Current, former SPD chiefs advocate for police reform in nationwide panel

Starkville Police Chief Mark Ballard said he wants police officers to be as respected as health care workers and college professors, but they have to earn it.

Aldermen hope Streatery will boost business activity downtown

An outdoor seating and dining space will temporarily occupy nine parking spaces on Main Street between Restaurant Tyler and Moe's Original BBQ, thanks to a 5-2 board of aldermen vote Tuesday.

New SFD rating to lower home, business insurance premiums

As of this month, Starkville Fire Department officially boasts a Class 3 rating from Mississippi State Rating Bureau, Chief Charles Yarbrough announced at a ceremony at Fire Station 1 Monday.

Masks now required in Oktibbeha County

All visitors to Oktibbeha County-owned buildings, as well as churches and social gatherings outside the Starkville city limits, must wear protective face coverings in order to curb the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, the board of supervisors voted 5-0 at Monday's meeting.

Black organizers plan to address divisions within their community

Despite the turnout of a few thousand people at Starkville's racial justice protest on June 6, Eric Chandler said many Black residents of the city did not attend the protest and did not feel their goals and interests were represented.

Upcoming Starkville housing development aimed at 'workforce'

Thirty-six houses are coming to the corner of Reed Road and Westside Drive in Starkville, with the goal of housing the city's low-to-middle-income residents, Oxford-based developer Stewart Rutledge said.

Miller to run for District 15 Senate seat

Oktibbeha County Supervisor Bricklee Miller has announced she plans to run for the state Senate seat vacated Tuesday by longtime Sen. Gary Jackson (R-French Camp).

Projected state revenue loss will be less than 2 percent at SOCSD

The Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District might get significantly more funding from the state than administrators previously thought, they said at a special-call meeting and budget work session Monday.

Two Starkville teens charged with attempted murder

Two Starkville teenagers were charged with attempted murder Tuesday after "a large verbal and physical disturbance" turned into a shooting at Brookville Garden Apartments, according to a Starkville Police Department press release.

Nearly-complete Partnership School to be ready for students in August

Now that the Partnership School is almost finished and ready to open, it's "a huge relief" for Eddie Peasant, the Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District superintendent.

OCH nurses working overtime to handle COVID-19, return of other patients

Michelle Welander thought $20 per hour would be enough of an incentive. The chief nursing officer at OCH Regional Medical Center offered "crisis pay" to try to fill shifts, and some nurses accepted it.

Group works to get historically Black cemetery 'on the map'

Shane Miller and Molly Zuckerman perked up when an organizer of Starkville's racial justice protest mentioned a local cemetery during the rally at the Mississippi State University Amphitheatre on June 6.

University officials, fans react to NCAA ruling on Confederate flag, hosting postseason play

Collegiate athletics in the Magnolia State are feeling the effects of the Mississippi flag debate. Friday, the NCAA announced that championship hosting opportunities earned on merit would no longer be allowed to be held in Mississippi until the state flag, which displays the Confederate battle emblem in its upper left corner, is changed.

State legislators see hope for changing the state flag in light of NCAA ruling

The futures of the Mississippi state flag and Mississippi State University athletics -- and by extension, the city of Starkville's financial health -- are intertwined and in the hands of the state Legislature for the foreseeable future.

SEC Commissioner: Mississippi must change flag or risk losing opportunities to host conference championships

As calls to remove the Confederate battle emblem from the Mississippi state flag have grown in recent weeks, Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey issued a major statement on the controversial banner Thursday.

Aldermen approve certification training for some city employees

Starkville aldermen voted 3-1 in a special-call meeting Thursday to allow some city firefighters, police and utilities employees to attend necessary and recently available training, making an exception to their decision in April to suspend all new travel and equipment purchases until further notice.

8 residents, 3 employees at Oktibbeha senior center test positive for COVID-19

Eight residents and three employees at Montgomery Gardens Senior Living west of Starkville have tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus, according to a Wednesday press release from the facility's parent company, Americare Senior Living.

Oktibbeha supervisors approve $3.16 million road plan for next four years

Oktibbeha supervisors unanimously approved a $3.16 million, four-year road project plan Monday after postponing the vote at their previous meeting.

Oktibbeha jail employees and inmates test positive for COVID-19

The Oktibbeha County Jail implemented stronger safety protocols after a few inmates and employees tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus in the last couple weeks, head jailer Shawn Word told The Dispatch.

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