Mississippi
Jackson author signs new book ahead of Saturday’s book festival. Details here
As final preparations for the Aug. 19 Mississippi Book Festival are underway, one new book creating a buzz throughout the state has just been released by University Press of Mississippi.
Called “The Steps We Take: A Memoir of Southern Reckoning,” the book is written by Jackson author Ellen Ann Fentress and is described as a memoir in which Fentress candidly examines her growing consciousness of race, responsibility and community as a white woman in the Deep South.
As a teenager, Fentress engaged in a variety of community volunteer projects. Later, she married, reared two daughters, renovated a 1941 Colonial home, practiced her French, and served as the bookkeeper for her husband’s business. In short, she followed the scripts she was handed by society.
But within those scripts she describes what she calls convenient lies and silences she conformed to in the name of tradition and convention.
Fentress grew up in the 1960s in Mississippi and was part of the generation that, by junior high school, saw their public schools transform from nearly 100% segregated to racially integrated almost overnight. It was also the era of hastily-built “segregation academies,” and a sudden exit by some half-a-million white children from the public schools.
Details of book festival: The Mississippi Book Festival, a ‘Literary Lawn Party,’ is coming up. See details here
In 1964, the state had less than 20 private schools. By 1971 the number rocketed to 236.
It is a story Fentress knows well. In 1970 her parents removed her from the public schools and enrolled her in the new, all-white Pillow Academy just outside of Greenwood. She graduated from Pillow in 1974.
To explore and hear from other students affected by the changes of that era, Fentress set up admissionsprojects.com, a website which has since received hundreds of submissions and comments by students of that era — both those who transferred to private schools and those who stayed in public schools.
While some of her contemporaries have welcomed her work, others have viewed it s an act of betrayal, Fentress said. At least one person has characterized her book as the work of a “self-loathing liberal,” she said.
But “The Steps We Take,” isn’t only about school segregation and racial inequality — the book also takes a look at other conventions and expectations of being a woman in the conservative South.
During a reading Aug. 10 at Lemuria Book Store in Jackson (where the book sold out barely 30 minutes after the event had begun) Fentress also shared both serious and amusing anecdotes from her mid-life experiences as a French teacher both at a public school and later for adults.
Lili Anolik, author of “Hollywood’s Eve: Eve Babitz and the Secret History of L.A.,” calls the work by Fentress both courageous and tough-minded. “Over the course of the narrative, she confronts not only her personal past, but the dark and complicated past of the region of the country in which she grew up and still lives,” Anolik wrote in a recent editorial review.
Lauren Rhoades, host of Mississippi Public Broadcasting’s Mississippi Arts Hour, said “Fentress holds a mirror to the archetype (or stereotype) of the helpful, ever-cheerful, and often self-deceiving southern white woman. What results is a meaningful examination of whiteness and womanhood, privilege and charity, all baked into the author’s story of personal transformation.”
Asked by one participant attending last week’s book signing what she thinks her parents would think of the book, Fentress said, “I think they would be very proud — and a little mortified.”
Hardback copies of “The Steps We Take” will be available for $25 at the University Press of Mississippi tent at the Mississippi Book Festival beginning at 9 a.m. The tent will be located in “Booksellers Row” on Mississippi Street on the south side of the Mississippi State Capitol Building grounds.
Fentress will also be on hand to autograph copies of the book at 11 a.m. at the nearby Book Signing tent.
She will also be discussing the book as part of a group panel called “Memoir” at Galloway United Methodist Church just across the street beginning at 9:30 a.m.
Moderated by Stuart Rockoff, executive director of the Mississippi Humanities Council, the panel will also include Nicole Chung, author of “A Living Remedy: A Memoir;” Lee Durkee, author of “Stalking Shakespeare: A Memoir of Madness, Murder, and My Search for the Poet Beneath the Paint;” and Shane McCrae, author of “Pulling the Chariot of the Sun: A Memoir of Kidnapping.”
