Today, I am grateful.
National Entertainment News
As the COVID-19 pandemic threw the country into a lockdown followed by strict mandates for businesses, many couples had tough decisions to make. Love, though, can never be canceled. These two couples took COVID-19 in stride, then made the most of it.
One night, just after I had opened the back door so Snickers, my tabby cat, could go on patrol — rest easy 7th Avenue — my phone rang. I do not like to hear a phone ringing. It sends my two WatchPoodles crazy and I’m afraid they will have heart attacks or give me one. A note here. Should yo…
The past 4 1/2 months have been a range of emotions, milestones and adventures. With so much uncertainty going on in the world these days, it is easy to get caught up and overlook the small things happening right in front of you. However, at the end of the day, the little things will always …
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), with a bipartisan group of cosponsors, filed a resolution designating Sept. 20-26 as “Gold Star Families Remembrance Week” to honor the families of fallen members of the Armed Forces.
(SPM Wire) — Aug. 26 marks National Dog Day. Not only an annual celebration honoring dogs, it is also an awareness campaign meant to encourage the public to acknowledge the overwhelming number of dogs that need to be rescued. Here are a few ways to celebrate your family can celebrate the occasion:
WATERCOLOR, Fla. — When one reaches a certain age, it's easy to look back on life and see where periods of time — even moments in a day — were impactful and made a difference in his or her life going forward. I have almost six decades from which to draw life experiences and impactful moments…
July 30 - Farmers' Market & Movie Night, Downtown Laurel, 6 p.m.
There are some sweet home-grown compensations for Mississippi summers.
A benefit and ride in memory of Scotty Graves will be Saturday in Myrick.
Lauren Rogers Museum of Art has been awarded a $19,400 grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission. This grant is a portion of the nearly $1.3 million in grants MAC will award in 2020-21 and will be used for general operating support.
On Monday, we lost a legend. No one died, but one of this nation’s most important restaurants closed permanently. The legendary New Orleans restaurant K-Paul’s will be one of COVID-19’s latest victims.
If you are looking for a fun summer read, you might want to consider stopping by The Bookstore in the Window and picking up a copy of “Perfection” by Mississippi native and former Ellisville resident Danyele Patrick.
My wife, son and I were having dinner one night recently. Nothing special. Just a quick Sunday night supper of burgers and fries. Halfway through the meal, I said, “I love French fries.” It was an out-of-the-blue, random statement, and my wife and son stared blankly at me.
Fireworks shows in Laurel, around state
It has almost been my and Bradley Kate’s first month back to work and life has definitely been keeping us busy the past four weeks. Between managing two kids, getting caught up at the office and attempting to keep a clean home, we have had our work cut out for us. However, having two kids ha…
My mother used to say, “When one disease is stamped out, something else will rise up to take the place.” Well, folks, here it is, COVID-19. Are you tired of it yet? I am!
Marriage licenses applicants from Jones County
Ellisville Garden Club donated $1,000 to help fund the new Ellisville playground located next to the George Harrison Multipurpose Center and Library. From left, Richard Wilson, playground commission member; Patricia Waldrup, playground commission member and Garden Club member; Pat Holifield,…
The only time my mother liked having company was when the Mormons came by. She would stand behind the door checking through the glass side panels. When they got to the Peeping Tom’s house, she would put her hand on the knob and swing the door open just as the unsuspecting earnest young men r…
The Top 10 finalists for the 71st Mississippi Miss Hospitality Competition were recently announced.
“Making a difference” ... it’s a phrase we hear a lot, often as a wish or a goal. But when applied to cataract treatment, it’s a statement of fact. Every day, eye surgeons across the country employ the latest in surgical and artificial lens advances to restore their patients’ eyesight lost t…
Since the pandemic hit America the question I'm most often asked is, “How are you doing? How are the restaurants?”
Sour Apple Jolly Ranchers taste like my youth. It’s true. When I was 10 years old, my weekly allowance was $5. In those days I would ride my bike to the Pik-A-Pak convenience store where I could purchase a whole display box of Sour Apple Jolly Ranchers for, you guessed it, $5.
