Between the Headlines: Columbus

Got a question or a tip? Send us a text History doesn’t feel like a headline when you’re sitting across from the guy who just lived it. Senator-elect Scott Colom joins us from Catfish Alley Studio to talk through the moments people didn’t see: the concession call, the ground game that surprised the “safe county” experts, and the discipline it took to keep the race about Mississippi voters instead...

Got a question or a tip? Send us a text This week we talk about why authenticity has become a campaign advantage that voters can sense in seconds. Scripted sound bites and grievance-driven attack ads may still fire up a base, but they can also push swing voters away, especially when politics starts to look like sports fandom instead of citizenship. Along the way, we hit a perfect local example of...

Got a question or a tip? Send us a text Some people are hesitant to cast their ballot because they think their vote doesn't count. Mississippi's US Senate race between Cindy Hyde-Smith and Scott Colom is proof that isn't true. We walk through the latest tallies and why a race that looks “too close to call” can start drifting in one direction as affidavit ballots are cured and mail-i...

Got a question or a tip? Send us a text A single hiring vote at Columbus City Council turns into a bigger question about power, process, and basic competence: are we trying to fix the audit backlog with a senior accountant, or quietly setting up a CFO succession plan?  Next we take on Columbus' legislative priorities and the real-world politics of asking for money. We talk bridges, including...

Got a question or a tip? Send us a text The biggest political visit of the year doesn’t just raise campaign questions, it exposes how a town handles pressure. We walk through a planned Kamala Harris rally in Columbus and the scramble to find a venue for it. Then we pivot to the other headline we keep hearing in the Golden Triangle: data centers. If you’re worried about noise, water consumption, po...

Got a question or a tip? Send us a text A former vice president coming to Columbus is the kind of headline that makes you stop scrolling, even if you swear you’re tired of politics. We talk through why a Kamala Harris stop isn’t just spectacle, what it might telegraph about the Mississippi U.S. Senate race, and how campaigns try to shake loose the voters who usually stay home because they assume t...

Got a question or a tip? Send us a text A neglected historic house isn’t just a private problem, especially in a place like Columbus where the town’s identity is tied to its older homes, downtown buildings, and landmark properties. We talk through the newly passed historic preservation ordinance changes and what it means when the city adds a fine structure that can get expensive fast. The big ques...

Got a question or a tip? Send us a text We break down the latest domino chain in Columbus and Lowndes County politics, starting with shifting ambitions up the ballot and landing on a big local question: What does a city council member owe the voters before running for a different office? Jason Spears’ interest in the District 2 county supervisor race sparks a candid debate about timing, constituen...

Got a question or a tip? Send us a text A single announcement can redraw the whole local map, and that’s exactly where we start. Senator Chuck Younger is eyeing the Northern District Transportation Commissioner seat, and we unpack what it means for area politics when an elected seat is made empty. We talk through leadership “pipelines,” why filling local seats matters as people move up, and what s...

Got a question or a tip? Send us a text We’re joined in Catfish Alley Studio by James Fallows, longtime Atlantic journalist, former White House speechwriter, and co-author of “Our Towns,” to talk about why he and Deb kept returning to the Golden Triangle and what they saw that most outsiders miss: serious education, real industrial growth, civic memory, and the kind of local problem-solving that d...

Got a question or a tip? Send us a text Free use of a public building sounds like a feel-good headline until you ask the hard questions: Who decides, what’s the policy, and who quietly pays the bill when “free” becomes routine? We dig into the discussion over waiving fees at the Trotter Convention Center for events labeled “city events with a municipal purpose.” We break down what happened at the...

Got a question or a tip? Send us a text One blunt quote can end a long run, even when the résumé looks untouchable. We talk through the stunning shift at East Mississippi Community College as Buddy Stevens, the larger-than-life junior college football coach made famous by Netflix’s “Last Chance U,” is suddenly out. We break down what Stevens said about the new MACCC playoff format, why calling com...

