Articles by Zack Plair
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.
Attempted murder suspect nabbed in Houston hotel
A Mathiston man faces an attempted murder charge for a Feb. 6 shooting on Sturgis-West Point Road in Oktibbeha County.
Ask The Dispatch: What’s going on at the pedestrian bridge?
You may not see it, but there’s progress on repairs to the pedestrian bridge across the Tombigbee River.
MSU becoming ‘flagship’ of Ultimate Frisbee in Mississippi
Dawson Archer took over as president for the Mississippi State University Ultimate Frisbee Club in fall 2022, inheriting what he said had essentially been a
Mayor: CRA giving interested investor cold shoulder
It started with assurances from Mayor Keith Gaskin that new officers and more cameras would soon help stem violent crime in the city. From there Gaskin admitted, without prompting, that his wife had to hide his phone from him to keep him off Facebook over the weekend.
Community Profile: May the dogs be with you
It started in March of last year when Alden Thornhill was eating lunch in the Cotton District.
Stabbing in Walmart leads to quick arrest
A suspect is in custody for allegedly stabbing a man Thursday inside Walmart on Highway 45.
Home Base: Think keeping the MUW name is bright? Well …
Spring 2000. Sophomore year in high school. My first run at the ACT is in the books. The postal service finally delivers some evidence to my South Arkansas home that colleges know I exist.
Home Base: A doggone lesson in market demand for the Bark Park
Growing up an Arkansas Razorback basketball fan in the 1990s, I held head coach Nolan Richardson in the highest regard.