Gary Ashwill

April 28, 2005 - U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) has slipped a provision into a military spending bill that would grant his state authority to sell or lease mineral rights in the Gulf Islands National Seashore, an offshore national park.

April 26, 2005 - Last month, Facing South commented on the rise of "wired communities" across the country, as communities set up free or reduced rate city-wide broadband services, including Wi-Fi. We also warned that the telecommunications industry wasn't exactly pleased about the trend.

April 26, 2005 - Facing South told you last week about South Carolina State Rep. John Graham Altman's bizarre outburst at a reporter when she asked him why his committee had passed a bill making cockfighting a felony while tabling a bill that would do the same for domestic violence.

April 26, 2005 - The Texas House today passed a constitutional amendment banning both same-sex marriages and civil unions. The bill was approved by a 101 to 29 vote, barely exceeding the 100 votes necessary to amend the state constitution. The bill next goes to the state senate. If it garners a two-thirds vote there, the amendment will need to be approved by Texas voters.

April 21, 2005 - The Census Bureau is predicting that by 2035 or so the South will be the nation's most populous region. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution lets fly with the clichés:

April 19, 2005 - A Mexican woman in Lebanon, Tenn., could lose custody of her 11-year-old daughter permanently because she (the mother) doesn't speak English.

April 19, 2005 - The Florida state legislature is trying to limit access to abortion under the guise of making it safer. According to the St.