Private schools inconsistent with COVID reporting methods

Some private schools in the four-county area are not reporting COVID-19 related information directly to Mississippi State Department of Health, in violation of an Aug. 14 state order put in place to track virus cases in schools.

Holiday giving during COVID-19: Columbus volunteers plan Thanksgiving turkey drive-through

For the past 25 years, Annie Barry has spent most of her Thanksgiving Day giving.

Starting out in her own kitchen in 1994, Barry and her friends cooked and delivered hot meals to seniors and residents with disabilities in Lowndes County every year. What began as a small operation has expanded to serving thousands of county residents in need each year over more than two decades.

‘Let’s Talk Columbus’ panel discusses leadership role in racial equity

During a public discussion Tuesday about community leaders’ role in addressing racial inequality, District 5 Supervisor Leroy Brooks raised the discord among the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors as a “clear example of systemic racism” and proof of leaders’ failed attempt to promote racial diversity.

Monday Profile: Self-described ‘dog lady’ cares for animals in West Point

Neely Bryan woke up Friday with a pair of swollen eyes. She could not sleep well.

The night before, she hurried from West Point to Starkville, worried. Bradley, a 7-year-old dog she had rescued, was dying, her friend told her.

Local entrepreneur: Artificial intelligence could define future warfare

With increased speed, enhanced force and lower cost, the application of artificial intelligence (AI) on weapons will define the next generation of warfare, Gary Butler, founder of Starkville-based tech company Camgian Microsystems, told Starkville Rotary Club members Monday afternoon.

Asst. superintendent sues Lowndes school district for gender discrimination over Allison’s hiring

Susan Johnson, assistant superintendent of Lowndes County School District, is suing the district for gender discrimination in the selection of its superintendent in November 2019, court documents show.

WPCSD sees 42 positive COVID cases, quarantines 115 over the past month

Area school districts have reported a total of at least 187 positive cases of COVID-19 since school began, according to the latest data from Clay and Noxubee county school districts.

SOCSD leads area school districts in COVID-19 cases

Public school districts in Lowndes and Oktibbeha counties have witnessed a total of 110 cases of COVID-19 since school started, sending hundreds of students into quarantine, according to data from the districts.

Some locals concerned about in-person voting amid pandemic

Eric Krieger is worried about waiting to cast his ballot in long lines.

City converts all debt to private, risking credit rating, transparency

Columbus may lose its credit rating by the end of the month due to delayed disclosure of its Fiscal Year 2019 audit report, according to an Oct. 1 press release from Moody’s Investors Service, a rating agency that assesses the city’s borrowing credibility each year.

Confederate monument relocation could get OK from MDAH by end of month

Lowndes County officials may soon receive the go-ahead from Mississippi Department of Archives and History to move the Confederate monument on the courthouse lawn to Friendship Cemetery, according to county engineer Bob Calvert and MDAH officials.

Trip Hairston named supervisors president after serving only 10 months on board

After serving on the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors for just 10 months, District 2’s Trip Hairston will soon become the board’s president.

John Holliman, who represents District 3 and has acted as president for almost four months, amended Thursday’s meeting agenda and quietly nominated Hairston to the role.

Lowndes, Oktibbeha each have contested election commissioner race on November ballot

For Greg Fulgham, helping Americans vote runs in the family.

Fulgham, a Republican who has served as District 1 Election Commissioner in Oktibbeha County for 10 years, replaced his grandmother, Margie Fulgham, in 2010. Margie had been the commissioner for 17 years, he said, and his mother and aunt were both poll workers.

CMSD, MUW plan partnership at renovated Hunt campus

Columbus Municipal School District hopes to reopen the Hunt campus — destroyed by the February 2019 tornado — as Hunt Experience Center in 2022, with a focus on both technology-assisted learning and hands-on workforce development, Superintendent Cherie Labat told The Dispatch.

New CPD policy makes more detectives available for calls

Columbus City Council unanimously approved Tuesday night several changes in the police department’s policy that established a schedule for on-call officers at its criminal investigation division (CID) and articulated the chain of command and the no-drinking rule while on duty.

Lowndes County extends mask mandate until end of October

Citing safety concerns and hopes to be consistent with the city of Columbus, Lowndes County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted Monday morning to keep the county’s mask mandate in place and to review the policy at the end of October.

Brooks, Sanders clash over board presidency, accuse each other of being ‘racist’

John Holliman is banging the gavel, his face red.

But the sound of the wooden mallet repeatedly landing on the boardroom table, where most supervisors now sit, is barely calming anyone down.

Holliman, acting president of Lowndes County Board of Supervisors and representing District 3, is trying to call for order as the Monday board meeting quickly degenerates into a shouting match, with supervisors Leroy Brooks of District 5, Black, and Harry Sanders of District 1, white, accusing each other of being a “racist.”

Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Columbus nurse practitioner beats cancer with upbeat, tenacious attitude

Jeana Whitacre dreaded the “Red Devil.”

During the summer of 2019, she sat on her chemotherapy chair in Birmingham, Alabama, and watched as the nurse slowly pushed the bright-red Adriamycin fluid — nicknamed “Red Devil” — into her veins.

“When they got it out to put in my IV,” she said, “I was like, ‘Oh, here we go.'”

Supervisors entertain idea of using trust fund interest for possible operations shortfall

Lowndes County Board of Supervisors discussed at a Wednesday meeting the possibility of using gains from the county’s $30 million-plus trust fund in case the county experiences a financial shortfall near the end of the year.

Sim Scott Park reconstruction expected to wrap up by November

The new Sim Scott Recreation Center, which will replace the structure destroyed by the February tornado in 2019, is expected to reach completion by the end of October, Columbus Parks Director Greg Lewis said.