The availability of leaders is growing in Vicksburg.

On Wednesday, 17 local business leaders graduated from the Leadership Vicksburg course after months of hard work and preparation.

“I really enjoyed getting to know the other professionals in Vicksburg and the community of the class all pulling together for a common goal to enrich and make Vicksburg a better place,” Joshua Dixon said.

Dixon, who is an attorney with Teller, Hassell & Hopson, along with the other 16 participants mark the first class to take part in the revamped Leadership Vicksburg curriculum, which focuses on Stephen R. Covey’s model of the “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.” In addition to the curriculum, the 17 participants took part in a series of field trips during the monthly classes to develop the next generation of leaders in Vicksburg and Warren County and attended meetings of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen in Vicksburg to learn more about the city. They also went to Jackson to see how the state government works.

More positives in Vicksburg:

• The Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation has been awarded a $12,000 grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission. The grant is part of the $1.3 million in grants the Commission will award in 2017-2018, and it will be used to continue the mission of the SCHF and bring exceptional events and quality programming to the community through artistic excellence.

• Rowdy’s Mississippi mud pie, which is made from a secret family recipe handed down through generations, will be one of the featured attractions on the INSP’s “State Plate” food show hosted by recording artist Taylor Hicks and will be featured on the Travel Channel’s “Bizarre Foods, Delicious Destinations,” hosted by Andrew Zimmern.

• Developers involved with the renovations of the old Mississippi Hardware Building unveiled plans Thursday for a $19 million project to convert the former garment factory and hardware building into a multi-floor innovation and tech transfer center to serve the Vicksburg area and the central Mississippi region. Following the presentation, the Board of Mayor and Aldermen allocated $300,000 to the project.