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.

COVID-19 numbers vastly improving throughout Golden Triangle

A year after the COVID-19 pandemic began, cases of the virus are significantly decreasing across the state and the Golden Triangle. Just more than 100 confirmed new cases total have been reported in the four-county area since Feb. 27.

CFR searching for new safety educator to raise public awareness about fire safety

After nearly a year and a half, Columbus Fire and Rescue is hiring a new public fire and life safety educator.

The position, formerly held by CFR Public Information Officer Anthony Colom who retired in November 2019, is one of the public faces for the fire department and oversees training and education initiatives for the public, CFR Chief Martin Andrews said.

Mayor, council candidates pitch plans for tackling crime, city finances at Republican forum

Crime, budgetary issues and the local economy were issues raised repeatedly at a meeting of the Lowndes County Republican Women on Tuesday where select candidates for Columbus municipal elections spoke to a few dozen people at Lion Hills Center about their platforms.

Gavin doesn’t expect Smith to drop out of mayor’s race; Smith mum on health status

Vice Mayor Bill Gavin publicly addressed rumors about Mayor Robert Smith’s health and extended absence from City Hall Tuesday, saying as far as he knows Smith’s health is improving and that he “doesn’t anticipate” Smith dropping out of the upcoming mayoral election.

SOCSD announces administrative changes for next school year

Both Overstreet Elementary School and Partnership Middle School will have new principals next year.

Overstreet Principal Cynthia Milons is taking a position as graduation coach at Starkville High School. Partnership Principal Julie Kennedy will take Milons’ current position at Overstreet.

Council keeps masks, relaxes distancing restrictions

The Columbus City Council voted Friday to end social distancing and capacity restrictions for businesses and restaurants, though the city’s mask mandate will stay in place.