This week’s top stories from the Ledger-Enquirer | June 17 — June 23
1. Bobby Howard takes job as head coach of old Columbus High rival: Hall of Fame baseball coach Bobby Howard on Thursday accepted the job as head coach at Cartersville High School, he confirmed. In 39 seasons as a head baseball coach, Howard’s teams have compiled a 985-296 record. That is a winning percentage of more than 78 percent, and his teams have won 12 Georgia High School Association state titles. Another eight times his teams finished second in the state, amassing 29 region titles in the process.
2. Gay bar opens near Macon Road, drawing visitors from all across the region: Columbus has a new gay bar, and even though it’s only been open a month, word has spread across the region. “Last Saturday we had people driving all the way from Albany and Auburn to come to the club,” said “Lady” Latweet Weldon, co-owner of The Velvet Room at 1818 Midtown Drive. “They’re loving it. They’re loving the music, they’re loving the atmosphere, they’re loving the drinks.”
3. Alyssa Beasley crowned Miss Georgia 2017: After a night of lively competition, Alyssa Beasley, Miss Southeast Georgia, was crowned Miss Georgia 2017 Saturday at RiverCenter for the Performing Arts in the 73rd Annual Miss Georgia Pageant. Beasley will receive $17,500 in scholarship awards and will compete as Georgia’s representative in the 2017 Miss America pageant in Atlantic City this fall. She also won the overall swimsuit, talent and evening wear awards, as well as two preliminary awards earlier in the week.
4. Potential owner for Columbus hockey team lays out big plans, reveals new name: The prospective owner of the Columbus Southern Professional Hockey League franchise laid out a radical reorganization plan during a meeting with members of the media Wednesday afternoon. Fidel Jenkins said he plans to change everything from ticket pricing to sponsorships and also name the team the Columbus Burn. He is also planning to put in a new video scoreboard, electronic dasher board and a sound system at the Columbus Civic Center at his own expense.
5. Police issue citations after 19 vehicles crash on I-185 near Macon Road: Nineteen vehicles crashed in a string of wrecks that occurred simultaneously Thursday afternoon on Interstate 185 Northbound, according to Columbus police. The only person who reported being injured was transported to the Midtown Medical Center. No one was seriously harmed, authorities said.
This story was originally published June 24, 2017 at 3:37 PM with the headline "This week’s top stories from the Ledger-Enquirer | June 17 — June 23."