Articles by Zack Plair
Heritage Academy and headmaster agree to change in leadership
Greg Carlyle is out as headmaster at Heritage Academy after nearly a decade in the position.
Back on the Hunt: Insurance settlement restarts stalled effort to rebuild Hunt campus
Since it was built in the early 1950s, the Hunt school campus on 20th Street North has played considerable parts in Columbus’ social and educational history.
Home prices up, inventory down in Golden Triangle
In 43 years selling real estate, Rick McGill can’t remember a time quite like this.
Caledonia man arrested for wife’s murder
A man has been charged with murdering his wife Thursday morning at a Cedar Street apartment in Caledonia. Wayne Sydney Fraser, 45, is accused of
Man injured, property damaged in East Columbus drive-by
Police are seeking a suspect in a drive-by shooting Tuesday afternoon in East Columbus.
Profile: Jamie Morrison to retire Friday after working 40 years at The Dispatch
Every weekday morning, and late each Saturday night, a Goss Urbanite 500 Series press cranks up to produce another 13,000 or so editions of The Dispatch.
Jamie Morrison is usually there, adjusting ink, replenishing paper rolls and troubleshooting problems as they arise.
Crawford citizens band together with watch groups, cameras in response to frequent gunfire
Sometime in the afternoon of Dec. 4, William Jordan was walking outside his home on Main Street in Crawford and saw a hole in the back of his wife’s Hyundai hatchback, just left of the brand logo.
Community leaders call for unity to stop gun violence
Jadah Brewer was a smart, precocious 8-year old. “Just a beautiful young lady,” her Gifted and Talented teacher Heather Rowland recalled Monday night.
$14M fund balance means LCSD won’t have to borrow for payroll
For the first time in four years, Lowndes County School District will not borrow money to make December or January payroll. Cost cuts, deferred facility
CMSD to host community meeting on gun violence
A mother falls to her knees and weeps. Another screams in agony. A father sits broken, staring in disbelief into a seemingly endless abyss.
These are not images commonly associated with a school environment. But Columbus Municipal School District Superintendent Cherie Labat has been in these rooms all too often, trying to comfort grieving parents who have lost their child to gun violence.
Welfare concern issued for Starkville teen
Starkville Police Department has issued a welfare concern for a Starkville teenager. In a press release on Tuesday, SPD requested the public’s assistance in locating
3 city positions yield 96 total applicants
A total of 96 candidates applied for three Columbus department head positions by Friday’s deadline, according to city Human Resources Officer Pat Mitchell.
Walmart evacuates customers over ‘suspicious package’ full of trash
Walmart on Highway 45 North evacuated its customers and closed for about 90 minutes Saturday due to a suspicious package outside that turned out to
Home Base: More than words
“Bilateral.” That word stood between me and winning the Ashley County, Arkansas, spelling bee in 1995.
Saving the bee: Columbus chamber of commerce, community members step up to save, host state spelling competition in 2022
Wilson Beck reached the county spelling bee as a fourth-grader.
Pedestrian bridge repairs tied up in federal court
A dispute in federal court involving the city and two marine companies is delaying repairs to the pedestrian bridge at The Riverwalk and will keep it closed for the foreseeable future.
Monday Profile: Columbus native headed to Morocco to study Arabic
One weekend in the summer of 2018, Miller Greene and some friends decided to climb Toubkal, the highest mountain in Morocco and all of North Africa.
Beard jailed, charged with domestic violence
Ward 4 Councilman Pierre Beard spent several hours in jail Friday after being charged with misdemeanor domestic violence.
Circuit court judge rules in favor of city, Yo’Bar
A Lowndes County Circuit Court ruling on Friday will allow bar and restaurant Yo’Bar to continue operating on Bluecutt Road.
Ethics Commission report finds city violated law
A preliminary report from the Mississippi Ethics Commission found the city of Columbus and its former registrar violated the Public Records Act when a former reporter from The Dispatch was denied the right to photograph campaign finance reports.
Group distributes 528 backpacks, school supplies at Lock and Dam
July 13, 2025
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