The Southern Voice

03/11/2025

This is a story we have been covering for years. Friend and member of our writing team, Henry Ball, wrote a book about the Chapel case, and I was the first national media figure to cover his mission. Thanks to Henry, I was the first person to interview, Michael Chapel and the first person to interview former district attorney Danny Porter about the case in well over a decade. Our work on the case led to the podcast and large-scale media coverage. Now, there’s a significant update. See below.

By Henry Ball | The Southern Voice

For thirty-two years, the State of Georgia has stood by a conviction that never should have happened. Michael Chapel, a decorated Gwinnett County police officer and former Marine, was branded a murderer on the word of a few bad cops, a seriously flawed investigation, and a raincoat that never told the truth.

That “blood-spattered” yellow slicker — once paraded in court as proof that Chapel shot a defenseless widow in the Gwinnco Muffler Shop driveway — has now been exposed for what it always was: contaminated junk science.

Three separate forensic laboratories, including Foxen Forensic and the legendary Dr. Kris Sperry, have confirmed that the supposed spatter patterns were impossible. The hydrophobic coating on the raincoat repels blood. What the State called “impact stains” were nothing more than mildew and mold born in a damp evidence locker.

Sperry’s pathology review goes further. The victim, Emogene Thompson, wasn’t shot — at least initially — in her car at all; she was staged there. The blood pattern on the steering wheel, seatbelt, and doorframe — every mark — contradicts the State’s theory. And the second bullet the GBI logged? They failed to examine it but added a note on the report that it “probably” came from the same gun as the first.

“Probably” — rather than scientific certainty — seems to suffice when careers are on the line.

Taken together, these findings don’t just raise doubt. They confirm what many of us have been saying for decades: Michael Chapel was railroaded to protect men who wore the same badge.

The public deserves to know how deep this goes — from altered crime scenes and false testimony to a network of “good ol’ boys” who made sure Chapel’s name was buried long before his case ever reached a jury.

That’s why I wrote Killing Henry. It isn’t just another true-crime story — it’s the story of how power corrupts, how truth survives, and how one man’s fight for another man's freedom exposes the cracks in Georgia’s justice system that were never meant to be seen.

Once the State’s attorney read the newly released forensic reports, a motion for continuance was filed and granted. Chapel’s habeas hearing, originally scheduled for Friday, November 7, will now likely be delayed until January 2026 or later.

Perhaps the judge should release Michael Chapel on bond while the State gets its story straight. They’ve had over thirty-two years. That seems long enough.

The book, Killing Henry, is available for pre-sale now. Read it. Share it. And remember: justice delayed isn’t justice denied — it’s freedom stolen. And if they could do it to Michael Chapel, they could do it to any of us.

https://storiedpress.store/

28/10/2025

I don't yet have an answer for what the future of The Southern Voice may look like, but I wanted to be sure you saw this news from Henry Ball, one of our team. Henry's soon releasing his third book, about the Michael Chapel case, which has been covered extensively here and in the media around the world.

Killing Henry tells the unbelievable, untold true story of the extraordinary battle to free an innocent man from thirty-two years of wrongful incarceration...

Pre-sales Available now at https://storiedpress.store

You only thought you knew the whole story!

23/10/2025

⚜️ A Note to Our Readers

The results from this week’s posts and videos have made the decision clear.
Despite clearly outlining what was needed — and why time mattered — the response simply didn’t come.

We shared candidly what was needed for us to continue providing you with The Southern Voice content you say you love — and to keep it free.

Honestly, I’m disappointed by the response — or more so, the lack thereof.

We said we needed thousands of views on each Southern Minute video, a significant number of new followers for The Boomer’s Edge, and a high volume of clicks on The Gentleman’s Edge column links — to give Facebook reason to share our content with a broader audience that would allow us to continue.

What we received was only a tiny fraction of that — barely a blip on the radar.

Over the past couple of weeks, we were transparent about what it would take to keep TSV free and growing. We outlined clear goals, simple ways to help, and gave plenty of time to act.

The results spoke for themselves — and fell far short of what was needed.

I’ll respect the message that silence and inaction clearly sent.

