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1 month 2 weeks ago
Rep. Clay Mansell, center left, and Rep. Shanda Yates, right, co-chairs of the Select Committee on Capital and Metro Revitalization, listen as Jackson Mayor John Horhn speaks during a meeting at the Mississippi Capitol in Jackson, Miss., on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today
Jackson’s water and sewer systems would be under the control of an authority separate from the city government under a bill the state House passed Wednesday. The change would take place once U.S. District Court Judge Henry Wingate releases the city from its current receivership
House Bill 1677 would create the “Metro Jackson Water Authority” that would be led by a nine-member board. Those members would be comprised of:
By Alex Rozier - Mississippi Today on
1 month 2 weeks ago
Two former law enforcement officers pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges tied to a federal crackdown on drug trafficking in the Mississippi Delta
Former Humphreys County deputy Dequarian Smith, 29, pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges for conspiring to protect a transport of illegal drugs through portions of the Mississippi Delta between August and September of 2022. At the time, Smith was also an officer with the Isola Police Department.
By Leonardo Bevilacqua - Mississippi Today on
1 month 2 weeks ago
A protester voices his support for getting the marijuana initiative back on the ballot for 2022 during the We are the 74 Rally held outside the Supreme Court building Tuesday in Jackson. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today
Citing fears of dark money and special interests usurping the state’s constitutional republic, the Senate on Wednesday tabled a bill aimed at restoring Mississippi voters’ right to put issues directly on a ballot and sidestep the Legislature
By Geoff Pender - Mississippi Today on
1 month 2 weeks ago
The Mississippi House passed a bill Wednesday that would allow prayer during school, adding Mississippi to a list of states challenging the Supreme Court edict that church and state remain separate.
House Bill 1310 would mandate in state law that public schools provide students and employees with time to pray or read religious text during the school day.
By Devna Bose - Mississippi Today on
1 month 2 weeks ago
The Mississippi State Department of Health is overhauling its home visitation and care management program for high-risk pregnant women and infants in an effort to move the needle on the state’s high infant mortality rate.
The Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies program, which previously served mothers and babies in all 82 counties, will restart under a pilot model to serve 10 counties with few resources and utilize community health workers for home visitation rather than nurses, State Health Officer Dr. Dan Edney told Mississippi Today.
By Gwen Dilworth - Mississippi Today on
1 month 2 weeks ago
Proceeds from the sale of the tags will be used exclusively to promote opportunities for college students to study freedom and liberty at institutions of higher learning around the state.
Mississippians, by and large, love their freedom and are a patriotic lot, with faith, family and flag as their guiding values.
Soon, vehicle owners across the state will be able to show their affinity for liberty in these United States by displaying a Gadsden Flag car tag, proudly declaring “Don’t Tread On Me” just as the founding fathers did 250 years ago.
By Frank Corder - Magnolia Tribune on
1 month 2 weeks ago
Both chambers of the Mississippi Legislature have advanced bills aiming to crack down on immigration, despite some lawmakers raising concerns that the federal government is responsible for enforcement and that the proposals could inadvertently harm U.S. citizens.
The Senate on Tuesday passed a measure that would create a state crime of being in Mississippi illegally and authorize local law enforcement to charge people with being in the state without proper documentation.
By Taylor Vance and Michael Goldberg - Mississippi Today on
1 month 2 weeks ago
National school choice advocate Corey DeAngelis urged Governor Tate Reeves to call a special session to handle the issue after the Senate killed the House bill.
Even though HB 2 died in the Senate Education Committee last week, supporters of education freedom are not giving up on their push to allow parents to find the best options for their child.
By Jeremy Pittari - Magnolia Tribune on
1 month 2 weeks ago
University of Mississippi officials are still assessing the full storm damage from Winter Storm Fern.
University of Mississippi leaders plan to spend up to $10 million on tree removal and other debris cleanup on the Oxford campus because of an ice storm that caused widespread damage in the northern part of the state.
By Candice Wilder - Mississippi Today on
1 month 2 weeks ago
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration granted the approval on February 9, 2026.
The governor’s office announced Tuesday that Mississippi has received final federal approval for its comprehensive plan to expand broadband infrastructure to every area of the state that still lacks access to high‑speed internet, a milestone for Mississippi under the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program.
