Editorial: Federal budget cuts threaten rocket-building on Gulf Coast

Editorial: Federal budget cuts threaten rocket-building on Gulf Coast

NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, with its core stage built in New Orleans and its engines assembled and tested in Mississippi, is designed to launch astronauts to the Moon, ensuring that the United States remains at the forefront of space exploration. However, the Administration’s recent bud

Opinion: My view of the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science

Opinion: My view of the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science

Children need a way to fall in love with nature and they need places for this to happen. Current writing on child development explains and reinforces this need. The book “Last Child in the Woods” (2008) by Richard Louv is a good place to start. When children reach adulthood with a solid tie to the n

Watson: Post-election audits found no fraud during 2024 elections

Watson: Post-election audits found no fraud during 2024 elections

Since first entering public service in 2008, I have dedicated myself to ensuring the security and integrity of Mississippi’s elections. Yet, I’m just one person and no one person can do things alone.Considering Mississippi is a bottom-up state when it comes to elections, my goal as Secretary of Stat

Robert St. John: Rolling Fork is truly rising

Robert St. John: Rolling Fork is truly rising

PETROGNANO, TUSCANY— Since 2017, over 1,350 people have traveled with me on more than 55 trips to seven European countries and 40 European cities. What started as a single, one-off trip hosting a few people interested in the people and places I had discovered in Tuscany has turned into a second busi

Doctor’s advice: Helping your child cope with seasonal allergies

Doctor’s advice: Helping your child cope with seasonal allergies

Sniffles and sneezes are an inevitable part of growing up. But if your child has a lingering runny nose and cough – or both appear around the same time each year – it could be seasonal allergies. Seasonal allergies typically happen in the spring, summer, and early fall.Symptoms of seasonal allergie

Coastal Mississippi’s economic future is bright if we diversify

Coastal Mississippi’s economic future is bright if we diversify

It’s no secret that at the foundation of Coastal Mississippi’s success is gaming, government contracts, and military bases.The casinos in Harrison and Hancock counties rake in around $1.6 billion annually, employing thousands with over 9,000 direct jobs and another 18,000 or so tied to the ripple ef

Our economic teams are strong. Now, let’s dream bigger together

Our economic teams are strong. Now, let’s dream bigger together

Since I retired as a media CEO and started digging into Coastal Mississippi’s future on my SuperTalk Mississippi show, I’ve had over 1,400 conversations that keep me fired up and more focused on the potential of our region.So many of those conversations have been really important – statewide leaders

Coastal Mississippi’s big moment is here. Let’s seize it together!

Coastal Mississippi’s big moment is here. Let’s seize it together!

The last time I wrote about our future, I felt it: Coastal Mississippi teetering on the edge of something massive. We’re already an economic engine for this state, but our region is bursting with untapped potential.Thriving ports, new jobs, and our incredible cities – each with its own unique pulse

Watson: Upcoming municipal elections should be prioritized

Watson: Upcoming municipal elections should be prioritized

Despite successfully administering the 2024 Presidential Election just a few months ago, Mississippi has shifted full steam ahead into the 2025 municipal elections. While the presidential election routinely garners tremendous attention, our local municipal elections are often drastically overlooked

Sen. Sparks: Methamphetamine and the life of a lie

Sen. Sparks: Methamphetamine and the life of a lie

Trying to solve problems is a large part of the job of being the Mississippi Legislature. Sometimes we overthink it and the product we produce isn’t what is needed or at least reasonable people can disagree if the choice is the best path forward.I serve as a public defender in Tishomingo County and

Mathews: Let’s fix America first!

Mathews: Let’s fix America first!

As a former conservative newspaper CEO and publisher (I was center-right, but there weren’t many of us), I was slow to come back on board with President Donald Trump this time for a host of valid reasons.In the lead-up to the 2016 election, I actually wrote a piece about why I believed Trump would g

Mathews: Seafood labeling bill is a chance to protect our coastal heritage

Mathews: Seafood labeling bill is a chance to protect our coastal heritage

After a series of bad news headlines about the seafood served at restaurants in Coastal Mississippi, the push for seafood labeling has never been more critical. The House has spoken, overwhelmingly passing a seafood labeling bill. The Senate now stands as the gatekeeper of this vital legislation. It

Mathews: A vision for Coastal Mississippi’s bright future

Mathews: A vision for Coastal Mississippi’s bright future

I absolutely love this place. I’ve dedicated my heart and soul to Coastal Mississippi for most of my life, and I’m proud of what we have accomplished, especially since Hurricane Katrina. Yet, as we stand on the brink of a new chapter, I feel a growing sense of urgency about our future. I wish I coul

A Mississippian in Japan — A series on serious food

A Mississippian in Japan — A series on serious food

When I first told my extended family I was moving to Japan, my sister was excited for me, but my stuck-in-her-ways mother exclaimed, “But they eat raw fish over there.” I said, “Yes Mom, they call it sashimi and I am told it is delicious and so fresh that it doesn’t taste too fishy at all.”As I have