TheDeltaDirt.com

Click on the above logo for Ole Miss' 2008 presidential debate website. The University of Mississippi is the next stop on the 2008 presidential campaign trail for Senators John McCain and Barack Obama . As of now, the polls show McCain with a small lead over Obama, the result of both his highly successful convention and his much discussed pick of Sarah Palin as his vice-presidential running mate. Although they are in a statistical stalemate, the first debate should shake things up. It will be the first time in this campaign that the two presidential candidates meet face-to-face. As a result, Mississippi will be ground zero for thousands of media reporters and self-described politicos. In effect, on the evening of September 26th, all eyes will be on Oxford . I hate that I will not be able to attend this event. I will admit that I have been glued to all things presidential over the past few months. If I were still in Greenwood , I would drive to Oxford, camp out on the C...

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A couple walks along the C&G Railway somewhere close to Kilmichael, Miss. The Greenwood City Council recently voted their unanimous support of the C&G Rails to Trails project, a proposed 90-mile walking, biking, and horse trail from Greenwood to West Point, Miss. Jackson attorney Wilson Carroll is the projects biggest supporter and he has been working tirelessly to sell the idea to jurisdictions affected by the conversion proposal. For the recreational district to become a functioning entity, C&G must decide that continued ownership of the rail line cannot be continued. Carroll has said it would take $35 million to $55 million to restore the line to operable condition. He told the council previously that the railroad will likely decide to abandon the line within the next 12 to 18 months. Once notice of abandonment is made, the recreational district would have 45 days to move forward with an offer to acquire the rail line. The recreational district would be able to levy 0....

"Storms make the oak grow deeper roots." - George Herbert I really liked this editorial cartoon by Marshall Ramsey of The Clarion-Ledger of Jackson, Miss. It implies the strength and resilience of the people on the Mississippi Gulf Coast for all they have endured since Hurricane Katrina reaked havoc on its beaches two years ago. Ramsey is an insightful cartoonist and operates a very successful and thought-provoking blog for The Clarion-Ledger . You can view it here .

The new Mississippi license plate will showcase the Biloxi lighthouse, which survived Hurricanes Camille and Katrina on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The Biloxi lighthouse will adorn Mississippi car tags after Oct. 1. The lighthouse, a landmark on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, was built in 1848 to aid ships navigating the Mississippi Sound. It has survived numerous hurricanes, including Camille and Katrina. The design of state tags changes every five years as required by state law, said spokeswoman Kathy Waterbury. Drivers will get the new plate when either buying or renewing tags. The new design depicts the Biloxi Lighthouse standing “in the light of a new day” to recognize the symbol’s historic importance, Waterbury said. “This tag design is intended to be a reminder to us of all those who lost so much from Katrina, to serve as a symbol of our citizens’ commitment to recovery as well as a symbol of our gratitude to all Americans for their prayers and generous support,” said Tax Commissio...

Governor Haley Barbour and his wife Marsha embrace while viewing the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. Gov. Barbour has been given credit for superior leadership during the wake of our nation's largest national disaster. On this the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's historic landfall on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and New Orleans, La., I would like to share some selected posts from my previous college-era blogging venture, BLOG regory (pronunciation: BLAH-gre-GUH-ree), which incindentally can still be found at blogregory.blogspot.com . The following are links to the stories I wrote or "borrowed," starting with the day before landfall and ending with the recovery from Katrina. Although it seems morbid at times to go back and relive the devastation that was Hurricane Katrina, it is increasingly important to remember the travesty and to never forget the families affected by this monster storm. Selected posts from BLOG regory.com: August 28, 2005 - Septem...

Miss Mississippi 2006 Scholarship Pageant website Cellular South Viewer's Choice Scholarship website Miss Leaf River Valley 2006 Diana Strickland website Diana Strickland, sister of Greenwood resident Etta Strickland, will compete against forty-two other Mississippians for the title of Miss Mississippi 2006. Forty-three women ages 17 to 24 arrived in Vicksburg yesterday to compete in the annual Miss Mississippi Pageant, the 48th time it's been held in the river city. Miss Leaf River Valley Diana Strickland was one of them. Diana is the sister of Greenwood resident and Viking Range Corporation employee Etta Strickland. Diana is a twenty-one year old student at The University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg and currently holds the title of Miss Leaf River Valley. The theme for the 2006 pageant is Oz , and is a combination of the original Wizard of Oz , and Broadway musicals The Wiz and Wicked . Activities include the annual Miss Mississippi parade today, autograph parties...