CCG intends to issue $50 million of taxpayer-backed bonds to renovate Golden Park for MiLB Minor League Baseball without any referendum. To top that off, the project’s laughable details have been kept hidden from the public in private meetings — so we’re leaking them for you. Explore the full story to see CCG’s term sheet for using $50 million of your dollars to subsidize Minor League Baseball without bothering to ask you first.

The city council meeting held on Feb. 28 was filled with divisive falsehoods blaming ‘racism’ for police chief Freddie Blackmon’s leadership failures — though one man’s integrity and courage allowed him to speak up and tell the truth. Explore the full story to see how Mr. Byron Hickey’s 30 years of police experience just showed our city what real leadership looks like.

Given the extreme fallout that has occurred in recent months, the initial appointment of police chief Freddie Blackmon was rather obviously quite flawed. When examined, a long pattern of behavior from our city’s elected officials reveals how that came to be. Explore the full story to see how the Columbus City Council can avoid a repeat ‘Blackmon Scenario.’

It has now been over a week since a massive explosion blew a fireball thousands of feet into the night sky above the Radius Recycling Plant in downtown Columbus, Georgia. However, there have still been a grand total of zero investigative reports into the origin of the blast from media outlets, zero follow-ups on the event whatsoever, and zero statements from local government. Explore the full story to see how loud that silence actually is.

After City Manager Isaiah Hugley’s questionable actions regarding the city’s former police chief in April, a local news reporter did their job and contacted his office looking for answers. However, in response to that reporter asking questions and looking in places Hugley didn’t like, a leaked email shows Hugley contacted that reporter’s employer in an effort to silence the press. Explore the full story to see Hugley’s email in which he bad-mouthed a reporter and weaponized their employment in hopes of shutting them up.

On September 17, after a month of debate by officials over the city’s waste management programs, a massive explosion at the Radius Recycling Plant in Columbus, Georgia shot a fireball and mushroom cloud thousands of feet into the air. However, closer inspection reveals that a separate fire also happened at the Waste Management building on Veterans Pkwy just days prior on September 7. Explore the full story to see the questionable details as local media outlets and city officials continue to remain silent on the suspicious issue.

As our city remains at a critical political juncture that may well determine the future direction of Columbus, residents can sometimes forget how important it is to voice their concerns to their elected officials. However, the absence of your voice is often more detrimental than anything else. Explore the full story to see how easy it really is to voice your concerns during the public agenda of a city council meeting.

This story from December 2022 is about to become very relevant again, as CCG clearly has not learned how to behave. Despite federal law prohibiting governments from curating speech online, the Columbus Government deleted our comments that challenged their narrative and then banned us from commenting in the future. Explore the full story to see how CCG already has a demonstrated track record of illegally censoring speech in violation of federal law, along with the photographic evidence they can’t avoid.

It has now been several days since a massive explosion blew a fireball thousands of feet into the night sky above the Radius Recycling Plant in downtown Columbus, Georgia. However, there have been a grand total of zero investigative reports into the origin of the blast from local media outlets, zero follow-ups on the event whatsoever, and zero statements from local government. Explore the full story to see how loud that silence actually is.

For its third consecutive year, the Columbus Police Department will lead National Faith & Blue Weekend to help build bridges with our community through local faith-based organizations. To kick off the weekend, CPD is inviting the public to a five-mile bike ride around the downtown area for fellowship and fun. Explore the full story for the details along with how your organization can get involved.

An explosion felt throughout the Chattahoochee Valley shot a bright orange fireball and mushroom-shaped cloud thousands of feet into the air Sunday night over the privately-owned Radius Recycling Plant on 10th Avenue in Columbus, Georgia. However, the explosion happened amid a month-long debate by city officials over the need for city-owned recycling centers and other waste management issues. Explore the full story for the questionable details.

A few weeks ago, we revealed that the local United Way is forcing Columbus nonprofits to ask local kids about their sexuality or lose their funding. Now, leaked documents including funding contracts obtained by the Muckraker undeniably prove it. Explore the full story to see the documents for yourself, along with how the United Way knowingly lied to City Councilors’ faces in an effort to cover it up.

The opening moments of the September 12 city council meeting were solemn as city officials reflected upon the anniversary of September 11, 2001. In recognition of the 1% of our population that bravely protects the other 99%, CCG has dedicated the week preceding that somber date as Public Safety Week. Explore the full story to see the entire proclamation, along with what transpired.

The percentage of Columbusites who are gainfully employed has consistently fallen for the past 23 years to a rate far below the rest of the nation. Now, data shows fewer Columbusites are willing to go to work as the city faces serious staffing challenges. Explore the full story to see the data yourself.

When Interim Chief Stoney Mathis announced the new annual event for our city’s police force, our city showed huge support. Placing the department’s unity on full display, CPD’s Family Fun Day was a massive success. Explore the full story to see how a little leadership goes a long way in uniting people together for a common purpose.

