A rose to Beverly Norris of the Columbus Arts Council for her role in organizing the Possum Town Tales storytelling festival, which began Thursday and ends today. The trio of accomplished award-winning storytellers — Sheila Kay Adams of North Carolina, Len Cabral of Rhode Island and Dolores Hydock of Alabama — as well as local yarn spinners Brenda Pritchett and Edwina Williams, captivated audiences with their variety of colorful and compelling tales. Roses also to CAC Executive Director Tina Sweeten, the organization’s board, staff and sponsors for bringing this significant art form to the Golden Triangle for the first time. Storytellers not only entertain, but they present life lessons in ways that force us to think for ourselves. Stories also inspire us to read and imagine and use the creativity locked away in our minds and hearts. It is a message that is especially important to our children and the Columbus Arts Council deserves kudos for organizing this event. Let’s make it a tradition, shall we?
A rose to Mike Hainsey, executive director of the Golden Triangle Regional Airport. We were reminded of Hainsey’s contributions to our community during his Tuesday visit to the Columbus Rotary Club. Hainsey’s report on the state of the airport confirms that Hainsey’s leadership continues to produce great dividends. If ever there were a list of “What Our Community Does Right,” the airport would certainly rank high on the list. Without question, much of that credit goes to the tireless work and innovation of the airport’s director.
A thorn to Silicor Materials, which admitted this week that they will not meet their Dec. 31 deadline to begin phase one of the construction process for a highly-touted silicon metal production and purification facility to be built on 258 acres of land east of Industrial Park Road, directly behind Mitchell Beer Distributing.
Since September 2011, when the company chose Lowndes County for the project — which promised 951 jobs and an influx of more than 1,000 construction workers — the only thing Silicor has done consistently is miss deadlines.
Now, it appears, patience is at its end. Columbus-Lowndes Development Link CEO Joe Max Higgins will report to the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors Dec. 3 and give his recommendation on the course of action that should be taken. No word yet on what that recommendation will be, but they would be within their rights to cut ties with the company.
A rose to the Columbus High School Frontline Show Choir for their outstanding performance at the Columbus Municipal School District’s board meeting Thursday night and earlier this week at a statewide dropout prevention conference in Jackson. The program, “Believe in Yourself,” deserves accolades for its pitch-perfect melodies, costumes and choreographer, too. It is customary to throw bouquets onto the stage after an outstanding performance. So we shower the choir with literary blooms for a job well done.
A rose of congratulations to Gill Harris, who has been inducted into the Metal Construction Hall of Fame, for his pioneering use of computers in building design. At Ceco, where he has worked for 35 years, Harris and coworkers developed pioneering computer programs to automate engineering and drafting processes. Though well known in the metal building industry, Harris is best known locally as a musician and conductor of Gill Harris’ Big Band Theory. Harris is one of eight inaugural inductees into this newly established institution. Congratulations, Gill.
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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