A rose to the Bass Anglers Sports Society (B.A.S.S.) which returns to Columbus for the first time in 21 years with the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Tombigbee River, the second of its eight 2025 Bassmaster Open tournaments. The competition will bring 156 of the country’s top professional anglers to Columbus for three days of competition. Wednesday and Thursday will be full-field fishing days with all anglers bringing in their heaviest five catches to weigh-ins. The top 10 anglers will then compete April 18 to crown the champion. The arrival of these top professionals, along with spectators they draw, will be a welcomed boost for local hotels, restaurants and shops . Besides more than $300,000 in cash going to top competitors on the Tombigbee River, including more than $50,000 to the winner, the champ also clinched a berth in the 2026 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic to be held next March on the Tennessee River in Knoxville, Tenn. We welcome these pros to Columbus and wish them Good Fishing.

A rose to the Dixie Butler and Columbus Cultural Heritage Foundation on Tuesday’s unveiling of the bronze statue of Tennessee Williams sitting on a bench outside of the Tennessee Williams Home and Welcome Center. The statue was funded by a $75,000 grant from Dixie Butler and is a perfect complement to the property after a $300,000 renovation of the house where the famous playwright spent the first few years of his life. Interestingly, while Columbus has markers for many of its famous residents, this is the first statue we’re aware of that is dedicated to any real person (There is a miniature Lady Liberty statue on Main Street). Like the statue of William Faulkner in Oxford, the Williams’ likeness is posed at one end of the bench, leaving sitting space for visitors, an obvious photo op to commemorate their visit to the property. We again thank Dixie for her generosity and congratulate the CCHF as it operates this important tourist attraction.

A rose to the Oktibbeha County Humane Society (OCHS) at the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) which celebrated an expansion of the Starkville facility with a grand opening event on Tuesday. The long-awaited and much-needed $1.2 million VanLandingham Kennel Facility, funded primarily by $1 million of ASPCA contributions, will greatly enhance the services provided by the OCHS. The new facilities will be used for animal transit, along with spaying and neutering, OCHS had hoped to open the doors of its new facilities by the fall, but construction delays moved the timeline back. The spaying and neutering clinic, however, has been operating for months, and by Tuesday the animal transit facility was just a couple weeks away from its finishing touches. The new facility’s spaying and neutering capacity will be 9,000 and represents a major advancement in the fight against dog/cat overpopulation. Congratulations to the staff, volunteers and supporters of OCHS on this important expansion.

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