Got a question or a tip? Send us a text We walk through what’s known about the city COO's suspension, what a short unpaid suspension usually signals, and why closed-door executive sessions can leave the public trying to separate facts from the loudest rumor. Next we dig into the most consequential part of the week for taxpayers: the city’s bid procurement rules after the Joseph Mickens indict...

Got a question or a tip? Send us a text MUW is not just picking a new president. MUW is fighting for its existence. We walk through the two names driving local conversation and why they represent two different toolkits. The bigger question may be about the IHL's search for a new president. Former president Nora Miller in January announced her intent to retire, but eight months later the forma...

Got a question or a tip? Send us a text A corruption headline hits differently when it’s your own town, your own tax base, and the same City Hall you drive past every week. We break down the newly filed grand jury indictment involving a former Columbus city councilman, focusing on what the charges allege, how bid rigging and kickbacks can hide inside routine purchasing, and why the words “claims d...

Got a question or a tip? Send us a text A redeveloped mall can look like progress and still leave everyone asking the same blunt question: where are the tenants? We dig into the latest around Columbus Place, formerly Leigh Mall, including the incentive agreement that went sideways. Next, we head to the Woody's on the Water building where a planned restaurant is dead in the water. The headline...

Got a question or a tip? Send us a text A $58,000 electric golf cart with air conditioning rolls into a city work session and suddenly Columbus has to answer a surprisingly big question: what’s the right way to spend public money when the need is real but the “Cadillac” option feels like a stretch? We talk through the pitch for shuttle carts at the Trotter Convention Center, what problem they actu...

Got a question or a tip? Send us a text This week on Between the Headlines , Zack and David dig into what’s next for the Columbus Amphitheater, including Live Nation’s advisory role, the professionals being brought in to book and market the venue and whether the long-delayed project is finally ready to deliver. They also discuss Craig Chapman’s three-year contract extension with Columbus Municipal...

Got a question or a tip? Send us a text A police chief leaves town, council members learn about it on social media, and suddenly Columbus has a new permanent leader at the Columbus Police Department. We talk through what Chief Daughtry's fast exit to Yazoo City signals, why the details around communication and timing matter, and how past controversies can linger long after the headlines fade....

Got a question or a tip? Send us a text This week on Between the Headlines , Zack and David return to Catfish Alley Studio with a full slate of City Hall drama, airport questions and regional economic development talk. The episode opens with the latest from Columbus City Hall, where Mayor Stephen Jones raised the idea of allowing city officials to fly for free on empty seats tied to the Golden Tri...

Got a question or a tip? Send us a text A split-second decision during a traffic stop can change a family forever, and that reality hangs over our conversation today. We talk through the case of a 16-year-old, charged with felony murder after a June 16 crash on Alabama Street in Columbus that killed a passenger. We break down what we know from the timeline, what police allege happened after the st...

Got a question or a tip? Send us a text Oktibbeha County has given a two year notice to the Golden Triangle Development LINK. The guys discuss what that means for the region’s economic development recruiter and the strengths of being able to market the entire region. After that the guys briefly discuss a viral video with local ties. When you have a child of the opposite sex, what bathroom do you t...

Got a question or a tip? Send us a text Zack and David have breaking news with this episode as the city's grant-writer Susan Wilder has submitted her letter of resignation. Wilder, who has spearheaded the city's fossil park, the Alva Temple Museum and other projects, cited a toxic work environment in her letter. The guys discuss how the city can expect to hire top notch talent if it hams...

Got a question or a tip? Send us a text A contract gets signed, a check gets cut, the city council approves the check without questioning it. There's enough embarrassment to go around with this one. We walk through the story in which a grant-funded documentary tied to the planned airport museum honoring Tuskegee Airman Alva Temple suddenly becomes a case study in municipal oversight, public f...

Got a question or a tip? Send us a text Brand-new Mississippi State sports reporter Jake McMahon moves to Starkville, checks a score while unloading a U-Haul, and suddenly ends up on a midnight roadtrip to Oklahoma City to cover the Women’s College World Series. That’s where we start, because it says a lot about college athletics right now: chaos, speed, and the kind of joy that still breaks throu...