Our View: Reading scores will rise dramatically before end of summer
In May 2015, those who follow public education in Mississippi were introduced to a useful new spelling word: chill.
Our View: Execution of school plan is crucial in maintaining public trust
It is rare that any election produces a result as emphatic as Tuesday’s special election in Columbus where 85.7% of voters approved a $36-million bond
Our View: 1964’s Freedom Summer, ignored by this paper at the time, is a story worth preserving
In 2006, Peter Norall returned to Columbus for the first time in 42 years to look for whatever traces of his first visit could be found. There weren’t many to speak of.
Our View: Release of school bond details a victory for district, citizens, newspaper
Two weeks before Columbus voters go to the polls to determine the fate of a $36 million bond issue for repairs and improvements in the Columbus Municipal School District, citizens finally have the information they need to make an informed decision.
Our View: Public deserves details on $36M CMSD bond
On May 14, the Columbus Municipal School District Board of Trustees and Superintendent Stanley Ellis will ask voters to approve a $36 million bond to add, improve and renovate facilities in the district.
Our View: Is spring cleaning for hazardous waste? This weekend it is.
It may be tradition or, perhaps, that burst of energy you feel when spring weather arrives. Whatever the motivation, spring cleaning has become part of
Our View: Attendance policies are healthy for boards and their members
It’s fair to say that most towns and cities rely on volunteers to meet the needs of their citizens, mainly by serving on boards and commissions.
Our View: Historic places are chances to share a shared history
It seems self-evident today, but the most interesting aspect of the 181-year-old Friendship Cemetery is not the headstones and grave markers but what lies beneath them.
Our View: Is third time the charm for OCH sale?
Noted mathematicians and historian Morris Kline once observed that the most fertile source of insight is hindsight.
Our View: Verdict shows feds were reckless with J5 men’s reputations, livelihoods
On Friday, Columbus business partners Jabari Edwards and Antwann Richardson were acquitted on all federal charges connected to alleged misuse of federal pandemic funds.
Our View: Clear-cut Trotter rental policy is a good move
Like crabgrass in the spring, the issue of free use of the Trotter Center keeps popping up.
Our View: Thanks to the county, annexation will be a fair fight
On Monday, the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to provide up to $50,000 to secure an attorney to oppose annexation by the city of Columbus.
Our View: When is the right time to have a tornado plan? Now.
This week, Consumer Affairs released its annual report on tornadoes using data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) which has been tracking tornadoes in the United States since 1950.
Our View: Of the two school funding bills, INSPIRE Act may do it better
Each year, some of the most closely-watched legislation presented in the Mississippi Legislature involves funding for K-12 public education. For supporters of public schools, these
Our View: Now is not the time for apathy
The old phrase, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch,” is often used to describe a something-for-nothing attitude. But when applied to the health of a community, it is used as a reminder that the benefits we derive from being a part of a community carries with it obligations, and the quality of our community often relies on how well we meet those obligations.
Our View: CMSD facilities plan needed clearer vision, better sell job
It’s been 13 years since Del Phillips left his role as Columbus Municipal School District superintendent for a job in Tennessee. Time can sometimes be a harsh judge, and while some of the luster of Phillips’ tenure has faded — the location of the “new” middle school did not achieve what he predicted in growing attendance — there remains no question of his ability to form a plan and sell it.
Our View: Reckless lawmaking
Imagine sitting in your home one day, and there’s a knock at the door. You answer, and the person on your front steps shows you a legal contract stating you now own your neighbor’s house.
Our View: It’s time to modernize public notice rates in Mississippi
Mississippi’s newspapers have been trusted with publishing legally required government notices for decades — centuries, in fact. Of course we publish news about cities, counties, and schools in our communities, but newspaper media also provides a valuable service to government and the public by independently distributing required legal notices to audiences far and wide.
Our View: MUW needs stakeholders to rally
There are 172 members of the Mississippi Legislature, including 52 senators.
Our View: A monumental injustice
It would be hard to find a better example of why Black History Month still matters than the story of the World War I monument on the grounds of the Lowndes County Courthouse.