Articles by Isabelle Altman
Memorial Day events planned for Starkville, West Point
U.S. Army veteran Jeff Donald spent years in Europe, where every year, citizens held ceremonies and placed flowers on the graves at American cemeteries honoring those who died in the world wars.
County prosecuting attorney dies at Baptist Thursday
Lowndes County prosecuting attorney Steve Wallace died at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle Thursday afternoon following a short illness.
Man to serve 50 years for sexual battery of child
A Lowndes County man will spend 50 years in prison after a jury found him guilty this week of two counts of sexual battery of a 12-year-old girl.
Three people shot, two with BBs, at North Columbus party
Police are seeking suspects in a shooting Wednesday night at a party on Northside.
Two weekend Northside shootings believed to be related
Columbus police are investigating two shootings that occurred over the weekend that they believe are connected.
MSU’s Athlete Engineering Team uses wearable tech to study performance, prevent injury
When Reuben Burch and 14 other Mississippi State University faculty members began the university’s Athlete Engineering Team in 2017, they had about $2,500.
Monday Profile: Quarantine art project earns 9-year-old Columbus resident Main Street Service Award
Annabelle Brislin sat on the front porch of her home in South Columbus Sunday afternoon, with her art supplies strewn around her.
Gaskin, Coburn address crime at forum; Smith a no-show
Talk of crime — and its potential solutions — dominated discussion at a forum for Columbus mayoral candidates at the Exchange Club’s weekly meeting Thursday, with independent Keith Gaskin saying Columbus Police Department needs to be brought “into the 21st Century” and independent Montrell Coburn cited violent music and a culture that tells young Black men they are God.
Dream Center looking for site to house food distribution hub
Two years ago, when John Almond was first starting the nonprofit Dream Center Golden Triangle to meet the needs of Columbus’ most impoverished people, he found a young mother and her two children who were sleeping on the linoleum floor of their home.
State board: Complaint about city auditor ‘meritless’
The Mississippi State Board of Public Accountancy determined there was nothing improper about West Point-based accounting firm Watkins, Ward and Stafford’s handling of the city of Columbus’ 2019 audit report, after receiving a complaint about the audit from a Columbus resident.
Council votes to delay COO hire until after election
The Columbus city council voted unanimously Tuesday to delay the process of choosing a new chief operating officer until after the June 8 election, to give the incoming council a say in the hiring.
Starkville doctor sentenced to probation on federal charges
A retired Starkville doctor was sentenced Tuesday to three years of probation and ordered to forfeit more than $105,000 after pleading guilty in federal court to receiving and distributing misbranded pharmaceutical drugs.
Town hall focuses on youth programs, police patrols
Robert Benton told community members and leaders Monday night in Trotter Convention Center he is “disheartened” by the crime occurring in the area of his business, Military Hardware on Military Road.
Six candidates, three internal, apply for Columbus COO
A committee of city officials will interview five applicants for the city’s chief operating officer position, three of whom currently hold other positions with city government.
Columbus man convicted of second-degree murder for 2019 shooting
A Lowndes County jury found a Columbus man guilty of second-degree murder Friday at the end of a nearly week-long trial.
‘Let them be kids’: School resource officers in Starkville plan zoo trip for boys who rarely leave town
When Tyrone Haslett was growing up in Chicago, he loved to go to the zoo.
Public invited to town hall to discuss crime next Monday
City officials have invited the public to a town hall meeting at 6 p.m. Monday in Trotter Convention Center to hear concerns and propose solutions to the recent increase in gun violence in Columbus and the surrounding areas.
Midnight shooting that sent one to hospital has Southside neighbors rattled
Susan Mackay was getting ready for bed late Monday night when she heard it — the rapid pop-pop-popping sound of gunshots, followed by a loud boom.
Then her power went out.
Ecolab to close Columbus facility in 2022
Ecolab will close its Columbus facility next year, a company spokesperson has confirmed to The Dispatch.
Car chase leads to shooting, wreck in Southside
Police are investigating two unrelated shootings since Monday afternoon in Columbus, the second of which occurred during a late-night car chase in Southside.
