‘A different world’: Camp Rising Sun makes place for kids with cancer

When Andy Miller was 8 years old, he came home from his first year at Camp Rising Sun, sat on the swingset in his backyard and cried because he had to leave camp.

United Way director stepping down

United Way executive director Danny Avery has resigned his position and will be stepping down June 29.

Man accused of soliciting teen for pornography

A Columbus man is behind bars after allegedly soliciting a teenager to produce pornographic material.

CPD officer suspended for second time in a year

A patrolman with Columbus Police Department has been suspended for 28 days without pay for the second time in a year.

One in custody following three-hour standoff

Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office deputies took a man in custody following a three-hour standoff outside a home on Will Hairston Road in southern Lowndes County on Thursday.

Justice Institute fights for open government, individual liberty

Shadrack White likes standing up for his beliefs, even when those beliefs are unpopular.

4 displaced after fire destroys public housing units

Four people lost their homes and possessions in a fire that started in a Columbus Housing Authority apartment and spread to three other units Wednesday morning.

Caring for community cats: Volunteers in Columbus, Starkville ‘trap, neuter, release’ feral cats

A few cats were walking around outside two abandoned businesses nestled between some woods and a busy highway in Starkville when Janice Greenslade first saw them about six years ago. All she knew at the time was no one there could have owned them.

Lowndes man to serve five years for domestic assault

A Lowndes County man arrested for attacking one woman and cyberstalking another will spend five years in prison after he pleaded guilty to domestic violence in Lowndes County Circuit Court.

DJ pleads guilty to 2015 shooting at Heidi Ho

A Columbus man who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder Friday will spend 35 years in the Mississippi Department of Corrections.

Ex-Columbus choir teacher to serve 7 years for soliciting student

A crowd of supporters for former Columbus High School choir director Michael Jackson openly sobbed in court Friday as Jackson was sentenced to serve seven years in the Mississippi Department of Corrections for soliciting a student for sex.

Recovering the past: Archaeological project hopes to confirm Union soldiers’ graves in Friendship Cemetery

On Memorial Day in 1866, barely a year after the end of the Civil War, a group of Columbus women decorated the Friendship Cemetery graves of Confederate soldiers — along with the graves of several unknown Union soldiers.

Ex-Columbus HS teacher found guilty of soliciting student for sex

A former Columbus High School chorus teacher will spend seven years in the Mississippi Department of Corrections, following a guilty verdict in a child exploitation case this week.

Two pilots involved in T-38 crash released from hospital Wednesday

Two Columbus Air Force Base pilots who ejected from a T-38C Talon II before it crashed outside the base Wednesday morning were released from Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle, CAFB spokespeople confirmed Wednesday.

Landmark status moves Lee High one step closer to redevelopment

The Lee Middle School property on Military Road is now a Mississippi Historic Landmark.

‘Competition for a good cause’: Friendly rivalry between Columbus police, fire departments builds camaraderie

Columbus Fire and Rescue’s brand new trophy stands proudly in Fire Station 1, where it commemorates the quick actions of three firefighters — and one child from the Boys and Girls Club — who dispensed of a plate of 50 chicken wings in less than six minutes.

A church within reach

For Jason and Kelsey Bigelow, going to church on Sundays has traditionally meant making a trek of more than an hour to and from Tupelo.

MUW retiring speech-language pathology professor reflects on job that was ‘never boring’

Michelle Harmon has been working as a speech pathologist for 35 years and says she has never once been bored.

Apartments, retail plans revealed for old Lee High

Columbus Redevelopment Authority on Wednesday released possible future plans for the Lee Middle School property.

Opening the door: Employment among biggest obstacles facing freed felons

David Duett’s job interview was going great.

The Columbus native had been referred for the position by the business’ owner. The hiring manager had come to the portion of the interview where she talked about salary and time off, and Duett was hopeful.