Man behind bars after allegedly holding girlfriend hostage for four days
A Columbus man was arrested Thursday for allegedly holding his girlfriend against her will in his residence for four days. Emerson Samel Rodriquez, 33, is
Extra tax break for solar farms could cost Lowndes $840K in lost revenue
Officials are raising the alarm about a 2025 tax law regarding solar developments that could cost the county – and nearly 30 other counties across the state – hundreds of thousands in lost tax revenue.
City grant writer resigns: toxic work environment
The city’s grant writer and administrator has had enough.
Kids Entrepreneur Con provides marketplace for aspiring entrepreneurs
Savannah Lewis has big plans for the prize money she might win by selling her homemade sourdough and handmade jewelry and paintings: to advance her business and save money so she can do mission work.
1 dead, 3 injured after car allegedly flees CPD traffic stop
A Columbus man died and three others were injured in a single-vehicle crash Tuesday night after the driver allegedly fled a Columbus Police Department traffic stop.
Above the Clouds: My ride in the sky with ‘Slick’ the CAFB pilot
Surprisingly, the takeoff in a T-6 Texan II from Columbus Air Force Base doesn’t feel too different from the rumble of a commercial airline’s ascent.
Heated council discusses job performance of multiple key positions
The bulk of Tuesday’s city council meeting at the Municipal Complex played out behind closed doors, with little action to show for the hour-plus executive session when it finally adjourned.
County, city set Friday showdown over unpaid bills
County supervisors and Columbus City Council members will meet Friday to confront a months-long dispute over $455,000 in unpaid jail and emergency services bills the city has declined to pay.
Plaque project aims to promote downtown history
From the theater where the first color movies were screened in Mississippi to the site of a hotel that hosted the likes of Doris Day and Will Rogers or a building that housed a livery stable so large it was called “The Horse Mansion,” downtown Columbus has many stories to tell, Betty Bryan, a member of the Preservation Society of Columbus, told The Dispatch.
Could city’s public info officer position get shelved?
Some members of the city council are having second thoughts about whether there should be a public information officer on the city payroll.
Police: Suspect shot three women, hid from SWAT in attic
A man is behind bars after allegedly shooting three women Wednesday at a residence in East Columbus.
Industrial fire station plans for area training center
When it comes to firefighting, one of the few routine things is shift change.
Person of interest in Memorial Day shooting arrested on Texas warrant
A Crawford man identified as a person of interest in a Memorial Day shooting that left a mother and child hospitalized has been arrested on an unrelated Texas warrant, according to a Columbus Police Department press release.
‘Process error’ on film contract sparks council debate
A debate Wednesday on whether the city could pay for Carlos and Roberto Rosales’ meals next week in Denver revealed the documentarians have already received $18,750 in public funds for a contract the city council had not approved.
Ask The Dispatch: Where’s that banging sound coming from in Lowndes County?
If you’ve lived in Columbus or Lowndes County in roughly the last decade, you’ve potentially heard the recurring banging that seems to echo from the Island throughout the day.
Global Cellulose Fibers looks ahead after acquisition
Pulp is everywhere: In the belt around your waist, the food you eat, the TV screen you watch before bed and the paint on the walls of your house.
Remembering Elijah: Family of 20-year-old killed in industrial accident left waiting for answers
“Numb.”
That was the only feeling Etwona Jones felt as she drove on highways traversing across the Alabama and Mississippi border after receiving the call that her son, Elijah Jones, died in an accident at the New Process Steel facility April 28.
Community Profile: Childhood trauma fuels counseling dream
Kelly Jo Thomas still remembers the anger and depression she carried as a child because people close to her made her feel like she didn’t matter.
Columbus residents call for hands-on solutions to city gun violence
When Frantrice Caine read the news about a mother and toddler being shot in Columbus over Memorial Day weekend, she was heartbroken.
McMahon joins as MSU athletics beat writer
Jake McMahon has joined The Dispatch as its beat reporter for Mississippi State athletics.
