Articles by Neal Wagner
Retailers compare weekend’s potential to Black Friday
Several Columbus retailers this week are preparing for a shopping event some store owners are comparing to the Friday after Thanksgiving.
City gets funds to improve drainage along Seventh Avenue North
Columbus officials likely will use a recently awarded $125,000 grant to complete drainage improvements along Seventh Avenue North near Propst Park, according to Mayor Robert Smith.
Clunkers program drives up local sales
A federal government program aimed at helping citizens purchase more fuel-efficient vehicles is driving a business surge at auto dealerships across the Golden Triangle.
The national Car Allowance Rebate System, also known as the cash for clunkers program, during the past few days has been drawing a “tremendous amount” of customer traffic to the region’s car lots, several auto dealers agreed Monday afternoon.
Living on the edge: Dozens of properties in Columbus are split between city, Lowndes County
When local attorney Aubrey Nichols and his wife, Joy, moved into their home off Greenbriar Drive more than 10 years ago, the entirety of their heavily wooded lot laid slightly northeast of the Columbus city limits.
Local reps file ethics reports late
It’s better to be late than to not file at all, a pair of local state representatives said of their previously delinquent ethics reports.
Road concerns dominate Ward 6 community meeting
Drainage issues, road concerns, crime and garbage collection issues dominated discussion Thursday night during Columbus Ward 6 Councilman Bill Gavin’s first ward meeting.
Columbus drug court judge faces misdemeanor charge
A prominent local attorney and Columbus drug court judge is facing an Aug. 26 court date after she was arrested last month on a misdemeanor charge.
Alabama town tours Columbus for pointers
Columbus and Lowndes County may be a vision of things to come in Guntersville, Ala., several representatives from the northeastern Alabama city said Wednesday.
Soccer field project moves slowly forward
The future of the project, not the location, seems to be the most important issue facing the proposed soccer complex tentatively slated to be constructed in Columbus’ Burns Bottom area, said members of the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors.
Chief: System would improve crime fighting
The Columbus Police Department will be using an increase in traffic and parking fines to fund a software-based crime information program for officers and city residents, CPD Chief Joseph St. John announced during a Tuesday City Council meeting.
Kidd keeps it between the ditches
Lowndes County Assistant Road Manager Tommy Kidd has been working to better the county’s roads for more than 26 years.
Kidd, a husband and father of two sons, has lived in Lowndes County his entire life, and has worked his way nearly to the top of the department throughout the years.
GTR Airport expansion under way
Visitors to the Golden Triangle Regional Airport during the next several months will notice several changes and construction areas throughout the terminal, as crews July 13 began work on the airport’s new terminal wing.
County school board passes budgets
The Lowndes County School District Friday approved 2009-2010 expenditure and revenue budgets nearly identical to the budgets approved by the district one year ago.
CL&W earns high marks
The Columbus Light and Water Department recently was named one of the top government entities in the state by the Standard and Poor’s rating agency, members of the CL&W board of directors announced during a Thursday meeting.
Columbus Municipal School District gets EPA grant for new buses
COLUMBUS — Newer, more fuel efficient yellow buses soon could be rolling through the streets of Columbus, officials with the Columbus Municipal School District announced Thursday.
City studying annexation of land to south, east
The Columbus Light and Water Department during the next few months will be attempting to determine the cost of annexing more than 1,000 homes and buildings south and east of the city limits.
New steel firm coming to Lowndes
The industrial giant neighborhood surrounding the Golden Triangle Regional Airport Wednesday received its second new tenant in less than a month, economic development officials announced during a Wednesday Lowndes County Board of Supervisors meeting.
Supes vote to keep industrial board pick
COLUMBUS — The Lowndes County Board of Supervisors Wednesday voted to retain a controversial board appointee one week after the topic sparked a lengthy verbal clash between two of the county’s government officials.
Hotels check in to Golden Triangle
Although a nationwide economic slowdown during the past year has ransacked several industries across the area and country, Golden Triangle hotel and resort developments seem to be charging forward.
Developers in Columbus, Starkville and West Point are working to bring a total of more than 370 new hotel rooms to the Golden Triangle.
July’s new, less taxing holiday
Columbus retailers are banking on a state sales tax holiday July 31-Aug. 1 to bring a needed boost to their yearly revenues.
Storeowners across the area are optimistic the state’s first sales tax holiday will bring with it a flood of customers looking for back-to-school and work-related bargains.