In 1940 the week of April 23 was a tragic one. A horrific fire that killed hundreds tore through the Natchez community, leaving nothing but grief in its path.

But the tragedy at the Rhythm Night Club in 1940 made this week in 2008 a better one in the Miss-Lou. Sure, the grief is still there for relatives, but so are the lessons.

Natchez, and even America, learned from the fire. We are all safer today.

And this week, the fire brought the Natchez community together in all new ways.

A small crowd gathered Wednesday at the site of the fire’s memorial on the bluff. And Saturday, another group gathered at the site of the actual fire. We are glad to see the addition of new ideas to this decades old memorial. And we hope more folks we get involved next year.

But the Rhythm Club memorials weren’t the only highlights of the week. Let’s review some of the other good news from last week.

4Corrections Corporation of America has received the approval it needed to house federal inmates. A bill signed by the governor means the prison on U.S. 84 will likely stay full most of the time. More prisoners means more success for CCA, which means they’ll be in line to become an important employer in Adams County for years to come.

4A Monterey man has published his first book — “Sword of Michael.” Tom Louviere joins a long list of local authors, and we are glad he’s seeing such success.

We know the good news will continue in a great community like this, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds.