Articles by William Browning
Browning on Business: Indian restaurant opening in Columbus
Indian cuisine is coming to Columbus.
Pankaj Patel, who operates Columbus Inn & Suites, said Tandoori Oven is slated to open Jan. 16. The new restaurant will be located at the inn, in the spot that once housed Good Time Lounge.
Staying busy in deer season: In the woods of Alabama, a South African butcher plies his trade
On the road that connects Steens, Miss., and Vernon, Ala., there is a man deer hunters sometimes wait in line to see.
His name is Adrian Van Zyl. He is an intense but amiable 47-year-old South African with a mustache and thick forearms. Usually, he is wearing a red apron and holding a knife.
Browning on Business: ‘Huck’s Place’ turns 5 years old
Five years ago, brothers Brian and Bubba Huckaby moved back to the Columbus area, where they grew up, to open a downtown restaurant.
Ranch House gets new owner, stays open
Ranch House is not closing after all.
The diner-style restaurant in east Columbus was scheduled to close last Sunday. Joyce Alexander, the 65-year-old who managed it for eight years, was set to retire.
She still has. But the restaurant has found new ownership and the doors are staying open.
It’s property tax time again
On Dec. 1 — like they do every year — statements went out to property owners in Lowndes County informing them what they owe in taxes.
Post office extends weekend hours on Bluecutt Road
The Columbus post office on Bluecutt Road will have its retail windows open for two extra hours on Saturday for the holidays.
Hobby Lobby coming to Columbus
It looks like Columbus is getting a Hobby Lobby.
Last month, the Oklahoma-based business filed a “memorandum of lease” in the Lowndes County chancery clerk office.
Last of ‘Columbus Six’ armed robbers sentenced
The six men arrested following the 2011 armed robbery of a Columbus woman inside her Sandpiper Apartment Complex home have been sentenced to a combined 114 years behind bars, according to Lowndes County Circuit Court documents.
Indiana man rides horse across country to raise funds for rescue operation
Josh Campbell rode “Cojak” into Columbus on Wednesday shortly after noon. The man and his horse had been traveling for 35 days.
They started their journey in Elizabeth, Ind., and are headed to Roswell, N.M. — a 2,800-mile trek that Campbell expects to complete by the end of April.
A look at the famous Budweiser Clydesdales
Columbus officials heard about the horses being in north Mississippi and coordinated getting them to appear at Columbus’ parade, which begins at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
Browning on Business: Hwy. 45 seeing more moving, shaking
There is property changing hands out on Highway 45 North in Columbus and some new businesses are moving in.
Like this: A Dick’s Sporting Goods is expected to be located in a currently unoccupied portion of the old University Mall.
Link-sponsored Lowndes Youth Leadership program still going strong after 14 years
Last summer, the Yokohama Tire Company announced that it had selected Kajima Building & Design Group to design and build the first phase of its manufacturing plant in Clay County.
The design firm is located in Atlanta, and in November, 18 members of the Lowndes County Youth Leadership program visited the headquarters.
Christmas with Lizzie: 10th Ave. home a holiday tradition
It started small in the late 1990s.
Lizzie Clemons put a few things out in her yard to celebrate the holidays. A Santa Claus. A wreath. Some lights.
She lives at 820 10th Ave. S. People in the neighborhood liked her Christmas display. Some brought children by. This made Clemons happy. So she added more and more.
And more.
Link has much to celebrate at annual luncheon
In the last decade, industries have made roughly $4.6 billion worth of investments in the Golden Triangle area. With that has come about 5,400 jobs.
That’s what Joe Max Higgins, the CEO of the Golden Triangle Development Link, said to begin the Link’s annual year-end luncheon on Wednesday.
Browning on Business: Watkins 45 sells to Sprint Mart
Three facts about Watkins 45 in Columbus.
One, it is the city’s third busiest convenience store. Two, it sells more Hunt Brothers Pizza pies than any other Mississippi location. Three, its longtime owner sold it to Sprint Mart on Monday.
Wassail Fest is Friday
Wassail, a cider made of juices and spices, has been served for centuries.
Robin Hood, it is said, enjoyed the occasional swallow.
Friday, downtown Columbus merchants will try their hands at preparing their version of the ancient beverage during the 10th annual Wassail Fest.
76-year-old Salvation Army bell ringer has been at it for a decade-plus
James Merrigan’s wife told him to find something to do with his time.
So the retired Air Force veteran left his Old Aberdeen Road home in Columbus and showed back up a little while later. When he did, his wife, Vicki, asked what he had found.
“Well,” he said, “it’s seasonal.”
That was 13 years ago. He’s been doing the thing he found ever since.
‘Chut’ Billingsley set for 76th Egg Bowl
This evening, when Martin Charles Billingsley takes his seat in Davis Wade Stadium, he will watch Ole Miss and Mississippi State play a football game for the 76th time.
“I saw my first one in 1937,” Billingsley said.
He was 10 years old then and hasn’t missed an Egg Bowl since.
Browning on business: Downtown business moving…downtown
Rex’s Rentals is moving.
For nearly eight years, the Columbus business has been located downtown at 322 Main Street, between the old Masonic lodge and the Tennessee Williams Welcome Center.
