency was the

the other in blackface.

order carried out.

In recent years, there has been a running debate about what kind of country America is.

Is she a blood and soil nation, a separate people, with their own unique history, heroes, holidays, language, literature, myths and music? Or is America a propositional nation, united solely by its values, whose mission it is to transmit these values to mankind?

The question raised this weekend, however, is even more divisive.

Is America a good country, or has she, like Virginia, such a past of sins and crimes as to make her eternally ashamed and for which she should make eternal amends? Does America owe the world?

Should Western civilization be held responsible for what it has done through the centuries to persons of color the world over? Should we conduct a purging of monuments to all of America's "white racists," as antifa and its allies are determined to do in Virginia?

The Democratic Party may believe that by throwing Northam to the wolves it will satisfy these forces. It won't.

We are at the beginning of a Kulturkampf to purge America of all monuments and tributes to the white males who created, built and ruled the country, and once believed that they, their nation, their faith, and their civilization were superior to all others. And, without apology, they so acted in the world.

Those two guys drinking beer in blackface and Klan robes and a hood thought they were being funny, but to the unamused members of a radicalized Democratic Party, there is nothing funny about them.

And, after Northam, these intolerant people will demand that the Democratic Party nominate a candidate who will echo their convictions about America's past.

Patrick J. Buchanan, a nationally syndicated columnist, was a senior advisor to presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan. His website is .

The Dispatch ?

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2019 5A

US officials fear IS fighters are lying low, not defeated

Military officials warn the fighters could regroup within six months to a year after the Americans leave Syria

By MATTHEW LEE AP Diplomatic Writer

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump is expected to declare near-total triumph over the Islamic State group in Syria in his State of the Union address, but U.S. defense officials are increasingly fearful that the militants are simply

biding their time until the Americans leave the battlefield as planned.

IS militants have lost territory since Trump's surprise announcement in December that he was pulling U.S. forces out, but military officials warn the fighters could regroup within six months to a year after the Americans leave.

A Defense Department

watchdog report released

Monday warned of just

such a possibility.

The Islamic State

group "remains a potent

force of battle-hardened

and

well-disciplined

fighters that `could likely

resurge in Syria' absent

continued counterterror-

ism pressure," the report

from the inspector gener-

al said.

Trump's decision to

leave Syria, which he ini-

tially said would be rapid

but later slowed down,

shocked U.S. allies led

to the resignations of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and the top envoy to the anti-IS coalition, Brett McGurk.

The withdrawal will fulfill Trump's goal of bringing troops home from Syria, but military leaders have pushed back for months, arguing that IS remains a threat and could regroup. U.S. policy has been to keep troops in place until the extremists are eradicated.

Fears that IS fighters are making strategic maneuvers ahead of a U.S.

pullout could also fuel criticism that Trump is telegraphing his military plans -- the same thing he accused President Barack Obama of doing in Afghanistan.

U.S. officials in recent weeks say IS has lost 99.5 percent of its territory and is holding on to fewer

than 10 square kilometers of turf in Syria -- an area smaller than New York's Central Park. In late November and December that figure had been estimated at between 400 and 600 square kilometers, according to officials briefed on the matter.

It's no secret people don't want to think about preplanning their funeral.

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building portion of Texas border wall

Congress last March approved more than $600 million for 33 miles of new barriers in the Rio Grande Valley

By NOMA AN MERCHANT The Associated Press

HOUSTON -- The U.S. government is preparing to begin construction of more border walls and fencing in South Texas' Rio Grande Valley, likely on federally owned land set aside as wildlife refuge property.

Heavy construction equipment was expected to arrive starting Monday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said. A photo posted by the nonprofit National Butterfly Cen-

ter shows an excavator parked next to its property.

Congress last March approved more than $600 million for 33 miles of new barriers in the Rio Grande Valley. While President Donald Trump and top Democrats remain in a standoff over Trump's demand for $5.7 billion in border wall funding, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has pushed ahead with building what's already funded.

That construction was

often described as fencing, and the government funding bill that included construction was supported by some Democrats in the House and Senate. CBP refers to what it plans to build as a "border wall system."

According to designs it released in September, CBP intends to build 25 miles of concrete walls to the height of the existing flood-control levee in Hidalgo County next to the Rio Grande, the river that forms the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas. On top of the concrete walls, CBP will install 18-foot steel posts and clear a 150foot enforcement zone in front.

