Qualifying deadline for municipal elections nears

The deadline for candidates to qualify for the 2013 Columbus Municipal Elections is rapidly approaching.

Prospective candidates have two weeks to submit a letter of intent to qualify. The deadline is 5 p.m. on March 8.

City Council to make appointment to CMSD Board

The Columbus City Council will make its yearly appointment to the Columbus Municipal School District’s Board of Trustees Tuesday. The five-year appointment will be for the seat currently held by board president Tommy Prude, whose term expires March 2.

Memphis BBQ event promises big boost to Columbus

A new barbecue cooking championship could bring both national exposure and tourism dollars to the Friendly City. The Memphis BBQ Network will be hosting the MBN Invitational March 8-9 at the Columbus Fairgrounds. The event is being sponsored by Roast-n-Boast of Columbus.

CVB, festival organizers remain at impasse

The debate over the Columbus-Lowndes Convention and Visitors Bureau’s festival grant guidelines continued Tuesday with a special meeting with festival organizers.

But the only decision to come out of the meeting was to schedule yet another meeting.

Insurance Commission spokesman lays blame on Governor

Although state insurance commissioner Mike Chaney was unable to attend a Tuesday meeting with the Columbus Rotary Club, his proxy, former Commercial Dispatch editor and current insurance department spokesperson, Joseph Ammerman had some harsh words for Gov. Phil Bryant for his role in the federal government’s decision to reject Chaney’s state-run health insurance exchange.

CVB festival funding debate set for tonight

The Columbus-Lowndes Convention and Visitors Bureau’s festival grants committee will meet with festival organizers tonight to discuss festival grant guidelines put in place August 2012.

The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. in the CVB board room.

Fond memories of days in the Big Easy

So it finally happened. After years of making and buying King Cakes, I finally got the prized plastic baby. Now granted, my chances dramatically increased due to the fact that the only other person in the baby race was my wife.

Six have qualified for House District 36

Today is the last day to qualify for the 36th District seat in the Mississippi House of Representatives. The seat has been vacant since the Jan. 13 death of Rep. David Gibbs, D-West Point.

Hog Wild: Booming wild hog population threatens health, ecosystem

Although they haven’t yet achieved the status of Sherman’s March to the Sea, Mississippi’s rapidly growing wild hog population is cutting its own destructive swath through the state, and along the way exacting a heavy toll on the state’s ecosystem.

Riverwalk expansion project begins

By the end of the year, visitors to the Riverwalk and the Columbus Soccer Complex will be able to walk from one to the other with ease as plans continue to move forward on connecting the two venues.

County investment options bill dies

A bill that would have allowed county board of supervisors to invest excess funds in delinquent county tax sales has died in committee.

House Bill 439 was written by Rep. Gary Chism, R-Columbus, on behalf of District 1 Supervisor and board president Harry Sanders, who has been a advocate for more flexibility in investing the county’s revenue from the sale of the county hospital.

Columbus council approves gun buy-back program

The Columbus City Council has approved a gun buy-back program.

Passed by a unanimous vote during Tuesday’s council meeting, the gun buy-back initiative will allow Columbus residents to trade their guns for cash. The proposal was introduced by Mayor Robert Smith on behalf of Ward 5 Councilman Kabir Karriem.

Comprehensive Plan aims to guide development

A city project that began as a discussion during a community charrette in 2009 has finally become a reality.

The Columbus City Council approved a comprehensive plan for the city during a Tuesday morning public hearing in the courtroom at City Hall.

Castleberry re-appointed to CVB board

Area developer Mark Castleberry was re-appointed to a second four-year term to the Columbus-Lowndes Convention and Visitors Bureau on a 3-1 vote by the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors on Monday.

Comprehensive plan goes before public

After months of discussion, the Comprehensive Plan for Columbus seems to be almost ready for implementation. A public hearing will be held on the plan Tuesday at 9 a.m. at the courtroom in City Hall.

Search underway for CVB attorney

If you have a law degree and you enjoy high drama, backstabbing and bickering, then there may be a job available for you.

Legislature: ‘Thirty possums hissin’ in a barn’

From tales of a former governor procuring male prostitutes to a U.S. senator speaking off the cuff at a birthday party about admiring a segregationalist presidential candidate, Mississippi politics have had a long-standing love/hate relationship with the national media.

House bill aims to better invest hospital sale money

A pair of House bills sponsored by Jeff Smith, R-Columbus, will allow the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors to invest the $30 million the county received from the sale of the county hospital in 2001.

District 36 House election date set for March 12

Gov. Phil Bryant on Tuesday set a date for a special election for House District 36. The election, created because of the death of longtime District 36 Rep. David Gibbs, will be March 12.

Correnti takes steel mill to Arkansas

Venture capitalist John Correnti is among the investors connected with a $1.1 billion steel mill headed for Mississippi — Mississippi County in Arkansas.