English Bulldog Puppies for Sale in Columbus, GA

As temperatures rise and people take to area lakes, rivers and streams, one annual effort to keep people safe on outings has officially started.

Safe Kids Columbus and the River Safety Committee, in conjunction with their partners, have announced the opening of several life jacket loaner stations across the Chattahoochee Valley. The announcement came during a Wednesday news conference at Lake Oliver Marina in Columbus.

“It’s a labor of love, that is for sure, to make sure that our residents have what they need,” said Pam Fair, executive director of Safe Kids Columbus. “We want to have no drownings this year. That’s our goal.”

Fair said these eight life jacket loaner stations will be available during for the 2026 water recreation and boating season. They are on the Alabama and Georgia sides of the Chattahoochee River. They will have U.S. Coast Guard approved life jackets. Here are the locations:

Anyone can borrow these life jackets for free, and they are available in a variety of sizes. Each person borrowing a life jacket needs to inspect the life jacket before using it, then return it clean and in good working order the same day. Life jackets are neither inspected nor maintained after each use. They are borrowed at your own risk.

Fair said it’s important to choose the appropriately size for a life jacket and to put it on before entering the water.

“The time to put on your life vest is before you enter the water,” Fair said. “You definitely don’t want to wait until you get into trouble and then try to put on a life jacket. And it’s important that the life jacket fits you snug because you don’t want to be able to take that life jacket and pull up on it, and it comes over the head. And that’s what’ll happen if you use a poorly fitted life jacket.”

To donate to this project, go to safekidscolumbusga.org and click the donate tab.

The new Columbus fire station in Midland, replacing an aging facility and adding new bunk room alerts, fitness space and other firefighter wellness features

By Mike HaskeyColumbus Ledger-Enquirer

COLUMBUS, Ga. — Imagine a grand opening ceremony without a ribbon to cut. Instead, picture sections of fire hose coupled together, spanning the width of the building. Then, in seconds, the hose is uncoupled, and the public is invited in to see the city’s newest fire station.

Columbus Fire and EMS hosted the uncoupling ceremony Tuesday afternoon to celebrate the official opening of its new Fire Station 5 and highlight new technology installed to improve the health and wellness of the department’s personnel.

“Firefighters do uncoupling of hose every day at structure fires,” said Sal Scarpa, chief of Columbus Fire and EMS. “They couple the hose together. They uncouple the hose. It’s something that’s part of our, ingrained in our tradition.”

He said the uncoupling ceremony is a way to welcome people in the community into the new fire station.

The new fire station is at 6600 Lynch Road in Midland.

“This is the area of great growth in Columbus,” Scarpa said, “so it’s important that we have resources that are here that can manage that growth.”

A new Station 5 was needed because the former one across the street was in disrepair, Scarpa said.

“Quite frankly,” he said, “it was becoming a little bit more of a challenge to maintain that facility than it was worth.”

Pratt & Whitney donated land for the new station, Scarpa said, and money from a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) was used to build it. He said construction costs totaled nearly $5 million. Six fire department personnel are usually stationed there, along with one engine and one ambulance.

“This station has some of that technology built into it to allow our firefighters to live healthier lifestyles here, not only with the health and wellness equipment they have but within each of the bunks,” Scarpa said. “Each of the bunks has some technology associated with their particular apparatus, so that when their apparatus is called out, the lights in their bunk room come on, and an alert lets them know that that call is specifically for them.”

Scarpa said the new station has a gym and an outdoor recreation area, where staff can relax after their calls. Bunks and personal lockers are in individual rooms.

“For our men and women, we want them to know that we recognize that we have challenges with some of our facilities, and we’re working to rectify those challenges,” Scarpa said. “This is an excellent example of how we rectify those challenges.

© 2026 the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer (Columbus, Ga.).Visit www.ledger-enquirer.com.Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) - Residents gathered March 8 for a town hall hosted by Clean Energy Columbus to raise questions about a proposed data center code-named Project Ruby, a $5 billion development proposed for northeast Muscogee County.

Clean Energy Columbus, a local environmental group that holds monthly “Citizens’ Conversations,” organized the meeting. Residents described the project as a “mystery” and said many details remain undisclosed.

Power and water concerns

The proposed data center would require large amounts of power and water to operate. Columbus resident Shaun Tarkington said he attended to learn more about the project — and came away opposed.

