Preventing suicides in jail: Local authorities enhancing protocols as inmate deaths rise nationally

In June, construction was completed on two new cells, each designed to hold only one person at a time, in the Clay County Jail.

Finances, cleanup concerns raised by Ward 4 candidates at forum

Issues facing the city from its finances to sewer and drainage problems and ongoing clean-up in north Columbus from a Feb. 23 tornado were topics raised by candidates hoping to fill the recently vacated Ward 4 city council seat during a forum at Lion Hills on Friday.

McLean beats incumbent Smith in Dist. 39 race

Dana McLean will represent House District 39 in 2020 after she beat 28-year incumbent Rep. Jeff Smith in Tuesday’s Republican primary.

‘Better because of Gene Taylor’: Ward 1 councilman remembered for kindness, service to community

Ward 2 Councilman Joseph Mickens can remember the last words he heard Ward 1 Councilman Gene Taylor say, Sunday afternoon as the two men were leaving church.

Columbus to hold National Night Out block parties Tuesday

Both Columbus and Starkville will host their annual National Night Out on Crime block parties this week.

Lowndes sheriff’s race brings in $45K in run-up to primary

Nearly $45,000 has been poured into the race for Lowndes County sheriff in the run up to Tuesday’s primary election, according to campaign finance reports from the four candidates.

CPD focuses on removing illegal guns from streets

Getting stolen guns off the street has become a priority for Columbus Police Department, Chief Fred Shelton told the CPD Overview Committee during its meeting Thursday at the Columbus Municipal Complex.

Remembering ‘Ace’: Caledonia native, ballplayer a victim in Southaven shooting

Anthony Brown’s baseball coaches all agreed: You didn’t want to be at the plate when Brown was pitching.

“He was a ace of a pitcher in baseball,” said Bubba Woods, who coached Brown in youth league ball. “He was a good athlete, and a good boy. I looked at him as a son back then.”

Chancery judges offer free legal clinic to citizens

For the second straight year, chancery judges are holding a free legal clinic for those planning to represent themselves in court.

CPD: Second person fired shots at Propst Park on Saturday

An individual at a party where a Columbus teenager was fatally shot has been issued a citation for also firing a weapon at the party.

Historic preservation taken out of this world: Oxford couple founds ‘For All Moonkind’ to push for protection of moon landing sites, human objects in space

Fifty years ago tomorrow astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to ever walk on the moon.

They left behind ample evidence of their more than 21-hour visit, including boot prints, medals of Soviet cosmonauts who died before the Apollo 11 mission and a small plaque inscribed with messages of peace from world leaders. That evidence is still there.

MEMA awards $250K grant to storm clean-up nonprofit

Mississippi Emergency Management Agency has awarded Community Recovery of Lowndes County a $250,000 grant to aid homeowners still repairing and rebuilding after a Feb. 23 tornado and subsequent flooding.

New CAC director places focus on outreach, ‘dying’ arts

Jan Miller went from painting to framed poster to quilt in the art gallery at Rosenzweig Arts Center Thursday afternoon, pointing out her favorite pieces and explaining how each of the artists hails from the Golden Triangle area.

Two arrested after deputies find children living in ‘deplorable’ conditions

Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a couple on Hughes Road after deputies found four children in the home living in “unbearable conditions,” according to a LCSO press release.

Two throw in hat for Ward 4 race

The first two candidates have qualified for the Ward 4 city council vacancy.

Local agent details fight against child exploitation

A few years ago, Lt. Tony Cooper of the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office visited an area school to talk to teenagers about sex crimes and the dangers of sending inappropriate texts and pictures through social media.

Discovering where they’ve been: Area residents use DNA testing, genealogical research to place ancestors throughout American history

The 1900 census lists two children — 11-year-old Lillie and her 10-year-old brother — living with the Eubanks family in Louisville.

The problem is, said Columbus native Carol Anne Beard, Lillie’s great-granddaughter, that Eubanks isn’t the last the name the children were born with.

DNA-collecting agencies use genetic data for research

A strand of DNA analyzed in a rape kit from 1990 was the key piece of evidence in Starkville Police Department’s 28-year-old investigation into the murders of Betty Jones and Kathryn Crigler.

Area nonprofit sued for racial discrimination

A former Columbus-Lowndes Habitat for Humanity employee is suing the area nonprofit in federal court for racial discrimination.

Combating human trafficking: Area law enforcement agencies join regional task force to pool local, state, federal resources to combat modern slavery

A kidnapped woman escaped from an 18-wheeler stopped in West Point after she’d been moved from place to place against her will for weeks.

Another young girl was found in a Clay County drug den after being reported missing in Arkansas and trafficked through multiple states.

Those are just two victims area law enforcement know of this year who were caught up in what the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office says is the world’s fastest growing criminal industry: human trafficking and modern slavery.