Maps released by CBP

show construction would cut through the butterfly center, a nearby state park, and a century-old Catholic chapel next to the river.

Many landowners oppose a border wall and have vowed to fight the U.S. government if it tries to seize their property through eminent domain. Court fights over condemning land could take weeks if not months.

CBP said in its statement that it intends to start construction on federally owned land. Environmental advocates expect the government to use land that's part of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge.

Area obituaries

COMMERCIAL DISPATCH OBITUARY POLICY Obituaries with basic information including visitation and service times, are provided free of charge. Extended obituaries with a photograph, detailed biographical information and other details families may wish to include, are available for a fee. Obituaries must be submitted through funeral homes unless the deceased's body has been donated to science. If the deceased's body was donated to science, the family must provide official proof of death. Please submit all obituaries on the form provided by The Commercial Dispatch. Free notices must be submitted to the newspaper no later than 3 p.m. the day prior for publication Tuesday through Friday; no later than 4 p.m. Saturday for the Sunday edition; and no later than 7:30 a.m. for the Monday edition. Incomplete notices must be received no later than 7:30 a.m. for the Monday through Friday editions. Paid notices must be finalized by 3 p.m. for inclusion the next day Monday through Thursday; and on Friday by 3 p.m. for Sunday and Monday publication. For more information, call 662-328-2471.

Mavis Koehn

MACON -- Mavis J. Koehn, 72, died Feb. 3, 2019, at Windsor Place in Columbus.

Arrangements are

incomplete and will be announced by Cockrell Funeral Home.

Diane Spann

NOXUBEE -- Diane Spann, 62, died Feb. 3, 2019.

Arrangements are incomplete and will be announced by Carter's Funeral Services of Macon.

Bell Carr Jr.

FAYET TE, Ala. -- Bell Carr Jr., 88, died Jan. 31, 2019, at Diversicare Nursing Home in Winfield, Alabama.

Graveside services are at noon Tuesday at Zion Chapel Cemetery near Fayette with David Lee Nalls officiating. Otts Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Carr was born Nov. 8, 1930, in Fayette, to the late Bell Carr Sr. and Roverta Cannon. He attended school in Fayette and was an Alabama Army National Guard veteran. He was formerly employed with Arvin Industries in Fayette.

He is survived by

Fate of Mexican drug lord El

Chapo now rests with US jury

The Associated Press

NEW YORK -- After nearly three months of testimony about a vast drug-smuggling conspiracy steeped in violence, a jury began deliberations Monday at the U.S. trial of the infamous Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.

The day ended without jurors reaching a verdict for Guzman, who faces life in prison if convicted. They

were to resume deliberations Tuesday morning.

The jury has heard months of testimony about Guzman's rise to power as the head of the Sinaloa cartel. Prosecutors say he is responsible for smuggling at least 200 tons of cocaine into the United States and for a wave of killings in turf wars with other cartels.

Guzman, 61, is notorious for escaping from prison twice in Mexico.



his daughters, Tammy Metcalfe of Vernon, Shelia Nalls of Sulligent, Jackie Holliness of Columbus and Debra Kelly of Georgia; brother, Melvin Carr of Louisville, Kentucky; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

Frances McDaniel

COLUMBUS -- Frances Gerhart McDaniel, 82, died Feb. 5, 2019, at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle.

Arrangements are incomplete and will be announced by Memorial Gunter Peel Funeral Home and Crematory, Second Avenue North location.

Frances McDaniel

Incomplete Memorial Gunter Peel

Funeral Home 2nd Ave. North Location



William Clardy, Jr.

William Vaughn Clardy, Jr., 77, of Cabot, passed away on January 31, 2019.

He was born on April 4, 1941, in West Point, Mississippi, to the late William V. and Eva Mae Mosley-Clardy, Sr. He was a dedicated employee for over 45 years with Larry Vassar Leasing. He was a wonderful husband, dad, Pepaw, brother and friend to everyone he knew.

He was preceded in death by his sisters, Mary Frances Clardy, Onzelle Clardy-Levrette and Alice Clardy-Stahl; a son, Ty Harris; and his father-in-law, Willard Dobrinski.

