At Mayor Henderson’s request, the city approved $740,000 of ‘crime prevention’ grants from taxpayers’ money. However, with 44 local organizations receiving the funds ranging from the Columbus Symphony Orchestra to a fraternity‘s shell company registered at the City Manager’s own house on Steam Mill Road, the credibility of ‘crime prevention’ is laughable. Explore the full story for the details.

Have you been contacted about your car’s extended warranty? Tired of worrying if that email is safe to open? Thankfully, Sergeant Jane Edenfield of the Columbus Police Department is hosting a free seminar on August 30 at Covenant Woods to help you better protect yourself from financial crimes like fraud, scams, and exploitation. Explore the full story for the details and see how you can attend.

In today’s day and age, the importance of having the right tactics, techniques, and procedures can mean the difference between life and death for our city’s police officers. Now, city officials have decided to arm our force with access to a vast database of digital training aides and curriculum to enhance the department’s already above-average skillsets. Explore the full story for the details.

Just like any other day, Sheriff’s Deputy Aliyah Miller went out on a walk during her lunch hour. However, she had no idea that her daily stroll would result in working hand-in-hand with both CPD and Columbus Fire & EMS to save the lives of a distraught mother and a newborn infant on the RiverWalk. Explore the full story for the heroic details of how our city’s public safety came together to save the day.

Are you ready to step up and make a difference in our community? The Columbus Police Department is hosting a dynamic hiring event on August 19 at 510 Tenth Street from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Interested applicants are required to register prior to the event. Explore the full story for the details to see how your talent can help build one of the best police departments in the country.

In recent months, the MidTown community has seen an uptick in wannabe criminals misplacing their ‘artwork’ on private storefronts and public infrastructure. When the city wouldn’t keep up, local Chris Harman decided to grab his pressure washer and take care of his community himself. Explore the full story to see how Harman set the example for others to step up and reclaim their neighborhood.

Though Interim Chief Stoney Mathis has only been leading CPD for a few short months, saying he’s improved the atmosphere and culture within our police force would be an understatement. Now, Mathis has delivered a solid plan to grow that momentum through a clever win-win solution. Explore the full story to see how Mathis’ initiative and realistic outlook are setting our city up for success.

Though not yet required by state law, government buildings should all have Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) in the event of a medical emergency. However, no one in CCG thought to order them for the new City Hall complex until after it was already open for business. Explore the full story to see how the city manager’s office made a $183k emergency purchase for 83 AEDs as an afterthought.

Back in July, officials first tried to allow CPD officers to drive their work vehicles home into Alabama, though a rather callous liability waiver left officers on the hook with an uninsured vehicle.Now, Interim Chief Mathis has worked with city councilors to quickly and efficiently fix the problem for our city’s finest.Explore the full story to see how strong common-sense leadership produced results.

Since January, Joanne Cogle has hounded Isaiah Hugley to maintain basic Uptown infrastructure by repainting parking lines. When Hugley’s excuses persisted, Cogle did Hugley’s job for him, giving him a list of contractors and funding he said couldn’t be found. Explore the full story to see how Cogle’s accountability and initiative got it done in a week, despite the city manager excusing his away.

At Mayor Henderson’s request, the city approved $740,000 of ‘crime prevention’ grants from taxpayers’ money. However, with 44 local organizations receiving the funds ranging from the Columbus Symphony Orchestra to a fraternity‘s shell company registered at the City Manager’s own house on Steam Mill Road, the credibility of ‘crime prevention’ is laughable. Explore the full story for the details.

Unlike every other city employee, City Manager Isaiah Hugley was forcing Fire & EMS personnel to landscape the city’s fire house grounds, out of their own pockets, while on duty. After councilors learned of the unacceptable scenario, the city will be picking up the tab. Explore the full story to see how councilors called out Hugley on his usual antics and approved a $100K budget to fix it immediately.

A few weeks ago, city councilors learned that the city manager’s office had completely dropped the ball on planning the city’s indigent care program, with almost no local healthcare providers even bothering to apply. Now, officials are requiring that a healthcare consultant be retained to help guide Isaiah Hugley through doing his own job. Explore the full story for the details.

Every five years, the Columbus Hospital Authority sells tens of millions of dollars in bonds to fund city medical facilities. However, the Hospital Authority didn’t generate enough revenue to pay back the bonds, leaving CCG to bail itself out. Explore the full story to see how CCG just pledged a future four mill property tax increase to bail out the Hospital Authority if the problem happens again.

After decades of willful neglect, the city’s downtown government center building is set to be demolished and replaced with a new $225M structure. However, the project’s increasingly expensive plans lack a designated professional project manager other than the city’s own Director of Inspections & Codes. Explore the full story for a look at the details along with how the costs continue to grow.