By Frank Corder - Magnolia Tribune on
1 month 2 weeks ago
After spirited debate in the chamber, a voice vote on a motion to table killed State Senator Jeremy England’s proposal to restore Mississippi’s ballot initiative process.
An effort to restore the ballot initiative process in Mississippi died in the Senate on Wednesday by a voice vote.
Senate Elections Chairman State Senator Jeremy England (R) presented SCR 518 to the full Senate after the measure he authored was moved out of the Elections Committee last week.
By Frank Corder - Magnolia Tribune on
1 month 2 weeks ago
Mississippi is poised to receive at least $528 million in direct funding under the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, according to figures released by U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker’s office after congressional passage of the bill.
The $528 million includes funding explicitly authorized for Mississippi military installations, universities, research and education programs across the state, said Wicker, the Republican from Mississippi who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee.
By Taylor Vance - Mississippi Today on
1 month 2 weeks ago
National Park Service Ranger Keena Graham serves as the Superintendent of the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument, where a memorial tribute was held for the slain Civil Rights leader June 12, 2021. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today
“It was pretty surreal to listen to that, because there was nothing about Medgar Evers being murdered,” said Michele Storms.
Visitors in 2025 to the Medgar & Myrlie Evers Home National Monument described powerful tours from National Park Service rangers, but people who visited the house last month say they walked away puzzled by omissions both to the couple’s story and the motives of Medgar Evers’ assassin.
By Jerry Mitchell - Mississippi Today on
1 month 2 weeks ago
The measure would allow students to opt-in to pray and participate in religious activities while on public school grounds, so long as it does not affect instruction time.
A bill that would allow students to engage in prayer or other religious activities while attending school has passed in the Mississippi House of Representatives.
By Jeremy Pittari - Magnolia Tribune on
1 month 2 weeks ago
Mississippi would take more steps to investigate prison deaths, under a proposal that’s advancing through the Legislature.
House lawmakers approved a bill that calls for more oversight of prison deaths, legislation inspired by an investigation by Missisisppi Today, The Marshall-Project Jackson, the Clarion Ledger, the Hattiesburg American and The Mississippi Link.
Published on
1 month 2 weeks ago
State Senator Neil Whaley, the bill’s author, said the goal of the measure is to provide relief for farmers as many face hard economic times.
A Senate bill erasing the 1.5 percent sales tax on logging and farming equipment passed earlier this week, winning praise from farmers and state leaders.
The bill, SB 2272, would allow commercial farmers to avoid paying taxes on farm implements such as tractors that are used directly in agriculture production.
By Daniel Tyson - Magnolia Tribune on
1 month 2 weeks ago
Rep. Becky Currie is seen on the House floor at the Capitol in Jackson on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today
The Mississippi House passed several bills this week aimed at improving the quality of medical care in Mississippi prisons and developing stronger oversight of health care delivery.
The bills, which follow an ongoing investigative series from Mississippi Today on the alleged denial of care in state prisons, are part of a reform package spearheaded by Rep. Becky Currie, the Republican House Corrections chairwoman from Brookhaven.
By Gwen Dilworth and Michael Goldberg - Mississippi Today on
1 month 2 weeks ago
MDA head Bill Cork said this week that while 2025 was the agency’s most successful year, 2026 will exceed that mark.
The head of the Mississippi Development Authority hinted earlier this week that the state will soon announce another major investment in the Magnolia State with thousands of new jobs in the pipeline.
By Daniel Tyson - Magnolia Tribune on
1 month 2 weeks ago
“We are supporting residents of Mississippi by providing financial flexibility and disaster recovery resources to those impacted by the recent disaster,” said Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner.
U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner announced Thursday that federal disaster assistance is available to Mississippi to supplement recovery efforts in the areas affected by the winter storm in January 23-27.
By Frank Corder - Magnolia Tribune on
1 month 2 weeks ago
Lexington police have a new interim chief after the first appointed leader resigned less than a month into the job.
The city’s Board of Aldermen appointed Kenneth Gee as interim chief Thursday following a special meeting.
Alderman Isaac Lindsey shared news on Facebook last week about Gee’s appointment and the resignation of former interim chief, Robert Kirklin. Some commenters on the post raised concerns about Gee’s hiring and a track record with other police departments and jobs.
By Mina Corpuz - Mississippi Today on
