Rep. Smith: Governor was source of lofty industrial claim

When Rep. Jeff Smith (R-Columbus) told listeners on the Gallo radio show on Jan. 25 that a major aerospace project that would create 4,000 jobs was expected to come to Mississippi, economic development officials from one end of the state to the other were caught flat-footed.

West Point florist recounts White House experience

On the day before Scott Reed was to leave his home in West Point to travel to Washington, D.C. to help a group of 150 volunteers decorate the White House for Christmas, he was hurriedly working on decorations at a client’s home.

Airbus: Prolonged court battle could cause layoffs

A new lawsuit from a competitor, filed just days before a federal appeals court ruled in favor of Airbus Helicopters over the same issue, threatens to shut down production at the Columbus Airbus facility.

Slimantics: Restaurant tax agreement: Just one more small thing, please

Someone asked me a while back when my columns appear in The Dispatch. The answer is, I don’t know.

Columbus played big role in SDI’s banner year

For Steel Dynamics Inc., 2017 was a banner year, thanks in no small part to the success of its Columbus facility.

Restaurant tax: CVB poised to accept city terms on restaurant tax

It appears The Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau board is prepared to accept the city’s terms for an inter-local agreement on how to distribute 2-percent restaurant sales tax funds.

State hits record low for unemployment rate

Mississippi’s 4.6 percent seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for December 2017 is the lowest rate for the state since the U.S. Labor Department began calculating state unemployment rates in January 1976, according to monthly data released this week by the Mississippi Department of Employment Security.

Tronox sues FTC for blocking acquisition

Tronox Corp. has filed suit against the Federal Trade Commission, claiming the regulatory body is deliberating delaying action in an effort to block the mining/chemical company’s efforts to complete a sale which would more than double its sales of titanium dioxide (TiO2).

ACT Center adapting to new management

On Feb. 1, the ACT Center in Columbus will go about business as usual.

Winning Market Street artist overcomes heavy odds

Kelly Brown did not expect to be there Friday, when the winning entry for the 2018 Market Street Festival artwork was announced at the Art and Design Building on the campus of Mississippi University for Women.

Courage and class: New Hope teacher uses her breast cancer fight to impart life lessons

For the past three years, Heather Henry has taught seventh grade math at New Hope Middle School.

Slimantics: Et tu, Smith?

The football hung in the air, looming larger and larger against the dark November sky, glory tumbling toward me in a slow arc.

Caledonia students return to school mourning two of their own

In his 41 years at Caledonia Elementary School, Principal Roger Hill has had his share of days when he dreaded going to school.

No major accidents reported during winter weather

Bitter cold, but quiet.

Utility companies and law enforcement said there were no major power outages or accidents since the winter storm began moving through the Golden Triangle Tuesday morning.

Slimantics: ‘The Post,’ as relevant as ever

The Monday matinee of “The Post” at Malco Theater drew an audience of about a dozen gray-hairs, present company included.

Winter weather could bring snow, hazardous road conditions

While the most severe weather conditions related to the winter storm passing through the state tonight and early Tuesday should stay well north of the Golden Triangle, the storm could still create some hazardous conditions here, said a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Jackson.

LCSD Board appoints officers, lowers most sports ticket prices

In its first meeting of the year Friday, the Lowndes County School District Board of Trustees appointed new officers, honored its top teachers and administrators, dropped ticket prices for all sports but football and accepted a bid for copy printing services that it expects to save the district between $20,000 and $32,000 per month.

Student pilots tested in virtual reality flights

Virtual reality training is hardly a new concept in the U.S. Air Force.

Presley: For-profit utilities should pass tax savings on to customers

The first results of the new tax law passed by Congress in December may show up in an unexpected place: monthly gas bills.

Camp Pratt sells to adjacent property owner

The Frank P. Phillips YMCA announced Tuesday it has agreed to sell Camp Henry Pratt to a local businessman who owns property adjacent to the 70-acre site in south Lowndes County.