DEATHS
The decade has seen Marion County lose some of the people who played significant roles in making the county what it is today.
The first death of the decade happened just mere moments after it began with 22-month-old Caymen Woodward dying as a result of a motor vehicle accident on the U.S. 98 bridge Jan. 1, 2010, and the last death of the decade being Mary Johns, 69, who died in a house fire on Dec. 31, 2019.
The legal community in the county lost a significant amount during the decade including:
Forest Dantin, 56, Jan. 9, 2010, Municipal Court Judge and attorney;
James H.C. Thomas Jr., 71, Oct. 2, 2010, chancellor;
Maurice Dantin, 82, Jan. 10, 2012, attorney and former candidate for governor and U.S. senator;
Jesse Loftin, 67, Aug. 12, 2014, long-serving circuit clerk;
Ernest Duff, 84, May 27, 2016, attorney and businessman;
Bill Callender, 76, June 3, 2016, longtime Columbia city attorney;
Sebe Dale Jr., 94, June 7, 2016, longtime chancellor;
Scott Phillips, 56, Oct. 29, 2017, attorney and county prosecutor;
Rip Prichard III, 78, Dec. 2, 2017, long-serving circuit judge;
Thomas McNeese, 75, April 21, 2019, attorney.
Other notable deaths include
October 2015: John Calvin "Johnnie" Stringer was the owner of Stringer Oil Service, but around the community, state and beyond he was known as a music man. Stringer, 83, who hosted the Legends of Bluegrass and Country Music for more than 20 years, died at his home under hospice care.
November 2015: Columbia businessman Huston Watts was remembered by friends and relatives as a man who worked hard and would do just about anything to help anyone. Watts, 86, who owned Watts Body Shop on Mississippi Hwy. 13 North, passed away on Wednesday, Nov. 4.
July 2013: Reggie Barber was a lot of things to many people, but to most he was simply a friend and a hero. Barber, 63, died June 23. He was laid to rest with full military honors. Barber, who lost his legs in a mine explosion in Vietnam in 1971, returned home and served his community for more than 40 years until his death.
November 2013: For nearly 30 years, Johnny Glen Stringer served the residents of Marion County District 3 as a supervisor. Stringer, 65, died at his home and was remembered by members of the Marion County Board of Supervisors.
June 2018: Dr. Mark Stevens, 66, long-time physician with the Columbia Family Clinic, died after a lengthy battle with Lou Gehrig’s disease.
September 2019: George Harry Taylor, 77, businessman and owner of Harry Taylor Discount Building Materials in Columbia, died.
WEATHER
Looking back on the past decade in Marion County, one of the many things that stands out is the weather.
Marion County has had a total of eight tornadoes that have struck the county. The worst one was the deadly EF-3 tornado, which devastated homes and business along Mississippi 13 South and U.S. 98 E in Columbia on Dec. 23, 2014. A total of three people died as a result, and more than 50 people were injured. Widespread damage included 82 homes which were destroyed or damaged, as well as 43 businesses, and also extensive property damage.
In January 2012, an EF-2 tornado struck the Spring Cottage area destroying one mobile home. While a person was inside the home when the tornado hit, she was not injured.
Dec. 16, 2019, another EF-2 tornado destroyed the businesses of Beal’s Collision Center, J-Flame Customs and Clearwater Pools. Several other businesses and homes received damaged, including the Columbia-Marion County Library. The library lost its roof, but the heavy rains that followed that night and early the next morning caused extensive water damage on the inside, temporarily closing the library. A second tornado also hit Columbia causing downed trees, power lines and damaging homes and business.
An EF-1 tornado ripped through the New Hope area damaging 10 properties in Nov. 2015. Another EF-1 tornado hit the Bunker Hill community in Nov. 2011, which caused major damage to two homes and two barns, and five outbuildings were destroyed.
Other tornadoes that have struck Marion County include one on Dec. 2012, which hit the Pounds-Pickwick community and downed trees and caused property damage. A total of 13 homes and 23 structures were damaged in a Feb. 2013 tornado, which injured 3 people that struck Cheraw area.
Tornadoes were not the only type of weather to wreak havoc on Marion County. Tropical Storm Lee dropped 8.3 inches of rain within a three day span during Sept. 2011, which caused streets to be flooded and more than 25 trees fell. Hurricane Isaac in Aug. 2012 brought heavy rains, which led to flooding and trees and power lines knocked down.
Snow fell several times as well including in Feb. 2010 and a record-breaking 6 inches on Dec. 8, 2017. Jan. 2018 saw another 1.4 inches of snow, which closed schools for two days.
A combination of freezing temperatures plus 0.47 inches of a wintry mix including sleet, snow, freezing rain and ice shut down Marion County for two days until warmer temperatures arrived to melt the ice in January 2014.
