A rose of condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of former Columbus Fire Chief James Massey, who died Thursday after a battle with cancer.
Massey served the citizens of Columbus for 40 years, joining the department as a firefighter in 1965. He rose through the ranks, becoming chief in 1990. He retired in 2005, replaced by current Chief Kenneth Moore.
Massey was credited by Moore with modernizing the department, adding rescue and paramedic services. He was also a proponent of training for firefighters, encouraging them to rise through the ranks, just as he did.
Columbus has lost a tireless proponent of public safety.
A rose to the public works crews and electric departments of Lowndes County and the city of Columbus, who faced a gargantuan task after severe thunderstorms Wednesday night.
The storm didn”t produce any confirmed tornadoes, but its winds packed a wallop, enough to down countless trees. County crews worked during the storm and through the night Wednesday and early Thursday, clearing trees from roadways.
Columbus Light and Water and 4-County Electric crews also worked to repair snapped power poles and get the electricity back on.
Their work is far from over — throughout the county, electric public works crews will clearing trees for a week. But we laud their hard work to get the county back on its feet as quickly as possible.
A rose to Mississippi Highway Patrol Trooper Justin Robbins, who was named the Trooper of the Year for the area by the Columbus Exchange Club.
Robbins, who works out of the Starkville Highway Patrol office, polices the Clay County-West Point area.
Robbins” captain, Randy Ginn, said during the award presentation this week that Robbins deserved the honor not for writing tickets or other routine work, but for embodying the Highway Patrol”s motto — courtesy, service and safety. “He”s very courteous and does a good job of showing our motto every day in the way he carries himself,” Ginn said.
A thorn to every adult who doesn”t keep his guns safe, secure and out of the hands of children.
A 10-year-old New Hope Elementary School student was caught with a gun on campus last week, and this week was facing felony charges in Youth Court. Thankfully, the gun wasn”t loaded.
We”re not debating the Second Amendment here. We”re just asking adults to keep their weapons unloaded, locked, and out of reach. Handguns in Mississippi are sold with trigger locks. Parents, please use them, and know what your children are bringing to school.
Our children deserve a safe, worry-free learning environment. It is each parents” responsibility to ensure this.
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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