Fentress is a journalist, filmmaker and podcaster. She produced and directed “Eyes on Mississippi,” a 2016 documentary on iconic civil rights era journalist Wilson F. “Bill” Minor that has screened at universities and institutions across the country. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, The Atlantic, the Washington Post, The Baffler, Oxford American, Scalawag, story South and New Madrid, as well as on Mississippi public radio, where she was a reporter.
If you go
- What: Mississippi Book Festival
- When: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19
- Where: Outdoors on the south lawn of the Mississippi State Capitol Building and on Mississippi Street.
- Panel discussions: Begin at 9:30 a.m., 10:45 a.m., 12 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:45 p.m. and 4 p.m.
- Admission: Free
Mississippi
Why Mississippi State football loss to Arizona State revealed a strong Jeff Lebby culture
It was 11:10 p.m. Saturday in Starkville when Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt barreled into the end zone for his second touchdown of the game.
At that point, it would’ve been fair for Mississippi State football fans to call it a night. The Bulldogs (1-1) trailed 27-3 at ASU in the final minute of the second quarter. They were dominated in just about every statistical category. New coach Jeff Lebby looked like he was headed toward his first loss, and an embarrassing one.
And even if you gave the second half a chance, eyes just a crack open, that wasn’t encouraging either. Arizona State (2-0) took the opening drive of the third quarter for a field goal while eating 8 minutes, 27 seconds of game time. That just about decided the game before Mississippi State touched the ball in the second half.
Wrong.
Instead, MSU scored touchdowns on three of its next four drives and cut the score to 30-23 with 5:27 to play. The defense, which was torched for 346 rushing yards, needed one more stop to let the offense try to tie it. It would’ve been the largest comeback in program history.
Mississippi State’s path to a bowl game seems murkier than it was a week ago. But in the long-term, there’s still encouragement after the 30-23 loss.
“Our guys battled in an incredible way in the second half, and we’re going to hold on to that,” Lebby said in his postgame radio interview. “We’re going to find ways to get back in the building, get back to work and be able to walk into Davis Wade (Stadium) with a ton of confidence and ready to go win a football game.”
The encouragement from Mississippi State’s comeback effort
Lebby said after beating Eastern Kentucky 56-7 in Week 1 that there is an abundance of teachable moments in wins, just like losses.
There is plenty to point to after losing to Arizona State.
Mississippi State came out incredibly flat. The Sun Devils scored on their first five possessions. The MSU offense had one field goal, two punts, a fumble returned for a touchdown and a turnover-on-downs in the first half. MSU had -13 rushing yards in the first half.
There were concerns entering the game about the travel distance, late kickoff and high temperature. But let’s be real, Mississippi State was playing so poorly at the start that it was hard to judge if those were factors.
“I got to do a better job getting these guys ready to go play out of the gate,” Lebby said. “I thought our energy, our effort and our emotion was really good, but then we did not play clean there in the first quarter, so that part was frustrating.”
The Bulldogs outscored the Sun Devils 20-0 in the final quarter and a half. It was a surprise. Arizona State was rolling. Mississippi State was not.
MORE: Introducing Sam Sklar, the Clarion Ledger’s new Mississippi State beat reporter
For Lebby, a first-time head coach at any level, let it be a learning moment for him. It was his first time getting pinned in a corner. The Bulldogs adjusted correctly in the second half like good coaches do.
The rushing offense and defense both need to improve. Badly. Quarterback Blake Shapen has been impressive in his first two Mississippi State games and the wide receiver room is deep and talented as ever, but they can’t be the only answer.
That’s just for this season.
Mississippi State has its first tally in the loss column. But it isn’t a strike against Lebby leading the future of the program.
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
Sam Leavitt leads ASU to convincing victory in 1st career start
Leavitt and the Sun Devils cruised past visiting Wyoming 48-7 on Saturday night at Mountain America Stadium.
The Arizona State football team elevated its play on the field in its 48-7 win over Wyoming in Week 1.
It is elevating its uniform game for Week 2 against Mississippi State.
ASU football is wearing a gold alternate jersey against the Bulldogs at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe on Saturday night.
The jersey includes maroon “Arizona State” lettering and maroon numbering, along with a noticeable Big 12 logo.
