King joins newsroom as digital/lifestyles editor
Ashlynd King has joined The Dispatch as its digital/lifestyles editor.
Officer fires at suspect who tries to run him over
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is looking into a Columbus Police officer-involved shooting Friday after a suspect allegedly tried to hit the officer with his car.
Good news: Two survivors of rare childhood cancer meet in hallways of Victory Christian
When Dan Duston learned of his father’s brain cancer diagnosis, he couldn’t let himself believe he would lose him.
Beautification efforts, restoration planned for Lee Park
The wooden playground at Lee Park once stood regal, adorned with high castle turrets, wooden ladders and small murals tucked away in hidden corners.
Autopsy finds hanged Mississippi student died by suicide, police say
An autopsy by the office of Mississippi’s state medical examiner concluded that a Black student found hanging from a tree at Delta State University died by suicide, police said Thursday.
Rowdy Races return for inclusive fun Saturday
When Whitney Ferguson co-founded the Rowdy Foundation with her husband Scott Ferguson in 2020, she knew she wanted to organize an active event that was inclusive for children with and without disabilities in the area.
Baptist names new CEO of OCH amid hospital’s transition
Baptist Memorial Health Care has named a new CEO for OCH Regional Medical Center as the hospital transitions into its network.
Starkville exceeds, Columbus falls short of FY 25 sales tax budget
Sales tax diversions in both Starkville and Columbus grew between the 2024 and 2025 fiscal years, with West Point collections down significantly in the third month of its budget cycle.
Man charged with felony DUI after fatal car crash
A Columbus man was arrested this week in connection to a July car crash that resulted in a woman’s death.
Former MUW police officer arrested for embezzlement
A former Mississippi University for Women police officer was arrested Thursday for allegedly stealing more than $1,000 in equipment from his former employer.
Oktibbeha woman ordered to repay $43K in SNAP benefits
An Oktibbeha County woman must repay more than $43,000 she fraudulently received in Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program benefits.
Mississippi police await autopsy results for Black student found hanged at Delta State
Mississippi police on Wednesday awaited autopsy results for a Black student found hanging from a tree at Delta State University, in a case that has ignited strong emotions in a state with a history of racist violence.
Mary Means Business: Pickleball bar coming to Starkville
Five Starkville entrepreneurs are betting big on the sport that’s sweeping the nation one court at a time.
Digital Detox: Amid heated political climate, church ‘unplugs’ from screens
More than 1,000 people gathered Sunday evening in the sanctuary of Vibrant Church, sitting alongside one another and deleting social media, streaming and shopping apps from their phones.
Supes mull using some OCH proceeds for pet projects
With OCH Regional Medical Center’s $55 million sale to Baptist Memorial Health Care set to close by the end of the month, supervisors are considering ways to spend proceeds from the sale.
After two kitchen fires, Food Giant is back to making chicken
Following a busy lunch rush Wednesday afternoon at Food Giant on Alabama Street, a manageable line of four shoppers forms at the counter of the store’s deli.
A Black student was found hanging from a tree. Police say there’s no sign of foul play
Police on Tuesday were investigating the death of a Black college student found hanging from a tree on the campus of Delta State University in Mississippi, stirring online rumors that evoked the state’s history of Jim Crow-era racist violence even as authorities said there was no initial evidence of a crime.
Aldermen look to curb ‘predatory towing’ from apartments
The board of aldermen will hold two public hearings in the coming months to consider adopting a citywide towing ordinance.
Mayor breaks tie to re-roof Municipal Complex, strip mall
Mayor Stephen Jones broke a deadlocked city council vote Tuesday to use about $1 million in internet use tax money on facility repairs, more than 25% of what the city expects to have in hand from those funds by January.
