A rose to Mississippi University Women’s Culinary Arts Institute for taking its message of healthy eating to the streets — literally. MUW unveiled its own “CHEW food truck” earlier this month. CHEW stands for Cook Healthy; Eat Well. The truck debuted at Wassail Fest and is likely to be a familiar sight around the Golden Triangle as the university’s culinary arts department expands its visibility and influence through demos and events at K-12 schools and community colleges. It will also partner with more Passport for Wellness events. That program champions nutrition and physical activity. As one of the most obese and least healthy states in the country, the message MUW promotes is important. We applaud the university for its efforts to bring that message to a wider audience. The CHEW food truck is a great asset in that effort.
A rose to Starkville alderman David Little who, acting on a constituent’s complaint, will be asking fellow aldermen to invoke a moratorium on billboards in the city at Tuesday’s regular board meeting. Little proposes a six-month moratorium on any new billboards to allow the city to update its current billboard provisions. In recent years, Starkville has enjoyed an upsurge in new development. With that comes inevitable growing pains. The city wants to maintain a “business-friendly” reputation. We believe enacting a moratorium serves the best interests of all businesses even as though some businesses may object.
There is a real value in decreasing visual clutter, as a proliferation of billboards undermines the appeal of our business districts. That is why we applauded the city of Columbus for retaining the billboard moratorium it put in place in 2000 when, in 2014, a proposal was made to lift the ban. In this instance as that one, we believe limiting billboards to those already in place or those currently under construction is best for the community as a whole.
A rose to Ray Hamilton, who is taking some of the sting out of losing a West Point landmark by moving into the historic downtown venue soon the be vacated by the Ritz Cafe. Hamilton announced this week he will open “Magnolia at the Ritz” on Jan. 24. Hamilton is partnering with his executive chef at Anthony’s, Haley Parker Owens, to bring a redesigned menu with more seafood and upscale Southern-style dishes. The restaurant will continue to offer catering at the Ritz theater. Operating hours will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, with plans to be open seven days a week by summer. We are happy to note the spirit of the Ritz will live on in downtown West Point.
A rose to Columbus High School for reaching a milestone in its efforts to pay respects to a beloved behind-the-scenes champion of its basketball programs. This weekend marked the 20th anniversary of the Joe Horne Christmas Classic, a two-day event that featured eight girls’ games and eight boys’ games. Horne, who died in 2003, was known in the classroom, where he taught industrial arts at Lee High School, as an inspiring, upbeat teacher. His enthusiasm spilled over into basketball, where he served just about every way he could think of, most notably as the team statistician. All too often, success is credited to coaches and players alone, but people like Joe Horne play an important role, too. Hosting an annual tournament continues to be an excellent way to acknowledge all the contributions of those whose assistance may go unnoticed while preserving the memory of one special man who provided the best example of that service.
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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