A rose to the Starkville Police Department’s SWAT team and all those who assisted in turning what could have been a tragedy into a rescue and an arrest where no one was harmed. In the early morning hours Thursday, SPD was called to the Brookville Garden Apartment complex where what began as a domestic violence call had quickly evolved into a hostage situation involving a 4-year-old child. It’s probably the worst situation imaginable, so every move to extract the child from a barricaded second-floor apartment was fraught with danger. After a tense two-plus hours, the SWAT team was able to get into the barricaded apartment, rescue the child and arrest the suspect, who faces a host of charges. Most important of all, there were no injuries. These are the types of situations SWAT team members prepare for, but preparation works only to a degree since every situation has its own unique circumstances. The incident is a reminder of how we rely on our law enforcement officers to protect us in times of danger. Well-done, officers!

A rose to Golden Triangle Theater and the Columbus Municipal School District for a program that will give fourth- and fifth-grade students at Fairview Elementary exposure to musical theater. At a time when many schools have taken the arts out of their offerings because of budget concerns, collaborations with outside groups are often the only means of providing students these opportunities. Through the theater’s new All For One program, students at Fairview will have weekly opportunities to practice their musical theater skills. The All For One program, which officially kicked off Thursday, will last throughout the semester. Each week, two instructors from GTT will spend two hours working on different musical theater skills with students who signed up for the program. Programs like this not only open a world of the arts, but helps students become better in the classroom.

A rose to the City of Starkville, which has erected a monument honoring James Thomas “Cool Papa” Bell at Cornerstone Park. Bell is one of those players who is a blend of myth and legend for his exploits in baseball. Bell played his entire career (1924-1946) in the Negro Leagues, where he was hailed as the fastest player in the game for his base-stealing prowess. As it is with many Negro Leagues players, whose exploits were not always recorded. Bell became a part of the folklore that grew up around the game of baseball, ultimately being inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974, the fifth Negro League player to earn that distinction. While not forgotten, Bell’s connection to Starkville (born there in 1903) was something not widely known as recently as 20 years ago. The dedication of the monument will be a reminder and an inspiration for Starkville kids for generations to come, as it should.

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