It’s hard to avoid the gun debate. Whether you turn on the TV or your computer or revert to the dark ages and open up an actual newspaper, it’s there. What has grabbed my attention is not the debate itself but the way it’s being delivered. The two sides could not be more different, both in the statistics and sources they use. The words and phrases used in the...

Recently some friends and I were debating whether or not to try a new restaurant that was opening in town. One of the first questions was, “Well, did they get their liquor license?’” As a disclaimer, none of these girls are alcohol-dependent hurricanes, but the idea of eating quesadillas without a margarita to wash it down was completely out of the question. Many...

It’s been over 30 years since former Mississippi Gov. William Winter passed the Mississippi Education Reform Act. This act overhauled public education, namely publicly funding education and establishing compulsory school attendance law. At the time, Mississippi ranked last in education as well as in many other social and economic categories. Fast forward to present day...

As the passengers and crew of the marooned Carnival Cruise Lines ship Triumph are towed into the Port of Mobile, they are likely to be greeted by loved ones anxiously awaiting them, as well as reporters wanting to get the first scoop on what the conditions were really like aboard the Carnival Triumph. Alongside their loved ones and reporters will be another group that...

In second grade, we had to learn two things that our teachers stressed would be of the utmost importance when we became adults: cursive and how to mail a letter. As we have become adults, or at least adults for all intents and purposes, we rarely use these second grade-honed skills. Personally, I use cursive when I write my rent check. That’s it. As for mailing a letter,...

For lawmakers, Jan. 1, 2014, is a monumental date looming in the ever-nearing future. That date is when the majority of the measures under the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare as many Mississippians refer to it, will take effect. Among other things, this date marks the deadline for state lawmakers to come up with their own health insurance exchange programs and have them...

After Wednesday night, two Americans became a lot richer. I mean over $100 million richer. What did they do to amount this wealth? They bought a lottery ticket. On Wednesday, the multi-state lottery reached a record $588 million. More than 42 states, as well as the U.S. Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia, participate in the lottery, according to the Multi-State...

That should be the lesson that we take away from the heightened discussion of racism on our campus. The Daily Mississippian, student leaders, and faculty and staff have all published or made outward statements to address the issue of race at the University of Mississippi. It has certainly been a topic of conversation in the past months coupled with the 50 years of integration,...

College and your 20s are when you figure out who you are. You live and learn and form your own opinions, standards and beliefs. This self-awareness should be most prominent come Election Day. Elections are when your voice is heard and your opinion matters. When you go to the polls, make sure it is your vote. Not the vote of your parents, your peers, the media or any other...

Talk back to the teacher, get handcuffed. If you are a high school student in Meridian, this could very well happen to you. Wednesday, federal civil rights lawyers filed suit against Meridian, Miss., Lauderdale County, the county’s Youth Court judges and the Mississippi Division of Youth Services for denying students basic constitutional rights and sending them...