A rose to everyone as we approach Thanksgiving and especially those who have expressed it through their generosity. A grateful heart naturally turns to thoughts of others, as we have seen through the efforts of organizations across the Golden Triangle who have held turkey and food package give-aways for the needy and elderly. Among them: The Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office and the Community Benefit Committee in Lowndes County, Starkville Strong in Oktibbeha County and The Project Homestead Food Pantry of Clay County. No doubt, there are many other organizations and individual who have made similar contributions that have escaped our attention. There are also the largely unnoticed deeds by those who may have helped a neighbor or invited someone to share their family Thanksgiving. The best expression of gratitude is to help others. No doubt, the spirit of Thanksgiving is alive and well in our communities. Happy Thanksgiving!
A rose to Joseph Daughtry, who was officially announced as the new Columbus Police Chief during Tuesday’s city council meeting. Daughtry will begin his new role in the city on Jan. 1 as the replacement for Fred Shelton who retired in August. Daughtry comes to Columbus from Natchez, where he served two years as chief. A 25-year veteran in law enforcement, Daughtry was elected leader of the Mississippi Association of Chiefs of Police in June. Daughtry will rely on those experiences as he tackles the challenges posed by his new job, including building morale within the department, addressing staff shortages and building relationships between the department and the citizens. We wish him well in those efforts. Welcome to Columbus, Chief Daughtry.
A rose to West Point brothers Cameron and Colton Bissard, who used their birthday celebration to raise funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Because Cameron, who turns 10 in December, and Colton, who turned 9 this month, have birthdays so close together, the boys celebrated a joint birthday party. As part of the birthday party, the boys collected donations for St. Jude rather than pooling the money for the sort of things any kid might want – the latest gaming system, bikes, etc. In the end, they raised $732 for St. Jude, whose funding relies heavily on donations. We hope the boys’ generosity will inspire others to donate to charities important to them. We applaud Cameron and Colton for their example.
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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