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Federal court hearing on Mississippi absentee ballots pits Republicans against Republicans
A federal judge will hear arguments Tuesday on a lawsuit brought by the state and national Republican parties and the state Libertarian Party that seeks to bar Mississippi election workers from counting mail-in absentee ballots after the date of an election. U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola, a senior-status judge, set...
On this day in 1961
Future U.S. Rep. John Lewis was released after 40 days from Mississippi’s most notorious prison, the State Penitentiary at Parchman. Jackson police arrested him and other Freedom Riders who entered a “whites-only” area of the bus station and refused to move on. After Lewis, a son of...
Mississippi Republicans love at least one project Trump now calls a ‘green new scam’
Some of Mississippi’s top Republicans, namely Gov. Tate Reeves and U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, traveled last week to Marshall County in north Mississippi, a stone’s throw from the state line with Tennessee, to celebrate the groundbreaking for a new electric vehicle battery plant. “Today we broke ground on...
On this day in 1957
Althea Gibson became the first African American to win the women’s singles title at Wimbledon and became the top female tennis player in the world. Just six years earlier, she had become the first black player to compete at Wimbledon. Born in South Carolina, she grew up in Harlem,...
As heat rises, inmates and staff swelter in Mississippi’s prisons
As of Friday, five of the six locations where Mississippi’s prisons are located are under a National Weather Service heat advisory. And the Mississippi Department of Corrections has no clear timeline as to when it will install air conditioning to bring relief to inmates and staff. “We are continuing...
Salaries for two public university presidents creep toward $1 million a year
Two public university presidents in Mississippi now make almost $1 million a year each while pay for faculty and staff at the state’s eight universities remains stagnant. The hefty salaries are largely, but not entirely, due to the private foundations for the University of Mississippi and Mississippi State University supplementing the state salaries for Glenn Boyce and Mark Keenum, respectively.
On this day in 1963
Clyde Kennard — railroaded in 1960 because he dared to try to enroll at an all-white college in Mississippi — died of cancer just months after being freed from prison. He died on the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, which promised “all men are created equal.”
Hosemann: Study confirms PERS ’13th check’ for Mississippi retirees protected
An analysis paid for by the Legislature reaffirms the position that the yearly cost of living adjustment — often referred to as the 13th check — that retirees in the state pension system receive cannot be reduced or taken away, Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said. Hosemann’s office refused...
Mississippi judge blocks Biden attempt to ensure LGBTQ+ medical treatment
A federal judge in Mississippi has blocked enactment of a Biden administration rule designed to prevent medical care from being denied to those seeking treatment related to gender identity or sexual orientation. The lawsuit U.S. Southern District Judge Louis Guirola Jr. ruled on Wednesday was filed by 15 states, including...
State GOP plans to endorse judicial candidates, while Democratic Party does not
The leaders of the Mississippi’s two major political parties recently offered two opposing plans for how much they plan to interact with candidates competing for one the state’s three contested races for the state Court of Appeals and the state Supreme Court. Mississippi Republican Party Chairman Mike Hurst...
Photo Gallery: Environmental coverage across Mississippi
As photojournalists, we travel across the state, capturing moments that resonate beyond pixels and frames. From the Delta to the Gulf Coast, we bear witness to the environmental issues shaping the lives of Mississippians firsthand. These images document the impact of climate change, pollution, and natural disasters on local communities. Traveling to the heart of these stories is integral to Mississippi Today’s commitment to honest and impactful reporting, ensuring that the voices and experiences of those affected are vividly portrayed.
Federal judges order Mississippi Legislature to create more Black districts, may prompt 2024 elections
The Mississippi Legislature has been ordered to create more Black-majority House and Senate Districts by a federal three-judge panel. “The court rightly held that the Mississippi Legislature used the redistricting process to dilute the power of Black voters. Those legislative districts denied Black Mississippians an equal voice in state government,” said Jarvis Dortch, executive director of the ACLU of Mississippi.
Podcast: Now boarding for Boston and the Dot Burrow Bandwagon.
She was Caitlin Clark 74 years ago. Now, Dot Burrow is a Hall of Famer. Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license. Rick Cleveland, a native of Hattiesburg and resident of Jackson, has been Mississippi Today’s sports columnist since 2016. A graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi with a bachelor’s in journalism, Rick has worked for the Monroe (La.) News Star World, Jackson Daily News and Clarion Ledger. He was sports editor of Hattiesburg American, executive director of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. His work as a syndicated columnist and celebrated sports writer has appeared in numerous magazines, periodicals and newspapers.
On this day in 1917
One of the worst racial massacres in U.S. history ended after three days in East St. Louis, Illinois. After Black workers were given jobs in a factory that received government contracts, White workers began stabbing, beating and killing them. As many as a 100 or more were killed, hundreds more were injured, and 6,000 were driven from their homes.
A new law to improve pregnancy outcomes took effect Monday. But how someone can receive timely prenatal care is still unclear.
Despite presumptive Medicaid eligibility for pregnant women going into effect Monday, it’s still not clear how low-income pregnant women can get the timely prenatal care the law is supposed to make possible. House Bill 539, which was signed into law by the governor on March 12, allows eligible, low-income...
Dau Mabil’s brother goes back to court to get independent autopsy started
The brother of Dau Mabil, the Jackson man whose body was recovered from the Pearl River three weeks after he disappeared, is asking a judge to enforce an order to allow an independent autopsy to proceed. The state’s autopsy, released late last month, determined death by drowning by unknown cause....
Federal judge blocks Mississippi online age verification law
A federal judge has issued an injunction halting a Mississippi law requiring online platforms to verify the ages of users. Mississippi lawmakers, parroting measures passed by legislatures in several other states, passed House Bill 1126 this year, saying it would protect children from explicit online content. The law was set to take effect Monday, but the tech industry group NetChoice sued the state in June, claiming it would unconstitutionally limit adults’ free speech and privacy.
She was Caitlin Clark 74 years ago. Now, Dot Burrow is a Hall of Famer.
BOSTON — In Mississippi, Dot Ford Burrow was Caitlin Clark a half century before Caitlin Clark was born, scoring 50 points per game back in 1950 for tiny Smithville High School in Monroe County. Monday night in Boston, Mrs. Burrow, grandmother of football’s Joe Burrow, finally received recognition for...
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