Jay Lacklen: Moscow 1991

It was as surreal a scene as I would ever experience. In the final days of the Soviet Union in the winter of 1991, my American air crew and I stood on the tarmac at Shermecheko airport outside Moscow intermingled with a cadre of a hundred Soviet soldiers, dressed in their full length Peter the Great coats, as they manually downloaded our C-5 cargo aircraft.

Doesn’t like Mike

I still say (editorial cartoonist) Mike Luckovich encourages racism and discrimination. We need to move on beyond those two narrow-minded problems.

Two caring women and E-911

Several days ago, after leaving the dialysis unit, my husband began to bleed from the access in his arm and was losing blood at a very fast rate. Fortunately for him and for us, and his family, two quick-thinking and competent women saw what was happening to him.

Wicker: Severstal ‘testament to local economic development’

Two years to the day after the first roll of steel came off the assembly line, U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker paid a visit to Severstal to see how far the plant had come and talk about where it’s going.

Ritz application for resort status meets little opposition

West Point’s plans to apply to the State Tax Commission for resort status for the newly renovated Ritz Theater met little opposition Monday during a public hearing.

Roses and Thorns 8/30/09

Roses to Aberdeen’s Matthias Fischer and others; local U.S. Army soldiers stationed at Camp Atterbury; friends and family of U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Mark M. Wheeler; and Mississippi State University’s bike sharing program. A thorn to the Columbus City Council.

Against Sunday alcohol sales

It is very appropriate that the State of Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol has a great push on during the Aug. 15 to Sept. 15 period to help stop drinking and driving.

A unique opportunity

Tuesday, a group of planners, architects and designers will begin a three-day series of meetings and workshops, collectively termed a “charrette,” meant to help Columbus form a plan for future growth and city revitalization.

Unfriendly city

I woke up this wonderful Sunday morning with rain lurking in the air to find that some one had taken a large rock to our fairly new mailbox.

Alcohol already available on Sunday

We keep hearing, “Stop Sunday alcohol sales in Columbus.” The fact is there are already Sunday alcohol sales in Columbus. Beer and light wine (wine coolers, etc..) have been sold on Sundays in Columbus for years in stores and restaurants.

Public hearings tonight on alcohol sales

Meetings are slated for this evening in West Point and Columbus. The topic: booze.

Finding ways to draw revenue into the city has Columbus looking at extending its alcohol hours, as well as allowing liquor and wine sales on Sunday. The city already allows Sunday beer sales.

Local rapper keeps God at the forefront

As a music and a culture, hip-hop is full of divisions. While most artists are forced to affiliate themselves with one side or another, Quentin “Krucial” Rupert of West Point, an MC for Columbus-based Retro South Music, walks right down the middle.

Community members invited to offer input on master plan

Ask the PTA president or the lifelong community member or the county supervisor: What’s your vision for Columbus and Lowndes County?

You likely will get three — or more — very different answers. And moreover, you likely will get very different approaches on how to get there.

Roast-n-Boast conquers rain

They came. They roasted. They boasted.

The two-day Roast-n-Boast barbecue cooking competition soldiered through a rainy Saturday afternoon to finish strong Saturday evening.

The Cinderella Project plays fairy god mother

It’s not a Cinderella Story until she wears the gown.

That’s the premise behind The Cinderella Project in Lowndes County.

The program, run entirely by volunteers “on a mission to make prom dreams come true for financially challenged students,” collects formal gowns to give away for free.

Starkville to Get Swept Up

STARKVILLE — With the first Mississippi State University home football game less than a week away, the Greater Starkville Development Partnership is calling on volunteers to help clean up the city.

Mayor: Travis Outlaw still ‘very much a part of the community’

Travis Outlaw’s soft spot for kids may be growing.

The former Starkville High School basketball standout who made the jump from high school straight to the NBA doubled his annual contribution to the Boys and Girls Club of Starkville this year.

Everyone will roast, but who will boast?

Everyone will be roasting. But when the smoke clears, who will be boasting?

The Roast-n-Boast BBQ Cooking Contest returns to the Columbus Fairgrounds today and Saturday. The food festival formerly known as the Possum Town Pig Fest is coming back for its 28th year.

Contrast in styles for Heritage, Winston

If the first week of the season is any indication, it will be a game of contrasting styles when Heritage Academy plays at Winston Academy on Friday.

Supports MUW name change

Eleven years ago I was a senior at Columbus High School. I hadn’t the slightest idea what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. My guidance counselor shot down my dreams of attending Morehouse College in Atlanta.