Articles by Isabelle Altman
Vibrant minister accused of sexual harassment
She used to be a “five, five and five girl” — five minutes each of prayer, worship and reading her Bible every morning.
Faith leaders: More outside investigations of misconduct needed
Former church members and employees of Vibrant Church in Columbus say church officials turned a blind eye to sexual harassment by lead pastor Jason Delgado, prompting one of the employees to file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Gavin embraces ambitious projects in mayor seat
Every week day by 9 a.m. since Feb. 22, Vice Mayor Bill Gavin has set up shop in the conference room just off Mayor Robert Smith’s office at City Hall downtown.
From there, he oversees meetings with city department heads, takes phone calls from citizens and addresses issues throughout Columbus whenever they cross his — temporary — desk.
DiCicco defeats Gavin to claim Ward 6 council seat
Starting July 1, Ward 6 will have a new representative on the Columbus City Council.
Columbus ends mask-wearing mandate
Columbus City Council lifted its citywide mask mandate at its regular meeting Tuesday night, though not without some tense back and forth between two council members.
City looks to federal funding for $3.5M in infrastructure projects
Columbus officials plan to make a pitch to congressional representatives for funding of up to four infrastructure projects that would improve streets and drainage in the city.
Candidate forum broaches finances, infrastructure
City finances, infrastructure and crime were the three issues that dominated Thursday’s municipal candidate forum held at Lyceum at Lee.
Belief in American exceptionalism brings Brit to Mississippi Center for Public Policy
Douglas Carswell admits there’s some irony to becoming the head of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy.
Baptist robot will help with complex operations, faster patient recovery
Surgical robots are common enough today that doctors at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle didn’t require extra training when the hospital upgraded its surgical robotics system in December.
Suspect leads police on chase after ‘robbery spree’
A Columbus man allegedly went on a robbery spree and then led police on a chase through north Columbus Saturday night before finally being arrested for multiple felonies.
Buy, build or flip?
Affordability, rate of return and the costs of repairs and upkeep — those are the factors potential buyers should keep in mind when searching for their first ever home, whether they plan to flip it or just move straight in.
CRA has 10 lots left to acquire in Burns Bottom
After five years, Columbus Redevelopment Authority board has purchased all but about 10 of more than 70 properties in the Burns Bottom district near downtown Columbus, bringing the organization closer to redeveloping the blighted area.
‘The COVID class’
Lexi Morris still has one of the roses. The first-year nursing student at Mississippi University for Women received an entire bouquet of flowers from an elderly couple she vaccinated against COVID-19 at Fairview Baptist’s drive-through site earlier this month.
Woman treated at hospital after being sprayed with chemical while shopping at Walmart
Columbus police are investigating an incident at Walmart in which a woman was apparently sprayed with some sort of chemical.
No new deaths, 56 COVID-19 cases reported in four-county area
For the first time in months, there were no confirmed deaths from COVID-19 in the Golden Triangle reported to Mississippi State Department of Health this week.
CPD to begin publishing crime frequency, location data
In the coming weeks, Police Chief Fred Shelton hopes to start publicizing a weekly crime blotter breaking down crime in Columbus.
Monday Profile: ‘Monk on the Radio’
Shane Kinder once had a beer named after him.
It’s a “fun fact” about him, he said Friday from the Columbus Arts Council, where he’s worked as the office/theater manager since 2019.
Former county administrator sues Lowndes County
A former county administrator has filed a federal lawsuit against Lowndes County and two supervisors, alleging they forced him out of his position due to his age.
CVB touts marketing, lobby efforts that kept Mississippi open ‘safely’ during pandemic
The tourism industry in Mississippi, including Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau, received millions of dollars in federal money to ensure the state could safely stay open for visitors during the COVID-19 pandemic, CVB Executive Director Nancy Carpenter told members of the Columbus Exchange Club during their weekly luncheon at Lion Hills Thursday.
Food order argument leads to fatal stabbing of customer
Update: Authorities have identified the suspect and victim involved in a fatal stabbing at the Columbus Waffle House Wednesday morning.
