The first known newspaper in the Columbia County community near Augusta was the Columbia Advertiser, operating as early as 1881 in Harlem, Ga. The Columbia Sentinel followed it, and then as early as 1920, The Columbia News became the county's newspaper of record.

Operated under various owners throughout the 1900s, The Columbia News grew along with what was then a mostly agricultural community until the newspaper offices moved in the 1960s to bustling Martinez, Ga. In the 1970s The Columbia News absorbed the short-lived Martinez-Evans Times, and in the 1980s bought the Columbia Sun; the merged weekly papers eventually became The Columbia News-Times, and publication changed to semi-weekly.

Morris Communications purchased the News-Times in 1998, and the newspaper's offices merged with the Columbia County Bureau of The Augusta Chronicle. The Web site newstimesonline.com launched in 2002, and in 2003 the News-Times and the Columbia County Bureau moved to new, larger offices in Evans, where the West Advertising Team joined the two news staffs.

The News-Times has become a vibrant part of the community, which is one of Georgia's fastest-growing areas. The newspaper consistently ranks high in awards from the Georgia Press Association, and its staff places strong value on community involvement while pursuing high-quality local news coverage.

In 2004, in cooperation with the Columbia County library system and the University of Georgia Library, The News-Times began a project to assemble a comprehensive catalog of microfilm editions of The Advertiser, The Sentinel, The Columbia News and The Columbia County News-Times, solidifying the newspaper's past while the News-Times prepares for its future with Columbia County.