Articles by Dispatch Editorial Board

Our View: New way to look at affordability yields surprise for Mississippi
For as long as anyone can remember, we’ve been told that one of the best attributes about living in Mississippi is it is one of the most affordable places to live in the entire country. We’ve heard that for so long and so often that it’s taken as fact, especially when cited as a reason to oppose unions or raise wages.

Roses and thorns: 7-3-22
A rose to all Americans this Independence Day weekend. As we celebrate our nation’s 246th birthday, we recognize that our nation is bitterly divided. In

Our View: Golden Triangle, Miss. Main Street have close ties
Fifty years ago, Main Street USA was all but given up for dead, a victim of changing dynamics in retail sales. Downtowns throughout the county, in towns and cities large and small, were quickly becoming relics, if not eyesores, with vacant storefronts and little traffic.

Our View: A correction from John Adams
Today your editors take comfort in knowing that even Thomas Jefferson got criticized. As the 1776 delegates debated his draft of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson remembered, “I was sitting by Dr. Franklin, and he observed that I was writhing a little under the acrimonious criticisms of some of its parts.”

Our View: An Ole Miss mea culpa and a new opportunity
In baseball terms, it would be called a swing and a miss.

Our View: Fireworks on the Water
Fireworks on the Water returns to Columbus on Friday after a five-year hiatus.

Roses and thorns: 6-26-22
A rose to Matt Dowell, who officially becomes the executive director at Golden Triangle Regional Airport on Friday upon the retirement of Mike Hainsey, who

Our View: Cybersecurity is a vital life skill for today’s youth
It has long been established that K-12 education should go beyond academics to provide our children with practical knowledge important to every-day life.

Our View: GTRA’s operation, succession plan offer clear message: We need more Mike Hainseys
It’s an old saying, one appropriate to the occasion: Nobody ever talks about the planes that land safely.

Roses and thorns: 6-19-22
A rose to all the fathers out there today on Father’s Day. Established in the United States as a national holiday by Congress in 1972

Our view: PPP fraud should be prosecuted, but benefits of the program are obvious
When the Trump Administration pushed the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) in 2020, it was widely praised as a godsend for businesses and their employees at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic created the worst unemployment rates since the Great Depression.

Our View: Starkville school district recognizes importance of dyslexia therapy
Mississippi’s approach to providing tailored instruction for students with dyslexia has been a hit-or-miss effort, mostly miss.

Our View: LCSD playing with fire in its proposed medical marijuana policy
From the moment the Mississippi Legislature passed a law to create a medical marijuana program in January, it was inevitable that litigation would follow.

Roses and thorns: 6-12-22
A rose to everyone in the Golden Triangle who participated in Saturday’s Lemonade Day event. Lemonade Day began 15 years ago. Since then, more than

Our view: Tuesday’s productive council discussion was reassuring
Tuesday’s Columbus City Council meeting gave us a glimpse about how city government was intended to work.

Our view: Decommissioning county lake is an option worth exploring
The continuing saga of Oktibbeha County Lake may lead to a major plot twist since county supervisors learned of an amendment to ARPA rules that seriously questions how the county can fund repairs to the dam at the lake.

Our view: On sportsplex, supes should skip straight to Phase 2
We are told that one of the benefits of youth sports is that it builds character. Kids learn about fair play, respect for the opponent and the integrity of the game. They also learn about being “team players,” through working together toward a common goal.

Roses and thorns: 6-5-22
A rose to Starkville sixth-grader, Jessica Widodo, for her performance in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. Widodo, who just completed her sixth

Our View: ARPA funds should be maximized
When Congress passed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act in March 2021, Mississippi Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann called it a once-in-a-generation windfall for the state, its cities and counties and urged local governments to focus on infrastructure projects.

Our View: Thoughts and prayers for the Second Amendment
In the wake of Tuesday’s somewhat unfortunate events in Uvalde, Texas, which claimed the lives of 19 elementary school students and two fourth-grade teachers, it is important for us to remember the sanctity of the Second Amendment.