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Ex-addict rails on drugs' impact in community 9/2/2010 10:38:00 AM
walter earlier today: There has never been a more timely and important story in CDN, than this one. the proof and accuracy of what Garner spoke is measured by the dollars spent in all of the criminal justice aspects of addressing theproblem of substance abuse, multiplied by the negative impacts heaped upon families by the subtances, regardless of the type, coupled with society's doggard pursuit of failed methods of dealing with the drug epidemic. Teatment and a more progressive sentencing guidelines offer the best means of eradicating problems steming from substance abuse. To move society to come out of denial regarding punishment and toward healing and treatment will require the concerted efforts of the press and the church, and, of course, the school, to educate the public.
Dispatch begins charging for some online content 9/2/2010 8:31:00 AM
mom2five earlier today: Honestly, I'm only here because of the comments. I find the intellectual discourse, debate, and additional information from the community much more attractive and interesting than the articles themselves. Were it not for the "comment sections," I would not continue to frequent this site. As far as paying for it goes, well, our family is not unique in that money is very very tight...$7.95 may not seem like a lot to some people, but in our family it is. We simply cannot afford it. Even if I were able to find a way to cut another corner and pay for a subscription...I wouldn't. My one and only experience with this paper was last week when I tried to call the office (during normal business hours) to place a classified ad. I had a very simple question about the online ad placement and the difference between a standard package and the other service offered. Even though I was very polite, I was transferred to voicemail 3 times and the 4th time I was hung-up on before I finally just gave up. I am certainly not about to go out of my way to try and find the money to pay for access to this paper.
Couple awakens to find stranger sleeping in home 9/3/2010 11:48:00 AM
lena earlier today: Folks, this story doesn't make sense...think about it....if he really couldn't stand on his own the next morning, then HOW could he make his way to a house that just happened to have an unlocked door, let himself in, manage to find an empty bedroom and climb into bed? And nobody heard him? And where were all those barking dogs then? They didn't start barking until 7:15 the next morning...somebody needs to take a much closer look at this before all kinds of charges are filed...
Plan to withhold Medicaid funds could cause education cuts 9/3/2010 11:52:00 AM
dave miller earlier today: Rep. Cecil Brown's quote is extremely disturbing. He said, "I think the concern is that if you give all the money to school districts now they wouldn't take actions to make it through the next two years." What ever happened to LOCAL CONTROL of schools? That's the problem wiht our government; they don't "trust" the people to do the "right" thing, so they'll "show" us how to do it. Additionally, teachers across this state have already taken paycuts in a profession that doesn't pay nearly what other professionals make. By witholding funds and cutting even more from education, we can expect to see a mass exodus of teachers to other states who place a higher value of the profession and education in general. The reason this state conistently stays in or near the bottom of everything in this country can be directly attributed to our educational system or the lack thereof. Einstein said that insanity was continuing to do the same thing over and over again, but expecting a different result. This situation is a textbook (pun intended) example of insanity.
Gang fight sends Lowndes County inmate to hospital 9/3/2010 11:55:00 AM
deputysargent earlier today: How come gangs are allowed in prisons? Keep them all locked up in their cells and throw them a piece of bread and some water. Make it so bad they don't want to come back.It's a jail, not a Holiday Inn!!!
Couple awakens to find stranger sleeping in home 9/3/2010 11:48:00 AM
rusty earlier today: This is too funny!!! I knew him from High School. Way to go Paul...I didn't realize you were that stupid.
Dispatch begins charging for some online content 9/2/2010 8:31:00 AM
kj yesterday: Hmmm, I figured conservatives would welcome the chance to pay for something instead of just consuming it for free.
Couple awakens to find stranger sleeping in home 9/3/2010 11:48:00 AM
kj yesterday: It was God that made him break into this house. And drive drunk, too. If he's lucky, God will leave him alone and quit messing with him.
melody yesterday: 43But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. Matt. 24 Paul wasn't a thief --he wouldn't harm a fly either. Just needs professional help and turn back to his Creator. God will make a changed man out of him if he'll repent and follow Him.
