Articles by Emma McRae
Franklin floated as potential solution to county’s lack of courtroom space
Just a month after the elementary school officially ceased operations, Franklin Academy came up in a supervisors meeting as a possible solution to the county’s courtroom space issues.
LINK prepares to move to new, centrally located office next week
For the last week, CEO Joe Max Higgins has been lugging boxes to the dumpster parked behind the Golden Triangle Redevelopment LINK’s office on Main Street in Columbus as the organization begins its move to a new office.
Main Street Columbus celebrating 40 years of revitalization
From overseeing historic preservation and building a bustling downtown to securing public support for the Riverwalk, Main Street Columbus has been helping shape the city’s core for four decades.
Spears to resign from CRA board before taking council seat
Before being sworn in as Ward 6 councilman Monday, Jason Spears plans to resign his seat on the Columbus Redevelopment Authority board.
SOCSD looks to borrow additional $39M for new high school
The Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District could borrow up to $125 million to build its new high school.
TVA, local utilities ask customers to conserve energy during heat wave
Rising temperatures brings higher power demands, and local utilities and Tennessee Valley Authority are asking residents to help conserve energy.
CMSD board votes to include public in superintendent search
The public will have a chance to meet candidates for the Columbus Municipal School District superintendent position before the board of trustees decides who to hire.
Two Oktibbeha voting precincts changing locations
Changes are coming to Oktibbeha County voting precincts, District 3 Election Commissioner Dennis Daniels told The Dispatch.
Police investigating body found in West Point
Police are investigating after a man’s body was discovered early Saturday morning outside of an urgent care clinic in West Point.
CMSD debates if public input needed in superintendent search
As the Columbus Municipal School District looks to hire a new superintendent, board members are weighing whether to continue the district’s tradition of including the public in the interview process.
Outgoing council OKs conference travel for incoming officials
City and county officials both approved travel requests this week for upcoming conferences, but the decisions sparked pushback about missed deadlines and increased costs.
City backs down in legal tilt with AT&T over tower
The city is backing down from the lawsuit AT&T filed against it earlier this year, clearing the way for the company to build a 5G cellular tower at Moore Creek near the Roger Short Soccer Complex.
Beard qualifies for House District 41 seat
Pierre Beard will face incumbent District 41 Rep. Kabir Karriem in a November special election for the state representative seat.
Mother claims 3-year-old was left alone in day care van for 45 minutes
Columbus police are investigating an incident in which a 3-year-old was reportedly left alone inside a hot van Thursday for nearly an hour.
Girls learn tools of the trade at FORGE construction camp
Across the country, women make up only 11.5% of payroll employees in the construction industry.
Students cast in Civil Rights-era film set in Lowndes County
Columbus Middle School theater teacher Chelsea Petty was teaching class one day when she got a message from the front office.
CMSD appointed board seat converting to elected position
The Columbus Municipal School District Board of Trustees is set to turn one of its five appointed seats into an elected one come November due to an increase in the number of students living outside city limits but inside the district’s territory.
Incumbents qualify for re-election in special House races
Two state House districts in the Golden Triangle will hold special elections this fall as part of a court-ordered redistricting effort to ensure Black voters are fairly represented.
Community Profile: Welding before kindergarten, Rice builds career in father’s footsteps
Before Tim Rice even stepped foot in a kindergarten classroom, he was welding.
What does it mean to a city’s identity when its institutions are lost?
Empty desks stacked in pairs line the walls of a classroom. Boxes labeled with black marker and packed with end-of-the-year clutter fill the corners, destined for another school. On the whiteboard, “Good bye Franklin” is written in looping letters.
