Articles by Dispatch Editorial Board
Our View: Plenty can be learned from success of West Lowndes third-graders
Almost any discussion of the success of the Lowndes County School District begins with Caledonia Elementary School.
Roses and thorns: 5-27-23
A rose on this Memorial Day weekend to all who laid down their lives in military service for our nation. For that reason, of the
Our View: Del Rendon gallery just the latest addition to a rich arts community
Del Rendon was a regionally-known rock-and-roll artist who for 20 years was the driving force in the Starkville music scene.
Our View: 132 people take their lives daily; we need to be discussing suicide more
At roughly the same time the term Post Traumatic Stress Disorder was entering the lexicon, Joseph Wambaugh published “The Choirboys,” a 1975 novel that described some of the behaviors of police officers who are repeatedly exposed to traumatic situations, based on his 14 years as a Los Angeles police officer.
Our View: As college towns, we should offer support to students far from home
The Shelton family of Columbus and the de la Cruz family of Starkville have been casting their bread upon the waters, as the saying goes, for decades.
Roses and thorns: 5-20-23
A rose to the Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District for looking into technology to protect its students from gun violence in a way that doesn’t
Our View: With the Oktibbeha Safe Room, ‘ours’ is better than ‘mine’
In many cases when a city and the county where that city is located have a conflict, it’s a matter of understanding the important difference between “mine” and “ours.”
Our View: Salvation Army is more than Red Kettles and Angel Trees
When most people think of The Salvation Army, the images that emerge are the bell-ringers and their red kettles encountered outside retail stores during the Christmas season or the Angel Tree program.
Roses and thorns: 5-13-23
A rose to all the mothers, moms and mamas this weekend as we celebrate Mother’s Day, the most personal of our national holidays, as was
Our View: Presley is the clear choice for governor
In November, Mississippians will choose their 66th governor. Republican incumbent Tate Reeves faces off against Democrat Brandon Presley, a public service commissioner and former mayor of Nettleton.
Our View: ‘Well-treated’ bondage is unfortunately an enduring myth
Since 2005, students in the African American history class at Mississippi School of Mathematics and Science have staged a program in conjunction with the Eighth of May, the day Columbus slaves were emancipated by federal troops – May 8, 1865.
Our View: Wolfe’s Pulitzer a reminder of journalism work state-wide
In the field of print and online journalism, there is no higher honor than the Pulitzer Prize. Originally conceived to honor journalism exclusively when it
Roses and thorns: 5-6-23
A rose to the Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District, which with the support of Mississippi State’s psychology department and local first-responders will implement the state’s
Our View: There’s always something to do
It’s the lament often heard in small towns and cities: There’s nothing to do!
Our View: Caution should be exercised when removing board appointees
The Lowndes County Board of Supervisors removed one of its appointees to the Columbus-Lowndes Convention and Visitors Bureau board on Monday. By a 4-0 vote (Board President Trip Hairston abstained) the board removed Joe Beckett from the nine-member board.
Our View: Small airports play important role in area history and air services
If you had three guesses to answer the question, “What is the oldest airport in the Golden Triangle?” your first two guesses (Columbus Air Force Base and Golden Triangle Regional Airport) would be wrong.
Roses and thorns: 4-29-23
A rose to Melinda Lowe, who has been announced as the FORGE Foundation’s first full-time executive director. Founded in 2018 by a group of Golden
Our View: It’s in Columbus. And it is a place. Surely there’s a better name though.
William Shakespeare was a literary genius, but an indifferent marketer.
Roses and thorns: 4-22-23
A rose to Sharon Jones, whose program, “Paroled2Pride” provides career placement assistance for those who have recently been released from prison. Jones, the general manager
Our View: We miss Robert Smith’s “flower budget” and are excited at landscaping prospects
Robert Smith’s 15 years as Columbus mayor will be remembered for any number of things but there is one hallmark of his tenure that people will agree on: Robert the Mayor was a lot like Ferdinand the Bull.
Chain’s life in the water leads to a lap around Key West
July 19, 2025
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