A rose to students, teachers and staff as the new school year kicks off. The first day of school begins for students in Starkville on Tuesday, while Columbus, Lowndes County and West Point students begin classes on Thursday. For the latter three schools, it will be their first year of a modified school year that shortened the summer break but will have breaks in the fall and spring, which will allow students who have fallen behind to catch up. This will be the second year of the modified schedule for Starkville students. The beginning of the school year is a special time. We thank everyone involved in the education of our children as the new school year begins.
A rose to the ad hoc committee of city officials, business owners and residents for crafting a proposal for a “red cup” district that will be presented to the city council for approval at its Aug. 1 meeting. The committee met again on Wednesday, adjusting the plan by condensing the area of the district and setting the hours from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. seven days a week. The district would allow patrons at downtown restaurants and bars to carry alcohol in to-go cups outside of the establishment where the drinks are purchased. The area is confined to an area of about three blocks north of Main Street and two blocks south, including downtown restaurants that sell alcohol as well as the location of festivals such as Market Street. Concerns about the public safety were assuaged by police chief Joseph Daughtry, who said the district would not put an undue burden on police staffing. We believe the proposal will be an asset to businesses, festival organizers and festival-goers without compromising safety. We look forward to the city council’s discussions.
A rose to Calvin Waddy and Shelby Baldwin, whose online advertising management platform, Buzzbassador, was awarded a $250,000 contribution from the Google for Startups Black Founders Fund. Waddy and Baldwin started the business in 2019 at Mississippi State University’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach. The company now boasts more than 140,000 users, and has generated $20 million for 450 businesses, and had raised $950,000 prior to the Google funding. With just 1% of venture capital invested in Black-founded companies, the Google support is a show of faith in an underrepresented segment of business owners and should be an inspiration to young entrepreneurs of all races. While the company is now located in Texas, it grew distinctly out of MSU’s e-Center, which continues to produce a proud pipeline of startups.
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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