I could say it has been a busy week, but all weeks in the newspaper business are busy.
Yes, your Clarksdale Press Register was closed most of Monday and Friday, but we still got the paper out.
My bosses pay me to solve problems and we had plenty last week. You probably did, too.
And after getting two inches of rain Wednesday, they are now saying we are going to get more over the weekend.
Yes, when it rains it pours in the Delta.
Sign of the times
I was told this sign was spotted on a big pile of snow pushed up in the corner of a parking lot downtown:
FREE SNOWMEN!
Assembly required
No delivery.
Hurry! Offer will not last long.
Duck Hunting
The cold pushed ducks into the Delta last week and I saw several V’s cutting through a cold blue sky.
Coffee shop talk said hunting picked up and the lack of water concentrated the birds. Then the rain came and spread them all out.
And did you see the two duck decoys thrown in the hole in the parking lot at the corner of Anderson Boulevard and State Street?
I hear gunshots in town all the time. It looked like as good a place to set up a duck blind as any.
And if the birds slowed down you could go to the restaurant and eat.
Taste of The Delta
I walked down to the set of Tyler Perry’s movie production this week.
They didn’t let the press in and seemed to only allow select people on the movie set. But I got my story and you can read it on Page One.
It does seem like this thing sort of popped up out of nowhere and was not very well coordinated by the city and downtown businesses.
But I was impressed by the efficient way the production crew fed more than 100 people in 30 minutes on the parking lot of the Delta Blues Museum.
The people Perry brought with him from Atlanta got the job done, quick!
Perry seemed to want to capture the flavor of the Delta in this movie and what better place than Clarksdale. I hope that taste makes him want to come back.
Help wanted
We have four help wanted ads on Page 15 of today’s Clarksdale Press Register.
I repeatedly see flyers posted at businesses around town seeking those who want a job.
I’ve been told there is an Ag mentality where people just don’t work during certain seasons. There may be some truth to that.
Before I had children, I always found time to hunt and play.
But those with responsibilities and who want the better things in life learn to work long and hard.
Work Wanted
I hope you read the Editorial to the left of my column. We need better jobs all across the Mississippi Delta and Southwest Mississippi. We need people who will push for better jobs in Clarksdale.
I wish I could say I wrote it.
No, this was penned by Jack Ryan, Publisher of The Enterprise Journal, the flagship Emmerich newspaper located in McComb.
Your Clarksdale Press Register has won Editorial awards every year since I’ve been in Clarksdale. We know a good one when we see it.
The words that go in that space and under the heading of "Our Opinion" should always be the best in this newspaper.
The four points Jack gives you are spot on. The wise movers and shakers in this community should take note.
Clarksdale, Greenville, Greenwood, Indianola and Tunica have a lot to offer.
Yes, it’s a long way from Southwest Mississippi to the North Delta. But like Mr. Ryan says, until we learn to work together we will suffer independently.
Floyd Ingram is the Editor of your Clarksdale Press Register. Call him at 662-624-1012 if you have work, want work or want to work together.
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