As approved in April, the Columbus Golf Authority has conducted a feasibility study for adding nine additional holes to the Oxbow Creek Golf Course. Now, contingent upon a final report from the vendor, officials approved payment for its $26,000 cost. Explore the full story to see how CCG is doubling-down on its ‘master plan’ for golf course expansion while our city’s employment rate continues to plummet.

The Johnson family has lived in their home on Steam Mill Road for generations, working very hard to build the life they have. However, the city slated their home for demolition to make way for a newly-planned roundabout without even bothering to notify them, let alone to follow up for a personal meeting. Explore the full story to see how city councilors were absolutely livid when they found out, along with the disgusting response from the city manager’s office.

Time and time again since she was sworn in as a city councilor in January, Joanne Cogle has remained steadfast in her fight to maintain our city’s downtown area. Twice this month alone, Cogle presented logical arguments and plans of action to city manager Isaiah Hugley, though twice he has replied with frivolous reasons as to why he can’t get the job done. Explore the full story for the most recent set of excuses for why Hugley’s downtown looks like Detroit.

An audit of Columbus Fire & EMS recently revealed the city’s ambulance service is bogged down by members of the public who abuse the system by effectively using it as a taxicab. Now, the city is discussing a new ‘cry wolf’ policy to help fight back against the illegal 911 abuse, which has previously worked well in other public safety departments. Explore the full story for the details and see what officials had to say, along with how abusing EMS is a crime.

The Columbus Police Department’s proposed policy to allow officers to take their work vehicles home across state lines into Alabama received city council’s unanimous approval on July 25. While insurance practices require the city to have officers sign a liability waiver to take part in the voluntary policy, that doesn’t mean the officers are being hung out to dry. Explore the full story for a detailed look at the full take-home vehicle policy and liability waiver.

It has been years since some major city departments have been audited, according to the internal auditor Donna McGinnis. When officials heard that reality on July 25, councilor Joanne Cogle suggested audits of the city’s most influential departments from the top down, placing the city manager’s office at the very top of the list. Explore the full story to see how officials unanimously approved the new top-down audit plan, along with what councilors had to say.

During the city council meeting held on July 11, officials mandated that the new Liberty Theatre & Cultural Arts Center Advisory Board must have a certified CPA as one of its members. However, while other boards may have accountants as members, the mandate appears to only apply to the Liberty Theatre board. Explore the full story for the details and see what city councilors had to say.

Landscaping. Parking lines. Trash. Cleanliness. These are a few of the items one city councilor couldn’t help but notice to be lacking in the city’s downtown maintenance plan. However, when councilors brought up the problem during the last meeting, city manager Isaiah Hugley effectively said there is nothing he can do about it. Explore the full story for the details and see what city councilors had to say.

As revealed in recent weeks, CCG issued a request for proposal to local area hospitals to apply for the city’s indigent care program. However, the lack of applicants and anemic results revealed to city councilors that the process was quite obviously bureaucratically botched. Explore the full story to see how councilors have delayed their vote of approval to ensure the city gets the process right and meets the project’s intent.

When traveling on official city business, councilors are authorized reimbursement for their travel expenses. However, that funding doesn’t apply to private conferences on Jekyll Island at a councilor’s leisure. Explore the full story to see how a city councilor just tried to have taxpayers fund his personal trip, along with how he didn’t even bother to recuse himself from voting in favor of his funding.

During the city council meeting held on July 11, the mayor & city manager praised a new state-funded program, which is now housed under the city manager’s office. However, the program duplicates many functions already in CCG, allowing the state-funded ‘NGO’ to undermine local governmental efforts to their own preferable ends. Explore the full story to see the serious concerns of city councilors.

On July 11, city councilors received a presentation from the city’s Risk Management Officer on allowing public safety employees to drive their work vehicles home into Alabama. However, councilors were appalled by the narrow and misleading information presented, speculating that the presentation may have been intended to manipulate council’s vote. Explore the full story to see how unelected CCG bureaucrats appeared to be seeking a predetermined outcome by manipulating council’s vote.

Back in September of 2021, after willfully failing to maintain the current Government Center building for decades, CCG wished $50 million in government bonds into existence for a new City Hall. Now, with offices in the former downtown Synovus building finally beginning to be occupied, the Mayor and other top desks are set to open for business at the new City Hall on July 18. Explore the full story for the details along with a complete list of where things are within the new City Hall complex.

After over a year in court fighting the city’s bona fide systemic racial and gender-based discrimination, city council voted unanimously to provide relief for two officers of the Columbus Police Department. Given the city’s own formal policy that explicitly required promotions to be based on race and gender, officials opted to approve the $600k settlement instead of losing the prima facie case in court. Explore the full story for the intricate details along with what one of the officers had to say.

Each year, the city manager is responsible for implementing the city’s budget in a manner that best serves the city. However, a quick snapshot review of the city’s financial performance over the past fiscal year reveals a few rather serious money-hoarding holes. Explore the full story to see the city’s own snapshot review of its financial performance in FY2023, along with a look at the highlights.