2nd location for restaurant, data center opposition & more: top Columbus stories

A popular Harris County restaurant prepares to open a Columbus location, a Columbus Council meeting erupts with opposition to a proposed hyperscale data center, and the candidates in the mayoral runoff election share their opinion about the city manager nominee — these are among last week’s top news stories in Columbus.

Here are key takeaways from the five most-read Ledger-Enquirer stories about Columbus in the past seven days:

Second location for restaurant: Luke’s Pub & Steakhouse, a popular Harris County restaurant, is opening a new location in Columbus. The plan is to open around the second week of July. Click here to read the full story.

Restaurant inspections: Georgia Department of Public Health inspectors visited more than 50 Muscogee County establishments in May, with 20 earning perfect scores and seven receiving B grades. The list of violations, compiled by Ledger-Enquirer reporter Jordyn Paul-Slater, includes food past expiration dates, improper holding temperatures and pests’ presence. Click here to read the full story.

Every data center ordinance in Georgia: One in five Georgia counties now has a data center ordinance or is drafting one, with 34 counties and 23 cities involved as of June 5. Ledger-Enquirer reporter Kala Hunter created a list of each one, ranging from most to least restrictive. Click here to read the full story.

Contentious city council meeting: A Columbus Council meeting erupted Tuesday night amid a sea of folks wearing red “No Data Center” shirts. More than 25 residents spoke against the proposed Project Ruby hyperscale data center in northeast Muscogee County. Click here to read the full story.

City manager nominee: Now that Columbus Mayor Skip Henderson has nominated former Councilor Tyson Begly as city manager, Ledger-Enquirer reporter Brittany McGee asked mayoral runoff election candidates Isaiah Hugley and Joanne Cogle for their opinion about the recommendation Columbus Council will vote on whether to approve. Click here to read the full story.

These summaries were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. All the Ledger-Enquirer articles linked in this recap were reported, written and edited by journalists.

Brittany McGee

Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

Brittany McGee is the community issues reporter for the Ledger-Enquirer. She is a 2021 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Media and Journalism with a second degree in Economics. She began at the Ledger-Enquirer as a Report for America corps member covering the COVID-19 recovery in Columbus. Brittany also covered business for the Ledger-Enquirer.

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Jordyn Paul-Slater

Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

Jordyn Paul-Slater is the business and engagement reporter at the Ledger-Enquirer. Her work has appeared in publications such as Reuters, Fast Company and The New York Observer. She completed her master’s degree in specialized journalism at the University of Southern California and earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from George Washington University.