A rose to Hagan Walker and Kaylie Mitchell, along with Mississippi State’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach business incubator at the Thad Cochran Research Center which helped the young entrepreneurs during the formative stages of their start-up company.
The duo has been invited to show off their product, “Glo” — a lighted cube added to drinks — at a celebrity gift event before the Academy Awards in Los Angeles on Feb. 25.
Their product will be featured in front of more than 100 invited guests, including celebrities, models, actors, singers and entertainment executives.
Theirs is one of many start-up companies aided by the MSU incubator, which helps new businesses get their footing by providing work space, expert advice and other support that is vital to getting them off the ground. We applaud the spirit of entrepreneurship and the university’s efforts in promoting that spirit.
A rose to traveling tea brewer Guisepi Spadafora, who visited Columbus and Starkville this past week as part of his two-and-a-half month trek through the South.
Spadafora, a native of Washington state, has been traveling the country for nine years in Edna Lu the Tea Bus, a bus he’s converted to run on filtered vegetable oil. One of Spadafora’s objectives is to show how removing currency from an exchange allows people, even strangers, to connect on a personal level in ways they might not otherwise.
The tea is free of charge, as is the conversation. It’s a simple act, but in these tumultuous times, Spadafora reminds us that life and the joy of living are not as complex, hurried and combative as we often make it.
Spadafora’s visit evoked fascinating conversations and offered testament to the richness of a life devoted to the accumulation of experience rather than possessions. Thanks, Mr. Tea Man. Godspeed on your travels. We hope this isn’t your last visit to the area.
A rose to Tammy Baines Prescott, who was honored Thursday with the Book of Golden Deeds Award by the Columbus Exchange Club. The award is presented annually to recognize an individual for volunteer work in the community.
Prescott serves as a corporal deputy sheriff with the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office. In that capacity, she is the LCSO’s chief liaison with the community, serving on a variety of community boards, including the Lowndes County Adults on Aging, the YMCA and Golden Triangle Crime Stoppers. She also works with community relations programs teaching safety and awareness. But she was recognized especially for her volunteer work with the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts of America and Camp Rising Sun where she’s volunteered since 2004.
In an era where the relationship between law enforcement and residents are often strained, the work of people like Prescott is essential in bridging the gaps of mistrust. We applaud the Exchange Club for its excellent choice.
A rose to note the completion of a major project in the city that has long been a source of frustration for Columbus residents. In three months, the Seventh Avenue ditch on Northside has been transformed from an open, jagged trench filled with snakes, exposed pipes and other dangers to an unassuming grassy space.
On Tuesday, the city celebrated the completion of the $2.8 million project, which included installation of a new lining and box culverts along 935 feet of ditch from Maranatha Faith Center on Waterworks Road to Propst Park.
The project is the second the city and other groups, such as the Environmental Protection Agency, Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality and Greenfield Environmental Multi-state Trust, have undertaken to remove creosote and improve drainage in ditches flowing from the former Kerr-McGee plant site.
In 2015, the city completed a renovation of the ditch along 14th Avenue North. The completion of the project marks the end of one long nightmare and signals progress in a neglected area of the city.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 32 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.