New laws now impacting Mississippi
Beginning today, new laws from the previous legislative session are on the books in Mississippi. Three of these laws could have significant impacts on South Mississippi residents. House Bill 349,…
Mississippi State News
Amtrak moving to Mobile may be in jeopardy
The drive to bring Amtrak to Mobile is in serious jeopardy. The plan needs five votes on the city council, and right now those votes aren't there. Mayor Sandy Stimpson's administration is close to finalizing a lease that would allow…
Buttigieg tours Mississippi civil rights site and says transportation is key to equity in the US
BY EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS Updated 3:34 PM CDT, June 21, 2024 JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Friday toured the home of assassinated civil rights leader Medgar Evers in Mississippi’s capital city, saying afterward that transportation is important to securing…
38 dogs were close to drowning on a Mississippi lake. But some fishermen had quite a catch
BY JEFF MARTIN Updated 3:20 PM CDT, June 21, 2024 ATLANTA (AP) — By the time fishermen spotted the first head bobbing above the water, the 38 dogs were exhausted and struggling to stay alive. The hound dogs had plunged into…
First Human Case of West Nile Virus in 2024
JACKSON, Miss. – The Mississippi State Department of Health has confirmed the first human case of West Nile Virus this year in Rankin County. West Nile Virus is transmitted primarily through the bite of an infected mosquito. According to the Centers…
MSU researcher part of $19 million NASA mission focused on ‘true brightness’ of stars, secrets of ‘dark energy’
STARKVILLE, Miss.—A Mississippi State University astrophysicist is going lightyears beyond star-gazing as she helps lead the science portion of a recently approved collaborative $19.5 million Landolt NASA Space Mission that will put an artificial star in orbit around the Earth.…
Second suspect arrested in abduction in Louisiana
An update in the abduction of two girls from their home in Louisiana, a second suspect arrested in connection to this case today in Jackson, according to WJTV. Victoria…
Six South Mississippi CEOs recognized by Mississippi Business Journal
The Mississippi Business Journal honored 28 winners of the CEO Awards of Mississippi, an MBJ-sponsored event now in its seventh year, during a breakfast held Thursday at the Old Capitol Inn in Jackson. The CEO Awards recognize chief executives of…
Former Mississippi Lottery Corporation official pleads guilty to embezzlement
State Auditor Shad White announced Thursday that Hope Bishop, the former vice president of Human Resources at the Mississippi Lottery Corporation, has pleaded guilty to embezzlement. She was sentenced to 20 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of…
Long Beach presented Heritage Award for work on Greenvale
The Mississippi Heritage Trust awarded the City of Long Beach a 2024 Heritage Award for its preservation work in restoring Greenvale, also known as the Quarles House.…
Mississippi is the latest state sued by tech group over age verification on websites
BY EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS Updated 3:18 PM CDT, June 7, 2024 JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A new Mississippi law requiring users of websites and other digital services to verify their age will unconstitutionally limit access to online speech for minors and…
MBI investigating officer-involved shooting in Flowood
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is investigating an officer-involved shooting involving the Flowood Police Department that occurred on Tuesday. Officers with the Flowood Police Department received a call regarding a subject who was attempting to break into units at Shadow…
Speaker Jason White Names Committee Appointments
Jackson, MS – Speaker Jason White names appointments for PEER Committee, Select Committee on Healthcare Reform: Certificate of Need, Select Committee on Prescription Drugs, Select Committee on Tax Reform, and Joint Legislative Committee on Compilation, Revision, and Publication. Speaker Jason…
University of Mississippi graduate student's book lands Netflix deal
OXFORD, Miss. – Via Bleidner kept detailed journals after transferring from a Catholic school to a Los Angeles County high school full of wealthy, fame-seeking teenagers. Her coming-of-age accounts shared in "If You Lived Here You'd Be Famous By Now"…
75.7% of third graders pass state reading assessment on first attempt in 2024
JACKSON, Miss. – The Mississippi Department of Education is announcing that 75.7% of 31,787 third graders passed the initial administration of the third-grade reading assessment given this spring for the 2023-24 school year. The percentage is nearly the same as…
House Resolution 106 introduced by Rep. Mike Ezell passes
The House of Representatives passed a resolution introduced by Congressman Mike Ezell, a measure expressing support for law enforcement officers across the country. House Resolution 106 was…
MDPS hosts Fallen Officers Memorial Service
The Mississippi Department of Public Safety hosted its Fallen Officers Memorial Service. The ceremony at MDPS headquarters honored all DPD officers who lost their lives in the line of duty,…
Lottery Sends More Than $9.7 Million to State
JACKSON, MISS – The Mississippi Lottery’s April transfer of $9,747,042.30 – all of it earmarked for the state’s Education Enhancement fund – brings the total transfer for Fiscal Year 2024 to the state to $106,583,530.01. Each fiscal year, the first $80…
Governor Tate Reeves signs law to set a new funding formula for public schools
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Gov. Tate Reeves has signed legislation that will change the way the state pays for public schools, ditching a formula that brought political pressure on lawmakers because they usually budgeted less money than required. Republican Reeves…
Governor Reeves signs bill banning squatted vehicles
Governor Tate Reeves signed into law House Bill 349, which will ban ‘squatted vehicles.’ This house bill places restrictions on vehicle modifications that result in vehicles’ front fenders being raised four or more inches greater than the height of the…
Aftermath of pro-Palestinian protest at Ole Miss
A Pro-Palestinian protest on the campus of Ole Miss yesterday afternoon is getting attention on social media after tense exchanges with counter-protesters. This is video that was sent in…
Medgar Evers to receive Presidential Medal of Freedom
Today, President Biden has named Medgar Evers as a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Medgar Evers was born in 1925 into a farming family in Decatur,…
Medicaid expansion effort collapses in Mississippi Legislature
BY EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS Updated 8:19 PM CDT, May 2, 2024 JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Medicaid expansion efforts fizzled and died Thursday in Mississippi because top lawmakers could not agree on a final proposal to send to the House and Senate. This…
MBI investigating officer-involved shooting in Mendenhall
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is investigating an officer-involved shooting involving the Mendenhall Police Department that happened Thursday morning. A Mendenhall police officer was booking a subject on domestic violence charges at the police station when an altercation occurred between…