“We came out here to hear what the propositions for the data center were,” Tarkington said. “I’m against the data center personally because, for one, they’re extremely loud… and they have to compete for power. In the meeting they said they take about sixty to eighty percent of just one power plant’s power.”

Tarkington said he is concerned that level of demand could affect utility costs for residents.

“I’m curious why we have to compete with something that drives up our prices for water and electricity during a recession… and we still haven’t seen the hard data,” he said.

What organizers say is confirmed

A representative from Clean Energy Columbus outlined what the group has been able to verify about the project.

“We know it’s up to nine-hundred megawatts,” the representative said. “Flint Energies does not have that capacity right now, so Georgia Power would likely have to be involved. Columbus Water Works says we have the capacity in our system to pull from the Chattahoochee — but not the pipes to get it there, and that infrastructure would have to be built.”

The group also said the city’s wastewater plant has not seen a major upgrade since the 1960s, and that Project Ruby is being cited as a way to help fund improvements and new sewer lines.

Zoning overlay and proposed moratorium

Organizers pointed to a proposed zoning overlay for data centers — tabled at a recent planning meeting — that currently addresses only noise limits and does not include additional protections for waterways or air quality.

Clean Energy Columbus said it is not opposed to all data centers but wants to propose a moratorium until the city establishes clear standards on power use, cooling systems, water, wastewater, and tax breaks.

“Our goal is for citizens to have a say,” said Kristin Youngquist of Clean Energy Columbus. “If there’s the right cooling system, the right energy use, water’s not contaminated, the environment’s not contaminated — and there aren’t tax exemptions so we see real revenue — people might support it. But without that knowledge, I don’t think we can move forward.”

Council presence and calls for a vote

Columbus City Council At-Large member Travis Chambers was the only current city councilor at the meeting.

“I’m at this meeting to gather my facts so I can make a good, informed, sound decision,” Chambers said. “That’s exactly why I’m here.”

Residents also pressed for a direct public vote on the project. One Muscogee County resident called on the council to act.

“I think we need to vote in Muscogee County whether or not we want this in our backyard,” the resident said. “Our city council should step up to support its citizens — and I’d like to know, did voters ever have a say in this, or did it just get rushed through?”

The city’s Planning Advisory Commission is expected to take up the data center overlay again on March 18, a key step before any final council vote. Some residents said they plan to attend and want the issue placed on the ballot for Muscogee County voters to decide.

Company adding seventh isothermal forging press to support commercial and military programs following $70M GTF MRO expansion

COLUMBUS, Ga., Feb. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Pratt & Whitney, an RTX (NYSE: RTX) business, is investing $200 million to expand the capabilities and footprint of its Columbus, Georgia, operations, which support commercial and military engine programs. With this new investment, Pratt & Whitney is adding a seventh isothermal forging press at its Columbus Forge facility. This addition is expected to increase output of critical parts, such as rotating compressor and turbine disks, by 30% to support GTF, F135 and other engine programs. The isothermal forging press is expected to become operational in 2028.

The latest investment at the Columbus Forge facility follows an 81,000-square-foot GTF MRO expansion at Pratt & Whitney's Columbus Engine Center, located on the same campus. This $70 million expansion added advanced equipment and machinery that align with the company's Industry 4.0 strategy. The facility's annual capacity increased by more than 25%, adding critical overhaul volume to the GTF MRO network in support of the growing fleet.

"Over the past four decades and with the support of the Columbus community, state and Governor, Pratt & Whitney's presence in Georgia has grown from a small manufacturing facility to a state-of-the-art manufacturing and overhaul center, employing over 2,600 dedicated people focused on our mission: to connect and protect our world," said Pratt & Whitney President Shane Eddy. "Since 2008, we have invested more than $1 billion to continue expanding the footprint and capabilities of our Columbus facility. This latest investment will increase output of critical parts for our growing military and commercial engine programs and underscores our ongoing commitment to ramp industrial capacity to support our customers."

"Pratt & Whitney's decision to invest in Georgia immediately after just completing another major expansion is an incredible testament to how companies that operate in our state find reliable, ongoing and long-term success," said Governor Brian Kemp. "Throughout its more than forty years in Columbus, Pratt & Whitney has been a valued partner and driver of the impact our aerospace industry is delivering statewide. We're grateful that this partnership will only continue to grow and flourish, benefiting this cutting-edge job creator, the people of Columbus and all of Georgia."

