A rose to Mississippi State graduate student Eric Anderson, whose invention will be of great use in the fields of archeology and anthropology. Anderson’s invention, called Anderson’s Portable Osteometric Device, incorporates lasers to measure bones. It marks the first major improvement in how scientists measure bones since the 19th Century. The invention uses lasers to make 20 measurements, far beyond what the old measuring devices could achieve. It will help scientists more accurately to determine bone length, which can be an indicator for a variety of things including stature, growth and development patterns and sex. Anderson has been awarded a $50,000 grant to further refine his invention. We congratulate Eric for his contribution to the scientific community.
A thorn to U.S. Senators Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith for putting petty partisan politics ahead of the health of veterans who have developed serious health issues after being exposed to burn pits and other toxins during their service. The PACT Act, which would have provided funds for those service men and women affected by exposure to those toxins, initially passed the Senate by a vote of 84-14 in June. But Wednesday, during a procedural vote on the legislation, 41 Senate Republicans who had voted for the legislation in June, including Hyde-Smith, reversed their votes, sending the legislation to defeat. Video shows some Republican Senators fist-bumping on the Senate floor after the vote. Wicker did not vote in June but voted against the bill Wednesday. The bill that was rejected by the majority of Senate Republicans Wednesday was the same bill that passed easily in June. The only credible explanation for the wholesale change in GOP voting is that Republicans fear any successful legislation offered by Democrats — especially when it comes to our veterans — is politically damaging. Veterans groups, understandably, have responded angrily to the Republicans’ duplicity. Our vets don’t care who gets the credit. What they care about is getting the services they need.
A rose to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Columbus Light and Water and the Columbus Housing Authority (CHA) for their collaboration on a pilot program that will help Housing Authority residents bridge the digital divide that often inhibits access to information and opportunity. Adult residents of the Columbus Housing Authority can earn a Lenovo laptop and a home WiFi hotspot by taking an eight-hour digital literacy class through the Columbus Housing Authority. The CHA partnered with Columbus Light and Water and the Tennessee Valley Authority’s ACTNow program. ACTNow is a pilot program, launching in Columbus, that aims to increase digital literacy. TVA is contributing about $270,000 for the program, said CLW General Manager Angela Verdell, with CHA and CLW providing about $70,000 on top of that, money that will be used to purchase 250 laptops. We applaud this effort to make sure that low-income citizens have the access to the digital world that is now essential.
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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