The chief financial officer of our company has a garden. She lives just outside the city limits on a small piece of land. They also have chickens and have raised hogs. Many mornings, when I arrive at the office, there are fresh eggs on my desk. Last week, there was a sack of freshly picked s…
Bird Dog Cafe featured on ‘Home Town’
If I never have to endure another shelter-in-place order, I will die happy. I just wasn’t wired for such activities. I am not a homebody. Never have been, never will be. I like to stay in constant motion. It’s always been that way.
Coloring the future of The City Beautiful
My husband and I drove to Moss on April 29 this year to see the tornado damage. I was shocked and saddened to see the devastation.
Mississippi in May. The air is deliciously heavy with honeysuckle, sweet olive and magnolias. Purple wisteria droops heavily over wrought-iron fences, azaleas providing a frame.
I once read that it takes six months to get used to a new job. In the first few weeks after having Bradley Kate, I kept thinking, “What have I done?” and “When will this get better?”
Many businesses have been severely affected during the COVID-19 crisis. Restaurants and live-music venues may have been hit the hardest. On the other hand, grocery stores and liquor stores have seen phenomenal sales increases. Reports indicate that liquor stores are up anywhere from 27 perce…
The following people have applied for marriage licenses in Jones County Circuit Court
My son and daughter just finished a semester of college at home, sitting in our pool house. They had it easy. Once the pandemic hit and all classes were switched to online computer classes, life got much simpler for them. Both finished with good grades and a sun tan.
Shocking though it may seem, about one in three people 65 and older have lost some of their vision, often permanently. But age-related vision loss isn’t inevitable: there are ways as you grow older to stop or slow progressive eye conditions before they rob you of your sight.
I have a long-overdue apology to make. In the early days of my writing career, I used a lot of column inches making fun of my wife’s cooking. We were newlyweds and she was learning her way around the kitchen. I was thinking about how she used to cook the other day as she was preparing anothe…
Ever notice how a cat can’t help raising its rear when you stroke its back? Vines do the same thing. Sorta.
It’s graduation season. But in 2020, there will be only a few commencement ceremonies, no caps, no gowns, no cords and no commencement addresses. The world might be a little better off for the lack of the latter, as I am not sure anyone ever remembers what was said during their commencement …
Critical times inspire creative methods.
By Felder Rushing
Hello to you, the socially-distanced. Here we are straight out of the Westerns I used to watch with my dad.
A couple of decades ago, an editor at one of my newspapers called and said, “Robert, we need to work on your opening sentences and your opening paragraphs.” I think what he was really wanting to say was, “Robert, we need to work on all of your writing from the opening sentence to the closing…
The COVID-19 pandemic is causing challenges throughout the health-care industry, both for patients and providers, and the substance-abuse and addiction treatment fields are no exception.
An emphasis on community building, academic excellence and clear, consistent communication are at the core of the successful distance-learning program under way at Laurel Magnet School of the Arts. When the district closed its buildings in mid-March due to COVID-19, Laurel Magnet School of t…
The Mississippi Department of Mental Health is making available free Youth Mental Health First Aid for parents, educators, families this summer in 11 cities throughout the state.
Four educators from the Pine Belt received scholarships by the Mississippi Professional Educators.
I got ambushed by a powerful fragrance while busting out of the cabin for an early evening walk around the neighborhood. It was cloyingly sweet.
A group of about 30 people from Christ's Church in Laurel gathered April 18 in the parking lot of South Central Regional Medical Center for a special service. Music was provided by Kim Guined and Rocky Mitchell. Worshiping are, from left, Veronica Ducksworth, Bobbie Heidelberg, an unidentifi…
If there is one thing that defines my family’s current situation in the middle of this pandemic, it’s togetherness. My wife, 22-year-old daughter and 18-year-old son have spent more quality time together than we have since 2011, when we crammed into a Volvo in Sweden and spent the next six m…
In the 20-plus years I have written this weekly column, I have covered all manner of topics. In the early days, many of the subjects and themes were awkward and silly, as it took a few years to find my voice. I write a lot about food and the food business and try my best to steer clear of wr…