A Monmouth journalism professor lectures — sort of — The Mississippi Press in Gautier for a recent editorial that took the city to task for a memo that outlines a municipal public relations policy, determining who can and who can’t speak to the press.
Jon Broadbooks, formerly of The Hattiesburg American and The Clarion-Ledger, is departing The Observer-Dispatch in Utica, NY to become executive editor of the State Journal-Register in Springfield, Ill…Gannett has named Bob Robbins, formerly publisher in Hattiesburg and Jackson, as publisher of the Palladium-Item in Richmond, IN…Wayne Parham has been named editor and publisher of The Enterprise-Tocsin in Indianola. A communications grad from West Georgia College, Parham earned his Masters in Business from University of Georgia in 2006. He is an 18-year veteran of the newspaper and magazine trade, working most recently for Georgia Trend magazine. He succeeds Jim Abbott, who is retiring this month after nearly 40 years as editor and publisher of the weekly newspaper.
The role of The Clarion-Ledger in passage of the state’s historic Education Reform Act of 1982 is the subject of a new book by a University of Mississippi journalism faculty member.
“The Role of The Clarion-Ledger in the Adoption of the 1982 Education Reform: Winning the Pulitzer Prize (Edwin Mellen Press, 2007),” by associate professor Kathleen Woodruff Wickham, marks the 25th anniversary of the act that established a kindergarten system and greater funding for public schools in Mississippi.
Pete Collins holds the rare distinction of having probably had his name and likeness printed in more Mississippi newspapers over the years than most anyone else. At one time or another, the longtime Highway Patrol sergeant and nationally-known public speaker, had appeared before just about every civic group and high school assembly in the state.
His brash delivery and often uproarious anecdotes were a real crowd-pleaser. And he was a welcome ambassador to other states who deserved a favorable impression of Mississippi for a change.
So it was a real shocker when Collins was accused over three years ago of molesting a teenage girl – a friend of his own grandchildren, no less. The story then grew legs that eventually unraveled Collins’ public persona. The allegations persist, six months after Collins hung himself in a Rankin County jail cell.
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