Heavy rains up to 10 inches on Dec. 27 and Dec. 28, 2018, fell, causing several businesses downtown to flood.
BUSINESS
Some new businesses have joined Marion County while others have left during the last 10 years.
May 2010: the equipment and furnishings of Orleans Furniture were auctioned off from when the plant closed in Nov. 2009.
May 2011: Gov. Haley Barbour signed a special warranty deed giving 370 acres of the old training school to the Marion County Development District.
December 2011: Forrest General Hospital made a deal to take over the struggling Marion General Hospital.
November 2013: Officials with the Marion County Development Partnership announced the City of Columbia’s agreement with Looks Great Services of MS, Inc. to occupy a portion of the former Orleans Furniture facility. The announcement comes on the heels of a mid-summer announcement of St. James Lighting’s expansion also in the Orleans Furniture facility and an April announcement of Crown Health Care Laundry Services locating in the former Wellstone Apparel Building.
July 2012: Jim and Thomas Duff purchased T.L. Wallace Construction.
January 2013: Crown Health Care Laundry Services opened with Gov. Phil Bryant attending. Crown Laundry was severely damaged from the Dec. 23, 2014 tornado, but repairs were made and the business has still continued.
In 2015, the historic Round Table Restaurant burned to the ground in January. The restaurant had been a special feature in Columbia for more than 50 years. Sav-A-Lot opened its doors in December in the Towne Square Shopping Center.
A deal was made for pet food distributor Nelson Wholesale to open in 2016.
Major changes in 2017 included the closing of the surgical clinic at Marion General Hospital Oct. 1. Long-time grocery store chain Winn-Dixie closed the Columbia store in June. Not long afterwards Ramey’s, a grocery store chain based out of Purvis, announced plans to take over the space of the former Winn-Dixie. Ramey’s opened in November.
Platinum Equity bought a controlling share stake in Yak Access, one of the businesses under the Jones Companies in 2018.
In 2019, Marion County said goodbye to Sav-A-Lot in March, which had opened its doors in 2015, and also Fred’s Superstore closed its doors in May. December saw businessman Bob Buchanan donate 81 acres to the City of Columbia.
COLUMBIA POLICE DEPARTMENT
The Columbia Police Department had several different changes in command over the past decade. The decade started off with Interim Chief John Wayne Tolar. Tolar became the interim chief when the Columbia Board of Aldermen fired Joe Van Parkman in Oct. 2009.
In February 2010, Jim Kinslow was sworn in as the new police chief and remained the police chief until the board voted to terminate him in April 2012. Serving as interim police chief was Detective Clint McMurry.
In June 2012 McMurry was hired as the police chief until he resigned in May 2014. The interim police chief was Mike Cooper, who was appointed police chief in September 2014. Cooper served in that capacity until he turned in his resignation in March 2018 at the Board of Aldermen meeting. After the board voted to accept the resignation, the board immediately hired Michael Kelly as the new police chief.
Another organization with several changes was Main Street Columbia. The decade started with Judy Griffith serving as the director. After 18 years Griffith retired. Over the past 10 years the helm has passed from Griffith to Cherie Rayborn, Shannon Ellis, Leigh Hathorn to the current director Nik Ingram.
CRIME
Over the past decade there has been a few interesting crimes cases in Marion County.
In May 2011, Benny Joe Stevens was executed for the Marion County 1998 murders of Glenda Reid, Wesley Reid, Dylan Lee and Heath Pounds.
Marion County was shocked by the shooting death of Justin Stringer, 11, by his 15-year-old brother Zachary Stringer in June 2011. Stringer in 2013 was found guilty of manslaughter by a Jackson County jury and sentenced to 20 years with 10 years to serve. In October 2017, the Supreme Court granted Stringer’s motion for leave to proceed in the trial court is granted citing new evidence as there was a recall on the Remington model involved citing faulty trigger.
September 2014 saw closure for one of Marion County mysterious cases involving the 1993 death of 18-year-old Kimberly Rowell. Rowell’s body was found outside of Columbia Primary School. James K. “Duke” Polk was sentenced to life in prison for the crime.
Perhaps one the strangest cases to affect Marion County was the attempt to kidnap businessman Thomas Duff in 2016. Victor Mitchell, Howard Cameron and Glen Evans were all arrested in the plot. Howard Cameron made a deal with the prosecutors in exchange for his testimony. Victor Mitchell allegedly masterminded the plot in which Duff would be kidnapped, assaulted and extorted for money. In September 2019, Mitchell was convicted on all counts and has been sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years. Cameron was sentenced for 12 years and Evans’ trial is scheduled for February 2020.
