Local Edition

June 24, 2026

Hinds County, Mississippi

Community reporting, editorials, columns, and local record

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Hinds County Newsroom

Jackson, MS

Serving Hinds County

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Columns

Recurring columnists and personality-driven local commentary.

  • Felder's Heat Survivors

    Ever wonder if there are any flowers for a small space with grim growing conditions, that are nearly impossible to ignore to death? There actually are some that don't include the word "plastic." With spring flowers...

    Columns
  • Tax the Rich?

    "Tax the rich!" shout progressives. Why not? America's richest people are ridiculously rich. "Five bucks to you is like $6 million to billionaire Jeff Bezos!" shrieks Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Taking more from billionaires...

    Columns Editorial
  • Final Inning for McComb's Historic Ball Field

    The hallowed park that housed much of McComb's youth baseball program for more than 70 years is now firmly at rest in the dustbins of history. Recently removed from the landscape were fences, flagpole, grandstands and...

    Columns
  • Evergreen Shrub Temple Bells Shines in the Spring

    Sometimes it seems that spring is all about the flowers, but trees and shrubs play a significant role in the landscape waking up from winter. At my house, an early bloomer I look forward to seeing each year is Temple...

    Columns
  • From the Pastor's Pen: The Hardest Fight

    What has been the hardest fight of your life? For some, memories of sporting contests may enter our minds; for others, flashbacks of fighting enemy combatants in our bodies (cancer) and in foreign lands (war). These...

    Columns
  • Terry News

    The Town of Terry election results for Alderman, held on Tuesday, are as follows: Barfield 75, Jones 65, Holly 55, Green 38. There will be a runoff between Barfield and Jones on Tuesday, April 21. Everyone is urged to...

    Columns
  • Felder's Upward Gardens

    From overarching arbors and ornate pillars to flowering vine teepees, vertical structures are hallmarks of good garden design. They lift eyes and spirits, provide protection from the sun, and support vines for seasonal...

    Columns
  • You Don't Own Me

    Politicians tax what we earn, regulate what we build and often decide what we can do with our bodies and our money. I like to think I own myself. But politicians increasingly act as if they do. "People should not have...

    Columns Editorial
  • Make a Decision

    How do we make a decision? We could write about pros and cons, seeking wise counsel, and a litany of other helps; but the answer truly boils down to two options - by faith or by sight. Do we trust in God's promise, or...

    Columns Editorial
  • Terry News

    The eggstravaganza is coming up Saturday, April 4 from 11 to 2 o'clock in Village Square Park. (Across street from Terry City Hall) There will be an Easter Egg Hunt, Food, Games and Vendors. For further information...

    Columns News
  • Felder's Garden Shortcuts

    Of the several repetitive garden chores I was responsible for as a teenager are never-ending Sisyphean tasks I swore I would not do when I grew up, three in particular irritated me: Mowing grass, hoeing garden rows, and...

    Columns
  • The Economists Who Got It Right

    Politicians say they can "make the economy work better." I once believed they could. But years of reporting taught me that politicians' attempts to "fix" the economy usually make things worse. Twenty years ago,...

    Columns Editorial Political
  • What has the King Done for Us?

    I'm not surprised. I am frustrated. Most Americans regardless of which "side" they're on evidently feel the same way. The war has neither proved nor solved anything. Based on the last 6,000 years of history, the Left...

    Columns Editorial
  • Felder's Native Myth

    Native may be the new buzzword for choosing landscape plants, but it often gets in the way of good gardening. Not knocking native plants; after all, this past president of the Mississippi Native Plant Society grows and...

    Columns
  • Evil Meat

    Do you eat steak? You're killing the planet! So say climate activists. Is it true? Probably not. Vox warns that beef is the "worst thing we eat when it comes to global warming." The World Economic Forum,...

    Columns Editorial Political
  • Consequences Breed Fires

    Last week Iran launched two intermediate-range ballistic missiles toward Diego Garcia, a key U.S.-U.K. base in the Indian Ocean 2,500 miles away. Even though neither missile reached its target, the range of these...

    Columns Editorial Political
  • Mississippi's Greatest Bookman: Fred Cecil Smith (1953-2026) of Jackson's Choctaw Books Remembered

    Fred Cecil Smith, 72, of Starkville, Mississippi, a nationally respected antiquarian bookseller and archivist, passed away after a long battle with cancer on February 28, 2026 at his home surrounded by his family. The...

    Columns Headline
  • Data Centers Gold Rush: Mississippi's Readiness

    Whether Mississippi, Georgia or Northern Virginia is the national pacesetter in obtaining development promises from data center companies, as all three states claim, each is glowing, if not with electricity, certainly...

    Columns
  • Felder's Woodland Wonders

    Even in this super-colorful Spring time, let's slow down to appreciate a handful of peculiar, often underappreciated oddities that adorn other landscape plants. One is the velvety mat of emerald-green moss, which...

    Columns
  • The Reading Wars

    "My child can't read!" That's become a common complaint from parents. Why? It might be because kids are distracted by social media and video games. But I think it's also because reading...

    Columns Editorial Political
  • Signs of the Times

    As we have approached Resurrection Sunday aka Easter this year, I've seen many advertisements about specials in theaters on television and online about Jesus's life, death, and resurrection. Over the past year...

    Columns Editorial Political
  • The Future of Magnolia Looking Right

    Over the past eight months, the Mayor and Board of Aldermen have taken meaningful steps to position Magnolia for long-term success. Mayor Brumfield has consistently emphasized that the city's future belongs to its...

    Columns Headline
  • A Variety of Azaleas Bring Spring Blooms

    Few shrubs say 'spring in Mississippi' quite like azaleas, and mine are getting ready to burst with blooms. Azaleas thrive here so well that some gardeners get the impression you can simply stick them in the...

    Columns
  • Felder's Bold Pruning

    What's the hardest thing, psychologically, for normally reasonable gardeners to do? For decades I have extolled folks to adopt some very straightforward and rewarding horticultural practices which, on first glance,...

    Columns