Boyles: Mississippi ‘a model’ for how to utilize National Guard to fight pandemic

When Maj. Gen. Janson Boyles, adjutant general of the Mississippi National Guard, told Starkville Rotary Club Tuesday that the state’s armed forces were hard at work administering COVID-19 vaccinations throughout Mississippi, they didn’t have to take his word for it. They could clearly see him speaking from a vaccination site in DeSoto County in the background of his Zoom call.

Corps of Engineers chief of operations recounts effects of historic 2019 flooding

On Feb. 27, 2019, Army Corps of Engineers Chief of Operations for Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Justin Murphree was on his way home from work when he got a call from his navigation manager telling him there was a problem on the waterway.

Legislators split over ‘use-it-or-lose-it’ elections bills

Local representatives are split on a pair of bills being considered in the state Legislature that would require election commissioners to send confirmation notices to voters who have not voted in at least one election within a set number of years and to remove them from the Statewide Elections Management System if they do not respond to the notice.

SOCSD invites parents to discuss potential move to year-round school

Officials with Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District plan to hold two meetings with parents next week to discuss modifying the 2021-22 calendar to year-round school.

Area legislators split on alcohol delivery bill

State legislators are considering a bill that would legalize home delivery of some alcohol products.

Senate Bill 2804, if passed, would allow package stores and delivery service providers to purchase $500 permits from the Alcoholic Beverage Control under the state Department of Revenue to deliver “beer, light wine or light spirit products,” the bill says.

Downtown story walk to promote ‘a community of readers’

If you read a child a story, she’ll ask for another book.

At least that’s what locals in the book business are hoping comes from the Downtown Story Walk running through February.

Noxubee County man charged with shooting at Tuscaloosa police

A man wanted in Columbus and Macon has been charged with multiple counts of attempted murder in Alabama after Tuscaloosa police say he shot at multiple officers at an apartment complex.

Devonte Lavon Farmer, 20, of Noxubee County, was arrested for three counts of attempted murder Monday, according to area law enforcement.

MSU giving hundreds of completion grants to financially needy students nearing graduation

Hundreds of Mississippi State University undergraduates will receive an extra $1,000 from the university designed to help them make ends meet during their final year before graduation.

Coalition of businesses set rigorous precautions to promote travel

Golden Triangle Regional Airport and a handful of area businesses have formed a coalition aimed at reassuring travelers to the Golden Triangle area that the airport, rental cars, hotels and restaurants they’re using are taking rigorous safety precautions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Library to host virtual fair of area organizations for special needs children

Leslie Junkin said she knows of a child who, when his school shut down due to the pandemic last year, thought he must have done something wrong.

The child is a special education student at his school, and his favorite thing to do every morning is ride the bus. His parents couldn’t explain to him that the bus wasn’t coming because of a deadly virus.

Educators, area legislators support waiving pass requirements this year for high-stakes testing

Mississippi legislators are considering a Senate Bill that would allow third graders who fail this school year’s state-required reading assessment to move on to fourth grade, and area educators say they support the move.

Columbus police plan data-gathering strategy to get at causes of crime in city

The first goal of Columbus’ Community Crime Prevention Task Force is to identify underlying causes of crime in the city so task force members can brainstorm ways to address those causes.

Monday Profile: Cunningham finds a family at Baptist, where her job ensures staff don’t transmit infections to patients

Registered Nurse Betty Cunningham was walking through the hallways of Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle on the way to her office Friday afternoon when a fellow employee turned the corner, masked and rubbing disinfectant on his hands.

Lowndes sees more than 600 new COVID cases in less than two weeks

Lowndes County continues to lead the four-county area in number of COVID-19 cases and deaths, according to data from Mississippi State Department of Health.

SOCSD preparing for hundreds of students to return to in-person learning

Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District is preparing for what Superintendent Eddie Peasant estimated to be roughly 250 students returning to their school campuses when the spring semester begins Tuesday, after spending the first semester learning virtually.

C Spire sues Lowndes for allegedly violating internet agreement

C Spire Fiber has filed a lawsuit against Lowndes County over the county’s alleged violation of a franchise agreement the two entities signed in 2019 allowing C Spire to lay fiber optic cables and provide internet to parts of the county.

Appointments filling up at area COVID vaccination sites

As the COVID-19 vaccines become available to elderly citizens, more vaccination sites are opening in Lowndes and Oktibbeha counties, including at area hospitals and the Mississippi Horse Park.

Helping a ‘family’ of first responders

Less than a week before Christmas, Jacque Brown was admitted to the hospital for the second time since Thanksgiving.

The Columbus native, who has worked at Lowndes County E911 off and on for more than 20 years, had contracted COVID-19 and had double pneumonia on top of it. This was less than two months after breaking her arm and needing surgery to repair it.

Murder charges dropped against Eddie Lee Howard

A judge has signed an order dismissing the case against a Lowndes County man who spent more than 20 years on death row for a wrongful conviction.

Douglas qualifies for Ward 4 council seat

A familiar face has thrown her hat into the Columbus City Council elections.