A rose to all those who turned out for Saturday’s benefit concert at the Princess Theater for local artist Chris McDill. McDill, who had surgery to remove a golf ball-sized tumor on his brain on Wednesday, won’t know whether the tumor was cancerous or benign until the biopsy report is completed. In the meantime, his friends gathered at the Princess to raise money through a $5 donation at the door along with raffles.
A rose to Columbus National League Dizzy Dean All-Stars, for whom the third time was indeed the charm. After back-to-back near-misses in the past two years, Columbus closed the deal Tuesday, knocking off Louisville 6-4 to win the Dizzy Dean 11-12-year-old south state tournament championship at Propst Park. With the victory, Columbus advanced to the Dizzy Dean World Series, which began Saturday in Southaven.
A rose to the teamwork that solved a Starkville murder within 24 hours after the body was discovered. At 5:27 a.m. Friday, a call came in to the Starkville Police Department reporting a dead body at the Dawg Wash car wash on Stark Road. The SPD, working with members from the Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Office, the Mississippi State University Police Department and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations, went to work. Saturday morning, three Starkville men — Phillip Thomas Mason, Charleka Shanay Brooks and Milton Jamal Brown, were arrested and charged with capital murder in the shooting death of Ellis Wade Bishop, also of Starkville. The case proves the importance of inter-agency cooperation, something that isn’t always the case.
A thorn to Starkville Ward 8 Alderman Roy A. Perkins, who was among the four who voted to fire Lynn Spruill, the city’s chief administrative officer, during its July 2 meeting. Neither Perkins nor any of the other aldermen who voted to dismiss the highly-regarded Spruill, would give their reasons for the move. Perkins’ vote is particularly hard to fathom since he had nominated Spruill as the city’s Employee of the Month, heaping praises on her for her professionalism, expertise and service. It is clear that the aldermen who voted for Spruill’s firing have agendas they prefer to keep from the public eye. This back-alley dealing may prove costly for Perkins if he has ambitions beyond his present position.
A rose to the Junior Auxiliary of Columbus, which received the top national honor in the JA’s Got Talent Contest at the National Association of Junior Auxiliaries 72nd Annual Education Conference held June 7-8 in Memphis. Criteria for the video included use of particular music and words provided by the National Association of Junior Auxiliaries. With the production assistance of local cinematographer, Will Reedy, the Columbus chapter was awarded first place for their creation. To view the video, go to: www.ja-columbus.org.
A rose to everyone who donated money during Supertalk Mississippi’s Friday radiothon for Palmer Home for Children. A total of $73,000 was raised to help the organization. Palmer Home, which is entirely supported by voluntary gifts, provides stable housing for nearly 100 children of all ages at its Columbus and Hernando campuses.
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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