A rose to Terri Doumit and volunteers from Operation Colony Cats for their efforts in helping control feral cat population in the Golden Triangle. Doumit founded the organization with two friends in 2019. Since then, Operation Colony Cats in Columbus has spayed or neutered more than 6,672 cats and kittens and made 3,579 available for adoption across the U.S. and Canada. The efforts of this small group of volunteers has alleviated enormous pressure on local animal shelters. When OCC began, the euthanization rate of stray cats was 75%. The organization operates almost entirely on donations, raising anywhere from $25 to $300 per month through Facebook fundraisers to cover vaccinations, spaying, neutering and other medical care before the cats are released back into their colonies or sent to foster families. OCC works closely with both Columbus-Lowndes Humane Society and Oktibbeha County Humane Society, along with Mississippi State University’s Office of Veterinary Medicine, which provides veterinary care for the animals. We applaud this grassroots effort to address this problem and encourage citizens to donate to their efforts.
A thorn to the municipal elections candidates who did not file their latest campaign finance reports by Tuesday’s deadline. Candidates are required to file campaign finance reports periodically and itemize contributions and expenses in excess of $200. Only candidates in contested party primaries were required to report this period. In the Columbus Ward 5 race, candidates Sedrick Fenster and Cequeila Clark, failed to file a campaign finance report by the deadline. In Starkville’s Ward 7 race Nedra Lowery failed to file a report. Filing these reports in a timely fashion does not require much time or energy, so when candidates fail to meet that requirement it calls into question their fitness for office.
A rose to our local theatre groups, each of whom are in the process of staging a pair of classic stories that are certain to appeal to theater-goers of all ages. Golden Triangle Theatre staged the first of three performances of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” on Friday at the Lyceum at Lee. Tickets remain for Saturday’s 7 p.m. show as well as the Sunday matinee at 2:30. Tickets are $30 for adults and $15 for children. Starkville Community Theater opens its two-week run of Agatha Christie’s Classic, “Murder on the Orient Express” beginning Thursday. Tickets are $20 general admission and $15 for students and military and are available by calling the SCT box office at 662-323-6855 or online at: starkville-community-theatre.ticketleap.com. Having two outstanding theatre groups is a luxury for theater fans in the Golden Triangle. We urge the public to support these groups by attending these shows.
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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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
