Columbus Matters

08/13/2026

Former councilman Mickens indicted for money laundering, rigging bids. A Lowndes County grand jury has indicted former Ward 2 Councilman and Vice Mayor Joseph Mickens for felonies related to bid rigging and receiving funds for city projects while in office.

The Dispatch covers local news, sports, politics and community life in Columbus and Starkville, Mississippi. Trusted local journalism since 1879.

08/04/2026

According to MCPP, Columbus's superintendent makes $136,288, spends $12,500 per student. Check out their 2026 Fat Cat Ratings.

🏫 Finding the right school just got easier.

Search every Mississippi public school in one place and access the information that matters most to families—from performance and enrollment to student achievement and school location.

Start exploring today and make informed decisions with confidence.

🔍 Compare schools at CompareMySchool.com

07/15/2026

Crooked Law Enforcement?
It is unacceptable for public servants who benefit from state retirement to defraud the state revenue department. The Columbus (soon to be Yazoo City) Police Chief claimed a homestead exemption in Natchez while voting in Columbus. Meanwhile, his wife allegedly claimed a second homestead exemption elsewhere.

Since it is illegal for spouses to claim separate exemptions, this constitutes at least two instances of homestead and/or voter fraud.
Shouldn't our public servants be held accountable?

Attorney General Lynn Fitch, Mississippi’s top law enforcement officer, is aware of this fraud but has taken no action, raising concerns about her commitment to election integrity and holding law enforcement officers accountable as she potentially prepares to run for governor. Has she earned your vote?
Contact the Attorney General's Office: 601-359-3680

08/12/2025

Sometimes what is not listed is more important. What towns are missing from the NIBRS crime reporting listing (Hint: not Caledonia, Starkville, or West Point)?

08/11/2025

June 8, 2024 - The Commercial Dispatch published an article about Columbus' missing audits. The article opened with "The city of Columbus’ delayed audit report for Fiscal Year 2021 is on its way, and the FY2022 report is expected by September." Perhaps The Dispatch should have included the year with its forecast of September?

Who do you trust among those involved, The Dispatch, the audit firm, the City of Columbus, MS - Mayor's Office, ...?

The State Auditor's office is putting cities and towns on notice to get their audits completed.

06/02/2025

Where to Vote Tomorrow? To find out where you vote/your polling place, go to MS Secretary of State's page. Click Y'ALL VOTE--then click on MY ELECTION. Enter your address.

Be sure to scroll to the VERY BOTTOM and look for MUNICIPAL PRECINCT & POLLING PLACE. (County precincts come up first and your polling place may be different.) https://myelectionday.sos.state.ms.us/VoterOutreach/Pages/VOSearch.aspx

Know Before You Go!

SafeVoteMS

04/01/2025

The Regime Remainders hired their "hand pick" City Registrar to continue the incompetence and corruption. If you hate incompetence and corruption vote for better candidates. If you can.

10/15/2024

We've had many requests for the paper that has recently been the subject of some controversy but we are out of printed copies from the edition way back in July. The article that inspired the controversy linked below [and the full edition is also available].

Ward 5 Councilman Jones was so outraged by this article that he laid baseless claims of racism at Columbus Matters and A Better Columbus.

He may have over-reacted. Those with reading comprehension skills will see the article mostly pertains to the Office of the Mississippi Secretary of State:

The Mississippi Regulation of Charitable Solicitations Act, enacted in 1991, authorizes the Secretary of State (SOS) to regulate charities soliciting funds in Mississippi. The SOS aims to protect citizens from unscrupulous nonprofits through a process that includes selecting charities for examinatio

09/18/2024

Breaking: Mayor Keith Gaskin announced he will not run for re-election.