Do you realize we are a quarter of the way through the 21st Century?
My, how time flies when you are having fun!
I have found myself wondering what will happen around here this year.
Our schools, the local economy, city elections, crime and political shenanigans will be headlines around here in 2025. And many will blame those headlines on me.
As most who visit with me here each week know, I am the eternal optimist.
I don’t want to get into religion, how I was raised to be an optimist or the good things that have happened to me over the past 65 years.
But part of that philosophy stems from the fact I work hard to make things better. I hope you will too in 2025.
A look ahead
• The sun came up this morning. I’m not a big one on predictions, but I believe it will come up tomorrow – despite the snow. If it doesn’t we will have a complete story in next week’s Clarksdale Press Register.
• I turned 65 this week. It’s obvious my life is halfway over. We can’t change the past and we really can’t predict the future, but today is here, let’s use it.
• Speaking of predictions, this fall I said 2025 needs to the year law enforcement started putting crooks back in jail. Did you know our million dollar County Justice Center has rooms for 143 and stays about half full.
Ok you bad boys, Santa Claus and Sheriff Mario Magsby are watching you!
• I hope this is the city election where this community gets serious about change and picks top-notch leaders for Clarksdale. Many have said this town has reached a tipping point and if we don’t pick wise, educated and honest leaders this spring, we may not get another chance.
Let’s look candidates in the eye and ask what they are going to do for Clarksdale. Don’t be fooled by your cousin or high school buddy who says they are going to bring jobs, smooth streets and low crime – then look at you and smile.
Ask them how they are going to do it and how they are going to pay for it.
• I was part of a conversation this week were someone named three businesses that closed shop in the last three months. They are not high profile retail businesses or factories and they don’t employ more than five people each, but they are the livelihood of some good people and good employees in this town. That trend has to stop in 2025.
Is this the year we also get serious about local school systems? Is consolidation the answer? Do we need new school leadership and demand teachers who can get the job done? We just had a second $10 billion dollar data center economic development announcement in Mississippi and sadly it was not in The Delta. We must stop handing our children that takes them nowhere. We must find a way to educate our workforce so industry and jobs -- and the businesses and stores that follow -- want to come to Clarksdale.
Our future
We have already had a phone call from a malcontent telling me how “bad” a particular candidate is.
Let me set some ground rules for 2025 and beyond.
We will listen – and check into – your news tip about the corruption and rampant problems in Clarksdale, but that is no guarantee we will do a story. Your Clarksdale Press Register is wiser than that and will not be used by anybody.
We will be polite when you call and ask for a photo and be polite when we show up and there is a candidate smiling for the picture, but that is not a guarantee we will run the photo. Your Clarksdale Press Register seeks to be fair to all and will not be used by anybody.
We will shine the light where we feel it is needed and we will call out those who slander, lie and try to manipulate this community. You see, your Clarksdale Press Register has been here for more than 150 years and is looking forward to another 150 more, and will not be used by anybody.
Floyd Ingram is Editor and Publisher of your Clarksdale Press Register. Call him at 622-627-2201.
