Letter: Appreciates pilgrimage editorial
Thank you for mentioning the role of the Preservation Society of Columbus in helping to present a broader representation of the history of Columbus. We
Ask Rufus: A 317-year-old Tombigbee River image
There are very few pre-1800 images of the Tombigbee River valley, or for that matter, what are now the inland parts of east Mississippi or west Alabama.
Other Editors: A spirited tax ruling protects homemade whiskey
Judges occasionally declare federal laws unconstitutional. But usually when a law passed by Congress has been on the books for more than 150 years, it’s in the clear. Not so for the federal ban on homemade whiskey, vodka and gin.
Veronique de Rugy: Debunking five tax day myths
Every April, Americans spend more than 7 billion hours filing taxes and roughly the same amount of time arguing over them, almost entirely on the basis of several common myths. Here are the five most consequential.
Our View: The reefer madness never came
A funny thing happened after Mississippi’s medical marijuana program began operations in 2023. Nothing.
Froma Harrop: What are these politicians thinking?
Democrat Eric Swalwell and Republican Tony Gonzales were both accused of sexual misconduct involving staffers. Californian Swalwell said he’d resign from his House seat after giving up on his run for governor. Texan Gonzales said he was withdrawing from the 2026 reelection race.
Letter: Street improvements are enhancing Columbus
The improvements on Fifth Street North are really starting to take shape and they look terrific. The sidewalks are a great improvement and the landscaping
Our View: Baseball’s finest hour
Wednesday, April 15, marked the 79th anniversary of integrated baseball in the Major Leagues. Mention the date and most baseball fans know that date in 1947 Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball’s color line, starting at first base for the Dodgers at Ebbets Field against the visiting Boston Braves. He went 0-for-3 in what has to be the most famous hitless debut in MLB history.
Froma Harrop: Subsidies keep America on top
That $7,500 tax credit to buy an electric vehicle, now gone, was a “grotesque misallocation of federal spending.” It was a form of “rent-seeking,” whereby companies seek “to dominate the bureaucracy instead of the marketplace.”
Our View: The importance of including more than the old plantation narrative
Those who attended Tuesday evening’s screening of the documentary film “Natchez” in Columbus may have been struck with the notion that it could just as easily have been a screening of “Columbus” held in Natchez.
Letter: Thanks to lawmakers for Starkville Main Street funding
As executive director of the Mississippi Main Street Association (MMSA), I have the privilege of seeing firsthand how our state’s historic downtowns serve as the
Possumhaw: Keep America Beautiful
The fisherman came in with his catch. He said the day was pretty but there was more wind than he needed. Then on the boat ramp he noticed a Styrofoam cup thrown out at the ramp.
Bobby Harrison: Hob Bryan is wrongly cited by Gov. Reeves in age-old dispute over who controls federal funds
Gov. Tate Reeves is giving Senate Public Health Chairman Hob Bryan too much credit.
Our View: For the 34th time, International Fiesta shows the strength of diversity
It has been said that when classes at Mississippi State are in session, Starkville is the most diverse city in the state. For the 2025-26 school year, the enrollment includes students from 95 foreign nations, who are drawn to the university for its STEM and research-intensive fields.
Froma Harrop: The art of taxing fairly is messy
“The rich should pay their fair share of taxes.” Who can argue with that? But then we must decide who is rich and what is meant by fair. Neither political party has distinguished itself in making such distinctions.
Thom Caraccio: My years at the BR Ranch
When I went to work on my first T.V. show, B.L. Stryker, I never imagined that I would be spending many hours at what was then called Burt Reynolds Horse Ranch. I don’t even own a cowboy hat.
Roses and Thorns: 4-11-26
A rose to the cities of Columbus and Starkville which, with support from Mississippi State University, are giving their Black cemeteries the attention they deserve
Ask Rufus: Lessons from a muckraker’s story
There is so much bitterness over politics in our country that an expanded version of a column I wrote five years ago is warranted.
Letter: Investing in the heart of Mississippi
Jeannie Waller Zieren
Our View: The W needs a fighter for a fraught new era; make your voice heard
On Tuesday, Mississippi’s Institutions of Higher Learning will hold a pair of listening sessions on the MUW campus as the process of replacing Nora Miller as the university president begins.
