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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 turns attention into spending. We dig into why “free” events fuel hotels, restaurants, and gas pumps, and how a stacked slate of fishing tournaments can make the river more than scenery—it becomes a steady economic engine.

Then we zoom out to long-term bets. The amphitheater only works if it’s truly finished: seating, restrooms, concessions, and a professional promoter who can route artists through a 3,500-seat venue that draws from Memphis, Birmingham, Jackson, and Tupelo. We talk realistic timelines, booking strategy, and the kind of opening night that builds a habit of showing up. Culture gets equal billing as Spring Pilgrimage unifies under one umbrella for the second year with 18 homes and simple online ticketing, while new historic markers strengthen the African American Cultural Trail and preserve stories at risk of fading.

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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 paper that sounds like due diligence. In context—coming after public complaints about coverage—it feels like a pressure valve on the free press. When the government can target one business, they can target any business.

Then we pivot to the refreshing tone change from Columbus Municipal School District, specifically a fresh leadership style from new Superintendent Craig Chapman

Then, retired publisher and Columbus tree board member Birney Imes brings stories of replanting storm-hit parks, building a native-species arboretum along the Riverwalk and designating a majestic centuries-old bald cypress as the city’s “Mother Tree.” Beyond beauty, trees are infrastructure: cooler streets, soaked-up stormwater, cleaner air, calmer nerves. Partnerships, small grants, and community hands can turn a walk into a living field guide and a playground back into a refuge.

If you care about press freedom, school stability, and the everyday design of a livable city, this one brings receipts and roots.

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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 petition and renewed pressure to improve public safety. We lay out the facts the way residents need them: what a traffic signal would change, why engineers might prefer cutting the crossover with managed U‑turns, and which interim measures could save lives now while a long-term design moves forward.

From there, we pivot to the Stokes Beard gym and a shocker: a $2.8M estimate swelling to $6.4M after a storm-shelter requirement came to light.

Then we welcome George Irby, a Columbus legend whose life spans NFL locker rooms, Tuskegee in the Civil Rights era, and a relentless commitment to service through the Happy Irby Fund.

If you care about safer roads, smarter schools, and a community that remembers its people, you’ll feel this one.