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132nd YEAR ISSUE 1
TUESDAY AUGUST 22, 2017
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1884
Uber expands to Starkville and remaining Mississippi counties KATIE POE
STAFF WRITER
Uber, a mobile transportation service, announced an expansion throughout every county in Mississippi which began on August 18. Launched in 2010, Uber allows people to book rides by using the Uber app on their smartphone. The new areas the company now service include the Golden Triangle, Meridian and the Delta. Uber previously
Jenn McFadden, TR
Starkville alcohol restrictions could be loosened; first public hearing set for Sept. 5 KATIE POE
STAFF WRITER
After a 4-3 vote on Tuesday, the Starkville Board of Aldermen will host a public hearing regarding a proposed amendment that could loosen the city’s current restrictions on alcohol sales. The first public hearing is September 5 and the second is September 19. The current alcohol ordinance states alcohol can not be sold within a 250foot radius from a school, church or funeral home. The proposed amendment adapts the minimum Mississippi statutes, which allows alcohol to be sold within 100 feet of these institutions. The new ordinance would also allow beer with a nine percent alcohol content to be sold, whereas the current ordinance only allows five percent. The amendment would also extend the hours of sale for alcohol from 12 to 1 a.m. on week days. Starkville Mayor Lynn Spruill said the change would be beneficial to the city because the current ordinance prevents a nightlife area from growing downtown. Because Main Street is surrounded by churches, Spruill added, a 250-foot radius around each worship facility encompasses most of Main Street. “Almost all of our Main Street is eaten up with that 250-foot radius,” Spruill said. “It limits our ability to have retail establishments of that nature in our downtown, and I don’t want our downtown to die after 5 o’clock. I’ve been saying, ‘Alive after five’ and that’s my goal.” Chris Taylor, a partial owner of a local business, said he was in favor of the amendment.
TUESDAY
operated in Jackson, GulfportBiloxi, Hattiesburg and Oxford, according to a press release. Uber’s Mississippi General Manager Kasra Moshkani said the visitors and residents of the state ought to have reasonably priced transportation and flexible job opportunities. “Whether you need a safe ride home late at night or an early morning ride to the airport, you’ll be able to open the Uber app and simply tap a button,” Moshkani said. “If you are interested in earning
money by driving with Uber on your own schedule, we encourage you to sign up on our website.” In establishing a clear set of rules for ride-booking last year, the Mississippi legislature paved the way for Uber’s safe rides and earning opportunities to grow throughout the state. “The Mississippi legislature believed in Uber,” Sen. Joey Fillingane (Sumrall) said. “We believe in a free market where Uber could freely provide excellent service throughout
the state without the fear of burdensome overregulation. This announcement is proof our legislation worked.” Starkville Mayor Lynn Spruill said she was not aware of Uber’s expansion to the area until last Tuesday night, and she did not have confirmation until she saw it on Facebook the next day. She said the company is not required to get in touch with the city before establishing its services, but once she heard the news, she was enthusiastic. UBER, 2
Hundreds gather on Drill Field for Solar Eclipse
“I really think y’all need to look into that ordinance and let the people decide,” he said. “Just listen to them because…that extra hour, just think about all those people that are employed for that extra hour.” However, some Starkville residents, like Dorothy Isaac, are against the proposed changes. “That alcohol is not going to do us any good…More crime will be committed,” Isaac said. “I go to church, and the roads are full of beer cans. I really hate to get up and go see it
Lindsay Pace| The Reflector
With 1,000 pairs of eclipse glasses available, Sydney Bufkin, Schuyler Watson and Jamie Wilburn (from left to right) smiled as they viewed the 2017 Solar Eclipse through their solar glasses.
JORDAN DARENSBOURG STAFF WRITER Starkville Mayor Lynn Spruill
like that. If it ain’t broke, why do we fix it?” During the board meeting, Ben Carver, Ward 1, Henry Vaughn Sr., Ward 7 and Vice Mayor Roy Perkins voted nay on hosting the hearing. Vaughn said his Christian values made him feel convicted to vote against the public hearing. “I’m one of the ones that leads in prayer a lot of times and I just feel like that’s double jeopardy with me leading in prayer and then sitting down and making a decision to change the hours and change the distance from a church,” Vaughn said. “I feel like that’s double standards and I don’t want to have double standards. I just want to trust God. I feel a conviction to do that and I don’t think that’s the right thing for me to do.”
WEDNESDAY
ALCOHOL, 2
THURSDAY
Brooklyn Prewett | The Reflector
Justin Evans stood in awe of the solar eclipse, as many students did Monday afternoon. However, he came to the drill field prepared with his own pair of glasses suitable for viewing the rare event.
Reader’s Guide:
Hundreds of students, faculty, staff and Starkville community members gathered on the MSU Drill Field to witness one of the most historical, celestial events – the 2017 solar eclipse. The university provided 1,000 pairs of glasses for those viewing, and despite the rain and cloudy conditions, students gathered in a line starting at Lee Hall which wrapped the Drill Field entirely, nearly reaching the Montgomery Hall entrance. However, the glasses supply quickly dwindled down leaving many students sharing a pair. Students who did not receive the coveted solar glasses, provided their own kind of protection – even welding masks were seen. The 2017 Solar Eclipse was visible, at
least partially, to the entire continental U.S. Many areas were also able to view the total eclipse. Donna Pierce, a professor of physics and astronomy at MSU, gave a presentation Sunday afternoon regarding the event. She said a celestial event this large is not often seen on campus. “We’ve never done an event anywhere near this magnitude,” Pierce said of the Monday event on the Drill Field. “so this is very much a learning experience for us.” The line of totality stretched from the northwest parts of Oregon all the way to Charleston, South Carolina. Notable cities in the totality line included Kansas City, Kansas and Nashville, Tennessee. The next Solar Eclipse will not be until April 2024.
Policy: Any person may