Columbus Times

Phenix City Keeps Its 1 Opportunity Zone, Auburn Gets 4 and Muscogee County Falls From 16 to 5 Under a Federal Map That Starts Jan. 1, 2027

Phenix City Keeps 1 Opportunity Zone; Muscogee Falls to 5

PHENIX CITY, Ala. - Phenix City will keep its one federal Opportunity Zone for another decade, and Auburn will have four, under a new national map that takes effect Jan. 1, 2027. Gov. Kay Ivey announced Nov. 6 that the U...

By Mark Gertjegerdes · Nov. 13, 2026

Community Travis Chambers Buys Lunch for Every Columbus Fire Station Nov. 13, 2026

Local Columbus Traffic Tickets: 4 Ways to Pay and When You Must Appear Nov. 13, 2026

Community Feeding the Valley Reports a Food Shortage; Drive Runs to Nov. 18 Nov. 13, 2026

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Sat, Nov 21 · 11:00 AM Thanksgiving Food Drive Liberty Hill Missionary Baptist Church Fundraiser · Free

Mon, Nov 23 · 6:30 AM Fall Break Camp Tillis Recreation Center Youth · Free

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Latest News

Columbus State Opens $3.2 Million Golf Clubhouse: 6,447 Square Feet, a Putting Lab and Simulator Bay, All Donor-Funded With 77% Raised

Sports

Columbus State Opens $3.2 Million Donor-Funded Golf Clubhouse

COLUMBUS, Ga. - Columbus State University has opened a $3.2 million clubhouse for its men's and women's golf teams, a 6,...

Nov. 13, 2026

Local

Columbus' First Renewable Natural Gas Plant Starts Commercial Operation at Pine…

COLUMBUS, Ga. - A plant that turns gas from rotting garbage at the Pine Grove landfill into fuel for the local natural g...

Nov. 13, 2026

Local

How Columbus Was Founded in 1828

COLUMBUS, Ga. - Columbus was established by the Georgia legislature in 1828 as a planned town along the Chattahoochee Ri...

Nov. 13, 2026

Local

Columbus Council Names 3 Department Directors

COLUMBUS, Ga. - Columbus Council approved three permanent department directors at its Oct. 13, 2026, regular meeting: Ki...

Nov. 13, 2026

Education

Columbus State Names Archives for Historian Kenneth H. Thomas Jr. Ahead of 2028…

COLUMBUS, Ga. - Columbus State University has renamed its Archives & Special Collections in honor of Columbus native and...

Nov. 13, 2026

Local

Tuskegee Airmen Site by the Numbers

COLUMBUS, Ga. - About 50 miles west of Columbus, off Interstate 85 in Tuskegee, Ala., a small airfield preserves the pla...

Nov. 13, 2026

Local

Andersonville by the Numbers

COLUMBUS, Ga. - About 60 miles southeast of Columbus by road, double rows of white posts outline a 26.5-acre field in Ma...

Nov. 13, 2026

Politics

Columbus Asks Georgia Lawmakers for 9 Things in 2027

COLUMBUS, Ga. - Columbus leaders have handed the city's state lawmakers a list of nine things they want from the Georgia...

Nov. 13, 2026

Smiths Station Has 60 Days to Name a Mayor After Richard Cooley's Oct. 24 Death: 5 Council Members Choose, Then the Governor, Then a Vote

Local

Smiths Station's 60-Day Clock to Name a Mayor After Cooley Death

SMITHS STATION, Ala. - The five members of the Smiths Station City Council are working against a 60-day clock to choose...

Nov. 13, 2026

How to Ride METRA in Columbus: $1.30 Fare, 10 Routes on 15 Buses, a $53 Monthly Pass, $2.50 Dial-A-Ride Trips and a Free Uptown Shuttle

Local

How to Ride METRA: $1.30 Fares, 10 Routes, Free Uptown Shuttle

COLUMBUS, Ga. - A single ride on a METRA bus in Columbus costs $1.30, the system runs 10 routes with 15 buses from 4:30...

Nov. 13, 2026

Muscogee County's Nov. 3 Vote by the Numbers: 62,633 Ballots, 48% Turnout, 6 Flipped Precincts and a Nov. 20 Certification Deadline

Politics

Muscogee Vote by the Numbers: 48% Turnout, 6 Flipped Precincts

COLUMBUS, Ga. - Muscogee County voters cast 62,633 ballots in the Nov. 3 general election, a turnout of 48% of the count...

