Page 2 - Dispatch Tuesday News Today

While allegedly driving intoxicated, without a tag on his car, in possession of weed and drug paraphernalia and with a man twice charged for robbery in the passenger seat, Pierre Beard allegedly tried to use his city council seat to leverage control over a law enforcement officer.

The project to convert the old Leigh Mall into Columbus Place, an outward-facing shopping center, will be finished by December, and new tenants could locate there in early 2024.

“The (park renovation bond) is not dead,” Vice Mayor and Ward 2 Councilman Joseph Mickens told The Dispatch Tuesday afternoon. “I see it coming back up for another vote, and when it does I’m on board with it.”

While Oktibbeha County and Starkville have both enacted burn bans in the face of record heat and sparse rain, Lowndes County and Columbus have not.

Assistant District Attorney Marc Amos has dropped out of the 16th Circuit District Attorney’s race.

Columbus Police Chief Joseph Daughtry is planning to “temporarily” pull his officers out of the Joint Narcotics Task Force this week.

Columbus City Council approved a 10-year tax exemption for downtown business owner Tom Velek during its Tuesday night meeting.

Jarrod Golden, GOP candidate for Franklin County auditor deleted his Twitter account linked to his campaign, saying it had been hacked.

Supply chain problems continue to dog Golden Triangle Waste Services’ garbage pickup, but potential short-term agreements with Starkville and Columbus may ease the burden long enough for the service to catch up.

The field of hopefuls to be Columbus’ top cop has narrowed to eight, city officials said Tuesday.