A rose to all on this Easter Sunday. For Christians, today is the most important religious holiday of the year, even surpassing Christmas in its spiritual importance. Churches everywhere mark the occasion with special services and events. For more secular citizens or those of other faiths, Easter is a harbinger of spring, accompanied by fun activities such as Easter Egg hunts. Whatever the holiday means to you, we hope your Easter is filled with joy.
A rose to our utility workers, who worked around the clock yet again in response to Thursday’s storms to restore power to thousands of customers. In many respects, the job was more difficult than is usually required. Rather than a direct path storm where outages were concentrated in certain areas, Thursday’s storm was widely dispersed and sporadic, with falling trees and limbs knocking out service over a broad expanse. Line by line, fallen tree by fallen tree, utility workers across the Golden Triangle answered the challenge. In most cases, power was restored within 12 hours. That’s a great job. Thanks to all.
A rose to Patrick Miller, who resigned his position as Starkville Ward 5 aldermen Monday after accepting a job in Biloxi. Although a first-term board member, Miller proved to be a thoughtful presence on the board, noted for doing his homework and advocating for changes that benefitted the city, such as increasing the city’s digital footprint to adjusting the utility-rate structure on helping fund major, much-needed infrastructure projects. We thank Miller for his service and wish him every success in this next chapter of his life.
A rose to the Frank Phillips YMCA in downtown Columbus, whose specialized classes have made a huge impact on the health of Parkinson’s disease sufferers in our community, often limiting the crippling effects or the disease or slowing its progression. The variety of courses — boxing, aquatics and, most recently, walking — are specially tailored to address the needs of those with Parkinson’s. For those with the disease and their family members, Parkinson’s can be a heart-breaking ordeal as the patient’s physical abilities deteriorate over time. Through these classes, patients are fighting back, in some cases literally, to slow the effects, allowing them the dignity of a “normal life.” We applaud The Y and its dedicated staff for providing this wonderful service. To learn more about The Y’s programs, visit columbus-ymca.com or call 662-328-7696.
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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