SDI, others contribute steel roof to Habitat home

Slowly, but surely, the little house on 12th Avenue North is taking shape. The slab has been poured and the house has been framed and wired. The plumbing and exterior siding has been installed.

Caledonia aldermen reject second plan for soccer field lighting

A second proposal to light soccer fields at Caledonia’s Ola J. Pickett Park failed to gain traction among the town’s board of aldermen Tuesday evening, even as the window for installing the lights before the planned beginning of the soccer season narrows.

Longtime constable recovering from wreck

Longtime Lowndes County District 1 Constable Willie “Hoot” West is recovering from a single-car accident Monday morning.

Beating the odds: At six months, smallest calf born alive making progress at MSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine

It’s been about six months since the bull known as “Lil Bill” arrived at Mississippi State’s College of Veterinary Medicine as quite possibly the smallest calf ever born alive.

Infrastructure, education dominate discussion in legislative luncheon

Infrastructure and education appeared to be key areas of concern for members of the Columbus Lowndes Chamber of Commerce during Friday’s legislative forum at Lion Hills Center.

Heritage alumnus wins Trooper of the Year

When Jarrett Eller arrived at Lion Hills Center on Thursday, folks were happy to see him.

Slimantics: The case for a new state holiday

Two topics have emerged recently that I have had a personal stake in.

Forecast indicates gas prices approaching peak

As gas prices crept over the $2.50 per-gallon mark last week, the inevitable question is beginning to emerge of just how high prices could get.

Fire damages Zachary’s restaurant

A fire just before sunrise Sunday has badly damaged a popular downtown Columbus restaurant.

‘We haven’t given up on getting individual assistance’: MEMA plans to appeal denial of federal relief for private property affected by tornado, flooding

Two months after the EF-3 tornado that cut a swath of destruction through north and east Columbus, blue tarps still dot the landscape in some of the poorest neighborhoods in the city. They are telltale signs of a waiting game property owners are playing before repairs can be made.

Crawford gym being converted to multi-purpose center

With a plan in-place and the money now available, the renovations to the old Crawford Elementary School gymnasium should soon begin.

Slimantics: A graduation letter to my niece

There are any number of things we associate with spring — flowers, baseball, weddings, allergies, etc.

But most prominent among all spring events must be graduations.

Current pricing for lighting Caledonia soccer fields ‘not feasible’

With the approach of the soccer season five months away, Caledonia officials met Monday evening to go over plans to light two of the four soccer fields.

What they got instead was sticker shock, which may again threaten to disrupt the town’s plans for the soccer season.

Slimantics: When it’s appropriate to dress in ‘black face’

Today, let’s talk about all the situations where it is appropriate to dress in “black face.”

Cedarhill suffers damage from felled tree in Thursday storm

Sheena the tiger’s roaming days have long since passed.

That’s a good thing, as it turns out.

During Thursday’s series of thunderstorms that swept through the Golden Triangle, a giant oak tree, 16 feet in circumference, came crashing down at Cedarhill Animal Sanctuary near Caledonia, smashing the fence of Sheena’s enclosure.

High water continues to affect traffic on Tenn-Tom

It’s been almost seven weeks since heavy flooding shut down commercial traffic on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway between Coffeeville, Alabama, and Aberdeen.

Slimantics: Are we becoming a nation of lousy citizens?

What does it mean to be a good citizen? Better yet, what is required for someone to fit that description?

Slimantics: More than ‘simple’ charity

Someone who wandered into the large first-floor meeting room at the Columbus Marriott Tuesday evening would have immediately recognized that the 94 people gathered there had one thing in common: They were all women.

The similarities pretty much ended there.

The true story of the Citizens’ Council: Work of researcher, archivist makes important part of group’s history available to the public

In 2006, Stephanie Rolph descended into the bowels of Mississippi State University’s Mitchell Memorial Library to begin research on her doctoral dissertation on the Citizen’s Council Forum, a series of TV/radio shows that aired first locally, then nationally, from 1957 to 1966.

Golden Triangle reps fill leadership roles in black caucus

Fifty years ago, the entire Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus could have met in an elevator and still have room for more.