There are plenty of more down-to-earth duties police officers perform every day to keep us safe, and those duties require a special kind of person with excellent character.

A dramatic jewelry store robbery last week in Phenix City, all caught on surveillance video, demonstrates the value of a responsible gun owner acting in self-defense.

It’s time for school to begin and that means it’s time to encourage our students of all ages to grow into adulthood as educated, positive and productive citizens.

So many people dream of being a Super Bowl superstar. Others dream of being a game show host, winning an EMMY as an Outstanding Talk Show host, writing a best-selling book or creating a popular fashion line. Well, one man did all those things.

Two recent public arguments in Georgia captured on cellphone video, both escalated to out-and-out brawls that included life-threatening behavior.

It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since Georgia’s Hands-Free Law took effect, banning drivers from holding or using their cell phones while driving unless they use hands-free technology.

This week, we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first Moon landing. It was – and still is – an amazing feat of human intelligence, bravery and dedication.

It’s completely heart-breaking that six year old Jeremiah Henderson drowned in the Chattahoochee River in Columbus. There is nothing as devastating as losing a child, no matter how it happens.

One of the most inspiring stories this graduation season centered around a young man who rose from poverty to play Division 1 College football, get his college degree, then a Rhodes Scholarship and is now an author - all this, at age 25.

A-list and D-list celebrities alike, want to punish Georgia’s 92,000 production company workers, who are just trying to make a living on the set, because of politics.

If recent surveys are correct, most Americans don’t know why we entered World War II, nor can they name any of the rights protected in any constitutional amendment.

There are a lot of debatable statistics when it comes to police officers and shootings, but there is one statistic that is a cold, hard fact.

With the country at large currently enjoying 3.6% unemployment, the lowest rate since 1969, finding qualified workers is getting tougher.

Troup County Sheriff James Woodruff takes a positive approach to teaching kids about law enforcement by teaching students in his Junior Deputy Program.

Two important, trailblazing women were both in the news in the past few weeks, but you might not know their names.

With more new cases of Measles now identified in Georgia and the possibility of new cases in Alabama, it deserves to be stated again: vaccinations are safe and effective.

Congratulations to the Muscogee County School Board and Superintendent David Lewis for hiring a school district police chief to meet the goal of stronger and more consistent security for Columbus area students.

By now you may have seen the gruesome video making the rounds on the internet of the brave Auburn gymnast who dislocated both knees and suffered excruciating pain during a recent floor routine, which included an ambitious handspring into a very difficult landing that went horribly wrong.

One Georgia lawmaker is proposing legislation that would do lasting harm to those of us who gather the news to keep you informed.

Over two weeks have passed since deadly tornadoes ripped through Lee County, Alabama and Harris County, Georgia.

We’ve been putting out more news alerts lately about missing teenagers with what seems like more frequency.

This year and each year, WTVM News Leader 9 had the privilege and honor of helping sponsor the Youth of the Year Award ceremonies for the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Chattahoochee Valley.

There’s something wonderful happening in Columbus, thanks to the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts and the performers of Ballet Hispanico.

Abortion - there is probably no political, legal or moral issue that could be as polarizing, in an already polarized country, than abortion.

In this age of identity politics, people get labeled and divided up into specific identity groups: such as liberals and conservatives, gays and straight to name a few.

Lieutenant Stevens died last week at 87, famous for being the cook extraordinaire at Dinglewood Pharmacy, the man who perfected the scramble dog.

Watching a talented young man like Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray win the Heisman Trophy makes you realize what a singular achievement it is - attained by very few, highly successful athletes.

East Alabama Chamber of Commerce reminds us to “Shop Small” by patronizing local small businesses rather than big chains or internet retailers this holiday season.

The Christmas and Hanukkah season is a wonderful time of the year, when giving gifts brings delight to all of us and reminds us of being children, anxiously and hopefully waiting for a special holiday surprise!

In a game seen right here, live, on WTVM last Wednesday, the Red Devils of Phenix City’s Central High looked heavenly versus their opponents from Birmingham.

I was honored to recently tour the brand new National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery.

Have you ever seen those “man-on-the-street” interviews, where late night comedians ask people if they know who the vice president is?

If you’re tired of hearing news stories or political statements that make you angry, anxious, confused or overly emotional, you do have a way to fight it: it’s called critical thinking.

You know you live in a great community when enough hurricane relief donations to fill an entire moving truck were donated in just two and a half days!

Maybe you saw the epic Oval Office meeting between rapper/designer and self-proclaimed genius Kanye West and President Trump.

id you know that the state of Alabama’s best school superintendent is Phenix City’s Randy Wilkes?

In just one day, over the course of just several hours, you came to the rescue in our “Day of Giving” Telethon for the American Red Cross, to support people still struggling with the destructive, life-altering reality of Hurricane Florence.

The Muscogee County School District is dealing with each one quickly and professionally, but the fact these three scary situations occurred within a few days of each other is disturbing.

There are very few events these days that can draw the attention of most of the nation, all at the same time.

The book “First Man” is a triumph for its author, too, a retired Auburn history professor named James Hansen.