To those who engaged, watched, followed, shared, and supported — thank you sincerely. Your encouragement means more than you know.
I only wish there were more like you.

I take great pride in knowing that our team built The Southern Voice from zero to an audience of millions upon millions — without corporate backing, without outside funding, and purely through dedication and storytelling that honors our Southern history, heroes, and traditions.

Sadly, you all gave us the answers we needed to decide on our future.

For now, we’ll pause, reflect, and plan our next steps.

⚜️ Thank you for being part of our story.

22/10/2025

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22/10/2025

Helpful advice, especially if you are on specific medications.

When Good Advice Can Go Bad: Why Nutrition Guidance Should Come from the Right Source

By Jim Harris | The Boomer’s Edge

Every week, someone new shows up on social media offering nutrition tips. They might mean well—but that doesn’t mean their advice is safe. When it comes to what you put in your body, good intentions can do real harm.

That’s why many states restrict who can legally give nutrition advice. In most cases, only medical doctors (MDs) and registered dietitians (RDs) are authorized to dispense individualized nutritional guidance. The reason? Because nutrition isn’t just about calories, carbs, or cutting sugar—it’s about how food interacts with your body, your medications, and your health conditions.

Consider a few common examples:

Leafy green vegetables—like spinach, kale, and collards—are rich in vitamin K, which is healthy for most people but can interfere with blood thinners like warfarin, reducing their effectiveness and increasing the risk of dangerous blood clots.

Grapefruit and grapefruit juice can amplify or block certain prescription drugs, including cholesterol-lowering statins, blood pressure medications, and some antidepressants. The results can range from dizziness and muscle damage to heart rhythm problems.

Black licorice (and teas or candies made with licorice root) can dangerously raise blood pressure and lower potassium levels, especially when combined with heart or diuretic medications.

Even foods high in potassium, such as bananas and oranges, can cause complications for people taking ACE inhibitors or potassium-sparing diuretics—potentially leading to irregular heartbeats or cardiac arrest if potassium builds up in the blood.

That’s why licensed dietitians spend years studying not just food, but biochemistry, physiology, and drug interactions. They understand how nutrients work inside the body and how they can affect people differently based on age, health history, and prescription medications.

Before I retired, I was a master trainer with multiple advanced nutritional certifications. Half my clients were doctors and our successes were covered in media around the region. I spent years helping even the riskiest clients get stronger, leaner, and healthier—but even then, I always made sure to have a registered dietitian review my clients’ plans. Why? Because credentials matter—and so does safety. A trainer can guide workouts, but a dietitian ensures your nutrition supports, not sabotages, your health.

Unfortunately, the internet has blurred those boundaries. It’s easy to mistake confidence for competence—especially when the advice comes with flashy before-and-after photos or “miracle” supplements. The truth is, even well-meaning advice can go wrong fast when it’s not grounded in medical science.

So before following anyone’s recommendations—mine included—check their qualifications. If they’re not a licensed RD or MD, they shouldn’t be prescribing specific meal plans, supplements, or nutrient targets for you.

When in doubt, ask your doctor for a referral to a registered dietitian. Most insurance plans cover at least some nutritional counseling, especially for conditions like diabetes, heart disease, or high blood pressure.

Remember: your health is too valuable to gamble on “free advice.”
Good nutrition isn’t about quick fixes—it’s about smart, safe, and personalized guidance from those qualified to give it.

22/10/2025

Another great one from Billy.

It was a bone-bruising, downhill drive along a washed-out pig trail leading from the dry road to the house at the soggy bottom.

“Drive” might not be the right word.

My old truck just kinda tumbled down that Jefferson County, Florida, trail in a low-gear stumble. The trip was more like a drunk uncle wrestling with gravity, trying to get down the front porch steps while struggling not to miss the ground when he got there, and end up with a new dent in his reputation.

On the way down the hill, my farrier tools rattled out their complaints about my driving as they bounced and chattered toward the front of the truck bed. I swear, it almost sounded like a hoof rasp was using the Lord’s name in vain. But it could have been just the sound it made bouncing across the metal.

I don’t remember what year it was, but I hadn’t long quit my newspaper job and started this new journey with sweat, backaches, and passion and purpose both riding shotgun.

