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As everyone is prepping and planning for potentially severe weather, The Local Voice team will be doing our best to stay up-to-date on local announcements. Please be aware that many scheduled events may be postponed (the Jeff Callaway Celebration and the Clarksdale Film & Music Fest have both been moved back a week). As long as we have working internet we will be keeping you informed!
Find out what's happening with Roundabout Oxford®. Looking for food specials and Happy Hours? Don't forget to check Eat in Oxford. Keep your mind sharp this winter with our Puzzle Playground.
The Local Voice #478 is out now! Pick up a free copy of the collectable printed newspaper in the Oxford and Ole Miss area, or access the digital edition PDF here, which has even more pages, an additional pages of bonus content, puzzles, and puzzle solutions that aren't in the printed newspaper.
Let us know if you can't find a printed newspaper
Scroll down, read more from The Local Voice or click here to access the digital newspaper. Our digital edition has the solutions to all our puzzles, plus additional content not found in the newspaper or on our website!
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Oxford's Favorites Awards: The Townies 2026
The results are in and the people of Oxford & Ole Miss have spoken! These are the local favorites for the year 2026. Congratulations to all who won and placed. All y'all make our hamlet an exciting place to live and work!
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Mississippi Festivals:
16th Clarksdale Film & Music Festival Brings Hollywood Excitement to Mississippi Delta
Curated fest of music documentaries and Mississippi-connected films, plus blues performances, filmmakers, and more!
FESTIVAL UPDATE: To avoid the forecasted winter storm, the Clarksdale Film & Music Festival has moved from this weekend to next weekend—Friday through Sunday, January 30–February 1. Please join fans, filmmakers, musicians, and special guests in Clarksdale, Mississippi, for the 16th annual celebration of music and Mississippi movies plus live blues performances and more. Read more
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Local Music:
The Pinksheets:
Chewed-Up Bubblegum with a Southern Kick
by Davis Coen
Winners of Oxford's Favorite Drummer and Runner Up for Oxford's Favorite Band in The Townies 2026
Oxford, Mississippi has never been short on music. From the bars around The Square to larger venues on campus, the town has long provided a stage for both local hopefuls and nationally touring acts. Among the newer names making their mark are The Pinksheets, a group of Tupelo friends who reunited in Oxford and have been steadily carving out a place in the city’s music scene. Read more
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Viral Article of the Week: 25,000+ viewers, 325+ comments, 100+ shares, and counting!
"Mississippi Fair Chase Act: A Clear Move in the Wrong Direction"
by Dana Criswell
HB828: This bill creates the Mississippi Fair Chase Act, making it unlawful to kill or trap game or furbearing animals damaging crops or property without a state depredation permit and sharply restricting hunting with dogs to very large private tracts. Read more
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University of Mississippi:
Ole Miss Names Bradley Baker Dean of Students
Mississippi native brings two decades of student affairs experience and campus leadership
The University of Mississippi named Bradley Baker as assistant vice chancellor for student affairs and dean of students, appointing a longtime student affairs leader known for his student support and steady leadership during complex campus issues. Read more
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University of Mississippi:
Ole Miss Earns National Recognition for Community Engagement
by Clara Turnage
Classification recognizes partnership, support, service to community
The foundation selected 277 institutions nationwide for the Elective Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, a designation that recognizes the work that higher education institutions do in collaboration with their local, regional, national, or global community. The classification, which is valid for six years, was last awarded to Ole Miss in 2020. Read more
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The Local Voice 20th Anniversary
Flashback #4:
"The Modern-Day Musician – Part 1: Reason and Purpose"
by Bill Perry Jr.
This article was originally published in The Local Voice #9 (released August 17,2006).
To access the digital edition PDF of The Local Voice #9, click here
It seems that everywhere you look, musicians are either conforming to the sounds of today, or trying to break down barriers to establish a “new sound” amidst all the decadence we call music today. Not to say there’s not a great variety of good music today, which of course is a matter of taste and preference, but when you look at the state of popular music in this new millennium, the 21st century, it makes you wonder if this music now will be remembered and revered like Jazz, Blues, Rock, Country, and Hip-Hop were in the previous century. Read more at The Local Voice
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Local Views: Lafayette County Master Gardeners
"Passionflower"
by Bronwynne Bailey
Passion flowers (Passiflora spp.) are increasingly valued in professional and serious amateur gardens for their distinctive flowers, rapid growth, and versatility across a range of climates. Although their intricate blooms suggest delicacy, many passion flowers are robust, adaptable plants when given appropriate conditions. Successful cultivation depends less on specialist techniques and more on correct species selection, sound planting practices, and informed ongoing care. Read more
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University of Mississippi:
California Couple Adds $3 Million to Ole Miss Scholarship Fund
by Clara Turnage
Ropers invest time and money in Ole Miss scholars
Bill and Melanie Roper, of La Jolla, California, are deepening their commitment to University of Mississippi students by adding $3 million to the Bill and Melanie Roper Scholarship Endowment, which began with a $2 million gift in 2022. What makes this experience especially meaningful for the Ropers is their personal involvement with the students who benefit from their generosity. The scholarship supports business, science, technology, engineering or math majors in the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College. Read more
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University of Mississippi:
Speaker's Edge Showcases Ethical Leadership, Strategic Communication
by Marvis Herring
Students work with world-class communication coaches during winter intercession course
Speaker's Edge challenges young professionals to discover public speaking strengths because these skills are a linchpin to a successful life, said Elizabeth Moore, program coordinator and director of the university's Speaking Center. Read more
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Local Views: Lafayette County Master Gardeners
"A New Threat in Mississippi: The Emerald Ash Borer and What Gardeners Need to Know"
by Bronwynne Bailey
In the fall of 2025, Mississippi received unwelcome news: the emerald ash borer (EAB), a destructive invasive beetle, was confirmed for the first time within the state’s borders, specifically in Issaquena County. This discovery marked a pivotal moment for gardeners, arborists, and landowners alike — and it’s a reminder that even well-established landscapes can be vulnerable to tiny invaders with a big impact. Read more
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Local Views: Dana Criswell
"Mississippi's Education Freedom Plan: Magnolia Student Accounts"
by Dana Criswell
Mississippi’s HB 2 is an education “omnibus,” and that’s both its strength and its risk. It bundles a lot of policy in one vehicle—some of it overdue, some of it ripe for political gamesmanship. But strip away the Christmas-tree packaging and the heart of the bill is clear: it moves power away from the system and back to families. In a state where too many parents feel trapped by ZIP code and bureaucracy, that’s the right direction. Read more
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The Local Voice 20th Anniversary
Flashback #3:
"An Interview with Local Musician Jeff Callaway"
by Newt Rayburn
The Local Voice celebrates twenty years of publishing in 2026 and we are highlighting fantastic articles from our archive all year long.
