Controversy, tragedy and firsts were the common theme for Grenada County in 2022.
From political controversy and economic wins and fails to gut-wrenching tragedy and community celebrations, the last 12 months proved to be a rollercoaster of emotions for those that call Grenada County home.
As 2023 is ushered in, the staff at The Grenada Star voted for the Top 22 stories of 2022.
No. 1: City letter causes contention
A letter obtained by The Grenada Star from a City of Grenada official was the topic of contention between the Council for several months, coming to a head in September.
The letter – penned by City Manager Stanford Amos – was sent to officials with a Fortune 500 company, which met with the City Council during its regular meeting in July to discuss their desires to expand the household name brand company to Grenada. The potential impact for the city included millions of dollars in improvements, renovations and expansions to the city-owned facility located at 823 Air Industrial Park Rd., in the city’s Industrial Park, as well as the hiring of up to 300 employees at its peak.
City Manager Letter
Greater Grenada Partnership Executive Director Matthew Harrison met with the City Council during official monthly meetings – seven to be precise – as well as one-on-one with Amos and Councilmen to discuss how the industrial development organization could assist them in recruiting manufacturing prospects to fill city-owned buildings. The Fortune 500 prospect was the topic of many of these conversations, however, after several executive session discussions, no progress was made.
Mayor Billy Collins was asked about the letter after an FY2023 budget work session in September at City Hall and he confirmed that the letter was sent by Amos. He added that Amos was asked by the Council to contact the Fortune 500 company to setup a meeting, but never to write or send a letter.
“He sent the letter rather than setting up a meeting,” Collins said, referring to the letter. “Print it.”
As for the Fortune 500 prospect, which was identified a week later in The Star as Viking after Council executive session minutes were acquired, Grenada was no longer considered as a home for its new location. The 180,000-square-foot building was later leased to Pillar, LLC., during a special-called meeting in September at City Hall after a 6-1 vote.
No. 2: Four young lives lost
The New Year began with the tragic news of Zachery Boyd’s death following a two-vehicle accident on a Yalobusha roadway. The Coffeeville High School senior was described as a loving young man, who was known to perform random acts of kindness like he did on Jan. 4, when he bought two of his teachers lunch at a local restaurant. Tragically, approximately two hours following his good deed, the 17-year-old was killed in a two-vehicle accident not far from the eatery where he treated his teachers to lunch.
Two months later, a chair in the fifth-grade class at Grenada Upper Elementary School abruptly became empty following the untimely death of one of its students, Kole Carter. Principal Carol Tharpe said counselors were called to the school to assist any students needing to talk or having difficulties with the sudden loss of a classmate.
A boating accident at Grenada Lake in late June that claimed the life of a 6-year-old girl shocked Grenada County. Jessie Watson died from injuries sustained after she fell out of a boat and was struck.
“Our hearts are just shattered with the loss of our beautiful baby, Jess the Best, Jessie Gail,” Watson’s mother, Rebecca Hill, posted on Facebook. “She was a spitfire from the womb and left this world in one of our happiest places.”
The premature death of 17-year-old Leah Fielder, who was described as a shining light and beloved classmate, once again shocked the entire community during Homecoming week in early October at Kirk Academy.
Hundreds of KA students, along with family and friends from nearby Grenada High School and surrounding counties gathered for the prayer vigil as the high school senior’s life was celebrated with devotion, prayer, hymns and the lighting of candles that flickered in the night sky in her memory.
No. 3: Milwaukee Tool celebrated with official groundbreaking
Grenada County hit the equivalent of the lottery in April 2021 when the Greater Grenada Partnership announced that Milwaukee Tool would expand its footprint in Mississippi with the construction of a state-of-the-art accessories manufacturing facility in the county’s I-55 Business and Technology Park.
Following 13 months of strategic planning, behind-the-scenes work and even some speculation, more than 150 county and state dignitaries and special guests joined GGP officials and Milwaukee Tool executives in late May as ground was officially broken on the site, which began taking shape more than a month before the event when large equipment began moving dirt at the construction site of I-55 North.
