Starkville eyes hotel tax for short-term rentals

Aldermen are set to consider making short-term rentals in the city subject to the 2% hotel tax.

Three victims, one child rescued in trafficking sting

A man faces prostitution charges after he was arrested during a sting led by the Attorney General’s Office Human Trafficking Task Force that resulted in the recovery of three victims and one child.

Letter from within CPD calls for chief’s removal

Some officers at the Columbus Police Department have called for Chief Joseph Daughtry’s removal, citing a pattern of retaliation, favoritism and declining morale in the department – allegations Daughtry said he has not heard before.

Funding crisis looms as school enrollment drops

Public school enrollment in Mississippi has been on a decline for roughly a decade, and most school districts in the Golden Triangle have not been spared.

In Memoriam: An ‘honorable man’: Coleman leaves legacy of civility, service

David Owen has a phrase for what Lee Coleman was long before he ever donned a judge’s robe: a “classic, fine gentleman lawyer.”

Extra tax break for solar farms could cost Lowndes $840K in lost revenue

Officials are raising the alarm about a 2025 tax law regarding solar developments that could cost the county – and nearly 30 other counties across the state – hundreds of thousands in lost tax revenue.

Aldermen green light two new housing projects

Aldermen on Tuesday cleared the way for two housing projects, including a five-story mixed-use development downtown and the city’s first cottage court community.

County, city set Friday showdown over unpaid bills

County supervisors and Columbus City Council members will meet Friday to confront a months-long dispute over $455,000 in unpaid jail and emergency services bills the city has declined to pay.

Plaque project aims to promote downtown history

From the theater where the first color movies were screened in Mississippi to the site of a hotel that hosted the likes of Doris Day and Will Rogers or a building that housed a livery stable so large it was called “The Horse Mansion,” downtown Columbus has many stories to tell, Betty Bryan, a member of the Preservation Society of Columbus, told The Dispatch.

Propst Park kayak launch moves into design phase

Propst Park is one step closer to being the city’s top destination for recreation as progress continues on the long-floated plan for a kayak and canoe launch on Luxapalila Creek.

Police cameras to more than double after shootings

Columbus Police Department plans to expand its citywide surveillance grid with the purchase of 15 additional police cameras to be placed throughout the city in response to a recent rash of shootings in which bystanders were injured.

Bitcoin mining operation eyes expansion in Columbus

For nearly a year, a bitcoin mining facility in Columbus has quietly operated thousands of computers around the clock, drawing on excess electricity capacity from Columbus Light and Water with hopes of expanding soon.

Photo: America250

Farewell to Fairview: Fairview closes doors after nearly 70 years educating East Columbus

For the entirety of her 25-year career in education, Pam Johnson has watched her students grow up at Fairview Elementary School.

What’s next after CINCO?

In the more than two decades since its founding, the Golden Triangle Development LINK has helped clear thousands of acres of land for industrial development, bringing millions in industry to the region, creating nearly five Megasites and thousands of jobs.

Child in critical condition after Memorial Day shooting

A Memorial Day shooting sent two bystanders to the hospital, including a child who remains in critical condition, Police Chief Joseph Daughtry told The Dispatch.

Community Profile: Girl Scout turns love of outdoors into community project

When Julianne Marett attended a local geocaching event last year, she quickly noticed she was among one of the youngest participants there.

Child in critical condition after Memorial Day shooting

COLUMBUS – A Memorial Day shooting sent two bystanders to the hospital, including a child who remains in critical condition, Police Chief Joseph Daughtry told

2 bystanders, including DoorDasher, hurt in shooting spree

A DoorDasher and a woman inside her home suffered injuries during a rash of three separate shootings over two days, Police Chief Joseph Daughtry told The Dispatch.

Hidden recording device found in Starkville home

A Starkville man was arrested Monday for allegedly placing a hidden recording device inside his own home to surveil someone else without their knowledge.