AT&T is experiencing a nationwide outage
A number of Americans are dealing with cellular outages on AT&T, Cricket Wireless, Verizon, T-Mobile and other service providers, according to data from Downdetector. The Associated Press reports that…
Associated Press
The first Black woman in the Mississippi Legislature now has her portrait in the state Capitol
BY EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Former Rep. Alyce Clarke was the first Black woman elected to the Mississippi Legislature, and now she is the first Black person — and first woman — to have a portrait on display in the…
Country singer-songwriter Toby Keith has died after battling stomach cancer
BY KRISTIN M. HALL Toby Keith, a sometimes polarizing figure in country music who crafted an identity around his macho, pro-American swagger, has died. He was 62. The “Beer For My Horses” singer-songwriter, who was battling stomach cancer, died peacefully Monday surrounded…
Mississippi Republican governor again calls for phasing out personal income tax in his budget plan
BY EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves is renewing his call for legislators to phase out the state’s personal income tax over several years, and he is asking them to spend more money on economic development,…
Grand jury declines to indict Mississippi police officer who shot 11-year-old boy
BY MICHAEL GOLDBERG JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi grand jury has declined to indict a police officer who responded to a call, and shot and wounded an unarmed 11-year-old boy inside the home. The grand jury found that Indianola Police…
Federal government approves part of Mississippi’s plan to help struggling hospitals
BY MICHAEL GOLDBERG JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The federal government has approved the first part of Mississippi’s plan to help some of the state’s financially strapped hospitals receive more Medicaid money, Gov. Tate Reeves said Wednesday. The Centers for Medicare and…
Third Mississippi man is buried in a pauper’s grave without family’s knowledge
BY MICHAEL GOLDBERG JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A third man in Mississippi has been discovered buried in a pauper’s cemetery without his relatives’ knowledge — and despite authorities knowing the identities of the deceased. It is the latest case in which…
Penguin parents sleep for just a few seconds at a time to guard newborns, study shows
WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s a challenge for all new parents: Getting enough sleep while keeping a close eye on their newborns. For some penguins, it means thousands of mini-catnaps a day, researchers discovered. Chinstrap penguins in Antarctica need to guard…
Mississippi’s top lawmakers skip initial budget proposals because of disagreement with governor
BY EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi legislators will begin their session next month without a broad outline from their leaders about how the state should spend money during the year that begins July 1. The Joint Legislative Budget…
6-year-old Mississippi girl honored for rescue efforts after her mother had a stroke while driving
COLUMBUS, Miss. (AP) — A 6-year-old Mississippi girl is being honored for helping emergency responders find her family’s car after her mother had a stroke while driving in a rural area. Bryanna Cook is a first grader at Fairview Elementary…
Rosalynn Carter, outspoken former first lady, dead at 96
BY BILL BARROW AND MICHAEL WARREN ATLANTA (AP) — Former first lady Rosalynn Carter, the closest adviser to Jimmy Carter during his one term as U.S. president and their four decades thereafter as global humanitarians, has died at the age of 96. The Carter Center said she…
Mississippi governor rejects revenue estimate, fearing it would erode support for income tax cut
BY MICHAEL GOLDBERG JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves refused to approve top lawmakers’ proposed revenue estimate Wednesday, fearing a lower projection than he wanted would prevent him from justifying future income tax cuts. The rare move comes as…
In federal lawsuit, owner of medical marijuana dispensary says Mississippi censors business owners
BY MICHAEL GOLDBERG JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The owner of a Mississippi medical marijuana dispensary filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday challenging state regulations that he says censor business owners by preventing them from advertising. After Mississippi legalized medical marijuana for people with debilitating…
Mississippi attorney general asks state Supreme Court to set execution dates for 2 prisoners
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch has asked the state Supreme Court to set execution dates for two men on death row. Fitch’s office filed motions Thursday that asked the court to schedule executions for Willie Jerome…
UPDATE: Judge orders four precincts in Hinds County to extend voting to 9 p.m. after ballot issues
A judge in Mississippi’s largest county has extended voting times to 9 p.m. at four voting precincts after they experienced ballot shortages and long lines. The order from a special judge in Hinds County came after a nonpartisan group, Mississippi…
Senate sidesteps Tuberville, confirms first female as chief of naval operations
BY MARY CLARE JALONICK, TARA COPP AND LOLITA BALDOR WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate circumvented a hold by Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville on Thursday and confirmed Adm. Lisa Franchetti to lead the Navy, making her the first woman to be a Pentagon service…
Only debate of Mississippi governor’s race brings insults and interruptions from Reeves and Presley
BY EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves and Democratic challenger Brandon Presley insulted and spoke over each other several times Wednesday night in their only debate of a rough-and-tumble campaign season, presenting sharply contrasting plans for…
Judge dismisses Brett Favre defamation suit, saying Shannon Sharpe used hyperbole over welfare money
BY EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A federal judge on Monday dismissed Brett Favre’s defamation lawsuit against fellow retired NFL player Shannon Sharpe, ruling that Sharpe used constitutionally protected speech on a sports broadcast when he criticized Favre’s connection to a welfare…
In closing days of Mississippi governor’s race, candidates clash over how to fund health care
BY EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves said Thursday that he is working to ease financial problems for struggling hospitals — but the Democratic nominee for governor, Brandon Presley, said Reeves is hurting the state by…
At least 16 dead in Maine mass killing and police hunt for the shooter as residents take shelter
BY DAVID SHARP LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — A man shot and killed at least 16 people at a restaurant and a bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine, and then fled into the night, sparking a massive search by hundreds of officers while…
Mike Johnson, a staunch conservative from Louisiana, is elected House speaker with broad GOP support
By LISA MASCARO, STEPHEN GROVES, FARNOUSH AMIRI and KEVIN FREKING WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans eagerly elected Rep. Mike Johnson as House speaker Wednesday, elevating a deeply conservative but lesser-known leader to the seat of U.S. power and ending for now…
Mobile officials say a Mississippi city is dumping homeless people; Biloxi denies misdeeds
MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — The largest city in coastal Alabama claims police from a nearby Mississippi city are dropping off homeless people, sometimes after coercing them to go. But Biloxi Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich denies any wrongdoing, saying Biloxi is…
Judge says she is ending conservatorship between former NFL player Michael Oher and Memphis couple
BY ADRIAN SAINZ MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee judge said Friday she is ending a conservatorship agreement between former NFL player Michael Oher and a Memphis couple who took him in when he was in high school, but the highly-publicized dispute over…
In Mississippi, a tiny fish is reintroduced to the river where it disappeared 50 years ago
BY STEPHEN SMITH AND KEVIN MCGILL PINOLA, Miss. (AP) — A species of tiny fish that once flourished in a river running hundreds of miles from central Mississippi into southeastern Louisiana is being reintroduced to the Pearl River after disappearing 50 years ago.…
