Articles by Emma McRae
LINK celebrates new office, dedicating training room to longtime advocate Bobby Harper
The Golden Triangle Development LINK celebrated the opening of its new office Tuesday, welcoming dozens of community members, business partners and local officials to the new 7,000-square-foot building at the Golden Triangle Regional Airport.
Suspects arrested in two separate Monday shootings
Two unrelated shootings reported Monday left a victim injured and multiple suspects under arrest, Columbus Police Department Public Information Officer Bryan Moore told The Dispatch.
Public’s help wanted in locating Sunday shooting suspect
Police have identified a suspect in a Sunday shooting that sent a Columbus man to the hospital.
City, OCEDA look to relocate sewage pumping station at NorthStar
Supervisors unanimously agreed Monday to allow $700,000 left over state grant funding to be redirected toward relocating and upgrading the Josey Creek sewage pumping station, which serves NorthStar Industrial Park.
Starkville budget plan includes 7.3% tax increase
With a $1.3 million shortfall in revenue projected for the city’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget, aldermen are weighing how to close the gap without raising property taxes by nearly 10%.
New Hope students, staff remember classmates lost during summer break
Instead of talking about the upcoming football season or sharing back-to-school stories on Thursday, New Hope High School students gathered together to remember the lives of two classmates.
$90M aluminum processing facility breaking ground in Oct
A $90 million aluminum process facility is planning a mid-October groundbreaking near Aluminum Dynamics, Golden Triangle LINK CEO Joe Max Higgins told The Dispatch.
Starkville High School construction bonds delayed until next year
Despite Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District’s plans to borrow up to $125 million to build a new high school by 2027, that debt will not show up in next year’s tax bill for district patrons.
Ask The Dispatch: What happened to the CPD Citizen Overview Committee?
On July 16, Devion Bankhead was airlifted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center for a brain bleed after Columbus Police Department Officer Jeremy Harris crashed into the civilian driver’s vehicle at 77.4 miles per hour.
Community Profile: Second-generation ACS alumna to lead school as its next principal
Just two weeks before Casey Thomas was set to graduate from Mississippi State with a degree in marketing, she changed her mind.
‘We will be heard’: Victim’s family demands justice, felony charges in juvenile assault
Frustration with what they see as too-lenient charges brought dozens to the Lowndes County Courthouse lawn Saturday, where the family of a 13-year-old Black child threatened at gunpoint demanded the suspect be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
‘Great run’ for Jim’s Clothing coming to an end
In 1971, Jim Davis traded in his whistle and gradebook as the Starkville High School football coach for selling double-knit polyester slacks and colorful leisure suits.
Sheriff, hospital refute mayor’s narrative of officer-involved crash
In a press release issued Monday, Mayor Stephen Jones seemed to claim credit for the sheriff’s office reopening a crash investigation and deflected blame for a mishandled drug test of the city police officer involved in the crash.
CMSD may request an additional $180K for operations
Columbus Municipal School District trustees are weighing a request of $180,104.14 more in ad valorem taxes this fiscal year in a proposal that would not result in an increased tax rate for property owners in the district.
Karriem retains District 41 seat, beating Beard by wide margin
Rep. Kabir Karriem will retain his seat in the Mississippi House of Representatives after winning Tuesday’s special primary election for House District 41.
Morning shuttle available for Henderson carpool students during road construction
To help parents avoid the construction-related traffic on Highway 182, Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District has launched a morning shuttle for Henderson Ward Stewart carpoolers.
MSU-Amazon partnership taps AI to help with recruitment
Mississippi State University is teaming up with Amazon Web Services for an artificial intelligence-powered initiative that will use data analysis to improve student and faculty recruitment, alumni engagement and fundraising.
LCSD board weighs $1 million more in local taxes
The Lowndes County School District Board is set to vote whether to request $1.1 million more in ad valorem taxes this fiscal year.
Man charged with child sex crimes passes background check, works at school district for almost three years
A man worked for nearly three years in the Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District while he was under indictment for child sex charges with victims as young as 12.
Bond-funded construction continues as students return to school
As parents dropped their students off for the first day of school Thursday, they may have noticed missing ceiling tiles and taped off construction areas at their schools.
