A rose to the local firefighters who have joined the recovery effort in Leflore County in the wake of a tragic plane crash on Monday.
Thursday, eight firefighters from Columbus Fire & Rescue and three West Point firefighters traveled to the Delta to help recovery efforts. The crash of the KC-130 claimed the lives of 16 military personnel. Making the recovery particularly challenging was the cargo – which include munitions, some of which are powerful explosives that will have to be located and removed from the thick vegetation of the crash site.
We are not surprised to learn our local firefighters have answered the call. It is something they always stand ready to do. But we are particularly grateful to these firefighters in the face of such a tragic, and still dangerous assignment. We wish them a safe mission.
A rose to the Sally Kate Winters Family Services in West Point, which for 27 years now has been providing critical services to our most vulnerable citizens – children. The organization has expanded its programs over the years and now offers a range of services for children up to 21 years of age, providing everything from emergency and transitional housing to residential career and education programs for the older children.
Almost 3,000 children have turned to Sally Kate Winters in their time of critical need. There is no way to accurately measure the positive impact the organization has had on those children, but we are certain that help has been transformational for these kids.
In times of fear and uncertainty, Sally Kate Winters has been an oasis of love and healing. Theirs is a mission worthy of our support.
A rose to Mississippi State’s “under-Dawgs,” who picked up a pair of awards in last week’s ESPY Awards, the sports equivalent to the Oscar, Emmy or Tony awards.
Mississippi State’s women’s basketball team was honored for the “best upset” award for their win over heavily-favored Connecticut in the National Semifinals. MSU won the game on Morgan William’s buzzer-beat in overtime to snap the Huskies record 110-game winning streak.
Meanwhile, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was honored as “break-through athlete.”
You might consider the former MSU quarterback as an underdog, too. Prescott entered the 2016 season as a fourth-round draft choice and figured to be, at best, the backup to veteran Tony Romo. An injury to Romo in the preseason thrust Prescott into the starter’s role, where he led the Cowboys to the best record in the NFL and was named as the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year. The ESPY’s gave MSU fans another chance to again revel in Prescott’s achievements.
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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