Butler looks for Heritage to raise level of play 9/3/2010 10:20:00 AM
noxubees yesterday: I agree Brad. Times have changed. I was lucky enough to have played for your Dad in the late 70's. They were much tougher on the players then. Thank goodness for that! We did believe in him. We did not want to dissappoint him. For the most part we did not dissappoint. He has the respect of many former players and parents BECAUSE he was so tough on us. He was one of the good ones. As I watch and hear about what you are doing at HA, it seems as though you are well on your way. Keep it up. They will buy into what you are trying to do.
Couple awakens to find stranger sleeping in home 9/3/2010 11:48:00 AM
shwilliams yesterday: Come ON In...the gun is always loaded! Cuthrids's must have watched too many Andy Griffin episodes of Otis wandering the town intoxicated.
Dispatch begins charging for some online content 9/2/2010 8:31:00 AM
kat 9/3/2010: I too think that your new ppv model is not going to be successful at first. Nobody wants to pay....not even me. Although I care deeply about what happens in Columbus, I am to far removed from the community to spend $80.00 a year just to see what's happening. I will not participate in your experiment, sorry Peter. (and of course Birney). We should have known the liberal media would find a way to block (or at least make money off of ) the thoughts and comments of the conservatives in Columbus. .......well, not this one.
Bar owner sues city, county for harassment 9/2/2010 10:30:00 AM
frankiebird 9/3/2010: Meant to type "suspicion"
frankiebird 9/3/2010: These accusations/rumors have been rampant for years. Suppose his age and his young female following causes suspension or maybe city police are tougher than county sheriffs department.
Dispatch begins charging for some online content 9/2/2010 8:31:00 AM
td 9/3/2010: I guess the Packet is really wreaking havoc with the Dispatch. The Packet has value. I like the interaction with other readers, especially those who have different views on local issues. But if you want to charge, we can always go to Facebook and start an issues discussion there -- and save money.
Bar owner sues city, county for harassment 9/2/2010 10:30:00 AM
electricg 9/3/2010: Normally I would take the Citizens side and speak-out against police harassment, but in this case, I am very pleased that the police are harassing this GERM of society, Keep up the good work Boys! freddie fields is scum, and it is time that his criminal enterprise is brought to an END!
Couple awakens to find stranger sleeping in home 9/3/2010 11:48:00 AM
raider 9/3/2010: Evidently, those are not guard dogs but you would think that they would bark loud enough to wake the owners when a stranger enters the house in the middle of the night. Can't believe the idiot was so drunk he could wreck his truck, walk a mile and go to sleep in someone elses house. I bet a hundred bucks he told the cops that he had one beer yesterday afternoon and that was it.
sassy 9/3/2010: @sel---I'm sure the homeowner was very appreciative of them arriving quickly, as you would be if you were the one holding the gun on the man. I'd rather them have to lock up a burglar than have to handle a (justified) killing.
Bar owner sues city, county for harassment 9/2/2010 10:30:00 AM
ryannelson 9/3/2010: @Columbus "Skanky" ones? This article is about arguably the trashiest bar in town. Sure, people show up there wearing expensive polo shirts or whatever, but name one other bar that gets a mention in the dispatch for fights even half as much as this place. @fb comments I don't think the Church thing is a reasonable approach. Respectable establishments like The Princess Theater, Huck's, and that new place, Station 7 are all within similar distances, and I'm afraid a ruling against fuhgetaboutit would have to affect those bars as well, which just wouldn't be just.
Dispatch begins charging for some online content 9/2/2010 8:31:00 AM
pimes 9/3/2010: @sharp nasal kent: NYTimes.com has announced they will launch their new paywall in January 2011. Last I heard they plan on using a metered paywall similar to the one we are using.
Couple awakens to find stranger sleeping in home 9/3/2010 11:48:00 AM
sel 9/3/2010: So thats where the deputies were going this morning. You'd thought war had broken out. About 60-70mph when they came by...
