A rose to Lowndes County United Way for providing a $3,700 grant to help a new non-profit, Supporting Inmates and their Loved Ones (SILO), initiate two programs designed to help former prisoners rebuild their lives. The Venture Grant will help fund SILO Academy, which helps ex-inmates adjust to the many challenges that confront them in their new lives, and “Love Thy Neighbor,” which offers support to ex-inmates and their families on a spiritual and academic level. When people pay their debt to society, it is best for the community to help return them to the community as healthy, contributing citizens. The help SILO can provide, through the assistance of The United Way, makes our community better for all of us.
A thorn to Columbus city councilman Marty Turner, whose childish diatribes against fellow city councilman on his Facebook page has proven to be an embarrassment for the city at a time when the community is closely watching how the city deals with the tragic officer-involved shooting death of Oct. 16.
For public officials, social media can be a useful tool to keep citizens informed of what is happening in their community. But it can also be destructive, if used improperly. Turner was reprimanded by the council for his irresponsible attacks on other councilmen on his Facebook page, yet he persisted. If Turner has issues with his fellow councilmen, the proper course of action is to settle those differences privately. Making these disagreements a public spectacle only serves to further erode public confidence in our city government.
A rose to the Columbus Master Gardeners and the Columbus Public Works Department for making our downtown a bit more festive and beautiful. At the beginning of each season, we look forward to this collaboration and the current fall decorations on each corner of Main and Fifth streets do not disappoint. We have a beautiful downtown and the work joint effort only adds to the charm, appealing to both locals and visitors alike.
A rose to all those who helped make The Mill at MSU a reality. Officials gathered last week to dedicate the much-anticipated, long-delayed project that converted the 113-year-old Cooley Building just west of the MSU campus into a state-of-the art facility that will feature office space, a convention hall and, eventually, dining/retail. The $50-plus million public/private project will serve as a key link between the city and the university, creating a synergy between the two that should benefit both. It’s a big step forward for the community and one that will likely serve as a catalyst for more growth.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.