Once upon a sunny morning, not so far back, in the land of letters and storytelling, in my writing office at home, a peculiar idea sprouted in the corner of my mind. It was a tale that needed to be told, filled with clucking laughter, brimming with joy, and interwoven with the golden threads of friendship.

A total solar eclipse will cross North America, crossing over Mexico, the United States and Canada, and Mount Pleasant is in the path of totality. The solar eclipse will take place April 8, and begins at approximately 12:26 p.m.

On an unusually chilly March morning, though the clouds tried to dampen people’s spirits, the sun came out and the Hidden Gem Trade Days of Mount Pleasant shined a light on small businesses and local crafters.

Candidates have filed for places on the Mount Pleasant City Council. Places 3, 4, and 5, currently held by Galen Adams, Tim Dale and Henry N.

Last weekend in College Station, NTCC honors-student essayists won their 33rd, 34th, 35th, and 36th Caldwell essay awards in Texas history. Together, these essays came with $675 in prize money, and established the current cohort of NTCC honors students as second to none in the history of NTCC, in terms of regional scholarly competition. Though NTCC traditionally has fared best with scholars in the under-sixty-hour, freshman- sophomore division, this year, for the first time, NTCC students won a record three Caldwell Awards in the upper, over-sixty-hours division.

The Mount Pleasant High School chapter of the National Honor Society (NHS) chose to donate $2000 to two local groups, Rhute Haven and Titus County Cares, at their monthly meeting on Thursday, March 7.