Despite the cloudy skies, things are looking bright all around us.

The headlines from last week have us looking forward to spring and the completion of the Natchez Trails Project. The new sidewalks on the bluff look great and we can’t wait to see the path winding through our gorgeous downtown.

But a few other headlines from the last week had promising, long-term results too. Let’s take a look.

4 Concordia Parish schools are encouraging students to consider a career in health care, a growing industry with great need. The school is planning a health careers fair to offer students more information about medical careers.

4Natchez High School student Pearl Morgan is an inspiration to her peers and to adults. Her positive attitude and desire to help others earned her the Daughters of the American Revolution Good Citizen Award and will certainly take her places in life. Natchez will be watching Pearl’s success for years to come.

4 The 11th Moon Storytelling event at the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians drew a larger-than-normal crowd this year, and those who attended said the stories were something not to be missed. It’s great to see fun community events grow and better to see local residents realize what their community has to offer.

As we begin a new week, don’t forget to take a moment to vote for Natchez in the Reader’s Digest “We Hear you America” contest. The city could win up to $50,000. Visit wehearyouamerica.readersdigest.com/.

Have a great week.