Dispatch begins charging for some online content 9/2/2010 8:31:00 AM
pimes 9/3/2010: @paladin The metered model we selected is actually exactly like Pandora's service. Pandora only allows you to listen to a limited number of hours of music before they cut you off each month. To continue listening, you are required to subscribe for $36 per year. Companies using this model for any type of content have two variables to play with: 1) where do you place the limit on free content and 2) what to charge those users who consume more than that limit. The Dispatch is on the front line of newspapers erecting metered paywalls. Because of this there is not a lot of data on where that limit and that price should be. Maybe 10 is not the right limit and perhaps $7.95 is not the right price. But maybe it is. We will let the market decide that. Vicksburg's paper charges $10/mo for online access. Greenwood charges $6. Both of these papers require you to subscribe before you read the first full story online. Though I believe online content is the future, our printed product is far from dead. We are still reaching 15,000 loyal readers and produce results for our advertisers. That said, I think any newspaper or magazine that doesn't acknowledge declining print circulation as a reason to consider a paywall is not being honest. As we ramp up this new online subscription I think you will see the website becoming more of its own entity rather than a place to regurgitate what appears in our printed edition. In the past year and a half, our newsroom has been pushing breaking news to the website as soon as they have a story. I think you'll start seeing more of this. Additionally, you'll start seeing much more web-only content in the way of local and staff blogs. When they are constructive, our story comments are my favorite part of this site. I'd like to see more interaction with our readers. Only about 30% of our visitors have written a comment on a story. We want to engage the other 70% as well. We are working toward a website that both informs and engages our community AND is a viable business. When I'm hit with a paywall, I'm as upset as you are. I'm used to getting anything I want for free too. Though "free" works as a business model for some companies, it's not panning out for many news companies. I think you'll see more and more papers experimenting with charging for content.
sharp nasal kent 9/3/2010: This plan didn't work for the New York Times. Why would it work for the Dispatch?
Couple awakens to find stranger sleeping in home 9/3/2010 11:48:00 AM
sharp nasal kent 9/3/2010: It's Obama's fault.
sable 9/3/2010: Locked OR unlocked he did not belong there. No one needs to judge whether their house was unlocked or not. He was an intruder....PERIOD! Maybe they should have fired a shot, I bet he would have been able to stand up on his own then.
Governor signs bill banning synthetic marijuana 9/3/2010 1:14:00 PM
ml2010 9/3/2010: Isn't it funny that the party that wants to keep government small and out of peoples lives is all for telling a woman what she can do with her body, banning same sex marriage, and telling people what they can and can not ingest. Go figure. You want to legislate morality but when convenient you want government small and unintrusive.
Couple awakens to find stranger sleeping in home 9/3/2010 11:48:00 AM
burdine 9/3/2010: The comment about the shotgun should run off more people than the unlocked door would attract. Any unoccupied house might as well be unlocked, one swift kick is all to takes to open most residential doors.
Dispatch begins charging for some online content 9/2/2010 8:31:00 AM
paladin 9/3/2010: Imes, The "Buy Now" link is on the left side of the menu bar that appears on every page (Just under the Dispatch logo). I too have been stumped by this. I guess it is like those free Yahoo! web pages that you could create - but you had to put up with the Yahoo! logo that would always be visible. I think a lot of readers (and posters) are upset & confused by the price tag. In an age where digital usually means cheap, $7.95 for an online product seems high. As an example, movie rentals went from around $4/day to $1/day. Pandora provides free music 24-7 - just have the occasional popup ads. I honestly feel this fee is some secret way to help support a dieing "printed" service. Is this the case? I also believe that a fee is going to create higher expectations from readers. Currently, the paper is updated sometime around lunch (maybe a bit before - I'm not sure). Does the fee mean that this site will be updated at least by 6am each day? Will the fee provide more news stories about local events? - more photos (maybe a photo album) more interactivity? Just asking... I'm encouraged by your willingness to read our comments and reply. Thank you for that.
Couple awakens to find stranger sleeping in home 9/3/2010 11:48:00 AM
kj 9/3/2010: They could always, I don't know, use the locks or something.
Bar owner sues city, county for harassment 9/2/2010 10:30:00 AM
achristian 9/3/2010: Freddie is trying to ride the ban wagon of CPD publicity, they have been plastered all over the media because of some it child being tased so he figured now would be a good time to get a low blow. But u know what? The CPD has resolve along with most of its officer's. Freddie is just an idiot!!!!! He is a common crimanl, his patrons are retarted if the think he isn't
Governor signs bill banning synthetic marijuana 9/3/2010 1:14:00 PM
kj 9/3/2010: Oh thank you, Hailey Barbour, thank state legislature...you have saved us from ourselves once again. Praise be to Jesus, we're safe again from an inferior substitute to one of god's own creations. Now if you'll please outlaw unemployment, hurricanes, and poorly timed traffic lights we could more clearly worship and adore you with campaign contributions and polite clapping when you talk too long about nothing interesting.
