| Magee Courier-Simpson County News

Harrison: Mississippi Medicaid expansion momentum is gone even though benefits remain

By Bobby Harrison - Mississippi Today, READ MORE > 325 Reads
On Mon, 03/16/2026 - 11:28 AM

Below is a political opinion column by Bobby Harrison:

No state has expanded Medicaid since the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill was put into law last year

Another legislative session, another year will pass without Mississippi expanding Medicaid to provide health care coverage for the working poor.

Harrison: Mississippi Medicaid expansion momentum is gone even though benefits remain

By Bobby Harrison - Mississippi Today, READ MORE > 325 Reads
On Mon, 03/16/2026 - 11:28 AM

Below is a political opinion column by Bobby Harrison:

No state has expanded Medicaid since the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill was put into law last year

Another legislative session, another year will pass without Mississippi expanding Medicaid to provide health care coverage for the working poor.

Friedeman: Humor can be an important prelude to faith

By Matt Friedeman - Magnolia Tribune, READ MORE > 267 Reads
On Mon, 03/16/2026 - 10:48 AM

Below is a religious opinion column by Matt Friedeman:

Charles Spurgeon said that “Cheerfulness is next to godliness!” I am beginning to think he was right.

So we laughed and laughed and laughed. Spent the better part of two hours sipping our Cokes and escaping reality.

And it got me to thinking about the vital importance of it all.

I visited Lexington, Kentucky this week. My son wanted to take his dad out for a fun evening and got us tickets for a comedy show.

Friedeman: Humor can be an important prelude to faith

By Matt Friedeman - Magnolia Tribune, READ MORE > 267 Reads
On Mon, 03/16/2026 - 10:48 AM

Below is a religious opinion column by Matt Friedeman:

Charles Spurgeon said that “Cheerfulness is next to godliness!” I am beginning to think he was right.

So we laughed and laughed and laughed. Spent the better part of two hours sipping our Cokes and escaping reality.

And it got me to thinking about the vital importance of it all.

I visited Lexington, Kentucky this week. My son wanted to take his dad out for a fun evening and got us tickets for a comedy show.

St. John: The bridge

By Robert St. John, READ MORE > 488 Reads
On Mon, 03/16/2026 - 09:18 AM

Robert St. John says some bridges get you to the other side while others change the direction of everything.

Two years of planning a year-long trip collapsed in a single sentence at a Volvo dealership in Gothenburg, Sweden.

St. Stanislaus star Max Baria, with ball, grabs a rebound over Booneville's Elijah Dukes during the Boys Class 3A semifinal game, Wednesday, March 4, 2026, at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today

‘He saved my life.’ High school basketball star Max Baria has filled a void for his family

By Rick Cleveland - Mississippi Today, READ MORE > 1,221 Reads
On Sun, 03/15/2026 - 04:38 PM

Max Baria, a 17-year-old high school senior from Bay St. Louis, is a good-looking, soft-spoken, highly intelligent young man, who emerged this basketball season as one of the best high school players in Mississippi.

Gugel: Why Mississippi’s anti-debanking bill could backfire on conservative groups

By Mattias Gugel - Magnolia Tribune, READ MORE > 255 Reads
On Sun, 03/15/2026 - 01:42 PM

Below is a political opinion column by Mattias Gugel:

Mississippians have the right to demand fairness and oppose discrimination. But in financial regulation fairness ultimately flows from clarity, not from multiplying regulators.

Gugel: Why Mississippi’s anti-debanking bill could backfire on conservative groups

By Mattias Gugel - Magnolia Tribune, READ MORE > 255 Reads
On Sun, 03/15/2026 - 01:42 PM

Below is a political opinion column by Mattias Gugel:

Mississippians have the right to demand fairness and oppose discrimination. But in financial regulation fairness ultimately flows from clarity, not from multiplying regulators.

McRae: Mississippi should lead on fair banking – not wait on Washington

By David McRae, READ MORE > 221 Reads
On Sun, 03/15/2026 - 01:26 PM

Below is a political opinion column by David McRae:

Fair access to banking is not a partisan issue. It is a matter of economic freedom, and that is something worth protecting—in Washington and Jackson alike.

