Commentary: Macon Roving Listeners board member encourages love

By Regina Davis Macon Roving Listeners I believe that we can all agree that this has been quite a tumultuous year throughout these great United States. We have had many personal and collective challenges that we have had to overcome. The simple fact that we are right here, right now lets us know that we …

Even though “legal”, users of medical cannabis still face many difficulties

Article submitted with names withheld. Special thanks to State Representative Allen Peake for helping us obtain this story. We are the parents of a child with a severe seizure disorder, and since 2013 we have been fighting alongside the most amazing families for access to medical cannabis. Four legislative sessions later, two bills have passed …

Commentary: Proposal may risk undoing years of progress

Guest post by Benita Dodd It’s hard to fathom the depth of the pain and suffering of crime victims and families left behind. For Henry Nicholas, the experiences of his family after his sister was murdered inspired his mission to protect victims. A student at the University of California-Santa Barbara, Marsalee “Marsy” Nicholas died after …

Commentary: Positive news is more important than ever in a world of negativity

We appreciate that our readers are concerned about the integrity of Middle Georgia’s government, business owners, and civic leaders. We share many of your concerns. However, we are not an investigative journalism paper. Daily, we are bombarded by negative news. Reports of corruption, violence, hate, and ruin fill our social media news feeds, shout out …

Improper handling of jury notes can lead to overturned convictions

By guest author Kelly Burke A Georgia case was recently overturned because, during deliberations, the trial judge did not allow the jury’s note to be seen by the defense attorney. It was a case with a couple of criminal charges, and the jury’s note indicated the jury had voted: “4—not guilty based on evidence [and] …

Shopping local small businesses helps Middle Georgia

Everyone shops national chains or buys off Amazon.com from time to time. Sometimes it is the only option for certain items, or the only sensible choice for bulk items that are sold as commodities. However, there are a number of great reasons to shop small local merchants that should be considered that go beyond finding …

Commentary: Truth is often a matter of perspective

We are often very certain of some facts because we have observed something first hand or “seen it with our own eyes.” We thus disengage our critical thinking about those circumstance and when challenged by someone with a differing viewpoint we dig in and neglecting to acknowledge that our own point of view could be …

Commentary: How government can speed broadband access

This editorial comes from Kelly McCutchen, the President of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation and is re-posted with their permission. The GPPF is an independent think tank that proposes market-oriented approaches to public policy to improve the lives of Georgians.  Internet access is foundational in today’s economy. Lack of access can grind business to a halt …