Couple awakens to find stranger sleeping in home 9/3/2010 11:48:00 AM
dewbs33 9/3/2010: Granted the Dispatch shouldn't post that kind of sensitive information, we aren't living in the 50s...I can't believe anyone would leave their doors unlocked. Don't blame the Dispatch if their house gets broken into, blame the parents for not locking their doors.
starfish2010 9/3/2010: Ok...honestly I can't believe they live anywhere around hwy 373 and dont long their doors. But that being said, I bet they lock it up tighter than dicks hat band now.
Dispatch begins charging for some online content 9/2/2010 8:31:00 AM
pimes 9/3/2010: @mrvoodoo Can you send a screenshot of the page that displays the Buy Now link to support@cdispatch.com or just copy the URL and email it to me? Thanks for bringing this to my attention. There are a few advantages of using this particular script over the open source snippets, but the Buy Now link shouldn't be appearing. Thanks.
Bar owner sues city, county for harassment 9/2/2010 10:30:00 AM
warren 9/3/2010: Seems kind of stupid of the police to "raid" somewhere under those circumstances. But not the first time law enforcement has been "duped" by a CI or other "unknown" sources. But it does appear that they may have gone way to far this time, if indeed there was no credible source of information. That being said, suing the City is a risk, when/if he loses, will he admit that he has no business running a bar in the center of town and move back to the county? At least his drunken customers would not be so much of a menace to the good citizens of Columbus. Yes, I said "good citizens", as opposed to many of those who have frequented Fuhgetaboutit and then shown that they are NOT.
Dispatch begins charging for some online content 9/2/2010 8:31:00 AM
mrvoodoo 9/3/2010: I'll post this comment here as well since both articles are on the same topic: Where are the ads for Carl Hogan.. Premier Ford... Local Realtors... Day Spas.. restaurants? Make the online ads relevant to the people reading the content and you'll get your revenue without having to alienate your consumers. I'm not going to click on a tooth whitening advertisement, but if I see a picture of some delicacy at the Harveys or Huck's Place - I'd be inclined to click and find out more. If I'm browsing and I see this shiney used car with a price and a link to Carl Hogan's site - I'd be interested in learning more about it. Mother's day, valentine's day... and I see a special from Brickerton Day Spa, I'd be inclined to visit them and purchase something for my wife. The problem with using the "infancy" of online advertising is that there's nobody really selling the power of the net to local companies, that or there's nobody really putting it to use. Make the site a powerful, intriguing source of information - get the local businesses to buy into the idea that they're targetting their consumers through your website - and "Ta-Da!" you've got the revenue stream you're looking for. **I'd, also, suggest finding a way to remove the "BUY NOW" link directing the user to opencube.com - there are plenty of open source codes that allow the same menu navigation without giving the unprofessional appearance throughout the site of the software being bought as part of a package of sorts.
pimes 9/3/2010: @jd Regarding what we post online: In the past 7 days we have published 105 stories to the website. That's an average of 15 per day. We leave older stories online to allow our readers to easily refer back to them. Less than 1/5 of those stories (excluding MSU sports) were Starkville related. Some people find that using what we call the "Big Page" is an easy way to see all the news in one place. You can find the link to the Big Page just under the most popular stories in the right column of each page of the website.
jd 9/3/2010: Not to be negative (again)...but when you have only one or two new stories added daily, and the same other articles remain online for what seems "forever" it just may be that the online reader who doesn't wish to pay may come out okay with his 10 stories per month. Thanks for keeping the obituaries, classified, and crime sections available...those are ESSENTIALS for those who don't wish to pay, or perhaps are unable to pay. Realizing the balance between internet and printed page is continually a challenge, what about working on content and adding "today's news today" instead of having news three days old? It might help readers be willing to buy both printed and online.
jd 9/3/2010: Well, so much for community service! With your emphasis being on Starkville these days, and the fact that the Clarion Ledger has more newsworthy information (even about Columbus) I am amazed that you are still in business. You will lose countless readers doing this, and I strongly suggest you re-evaluate & trash your plan. The Packet is looking better every day!
Ex-addict rails on drugs' impact in community 9/2/2010 10:38:00 AM
prettygirl15 9/3/2010: thats good for hem ofcourse other people would've did wat he did!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so gud for hem
Dispatch begins charging for some online content 9/2/2010 8:31:00 AM
pimes 9/3/2010: @mrvoodoo thanks for your post. 1. The new subscription does include access to our eEdition and our eEdition archive. eEdition allows you to view the paper in an online viewer or download the PDF version. You can check out eEdition by clicking the "Read the paper online" link below the search box on each page of this website. 2. I agree that advertising revenues can support a website. Huffingtonpost.com posted a healthy profit last year, but they have 9 million unique visitors per month and largely rely on content they don't have to pay to produce. 3. There are ways around pretty much any paywall, including the Wall Street Journal's. This is a risk we acknowledge.
tupelores 9/3/2010: when i can read other papers from ms,tn,etc. free, WHY would i pay to read this afternoon paper? good luck.
mrvoodoo 9/3/2010: Mr. Imes, There are multiple problems with the metered model that you've jumped into. 1. The only way $7.95 even becomes considerably worth while is if that also includes access to .pdf versions of the daily paper. 2. Proper advertising revenues CAN support a website if approached correctly. You can make money from each visitor - rather than dealing with problem 3. 3. People can fool your site into not realizing they've viewed more than 10 articles. I would do it if I cared to read more than 10, would rather do that than pay $7.95 a month. I'd suggest re-evaluating the idea. This has become a world where people have come to expect free information. From cnn.com to foxnews.com - weather.com - sportsillustrated.cnn.com, etc.. the last thing you want to do to your community is take away information. You likely won't see any gain in income by charging, but you will see a gain in community ignorance - something I'm sure most of us can agree is unacceptable.
nativecolumbian 9/3/2010: You own it; so go for it. We'll see where it gets you..
pimes 9/2/2010: This paywall is not something we have blindly decided on. Of course we are aware of the competitors in our local news market. Each of us currently serves a slightly different segment, and I think there is room for us all. @starkvegan and @paladin, thank you for your constructive comments. My column today gives a little more insight into what led to this decision. You can find it here: http://www.cdispatch.com/business/article.asp?aid=7671 In short, I state that the online advertising model is simply not mature enough to support any sizable sustained news-gathering effort. In light of this and facing print circulation issues, newspapers and magazines nationwide are reconsidering the idea that giving their content away online is a good idea. Am I sure that this paywall is a good idea? No. But it is clear that a free website just isn't a good business model for us right now. There are many other newspaper websites- large and small- that successfully charge for content. I promise. Google it. @paladin you are not alone in your affinity for story comments. I think they can be one of the most interesting parts of this website when people are constructive. Some news websites are experimenting with continuing to give their stories away for free but charging for the comments! Newspapers like the Dispatch are in a strange position right now. It's clear that the Internet is the future, but we are not able to generate enough income off of our online efforts to sustain our work. The mantra has been to build Internet traffic and the revenue will come, but that simply has not panned out. What does that traffic do for a company if it doesn't produce sufficient revenue? As we give content away for free online, we give our readers a great reason to stop reading our printed product, which still generates the bulk of our revenue. So we are straddling the print and digital worlds, trying to find a balance. I don't explain this for sympathy, rather to explain the business dilemma that many news companies face. The metered model we selected does several things for us and for our readers. It allows the occasional reader to read a story here and there for free. Despite the comments on this story, we have thousands of readers who find value in the content we produce on a daily basis. We are asking those readers to help support the work we do by paying for unlimited access. When you combine these occasional readers and the loyal readers who prefer to receive their news online, you still have a broad audience that is attractive to advertisers. Anyone interested is seeing what this decision does to our traffic should check out Alexa.com and Quantcast.com. Both provide traffic estimates for most popular websites on the Internet. Wow... long post. I started rambling and just didn't stop. Thanks for bearing with me. -Peter
columbus 9/2/2010: The Natives are restless! In my opinion, I would scratch the charge idea while I was still ahead. It may boost the packet sales, which by the way has some pretty interesting stuff to only go out 1 day per week at $ .50 per issue. Theres plenty of other ways to make money on the internet.
