Columns

Stoneville's Scientific Roots Fuel America's Crop Success

Before near-record crop yields were harvested by U.S. farmers, the seed, plants and soil had received major scientific attention in laboratories located on an obscure country road in rural Washington County,...

February 12, 2026 · Mac Gordon

Felder's Continental Blooms

In spite of the trendy push for using mostly native plants in our gardens, our backyards remain among the few places where few people pay much attention to country of origin; we happily grow plants from all over the...

February 12, 2026 · Felder Rushing

Girls vs Boys

Am I sexist? I think there are differences between men and women -- traits beyond obvious physical ones. But when I was young, feminist leaders said there were no differences. The only reason men ran most things was...

February 12, 2026 · John Stossel

Law and Order Are Fighting Words

Unrestrained mass migration of undocumented immigrants into the United States of America during President Biden's administration was neither a mistake, nor was it incompetence that pervaded his administration. It was a...

February 12, 2026 · Daniel Gardner

Remembering Jerry Wilburn: A Singular Voice From Mississippi's Hills and Hollers

You didn't have to know Jerry Wilburn to know of him. Anybody in Mississippi who's ever paid one scintilla of attention to the State Legislature would recognize his name. Of course, you must be of a certain age. Younger...

February 5, 2026 · Mac Gordon

Felder's Silver Linings

Hold on to your jasmine, because in spite of the frozen havoc in the northern half of the state, not all is lost in this year's cold-ravaged Mississippi gardens. Many of us are in the midst of a real disaster, and will...

February 5, 2026 · Felder Rushing

Politicians Make Things Worse

Home prices keep rising. One reason is that today's houses are bigger. Buyers now want more rooms, washers and dryers and air-conditioning. But even if you adjust for the improvements, houses cost more today. Why?...

February 5, 2026 · John Stossel

Immigration Wars

Progressives really are trying to fundamentally transform America from our foundation in the Constitution. They want us to be just like every other socialist nation on earth ruled by a totalitarian government. So far,...

February 5, 2026 · Daniel Gardner

Felder's Soil Sense

A plant is no better than what it grows in. Got good dirt...er, potting soil? Had a dream the other night, vivid enough to wake me to text myself a morning reminder; however, the next morning I had this message on my...

January 29, 2026 · Felder Rushing

Police Theft

Did you know that in most of America, police can take your property, even if you did nothing wrong? They don't have to charge you with a crime. They don't have to take you to court. They can just say they suspect you of...

January 29, 2026 · John Stossel

Pronoun Wars

It's us against them. Another pronoun war. At least, that's the way "us" always describes a conflict. "Them" is always everybody else. And, if you're never "us" nor "them," then you have to pick a side because there are...

January 29, 2026 · Daniel Gardner

Wishin' and Hopin' America Avoids Another 1960's Reckoning

With apologies to Dusty Springfield (1939-1999), I was "wishin' and hopin' and thinkin' and prayin'" that America could escape a repeat of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's, but now I'm not so sure. There's too...

January 29, 2026 · Mac Gordon

Felder's Balance

How much of a down-to-earth garden variety gardener are you? Do you do things horticulturally by the efficiency-oriented book, or follow a meandering path of gardening mostly for pleasure? I do a bit of both, being...

January 22, 2026 · Felder Rushing

The Warmth of Collectivism

"Replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the rich warmth of collectivism!" says my new socialist mayor. Sounds so nice... No more greedy capitalists hoarding wealth. People share. It's the socialist dream....

January 22, 2026 · John Stossel

My Dad's Tears

I only saw my Dad cry once. Seeing tears running down his face bothered and confused me. We were watching television. I was just an elementary school kid and hadn't understood all that had gone on the week before. On...

January 22, 2026 · Daniel Gardner

Southernisms: Sink Soup and Other Frugal Things

I am a child of the Great Depression. While technically I didn't exist during the "Hard Times" of the 1930's, my parents certainly did, having gotten married in 1935. Folks in the American South had been mostly...

January 22, 2026 · Dwalia South, MD

Felder's Weed Wars

Most gardeners are being faced this month, like it or not, with a hard choice regarding winter weeds in the lawn. No matter your preferred approach of weed-free, wildflowery, or doing bits of both in different areas,...

January 15, 2026 · Felder Rushing

Hollywood vs. Individualism

Many popular movies make a constructive point: If you work hard enough and push through tough times, you can achieve your dreams. In "The Pursuit of Happyness," a struggling father tells his son, "Don't let anyone tell...

January 15, 2026 · John Stossel

Unfortunate Radical Reactions

As Americans shift into prolific identity groups, the rest of us find ourselves rolling our eyes and shaking our heads a lot. "Why did he say that? Didn't he know?" Social constructs excuse reactions that used to be...

January 15, 2026 · Daniel Gardner

When Speakers Shut Doors to the Press

State House Speaker Jason White's decision to bar Mississippi Today's access to his office is reminiscent of President Trump's indefinite ban of the Associated Press from his environs. Perhaps that's where he got the...

January 15, 2026 · Mac Gordon

Swiss Chard, Broccoli & Kale Thrive in Winter Gardens

Some of the best vegetables you can grow here in the South don't mind a little chill. When the heat finally fades, our gardens enter a season of vibrant greens, crisp harvests and some truly beautiful foliage. In...

January 8, 2026 · Eddie Smith

Swiss Chard, Broccoli & Kale Thrive in Winter Gardens

Some of the best vegetables you can grow here in the South don't mind a little chill. When the heat finally fades, our gardens enter a season of vibrant greens, crisp harvests and some truly beautiful foliage. In...

January 8, 2026 · Eddie Smith

Felder Fesses Up

This is the week where I usually do my annual Felder Fesses Up, in which I chronicle my previous year's garden follies and foibles. But it wasn't so bad after all. Mostly, in my attempt to reduce garden chores to...

January 8, 2026 · Felder Rushing

Doomed?

While campaigning, President Donald Trump said, 'We're a nation in decline.' Now that he's president, the left agrees. 'We are witnessing the collapse and implosion of the American empire,' says Cornell West. Are the...

January 8, 2026 · John Stossel