Good morning, Columbus.

A back-to-school resource fair is coming to Crawford this week for families to pick up school supplies and learn about local support services.

The event will be held at a community center to help parents and students prepare for the new school year.

Today, local residents lined Columbus streets to honor a Georgia soldier killed in line of duty and show respect for his service, reflecting strong community support.

Paws Humane Society is at maximum capacity with roughly 400 animals and is urging locals to adopt or foster to help reduce overcrowding (executive director Courtney Pierce noted that new intakes are outpacing adoptions).

The shelter has scheduled adoption events to find loving homes and ease the burden on its facilities.

A new project plan suggests Kroger could return to Columbus (pending community input) as local leaders review proposals to revitalize key retail space.

Final decisions are expected in the coming months.

Columbus State University named Dr. Judith Livingston as the Faculty Senate’s executive officer on August 7, and Katherine Cannon continued as chair of the Staff Council for a second year.

Both will guide groups that represent hundreds of faculty and staff throughout the academic year.

Manchester Middle School dismissed students early today due to issues with its AC system + officials plan to resolve the problem to ensure safe conditions.

Local parents are fighting proposed bus route cuts that would affect transportation for kids with special needs.

They are meeting with officials in Columbus to urge reconsideration of these changes.

Georgia's latest Milestones assessments show continued improvement in math, science and social studies for the school year 2025—2026 with record highs for several math tests while English Language Arts scores remain pending further development—state officials credit focused teacher support for driving the gains.