Overby Center

By Sheridan White for Louisiana Illuminator A bill to raise the daily reimbursement rate for housing state inmates advanced with broad bipartisan support as Louisiana lawmakers seek to ease financial pressure on local correctional facilities.

Richard “Dick” Scruggs said that both the news media and the Bill of Rights are under attack in various ways, including by the government. HIs remarks came in a luncheon on March 25 in the Great Conversations Series by the Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics.

The Overby Center will host a program with the Freedom Forum on Wednesday, April 29. The program will examine public awareness and support for First Amendment freedoms, with a particular eye on how speech is viewed on college campuses, as well as the challenges facing journalists

By Friends of The Daily Texan Griff Singer, who spent more than three decades on the University of Texas at Austin journalism faculty, was widely remembered not only for his longevity but for his deep, personal impact on students and the profession.

By Mark Sherman for AP news The Supreme Court ‘s conservative majority sounded skeptical of state laws that allow the counting of late-arriving mail ballots, a persistent target of President Donald Trump.

By Maya Homan for Georgia Recorder A bill aimed at modernizing Georgia’s medical cannabis program passed the Georgia House with broad bipartisan support, marking another step in lawmakers’ years-long effort to incrementally increase patients’ access to the program.

“Highway of Diamonds: Black America Sings Bob Dylan,” is a collection of Dylan songs performed by Black artists. R.J. Morgan, a Dylan scholar and a member of the Overby Center panel of experts, analyzes the importance of this work in Dylan’s legacy in civil rights and songwriting

The Rev. John Perkins died, at the age of 95, on March 13. Will Norton, senior fellow emeritus at the Overby Center, provides a personal perspective on Perkins’ extraordinary life and his work on civil rights and faith.

The Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics hosted “Free Speech, Freedom Songs, and the Music of Liberation” on February 25 in the Overby auditorium as part of Black History Month. Read the full article by Clare Antrainer at overbycenter.com/news-and-analy…

By Devna Bose for Mississippi Today After the House and Senate killed each other’s teacher pay raise bills, they’ve amended other bills, with the Senate upping the ante. The Senate unanimously passed a $6,000 teacher pay raise with an extra $3,000 for special education teachers.

The Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics hosted “Free Speech, Freedom Songs, and the Music of Liberation” on February 25 in the Overby auditorium as part of Black History Month. Read the full article by Clare Antrainer at overbycenter.com/news-and-analy…

The Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics hosted “Free Speech, Freedom Songs, and the Music of Liberation” on February 25 in the Overby auditorium as part of Black History Month. Read the full article by Clare Antrainer at overbycenter.com/news-and-analy…

The Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics hosted “Free Speech, Freedom Songs, and the Music of Liberation” on February 25 in the Overby auditorium as part of Black History Month. Read the full article by Clare Antrainer at overbycenter.com/news-and-analy…

By Greg LaRose for Louisiana Illuminator Members of the Louisiana National Guard, who have been deployed to support crime fighting efforts in New Orleans since the start of the year, will remain in the city through August, Gov. Jeff Landry announced.

The Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics hosted “Free Speech, Freedom Songs, and the Music of Liberation” on February 25 in the Overby auditorium as part of Black History Month. Read the full article by Clare Antrainer at overbycenter.com/news-and-analy…

Tune into our next program, which is a screening of David Crews' documentary on the Whiskey Speech! The event will be on Tuesday, March 24th, at 5:30 pm in The Overby Center auditorium!

By Alander Rocha for Georgia Recorder The Georgia House on Friday passed a bill to create a special committee to study raising the age of juvenile court jurisdiction to include 17-year-olds, but stopped short of taking action to prevent 17-year-olds from being tried as adults.

Here are some photos from last night's event! Hope you all enjoyed!

By Shannon Heckt for Virginia Mercury The Virginia State Corporation Commission has reasserted its approval of Dominion Energy’s Chesterfield Energy Reliability Center (CERC), after it denied multiple environmental advocacy groups’ appeal to reconsider the decision.

By Mukta Joshi for Mississippi Today. Kristi Noem, the secretary of homeland security, has agreed to abandon efforts to acquire a warehouse in northern Mississippi and turn it into a detention center for immigrants, according to U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker.