Valentine fundraiser to benefit S.D. Lee Foundation

The Stephen D. Lee Foundation will celebrate its third annual Valentine’s Day Party on Feb. 14 from 7:30-10 p.m. at Errolton, the antebellum home of Gaines and Keith Gaskin in Columbus. The fundraiser will benefit the S.D. Lee Home and Museum.

Have vets, will travel: MSU’s rolling clinics train students and save lives, one dog and cat at a time

“This is an American bitsa — a bitsa this, a bitsa that,” smiled Dr. Phil Bushby, giving a playful scratch to a small black and white pooch he carried out of the mobile veterinary clinic that is his office most days of the week. If dogs can smile, this one did. The mixed breed puppy was one of 23 canines and cats spayed or neutered Wednesday at the Columbus-Lowndes Humane Society, increasing their chances of being adopted and living out their lives in what shelter director Karen Johnwick calls their “forever homes.”

Starkville’s Melby sisters launch new chapter as duo HanaLena

Hannah and Caroline Melby cut their musical teeth on stages throughout the Golden Triangle, honing their old-time, folk and bluegrass chops on fiddle and mandolin in front of neighbors — the same neighbors who wished them well when the siblings moved to Nashville, Tenn., after their band, Nash Street, won the 2008 Colgate Country Showdown in the famed Ryman Auditorium.

Taste, texture and nutrition in tiny packages add crunchy kick to recipes

Have you ever felt like just going nuts? (Not the zany kind of nuts, but the culinary kind.) With all the delicious walnuts, almonds, pecans, peanuts and what not out there, it’s no wonder. Each variety has its own distinct flavor, texture and aroma that can enhance dishes from entrées to desserts. Many qualify as healthy snacks on their own. Even the Mayo Clinic website tells us most types of nuts are miniature packages of nutrition.

Think the world of opera and art music is stuffy? Angela Brown’s Columbus visit will make you think again

Angela Brown is a force. Whether stunning international opera audiences in roles like “Aida,” singing show-stopping art songs in concert, or winning over school children with her inspired program, “Opera from a Sistah’s Point of View,” Angela Brown is a charming, witty, formidable force.

Cheese lovers unite, celebrate national ‘holiday’ with cheesy recipes

I know. Believe me, I get the irony of featuring cheesy recipes the week after 300-calorie dishes filled our food pages, but Sunday is National Cheese Lovers Day — and man does not live by calorie-counting alone.

Dream 365 expands with new events

The Rev. Tony Montgomery of Columbus checks his watch a lot these days. He has numerous places to be and tasks to check off, as do Learnard Dickerson and Lavonne Harris, who complete the trio of lead organizers of Dream 365.

Hitting the right note: Music focus may inspire tomorrow’s musicians (and teach them math as well)

Steady rain on a gray Wednesday didn’t dampen spirits inside a music room at Joe Cook Elementary Fine Arts Magnet School in Columbus. Fifth-graders concentrated, drawing bows across strings as they performed a scale on violins for their music teacher, Tina Morgan. As the last notes faded, the children’s faces were wreathed in smiles.

West Point writer keeps thrills coming in second novel

When we last saw the fictional Jake Crosby, he and his daughter, Katy, had narrowly survived a harrowing nightmare in the Alabama woods, hunted by drug runner Moon Pie Daniels and his band of thugs. Jake, a stockbroker and hunter, was forced to kill two of his pursuers. Moon Pie had vowed revenge.

300 calorie meals can boost that new year’s resolution

So, how are we doing? Nine days into 2013, and it’s safe to say a notable percentage of Americans who resolved to drop a few pounds are slip-sliding away. If you made that resolution, no doubt your commitment is built of sterner stuff. If you’re counting calories in a quest to a healthier weight, perhaps a few suggestions for meals that are 300-calories-or-less will shore up your arsenal.

Columbus, MUW take center stage as theater festival comes to town

On stages from Mississippi’s coast to Oxford, a vast network of theater lovers is diligently at work. Their dog-eared scripts, peppered with margin notes and highlighted passages, go with them everywhere. Rehearsals are serious business. Time is growing short.

Express yourself!: A remarkable group of painters transcend challenges to find power and joy in art

In her world, Monica Herard may not enjoy the ability to dictate her day, a freedom most of us take for granted. But when in front of the canvas, she is finally in control, the creator of an imaginative, colorful vision that develops at her direction.

CAC begins new year with fresh logo, focus

Mississippi University for Women graphic design major Chelsea Mitchell went back to basics, and it paid off. In a recent logo design contest hosted by the Columbus Arts Council, Mitchell’s submission was selected as the winner.

New Year’s goodies: Columbus cook shares one of her go-to recipes for sweet bites

Barbara Patterson never met a cookbook she didn’t like. Her Columbus home has a big bookcase dedicated to them.

“And she knows when we’ve messed with them,” her daughter, Carol Boone, smiled. “When she goes to yard sales, she goes straight for the cookbooks — the older the better.

Holiday HUGS: Huggable figures for families of deployed airmen keep loved ones close

Sometimes you just need a little something to hang on to, especially at Christmas time. For the children and spouses of deployed airmen from Columbus Air Force Base, that tangible, squeezable something might be a HUG — a Huggable Uniform Gift bearing the image of a loved one who is serving far from home this holiday

Local group wins national honor with Smithville literacy project

A literacy project organized by the Lowndes County Republican Women has earned first place honors in the National Federation of Republican Women’s Barbara Bush Literacy Program.

CONTACT reassurance clients warm up with calls and Christmas visits

Lula Hudson spent 30 years of her life taking care of other people. She nursed hospice patients for nine of those. The Columbus resident is now 82, and CONTACT Helpline reassurance callers are doing their small part to help take care of her.

Christmas morning: Special starts for a special day

An indelible memory I carry from childhood is of Christmas morning breakfasts. In our home, there was no charging from the bedrooms to see what Santa brought, no race between siblings to be the first to the tree. Oh no, if there was one thing we were good at, it was stretching out the Christmas experience.

The Good life: New Homestead Center gets back to basics, with a modern twist

Even two generations ago, most Mississippians knew how to grow a garden, sew, and fix things around the home and farm. Somewhere along the way, though, society bought into a fast-food, gadget-cluttered world that gradually eroded much of that independent self-sufficiency.

Home sweet home: Young home ‘designers’ get the job done with candy canes and gumdrops

There was plenty of construction going on in Starkville Sunday afternoon, but there was nary a nail gun or sawhorse in sight. Instead, this project required gumdrops, candy canes and chocolate kisses. And, oh yes, imagination.