Articles by Zack Plair
SPD SWAT rescues 4-year-old from barricaded captor
SWAT officers safely rescued a 4-year-old from the clutches of an alleged kidnapper Thursday morning following a more than two-hour standoff with the suspect, who was barricaded in a Brookville Garden Apartment.
Home Base: A pro-lifer’s guide to voting for Kamala Harris
As questionable cognitive ability goes, riding with a roadkill bear carcass in your car that you forgot to field dress, then dumping it in Central Park so you don’t miss your flight – that’s a contender.
8 sites picked for drainage work; half on Southside
The city has finalized selecting eight sites for drainage improvements funded through the American Rescue Plan Act.
No tax hike means police only get half their cameras
A balanced city budget next year with no tax hike means the police department will get half the cameras and new manpower it had expected.
Ask The Dispatch: Can a new court rule make divorce, child custody cases cheaper and quicker?
On Aug. 26, Mississippi will become the 24th state to enact Rules for Collaborative Law that allow parties to resolve family law disputes without adversarial
Division brewing over city’s property tax rate
Competing ideas on what to do with the city’s ad valorem tax rate next year emerged from a council work session Thursday at City Hall.
Either would result in the tax rate decreasing, but one would mean tax bills would still go up.
County agrees to purchase LINK building on Main St
On July 4, 2011, Greg Andrews declared his office’s independence from its cramped quarters at the county courthouse.
Lowndes needs millions in federal, state money so Eau Claire residents can flush their toilets
Eric Thomas has plenty of good things to say about Kimberly Drive, part of the Eau Claire Subdivision off Highway 69 southeast of Columbus.
Ask The Dispatch: What’s happening with debris, damage still left from May storm?
More than two months after a May 9 storm tore through parts of Columbus, some building damage remains and some of the trees the 60 mph straight-line winds ripped down still sit where they fell.
Body scanner at jail could cut down on contraband
About two weeks ago, a female inmate booked in Lowndes County Adult Detention Center snuck drugs into the jail’s general population area.
Safe Haven box to surrender infants planned for fire station
Earnestine Nash-Mobley became pregnant with her first child when she was 16.
Double-named streets cause confusion for first responders
A new police officer on patrol pulls someone over near the Roger Short Soccer Complex.
Northside drainage grant moves forward with tepid support
A glaringly tepid city council vote Tuesday moved forward a near-$4 million drainage improvement project on Northside.
Pay scale adjustment gives more money to police, firefighters
Without discussion Tuesday, the city council unanimously approved changes to the fire and police pay scales that raises the hourly rate for several positions and adds holiday pay on top of that.
Annexation trial likely won’t happen before April
It will be nine months to a year before Lowndes County Chancery Court decides Columbus’ annexation case.
Work on Highway 182 project could begin this fall
The city is one board of aldermen vote away from beginning its long-awaited Highway 182 Revitalization Project in earnest.
License to plant: Area landscaper wants unlicensed operators held in check; Lowndes supervisor wants ‘overreaching’ law changed
Clay Bowen insists he already has more work than he can do.
Higher appraisals could make Lowndes tax bills 18% higher
If county and city officials don’t slash tax rates this fall, property owners could experience sticker shock when they get their tax bill.
‘Hefty’ match requirement has council leery of accepting drainage grant
The city is teetering dangerously close to losing nearly $3 million in federal grant funds to improve drainage in Northside neighborhoods prone to flooding.
Council hands 30-day suspension to police officer arrested for off-duty DUI
COLUMBUS – A police officer arrested last month for driving under the influence while off duty has been suspended without pay for 30 days, multiple
Holiday Handcrafts Bazaar accepting vendor applications
July 12, 2025
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