“We won,” Matthew Harrison, CEO of the GGP, the lead economic and chamber of commerce organization in Grenada County, said as the hour-long ceremony began.
Dozens of executives from Milwaukee Tool traveled south from Wisconsin to attend the ceremony, which also served as an unveiling of the facility’s design.
No. 4: Herrington charged with murder
The search for Jimmie “Jay” Lee made daily headlines in July following the University of Mississippi student’s disappearance.
Oxford Police Department later announced that it, along with the University of Mississippi Police Department, had made an arrest in the case, charging 22-year-old Grenada resident Sheldon Timothy Herrington Jr. with murder in connection with Lee’s disappearance.
Herrington’s arrest came two weeks after Lee was last seen early on July 8, leaving Campus Walk apartments.
More than four months later on Dec. 1, Herrington was released on a $250,000 bond after his lawyer made an agreement with the Lafayette County District Attorney’s Office.
Herrington was required to surrender his passport and wear an ankle monitor. Lee’s body has never been found.
No. 5: ‘A’ momentous feat: GSD makes history with state scores
Mississippi public school districts received accountability grades for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic in early October and Grenada School District had reason to celebrate.
For the first time in history, the District earned an “A” rating for its performance in the 2021-22 school year.
“The school district, our administrative team and I – we’re all incredibly excited about being an ‘A’ district,” GSD Superintendent Dr. David Daigneault said. “Our teachers, our principals and every person who works in this school district has worked toward this goal for many years.”
Each year, schools and districts across the state are graded on performance. An “A” is the highest grade, while an “F” is the lowest. Due to the pandemic, 2019 was the last time that the Mississippi State Board of Education assigned grades to schools and districts.
Approximately 81 percent of schools and 87 percent of districts in Mississippi received a “C” grade or higher for the 2021-22 school year.
No. 6: Tharpe tops in state
In her more than three-decade career, Grenada Upper Elementary School Principal Carol Tharpe has found much success.
Tharpe, who is in her 27th year with the GSD and 35th in education, was named National Distinguished Principal (NDP) of Mississippi by the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) in August for her leadership style and for significantly raising student achievement scores, according to NAESP officials.
Prior to taking over as principal six years ago, Grenada Upper Elementary School was rated a C school by Mississippi Department of Education standards. In her first year at the helm, Tharpe led her team of teachers and support staff to a low B rating. In her second year, the school was four points shy from scoring an A, which was attained in her third year.
“I was so incredibly proud about that because it’s very difficult,” Tharpe said. “They’re looking at your data and I was able to take this school from a C to an A in three years, and that’s something I’m incredibly proud of because no one has ever done that.”
No. 7: Blaze destroys iconic Catfish Corner eatery
The owners and employees of Catfish Corner Restaurant, which has served the Grenada community for more than 30 years, were devastated by a fire that destroyed the local staple in late June.
“We have just lost a staple in our hometown,” Former customer and Grenada resident Millicent Stoglin said. “We are devastated and hurt and I don’t know what we will do on Friday nights now, especially my Mama. They need our prayers. Let’s hope they rebuild because you can’t get food like this anywhere else but Catfish Corner. This is a huge loss for Grenada.”
Firefighters assess damage following the late June fire that destroyed Catfish Corner. | File Photo
The Grenada Fire Department was dispatched to the catfish café, located at 117 Sunset Loop, at 11:18 p.m. on June 28, to a possible building fire. Off duty firefighters were called in to assist, gas meters were cut off and Entergy was dispatched to disconnect electricity.
According to GFD Chief Ronnie Willis Sr., the fire has been ruled an accident.
No. 8: Animal shelter fiasco
Cathy Bissell, founder of the BISSELL Pet Foundation, and her team of half a dozen animal lovers traveled by private jet from Grand Rapids, Mich., and touched down at the Grenada Municipal Airport in April for a quick visit.
The trip to North Mississippi was prompted by numerous concerns raised by organizers and supporters of the Friends of Grenada Animal Shelter after learning they had been banned from volunteering at the aging facility in mid-March.
