Lamar Park neighbors celebrate kid heroes

Kudzu Kids Melody, Emma, Zach and Rachel

The neighborhood clubhouse was filled to capacity with both people and their pet dogs when the residents threw a Thank You party for the Kudzu Kids, who reunited them with their beloved pets.

The clubhouse was dressed up to the nines. The decorating committee even included Frisbees in the centerpieces to welcome the dogs back home.

The kids — Zach Burgess, Melody Cheever, Rachel McGowan, and Emma Wooten — spent most of the party mingling with the rescued dogs and their owners.

“Lucky is my partner. He’s much more than just a dog. I missed him terribly,” said Ophelia Rickard with tears in her eyes.

Ms. Rickard wasn’t the only one teary-eyed at the party. She is just one of many neighbors who were fortunate enough to have their dogs rescued by the Kudzu Kids.

Franklin Guyton sat outside while his dog, Champ, snoozed next to him. “I knew something was wrong when I didn’t hear my Champ barking,” he said. “He’s never wandered off.”

Nearby, Andy Osborne watched while his dog, Butch, played on the lawn with the Kudzu Kids. "Butch is a member of our family. My wife and I are forever grateful for the Kudzu Kids and their amazing efforts to return him and all the other dogs.”

Mayor Thomas Winfield was also in attendance. “What these kids did for the neighborhood dog owners was extraordinary,” he said. “I can only hope other children strive to follow in their footsteps and be a contributing part of this wonderful community.”

The community caters

Furthering the community spirit of the event, the neighborhood committee had the party catered by local restaurants The Red Fern and The Sweet Shoppe.

Angela Donalson, owner of The Red Fern, said, “I was honored to be asked to cater for the party. As a dog owner myself, I can only imagine what these families went through with their dogs missing.”

Chloe Morgan, owner of The Sweet Shoppe, was so impressed with the Kudzu Kids, she not only made her famous red velvet cupcakes but also baked and donated special doggie treats for the dogs.

Remarkable rescue rewarded

The neighbors chipped in and had a special Thank You plaque made for the Kudzu Kids. The plaque had a paw print and the names of all the dogs they helped save.

The kids attributed their success in locating the missing pets to their teacher, Dr. William Lamar, and what they learned from him at CSI camp.

The Kudzu Kids would not accept a monetary reward for their efforts, so the dog owners have started a scholarship fund for local kids to attend CSI camp each summer.

Kudzu Kid Zach shrugged off the accolades. “This party was a big surprise for us. We were only doing what was right. We're just happy the dogs have been reunited with their families.”

Read more

Local man nabbed in dognapping scheme

Something was wrong in this affluent neighborhood in Oxford. Dogs were going missing. So many that it caught the attention of a group of local kids, who took the initiative to investigate and forward their findings to the Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff's Department.

Local man Carl Asher was arrested earlier today and charged with the dog thefts. He could be fined up to $500 and face a maximum of two years in jail for each count if convicted.

As the investigation continues, he may be charged with additional crimes.

Asher allegedly was a brazen thief, taking many of these pets directly from their owners' yards while they were at home.

Once he had the dogs in his possession, Asher reportedly took them to a vacant house where he would keep them until he could return them for a cash reward.

“We’ve never seen so many missing dogs in such a short amount of time,” said Elizabeth Jones, the YCSD Public Information Officer.

Rachel McGowan, one of the local youths responsible for helping crack this case, seemed unaffected by the praise that she and her friends got for helping solve the case.

“We saw something was wrong, and we investigated it,” said Rachel about her and her friends' heroic actions. “It’s what we do.”

All of the dogs have been recovered and returned to their rightful owners.

Read more

Mysteries abound

The Face in the Mirror has all the dish!

In this edition: missing mutts… bogus bingo… and student sleuths

Greetings, peeps!

The View from the Behind the Chair is the only place you'll hear the things women only tell their hairdressers.

In the first chair, a woman distraught over her missing dog. This isn't the first I've heard about pets that have strayed this summer. If you're a dog owner, please take extra care. If you see a dog that doesn't belong where you see it, please contact our local animal control officer at 662-232-XXXX. If you're a local animal control officer, please get on top of this.

In the second chair, another mystery. Apparently, someone has been having an unusually long lucky streak at Second Avenue's Bingo Night. Numbers (and letters) don't lie, but neither do the odds against winning fifty-four games in a row. With only a jarful of pennies at stake, wouldn't you rather play fair?

And in the third chair, a young lady belies our impression of a generation that's always connected. Kids who attended CSI camp this summer are setting up a shoeprint stand to collect samples in order to continue their extra-curricular educational activity. Go on down to the Square this Saturday to help these future crime fighters!


I'm just hearing, and I'm just saying.

Read more