A rose to local organizers for their efforts to honor the memory and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr, with a variety of events on Monday, the federal MLK Jr. Day holiday. Columbus will hold its first MLK Day Breakfast and Day of Service since 2020 at 8 a.m. at Lion Hills Center, where the United Way of Lowndes and Clay counties will collect school supplies for area teachers as this year’s service project.

Those who attend the event will be asked to take a basket and fill it with items on the wishlist. Mississippi State University will host its annual Breakfast and Day of Service beginning at 9:30 a.m. at the Mill at MSU Conference Center, The event will feature breakfast followed by community service from 10 a.m.-noon. Another event begins at 10 a.m. at Mt. Peiler Missionary Baptist Church, located at 840 Highway 389 in Starkville. The day will round out at 1:30 p.m. in Starkville with an event celebrating this year’s two new Unity Park honorees, W. Bernard Crump and Ava F. Moore. We thank organizers and volunteers for providing these opportunities to celebrate a true American hero through service to others.

A rose to new Mississippi State Athletic Director, Zac Selmon, who was introduced in his new role on Friday. Selmon comes to MSU from the University of Oklahoma, where he served as deputy athletics director for external engagement and advancement. At age 37, Selmon is a young, dynamic leader who comes to MSU at a time when the landscape of college athletics is rapidly changing. Athletes can transfer in and out of a program without penalty and the arrival of Name Image Likeness (NIL) allows athletes to earn money through endorsement deals, which means schools with more NIL money to offer have an advantage in recruiting and retaining players as well as luring top performers from other schools. Like these changes or not, it’s the current reality of college athletics. Selmon’s skill set and experience seem perfectly suited for this brave new world of college sports. We wish him all the best.

A rose to Connie Hudson, co-owner of Rose Drug Company in West Point, upon learning that she will close the independent pharmacy and boutique that has been in operation for more than 100 years on Jan. 25. Hudson’s family has operated the store and boutique since the 1950s and she took over the store in the 1970s. The store will continue to operate as a part of the national pharmacy chain CVS. The pressures on small, family-owned businesses are in play here and we certainly commend Hudson for her “good fight” over recent years. Even so, we mourn the departure of Rose Drug Company because any time we lose a long-standing, family-owned business, it takes away a little of the community’s identity and history. Farewell, old friend!

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