Four-day carnival starts Wednesday at fairgrounds

Having arrived in Columbus at 3:30 a.m., William Purdy is working on a few hours of sleep.

As he treads across the muddy ground Monday afternoon, Purdy watches his crew haul in loads of amusement equipment. Behind him, the Columbus Fairgrounds are bathed in the setting sun.

Area census self-response rates decline from 2010

Compared to 2010, Golden Triangle residents are self-responding to the 2020 census at a lower rate, data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows.

$156K poured into race for Dist. 15 Senate seat

With less than a week left before the special election, the four-way race for the vacant Senate District 15 seat has attracted more than $156,000 in contributions, campaign finance reports show.

City moves forward on series of project developments

Columbus City Council voted Tuesday to approve a series of project developments, including a grant application for pedestrian access improvements, bid advertisement for the city’s latest series of street paving and construction work on Lee Park.

Supervisors reject LCSD tax request, reduce overall tax rate by 2 mills

In a unanimous vote Tuesday morning, Lowndes County Board of Supervisors rejected the county school district’s request for $27.4 million in local property tax funds for Fiscal Year 2021 and instead agreed to allocate roughly $3.5 million less than the requested figure.

Board of pharmacy agent warns of rising drug overdose rate among youth during the pandemic

As depression symptoms rise during the COVID-19 pandemic, students are now more at risk of drug abuse and overdose, said Sid Seal, compliance agent with Mississippi Board of Pharmacy.

County disputes with school district over tax request

Lowndes County School District is standing by a local property tax request that could hike the tax rate by almost 10 percent. But Lowndes County Board of Supervisors may sue the district to keep that from happening.

City of Columbus approves millage rate with no increase

Columbus residents will see a flat millage rate in Fiscal Year 2021, following a 5-0 vote from the City Council during a special-call meeting Tuesday night. Ward 2 Councilman Joseph Mickens was absent.

Council splits on appointing city employee to Planning Commission, tables issue instead

Following a 3-3 vote on a Planning Commission appointment Tuesday evening, Columbus City Council decided to table the issue because of confusion over whether city employees can be appointed to the board.

Citywide event ‘Clean Up Columbus’ set for Saturday morning

The city of Columbus is calling for volunteers to join in a citywide cleanup event Saturday morning.

Supes prioritize west Lowndes for 3 tornado shelters

Addressing the lack of storm shelters in west Lowndes County, the board of supervisors unanimously voted Monday morning to prioritize certain areas west of the Tombigbee River as potential sites for three community storm shelters.

Starkville-based artist infuses years of passion into state flag finalist design

Rocky Vaughan waited at his wife’s hospital bed for days as the couple expected the birth of their second son, Brody, in March 2013.

Area hotels brace for potential influx of Hurricane Laura evacuees

Aaron Duncan stared at the TV in disbelief after flooding brought by Hurricane Katrina washed over New Orleans — the city he had just evacuated from and once called home — in 2005.

“I was watching the news,” Duncan said. “I was like, ‘This can’t be New Orleans.'”

City proposes smaller budget in FY 21 in light of pandemic-induced impact

Despite a projected revenue downturn amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the city of Columbus is proposing a budget for Fiscal Year 2021 that would allow the millage rate to stay the same and leave the city with over $8,000 of surplus.

Military Road semi-roundabout construction brings confusion, frustration for some drivers

Sometimes, after his morning classes end at Lion Hills Center, Austin Wilcher would easily miss his exit back home to Starkville.

Former city CFO charged with embezzling $290K

Former Columbus Chief Financial Officer Milton Rawle was arrested Monday after being indicted in June for embezzling almost $290,000 from the city between 2016 and 2018 and falsifying documents to conceal the embezzlement, State Auditor Shad White told The Dispatch on Tuesday morning.

Supes decide on final site for Confederate statue

In an unanimous vote, Lowndes County supervisors selected Monday a piece of land adjacent to Confederate soldiers’ graves at Friendship Cemetery as the new location for the Confederate monument outside the county courthouse.

Former Columbus CFO Milton Rawle arrested for embezzling $290K from city

Former Columbus Chief Financial Officer Milton Rawle was arrested Monday after being indicted in June for embezzling almost $290,000 from the city between 2016 and 2018 and falsifying documents to conceal the embezzlement, State Auditor Shad White told The Dispatch on Tuesday morning.

Starkville discusses possible tax, utility rate hikes

Faced with a projected $1.1 million budget shortfall in Fiscal Year 2021, the city of Starkville may have to raise the property tax rate by 2 mills and delay its debt payment for a year to help offset the financial impact, Ward 2 Alderman and Budget Committee Chair Sandra Sistrunk said during a work session Friday morning.

Three affordable housing units planned for Sandfield

Three homes are coming to the Sandfield community as part of a redevelopment plan to build affordable housing in the area, Antwann Richardson, president of Columbus-based construction company J5 GBL, told The Dispatch on Thursday.