Articles by Braden Simmons
Ask The Dispatch: Why are some Columbus roads so wide?
During a Ward 2 Community Meeting held at East Columbus Gym on June 23, residents voiced concerns of neighborhood speeding along several residential streets.
‘Our history is our story’: Grants fund new public art, downtown banners across Noxubee
Brittany Horne, an artist from Shuqualak, remembers being presented with a challenge from Esther Howard, with the Noxubee County Historical Society, in June.
Teen charged with murder after fatal police flight
A 16-year-old who fled a traffic stop and crashed a vehicle, killing one of his three passengers, has been charged with felony murder and fleeing.
Mr. Buddy: The empty chair at Pheba’s Diner: Remembering the town’s ‘true historian’
Whenever you walked through the wooden front door to Pheba’s Diner off Highway 50, there was always one thing that remained constant.
Learning the law: Sheriff’s Academy aims to steer students away from trouble early
Austin Minor, a seventh-grader at New Hope Middle School, has dreamed of one day becoming an attorney and working in tandem with law enforcement.
Speeding concerns become focus at Ward 2 town hall
James Rice, who has lived on Maple Street for 26 years, said he’s tired of seeing cars racing in front of his home in East Columbus.
Suspects connected to Meadowbrook murder released on bond
Two suspects arrested Thursday in connection with a fatal drive-by shooting are out on bond.
Student podcast project tackles issues related to climate change
Malorie Miles, a seventh-grader at The Partnership Middle School, remembers watching from her front door as her neighborhood experienced flash flooding in 2022.
MSU program to build supervisors out of skilled workers
Kenna Vowell, an assistant professor with Mississippi State University’s College of Professional and Continuing Studies, has dreamed for years of creating a program to develop the next generation of skilled workforce leaders in the Golden Triangle.
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.
Community development: Macon turns to Main Street program to revive vacant downtown
When the vacant downtown building next to Khristy’s Boutique and Thrift on Jefferson Street collapsed in November from old age and neglect, Mayor Freddie Poindexter said he knew something had to be done.
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.
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.
Historic Preservation: West Point’s historic Northside School poised for new future
Even though it’s been more than 70 years since she attended Northside Elementary School, Bettye Swift can still recall the names of each teacher she had there in the mid-1950s.
Man arrested in triple stabbing that left victims hospitalized
A suspect is behind bars after three victims were injured Wednesday in an alleged stabbing.
Free tool to provide ‘peace of mind’ against property fraud in Lowndes County
Chancery Clerk Cindy Goode remembers seeing advertisement after advertisement on television last fall related to fraud prevention.
Man found dead after drive-by shooting in West Point
An alleged drive-by shooting Tuesday left one man dead and sent another victim to the hospital, Police Chief Michael Edwards told The Dispatch.
Mother dead, son in hospital following apparent murder-suicide attempt
A mother is dead following a Monday shooting on East Hazelwood Road.
County to start paying SPD for animal control assistance
July 8, 2025
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