Congress Wednesday voted to create the Mississippi Hills National Heritage Area, which includes Noxubee County and 29 other Northeast Mississippi counties. The designation will authorize up to $10 million for historic preservation and cultural and heritage tourism efforts. The approved bill is being transmitted to the White House for the president”s signature.
The Mississippi Hills project has been in development since 2004. The original proposal called for the heritage area”s southern boundary to end at Highway 82, which would have excluded Noxubee County. However, extensive lobbying by the Noxubee Alliance convinced Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., and Mississippi Hills officials to include Noxubee County in the final proposal.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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