Our View: No football, baseball fields in the MSU plan for SHS & MSMS?

Mississippi State’s response to the Department of Education’s request for plans to accommodate the move of the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science from MUW to the MSU campus was impressive in its detail (12 pages) and presentation (color graphics, photos and schematics).

Roses and Thorns: 3-1-25

A rose to the Lowndes County Democratic Party which staged this year’s first public mayoral debate on Tuesday at the Columbus Municipal Complex. State representative

Our View: To see who benefits from an MSMS move, follow the money

If the Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District didn’t have plans to build a new high school, it’s possible the idea of relocating the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science to the MSU campus might never have moved beyond conjecture.

Our View: One debate, numerous winners

It’s almost impossible for those who attend a candidate debate to reach a consensus, but we are willing to state as fact that those who turned out for Tuesday’s mayoral debate left feeling better – perhaps much better – about the upcoming election.

Our View: A small gesture can produce a smile

A child’s first haircut may evoke tears, but after that, a fresh haircut is a pleasant experience. There’s something about it that puts a bounce in your step and boosts your confidence. It’s one of the indulgences we allow ourselves at more or less regular intervals.

Roses and Thorns: 2-22-25

A rose to the Columbus City Council for tabling a motion to renew the city’s contract with its lobbying firm until the firm provides information

Our View: Judge’s order to remove editorial undermines press freedom

On Feb. 8, the Clarksdale Press-Register published an editorial saying the city of Clarksdale had failed to notify the newspaper of a special call meeting despite the city claiming it had.

Our View: Should we remove the Old West Point Road bridge?

Stop us if you’ve heard this one over and over and over.

The Highway 82 overpass at Old West Point Road is closed and awaiting repairs from the Mississippi Department of Transportation after a truck hit it in October. This past weekend, it was stuck again by an eastbound oversized vehicle.

Roses and Thorns: 2-15-25

A rose to Mississippi State baseball players Hunter Hines and Stone Simmons and Simmons Erosion Control for putting together an NIL package for the benefit

Our View: Supporting efforts to keep MSMS at MUW is not a dig at MSU

Molly Ivins, the late columnist, essayist and political commentator, once wrote a column on the subject of gun control, using her marvelous humor to make her point.

Our View: Do you have opinions on MSMS? Here’s who to call

The success of acupuncture depends on knowing where to apply the pressure. The same can be said of influencing policy. In Tuesday’s edition, a Dispatch

Our View: Kerr-McGee misconceptions are crippling redevelopment efforts

The fear of redevelopment at the former Columbus Kerr-McGee creosote plant that sickened and killed hundreds of residents runs deep.

Our View: Process for determining MSMS site not fair to MUW

There’s more than one way to skin a cat.

There is also more than one way to skin Mississippi University for Women.

Roses and Thorns: 2-8-25

A rose to Cash and Carry owner Lindy McBryde, who has chosen to honor the memory of his late wife through a donation to a

Our View: City government is poisoning its ability to hire

If you didn’t know that this is an election year for municipal governments in Mississippi, you would be able to discern as much simply by observing the conduct of the Columbus City council of late. Council meetings, work sessions and special call meetings have turned into a spectacle of grand-standing, bloviating and thinly-veiled campaigning, all on the city’s time and the taxpayers’ dime.

Our View: Columbus’ drainage project is as stopped up as the ditches themselves

To suggest the city of Columbus’ $6.2 million drainage project has slowed to a halt suggests the project has started in the first place. For all practical purposes, the city is no closer to making the project a reality than when it was conceived. The work hasn’t even been bid.

Roses and Thorns: 2-1-25

A rose to all those who have made the decision to serve their communities by running for municipal offices throughout the Golden Triangle. The field

Our View: Ward meetings are a good way to leverage CPD’s greatest assets: Columbus’ citizens

Columbus Police Chief Joseph Daughtry hopes informational meetings with citizens in each ward will provide answers, dispel myths, create better police/citizen relations, create a better understanding of police operations and encourage citizens to organize neighborhood watch programs to help reduce crime in their community.

Our View: Study could reopen door to city-county parks collaboration, and that’s a good thing

In an earlier time, marketing was of little concern to city or county parks and recreation departments since the focus was entirely on their own communities. Starkville’s programs were of little concern to Columbus and vice versa. They all occupied their own well-defined space and were content in it.

Roses and Thorns: 1-25-25

A rose to the city of Starkville and TVA for a collaboration to make the city more verdant and aesthetically pleasing. The city announced this