Articles by Slim Smith
Anonymous food pantry seeks to provide stigma-free assistance
The latest food pantry to arrive in Columbus has no building, no staff and, best of all, no stigma.
Lowndes elderly beat heat with fans
Billie Crowell has lived in her home on Nashville Ferry Road for 30 years. For most of that time, she had to make do with a single window-unit air-conditioner, which meant many uncomfortable Mississippi summers.
Starkville-native and Disney art director speaks at library
A few minutes into his presentation Friday at the Starkville Library, Andy Harkness realized nothing was going as planned.
Lowndes supervisor builds strong legacy
John Holliman was recognized as a pioneer upon his recent induction into the Home Builders Association of Mississippi Hall of Fame.
New Caledonia mayor sets out to lead divided city
Wednesday morning, when the town’s election commission ruled that only one of the five affidavit ballots would be counted, the outcome of the Caledonia mayor’s relied on that single vote.
Lowndes farmer turns heads with zinnia field
If you like the color green, south Lowndes County is your kind of place — endless acres of forest and farmland. There is one exception, though, 3 1/3 acres of vibrant hues of red, orange and yellow that burst from that infinity of green.
Slimantics: Men at work: Thompson’s celebrates a milestone in Hamilton
As you enter the town of Hamilton and turn onto Old Highway 45, the first thing you notice is the sprawling Tronox facility.
Southside residents attempt to block townhouse development
A group of about 60 Southside residents turned out for Tuesday’s Columbus zoning board meeting to protest plans for a three-unit townhouse on a vacant lot, but they were quickly told their complaint could not be considered.
Back to basics: Area growers face increasing demand for locally sourced foods
They are unlikely pioneers on an unusual journey: a lawyer, a retired church administrator, a stay-at-home mom, a landscape architect and a classically trained chef.
Caledonia aldermen appoint commissioners for election
The Caledonia Board of Aldermen held its second “last” meeting with the current make-up Wednesday, selecting commissioners and a poll worker for the upcoming municipal election and approving a motion to end the use of paper ballots for future municipal elections.
Slimantics: The Hunt High School Class of ’67: Everything changes
Ronald Sanders stood at the podium, urging his former classmates to grab a seat so the official 50th class reunion for R.E. Hunt High School could begin.
Habitat aims to improve financial literacy
For much, if not all its 200 years as a state, Mississippi has struggled with literacy. A lack of basic education has manifested itself in poverty, crime and below average life expectancies and health.
Becoming self-sufficient: New bank in Caledonia latest piece in decades of growth
Vernon, Alabama, is only a dozen miles or so from Caledonia.
Even so, it took the Bank of Vernon 11 years to cover that distance.
Slimantics: There are no one-week solutions to poverty
When I arrived at the scene of the last week’s World Changers project in Steens, my first thought was that no licensed contractor would touch it. It was simply too far gone for human habitation.
The Book of Joe: LINK CEO Higgins enlists ghostwriter to work on book project
It has been six months since the CBS News program “60 Minutes” told the Joe Max Higgins story of how the colorful, homespun economic development CEO brought manufacturing jobs to the Golden Triangle at a time when the industry was stagnant at best.
Slimantics: When a win is really a loss
When The 5th District Court of Appeals overturned a lower court ruling against Mississippi’s HB1523, also known as “Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act,” on Thursday, a lot of folks didn’t know whether to shrug their shoulders or set their hair on fire and run down the street.
Building hope: World Changers mission takes on 14 projects in Lowndes Co.
One look at Lexi Moon and you know exactly what she’s been up to.
The boot on her left foot has a large splatter of white paint and her jeans and T-shirt are smeared with paint, too. Her hands are covered in it.
Childhood home of noted Disney animator, painter Joshua Meador is on the market
The house on the corner Sixth Avenue North and Ninth Street in Columbus has been for sale for about a month.
Blake Shapen embracing leadership under center and in the QB room
July 18, 2025
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