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Have you read The Local Voice #480 newspaper?
It's pretty awesome, y'all! Our current edition features local entertainment news, information, puzzles, and articles you need to live well and enjoy life in Oxford & Ole Miss. Copies flew off the shelves last week so we have re-upped our distribution of the newspaper this week!
Please pick up a free collectable newspaper in the Lafayette County area, or access the digital edition PDF here, which bonus content featuring puzzles, puzzle solutions, columns, trivia, and articles that aren't in the printed newspaper.
Find out what's happening around the area with Roundabout Oxford®. Looking for local food specials and Happy Hours? Stay informed with Eat in Oxford. Keep your mind sharp this winter with our Puzzle Playground.
The Local Voice features the information you need to have a wonderful, fun, and exciting time in Oxford & Ole Miss. Let there be food, drinks, arts, entertainment, events, and local information!
Let us know if you can't find a printed newspaper
Please enjoy this week's digital edition...we appreciate all y'all!
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University of Mississippi:
New Documentary Chronicles Life, Legacy of Ole Miss Icon Donald Cole
by Clara Turnage
'Cole: Bridge to Justice' to screen at Oxford Film Festival, on campus
A new documentary examining how Donald Ray Cole's 1970 expulsion from the University of Mississippi became the foundation for decades of leadership and service to the institution will debut at the Oxford Film Festival this week. Read more
| | Viral Article of the Week: 30,000+ viewers and counting! | | |
University of Mississippi:
Grant Brings 29 New Trees to Ole Miss
by Clara Turnage
Mississippi Forestry Commission Grant restores campus tree life
A recent grant from the Mississippi Forestry Commission will help replace trees lost at the University of Mississippi due to recent storms, including those damaged during the January ice storm. Read more
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Local Theatre:
Theatre Oxford Sets Auditions for the Musical "Working”
Based on Studs Terkel’s best-selling book of interviews with American workers, Working paints a vivid portrait of the workers that the world so often takes for granted: the schoolteacher, the phone operator, the waitress, the millworker, the mason and the housewife, just to name a few. Theatre Oxford will be casting between 6 and 12 singers and actors ages 18 and up. Read more
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Local Views: Lafayette County Master Gardeners
"Japanese Magnolias"
by Bronwynne Bailey
The Beauty and Elegance of Japanese Magnolias: A Gardener’s Guide
Japanese magnolias are beloved ornamental trees and shrubs in landscapes around the world for their stunning spring blooms, graceful form, and seasonal interest. Familiar to many gardeners as saucer magnoliasor tulip magnolias, these plants offer spectacular displays of cup-shaped flowers often before the leaves emerge, signaling the end of winter and the arrival of spring. Read more
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Local Literary Events:
"How to Distill Your Big Oxford Life into a Micro Memoir" with Beth Ann Fennelly
Wednesday, March 16, 2026 at 5:30 pm at the Lafayette County & Oxford Public Library
Micro memoirs combine the abbreviation of poetry, the narrative tension of fiction, and the truth-telling of nonfiction. They explore moments that seem small or unimportant, but, when viewed from the right perspective, with the right attention, reveal something essential about our identity. Read more
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Enter the Oxford Micro Memoir Contest
The Micro Memoir Project is developed by Greenfield Farm Writers Residency at the University of Mississippi and sponsored by Visit Oxford
Finalists will be chosen to read their micro memoirs live on stage at the Double Decker Arts Festival on Saturday, April 25, 2026. First place winner will receive $750 and second place will receive $250. Read more.
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University of Mississippi:
Legal AI Takes Center Stage at Ole Miss Law School
Expert Scott Shapiro to explore AI, ethics, and the future of legal interpretation
The growing use of artificial intelligence in legal reasoning and the legal field will be the topic of discussion at the Jack Dunbar and Wylene Dunbar Lecture in Philosophy and Law at the University of Mississippi School of Law. Read more
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University of Mississippi:
Ole Miss Public Health Professor Named W.K. Kellogg Fellow
Tess Johnson to build leadership capacity while advancing youth mental health initiatives in Mississippi
University of Mississippi professor Tess Johnson looks to enhance community, wellness and leadership skills as she starts a new fellowship in the W.K. Kellogg Leadership Network. Read more
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Local Views: Local History
"The Ole Miss Lyceum Building - 1848"
by Starke Miller
The University of Mississippi Lyceum was built at the top of The Ole Miss Circle in 1848. It is the only original building left on campus. It had no wings on it, as built originally. The wings were added in 1903 when more room was needed. From 1848, it was THE school building on campus. All the classrooms, the labs, Professors offices, and the library were in this building. There is a bell on top from 1848. That bell woke students up, it sent them to meals, classes, chapel, and to bed. That bell still sits up on the roof. See the little bell tower on top of the roof? Read more and see the photos
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Local Literary Events:
Square Books presents W. Fitzhugh Brundage in conversation with Robert Colby for "A Fate Worse Than Hell"
From the Pulitzer Prize finalist, a harrowing new history of the Civil War’s prisoner of war camps, North and South.
It is newly estimated that 750,000 soldiers died in the American Civil War. But less well-known than the war’s death toll are the roughly 400,000 Union and Confederate troops who were captured and imprisoned. Many POWs died from starvation, dysentery, and exposure, and at the worst of the prison pens, more than 30,000 soldiers were caged in the equivalent of ten city blocks. Against the backdrop of a brutal internecine conflict, the Civil War’s prison camps were a harrowing milestone in the history of mass dehumanization. Read more
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Local Views: From the Desk of Dana Criswell
"Protecting Independent Work Without Growing Government"
by Dana Criswell
Mississippi HB1072
In Mississippi today, more people than ever are earning a living outside the traditional 9-to-5 job. From electricians and truckers to freelance nurses, software developers, hairstylists, and Uber drivers, independent contracting is no longer a side hustle—it’s a core part of our economy. Read more
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University of Mississippi:
Ole Miss Symposium Puts Drones at the Center of Crisis Response
Center for Air and Space Law brings industry, policy and emergency leaders together to advance UAS usage
First responders, policymakers, industry professionals and the public from across the country will gather at the University of Mississippi to discuss how drones can help save lives and provide critical information during disasters and emergencies. Read more
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University of Mississippi:
Ole Miss Law Students Start Spring Semester With a Competitive Edge
First-year students sharpen drafting, negotiation, and collaboration skills through unique program
While many students enjoyed the last two weeks before the spring semester began, first-year students at the University of Mississippi School of Law gained skills and practice in contract drafting and negotiations that set them apart from peers at other schools. Read more
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University of Mississippi:
Willie Morris Award Winners Plumb the South's Many Realities
Judges reveal winners of this year's awards in fiction, nonfiction and poetry
The Willie Morris Awards are housed at the University of Mississippi and overseen by its Department of Writing and Rhetoric. The awards honor Yazoo City native Morris, former editor-in-chief of Harper's Magazine, renowned author and a longtime instructor and writer-in-residence at Ole Miss. Read more
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Local Books & Literary Events:
Beth Ann Fennelly’s "The Irish Goodbye" and the Art of Truth-Telling
by Noreen Ocampo
Beth Ann Fennelly—Poet Laureate of Mississippi from 2016-2021, Distinguished Professor of English at the University of Mississippi, and two-time winner of Oxford’s Favorite Writer in The Townies—believes that everyone has a story to tell. In The Irish Goodbye, Fennelly’s forthcoming book of micro-memoirs, she exemplifies how the sheer act of attention can transform seemingly mundane moments into a life story worth sharing and celebrating. With these micro-memoirs—some as short as five words—Fennelly expertly builds on her previous book, Heating & Cooling, in which she first introduced readers to the small but mighty form. Read more
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Local Views: The View Beyond The Balcony
"Ice Storm Fern in Your Own Words"
by Randy Weeks
We are expanding the field of vision of this column beyond The Balcony for the time being. Readers may not notice the difference, but believe us, there is one－for now at least.
Ice Storm Fern brought devastation to much of North Mississippi, particularly Lafayette County and Oxford. I’ve lifted portions of Facebook posts (anonymously and minimally edited in some cases) from Oxfordians in an attempt to give a truthful, fair, and accurate chronicle of Fern’s impact on our lives. Read more
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The Local Voice 20th Anniversary
Flashback #6:
"Interview with Johnny McPhail"
by Louis Bourgeois
This article was originally published on The Local Voice website in 2017 (Interview is actually from 2013).
I had never acted before—not even a high school play. When I was in my early 50s, I was drinking coffee one morning at the old Smitty’s (now 208). The casting director of The Gun in Betty Lou’s Handbag approached me and asked if I’d ever thought about being in movies. She said that I had an interesting face, and gave me her card. I went by her office later and she cast me as “Detective Groves”. Read more at The Local Voice
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Local Views: Lafayette County Master Gardeners
"After the Ice"
by Bronwynne Bailey
This guide outlines how to approach post–ice storm cleanup safely, when to call a professional, and how to care for trees and shrubs suffering from ice damage
An ice storm transforms the garden into a glittering landscape, every branch encased in crystal. Yet once the thaw begins, that beauty often reveals damage—splintered limbs, bowed evergreens, scattered debris, and in severe cases, fallen trees. For gardeners and property owners, cleanup after an ice storm requires patience, caution, and informed decision-making. Read more
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Local Views: Local History
"Two Ole Miss Coeds in The Circle in 1908"
by Starke Miller
Ventress Hall is on the left, and straight ahead is the Confederate monument, dedicated to the Confederate dead, over 400, from Lafayette County, which includes ten University Greys from Lafayette County and twelve University alumni from Lafayette County, all died in the War. Read more and see the photo larger
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Local Views: From the Desk of Dana Criswell
"Mississippi’s Alcohol Laws Are Stuck in the Past"
by Dana Criswell
HB 669 Is a Step Forward
Mississippi’s alcohol laws are some of the most restrictive in the country, built around a control-state model that assumes government gatekeeping is the only way to manage commerce. For decades, this system has limited consumer choice, insulated entrenched distributors from competition, and treated adults as incapable of making lawful purchasing decisions without state intermediation. House Bill 669 does not dismantle that system—but it meaningfully improves it. Read more
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Local Music:
Ted Gainey: Mississippi’s Eternal Sound Explorer
For Ted Gainey, music began not in a studio, but in the back seat of his grandmother’s 1972 Cadillac, ear pressed to the speaker, mesmerized by the journey of sound. That sense of wonder never left him. Today, at 51, he channels decades of experience through his Flux Recording Studio, a rural haven where every note is intentional. Read more
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Local News:
Award-Winning “Army of Normal Folks” Platform Launches National Initiative
Six inaugural local service clubs will bring people together to strengthen their communities with the goal of building the leading service club in America by reducing barriers to service for everyone. Today, An Army of Normal Folks – the podcast and content platform created by Coach Bill Courtney, star of the Oscar-winning documentary Undefeated – announced the launch of a new national initiative. The effort is designed to make it easier for people to get involved where they live with the goal of building the leading service club in America. Read more
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Mississippi Outdoors
Nanih Waiya Wildlife Management Area Receives Pig Brig Net Trap
The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) recently received a donation of a second Pig Brig Net trap system for Nanih Waiya Wildlife Management Area (WMA) from Outdoor Neshoba to make a pair of net trap systems received over the last two years. Read more
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Local Views: From the Desk of Dana Criswell
"Stop Taxing the Tools That Feed Mississippi"
by Dana Criswell
When most Mississippians think about taxes, they picture April 15 or the total at the cash register. But for the farmers and loggers who keep our state’s economy moving, taxes show up in a quieter, more punishing way—tacked onto the very tools they need to do their jobs. Read more
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Local Views: Lafayette County Master Gardeners
"February Garden Calendar"
by Bronwynne Bailey
Now that most of the ice is gone, it is time to think gardening! We can do a bit more in the garden and start seedlings. Read more
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Obituary:
Gara Gillentine
(November 7, 1947 – February 15, 2026)
Gara Gillentine was a gifted artist who found joy in painting and ceramics. She had a special love for nature, music, and all things beautiful. Gara was a frequent contributor to The Local Voice media company in Oxford over the last twenty years. Her articles, photographs and poems graced the pages of the newspaper many times. She was one of the first distributors of the newspaper, and in 2008, Gara custom painted one of the first The Local Voice newspaper bins, which was a tribute to the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Read more about Gara's life here
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Obituary:
Dr. Michael V. Namorato Jr.
(September 4, 1947–February 7, 2026)
Born with a deep intellectual curiosity, Dr. Namorato began his academic journey at Iona College before earning his Ph.D. at Michigan State University. In 1973, he moved to Oxford, Mississippi, where he joined the faculty at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) and began a remarkable teaching career that spanned four decades. Over 40 years, Dr. Namorato inspired and mentored thousands of students, sharing his love of history and his passion for learning.
Read more about Dr. Namorato's life here
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University of Mississippi:
Doctor's Gift Helps Keep Health Care Close to Home
Community pediatrician creates award to shift students' focus
To help incentivize new physicians to consider small-town medicine, Dr. Vibha Vig has made a $50,000 gift to the University of Mississippi Medical Center. The funds will support a scholarship for third-year residents interested in pursuing a career in community pediatrics. Read more
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University of Mississippi:
Eight Ole Miss Students Win Stamps Impact Prize
Competitive award program offers students funding for projects
The university created the competitive award to enhance undergraduate students' academic experience by supporting innovative, faculty-supported projects that go beyond the classroom. Undergraduate students across all Ole Miss campuses are eligible to receive up to $5,000 to support their work. Read more
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Viral Article: 50,000+ viewers and counting!
550+ likes, 40+ shares, many comments!
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University of Mississippi:
Mississippi Arts Commission Funds Writer Studio at Greenfield Farm
Building for the Arts grant eclipses $5 million fundraising mark for project
Construction is set to begin this year on the retreat-style writers compound, which will provide Mississippi writers of all genres with time, seclusion and financial support to take on big projects including song cycles, movie scripts and novels. Read more
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University of Mississippi:
Donors Provide Difference Between Hardship and Hope
by Michael Newsom
Rebel Relief Disaster Fund provides critical support for Ole Miss students
When the January ice storm swept across north Mississippi, the University of Mississippi campus fell into an uneasy quiet. Trees snapped under the weight of heavy ice. Power lines froze. Buildings went dark. Students – many far from home or unable to leave the region – braced against a storm that upended daily life for weeks. Yet amid the uncertainty, one thing became unmistakably clear: The Ole Miss family would not let its students weather the crisis alone. Read more
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Local Crime in Oxford & Lafayette County
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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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The Local Voice
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Oxford, Mississippi 38655
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