Bar owner sues city, county for harassment 9/2/2010 10:30:00 AM
td 9/2/2010: The city cannot pull a liquor license - that authority belongs to the ABC in Jackson. If I'm not mistaken the city can suspend a business license pending an ABC investigation. I don't think that will happen in this case. With a federal lawsuit filed, I assume (I know what you get when you assume) that ABC will investigage as a matter of standard practice.
columbus 9/2/2010: I bet there will not be anymore harrassing going on in that bar. How much is he suing for? rumor has it at 10 million? Rumor didnt come from Criddel. I respect the police, but it would suck to have 12 bust up in your place on a false alarm! I figured youd hear more rumors coming out of the other bars in town especially the skanky ones. they must not have any drugs or hoookers or rumors there of.
fb 9/2/2010: I think that the city should pull fields liquor license; he and the patrons of his establishment resemble everything that is wrong with our community. The place is an absolute eye soar for down town Columbus. If the rumors are true, which from the reputation Fields and his thug employes they must be, the community should vote . Vote on weather or not the establishment should be able to conduct business of this nature within 600 ft of the First United Methodist Church.
Dispatch begins charging for some online content 9/2/2010 8:31:00 AM
haiku 9/2/2010: I am not paying, I will get my news elsewhere, Online not worth it.
paladin 9/2/2010: I've really enjoyed reading the CD online. I also have really enjoyed the comments addition. Although the "Like..." and "Dislike..." counters are pointless and stupid. I honestly don't give a darn if you dislike my comments. At least post a reply so we know who dislikes it and why. That being said, I will certainly not pay $7.95 for this site. I also won't bother to get my "10 free stories" each month. I'll use other online sites that are free or just watch the local news. Sorry, but this site is not worth that kind of money. Maybe a buck or two a month, but $7.95? Are you kidding me? Is today the first of April? I'll admit that I don't know the costs involved in this online service, but I thought that's what ads were for. I can't imagine why so much money is needed from those who click on their site. It isn't like you're having to retype everything so it can go online. At most you should only have to "Copy & paste". At least explain why you are jumping from Free to Outrageou$$$. Now feel free to click "Dislike this comment".
A website that's worth something 9/2/2010 8:33:00 AM
ckirby 9/2/2010: pay access has worked well in the past. Like somebody said on another comments section the adult industry has made a killing off pay to view. the problem's the content has to justify the expense in people's minds. If say the dispatch had agreements with local places for cents or dollars off coupons people could print from the pay access pages then it might make it worth people's time and money. In their minds. That's where the scales will be. If a person spent $7.95 but could print coupons that saved them $2 or $3 a week, then they come out ahead. That's how my friends decide if somethings worth the money. Also like was said elsewhere the news business is esp hard. news is news and we all know there's a tv station and another paper in town. I'd personally pay to see something interesting that neither of the other two had. That's where creativity comes in. that's what the youtube guy figured out that he's good at. people like his stuff and the more money he makes the more he invests in making better stuff. I've seen some of it and he's got some professional looking things going on now. not bad for a self made business. the dispatch might have to go head to head with the tv station and the other paper in places and things they've been doing longer or differently. it might take an adjustment but it might be worth looking into. the video thing is interesting but it puts the dispatch at odds with wcbi. if you're willing to go there then maybe that'd be another avenue to try. in pay to view content management is crucial. You have to be ready to think out of the box no matter how far fetched the idea might sound. just a thought.
West Point triple stabbing linked to domestic dispute 9/2/2010 10:38:00 AM
tbuffington 9/2/2010: In response to domestic violence in the West Point community, domestic vioolence is no new business. Several months ago, another incident occurred when a young man was the center of a shooting on Main street, the young man (age 21) fired gun shoots at his ex girlfriend who ran away from the fun fire. Thereafter, a chase ensured that involved, the WPPD,and the young man who ended the chase in front of the WPPD office where he than killed himself. Prior to this incident, a young couple was engaged in a family dispute and, the young women was cut on the arm. WPPD arrived and failed to remove either party who may have been causing the trouble out of the house, to add insult to the whole of the matter, there was a gun involved and two small children living in the house where the incident occurred. I telephoned than Chief Bingham and asked if the matter had been reported. "No", replied Chief Bingham, who further stated that he would "speak with the officers who responded to the call". That same day Bingham reported that "no paper work had be submitted, and "that he was going to discussed the matter with the responding officers". Thereafter, another domestic violence incident occurred on HWY 50 east of town and WPPD did not to intervene. The matter involved a young man shooting as his ex-girl friend was driving along HWY 50 East. The incident on HWY 50 was not the first incident involving the same parties. Later, I asked acting Chief Lane to provide a list of domestic violence calls over the past year and of course, there was no record. I later discussed this alarming matter with the chief of police Mr. Bobby Lane and ask if he was aware of Mississippi and federal laws on domestic violence. Lane took the position that no one wanted to press charges, and if "they did not want to press charges--there is nothing the WPPD could do". How asinine, I thought for a police chief to not have his hands on the matter of laws. I suggested that his staff be educated on Mississippi and federal Domestic Violence Laws. I explained to Lane that WPPD was not in compliance with state and federal laws. As I read in the local papers of the stabbings, there are reasons to be alarm. More so, given that the one of the parties involved had recently reported that Mr. Cox had cause her physical harm. How did the WPPD response to the early call for help? I ask the question can they or not read or interpreted and implement the laws as written? I call upon local citizens to hold the WPPD responsible for a failure to do the jobs for which local citizens are paying their salaries. Is it going to take another life, stabbing, shooting, death or beating to get the protection needed for those living in homes where domestic violence is the order of life?