The Pratt & Whitney Columbus, Georgia site is located about 90 miles south of Atlanta and is comprised of the Columbus Engine Center and Columbus Forge. The Columbus Engine Center maintains Pratt & Whitney GTF engines for the Airbus A320neo aircraft family, Airbus A220 and Embraer E-Jets E2, along with F117 and F100 military engines for the C-17 transport, and F-15/F-16 fighters, respectively. Columbus Forge produces compressor airfoils, and compressor and turbine disks for Pratt & Whitney's commercial and military engines, including the GTF and F135, which powers the 5^th Generation F-35 Lightning II fighter.

The GTF is the most fuel-efficient engine for the single aisle market. To date, more than 2,600 GTF-powered aircraft have been delivered to over 90 customers worldwide. The F135, which powers all three variants of the F-35 Lightning II, is the safest, most capable and reliable fighter engine. To date, Pratt & Whitney has delivered more than 1,300 F135 production engines to a global enterprise that includes 20 allied nations around the world.

About Pratt & WhitneyPratt & Whitney, an RTX business, is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines and auxiliary power units for military, commercial and civil aviation customers. Since 1925, our engineers have pioneered the development of revolutionary aircraft propulsion technologies, and today we support more than 90,000 in-service engines through our global network of maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities.

About RTXWith more than 180,000 global employees, we push the limits of technology and science to redefine how we connect and protect our world. With industry-leading capabilities, we advance aviation, engineer integrated defense systems for operational success, and develop next-generation technology solutions and manufacturing to help global customers address their most critical challenges. The company, with 2025 sales of more than $88 billion, is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia.

For questions or to schedule an interview, please contact corporatepr@rtx.com.

SOURCE RTX

Political action group Columbus, GA Indivisible has launched Front Yard Resistance, a hyper-local mutual aid program to help neighbors. The program provides microgrants ranging from $50 to $200 to support community projects.

Kristin Andris conceived the Front Yard Resistance project in September 2025. She had been reflecting on the idea of mutual aid and how she can help undocumented migrants in Columbus.

“I found out that our undocumented migrants are scared to go to food banks because they’re scared someone might ID them,” Andris told the Ledger-Enquirer. “But on the flip side, a lot of people are self-deporting right now, and when they leave, they leave behind all of this food. Some of it is unopened.”

The Front Yard Resistance project isn’t limited to building more food pantries. Andris said she is looking for little libraries, community gardens, art installations and more.

“It could cover anything between $50 to $200 that’s mutual aid,” she said.

John Bordner, Jon Gutowski, and Jon Magee applied to the Front Yard Resistance project to build a food pantry at 2913 11th Ave. They told the Ledger-Enquirer the grant program opened at the perfect time.

“We’ve been talking about doing one for a long time,” Magee said. “Having a place that’s accessible and where we can meet and care for our neighbors right where we’re at, instead of telling them, ‘Go across town, and they’ll help you out.’”

The Front Yard Resistance grant funded the wood needed for their pantry, Magee said. Gutoswki and Bordner led the effort to build their pantry. It took them 16 hours.

“There are people who need help,” Gutowski said. “I know I would not feel comfortable if I needed food, walking up to someone’s house and knocking on the door.”

Magee paraphrased a quote from 1979 Nobel Peace Prize winner Mother Teresa when he said, “You can’t do great things, only small things with great love.”

Then he connected that wisdom to this project.

“This box is not going to feed all of Columbus or the entire neighborhood,” Magee said. “It’s a very small thing, but it is the love that I feel like it can represent.”

People who want to get involved don’t have to know how to build their project, Andris said. The program will connect community members with different skills and resources, she said.

“If somebody wants to volunteer to build it, then we can help find a yard for it,” Andris said. “If somebody has the yard for it, we can help find somebody to build it. And if either of those two people needs money to get it up and running, we can provide that as well.”

Individuals who want to get involved can apply to the Front Yard Resistance project at the Columbus, GA Indivisible website, columbusgaindivisible.org.

The food pantry network accepts nonperishable food and toiletries. A map of the Front Yard Resistance locations is available on the Columbus, GA Indivisible website.

“It’s very inspiring to me to see a lot of times,” Andris said. “I’ve had neighbors or somebody I don’t even know who fill [the pantry] completely. If somebody wants to get involved, but they don’t really want to build one or have one in their yard, then they can always look at the map to see where the pantries are and donate, even if it’s something like a can of beans. Or if they want to, go grocery shopping for some stuff on sale and fill it up.”