Profile: Mother, daughter make best of daily visits during nursing home lockdown
Betsy Brackin pressed her face tightly against the double-layered glass window at the Trinity Healthcare Center in Columbus Thursday afternoon.
Love for the underdog: Starkville teacher makes room in life to care for those in need
Slabs of wood meant for a wheelchair ramp leaned against the walls Monday just outside Karen Sisk’s house, where 22 people and four dogs just celebrated Labor Day weekend.
Preaching to the chickens: Rob Dowdle becomes nearly self-sustaining
After more than 20 years of medical treatments, Rob Dowdle started his own farm two years ago for an alternative route of medicine.
At 15, Dowdle was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, irritation of the bowels and colon. Now 37, he has largely quit all his medical treatments and switched to working his farm and eating only the food he grows himself.
Monday profile: Area attorney has unique insight on immigration
A visitor’s eyes turn to a green box of tissues that sits on the long, polished wood table surrounded by black, plush leather chairs in Carol Armstrong’s office.
“There’s a reason those are here,” Armstrong said.
Armstrong is an immigration lawyer, and often the stories she hears bring her and her clients to tears.
Monday profile: Lowndes County man looking to put literature on airwaves
The words of James Joyce going into West Point homes over the airwaves. The poems of Samuel Taylor Coleridge crackling through the speakers of a car in Columbus. The tall tales of Mark Twain heard at night across the prairie.
That is the vision of one Lowndes County man.
Profile: Cole gives back to community with annual ‘fun day’ for seniors
After retiring in 2006, Lillie Cole was looking for something to do. She’s not one to sit.
Kids’ Day is about more than just fun
DeMontrell Cunningham has a simple mission: Give local kids one day a year to cut loose and have fun. Yet Cunningham’s motives run deeper.
Monday profile: Weeks stepping down in June as CHA Director
This summer, the Columbus Housing Authority will be undergoing a leadership change after the retirement of Earl Weeks, its executive director of more than 13 years.
New gender options available for Facebook users
With a click of a cursor, Jay Brown in Cheverly, Md., went from Male to Trans Male. A few states away, Debon Garrigues of Asheville, N.C., switched from Male to Neutral.
Profile: Arledge puts emphasis on communication during first year as sheriff
For Lowndes County Sheriff Mike Arledge, putting on his gun and his badge every day is almost second nature. Although he just finished his first year as sheriff, he has been donning a badge and a gun for more than 30 years.
Popular downtown restaurant gets a reprieve with new owners
Lovers of the Front Door/Back Door’s chicken salad need not worry; according to the restaurant’s new owners, Steve McLemore and Jim Lewis, Chef Sarah Lapbinsky’s recipes are in good hands.
Passions converge for symphony founder Boudreau
Robert Boudreau is a man of many passions including music, art, architecture and life itself. These passions will converge Saturday as he opens the 2012 concert season for his American Wind Symphony Orchestra on the banks of the Tombigbee River in Columbus.
Dennis Tedford is on a mission to help
There is a certain cadence to the way Dennis Tedford speaks. It’s fast, vibrant and full of dramatic pauses matched only by his constant gesticulation. He thinks before he speaks, carefully choosing his words, but his eyes say almost as much as his voice. And his charm and charisma are almost off the charts.
New Boy Scout leader positive about future of scouting
A lifelong scouting enthusiast, Jeremy Whitmore, has made a career in the Boy Scouts of America. Whitmore, 39, is a graduate of Murray State and an 18-year veteran of scouting. In January 2011, he began his latest scouting challenge as CEO of the Columbus-based Pushmataha Area Council.
Monday profile: Miss Effie gives students a home away
On a typical day, Hopkins, 56, makes her circuit from the Colvard Student Union to the Research Park, a 30-minute trip she repeats continuously, from 7 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.
Saturday Profile: Bedsaul leading Foundation’s charge
Doug Bedsaul has been sharing his spare time volunteering in Starkville public schools for the last seven years.
Ellenwood plans to reinvigorate local Boys and Girls Clubs
Joyce Ellenwood’s mission is clear: Raise the profile of the Boys and Girls Club in the Golden Triangle.
New Palmer Home director continues his life’s mission of working with children
Steven Scott has dedicated his life to working with children. Now, the Whitehaven, Tenn., native has chosen to make Columbus his home, taking over as director of the local branch of Palmer Home for Children as former Executive Director Jeff Miller transfers to the organization’s Hernando campus.
Profile: St. John to start private investigation, marketing businesses
He may be fired, but former Columbus Police Chief Joseph St. John is nowhere near gone. When the City Council voted 5-1 to oust him July 18 for reportedly missing a Civil Service Commission hearing because of alcohol use, his supporters packed the meeting.
The final frontier: W.E. Williams recalls his time working at NASA
W.E. Williams spent most of his life working on classified information, conducting research in some of the country’s top scientific and technological labs. From the National Bureau of Standards in Washington, D.C., to NASA headquarters, Williams didn’t just witness history — he played a unique role, helping develop space age technologies that captured the imagination of a nation.