A CROWN FOR ALL THE UNSUNG HEROES in our community.

Now please tell us about them.

Time is running out to nominate a Citizen of the Year or an Unsung Hero for The Meridian Star 2020 Profile section.

The deadline for Citizen of the Year nominations is Sunday, Jan. 12. The deadline for Unsung Hero nominations is Sunday, Jan. 19. So please don’t wait any longer to tell us about the good people you know who are doing good deeds.

• Citizen of the Year should be someone who has done extraordinary work to serve or inspire this community. Please send us your nomination and supporting reasons.

• Unsung Heroes are the people who do good deeds, but are seldom recognized – a youth leader, a grandparent who volunteers in the schools, a lay minister who visits the homebound, a neighbor who looks out for the elderly, a hospice worker who provides comfort. Please send us a recommendation letter that provides supporting reasons.

Send your nominations for Citizen of the Year or Unsung Heroes to editor@themeridianstar.com, including “2020 Profile” in the subject line, or by mail to Dave Bohrer, Editor, The Meridian Star, PO Box 1591, Meridian, MS 39301. Email is preferred. Please include your contact information so we may verify the information.

A CROWN FOR MERIDIAN MAYOR PERCY BLAND for setting a priority of community safety during Tuesday’s first city council meeting of 2020.

We have criticized a few times in recent weeks – and years – the lack of outcry at the top over the volume of shootings and violent crime in the city.

Putting more officers and cameras on streets will take time, but a commitment and consistent effort to improve safety are good first steps.

We hope the mayor and Police Chief Benny Dubose continue to match these opening words of 2020 with actions.

We ask other community leaders and ordinary citizens alike to take a stand against these constant shootings and violence and to take actions to back those words, whether that’s reporting crime, providing leads to identify suspects, applying to the police department or simply joining Neighborhood Watch groups.

For more information about the Neighborhood Watch program, contact MPD Lt. Rita Jack at 601-513-6916 or ritajack@meridianms.org.

The telephone number for East Mississippi Crime Stoppers is 1-855-485-TIPS (8477). In an emergency, call 911.

CROWNS FOR ENTERPRISE AND UNION SCHOOLS that celebrated their successes on Tuesday as “A-rated districts” in Mississippi.

In Enterprise’s case, it was the fourth consecutive year as an “A” district. This year the elementary school was rated best in the state and the high school was No. 4.

A FROWN FOR THE DEADLY VIOLENCE at Mississippi’s state prisons.

Reports indicate insufficient funding has led to an inadequate number of guards and horrid conditions for employees and prison workers.

Inadequate funding is short-sighted and places corrections officers, prisoners and eventually citizens in danger.

In the long run, correcting the problem will cost more money – and worse, lives – than any money saved.