Remember Memorial Day Like Your Life Depends On It – Because, It Does.                             In America every man is free                          To take care of his home and his family     [...]

See #5 Today’s lesson, boys and girls, is about meeting etiquette.  As the months have progressed, The Real Story has witnessed Robert’s Rules of Order being bludgeoned, on more than one occasion.  So, here are some simple instructions from the website http://www.robertsrules.org/: Guidelines Obtain the floor (the right to speak) by being the first to [...]

Liberal vs. Conservative Brains A recent article in the Washington Post discusses the differences in the way conservatives and liberals think.  They don’t simply view the issues differently, but have a completely different psychological makeup, the author argues.  Liberals tend to have an open view of the world in which they are willing to consider [...]

The buzz that permeates Lowndes County, has reached a fever pitch, lately.  As The Real Story approaches its 10th issue, there is never a shortage of stories to address.  Since our inception as a website, on October 19, 2011, we have covered an incredible number of issues and events. However, our greatest accomplishment has been [...]

This week will be a big week for local government.  The County will be meeting this morning, while the Caledonia Board of Aldermen and the Columbus City Council will be holding their respective meetings, tomorrow night.  The Real Story has tried, over the past few months, to post the agendas for local government meetings, to [...]

The recent apparent collapse of the City over providing paving to a private business on Gardner Blvd and the antics of the Columbus Convention & Visitors Bureau (CCVB) are, unfortunately, classic examples of our hard-earned tax dollars at work. If these organizations were to hold their meetings jointly, the result would be a huge savings [...]

For Those Few People Who Still Don’t Get It   On March 7th, The Real Story broke the news of how Von’s Exotic Hair Salon received free paving work, performed by city workers and at taxpayers’ expense. Despite the fact that this story created quite a stir throughout the community, some people just don’t get [...]

The following is a message from Columbus Police Chief Selvain McQueen that was released Sunday (March 4, 2012) morning: Raising the bar A vital measure of the health of a law enforcement agency is its capacity to learn lessons from previous events, good or bad, and feed these into continuous improvements in service delivery. There [...]

Just some random musings for the morning: Why is it that only movies I have never heard of win at the Oscars? Who is the “real” Republican Candidate for 2012? Is gas really going to be $5.00 a gallon? Why is gas so expensive in Lowndes County? Why do we only talk about the school [...]

Sometime on Friday, February 17, 2012, the “little old website that could” received its 100,000th view, all-time!  It’s hard to believe that, in such a short time we have had so much web activity, but it is true.  Add that to the fact that we have printed two editions of our paper and anyone can [...]

Saturday’s Town Hall meeting in Caledonia pitted the age-old question of cold beer sales and the ability to keep the community family friendly.  However, Saturday’s meeting came with twists, turns and at least one back-door switcheroo, where one Alderman had a change of heart between the private board room and the open forum.  The meeting [...]

A lot is happening with THE REAL STORY, both online and print.  Our first print edition was a big success in terms of advertising, readers’ comments, and retail interest and sales.  We want to give special thanks to all of you who have supported this new enterprise. The second edition will come out this Wednesday, [...]

Crime. It’s what everyone is talking about in our community. It’s in the papers, on television and everywhere you look in the media. It is the topic that most of the community is worried about. But, Lowndes County is different than most communities. Instead of pointing fingers and complaining while doing nothing, our community has [...]

Wow…What a last two weeks! It has been insane. The Madhouse known as Real Story Publishing (RSP) is in the home stretch, and we will be in print Wednesday. We are still finalizing which stores we will be available in and will publish a list as soon as we can. Remember, ask your local convenience store [...]

The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. “I Have a Dream” Speech during the Freedom March delivered 28 August 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C. I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation. Five score years ago, a great American, in [...]

On January 25, 2012, there will be a new newspaper in town. The Real Story is going into print and coming to a store near you. As time progresses, we will make subscriptions available, and our paper can be delivered to your mailbox. The first order of business will be starting our marketing campaign this [...]

As we enter a new year, it is always a good time to consider the craziness of what has happened the year or years before. It is spiritual time of self-reflection and a time of great renewal. It is a time where sentiment and wide-eyed optimism meet. It is the splendor of the excitement of [...]

The presents are unwrapped, and the food is all eaten (well, most of it)… but Christmas is still on everyone’s mind. Many people are off work or school today, and others are just staggering back to the grind knowing that the New Year is just around the corner. 2012 is barreling upon us like a [...]

Welcome to another crazy installment of Monday Morning Water Cooler Talk. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any crazier with the Columbus City Council, the “nuts-o-meter” is now officially off the charts. After a Police Chief’s hiring process that could only be described as the “inmates running the asylum,” the Council has flipped its [...]

After a crazy week, it is always good to reflect. The City and County is teeming with activity, and there seems to be no slowing up for the holidays. The drama of the Chief of Police selection process should come to a merciful conclusion on Monday afternoon at 5pm. We will finally be able to [...]

New look with the same attitude! The Real Story website received a radical make-over to better serve our readers. The new design makes the site more pleasing to the eye and easier to maneuver. Please tell us what you think of it, and what you think would improve it further. The object is a pleasurable experience [...]

As 2011 comes to a conclusion, it appears that the world, and not just America, is showing a need to grow and to expect better from our governments. Egypt and indeed, the entire Middle East have been shaken to the core. Will the new leaders be better than those they replaced? It is hard to [...]

Happy Thanksgiving week to everyone. As we approach the holiday season, it is important to take the time to truly be thankful. In a world where we all look at the negative elements in life and get caught up in what is fair or unfair, it is equally important for everyone to take the time [...]

After closing out a very calm county election last week, we can all get ready for the City of Columbus to drive the news industry this week. Tuesday’s Council Meeting should be a strange mix of, “Have we seen this movie before?” and a collective dive into the abyss. After trying to pawn their responsibility [...]

Tomorrow is November 8, 2011. Election day! The Real Story encourages you to vote. Why is it important that we vote? Somewhere, some place tomorrow, someone is going to load up vans full of people, carry them to an election site, tell them who to vote for and then carry (drive) them back home. The [...]

Why The Real Story will never publish Random Mug Shots or, from a Temple of the Dog lyric, “I Don’t Mind Stealing Bread from the Mouths of Decadence” It is common practice among our local media to parade the less fortunate in front of the public eye, in handcuffs, shamed and humiliated. It must be a sure-fire [...]

Where the press is free and every man able to read, all is safe. ~~ Thomas Jefferson I cannot help but marvel at the irony of choices made last week. Two weeks ago a group of people in Cafe Aromas discussed the need for another media outlet and BOOM here we are. And, what is the first [...]