A thorn to Oktibbeha County Supervisors Marvell Howard, Orlando Trainer and Joe Williams, who voted not to assign a new prosecutor to handle Henry Vaughn’s driving under the influence case. This week’s vote appeared to break the barrier between the executive and judicial branches of government, as evidenced by Howard saying former special prosecutor George Mitchell should have approached the board and asked permission prior to filing appeal of the directed verdict issued last year in the case. Special prosecutors have the legal recourse to seek such an appeal, and Howard’s insinuation that the board should decide if appeals should proceed sets a dangerous precedent.
A rose to Fred Kinder, who on Thursday received the Andy Morris Book of Golden Deeds Award from the Columbus Exchange Club. We would list all the organizations and efforts in Columbus that Kinder gives his time to — there are many — but in the interest of space, we will instead simply say: Thank you, sincerely. For more than 40 years you have helped our community be better and you do so with a selflessness that inspires. A community is as good as the people who live in it and serve. We feel we have a good community. You, sir, are one of the reasons we can say that.
A rose to the women’s basketball at Mississippi State University. The Bulldogs’ magical season ended Saturday in Connecticut. While the players are likely disappointed, we tip our cap to them for making it as far as they did — to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament. Athletics are often a university’s face. We know how lucky we are to have MSU in our backyard and to watch that group of young women succeed at an unprecedented level — 28 school records this year is the record — makes us proud.
A rose to Trent Harmon, the American Idol contestant who came home to Amory to film a homecoming for the show Saturday. It will air later this week on the popular FOX reality show. Harmon has taken the long-running singing competition by storm, having reached the top four. Along the way, the 25-year-old has embraced his hometown and home state and represented us well. This is American Idol’s final season. We feel the show, with Harmon, may have saved the best for last.
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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