A rose to Mississippi State’s women’s basketball team and their devoted fans. The Bulldogs play DePaul today, with the winner advancing to the NCAA Women’s Tournament Sweet 16.
For MSU, a win today would be the Bulldogs’ second straight trip to the Sweet 16 round. We also commend Bulldog fans, whose support of the team has been nothing short of phenomenal.
Friday’s 110-69 win over Troy drew more than 5,500 fans, which is impressive considering the game tipped off at 1:30 p.m. MSU’s 6,700-plus average attendance ranks seventh in the nation. Today marks the last time the Bulldogs will play at home this season. We expect a big crowd at Humphrey Coliseum to send the Bulldogs off not to the end of the regular season, but for even greater achievements. As MSU coach Vic Schaefer says at the end of every interview: Praise the Lord and Go Dawgs!
A rose to 12-year-old Soyeon Park, who will be making her second straight trip to our nation’s capital for the Scripps-Howard National Spelling Bee in May. Park, a 12-year-old sixth-grader at Starkville’s Armstrong Middle School, emerged from a field of 44 contestants Tuesday to claim the Mississippi spelling title and earn her trip to Washington.
Last year, Park won the Mid-South Regional Spelling Bee in Memphis to advance to the national competition. No matter how you spell it, Park is a cut above when it comes to spelling. We wish her all the best as she competes against the nation’s top spellers.
A rose to Donnie Elkin, who ended his 27 years of service to the city of Columbus on March 2. Since 1990, Elkin has been a member of the Columbus Police Department, rising from the rank of corporal to the rank of captain, where he currently serves as supervisor of the patrol division. Elkin will be missed, especially in a department where veteran officers are scarce. After devoting most of his adult life to protecting and serving the city of Columbus, we wish Elkin, 51, the best in whatever new challenge awaits.
A rose to the city of Columbus, which offered a week’s worth of free activities for students during last week’s spring break. While bad weather interfered with some of the planned events, we applaud the city’s efforts in providing kids opportunities for constructive fun — from basketball and sports to movies and a dance — all in a safe, supervised environment.
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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