Papa Mississippi

07/30/2025

Say less, I'm in!

07/29/2025

Still the best root beer, hands down 🍺

DID YOU KNOW?
Barq's Root Beer originated in Biloxi, Mississippi, not New Orleans, where the company was founded. In 1898, Edward Barq, who had previously been experimenting with soft drinks in New Orleans, moved to Biloxi and established the Biloxi Artesian Bottling Works. There, he developed and bottled Barq's Root Beer. While the Barq's Brothers Bottling Company was founded in New Orleans in 1890, it was in Biloxi that Barq's Root Beer as we know it was first produced.

07/28/2025

Mississippi’s got bugs—but these ones sneak in through your cereal. Here’s how to spot ’em, stop ’em, and avoid a nasty surprise in your jambalaya.

07/26/2025

Why are weather apps so off lately? It’s not your imagination. In 2025, major cuts to the National Weather Service left big gaps in the data that powers your smartphone forecasts. Here’s how it affects Mississippi—and what you can do about it.

07/25/2025

I flew back into Mississippi this week after a work trip, and before I even made it into the airport, I could already tell I was home.

And I don’t mean because the heat hit me like I just opened the door to a bakery oven set to “molten.”

No, it was something else.

As we unloaded from the plane, two things caught my attention.

First — and I know this isn’t exactly crucial to the story, but I feel like it deserves a shoutout — the Jackson airport? It’s lookin’ good. Seriously. Someone has been putting in the work. And yes… the escalator is working again. Hats off to whoever finally wrestled that thing back to life. Your service is seen.

And here’s the second thing. The important one.

I’d just spent a few weeks surrounded by folks from other cities and states. Lovely people. Friendly, professional, interesting. Nothing bad to say. But as I stepped off the plane in Jackson, I watched a little story play out that reminded me exactly why I live here.

There was an older woman ahead of me, struggling with her suitcase up the jet bridge ramp. Before I could even step in, another woman — clearly struggling with her own bag — leaned over and said, “let me help you with that.”

She took the bag and started walking it up the ramp.

A few seconds later, the guy I’d been sitting next to (and who was even taller than I am, so naturally we’d wound up in the same back row) popped up beside them, scooped up both bags like it was nothing, and carried them the rest of the way with a gentle smile and a nod.

Just a small moment. No grand gestures. Nobody filmed it. No likes, no retweets.

Just three people doing what people around here tend to do — looking out for each other.

When I travel, people ask me all the time, “Why Mississippi?” Like it’s some big mystery.

This is why.

This right here. Not just the kindness — but the reflex of kindness. The quiet way folks help each other. The way strangers act like neighbors, just because someone needs a hand and they happen to be standing close.

I know we’ve got our problems. Every place does. But I’ve never lived anywhere else where the little, everyday decencies still happen so naturally — where they’re part of the rhythm of the place.

That’s home. That’s Mississippi.

And it’s good to be back 💜

07/19/2025

Why is our immigration court system collapsing? Is there a balance between law and love? And what are the actual immigration numbers? Here’s a full breakdown and my thoughts on the big question… how do we fix it all? No shouting. Just facts.

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07/15/2025

Follow the Yellow Brick Road… to Oxford!

The Guide to the Wizard of Oxford is here, and the road to MTA Festival 2026 is officially mapped out! While this map isn’t a true-to-scale depiction of Mississippi, it is a whimsical Wizard of Oz-style path leading you straight to the magic of Mississippi Theatre!

South DramaFest
📍 Hattiesburg — Oak Grove High School
📆 December 2025

North DramaFest
📍 Starkville — Mississippi State University
📆 December 2025

MTA Festival
📍 Oxford — University of Mississippi
📆 January 2026

And don’t forget — community theatre is thriving all along the yellow brick road!

07/10/2025

From dolphins at Disney to Mississippi's giant squid, MSU's Dr. Holley Muraco has seen it all 🐬 Dive into her journey and the Magnolia State's surprising variety of marine mammals on Mississippi Outdoors Podcast!

YouTube 🔗 https://youtu.be/95dn01Gh0UY?si=mDEv9x6o72hdwIje
Podcast 🎧 https://shows.acast.com/mississippi-outdoors-podcast/episodes/mississippis-marine-mammals-with-dr-holley-muraco

01/06/2025

Mississippi’s legislative session begins Tuesday, January 7, and voters have made their priorities very clear on taxes, the ballot initiative, and other issues. But will lawmakers represent them, or go their own way? Let’s dig in.

01/05/2025

Columbus Mississippi has been waiting more than a decade for settlement checks after the largest environmental recovery case in American history. But could the year 2025 have checks in the mail?