A rose to the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors and the Columbus City Council, for working together to consummate the sale of the former Maxim Medical building located near Yorkville Square for the price of $200,000. The building, jointly owned by the city and county, will be the future home of Apex Ammunition, which expects to begin operations at the new site sometime in 2023 after finishing some major renovations as it expands operations from its current New Hope location. The deal brings the property back on the tax rolls. Lowndes County Coroner Greg Merchant, whose office was located in the building, will also get a much needed new space once he moves to another location. We applaud the county and city working together on this deal, which benefits our entire community.

A rose to new Mississippi State head football coach Zach Arnett, who was named to the position on Wednesday, just 48 hours after the death of coach Mike Leach. Arnett had served as Leach’s defensive coordinator since Leach came to MSU three years ago. During that span, he proved himself more than capable in the role, helping the Bulldog defense rank near the top in most defensive metrics each season. Arnett’s quick elevation to head coach is both a testament to his ability and recognition that in the volatile new world of college football — where players can be paid through name-and-likeness (NIL) agreements and transfer from one school to another at a moment’s notice — moving quickly on naming a coach was critical to preserving MSU’s roster, which might otherwise had been decimated by defections that would take years to overcome. At 36, Arnett is one of the youngest coaches in college football. We wish him success under these difficult circumstances.

A rose to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle, recently recognized as a top performer in the 2022 Bernard A. Birnbaum Quality Leadership Ranking. Baptist ranked number 10 out of 650 hospitals for quality of care in the United States as a complex care medical center by Vizient, a national database service, which allows hospitals around the country to compare the quality of care provided to patients with other similarly sized care facilities. BMH Chief Executive Officer and Administrator Paul Cade was presented the award Thursday afternoon at the hospital’s Outpatient Pavilion Conference Center by Vizient representatives Lani Berman and Michael Schwab. During the ceremony, Berman made note of the hospital’s superior care to its patients and the working relationship between the hospital and the database company. Baptist currently has 315 beds, making it one of the largest hospitals in the Memphis, Tennessee-based Baptist Memorial Health Care system. The hospital is a critical asset for the region, and its success is something all citizens can take pride in.

The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.