A few years ago there was a saying going around town — “If you are the last one to leave, turn the lights out.”

I am happy to say that no one ever had to turn the lights out, because the proverbial phoenix rose from the ashes, and Natchez is alive and well today.

Recently Julie Cooper wrote a very interesting opinion column about the good things going on in Natchez. I thought how appropriate this column was in light of our Spring Pilgrimage and so many guests in town.

As I awoke this morning, I focused on how beautiful our city really is with all the flowers, trees and shrubs in bloom and how clean our streets are every day with the introduction of our street sweeper.

With all that said, I would like to know why we have more than 100 street lights out, especially on the entrances to our city.

For more than a year I used to tie red ribbons, given to me by the former customer service manager for Entergy, on the light poles and send locations to Entergy to give a heads up on what lights need replacing.

I have been told that our policemen tie a red ribbon on poles that need lights replaces, but I have never seen this done. Is there a program of any kind in place for Entergy to know where the lights are out? Or do they wait for a citizen to call them?

Perhaps our city officials can check into this since we all, in one way or another, pay the electric bill.

Jim Sanders

Natchez resident