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Lafayette County Master Gardeners: “After the Ice” crepe myrtle

Lafayette County Master Gardeners: “After the Ice”

Bronwynne Bailey February 19, 2026

Lafayette County Master Gardeners: After the Ice An ice storm transforms the garden into a glittering landscape,...

The View Beyond The Balcony: “Ice Storm Fern in Your Own Words” "The View Beyond The Balcony" by Randy Weeks

The View Beyond The Balcony: “Ice Storm Fern in Your Own Words”

Randy Weeks February 19, 2026

We are expanding the field of vision of this column beyond The Balcony for the time being....

The View From The Balcony: “Notes in My Phone XII” ViewFromTheBalcony-2

The View From The Balcony: “Notes in My Phone XII”

Randy Weeks February 18, 2026

As we’ve entered the new year, triumphed over great gridiron victories, and made it through ICEageddon, it...

Dana Criswell: “Mississippi’s Alcohol Laws Are Stuck in the Past” DistilledSpirits

Dana Criswell: “Mississippi’s Alcohol Laws Are Stuck in the Past”

Dana Criswell February 13, 2026

HB 669 Is a Step Forward Mississippi’s alcohol laws are some of the most restrictive in the...

Dana Criswell: “Stop Taxing the Tools That Feed Mississippi” Farming

Dana Criswell: “Stop Taxing the Tools That Feed Mississippi”

Dana Criswell February 12, 2026

When most Mississippians think about taxes, they picture April 15 or the total at the cash register....

Lafayette County Master Gardeners: February Garden Calendar February 2026 Calendar Background Made of Green Moss and Flowers on Marble Table

Lafayette County Master Gardeners: February Garden Calendar

Bronwynne Bailey February 11, 2026

February Garden Calendar Now that most of the ice is gone, it is time to think gardening!...

Dana Criswell: “Taxation by Annexation Is Still Taxation Without Consent”

Dana Criswell February 4, 2026

Municipal annexation in Mississippi has a dirty little secret. Too often it is less about “smart growth”...

Dana Criswell: “Shrinking Government: Mississippi Senate Bill 2017” Government-Scrabble

Dana Criswell: “Shrinking Government: Mississippi Senate Bill 2017”

Dana Criswell January 24, 2026

Recommendation: Support SUMMARY: This bill repeals numerous obsolete state boards, commissions, authorities, and advisory councils and makes...

Dana Criswell: “Freedom to Bake, Bottle, and Build a Business” Cooking

Dana Criswell: “Freedom to Bake, Bottle, and Build a Business”

Dana Criswell January 23, 2026

Mississippi has a choice in SB2394: do we keep treating a home kitchen like a commercial restaurant,...

Dana Criswell: “Raise Taxes on Guns – MS HB145” AR-15

Dana Criswell: “Raise Taxes on Guns – MS HB145”

Dana Criswell January 22, 2026

Category: Dumb Bills By Dumb Politicians HB145: This bill raises multiple sales and excise tax rates on firearms,...

Lafayette County Master Gardeners: Passionflower A close up of a Bluecrown passionflower Passiflora caerulea flower in sunlight.

Lafayette County Master Gardeners: Passionflower

Bronwynne Bailey January 21, 2026

by Bronwynne Bailey Passion flowers (Passiflora spp.) are increasingly valued in professional and serious amateur gardens for...

Dana Criswell: “Mississippi Fair Chase Act: A Clear Move in the Wrong Direction” HB828: This bill creates the Mississippi Fair Chase Act, making it unlawful to kill or trap game or furbearing animals damaging crops or property without a state depredation permit and sharply restricting hunting with dogs to very large private tracts.

HB828: This bill creates the Mississippi Fair Chase Act, making it unlawful to kill or trap game or furbearing animals damaging crops or property without a state depredation permit and sharply restricting hunting with dogs to very large private tracts.

Dana Criswell: “Mississippi Fair Chase Act: A Clear Move in the Wrong Direction”

Dana Criswell January 20, 2026

HB828: This bill creates the Mississippi Fair Chase Act, making it unlawful to kill or trap game or...

Lafayette County Master Gardeners: “A New Threat in Mississippi: The Emerald Ash Borer and What Gardeners Need to Know” Adult emerald ash borers are colorful, but they are only about one-third to one-half inch long. (Howard Russell, Michigan State University, Bugwood.org)

Adult emerald ash borers are colorful, but they are only about one-third to one-half inch long. (Howard Russell, Michigan State University, Bugwood.org)

Lafayette County Master Gardeners: “A New Threat in Mississippi: The Emerald Ash Borer and What Gardeners Need to Know”

Bronwynne Bailey January 15, 2026

In the fall of 2025, Mississippi received unwelcome news: the emerald ash borer (EAB), a destructive invasive...

Dana Criswell: “Mississippi’s Education Freedom Plan: Magnolia Student Accounts” Mississippi’s HB 2

Dana Criswell: “Mississippi’s Education Freedom Plan: Magnolia Student Accounts”

Dana Criswell January 14, 2026

Mississippi’s HB 2 is an education “omnibus,” and that’s both its strength and its risk. It bundles...

Lafayette County Master Gardeners: “Yaupon Holly” Ilex vomitoria commonly known as Yaupon Holly in Florida nature, closeup

Lafayette County Master Gardeners: “Yaupon Holly”

Bronwynne Bailey January 8, 2026

by Bronwynne Bailey Growing Yaupon Holly: A Resilient Native for Modern Gardens Yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria) is...

Lafayette County Master Gardeners: “Plants Perfect for the Holidays” A waxed amaryllis bulb does not need to be watered to produce beautiful, care-free flowers. (Photo by MSU Extension/Gary Bachman)

A waxed amaryllis bulb does not need to be watered to produce beautiful, care-free flowers. (Photo by MSU Extension/Gary Bachman)

Lafayette County Master Gardeners: “Plants Perfect for the Holidays”

Bronwynne Bailey December 31, 2025

It’s that time of year! How will you decorate for the holidays? What gifts will be meaningful...

Dana Criswell: “When ‘John 3:16’ Becomes a Crime” John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life."