He leaves behind his beloved wife, Yvonne Clardy; his children, Coby Carson (Chris), Michael Earnhart (Maggie), Becky Merriman (Rick) and Johnny Bruce; eight grandchildren; his siblings, Paul Clardy (Kay), Tom Clardy (Beth) and Ivy Dean Gilreath (Robert); as well as numerous great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews and cousins.

If love could keep you here, you would be here forever!

Visitation will be held on Tuesday, February 5, 2019 at 10:00 A.M. at A Natural State Funeral Service, 2620 West Main Street, Jacksonville, Arkansas with funeral services to begin at 11:00 A.M. Interment will be at Monk Cemetery, Ward, Arkansas following the funeral services.

A special Thanks to Kindred Hospice of Conway. Thank you, Christina, Cynthia, Brandy and Barb, for the support and care for the last eight and half months.

William's online guestbook is available at .

Paid Obituary - A Natural State Funeral Service

Doyle Fulton

Doyle Halford Fulton was born near Lena, Mississippi, on April 17, 1929, to Edna and Hal Halford. She died on Sunday, January 27, 2019, at a skilled nursing facility in Austin, Texas.

Visitation will be February 6, at 11 a.m. at Wilcox Funeral Home with a memorial service following at 2 p.m.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her brother, Hal; her sister, Exa Halford Sartin; her husband, Carl H. Fulton; and her son, Carl H. Fulton, Jr.

Survivors include her son, Hal Edwin Fulton, of Austin, Texas, as well as two granddaughters, Tara Fulton Butzlaff of Hattiesburg, Mississippi and Rebecca Fulton Williamson of Carthage, Mississippi; and one great-granddaughter, Alyssa Williamson of Carthage, Mississippi.

As a young child, Doyle remembered sitting on the knee of a Mississippi senator during his visits with her father. She also sang on the radio (station WJDX) and played violin at local events. She attended Mississippi College and majored in English. During her freshman year writing a term paper on William Faulkner, she had the idea to call him from a pay phone. Much to her surprise, Faulkner's wife answered and handed the phone to her husband, who graciously gave her a phone interview. More than twenty years later, this earned her a few paragraphs in Blotner's definitive biography of Faulkner.

One night, she was sitting with a group at a basketball game. One of the boys said,"Well, I think I'll go to a movie," and in response she said, "Ask me to go, and I'll go with you." He shrugged and said, "You can go if you want to." They never suspected, at the time, that they would end up celebrating their 65th wedding anniversary.

Doyle was a devoted wife, proud of her husband Carl, who was a pilot in World War II and the Korean War. He also flew as part of a "sky parade" at Harry Truman's inauguration. His Air Force career took them to Albany, Georgia, where Doyle had one of her favorite jobs ever: writing ad copy at radio station WGPC.

Also, working at the station was an office boy, who later took a stage name and became country singer, Ray Stevens. They renewed their friendship in the 1970s and remained friends for many years. It was also at the radio station that she wrote the slogan "You can be sure if it's Westinghouse" for the popular appliance manufacturer. A company representative heard it on the radio and bought the rights for $100. She framed the letter and the slogan was used nationally for more than 25 years.

Always loving to learn, Doyle returned to school in the 1960s and earned her master's degree in library science from Mississippi State University. She taught English or served as librarian in many towns including Thomastown, Good Hope, Carthage, Forest, Kosciusko, Madden, and Columbus. She told her students, "A term paper should be like a girl's skirt: short enough to be interesting, but long enough to cover the subject."

Doyle had an uncanny knack for being in the right place at the right time. When a congressman was speaking at her school, the principal asked her to accompany him to lunch. As a result, she and G. V. "Sonny" Montgomery became close friends and remained so until his death more than forty years later. Doyle never met a stranger and while taking her students to a play in Jackson, she recognized Eudora Welty and stopped to speak to her and introduce her students to her.

Her friends included two governors' wives, authors Jesse Stuart and Barry Hannah, children's author Lena de Grummond and many others from all walks of life.

Doyle loved dogs, flea markets and collecting clocks. She and her husband logged many miles on their '69 Harley with her in the sidecar. God, family, books and music were important to her and she couldn't go more than an hour without listening to the news. She never hesitated to express her opinion by writing a letter or a sarcastic poem to local newspapers, and occasionally, they were brave enough to print them.

Doyle specifically requested that in lieu of flowers, friends should do something nice for someone else.

She made life interesting and fun for those around her, and she will be sorely missed.

Paid Obituary - Wilcox Funeral Home

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