My decision to go into the farrier business had brought a uniform response from people: “You’re quitting the newspaper to do WHAT?”

I guess a love for horses can be asleep in your DNA, and you never know it until someone comes along, shakes you, and says, “Hey! Wake up.” My daughter, Jillian, and her horse, Maverick, shook me almost 25 years ago. And I will forever be thankful to them both for the awakening.

So, as you can see, I started working on horses a long time ago and just never came up with a good reason to stop. I’m not looking for one either.

Over the years, I've gotten to know these animals and each one’s distinct and private personalities. What they like, what they don’t. What scares them, what calms them. Whether they prefer the taste of carrots, apples or oats. And even which foot they want me to start with. If you’re around animals long enough, you pick up on these nuances. That is, if you’re not asleep. And if you are, they will wake you.

Working around horses, you need to be awake. You can’t afford not to be. Paying attention can help you not get your shins dented or your head vented. Not as often anyway.

Most of the horses I work on never kick at me or the truck I rode in on. But a few do, and a few have connected, or wanted to. Those horses are the ones I do-si-do with but get the job done. I call that dance the “Shin-dent Shindig.”

Because of occasional shindigs, my legs look like a couple of fence posts marking the boundary of a liquor store parking lot.

I’ve even done a few spins on the dance floor with llamas, alpacas, cows, mules, and donkeys… guess that counts too.

I’ve learned a lot over the years. I’m not claiming to know it all, but I had a client call me one Sunday night about her lame chicken. I was going to suggest she soak it in hot grease. But I didn’t want her to be reclassified as a “former client,” so I didn’t. Instead, I gave her the phone number of a chicken expert I know. And it wasn’t Colonel Sanders.

But despite the threats and the stitches, you can still get attached to these animals, and even the bumpy pig trails that lead down to them.

A customer here in Gadsden County told me yesterday that her old mare had died.

I have been trimming that mare’s feet since I first started farrier work. She was a good soul with soft eyes and hard feet. Never once did she pin her ears, cuss, or kick.

Last time I saw her, I noticed she was showing the signs we all show as the mileage piles up. When I finished with her, I walked back to the truck while wondering how much longer she would last.

Now I’m wondering if these Jefferson County horses I just do-si-doed (or is it do-si-did?) with had the same thoughts about me as I drove away, my farrier tools rattling out their complaints, me aiming the truck toward the main road without even a hint of a dent in my reputation or my shin

21/10/2025

Timeless etiquette tips for men—and anyone who wants to be the kind of guest who’s always welcome back. Click here for the story. https://bit.ly/48AYmim

21/10/2025

21/10/2025

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21/10/2025

The Heroism of José Mendoza López, by Jim Harris

The Battle of the Bulge and D-Day were two of the most monumental and significant events of WWII, and both produced countless heroic deeds. Among those heroes was Medal of Honor recipient José Mendoza López of Texas, whose actions in both battles rank among the most remarkable in our country’s history.

Early Life and Boxing Career

López was born in Mexico in 1910. Orphaned at the age of eight, he went to live with his uncle in Brownsville, Texas. As a young man, he picked cotton in the nearby Rio Grande Valley and hopped freight cars across the country in search of work.

During one of his travels, he got into a street fight in Atlanta, Georgia. A promoter who witnessed the brawl offered to train him as a boxer. He accepted—and soon began fighting under the name Kid Mendoza.

Although he stood only 5'5" and weighed around 130 pounds, López became highly successful in the ring. He retired in 1934 after losing a bout in Melbourne, Australia, finishing with an impressive record of 52 wins and only 3 losses—and he was never knocked down.

Service Before the War

In 1935, López joined the Merchant Marines, using a fake birth certificate that listed him as U.S.-born for eligibility. He served for six years and was at sea when he learned of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and America’s entry into World War II.

Soon after, he returned to Brownsville, married his girlfriend Emilia Herrera, and enlisted in the U.S. Army.

Training and D-Day

López’s first Army assignment was Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, followed by basic training at Camp Roberts, California. He was then assigned to M Company, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, which deployed to London for Normandy invasion training.

