Articles by Jan Swoope
Haunted hostess: Get into the spirit
It’s that time of year again, when pumpkins, ghosties and bumps in the night provide that delicious tingle that makes Halloween a fun time to indulge.
On the campaign trail: United Way asks Lowndes County to take a survey, open pockets and strengthen community
When it comes to campaigns, barnstorming presidential candidates don’t have the only game in town.
Poindexter Hall prepares for grand reopening
After an extended period of renovation, a jewel on the Mississippi University for Women campus will soon be bustling again with student and community life and lilting strains of music.
Orchestra’s first Columbus concert promises to be ‘out of this world’
The Starkville/MSU Symphony Association and Columbus Arts Council are collaborating to make beautiful music together. On Thursday, Oct. 25, the 60-piece Starkville-based symphony orchestra will perform in Columbus for the first time.
Chilifest: A fall favorite is on this Starkville JA fundraiser’s menu
When the weather takes on the crisp mantle of autumn, our taste buds turn to fall’s favorite foods. Chili often tops the list.
Salutations in stone: A Canadian in Columbus shares an Inuit tradition
Ross Whitwam can’t resist a pile of rubble. With stones, bits of brick and chunks of concrete, the Mississippi University for Women biology professor proves that one man’s debris is another man’s medium.
‘Easy Gardens’ co-author offers green thumb advice in free program
Every gardener dreams of an “easy” garden, especially in the hot, humid South, where coaxing perennials, annuals, trees and shrubs into their full glory is often a challenge.
Hazard Lecture Series to focus on the American Civil War
The American Civil War takes centerstage at the Hazard Lectures Series on consecutive Mondays, Oct. 22 and Oct. 29, in Columbus.
West Point writer sets debut novel in hometown
Even while she was a practicing registered dietitian, Claire Spradling felt she had the makings of a novel. When the West Point resident made the transition from nutrition to fiction, she was finally able to devote the necessary time and literary blood, sweat and tears to bring the story to the page.
A Canadian in Columbus shares an Inuit tradition
Ross Whitwam can’t resist a pile of rubble. With stones, bits of brick and chunks of concrete, the Mississippi University for Women biology professor proves that one man’s debris is another man’s medium.
Add new plays to game day with Southern Living’s ‘Official SEC Tailgating Cookbook’
Looking to freshen up your tailgate spread? Well, Southern Living and the Southeastern Conference have teamed up to help.
Welty Symposium to host Southern and international writers
Each autumn, one of the South’s most stimulating literary events returns to the campus of Mississippi University for Women in Columbus. The Eudora Welty Writers’ Symposium Oct. 18-20 honors one of the W’s most famous alumnae and gathers a diverse, distinguished group of Southern writers and scholars to share their work with the public.
Countdown is on for release of Starkville native’s “Sushi Secrets” cookbook
That Marisa Baggett ever ended up as a sushi chef is, she conceded, somewhat of a happy accident.
‘High stakes’: Baskerville Manor, with its colorful past and bright future, is part of fall’s Tour of Homes
It must have been quite a night, in late 1868, when Marcellus Hatch wagered his lovely Columbus home in a poker game. While there is no documented evidence to prove the story, legend has it that Hatch and Richard E. Moore had been gambling into the wee hours, when Hatch put up the house against Moore’s Prairie plantation.
Mississippi’s Herring comes ‘home’ for Thursday concert
From the opening track of “Camilla,” Caroline Herring’s sixth and latest commercial album, the Canton native proves why she’s considered one of the most literate and insightful singer/songwriters recording today.
CAC’s ‘Collaboration’ blends nature’s gifts, canvas
The natural world and the painted canvas meet when Ralph Null and Debbie Jenkins, both of Columbus, are featured artists in “Collaboration,” the Columbus Arts Council’s October gallery exhibit in the Rosenzweig Arts Center.
CBS’ Byron Pitts to speak at upcoming Welty Gala
The 2012 Welty Gala at Mississippi University for Women will welcome CBS News Chief National Correspondent Byron Pitts as the keynote speaker.
Chef Sarah Labensky shares favorite recipes in new cookbook
Patrons of the Front Door-Back Door restaurant have reasons to celebrate. First, far from closing Sept. 8 as had been originally announced, the doors of “the Door” — one of downtown Columbus’ most popular eateries since 1996 — remain open. And second, even as departing owner and chef Sarah Labensky turns over the keys to new proprietors Jim Lewis and Steve McLemore, she has released a much-anticipated cookbook.
‘The Audition Tapes’: A friend remembers Black Prairie blues legend Big Joe Williams with original recordings
“There’s a funny story about that … ” Blewett Thomas said more than once during a recent afternoon of reminiscing about his old friend, Big Joe Williams. There would be. Stories, that is. Gleaned from 1975, when a younger Blewett drove from Columbus to Crawford to seek out one of the few living purveyors of old country and delta blues, to 1982, when Williams died.
O, omelets! September is National Breakfast Month: Have you loved an omelet lately?
Few foods figure as prominently in American breakfasts as the good ole egg. So, in a nod to September as National Breakfast Month, how about
Deputies searching for two suspects in Sunday double homicide
June 29, 2025
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