James Brigham News Today

"Mahalia's," a new retail store showcasing Chicago artists, opened Friday during Black History Month.

While officials at City Hall are developing a job description for a new public information officer, some on Columbus City Council aren’t sure the position needs filling at all.

Merely a day after the Columbus Redevelopment Authority’s decision to hire a federal lobbyist, Mayor Keith Gaskin directed city officials to collect the authority’s meeting minutes and financial records dating back to 2014.

Columbus received $942,440 from the Mississippi Department of Revenue, down $72,951 from November 2022, marking only the second time in 14 months that the city saw a dip in collections.

It’s never too early to start Christmas shopping.

The interest rate on $3 million in revenue bonds for the city park renovation plan is “a very strong rate,” according to a source within the municipal bond business.

“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.”

A ribbon cutting for Woodland resident Cindy Calabro’s newly renovated home was held Saturday after nearly three months of laborious work cleaning out her backyard, replacing rotting wood and repainting her entire house.

Mayor Keith Gaskin broke a tie during a Friday morning special call meeting to kill an effort to sell about $3 million in revenue bonds intended for a $4.4 million parks renovation plan that would have mostly focused on improving Propst Park.

Plans to revitalize Propst Park in Columbus appear to be on hold at least for now. This summer the city council voted to borrow $3 million for park improvements.