His division landed at Normandy on June 7, 1944, one day after D-Day. López was wounded that same day but refused evacuation, continuing to fight. Over the following months, his division advanced through France and into Belgium, preparing for fierce German resistance.

The Battle of the Bulge

As winter set in, heavy snow and poor weather hampered Allied reconnaissance, causing them to underestimate German troop strength—roughly 410,000 men.

On December 16, 1944, a 90-minute German artillery barrage launched what became the Battle of the Bulge. López, temporarily attached to K Company, 23rd Infantry Regiment, provided additional machine gun support.

A machine gun was typically operated by a multi-person crew: a shooter, a tripod carrier, and an ammunition feeder. But López, true to form, defied the odds and acted alone. Ignoring his own safety, he repositioned repeatedly under enemy shelling to hold off the advancing German forces—buying time for K Company to withdraw and regroup.

That day, López killed more than 100 German troops singlehandedly, saving countless American lives.

Medal of Honor Citation

When President Harry Truman presented López with the Medal of Honor on June 18, 1945, the official citation read in part:

“On his own initiative, he carried his heavy machine gun from Company K's right flank to its left, in order to protect that flank, cutting down a group of 10 Germans. Ignoring enemy fire from an advancing tank, he held his position and cut down 25 more enemy infantry attempting to turn his flank.

Glancing to his right, he saw a large number of infantry swarming in from the front. Although dazed and shaken from enemy artillery fire which had crashed into the ground only a few yards away, he realized that his position soon would be outflanked. Again, alone, he carried his machine gun to a position to the right rear of the sector; enemy tanks and infantry were forcing a withdrawal.

Blown over backward by the concussion of enemy fire, he immediately reset his gun and continued his fire. Single-handed he held off the German horde until he was satisfied his company had effected its retirement. Again he loaded his gun on his back, and in a hail of small-arms fire, he ran to a point where a few of his comrades were attempting to set up another defense against the onrushing enemy.

He fired from this position until his ammunition was exhausted. Still carrying his gun, he fell back with his small group to Krinkelt. Sgt. López’s gallantry and intrepidity, on seemingly suicidal missions in which he killed at least 100 of the enemy, were almost solely responsible for allowing Company K to avoid being enveloped, to withdraw successfully, and to give other forces coming up in support time to build a line which repelled the enemy drive.”

Legacy of Valor

Thanks to the heroics of López and others, U.S. forces stopped the German advance and denied them access to crucial supplies—turning the tide in what became an Allied victory at the Battle of the Bulge.

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill later said,

“This is undoubtedly the greatest American battle of the war and will, I believe, be regarded as an ever-famous American victory.”

Honors and Later Life

López received numerous other awards and decorations, including the Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal, Good Conduct Medal (with bronze clasp and four loops), Bronze Star with oak leaf cluster, and the WWII Victory Medal.

He was also honored by New York City Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia and, on a postwar trip to Mexico, by the President of Mexico, who awarded him la Condecoración del Mérito Militar, Mexico’s highest military honor.

López reenlisted in the Army and served two tours in Korea, earning the Korean Service Medal (with three campaign stars), United Nations Korea Medal, and Korean War Service Medal. After returning home, he worked for the Veterans Administration and later revisited the battlefields in the 1990 PBS documentary “From D-Day to the Rhine.”

His wife, Emilia, passed away in 2004. López died the following year, in 2005.

Today, his legacy endures:

The city of Mission Park, Texas, named a street and city park in his honor.

A San Antonio school bears his name.

And a statue of José Mendoza López stands proudly in Brownsville’s Veterans Park.

20/10/2025

From Coal Dust to Starlight: The Southern Boy Who Reached for the Moon

In the tiny coal-mining town of Coalwood, West Virginia, the world often felt small. The mountains hemmed people in, and the future seemed to lie somewhere down in the dark shafts of the Olga Coal Company. For a boy named Homer Hickam Jr., though, the night sky over those ridges wasn’t a ceiling—it was a challenge.

Born on February 19, 1943, Homer grew up the son of the town’s mine superintendent. In Coalwood, the mine wasn’t just a job; it was identity, tradition, and survival. But in the fall of 1957, when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, that glowing dot arcing across the Appalachian sky changed everything. To young Hickam, it was proof that ordinary people could reach extraordinary heights.

