Drama, music, fun await at Camp Cook

Wearing green and yellow silk Hawaiian flower leis and clothes as brightly-colored as their moods, a couple dozen excited and energetic children Friday said, “Aloha” to summer during the first week of Camp Cook, a summer camp for kindergarten through sixth-grade students of the Columbus Municipal School District.

Summer means business for hardworking student

At the age of 16, Hagan Walker already is becoming a captain of the computer industry.

Considering the outer look of your home can increase its appeal in a slow market

It’s a buyer’s market, and local landscapers, also affected by the recent economic downturn, join Realtors in urging sellers to consider the curb appeal of their property.

Family-owned funeral homes merge

A couple of long-standing family-owned Columbus funeral homes have become one.

‘It’s knowing I made a difference’

STARKVILLE — Holly Travis already has made more of a difference in the lives of Starkville residents than most of her peers.

And she’s only just beginning.

Work under way at site of new city middle school

Construction work is proceeding on the Columbus Middle School, which is scheduled to open in August 2010.

‘It’s all about the children’: Franklin Academy wellness teacher given award for going ‘above and beyond’ to serve students

In receiving the Columbus Municipal School District’s Star Catcher award Wednesday, Terrie Gooch was caught by surprise.

Use it, don’t lose it: Schools urge parents to keep kids learning during summer months

Active kids are more likely to succeed, say Columbus and Lowndes County elementary school principals, urging parents to keep children engaged in learning activities, even when their school days have ended for the summer.

Early foundation: Pre-k gives students much-needed boost

The early bird catches the worm, but Mississippi remains one of the few states in the nation without a state-funded pre-kindergarten program, which likely would go a long way toward moving the state up from the bottom rankings of educational progress.

Hundreds gather to celebrate past

Columbus’ annual Sandfield Eighth of May celebration is about preserving history and keeping tradition alive, say event organizers.

Walking the ‘Long Blue Line’: Despite challenges, students focus, earn degrees

The 2009 graduating class of Mississippi University for Women includes at least two outstanding students, who mastered the art of time management.

Judge to DePriest, plaintiff: ‘Try to Settle’

The five-day trial brought against Columbus businessman Donald DePriest by former associate Oliver Phillips concluded Friday, with Lowndes County Chancery Judge Kenneth Burns urging the parties to “try to settle” the case and giving attorneys with both parties 30 days to submit summary briefs before his ruling on the matter.

Depriest says accuser was never a partner

The trial brought against Donald DePriest by former associate Oliver Phillips is expected to conclude today.

Court hears from second partner in DePriest trial

Day 2 of the trial between Columbus businessmen Oliver Phillips and Don DePriest included testimony from Phillips — who is suing DePriest for close to $10 million — and DePriest, who countersued, claiming Phillips’ case is not valid.

Program helps prepare church’s preschoolers

Barely tall enough to see over the desktop, a group of three-year-olds Friday morning sat transfixed, wearing large black headphones and staring at computer screens across which brightly-colored pictures danced.

Busy mom addicted to exercise

Lisa Atkins is a very busy woman.

In addition to caring for her son, Sloan, 12, she teaches yoga and Pilates classes, and a Yogalates fusion class, to Health and Kinesiology Department students at Mississippi University for Women, leads private in-home sessions and, on Saturdays, assists KK Norris, the owner of The Attic vintage clothing store, in the downtown Columbus shop.

County schools honor teacher, parent, administrator of the year

The Lowndes County School District board of trustees Friday recognized a teacher, administrator and parent, for their indefatigable, meaningful service, in its annual award ceremony.

Schools can opt out of proposed 11-month calendar

Parents overwhelmingly are supporting a proposed 11-month calendar for elementary school students in the Columbus Municipal School District, said CMSD Superintendent Dr. Del Phillips.

United Way, short of fund goal, asks for support

For the United Way of Lowndes County — which has weathered many storms in more than 50 years of service — the current economic downturn has meant less giving in a time of more need.

Making a difference: Cook parent honored with statewide award

Sitting in the sunny, colorful lobby of Cook Elementary Fine Arts Magnet School Wednesday morning, Maria Rincon, 41, pushed back her dark curls, smiled widely and spread her thumb and index fingers an inch apart to indicate the small amount — “only this much!” — of English she spoke when, seven years ago, she first came to the United States from Venezuela.