Each September I celebrate more years than I want to admit in the newspaper business.
I guess you could say it started in West Point with a paper route. It went on to Mississippi State University and my first job at the Starkville Daily News in 1986.
There was a move to Tennessee and Texas and Sara and I have lived and I have worked at four newspapers in Mississippi, with Clarksdale the latest stop.
I’m always amazed at the amount of news produced by a small town.
As I have said before, in a town where people say nothing ever happens, we sure have a lot going on.
And I’m the lucky one who gets to report on it all.
Today’s news
Please thumb back through today’s Clarksdale Press Register. You might be surprised how packed it is.
School test scores are the big story this week and we have a detailed breakdown of the grades our teacher, principals, superintendents and your schools got this week on Page 11.
The Mayor and a local business are reaching out to help our neighbors in the Bahamas and Coahoma Community College has big plans for their campus and the future of the quality of life in this community.
And that is just on Page One.
Page 2 has a beautiful homecoming queen and her smiling dad. There are also some notes on local events.
Page 3 has obits and the weekly crime report. It’s not good news, but it’s our job to report the good, the bad, the happy and sad.
Page 4 has this column, an Editorial about how your eyes and ears helped solve a recent crime and a list of public officials you can call if you have concerns about your community.
I am so proud of our sports section this week and we hope you are, too.
The local football teams are doing well. There are a lot of faces and names on our sports pages of kids who need a little encouragement.
There are photos and names of your children and grandchildren, friends and neighbors sprinkled throughout.
We also have a Church Page every week and Classified pages where you sell your house, your car and look for a better job.
Your Clarksdale
Press Register
I use that phrase often. I don’t own this paper and I take my direction from managers, advertisers and people who have been reading the Press Register for longer than I have been alive.
It is your hometown newspaper and we run it as such.
We have standards and don’t let you buy space to run offensive ads or use foul language.
We work hard to spell names right and humbly admit our mistake when grandmother calls and says we didn’t.
We also spend time at city, county and school board meetings so you can help move your community in the direction you want it to go.
Yes, I’m one of the lucky ones in life who has found his calling and takes this job very serious.
We’ll publish another edition of your Clarksdale Press Register next week. I can’t wait to see what it says.
Floyd Ingram is the Editor of the paper you hold in your hand. You can find him at the next board meeting, community event or football game. Please tell him what you want to see in your Clarksdale Press Register.