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The Rocket Boys of Coalwood

Homer gathered three friends—Roy Lee Cooke, Jimmy O’Dell Carroll, and Sherman Siers (as portrayed in the film. In real life, the group included Billy Rose and Quentin Wilson) —and they began building rockets out of scrap metal and chemistry-set powder. Their first efforts exploded almost as soon as they lit the fuse, earning them disapproving glances from neighbors and lectures from Homer’s father, Sonny, known as “the Captain.”

Coalwood wasn’t the kind of place where boys dreamed about outer space. But with the encouragement of Miss Freida Riley, a young high-school science teacher who saw their potential, the group pressed on. They built launch pads in a patch of barren ground they christened Cape Coalwood and kept meticulous notes in tattered notebooks.

Each flight improved on the last. By the time they named themselves the Big Creek Missile Agency, their homemade rockets were climbing thousands of feet. Their work wasn’t just tinkering—it was engineering.

In 1960, their efforts paid off when they won the National Science Fair, taking home the gold medal for propulsion. For the first time, the boys of Coalwood saw a life beyond the company mine.

From Appalachia to NASA

Hickam went on to study engineering at Virginia Tech, serving as a member of the Corps of Cadets. He and other classmates constructed a brass cannon for football games, nicknamed “The Skipper”, for JFK.
He later joined the U.S. Army, serving in Vietnam, where he was awarded a Bronze Star, Army Commendation Medal and Army Meritorious Unit Commendation. Afterward, he worked as an engineer for the U.S. Army Missile Command in Huntsville, Alabama—just a few hundred miles but a world away from the coalfields.

By the 1980s, Homer had joined NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, also in Huntsville, helping train astronauts and design spacecraft systems. In the same Southern city where Wernher von Braun’s team had built the Saturn V rocket, a boy who once scavenged pipe fittings behind a coal tipple now helped others prepare to reach orbit. Hickam also worked in the Neutral Buoyancy Simulator, training crews for their space missions, including the first Japanese astronauts.

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Telling the Story of Home

In 1998, Hickam turned his memories of Coalwood into his second book, a memoir titled “Rocket Boys.” It became a New York Times bestseller and struck a chord with readers everywhere who remembered growing up in small towns with big dreams. The book inspired the film October Sky, starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Hickam. In a 2014 interview published in The Huntsville Times, Hickam confirms that, for the most part, the film was pretty true to his story.

The title is an anagram of “Rocket Boys,” but it also describes what the story really was—a clear autumn sky over a mining town, and the spark of hope rising through it. The movie was filmed in East Tennessee, giving it a look and feel familiar to anyone raised in the hills of the South.

Despite his success, Hickam has always remained proud of his Appalachian roots. In interviews he’s often said that the people of Coalwood “taught me everything I needed to know about teamwork, perseverance, and faith.” He credits his father’s discipline and his mother’s encouragement as much as any formal education.

Legacy of a Southern Dreamer

Coalwood’s mine closed decades ago, and many of its houses have been reclaimed by weeds and weather. But each October, fans of Rocket Boys still gather in the little town for a festival honoring Hickam and his friends. The place that once sent coal to power the world now celebrates a story that helped inspire it.

Homer Hickam’s journey mirrors the best of the Southern spirit—resourceful, stubborn, and hopeful even when the odds seem impossible. He didn’t leave the South behind when he left Coalwood; he carried its lessons into the heavens.

Today, living back in Huntsville with his wife Linda, Hickam writes novels and has published nineteen books in total. Ironically, his third-grade teacher predicted he would someday make a living as a writer. He continues to champion science education for rural kids. His message is simple: curiosity is stronger than circumstance.

“You can’t dream big enough,” he once told a group of students. “Because the world will always be smaller if you don’t.”

For the boy who watched Sputnik over a coal town, the world has turned out anything but small. And for readers who love a story about grit, imagination, and Southern pride, Homer Hickam remains proof that sometimes the best way out of the mines is straight up.

20/10/2025

Two significant events impacting Southerners happened on this date. Lewis Grizzard was born in 1946, and the plane carrying members and crew of the band Lynyrd Skynyrd crashed in 1977.