Link completes revenue-sharing deal with West Point, Clay County

The Columbus-Lowndes Development Link is moving forward with plans to recruit industry for West Point and Clay County, securing a deal earlier this week to obtain 10 percent of the resulting tax revenues, with the remaining 90 percent divided between West Point and Clay.

Brigham makes quiet exit from MUW

In the end, Allegra Brigham got her way.

When she stepped down as interim president at Mississippi University for Women in December, she had hoped to leave with no fanfare. Instead, she was feted with a surprise party.

Immanuel Christian has its own ‘Extreme Make-over’

The name fit the school perfectly, but that was just about the only place it fit.

With five words, 39 letters and 13 syllables, “Immanuel Center for Christian Education” was a mouthful to say and a handful to write. Filling out official forms, with their cramped text boxes and narrow columns, required the dexterity of a contortionist. Its acronym, ICCE, was equally a tongue-twister.

‘Read Across Columbus’ helps keep kids on positive track

Glenda Buckhalter has heard the statistics. As the Columbus Police Department’s public information officer, she’s intimately aware of the correlation between illiteracy, dropout rates and juvenile crime.

Early-morning fire destroys vacant home

An early morning fire gutted a vacant home today, despite efforts from Columbus Fire and Rescue to combat the blaze.

Caledonia employee dispute at impasse

A year-long dispute between a Caledonia supervisor and an employee may have landed the town in hot water as the issue threatens to spill over into a lawsuit.

Summer reading programs keep kids intellectually engaged

School’s out for summer, but that doesn’t necessarily mean no more pencils, no more books for local students, many of whom are already immersed in reading assignments for the upcoming school year.

While students may groan and parents may wonder what happened to the carefree vacations they remember, educators, backed by statistics, favor summer reading as a way to prevent “brain drain” — the loss of critical skills attained in the classroom and shoved in the locker when the dismissal bell rings each summer.

Caledonia proposes deal to end dispute with water employee

A Town of Caledonia employee may soon see the pay increase he’s spent more than a year fighting to receive.

Caledonians fume over rates despite ‘adjustment’

Caledonia residents are beginning to feel the impact of a water and sewer rate hike which went into effect June 1, but limited relief for some may be on the way.

Hood reaps what he sews: Columbus native and ex-soldier found his niche as upholsterer

For a young Mississippi soldier on furlough, the sign in a Kansas City shop window was tantalizing.

Who could resist cracking the door ever so slightly, peering inside this strange world that beckoned? He was planning to re-enlist, but it wouldn’t hurt to see if the sign’s prescient promise held merit.

“Your future is in upholstery,” the poster in the window boldly asserted, and for Willie Hood, that proved to be true.

Lowndes County schools seek to achieve unitary status

In 1954, the United States Supreme Court handed down its landmark ruling which declared school segregation unconstitutional, but desegregation came slowly in Mississippi, with many districts — including Lowndes County — not achieving complete integration until placed under court order to do so in 1970.

Columbus Police make arrest in church burglary

The Columbus Police Department has arrested one suspect and is looking for another in connection with the burglary of a local church.

Baptist unveils new physical therapy center

The new outpatient physical therapy center may be smaller, but that just makes it better, staff members at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle said Friday as they celebrated the project’s completion during an open house reception.

Lowndes County School District expected to pass budget

The Lowndes County School District is expected to pass its Fiscal Year 2012-2013 budget at the July 13 board meeting, Business Officer Frances Goldmon said Friday. The $48.92 million budget includes funding for 13 new positions and employee raises.

Former legislator, Justice Court judge McCrary dies

A former Mississippi legislator and Lowndes County Justice Court judge passed away Thursday at the age of 91.

Unstoppable student creates a new world in clay

Shawanda Corbett never met a challenge she didn’t like. The 22-year-old was born with one arm and no legs, but, in a world where so

Parents mourn drowning of toddler

A local couple is mourning the loss of their two-year-old son, after the toddler drowned in an above-ground swimming pool in north Columbus Friday night.

School lunch: Now healthier, more expensive

Pushed by federal guidelines to combat the growing epidemic of childhood obesity, school nutritionists across the nation are feeling the financial hit as they try to figure out how to cost-effectively meet the new requirements, which mark the first significant changes to the government-subsidized school lunch program in 15 years.

Queens of the second chance: Columbus pair earns honors for their work with adult learners

The young man sits on the front row, peering through thick glasses at the mathematics worksheet lying on his desk at Greater Columbus Learning Center. A few of his classmates glance up as he begins to speak, but most keep their heads bowed in concentration as they focus on their own lessons, their own dreams.

MSU at forefront in fight against cyber crime

Dr. Rayford Vaughn Jr., associate vice president for research at MSU and head of the Computer Science and Engineering Department, gave a brief overview of the department’s offerings and accomplishments during Tuesday afternoon’s Columbus Rotary Club meeting at the Columbus Country Club.