Dispatch begins charging for some online content 9/2/2010 8:31:00 AM
sel 9/2/2010: Not hardly...
starkvegan 9/2/2010: CD: I would recommend you have your web server give you hit counts for the past 12 months. Compare these number carefully with the numbers in the coming months. I suspect you will see a dramatic drop in traffic. Probably not what your online advertisers will want. Then you will have to lower your online advertising rates. The fact is that people expect content for free. They will only pay for the highest quality content (TV mostly) and possibly porn. News, especially that of the local variety is just not that important to most people. CD readers: Don't worry about it too much. The CDispatch will return to a free readership model before 2011. The NYT and other big papers haven't been able to make pay-to-read work. I doubt that CD will either, especially at $7.95/month.
reviewer 9/2/2010: .50 cents for "The Packet" on thursday's with better coverage of stories.
gogetum 9/2/2010: It's the old bait and switch game. kj's not aware of the advertisments on the sides of the pages that pay for the site.
roscoe p. coltrain 9/2/2010: Or is this a method of limiting comments online?
A website that's worth something 9/2/2010 8:33:00 AM
pimes 9/2/2010: @ckirby I think you make some interesting points. The newspaper serves as different things for different people. Many of our print readers actually subscribe to the paper specifically for advertisements. Our inserts and coupons can save you a tremendous amount of money and our display ads announce great sales and important events. Print is also unique in that you are not forced to endure 5 commercial breaks to get to the content you want. Don't want to see a print ad? Just skip it! I think online advertising has the potential to provide savings and information that is useful to our online readers. That's something we are working toward.
Body Walk: Students take a trip through the mind ... and the stomach, heart and skin 9/2/2010 10:30:00 AM
columbus parent 9/2/2010: Nice to see our schools partnering with such a broad range of institutions to offer our community's children the best education possible. Congratulations to the Extension Service, CAFB, the YMCA, McKellar Technology Center, and the faculty and staff at Franklin and West Lowndes to make this happen for our community.
Dispatch begins charging for some online content 9/2/2010 8:31:00 AM
kj 9/2/2010: Nice. Not sure $7.95 is gonna be a sweet spot, but it's fairly obvious you can't produce a comprehensive news site for nothing.
A website that's worth something 9/2/2010 8:33:00 AM
ckirby 9/2/2010: Does the new pay per view access come with ads? It reminds me of the old days when tv networks first went to satellite and wanted people who had dishes to pay to see their shows. shows that came with the standard five times an hour commercials. instead of being able to up their ad rates because they had bigger viewer numbers, they scrambled their signals and decreased their viewers. Not a real good business strategy. In the tv or print business eyes are what sells. The more that look the more you charge. CNN carried a news story last week about a young guy who makes over 300K a year on ads on his youtube pages. one guy. one young guy. He doesn't charge viewers to watch his videos. the money is from ads alone. one guy. there's a lesson in there somewhere.
Dispatch begins charging for some online content 9/2/2010 8:31:00 AM
btuman 9/2/2010: boys as soon as you charge me a penny for reading the articles you put here I'm done! The paper isn't worth 25 cents and while this was free it was worth the price to look. sorry but you are out of touch with what you produce for consumption by the public