Access to fair banking isn’t a luxury, it’s the price of entry in the modern economy. Whether you’re a small business owner, a nonprofit, a farmer, or simply a working family, you cannot function without fair, reliable access to financial services. That’s why the Fair Banking Standard Act is so important.

McRae: Mississippi should lead on fair banking – not wait on Washington

By David McRae, READ MORE > 221 Reads
On Sun, 03/15/2026 - 01:26 PM

Below is a political opinion column by David McRae:

Fair access to banking is not a partisan issue. It is a matter of economic freedom, and that is something worth protecting—in Washington and Jackson alike.

Salter: Fred Smith’s legacy is one of civility, curiosity, and a world-class love of books

By Sid Salter - Contributing Columnist, READ MORE > 412 Reads
On Thu, 03/12/2026 - 12:50 PM

Below is an opinion column by Sid Salter:

Columnist Sid Salter reflects on the life of Choctaw Books owner, the “go-to” expert in the state for appraisals of rare books, maps, documents, and ephemera.

After a long and courageous battle with cancer, Fred Smith—who concluded his remarkable life and career at Mississippi State University’s Mitchell Memorial Library as the Rare Books Coordinator in the Special Collections division—died at his home in Starkville on Feb. 28.

Salter: Fred Smith’s legacy is one of civility, curiosity, and a world-class love of books

By Sid Salter - Contributing Columnist, READ MORE > 412 Reads
On Thu, 03/12/2026 - 12:50 PM

Below is an opinion column by Sid Salter:

Columnist Sid Salter reflects on the life of Choctaw Books owner, the “go-to” expert in the state for appraisals of rare books, maps, documents, and ephemera.

We must invest in youngest minds

By Jeff Good, READ MORE > 363 Reads
On Thu, 03/12/2026 - 11:18 AM

As a long time Mississippian and a business owner who’s seen firsthand how a strong community lifts us all, I know one truth: investing in our youngest kids is investing in our shared future. Mississippi’s economy doesn’t just grow on its own—it thrives when we build up both today’s workforce and tomorrow’s.

We must invest in youngest minds

By Jeff Good, READ MORE > 363 Reads
On Thu, 03/12/2026 - 11:18 AM

Can Iran be made great again?

By Johnathan Kettler, READ MORE > 428 Reads
On Thu, 03/12/2026 - 11:12 AM

In 1971, a royal celebration was held in Iran. It was the 2,500th birthday of the Iranian monarchy, a rule which began with King Cyrus the Great of Persia in 539 BC and continued (with a few interregnums) to the reign of Shah Muhammad Reza Pahlavi in the 20th century. Shah Pahlavi ascended to the Iranian throne in 1941, making 1971 not only a celebration of the Persian monarchy lasting two and a half millennia, but also the Shah’s 30-year Jubilee.

Can Iran be made great again?

By Johnathan Kettler, READ MORE > 428 Reads
On Thu, 03/12/2026 - 11:12 AM

JXN Water, data centers and Overton window

By Kelley Williams, READ MORE > 456 Reads
On Thu, 03/12/2026 - 11:08 AM

What do JXN Water and the Amazon Data Centers have in common? Why are decisions by JXN Water’s Interim Manager (Water Czar) and the Federal Judge who appointed him now suspect? Why do Entergy’s residential customers now fear higher rates due to the secret Amazon data center deal?
Because JXN Water and Entergy customers no longer trust those in charge. Before they said: “Trust us. This is for your own good.” Now, we say: “Show us the receipts.”

JXN Water, data centers and Overton window

By Kelley Williams, READ MORE > 456 Reads
On Thu, 03/12/2026 - 11:08 AM

Super Bowl gifts are super wrong

READ MORE > 719 Reads
On Wed, 03/11/2026 - 02:24 PM

Mississippians who believe in good government should take no comfort that House Speaker Jason White’s freebie trip to the 2025 Super Bowl in New Orleans was financed by a utility monopoly rather than, as initially suspected, a sports gambling giant.

It is wrong for White to accept lavish, though legal gratuities from any business that lobbies for legislation worth millions of dollars to its corporate kitty, no matter which business it is.

Super Bowl gifts are super wrong

READ MORE > 719 Reads
On Wed, 03/11/2026 - 02:24 PM

It is wrong for White to accept lavish, though legal gratuities from any business that lobbies for legislation worth millions of dollars to its corporate kitty, no matter which business it is.

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