Will Oktibbeha get countywide building codes?

Oktibbeha County may be headed for a countywide zoning or building code, but residents are wary of overreach.

Starkville’s desegregation not as smooth as accepted history might suggest

Starkville’s school integration nearly 50 years ago didn’t see the same level of violence and conflict as some in the South. But Ann Rice still feels the scars of that time.

Education: Partnership Middle School tree planting

Black History Month event to include documentary showing, panel discussion about Starkville school integration

The Starkville-Oktibbeha County Public Library has booked a free showing and panel discussion Monday about the history of school integration for Black History Month.

Communiversity mock interview fair prepares high schoolers for the real deal

Hundreds of high school students came Thursday to the Communiversity for mock job interviews, nervously shuffling papers and speaking with professionals in fields ranging from medicine to truck sales to the military.

Starkville pulls firefighter reservists amid staffing shortages

Starkville’s fire department is bolstering its ranks by rehiring lapsed personnel as reservists, hoping to improve training and faltering recruitment efforts.

Photos: Valentine’s Gala Treats

Absentee voting opens for primaries, sparking illegal harvesting concerns from Brooks

Absentee voting for Mississippi’s upcoming municipal elections has begun, ringing the starting bell as well as bringing up old questions in Columbus about the line between accepted voter assistance and illegal ballot harvesting.

Starkville updates ADA plan for first time in 14 years

Starkville is seeing the benefits of a renewed push for compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act, employing new technologies to identify where city sidewalks have fallen into disrepair.

Lease snafu has SOCSD overhauling 16th Section process

After issuing a lease that ran afoul of the city’s zoning laws, Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District is sorting through all its 16th Section properties and revamping its leasing process.

Council still lukewarm on using unfinished amphitheater

Golden Triangle Theatre may have to find a different venue for its summer camp performance, after the city council gave a lukewarm response to a request to host the show at the Sen. Terry Brown Amphitheater.

Comprehensive plan in works for Oktibbeha

County supervisors are calling public meetings to draft a new comprehensive plan, giving residents a chance to shape the direction of their county for years to come.

Community Profile: Columbus art bridges modern royalty, homelessness, cattle herders

For Brittany Horne, painting is much more than a hobby.

Cowboys compete for fortune and glory at Rotary Classic Rodeo

The Mississippi Horse Park was packed this weekend as a sea of people turned out to watch dozens of contestants ride livestock, rope cows and dive from their saddles to wrestle steers to the ground.

Photos: DAR Essay Contest Winners

Clay County teen charged with murder in stabbing

A 15-year-old has been arrested for the murder of a man found dead Tuesday behind his residence along Mississippi Highway 46.

Fire destroys Oktibbeha home; no injuries

A home in Oktibbeha County burned to the ground Wednesday, though nobody was injured and firefighters stopped it from spreading to nearby properties.

TVA offers Starkville $3 million for missed solar credits

Starkville has accepted a deal from Tennessee Valley Authority that could earn the city millions of dollars over two decades, helping to compensate for clean energy credits the city missed out on amid rising solar costs.

Ask The Dispatch: Is the Bluecutt and Leigh intersection getting a stoplight?

Bluecutt Road is one of the main thoroughfares into downtown Columbus.

Mayor’s race draws four candidates in Starkville

Four last-minute qualifiers have thrown more city races into contention, with new challengers in the races for mayor and Wards 3 and 6. These round out 15 qualifiers for city races by Friday’s qualifying deadline.