Nov. 13, 2026

GDOT Takes Comments Until Nov. 20 on a $36 Million Plan to Replace the County Line Road Bridge and Add Roundabouts at Manchester Expressway

Local

County Line Road Interchange Plan: Comments Due Nov. 20

COLUMBUS, Ga. - Drivers who use the County Line Road interchange on Manchester Expressway have until Friday, Nov. 20, to...

Nov. 13, 2026

Columbus Bulk Trash and Landfill Guide: 4-Foot Limbs, a $50 Tree for Fee, $85-a-Ton Pine Grove Rates and the Dec. 5 Saturday Opening

Local

Columbus Bulk Trash, Limbs and Landfill Fees: What to Know

COLUMBUS, Ga. - Columbus residents pay $24 a month for garbage service, and the black cart is only part of what the city...

Nov. 13, 2026

Harris County's 3,840-Acre Industrial Plan Gets a Final Hearing Nov. 17: 3 Sites, a $3.6 Million-Per-Billion Pitch and Data Center Fears

Local

Harris County's 3,840-Acre Industrial Plan Hearing Is Nov. 17

HAMILTON, Ga. - Harris County commissioners will hold the second and final public hearing Tuesday, Nov. 17, on a plan to...

Nov. 13, 2026

Callaway Middle Principal Clifton Nicholson Wins the Jerry Davis Georgia Distinguished Principal Award in a Surprise Ceremony in LaGrange

Education

Callaway Middle Principal Named a Georgia Distinguished Principal

LAGRANGE, Ga. - Callaway Middle School Principal Clifton Nicholson walked into his school's media center Wednesday and f...

Nov. 12, 2026

Jobs

Aflac Hires 20 Columbus State Sophomores for a 3-Year Claims Co-op

COLUMBUS, Ga. - Aflac and Columbus State University have started a co-op that puts 20 sophomores to work in the insurer'...

Nov. 11, 2026

Community

Former NFL Player From Harris County Is Renting Homes to Homeless Veterans

COLUMBUS, Ga. - A former NFL player who starred at Harris County High School is taking on the risk of renting homes to h...

Nov. 11, 2026

Finance

After North Georgia's Record Flood

COLUMBUS, Ga. - A flash flood that sent the Toccoa River to a record 18 feet in North Georgia on Nov. 4-5 is a reminder...

Nov. 11, 2026

Education

Columbus State Sent More Than 100 Students Into Dimon Magnet Academy

COLUMBUS, Ga. - More than 100 Columbus State University students worked inside Dimon Magnet Academy during the first yea...

Nov. 11, 2026

Local

Georgia Troopers Can Now Scan Digital Driver's Licenses at Traffic Stops

COLUMBUS, Ga. - Georgia drivers can now show a digital driver's license on a smartphone when a state trooper pulls them...

Nov. 11, 2026

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Politics

Columbus Asks Georgia Lawmakers for 9 Things in 2027

COLUMBUS, Ga. - Columbus leaders have handed the city's state lawmakers a list of nine things they w...

Nov. 13, 2026

Muscogee Vote by the Numbers: 48% Turnout, 6 Flipped Precincts

COLUMBUS, Ga. - Muscogee County voters cast 62,633 ballots in the Nov. 3 general election, a turnout...

Nov. 13, 2026

Democrats Win a 3-2 Majority on the Georgia Public Service Commission

COLUMBUS, Ga. - Democrats won both Georgia Public Service Commission seats on the Nov. 3 ballot, giv...

Nov. 10, 2026

Community Spotlight

Travis Chambers Buys Lunch for Every Columbus Fire Station

COLUMBUS, Ga. - Columbus City Councilman Travis Chambers bought lunch for the city's firefighters Friday, with meals del...

Read Full Story

Latino News

Hispanic Heritage Month in Columbus

Hispanic Heritage Month runs Sept. 15 through Oct. 15, and there's still time to celebrate the Latin...

Oct. 5, 2026

Tri-City Latino Parade Bridges Georgia and Alabama for 5th Year

Columbus and Phenix City residents came together Saturday morning for the 5th annual Tri-City Latino...

Sept. 30, 2026

More Latino News

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Phenix City Keeps 1 Opportunity Zone; Muscogee Falls to 5

Upcoming Events

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Latest News

Columbus State Opens $3.2 Million Donor-Funded Golf Clubhouse