Columbus to be reimbursed $242,951 from Auditor’s Office in ex-CFO investigation

The State Auditor’s Office has recovered almost $243,000 for the city of Columbus following the arrest of former Chief Financial Officer Milton Rawle earlier this year, according to a SAO press release.

Clay County EMA director predicts county will be placed under state mask mandate

Clay County may soon join 54 other Mississippi counties that Gov. Tate Reeves has placed under a mask-wearing executive order to help curb the spread of COVID-19, the county’s Emergency Management Agency Director Torrey Williams told the West Point Board of Selectmen at its regular meeting Tuesday.

Man arrested for attempted murder, four others for conspiracy in November shooting

Investigators with Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office have arrested a man charged with trying to murder an individual shot at a residence west of Columbus last month.

Cedarhill raffle offers winner chance to stay overnight at big cat sanctuary

Last Monday, when the temperature in Caledonia dipped below freezing, Charger the tiger went for a swim in the pool in his enclosure at Cedarhill Animal Sanctuary. When he emerged, the sanctuary’s employees said, there were tiny icicles glistening on his coat.

MSMS showcases outreach, distance learning programs to legislators

Every Wednesday for 10 weeks after school began, Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science math teacher Lauren Zarandona and several of her students spent hours after school on Zoom meetings with first- through sixth-grade students throughout the state working on math problems.

CVB, Main Street plan project to light downtown buildings

Main Street Columbus Executive Director Barbara Bigelow has been wanting to light up downtown for a few years now.

Rienzi man to serve life for 30-year-old Starkville murder

Julia Kathryn Holt said she wanted to see Michael Devaughn’s face when she spoke to him from the stand of the courtroom in Lowndes County Courthouse during his sentencing hearing Tuesday.

Suspect pleads guilty in Labor Day murder case

A 30-year-old homicide case ended Tuesday after Michael Devaughn, of Rienzi, pleaded guilty to capital murder for the 1990 death of Betty Jones, 65.

Caledonia schools vote to become Caledonia Cavaliers

The Caledonia Confederates have become the Caledonia Cavaliers.

Caledonia High School Principal Gregory Elliott presented the change, along with a mock-up of the new logo, to the Lowndes County School District board at its monthly meeting Friday.

LCSD spikes 55 new COVID cases within two weeks

The number of COVID-19 cases in Lowndes County School District has more than doubled in the last two and a half weeks, according to information posted to the district’s website.

COVID-19 numbers increasing in Golden Triangle

As the United States experiences another surge in COVID-19 coronavirus cases, the Golden Triangle area is seeing increases as well, with at least 215 new cases having been reported in a week, more than half of which are in Lowndes County.

Former police officer sues Maben for discrimination, retaliation

A former police officer has filed a federal lawsuit against the town of Maben, alleging the mayor discriminated against him based on his age and later had the officer fired after the officer filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Monday Profile: For Columbus business owner, working at polling places on election day has become a tradition

For those voting at Brandon Central Services in Columbus Tuesday, Lee Burdine may be the first face they see when they arrive at their polling place.

Make-A-Wish child surprised with own Halloween ‘parade day’

Dressed for Halloween in his green dinosaur costume and matching beanie, Liam Lamb, 5, waited at the end of his driveway Thursday in Starkville.

“There they come!” he shouted excitedly after a few minutes.

‘Billing error’ from AT&T leaves Clay County sheriff without national crime database access for a month

Clay County Sheriff’s Office and E911 Office were without access to a national database of crime information for a month after AT&T cut off the offices’ services due to what a company spokesperson said was a “billing error.”

Local officials claim ‘potential for problems’ if Initiative 65 passes

Local officials voiced their opposition to the proposed Initiative 65, a state constitutional amendment that would legalize medical marijuana, in a meeting at Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday.

Two arrested for felony domestic violence in separate shootings

Two people have been arrested for domestic violence after two separate Saturday night shootings in Columbus.

Suspect ignites mop to swipe Lowe’s pressure washer

Columbus Police Department is investigating what authorities believe to have been an intentional fire set in Lowe’s Sunday morning.

Building on increased arrests and seizures, joint drug task force to continue

On Oct. 2, agents with the Columbus-Lowndes joint narcotics task force executed a search warrant on a 10th Avenue South residence and recovered approximately 20 pounds — or $46,000 worth — of marijuana alone.

Starkville homecoming parade without game highlights district’s attempts to balance safety with normalcy as virus surges

It’s a tradition for Terra Robinson and her family to attend Starkville High School’s homecoming parade every year.