Tombigbee Tales

William Paul Odom flew cargo planes prior to World War II across The Hump between China and India. During the war he flew heavies including bombers. After the war he began setting distance flight records before fatefully entering the Thompson Trophy Race in a P51c Mustang.

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the landfall of Hurricane Katrina. The catastrophic impact on the people living in its path and its periphery is still part of our collective memory in the Deep South. Authors Rod Davis and Julie Liddell Whitehead examine the impact on their recent novels. Rod Davis: Life in the Time of Hurricanes, TCU Press, Sept. 2025. Fiction. Very short bio: Rod Davis is the author of The Life of Kim and the Behavior of Men; East of Texas, West of Hell; South, America; Corina’s Way, winner of the fiction prize in the PEN Southwest Book Awards for 2000-2005; and of American Voudou. Rod has worked at The Associated Press, The Texas Observer, D Magazine, the San Antonio Express-News, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and at UT-Austin, SMU, and the Texas A&M System. https://roddavisauthor.com/ Rod's book is published through TCU Press with more details and a short synopsis. It is available for pre-order at Amazon and most other booksellers: Life in the Time of Hurricanes tcupress.tcu.edu Julie Liddell Whitehead lives and writes from Mississippi. An award-winning freelance writer, Julie covered disasters from 9/11 to Hurricane Katrina throughout her career. She writes on mental health, mental health education, and mental health advocacy. She has a bachelor’s degree in communication, with a journalism emphasis, and a master’s degree in English, both from Mississippi State University. In August 2021, she completed her MFA from Mississippi University for Women. https://julieliddellwhitehead.com/ Order her book here: https://madvillepublishing.com/product/hurricane-baby/ Hurricane Baby is also available through Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

What does the FBI, the CIA, Daniel Boone, and the fated Russian Czar Nicholas II have to do with Columbus, MS, and Friendship Cemetery? Let me take you on an old-fashioned Mississippi bird hunt.

Today, we're diving into the fascinating world of Harrison Hale and Abraham Murdock, two entrepreneurs who transformed iron production in the antebellum and Civil War South.

In the sweltering heat of a late July evening in 1881, a dark tale of murder was about to unfold on the Nick Hairston plantation near Crawford, Mississippi. This is a story of domestic tension, betrayal, and a crime that would shock the local community.

A Tale of Courage and Education This episode aims to not just recount the Motley family's history, but to explore the intricate mechanisms of resistance, love, and hope that existed within the brutal system of American slavery. The Motley family's story emerges as a testament to individual courage and familial resilience.

A 13 year old child, Jaryan Cox was pistol whipped by a 17 year old last Sunday night. The victim's family wants the world to know what happened. I have an exclusive interview with Jaryan's aunt, Laquila Shinn. Their story MUST be heard.

The Columbus Community Housing Development Organization (CCHDO) sure is fast and loose with their money and HUD's money too. Where is the money? Can anyone figure out where it has gone? Or has Robert Greathree just decided not to get the reimbursements from the grant? The mystery continues!

The CHA has significant audit issues...issues so large and significant that their auditor fired them as a client.

What do you do when a city employee uses their position to abuse power and bully private citizens? Stand up, refuse to be bullied, and FOIA!

The Columbus Housing Authority Audit shows significant issues with internal control compliance issues. Some issues are so bad the auditors were required to report the issues directly to HUD.

So many questions and so few answers. Why are they purchasing all that property and not using it to fulfill the mission of the Columbus Community Housing Development Organization or the Columbus Housing Authority?

Columbus Housing Authority has hired violent felons with no business license, no bond, etc. to work on their properties...and about that credit card use by the Executive Director Robert Greathree Jr...woo hoo...someone is living high on the hog on our federal tax dollars!

Why are large amounts of money being moved between accounts at the Columbus Housing Authority? Why is the movement of hundreds of thousands of dollars not mentioned in their meeting minutes? Who is managing the money and why are they so cavalier with their funds?

Why was a check for $75,000 made to Cash by the Executive Director of the Columbus Housing Authority, and it is not reflected in any meeting minutes to the board of commissioners before or after the event? Where did that money go? To the nonprofit Columbus Community Housing Development Organization (CCHDO)? Is anyone paying attention to where money goes at CHA or how it is spent at CCHDO? So many questions arise every turn of the page. https://youtu.be/io1t0qAjaLg

Follow along as I examine the Columbus Community Housing Development - (The Columbus Housing Authority's Non-Profit) Negative Revenue Balances. We will learn how to search the Mississippi Secretary of State Business Listings for Businesses and Charity Listings, Agents, and Members, as well as their compliance with yearly updates. Why is Seasons of Columbus included as a DBA but not Seasons of Success? Where is Seasons of Success EIN and State License to operate? Do they fall under some other business? Again, why is nothing related to the Columbus Housing Authority ever transparent and straightforward? (The video of the how-to is on YouTube).

When it comes to nonprofits, there's a lot that you need to know. You can ask for it in a public records request, but it's not really considered a public records request because nonprofits are guided by their nonprofit status. What you can access are their 990s, their tax filings. Here is how you do just that. (Visual version is also available on YouTube. This is just the audio version.)

Public records are just that: Public! You are entitled to have information from government officials in the form of bank ledgers, meeting minutes, contracts, bids, emails, etc. Public Officials' and Private Individuals' Land and Property Tax Records are all in the public domain. You just have to go to your county courthouse or look at their website online and do some research! (PS: there is a YouTube video that shows the actual screen view if you are a visual person). Here is how:

Rusty Walker is earning $ 4,295 a month from Columbus HA. He is also receiving fees from Natchez, Hattiesburg, Brookhaven, and McComb Housing Authorities, as well as having some contracts with the City of Gulfport, in addition to his salary as a councilman for the city. I can’t imagine money should be an issue, as he appears to be a successful businessman. So why are his property taxes always delinquent? He is a Capital Funds Manager for Housing Authorities all over the state with significant budgets funded by HUD. He is an elected official responsible for millions of dollars for the City of Gulfport. Do they know he forgets to pay his property taxes? Did his opponent know he has a questionable track record where money is concerned? Is this the same man who was borrowing and then lending a million-plus dollars not even 10 years ago? Why does everything around Councilman Walker generate so many questions?