Between the Headlines: Columbus
Between the Headlines dives deep into the stories shaping Columbus and Lowndes County, Mississippi. Hosted by The Commercial Dispatch managing editor Zack Plair and local businessman and commentator David Chism, this show goes beyond the front page to bring you the real conversations behind local politics, policies and people. Zack’s journalistic expertise and David’s insight deliver in-depth analysis, spirited debate, and behind-the-scenes context you won’t get anywhere else. It's honest discussion on what matters.
Episodes
69 episodes
Starkville Gives Notice to the LINK PLUS We Talk Downtown Development
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...
You Don’t Take the Ball Away from Michael Jordan
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 wo...
Contracts, Crime and Critters
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 air...
No More Naked Interviews PLUS We Talk With BankFirst's CEO
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...
Chief Daughtry on Youth Violence and the Woody's Waiting Game
A $100,000 offer, a building that’s been closed for 17 years, and a buyer who suddenly goes quiet. We start with the latest snag in the Woody’s on the Water saga and ask the uncomfortable questions. We also talk about the tradeoff nobody wants ...
Reps. Rob Roberson & Andy Boyd Discuss Future of MSMS, MUW
We bring two sitting Mississippi legislators into the studio for a candid discussion about what’s really happening with the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science: why a top-tier STEM residential school can post big academic wins while ...
LINK CEO Shakeup Rattles Confidence in Starkville PLUS Stafford Shurden
A CEO comes in from out of state, lasts about two months, and suddenly he’s gone. We dig into the leadership shakeup at the Golden Triangle Development LINK, why “mutual parting of ways” can land like a dodge, and what people mean when they say...
Jail Bills, Concert Dreams and a Renaissance Fair
A single unpaid bill can turn into a full-blown test of how local government works, and that’s exactly what’s happening between the City of Columbus and Lowndes County. We walk through the jail fee standoff step by step: the original per-inmate...
Potholes, Plot Holes and Zombie Books
A brand new road gets paved, then a jackhammer shows up and the patch looks worse than what was there before. That frustration kicks off a wide-ranging conversation about Columbus considering a new ordinance that could require permits for utili...
Aldi Buzz In Columbus PLUS Crime Lab Hire and Market Street Festival
A new grocery store can change the daily rhythm of a town, and the Aldi chatter around Columbus Place is getting too loud to ignore. We talk through what we’re hearing, why official confirmation is so hard to pin down, and the real issue undern...
A Name Emerges for MUW President PLUS We Interview the New Fire Chief
A leadership decision can look “done” before it officially begins, and that’s where we start. We break down the Mississippi University for Women president search, including what we heard from the public listening sessions and why the insider ve...
Here's What We're Getting in the $54M State Funding Package
Zack and David break down recent headlines, including Senate Bill 2114, which places additional demands on local sheriff’s offices when it comes to ICE cooperation. We walk through what the bill actually changes, what many counties say they’ve ...
Burns Bottom Trees Are Coming Down & How Are GTRA TSA Agents Doing?
Progress has a sound, and sometimes it’s a chainsaw. We start in Burns Bottom, where a few dozen older trees are slated to come down as a new housing development prepares for infrastructure and dirt work. We talk through what’s actually happeni...
The New LINK CEO Talks Moneyball Economic Development
We talk to Iain Vasey, the newly hired CEO of the Golden Triangle Development LINK, to talk plainly about how the Golden Triangle can win industrial recruitment with limited resources and a lot at stake. We get into Iain’s “Moneyba...
Retiring Fire Chief Weighs in on New Chief, Department
A fire department is more than sirens and turnout gear. It’s a workplace culture, a retention problem, a medical response machine, and a public promise that has to hold up at 2 a.m. We sit down with Columbus, Mississippi Fire Chief Duane Hughes...
Is Lux Creek Park Set For a Revival?
The primary election results are in, and the numbers out of Lowndes County don’t just tell you who won. They hint at who stayed home, who crossed over, and which political “sure things” might be getting shaky.We walk through the Mississ...
We Talk to the Man Bringing 'Salt, Smoke and Soul' to Former Woody's on the Water
Wood smoke, river breeze, and a promise to slow dinner down. We sit with developer DJ Mantooth to unpack how the former Woody’s on the Water is being reborn as a destination steak and seafood restaurant designed around over-flame grilling, Gulf...
Bassmaster Elite Comes To Columbus
A national spotlight is about to hit the Tenn-Tom Waterway, and we’re ready. Tourism director Frances Glenn joins us to share how Bassmaster Elite is setting up at the Columbus Marina with 101 pros, live cameras, and a weekend atmosphere that t...
The City's Petty Policy PLUS Birney Imes Asks: What is Columbus' Mother Tree?
Power doesn’t just show up in big scandals; it hides in procurement rules, town halls, and the shade over a park bench. We start with Columbus’ new requirement that newspapers secure audits or expert affidavits to qualify for city legal ads. On...
Dangerous Hwy 45 Intersection May Finally Get Addressed PLUS George Irby
A dangerous intersection, a doubled construction bill, and a voice that carries decades of experience - George Irby. We start with Highway 45 and Mike Parra Road, where 29 crashes since 2020 and the death of a young man have galvanized a petiti...
Covered, Smothered and Only $130,000
Councilman Rusty Greene brings a bold idea to the table: three elevated, 750-square-foot cottages tucked behind a Waffle House, built for folks who want ownership without the bloat. We talk through the real economics of building small along wit...
Matt Laubhan Discusses the Ice Storm PLUS MSMS Bills in Jackson
The guys discuss Columbus' hopes of building out a regional crime center, even though Starkville has already made strides in that direction. They also tackle two bills in Jackson that could pave the way to MSMS opening its doors to high school ...
Why Mississippi Should Split MLK Day from Robert E. Lee Day
The bills are flying in Jackson, and the stakes feel close to home. We kick off with a clear-eyed look at the “Freedom of Education” proposal: what it really does, what it costs, and why bipartisan opposition formed around accountability gaps a...
The LINK's Meryl Fisackerly PLUS MUW post-Nora Miller & Police Chief Looks to Leave
We sit down with Golden Triangle Development Link COO Meryl Fisackerly to unpack how the CINCO Megasite moves from dirt to deal, why “whale” projects require patience, and what it takes to keep a regional brand like the LINK sharp during a CEO ...
A Pro‑Business Brain Trust For Growth PLUS CMSD's Superintendent Craig Chapman
In our last episode of the year, we kick off with Councilman Jason Spears discussing a bold plan to turn Columbus' raw economic activity into real economic development: an action‑first advisory group made up of people who build, hire, lease, he...