Articles by Zack Plair
Turf baseball fields at Propst to be ready by early May
It’s possible youth baseball teams at Propst Park will start their season later this month where they always have — three grass fields in the lower portion of the park.
City looks to FEMA grant to reopen fire station
The city hopes to use federal grant money to reopen Fire Station 5 on West Garrard Road, but officials warned Tuesday even that could prove costly to city taxpayers long-term.
Community Profile: For Gildea, art patronage runs in the family
In Brian Gildea’s life, he’s been a lot of things.
Man arrested in Sunset subdivision murder
A suspect is behind bars for a fatal shooting Friday morning in the Sunset subdivision west of Starkville.
Home Base: CMSD hastily cobbled together its bond plan
No matter what you may hear from the “All taxes are theft” crowd, taxes are necessary to properly maintain government and societal functions.
Wastewater study calls for $9.5M in critical upgrades
A long-awaited report on the city’s wastewater treatment plant recommended Starkville Utilities invest $43.8 million in facility upgrades over the next 15 years or so.
New bill could give city crack at Clayton Village water territory
A bill Rep. Rob Roberson plans to file next week could open the door for Starkville Utilities to provide water service in areas in the city limits that rural water districts aren’t adequately serving.
Chamber becoming independent, moving in with CVB
The Columbus-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau won’t be merging anytime soon, just cohabitating.
Chief: ‘Conversation’ could have prevented club shooting
A person. A night out ruined. A man behind bars.
Dilapidated properties on Ruth Road ordered demolished
Almost four months after aldermen gave Dwight Prisock some time to start improvements on four dilapidated structures he owns on Ruth Road, there’s been no substantial change.
Women’s march through downtown West Point commemorates 1913 suffrage procession in Washington
WEST POINT – By 1913, an already decades-old suffrage movement had helped earn women the right to vote in some state and local elections. But
Ask The Dispatch: What is going on with the old Felix Long Hospital building?
Since at least spring 2022, Oktibbeha County leaders have planned to tear down the old Felix Long Memorial Hospital building located off West Lampkin Street
Home Base: Phone withdrawals in the justice court lobby
Zayley, my 15-year-old daughter, sends me a half-dozen or so emails each day.
Bill to merge MUW and MSU fails in Senate
Mississippi University for Women isn’t merging, and the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science is staying put, at least for now. A bill that would
Beard shows up late for court, convicted of 2 drug charges
For Pierre Beard, Tuesday could have gone better.
Officials raise alarm on what W merger could mean long-term
Keith Gaskin is still waiting for state Sen. Dennis DeBar to return his calls.
Home Base: The past matters, and not just for nostalgia
Al Cowlings drives a white Ford Bronco down a Los Angeles freeway while O.J. Simpson, wanted for a double murder, sits in the back. A cameraman in a helicopter above captures the low-speed chase for posterity.
Baptist bore up during 2019’s devastating storm
A violent storm that produced a tornado knocked out power through much of Columbus just after 5 p.m. Feb. 23, 2019.
Miskelly Furniture eyeing old Vowell’s spot
All that’s apparently keeping Miskelly Furniture from opening a location in the old Vowell’s Marketplace is whether the city and county will abate a developer’s property taxes.
Righting a monumental wrong
On the Lowndes County Courthouse lawn in October, Dylan Wiley portrayed a man named Charles Williams for the second time. It was part of a “Community Read” partnership between Columbus and Mississippi University for Women meant to highlight local Black history.
Holiday Handcrafts Bazaar accepting vendor applications
July 12, 2025
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