The Decline of American Institutions and the Rise of Individualism An article in the Atlantic (4.12.12) describes the decline of American institutions – church, government, school – and discusses the increasing alienation of those who have not adapted to a world without them.  This alienation is the reason why many have turned away from the Democratic Party, [...]

Oh, What a Week it Was! Lowndes County politics is often feast or famine, and this week was a prime example of the area at its crazy, busy best.  Starting with a school board meeting that went from boring to interesting in the span of sixty seconds to a city council meeting that ensured that [...]

Cooler heads prevailed at the special-called meeting of the Mayor and City Council, on May 10, 2012.  The topic was redistricting, but, unlike last month’s meeting, no fireworks or name-calling ensued.  The meeting lasted about an hour, with the focus staying on the matter at hand. Chris Watson led the meeting and professionally steered the [...]

Please join Porkchop and The Real Story team, tonight, as we celebrate the lives of those who have battled cancer. We, along with many other dedicated volunteers in the war against Cancer, will be at this year’s Relay for Life event, which begins at 6pm, at Columbus High School’s soccer field/track, on Hemlock Street. Porkchop [...]

Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain Often, what is seen is not reality.  And, Tuesday’s City Council Meeting may have been one of the better examples of this principle.  While it would be easy to say that the meeting was calm – with just a few hiccups – that would be a [...]

In our special SUN tabloid segment of at the “At the Week’s End,” we will address the importance of not being distracted by what tantalizes our eyes and the necessity of staying focused on the prize of searching for real information.  The most critical thing the citizenry can do is stay informed about their community, [...]

The Resurrection of Jesus X 4 There is no greater story than the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  It is the story that means the most to all Christians.  It is the story of a wonderful redeemer, who loved mankind enough to die for us. The authors hope that while you read this book you reflect [...]

Beginning with the next print edition of The Real Story, we are devoting at least one page to the North Mississippi “RANT.” It is your opportunity to share your views and opinions with the community:  What you love, what you hate, and what needs to be fixed. It will be a “no-holds-barred, rock & roll [...]

Education.  It has been a topic of great debate for the past several weeks, or ever since the community found out that the City of Columbus was going to cut 69 jobs from its work force.  The unfortunate problem is that no one ever says anything about education until there is trouble and, in the [...]

Interim Superintendent Dr. Martha Liddell gave a no-holds-barred speech at Thursday’s Exchange Club meeting at the Columbus Country Club.   Holding nothing back, she addressed what could be a pending emergency situation regarding the Columbus Municipal School District (CMSD).  Instead of the usual flowery speeches given by most department heads and politicians, she dove into the [...]

A passionate CMSD Interim Superintendent  Dr. Liddell spoke, alongside School Board President Glenn Lautzenhiser, at today’s Exchange Club meeting, at the Columbus Country Club. The content of this meeting will be the focus of tomorrow’s At the Week’s End.  In the meantime, it would be beneficial for everyone to review the The Budget Update for [...]

As we continue the trend of discussing crime in our community, it is imperative that citizens are educated. It is easy for a police department or a city to handle the problem of crime with a panicked response. Sending every available officer out onto the street with no plan or direction is pure folly. It [...]

Who would have thought it? The little paper that could, did it… Today’s article is going to be short, but the phones are ringing off the hook — and I couldn’t be happier. My staff and I are taking care of a ton of business. Next week, I will be able to again resume writing the [...]

As the week comes to an end, it is crime that dominates the landscape in Lowndes County. From the murder on Sunday, to the rash of crimes throughout the week, the street and blog conversation has been focused on this one issue. At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Mayor Smith read a letter that he submitted [...]

That’s right campers! If you have concerns about your local CCVB, you know, one of the groups that spend your tax dollars… The only member of the CCVB who was willing to write about the concerns of our community has one thing to tell you: GET A LIFE! The head of the marketing /consulting firm [...]

Tuesday’s morning Lowndes County events may have only been a whimper at the Supervisors meeting, but Tuesday afternoon was a new beginning at the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO).  Sheriff Mike Arledge ushered in a new day at the department with a staff inspection, a swearing-in ceremony and new promotions. Sheriff Arledge took over the [...]

Social media is the new wave, and never has that been more apparent as this week with the creation of a new brand of local Neighborhood Watch called Columbus, MS Facebook Watch. The brainchild of Lynn Sanders Nordquist, it was born out of the need to share information about the criminal events that are occurring [...]

All you need to know about Christmas in America you can learn watching A Charlie Brown Christmas. The 1965 classic is a timeless treasure and Charles Schulz’ almost prophetic story still holds true today. And, you have to wonder if even Schulz himself would have envisioned that America would have corporate fascists that would not [...]

Many political observers have commented that the American electorate is more uninformed than ever; that rational assessments are trumped over and over again by preconceived, subjective notions.  Totally unfounded conspiracy theories abound.  People vote on appeal and image, and respond to emotional issues that have less to do with their future economic and social well-being than [...]

The Week of December 5 proved to be a very busy week indeed. Supervisors Meeting, City Council meetings, the Columbus Lowndes Development LINK Annual Luncheon, Town and Tower Club meeting and the Columbus Chief’s interview process. Lowndes County and the City of Columbus is booming in activity — some good and some bad. The 2011 [...]

When is a road, not a road? When the road is given away, and one of the parties involved thinks it has been done in good faith, but finds out that the other side had no idea what was happening. The November 30th meeting of the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors had such an awkward [...]

It has been a crazy Thanksgiving week.  Columbus / Lowndes County has shown both its bad and good.  From the debacle known as the CCVB Board Meeting to the Concerned Citizen – Columbus Police and Fire Department 17th Annual Food Drive and Delivery, the contrast between what is right with our community and what needs [...]

Tuesday’s City Council Meeting rammed home how the citizens of Columbus have more than a few problems to deal with regarding their city government. Even the simplest of tasks seem difficult or at least more frustrating for both city employees and citizens. What should be easy is now complicated, because of the lack of direction [...]

NEWSFLASH!!!! – The Real Story has been called to the principal’s office!!! That’s right. At the end of Monday’s Water Cooler Talk, I signed it the “Bad Guy”, and I guess I must be! Or at least Coach Smith thinks so, because on Wednesday morning a city official emailed me to report to the principal’s [...]

Wow!  What a week it has been.  The website is running strong and the support we have received is unreal.  I never believed when we started this site ten days ago that we would have had this kind of impact or this many viewers.  I was just hoping that someone or anyone would even give [...]

BE ON THE LOOK OUT! Tomorrow will be my first installment of “At the Week’s End.” I will summarize a very busy week for us at the blog and get The Real Story ready for the weekend. So, stay tuned! JBS