Participation and involvement are essential for a healthy community and locals can be proud Vicksburg has both.

On Thursday, School District Board of Trustee member Alonzo Stevens hosted his first monthly town hall of the year at the Warren County-Vicksburg Library to give parents and community members the chance to ask questions and learn more about the district.

“We try to bring across the board for anybody that has a question. If the person you want is not here I will get it for you. We do it once a month,” Stevens said. “I am trying to have it and open it up because Mr. (Chad) Shealy is very open. I want you to come ask. I want you to see what we are doing.”

Stevens has hosted the town halls once a month since being elected to the board six years ago. The town halls are held at a different location each month and bring various guest speakers to talk about the district.

Although temperatures were below freezing on Saturday, hundreds turned out to support the Grace Christian Counseling Center, a nonprofit organization in Vicksburg, for the 10th annual Chill in the Hills 10K run, 5K walk and 1-mile fun run.

The event nets about $10,000 that go towards operating expenses for the counseling center said executive director of GCCC and race organizer Walter Frazier.

“One of the things we do is provide services for persons regardless of resources and this helps supplement those costs,” Frazier said.

The race started and ended at Martin’s At Midtown and the restaurant also served as the registration area Friday night.

“We really firmly believe in the mission of the Grace Christian Counseling Center, which is what this race supports,” Lisa Martin, the owner of Martin’s, said.

More positives this week in Vicksburg:

• On Wednesday, the Board of Mayor and Aldermen Wednesday approved resolutions to provide funds to five nonprofit agencies in the city. The agencies affected by the resolutions include: We Care Communities Inc., which provides community outreach services to the poor and provides GED programs in the community; Vicksburg Heritage Guild, whose aim is to preserve and restore historic buildings and revitalize neighborhoods; Kings Head Start and Cedars Head Start centers, which provide programs for preschool children and other services and the Vicksburg-Warren Veteran Transition Center, which will provide a place where recently discharged veterans can stay while they transition from the military back to the civilian world.

• Longtime sports writer Ernest Bowker was promoted to sports editor at The Vicksburg Post. Bowker, who began working at The Vicksburg Post as a sports writer in July 1998, has been a constant in the sports department. He has won nearly 50 awards from the Mississippi Press Association and Louisiana-Mississippi Associated Press during his career.