A rose to our public libraries for providing summer activities for school children during their break from traditional learning. The Starkville Public Library is hosting daily activities for children up to 12 years old every Monday through Thursday during June and July at Fire Station Park. The summer program kicked off Tuesday with children learning about robotics and coding. Other programming includes science, robotics, art and coding throughout the week.
Columbus Public Library is hosting a summer reading program as well, launching yesterday with its summer kickoff. Tuesdays throughout the summer will see different activities such as pottery making, tales of magic and capturing creatures. Mother Goose storytime will be Thursdays with Wee Baby Fridays for ages 0 to 5. Caledonia Public Library is also hosting summer activities on Wednesdays throughout June and July, including musical tales, tales with Mother Goose, digging, pottery and water relays. Bryan Public Library in West Point will present virtual programming through its Facebook page. Summer should be a time for school children to relax, but not at the expense of learning new things in a fun and stimulating way. We want our children to return to school refreshed and stimulated to learn.
A rose to the Columbus City Council for approving an agreement with the company Ring that will allow police and firefighters to access video from residents’ Ring surveillance systems with the residents’ permission. The idea is that if a crime or suspected crime occurs in a particular area of the city, investigators can view surveillance footage from doorbell cameras in the area. Ring is a national company owned by Amazon that produces doorbells that record video of activity on residential property and send the video to the homeowners’ phones. Investigators will be able to request video from a particular time and place from Ring. Ring will then contact residents in the area and ask for permission to send the videos. This is an opportunity for citizens to play an active role in combating crime, an opportunity made possible through this agreement between the city and Ring. It’s a practical way of using existing technology for the good of the community.
A rose to longtime restaurateur Helen Karriem, for the special recognition she recently received. For more than 30 years, Helen’s Kitchen has been a fixture just off Seventh Avenue North. Now, her name will be immortalized on a section of Seventh Avenue and 15th Street North, which was designated with a street sign as “Helen Karriem Way’’ in a May 28th ceremony. Karriem’s care for the people whom she has served breakfasts and lunches over three decades is often exemplified in the worst of times, such as when the EF3 Tornado ripped through the neighborhood. In the aftermath, Karriem provided hot meals to the displaced and traumatized neighbors immediately following the storm, proof yet again that, in good times or bad, she has always been there for her community. The street-naming is a well-deserved recognition of her contributions to the city of Columbus.
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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