A rose to Edward Yeates, founder of the Father”s Child Ministry, for ensuring a group of local children have a father figure to look up to during today”s national holiday. Yeates took a group of children, ages 8-12, on a camping trip to Vossburg, where they studied the Bible and toasted marshmallows, among other activities.
The Father”s Child Ministry is focused year-round — not just on Father”s Day — on mentoring children who otherwise might not have a positive male role model. The program works within the public schools and also hosts its own events, such as its annual Fight for the Family rally.
It is one of many organizations working to restore the fabric of family and community, by focusing on our most precious commodity — children.
A rose to fallen soldier Sgt. Christopher Bell of Golden, who was laid to rest in Columbus on Friday. Bell, 21, and three others lost their lives in Afghanistan in a roadside explosion on June 4. A rose of condolence also goes out to the family and friends of the man who lost his life in defense of the freedoms we enjoy.
Bell has family ties to the area, and the community showed up at the funeral and along the route of the funeral procession to show their appreciation for his sacrifice.
The state”s chapter of the Patriot Riders Guard also was on hand, to protect the integrity of the funeral from the threat of protests, though none materialized.
A rose to the Golden Triangle Regional Airport, Columbus-Lowndes Development Link, the cities of West Point, Columbus and Starkville and Oktibbeha and Lowndes counties for their efforts to expand options at the airport. GTRA Thursday celebrated extending its runway to 8,000 feet, making the area and its new 2,500-acre aerospace industrial park more appealing to prospective companies.
Mike Hainsey, director of the airport, called the project a visionary effort. The longer runway allows the airport to support larger (and heavier) planes and offers pilots and passengers the added safety of a larger “margin of error,” Hainsey said.
This week, GTRA officials and other economic development players will be at the Paris International Air Show, making contacts and selling the GTR Global Industrial Aerospace Park. Several international companies already are interested in the site, which boasts air, rail, highway and waterway access.
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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