Each year, the city manager’s office is responsible for issuing business licenses and collecting occupational tax. However, despite it now being the ninth month of the year, Isaiah Hugley still has not delivered this year’s licenses to local businesses. Explore the full story to see how staggeringly low the city’s occupational tax has fallen on Hugley’s watch, along with how officials called him out.

Back in August, city councilors began questioning City Manager Isaiah Hugley as to why the city’s new $225M judicial center doesn’t have a professional project manager. Now, councilors have demanded that Hugley provide them with a full presentation on the status of the project. Explore the full story to see what officials had to say about the most expensive project in the history of our city.

There isn’t a headline we would be more pleased to write than this. After only a few months of effective leadership, the Columbus Police Department saw an uptick in recruitment that exceeded goals for the current academy class. Now, CPD is seeking motivated candidates for the next class. Explore the full story for the details on how your skills and dedication are in high demand to protect our community.

Things are bad, but not *that* bad. In a wildly-misleading article, news outlet WTVM published that ‘40% of all deaths’ in Georgia are homicides. However, homicides accounted for a mere 1% of all deaths in Georgia last year, despite WTVM claiming it was 40x worse. Explore the full story to see the data yourself, along with how your local ‘news leader’ didn’t correct the claim after we exposed it.

Having Ralston Towers up to code isn’t some magical thing — it's the absolute bare minimum required. However, after standing idly by for decades without bothering to fix it until a man died from the atrocious conditions, local officials are now abhorrently applauding one another for solving a problem their offices perpetuated in the first place. Explore the full story to see why having local officials do the bare minimum required isn’t worthy of an ‘attaboy.’

As our city remains at a critical political juncture that may well determine the future direction of Columbus, residents can sometimes forget how important it is to voice their concerns to their elected officials. However, the absence of your voice is often more detrimental than anything else. Explore the full story to see how easy it really is to voice your concerns during the public agenda of a city council meeting.

Have you ever wondered why Columbus, Georgia’s logo and branding are so amazingly pathetic? There’s a story to it, and boy does it not disappoint. Explore the full story for the details of what actually happened, as alleged by those who were there and tried frivolously to stop the inevitable aMaZiNgNeSs from ironically depicting the true brand of the city.

Back in September of last year, a Columbus city employee described how getting unethically close to City Manager Isaiah Hugley opened doors for her career. In light of recent events, the incident is worth revisiting. Explore the full story to see how Hugley’s nepotism towards ‘like minded’ people gave her special opportunities to advance while others with different beliefs were left behind.

Back in July, city council approved a ‘top-down’ audit schedule of the city’s most influential offices, with the city manager at the top of the list. Now, after ‘a series of events’ have ‘surfaced concerns,’ Joanne Cogle moved to hire the nation’s premiere governmental investigative firm to accompany that audit. Explore the full story to see how Cogle initiated city council’s investigative powers, along with the full text of her approved motion.

While CCG loves to brag about how ‘amazing’ it is, the state of its own downtown riverfront, trails, and downtown area remain filthy enough for local nonprofits to pick up thousands of pounds of garbage. The Chattahoochee River Conservancy will be hosting a Riverwalk Cleanup on Friday, September 15 starting at 9:00 a.m. Explore the full story for the details to see how you can now contribute your labor in addition to your tax dollars.

The city told local Army veteran Ronaldo Morrison he would need to use his wheelchair to traverse a major street without sidewalks to access the city’s Dial-A-Ride program. However, his neighbors were receiving door-to-door service. Explore the full story to see how Morrison and fellow veteran Kirk Holcombe used civic engagement to move city policy and improve the lives of many in Columbus.

Fulton County’s indictment of former President Donald J. Trump includes 30 unindicted co-conspirators who allegedly helped ‘subvert’ the 2020 election results. One of those alleged accomplices is the new treasurer of the Youth Orchestra of Greater Columbus. Explore the full story to see how Columbus local Joseph Brannan is ‘Individual 9’ in one of the nation’s most controversial conspiracies.

Since its original publishing in July 2022, the words of this article unfortunately continue to be proven true with each passing day. Though Columbus says it wants to retain talented and educated people, its actions continue to drive them away. Explore the full story to see how this irony may provide the valuable insight needed to get it right.

When councilors take office, they swear an oath to uphold our City Charter, granting them more power and responsibility than any other local elected official. However, it seems councilors may need a gentle reminder of what that oath empowers them with and requires of them. Explore the full story to see the full oath sworn by our city councilors, along with what its wording actually means.

For the last four years, a member of the Golf Authority board simultaneously operated a business that illegally conflicted with her role as a public official. When the rest of the board discovered it, they unanimously requested city council remove her from the board for cause. Explore the full story to see how council flexed their powers against illegal conflicts of interest in a rare public hearing.