A rose to Lowndes County Rep. Jeff Smith, who used his authority as chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee to block an attempt to fine state universities for not flying the Mississippi flag.
The original bill provided a tax break on university buildings built on private land. But Rep. William Shirley (R, Quitman) added an amendment that would require any university claiming the exemption would be required to fly the controversial flag. Smith vowed that amendment would not make it through committee on Wednesday.
We applaud Smith’s action. Our flag should be one all Mississippians can take pride in. That’s not the case with the current flag, Smith used his power wisely and for the benefit of all Mississippians.
A rose to both the Starkville and West Point high school girls’ basketball teams, both of which competed this weekend in the Mississippi High School Athletics Association state championships in their respective classes. Starkville lost to Olive Branch on Saturday, capping a second consecutive deep run in the Class 6A playoffs under head coach Kristie Williams. West Point, coached by Dashmond Daniel, played surprisingly well en route to the Class 5A final on Friday before the team fell in a nailbiter to Neshoba Central. Win or lose, reaching the state finals in any high school sport is a great accomplishment and one these young ladies will surely cherish for years to come.
A rose to Columbus Rep. Kabir Karriem, who co-authored a bill that has cleared both chambers and will now head to the governor’s desk for signing. The bill calls for school districts to enact better policies for anti-bullying.
The law will require a uniform policy for all school districts, where guidelines to discourage bullying and protect victims vary widely. We believe this law will add consistency and clarity for the issue for students, parents and school administrators toward the goal of bullying prevention.
A rose to 14-year-old Mark Coblentz of Starkville, who appears to be well on his way to becoming a master chef, regardless of what his fate my hold in the current TV competition in which he is a participant.
Coblentz, who competed on the Food Network TV series “Chopped Junior” in 2015, has advanced to the final 16 competitors in the Fox series “MasterChef Junior.” He was one of 40 original contestants where two young chefs are eliminated each week. That means he’s more than halfway to the title. The show airs Thursdays at 7 p.m. We wish Coblentz continued success.
A rose to the Greater Starkville Development Partnership and the Oktibbeha County Bar Association who are joining forces to host a poll watchers seminar from 2-5 p.m. March 23 at the Courthouse Annex in Starkville. The seminar will focus on explaining what poll watchers can and can’t do and how they should interact with poll workers.
Information will also be provided on how to appropriately challenge a ballot, how to object to someone campaigning too close to a polling place and how to register to become a poll watcher. Seminar registration is $15 for Oktibbeha County residents and the deadline to sign up for the seminar is Thursday. We encourage citizens with an interest in becoming a poll watcher to attend this event. Poll watchers play an important role in maintaining public confidence that our voting process is fairly conducted. That’s something all voters can appreciate.
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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