“It was brought to our attention that maybe this shelter might need a little bit more space for some of the dogs that they serve and fixing up a little bit of the cat area,” Bissell explained. “So, I brought a team of shelter directors, veterinarians and good people to help look at the shelter to see how we can fix it. We’re willing to put a little bit of money into this community to make it better – no strings attached. We just want to make a difference for these animals here.”
Bissell went on to explain how she learned of the shelter’s needs.
“One of the volunteers at the shelter had contacted me almost a year ago and we’ve been working with her – Jenni Busby,” Bissell added.
Busby and her husband, Dennis, addressed city officials during the March 21 Council Meeting after learning that they, along with volunteers with Friends of Grenada Animal Shelter had been banned from volunteering at the animal shelter. Reasons for the non-profit group’s sudden ban have never been made public.
Bissell’s visit and the Busby family’s concerns, along with community concerns, prompted The Star to file a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request for a “complete copy” of the City of Grenada’s current budget after numerous conversations and exchanges with City Manager Stan Amos. The requested documents were eventually provided to
The Star after another request was made for a “complete copy” of the budget after initially receiving the Budget Summary.
No. 9: Golding, Hemphill killed in crashes
Longtime businessman Bud Golding was remembered after his untimely death on March 11.
The 77-year-old former business owner was killed in a car wreck at the intersection of Highway 51 and Perry Road. Family said that he was on his way to Sunflower Café for lunch as he did each week.
The restaurant’s owners, Philip and Janet Mixon, were shocked when they learned the news of Golding’s death.
“Mr. Golding was a wonderful customer of ours for many years,” Janet said. “His wife’s painting still hangs in our restaurant today. We loved having him join us every day for lunch. He was a special man and will be greatly missed.”
Golding moved to Grenada in 1972 and managed Piggly Wiggly before purchasing Spain’s Supermarket in 1980.
Golding’s accident was the second involving a fatality in the City of Grenada in March. On March 5, 23-year-old Zkhyree Hemphill died at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson from injuries sustained when the motorcycle he was riding collided with a vehicle on March 3, according to Grenada County Coroner Bobby Yates. The accident occurred on Highway 51 North near Double Quick. A memorial cross still remains at the site.
No. 10: Thompson charged in Futheyville murder
Less than five hours after responding to the shooting death of a local man the afternoon of Tuesday, Sept. 13, in the Futheyville Community, Grenada Police Department Chief George Douglas announced an arrest in the case.
Douglas contacted The Star just after 7:30 p.m. identifying 55-year-old James Wayne Thompson of Grenada as the man arrested and charged with murder in the shooting death of 35-year-old John Edward “Bubba” Flanagan Jr. Thompson was later issued a $100,000 bond. He remains behind bars at the Grenada County Jail after his bond was revoked following a drug charge while on bond.
According to Douglas, officers were dispatched just before 2 p.m. to 48 Futheyville Cove, a three-home cul-de-sac off Futheyville Road, regarding a shooting Tuesday afternoon and arrived on the scene at 2:03 p.m. Upon arrival, they discovered that a white male had been shot.
The case remains under investigation.
The remaining 12 top stories of 2022, include:
No. 11:
Hill, former Star writer, dies in fire
March 2
No. 12:
UMMC-Grenada offers rooms for med students
Dec. 14
UMMC, BCBS reach deal
Dec. 21
No. 13:
Grenada’s Worsham wins first ACM Award
June 1
No. 14:
TOW returns this week for first time since 2019
June 8
No. 15:
Kuhn to retire from GHS
Dec. 14
No. 16:
Operation MPACT nets 143 arrests
May 4
No. 17:
Director resigns from Chamber
March 2
No. 18:
Progress continues with dozens of ribbon cuttings
Nancy’s Donuts plans to reopen following fire
Jan. 19
Harbor Freight to open in Grenada
Sept. 7
Back Forty Outdoors breaks ground
June 15
No. 19:
170 teams compete in national fishing event
March 16
No. 20:
Lancaster wins seat
Dec. 7
No. 21:
Grenada man jailed after bomb scare
June 22
No. 22:
Walker inducted into R&B HOF
Nov. 23
