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Opinion

  •  The decision by the New Albany Board of Aldermen to have an engineering firm try to develop information to reduce the area designated as flood plain is a good one.

  •  Chancellor Dan Jones of the University of Mississippi didn’t have to get involved in controversy by banning the sports medley “From Dixie With Love” at university football games.

  •  Providing help to adults with special needs is the business of the New Haven Center for Special Needs Adults.

    But the school now has its own special need and is looking to the community to provide the money for it. The school needs a 28-passenger handicapped-accessible bus because its client base is now 22 people ages 20 to 55.

  •  The proposed revision to New Albany’s comprehensive plan was unveiled at Monday night’s meeting of the Board of Aldermen and it’s a lot to take in.

    We’ve only begun studying the document. It will be available in the next few days online at ucda-newalbany.com.

  •  The 35th annual Sharing at Christmas fundraising drive is under way and we have changed it a bit this year in the hope of reaching our $20,000 goal.

    You already know the program, sponsored by the Gazette with the help of many community volunteers, provides food and children’s toys to about 250 needy families each year.

  •  The city of New Albany’s decision to take legal action if necessary to get a commercial property cleaned up is an important move in the right direction.

    The Board of Aldermen voted unanimously to get an injunction if necessary to get improvements made to the property where Grisham Wholesale is located on Carter Avenue.

  •  Being first in something is not all that common for Mississippi. And this one is no cause for celebration.

    Unfortunately, what we’re first in is the nation’s highest teen birth rate. The Mississippi rate is more than 60 percent higher than the national average, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

  •  The United Way of Northeast Mississippi has reached 45 percent of its $2.1 million goal across the seven counties in which it operates.

    But the numbers are not where they need to be here in Union County where not as many businesses or industries participate in the campaign as in some other counties.

  •  Gov. Haley Barbour again is singing the blues about the state of Mississippi’s finances and has told state departments and agencies to expect further cuts in their operating budgets.

  •  The inaugural season of Union County football is over and we congratulate all who participated in this transition from a dream to a team.

  •  Union County has taken a positive step to make it easier on citizens to pay their traffic tickets to the Union County Justice Court.

    The county has signed a contract with nCourt, a private online technology company, to allow tickets to be paid online with a credit or debit card. The City of New Albany already uses the same system for payments in City Court.

  •  Service clubs have been part of community life for as long as anyone can remember, but in recent years active participation in service clubs has declined in many communities around the country.

  •  What could be one of the most significant events in recent New Albany and Union County history occurred this week when proposed new flood plain maps were delivered to the county.

    Large amounts of low-lying land in the county, including land bordering the Tallahatchie River, have been added to Zone A Wetlands, a designation that requires the purchase of flood insurance.

  •  The number of people with asthmatic symptoms continues to rise in this country and one in 10 students in Mississippi schools is likely to have asthma.

    That’s the sobering report from Jennifer Cofer, executive director of the American Lung Association of Mississippi.

  •  What could have been a bust turned into a successful event as the rain departed just in time for a great day Saturday at RiverFest.

    In case you decided not to come because of the weather, you missed a fine afternoon in the sun followed by a nice night.

  •  The announcement that the Ingomar Mounds historic site will receive $40,000 in federal tax money to help develop its educational and tourism potential is good news.

  •  The dream of having a high school football program in the Union County schools took a major step Tuesday night when the team played its first games at H.W. Byers in Marshall County.

  •  The biggest Tallahatchie Riverfest ever kicks off Thursday for a three-day run in downtown New Albany with lots of things to see, hear and do for all ages.

    The festival keeps getting bigger and this year has been expanded to three days, from two.

  •  Saturday is a good time for families to get acquainted or re-acquainted with the Union County Heritage Museum in New Albany.

    The museum will have its annual Heritage Pioneer Days, a living history event that shows off the rural life of the area in days gone by.

  •  The budget for the city of New Albany for the next fiscal year was adopted Monday night, and generally we think the Board of Aldermen did a decent job with the numbers in what will be a tough revenue year.

    The city’s general operating budget is $5.2 million, down about $29,000 from what the city expects to spend this year.

The New Albany Gazette is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in New Albany and the surrounding area.