Articles by Jan Swoope
Health concerns silence music at the Riverwalk
What would have been a 13th summer of sunset concerts by the water at the Columbus Riverwalk has been canceled.
Dreams, interrupted: A licensed psychologist looks at the pandemic’s impact on our sleep
Tossing. Turning. Waking in the night with remnants of fitful dreams troubling the mind. That’s what Denise began to experience around mid-April. The stressed single mother, who asked that her last name remain private, had her work hours reduced in March due to COVID-19. She is not alone.
Restart the arts: CAC plans reopening for June 2
After more than two months of closure, the Columbus Arts Council main gallery and G2 gallery store will reopen to the public on Tuesday, June 2.
‘Pomp and Circumstance’ in the year of COVID-19
Senior year. It’s the brass ring, the blue ribbon, the tape to triumphantly run through at the long race’s end.
A mother’s recipes: The ultimate comfort food
Pam Towery Rhea has a list. A “to-do” of things she’d like to tackle when she retires. She is business manager of the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library System and, as the Rev. Deacon Rhea, serves the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Columbus, and St. John’s Episcopal Church in Aberdeen.
Rhea recently began checking off a few line items on the list — but not because of retirement.
In Mom’s footsteps: Mother and daughter share in a career of compassion
One of Alexis Jones’ early memories is of her mom, dressed in medical scrubs, dropping her off at day care on the way to work. She remembers being proud that her parent was a nurse, that she helped sick people get well. Her mother, Jewell Jones, may not have been fully aware at the time of the impression she was making on her youngest daughter, but she certainly is now.
Columbus library to begin limited on-site services Monday
Libraries are, by definition, quiet places. For almost two months, however, the silence in the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library System has been nearly complete.
That will change, in stages, beginning Monday.
An easy chicken parm: Marty Wages shares a scrumptious favorite
Whether feeding a few or many, this Parmesan artichoke chicken dish from caterer and chef Marty Wages of Columbus is, he said, “the easiest recipe in the world, and it is delicious.”
Creativity in quarantine: Unusual times can’t dim the creative spark
Just about the time Michael Bailey was prepping to show and sell his wood carvings at the Columbus Spring Pilgrimage’s Artisans Alley set for March 28, COVID-19 canceled everything.
Breakfast blues? Wake up from a ‘Groundhog Day’ rut
Mornings at my house are beginning to feel a little like the movie “Groundhog Day.” Even without an alarm, I’m waking up as early, or earlier, than I did before Working From Home became the order of the day.
‘Drawn to You’
Halfway through spring break in March, East Mississippi Community College art instructor Cindy Buob got word that the global pandemic labeled COVID-19 would give faculty and students an extra week off from classes.
Area farmers’ markets modify format for spring openings
In spite of the novel coronavirus, Mother Nature’s timetable is yielding harvests of produce and fruits popular at spring farmers’ markets.
Make life sweeter: Local eatery shares one way to sweeten your shelter
The hustle and bustle of dine-in lunch crowds may be missing these days at Cafe on Main in downtown Columbus, but one thing hasn’t changed — Manager Kelsie Hoover’s positive attitude.
Show red in support of health care frontline
Debra Rhinewalt is one of the few people who knows what 2,000 yards of wide, red ribbon looks like all in one place.
Quarantine hair: Waiting it out? Going DIY? We asked around.
A meme circulating on social media reads, “Dear people in charge, please let the hairdressers and barbers out first.”
Tuna, my quarantine go-to
“Week 5,” I wrote in Sunday’s square on the hanging calendar in the hallway at home. Each Sunday square for the past few weeks bears a similar proclamation — Week 1, Week 2, and so on — marking the passage of time since this coronavirus began changing our daily routines.
For some, making masks is a way to do their part
Lights on past 2 a.m. at Debby Lawrence’s home don’t signal a quarantine-induced Netflix binge. They indicate instead the east Lowndes County woman is at her sewing machine again, turning out protective masks as fast as she can.
Former Columbus musician hopes to hit right notes in ‘Bachelor’ spin-off
As a fiddling prodigy growing up in Columbus, Ruby Jane Smith was often seen performing alongside her mentor, Grand Ole Opry alumnus Jim Brock of Lamar County, Alabama.
Those veggies and flowers you never had time to grow? Just look at us now
Thursday’s sun shone high and bright on 7-year-old Lucy Ann Richardson and big brother Craig, 14, as they helped their mom with gardening at home in Caledonia. Because of the novel coronavirus, Victoria and Chad Richardson’s raised vegetable beds are about two to three weeks ahead of schedule than they’d normally be this time of year.