The Sun Devil football team unveiled the uniform last month, with Athletic Director Graham Rossini posting that “you’ll see this on the field early this season.”
On Thursday, ASU football announced that it would be wearing the uniform against Mississippi State with a video that said “Modern shine, with a classic design.”
On Friday, it posted another look at the uniform.
More: Arizona State vs Mississippi State live score updates, analysis for college football game
ASU vs Mississippi State schedule, TV: How to watch college football game
Promising look: Arizona State football’s 2024 win prediction doubles after Week 1 victory over Wyoming
Social media reacted favorably overall to ASU football’s uniform vs Mississippi State:
Do you like the look for ASU football?
ASU vs. Mississippi State picks: Who wins Week 2 college football game?
Looking promising: Arizona State football makes huge leap in college football ranking, Big 12 power rankings
Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
Support local journalism: Subscribe to azcentral.com today.
WARREN COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) – There are questions about a bus company’s track record after a fatal bus crash in Mississippi on Saturday, August 31.
Seven people died when a passenger bus traveling on Interstate 20 left the roadway and overturned. The Mississippi Highway Patrol (MHP) said that 41 passengers and two drivers were enroute to Dallas from Atlanta.
Autobuses Regiomontanos owned the bus in the crash. The company, which is registered with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), has had a troubled record in recent memory. It consists of lawsuits, driver fitness violations and even another fatal crash in 2023.
According to the DOT, the company, based in Laredo, Texas, operates 17 vehicles and employs 39 drivers. The company currently has a ‘conditional‘ safety rating. It is given to companies with ‘inadequate‘ safety controls. Still, companies with this rating may continue to operate.
Its most recent compliance review occurred in July 2023. Using data available from the DOT’s Safety Management System, it has had 155 inspections. Of those inspections, 58 had violations. Nearly all were vehicle maintenance violations.
Three infractions between October and December of 2023 involved issues with vehicle tires. Other infractions included 16 brake or air brake violations and citations for having two buses with no or defective emergency exits.
Seven victims killed in Mississippi bus crash identified
Other inspection violations related to the bus company’s drivers. All violations occurred this year. They include the following:
-
(1) Operating a commercial vehicle without corrective lenses or hearing aids as indicated on the driver’s medical certificate (2) Operating a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) while not possessing a valid commercial driver’s license (CDL).
-
05/13/2024
-
05/14/2024
-
05/14/2024
-
05/28/2024
-
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Operate a CMV while not in possession of a CDL on person.
DOT data indicates that company buses have been in four separate accidents over the last two years. A November 2022 crash required a bus to be towed away and another in April 2023 resulted in someone dying. Below is the record.
|
Date |
Location |
Deaths |
Injuries |
|
10/16/2023 |
Louisiana |
0 |
1 |
|
4/15/2023 |
Texas |
1 |
2 |
|
11/23/2022 |
Tennessee |
0 |
0 |
|
9/24/2022 |
Arkansas |
0 |
1 |
The NTSB is investigating the crash in conjunction with MHP. NTSB officials said they will look at the carrier’s safety record and protections for bus occupants.
Community comes together to help Mississippi bus crash victims
Autobuses Regiomontanos violated several provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), it failed to have an ADA training program in place for its employees and contractors, failed to file required ADA compliance reports and failed to ensure that all lifts on its buses were properly maintained.
In 2015, the company entered into a settlement agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.
The company was also named as a defendant in a $708 million lawsuit filed by New York City City in January. The city accused Autobuses Regiomontanos and other charter bus and transportation companies of taking migrants to the Big Apple on behalf of the State of Texas.
The DOT advises travelers to do the following before they book their next bus trip.
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Search for bus companies
-
Verify that a company is authorized to operate
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Review the company’s safety records
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Make sure the company is licensed and insured
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If appropriate, report a company
DOT agencies advise consumers that unless a motor carrier has received an unsatisfactory rating or has been ordered to discontinue its operations, it is authorized to operate on the nation’s roadways. Additionally, readers should not conclude that a carrier is safe or unsafe by only using data from DOT agencies. For more information, click here.
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