Articles by Emma McRae
$101M Starkville High bond could add hundreds to Oktibbeha tax bills
With Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District borrowing $101 million for the new Starkville High School, property owners in the district are set to pay hundreds of dollars more on their next tax bill.
Festival of the Fae returns this weekend, bigger than ever
From fairies to folklore, all things fantasy return to Luxilin Drive this weekend for the Festival of the Fae’s biggest event yet.
SOCSD OKs borrowing $101M for new high school
The new Starkville High School project now has a price tag and a bond issue to match.
Canvas cyberattack disrupts finals at MSU, MUW
Area universities spent Friday grappling to recover from a cyberattack that landed at one of the busiest times of the academic year, as Mississippi State University, Mississippi University for Women and East Mississippi Community College prepare for graduation ceremonies.
More than a decade in the making, Parkview breaks ground in Burns Bottom
“Columbus is Columbus’ biggest critic,” Nic Parish, of the Burns Group and Friendly City Development, told a crowd of roughly 50 Thursday during the groundbreaking ceremony for Parkview.
Lowndes County total value expected to surge to $1.6B
The county’s total assessed value is projected to climb from $1.25 billion this tax year to an estimated $1.6 billion next year, which will generate at least $4.3 million in new taxes.
Collector built a 5,000-plus movie library. Now he’s giving it away
Van Roberts remembers the first movie he ever watched.
Freedom Summer visit to highlight Eighth of May
In the summer of 1964, Bernard Wasow, a 20-year-old college student from Los Angeles, spent his mornings teaching at a Freedom School in Columbus and his afternoons canvassing the city’s Black neighborhoods, urging residents to register to vote.
In Memoriam: Bill Gamel was just himself. People loved him for it
Whether on the air or off, Bill Gamel made people feel like they mattered.
Community Profile: Betting on Columbus before the boom
Thomas Taylor III and his wife, Rebecca, looked at 50 other cities to raise their children before landing on Columbus.
Buying a grave site? At Friendship, there are no guarantees
If you purchase a plot at Friendship Cemetery, you could run into one of two problems.
Ask The Dispatch: What can renters do when landlords fail to make repairs?
Faulty air conditioning, burst sewer pipes and a slew of alleged maintenance failures, like mold in homes and backed-up pipes, have left residents of Hargrove Estates frustrated with their property managers.
City makes $65K bet on new fingerprint analyst
The city council is betting nearly $65,000 that its newest crime lab employee will stick around long enough to make the investment worthwhile.
Stabbing suspect released; case heading to grand jury
An alleged aggravated domestic assault may go to grand jury before charges can be determined, Sheriff Eddie Hawkins told The Dispatch.
40-plus residents displaced by Chanticleer fire
A Friday night fire that displaced more than 40 residents at a Chanticleer Apartments building, located at 602 Park Circle, is believed to be accidental, according to Columbus Fire and Rescue Chief Charles Yarbrough.
MSMS’ Zarandona named MDE’s Teacher of the Year
Learning is about more than getting a correct answer or knowing the right information.
SOCSD moves closer to breaking ground on new high school
A Monday site meeting with contractors will mark the first concrete step in Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District’s efforts to build a new Starkville High School.
Burchfield-Doty interested in MUW presidency
Sally Burchfield-Doty remembers stepping onto the Mississippi University for Women campus for the first time when she was only 5 years old.