This interview was originally printed in The Local Voice #76 (released March 19,2009).
To access the digital edition PDF of The Local Voice #76, click here
Jeff Callaway has been a fixture on the Oxford music scene for more than two decades. But until recently, he’s mostly been known as a sideman. He’s the guy who is always sitting in with the Kudzu Kings on trombone, the go-to guy when anybody needs a horn flourish on an album or a special appearance in concert. He’s played with a number of short-lived jazz groups around town, and spanned genres by playing with everyone from The Neckbones to Dent May. But always as an accompanist. Read more at The Local Voice
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Local People:
The Oxford Police Department Announces Officer of the Year Award Winner
Sergeant Hillary Smith is the 29th recipient, and first female recipient, of the R.L.‘Bob’ Jones Memorial Officer of the Year Award. She is widely respected for her leadership, work ethic, and unwavering commitment to the citizens of Oxford and the Oxford Police Department. She is a 7-year veteran of the Oxford Police Department. Read more
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Obituary:
The Final Encore for a True Renaissance Man: Oxford Says Goodbye to Jeff Callaway
(February 20, 1963–January 10, 2026)
Jeff's life was a reflection of one of his favorite book series, The Lord of the Rings, where J.R.R. Tolkien reminds us that "All who wander are not lost."
Jeff Callaway, musician and educator, passed away on January 10, 2026, at the age of 62. Born on February 20, 1963, in Jackson, Mississippi, Jeff led a life rich in music performance, teaching, and working in the restaurant industry. The Local Voice is incredibly sad to hear of the passing of our longtime friend Jeff Callaway, a legend in the Mississippi music scene. It is hard to remember a time when we didn't know Jeff, as he has been a giant among mortals for decades in Oxford.
Read more about life of this legendary musician and the testimonials of the many people he influenced
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Mississippi Museums:
Mississippi's first music museum nominated for "Best Music Museum," voting open through February 9th
Delta Blues Museum is among 20 other arts & cultural organizations vying for the top spot as "Best Music Museum" in USA Today's annual "10BEST" Readers' Choice Poll. The publication announced its selected nominees on Monday, with the voting portal open now. Read more and vote now
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University of Mississippi:
Methamphetamine Deaths Have Risen Across Every US Region
by Clara Turnage
Rise in meth mortality contributes to fourth wave of overdose epidemic
Once considered a regional problem, methamphetamine-related overdose deaths have risen across every US Census division, with particularly sharp spikes in the Southeast, including Mississippi, a new study reveals. Read more
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Viral Article of the Week: 85,000+ viewers and counting!
They Came for College, They Stayed for Hotty Toddy
by Marisa C. Atkinson
For the Siebert family, Ole Miss is more than tradition; it's perseverance, connection and home
What began as merely following a cousin to Ole Miss in the late 1960s turned into a way of life. In the fall of 1966, Bonnie Schoenknecht Siebert followed her cousin from Joliet, Illinois, to the University of Mississippi. Transferring from Joliet Junior College, the nation's oldest junior college, Bonnie graduated from Ole Miss in January 1969 with a degree in education. She returned to Joliet and almost never came back. Read more
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University of Mississippi:
Major Gift From Alumnus Promotes Excellence in STEM Teaching
$2 million endowment honors former professor, boosts Department of Physics and Astronomy
University of Mississippi medical school graduate Dr. Bill Ashford and his wife, Leslie, of Madison, have made a $2 million donation to establish a named professorship in physics at Ole Miss. Read more
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University of Mississippi:
Ole Miss Honors MLK Day Through Service, Celebration
Mississippian and beloved community builder the Rev. Neddie Winters to deliver keynote address
Many Mississippians may enjoy a family gathering, trip to the National Civil Rights Museum or, possibly, sleeping-in on January 19. But this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, more than 150 University of Mississippi community members have scheduled different plans: serving their community. Read more
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Local Crime in Oxford & Lafayette County
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The Local Voice
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Oxford, Mississippi 38655
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