Articles by Slim Smith
Slimantics: Ms. Rosie’s birthday makes her Living Black History
Friends and family gathered at Rosie Lee Harris’ Columbus home Monday afternoon to celebrate her birthday. It was a pretty good turnout. Columbus mayor Stephen Jones and police chief Joseph Daughtry even stopped by to honor the occasion.
In memoriam: Vietnam POW, former airport director, passes away at 90
Every one who has served in the military has a story to tell – some more interesting than others, naturally.
Slimantics: Politicians out of touch on school choice issue
The relentless annual legislative campaign to divert tax dollars to private schools has a lot going for it. Mostly what it has going for it is money – lots and lots of money – much of which comes from outside Mississippi.
Slimantics: Wanted posters: LCSO’s missed opportunity
It does not seem that terribly long ago that an organization with a social media presence was something of a novelty. Today, we can scarcely think of any organization, public or private, that does not use these profiles to engage the public.
Slimantics: A canine solution for our troubled land
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about dogs and their influence on interpersonal relationships.
In Memoriam: Carl Hogan leaves legacy of generosity, commitment to employees
There are two sayings that summarized Carl Hogan’s professional and personal philosophy.
Slimantics: A bold new plan for keeping New Year’s resolutions
We are now one day into the new year, often referred to as 2026, and I suspect those among you who make New Year’s resolutions are feeling pretty smug and confident at this point. Not to rain on anybody’s parade, but 90% of those who make New Year’s resolutions don’t achieve their goals. Most resolutionaries are setting themselves up for failure.
Slimantics: Stop the press: The end of an era
For most readers, when the presses in the bowels of The Commercial Dispatch fell forever silent Tuesday evening, the moment passed without distinction or emotion.
In Memoriam 2025
In 2025, we said goodbye to those whose lives were distinguished by service to their communities. We note the passing of government officials, a longtime
Profile: For Priscilla White, curiosity helped create a Facebook group
For as long as she can remember, Priscilla White has always had a keen interest in what was happening on her street, her neighborhood and her city.
In Memoriam: Athlete, pioneer, community leader…with ‘thighs like Earl Campbell’
It was 1992, and Daphne Lee Brown was living in California when her dad, Thomas Lee Sr., called to tell he had just bought a Columbus funeral home at the age of 49.
Slimantics: Familiarity breeds Christmas movie contempt
Cable and streaming services have pretty much ruined Christmas movies.
Slimantics: AI makes seniors more vulnerable
When I was a teen, I was able to land a temporary summer job helping conduct a community survey about where to locate a new city park. Mixed with the relevant responses I was able to collect were some homeowners slamming the door in my face or using my visit to complain about things that had nothing to do with the survey.
Community Profile: Painting her way through college
When Clyde Hollis offered to pay Lucy Willcutt to do some decorative window painting at his rental storage business three years ago, she figured it would be sort of a one-time deal.
Slimantics: The Winds of (weather) War
There is a scene from the movie, “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” that reminds me of our weather here in the Golden Triangle.
Slimantics: Reeves’ SNAP proposal targets the poor, not poor nutrition
The federal government shutdown has focused considerable attention on the federal SNAP program, which provides federal funds to alleviate hunger and improve nutritional quality for low-income households.
Slimantics: SNAP crisis should stir us to action
Those in the grocery store business will tell you their busiest day is the first day of each month, which is when some 40 million Americans have access to the funds they are provided through SNAP (previously known as food stamps).
Slimantics: Trump’s blunders can create a paradigm shift in farming
Like a lot of folks in a state where agriculture is a major economic engine, I’ve been following the struggles farmers are facing as a result of Donald Trump’s pointless and dangerously counterproductive trade war with China.
Slimantics: Wounded Knee: A Trump love story
When Dee Brown was a child growing up in the 1920s around the oilfields of Louisiana and Arkansas, many of his playmates were Native American children, whose fathers, like Brown’s, drifted over from Oklahoma to work in the oilfields.
Holiday Handcrafts Bazaar accepting vendor applications
July 12, 2025
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