Ask Rufus: Columbus, June 1819
The founding of Columbus involved a series of events stretching from 1810 to 1819.
Slimantics: Karma comes with hearing aids
Anyone over the age of 60 or so understands that consequences come with longevity.
Possumhaw: The world around you
Taking a little walk on the edge of downtown Columbus, it was noticeable azaleas were showing their vivid colors. Azaleas are beautiful flowering shrubs.
Ask Rufus: The missing gold of the steamboat Orline St. John
In the “Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” Gordon Lightfoot told of the wrecks on Lake Superior “When the skies of November turn gloomy.” The same can be said of March on the Tombigbee and Alabama rivers of Mobile.
Thom Caraccio: Horror story at the Pelican Inn
More stories from the world of rock and roll.
Slimantics: No Mow is the bee’s knees
In Columbus, the Sounds of Summer is recognized as a four-week concert series presented by Main Street Columbus.
Slimantics: The return of the poll tax
Mississippi has passed its own version of the SHIELD Act currently being debated in Washington. It goes into effect on July 1.
Possumhaw: It ain’t easy
That afternoon after having lunch with my mother I took her home, suggested she rest and I would go to Walmart for needed items. Then my phone rang.
David McRae: Mississippi’s improved credit rating
The economic news as of late hasn’t been great.
Ask Rufus: A Mezuzah by an Old Doorway
When Karen and I bought the Ole Homestead 13 years ago, we knew the old home would have some surprises and reveal some mysteries.
Raymond Barranco: Compassion begins with the Golden Rule
The Pew Research Center recently surveyed people in 25 countries, asking them to rate the morals and ethics of their fellow citizens.
Slimantics: War by the gallon
There are things in the world where how we react to an event is all out of proportion to its relevance.
Possumhaw: Cottontails and swamp rabbits
I’d love to send you a Possumhaw story sharing about the rabbit I saw one morning. It’s possible it was a swamp rabbit. He looked larger than a bunny.
Ask Rufus: Lt. Col. Alva Temple an American hero
On March 4, The Commercial Dispatch reported that the Columbus-Lowndes Airport had received a $15,000 America250 Legacy grant from the Mississippi Humanities Council to help develop a museum at the airport.
Thom Caraccio: Compete and eat. Don’t and you won’t.
America was once the very definition of competing.
Slimantics: Still worth a wow!
PACCAR is building a second factory next door to its current facility.
Home Base: Franklin Academy should not become a liability
In high school, I was a bit of a social butterfly. Sure, I had a core group of friends, but I also casually popped around among social groups as a welcome visitor without raising alarms or “becoming one of them.”
Possumhaw: In two weeks, spring will be springing
Though we are still two weeks away from spring, on this day it looks and feels like spring. The sun is shining, making everything seem warm, just a tad warm but certainly spring is on its way.
Thom Caraccio: Old is the new… old
This story is for all you elderly people for whom I have a soft spot. Even I might someday get to that age and need a writer to cheer me up with a few kind words.
Ask Rufus: Remembering heroines
Three things have converged, leading me to expand and revise a column I wrote three years ago on the role of women during World War II.
Lowndes County Building Permits, June 12, 2025
June 11, 2025
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