Today, McKenzie’s new mayor Ryan Griffin takes the oath of office for a four-year term. He has pledged to continue on the successes of retiring Mayor Jill Holland. Griffin plans to continue the city’s growth in new ways. more

John Howell Ingram could outrun the wind. I saw him make a diving catch in deep left-center in that old baseball field across from the Pajama Factory that you would not believe! It was the best I ever saw. more

One Thanksgiving Leon decided he was going to shoot a turkey for the big meal. I’m not sure till this day why he took me along. I’d never seen a live turkey in my whole life. I sure couldn’t help him find one. more

Growing up, it was not uncommon for my parents to go on a Sunday afternoon drive. I honestly think it was handed down through the generations. I know my grandparents did the same thing back in the day, and the Lord knows driving all the back roads with my granddaddy back in the day taught me how to get just about anywhere without hitting a major highway.  more

I don’t want to hear any talk of being a scrooge. And no, my Mother didn’t drop me on my head when I was a child. My Father never abandoned us. I didn’t get left in the parking lot at Junior’s J&J Grocery Store...and have recurring nightmares of no one coming to look for me. more

After last week’s tutorial on the Ryman Auditorium, I just can’t help myself dedicating this week to the Grand Ole Opry. The two entities go hand-in-hand and their legacy is so intertwined it is nearly impossible to talk about one without the other.  more

After last week’s story on Jerry Lee Lewis, it seemed like I could not shake the feeling that I needed to do more about music. What was there to talk about that folks would find interesting enough to read? Plus I needed to do my best to keep it somewhat local. more

My Mother didn’t like Jerry Lee Lewis. more

I have been a music nut for most of my life. This may come as a shocker to some, but I have never cared much for modern music. It has always been classic country or classic rock. I don’t know if that makes me an old soul or just an oddity, but it wasn’t easy to be a teenager listening to George Jones and Merle Haggard while your friends were into Metallica or Pearl Jam.  more

Dear Editor, Jon Petryshyn, USMC gave out misinformation in his letter to the editor comment. more

Dear Editor, McKenzie has been my hometown for 94 years and I love it. more

I went to New York City. more

McKENZIE — There is immense vocal, instrumental and performing talent on Lee Street and Bethel Court. That’s where students at Bethel University’s Renaissance rehearse.  more

I know this title sounds like something from a Kubrick movie but it serves a purpose. Have you ever noticed how things come full circle? Since the start of these articles a few years back, I get phone calls or do additional research that brings the series full circle as so many parts intertwine with each other.  more

There was a time in my life when I wanted to be a white supremacist. Daddy whipped that idea right out of me forever in less than ten seconds when I was seven years old. Now, you know my Dad, he accomplished the mission in ten seconds….but he whipped me until Mom rang the dinner bell just so I’d know he was serious. more

Dear Editor; I have been a part of McKenzie’s community since 2006. I am a 2007 Bethel University graduate. I have served as an appointee to the McKenzie City Council for 1.5 years and have enjoyed being a part of a great group of individuals that seek to improve McKenzie every day. more

Dear Editor, I am writing this as a letter of support for stable, experienced, accomplished leadership at McKenzie City Hall. more

For those inquisitive minds who have wondered why I wasn’t visible around McKenzie last week, well I finally got to take a vacation. On our drive to the gulf coast, my mind wasn’t necessarily focused on the beach, restaurants, or what shenanigans the kids were going to pull. With each mile and small town, I thought about the poverty in the Mississippi Delta, stories of sharecroppers, and how once-thriving townships were nothing more than tiny specks on a map. more

On September 12, I was told by the Veterans Administration Community Care to go to Urgent Care Walk-In Clinic for treatment of my elbow after injury in a fall.  Upon arrival, I was told by the receptionist they would not accept my Veterans Administration Insurance.  I ultimately ended up going to Baptist Memorial Hospital Emergency Room for diagnosis and treatment. more

 I never dated a homecoming queen. And I have wondered over the years why. Then, just yesterday, in a moment of complete honesty, it hit me like a thunderbolt out of the past: homecoming queens are always very pretty! more