Articles by Abigail Sipe Rochester
Oktibbeha County campaign fundraising mostly stagnant
Campaign finance reports show many Oktibbeha County candidates have not received any additional contributions to their campaigns since the last reporting period in May. But funding continues to grow in the sheriff’s race.
Locals connect with Ukrainians, sharing stories, language
Alneshia Branch sits on the front porch of her trailer home in Oktibbeha County and makes a phone call. Across the world in an apartment in Kyiv, Ukraine, Ludmila Baranichenko picks up the phone.
Proposed code changes would streamline sidewalk variances
For the eighth time, the city is working to revise the Unified Development Code, this time with 20 revisions, with the biggest adjustments directed at the city’s sidewalk process.
Bomb threat called in to Kroger on Highway 12
A bomb threat was called in on the Kroger on Highway 12 Thursday morning. But within 67 minutes, law enforcement gave the “all clear.”
Trained lifeguard shortage delays Moncrief Pool opening
After months of aldermen discussing usage and public interest in Moncrief Park’s 70-year-old swimming pool, a pool party at Moncrief Pool made a big splash this past Saturday.
Supes reject city contract for pickleball at Safe Room
After weeks of discussions about creating and managing indoor pickleball courts in the Oktibbeha County Community Safe Room, the county decided it doesn’t want to partner with the city after all.
Man turns himself in for Dollar General armed robbery
A man wanted for an April armed robbery at a Dollar General has turned himself in.
EMTs, supes ‘blindsided’ by OCH privatizing ambulance service
Stephen Pannell has worked for OCH Regional Medical Center as a paramedic for more than 15 years. But Pannell and his coworkers were called into a meeting at the hospital on May 25, where they were abruptly told the hospital’s EMS/Ambulance service would be moving to a private company.
Neighbors rally around local musicians after house fire
COLUMBUS — When local musicians Margie and Keith Brown’s home caught fire and then was burglarized a few days later in May, the pair lost
Community Profile: Every stamp tells a story
Les Danner started collecting stamps from all over the world while serving as a U.S. Navy medic in the Pacific Theater during World War II, a hobby he kept up for the rest of his life.
String music classes coming to SOCSD this fall
The melodic sound of strings will soon drift through campuses in the Starkville-Oktibbeha County Consolidated School District.
Man shot in the buttocks by stray bullet
COLUMBUS —A man was wounded in the buttocks by a stray bullet in East Columbus on Friday evening. At about 6:45 p.m., Columbus Police Department
Man arrested for breaking into home on Misty Lee Lane
A man was arrested for burglarizing a home on Misty Lee Lane on Thursday evening.
Two men arrested for unrelated robberies on Garrard Road
Two local men were arrested for unrelated robberies on Garrard Road on Tuesday morning, according to Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Office records.
Electrical work a ‘prequel’ for Highway 182 revitalization
Whether in the air or below ground, Starkville Utilities has wasted no time upgrading infrastructure downtown this summer.
SPD breaks up party; seizes firearms, pills
A party on South Choctaw Street was broken up by law enforcement on Tuesday night when 12 men were arrested for gambling, a misdemeanor.
‘Improvements are hard sometimes’
STARKVILLE — With any public utilities project, there are always bumps in the road. And right now, Main Street is a little bumpier than normal.
Flags memorialize veterans throughout Starkville cemeteries
Barry Montgomery started placing American flags at Memorial Gardens cemetery in 2005, the day of his father’s funeral. But when he saw the graves beside his father’s, he knew it wasn’t fair to leave theirs unhonored.
New gallery to help local artists sell work
Andrew Rendon has been working to carry on his brother Del’s passion for music and art in the Golden Triangle since his death in 2005. Now, almost 17 years later, the Del Rendon Foundation is opening a headquarters and art gallery for the first time.
Armed man still at large in convenience store robbery
An armed man is still at large following a convenience store robbery early Thursday morning.
Chain’s life in the water leads to a lap around Key West
July 19, 2025
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