Stories for April 2022

New CSET Atrium Dedication and College of Business Donation at JSU, MSU ERDC Day

Jackson State University President Thomas K. Hudson and other JSU faculty recently held a ceremony to unveil the Brigadier General Robert Crear CSET atrium on the JSU campus.

Mississippi Welfare Agency Ex-Director Faces New Charges

John Davis, a former Mississippi Department of Human Services director, has been indicted on 20 additional felony charges tied to allegations that he participated in misusing money that was supposed to help some of the poorest people in the nation, including some spent to send a former pro wrestler to a luxury drug rehab facility.

Education Company Leaders Plead Guilty to Federal Charges

Nancy New and Zachary New, a mother and son who ran a for-profit education company, have pleaded guilty to improperly obtaining millions of dollars from the Mississippi Department of Education by submitting false documents about schools they operated.

Jackson Police Are Short-Staffed, Assistant Chief Says

An assistant chief says the police department in Mississippi's largest city is short-staffed, and recruitment and retention are big challenges.

Amid False 2020 Claims, GOP States Eye Voting System Upgrade

For years, Tennessee Democratic Senate Minority Leader Jeff Yarbro’s call to require the state’s voting infrastructure to include a paper record of each ballot cast has been batted down in the Republican-dominated Legislature.

Federal Judge: Mississippi Jail Must Make Several Changes

A federal judge has ordered Hinds County leaders to implement several changes at the Raymond Detention Center.

Mississippi Creates New Office for Broadband Development

Mississippi is creating a statewide office to spend millions of federal dollars for broadband internet development — an effort that could boost lagging rural areas.

JSU Commencement Speakers, National Academy of Inventors Chapter and Marc E. Bassy at MSU

Jackson State University recently announced that Thasunda Brown Duckett and Homer Wilkes will hold presentations during the university's 2022 commencement exercises.

Eudora Welty Letters Released 2 Decades After Author's Death

The Mississippi Department of Archives and History is allowing the public to have access to additional papers from the late author Eudora Welty, including letters written by members of her family.

Oakdale Elementary Students Raise Funds for Make-A-Wish in Honor of Classmate

Oakdale Elementary students organized a Make-A-Wish fundraiser in honor of Ariel Hurley, a kindergartner at Oakdale and a recipient of the foundation.

Judge Sentences Two Madison County Men to 150-Plus Years in Prison for Drug Offenses

Madison/Rankin County Circuit Court Judge Dewey Arthur sentenced 34-year-old Carlos Dominique Allen and 42-year-old Torrey Powell to 156 years, collectively, for drug offenses on March 28, 2022.

Mississippi Gov Signs Bill Expanding Inmates' Work Release

Mississippi will expand a work release program for nonviolent inmates from one county to three counties.

Alice Walker to be Featured at Mississippi Book Festival

Pulitzer Prize winning author Alice Walker has been tapped to speak at this year's Mississippi Book Festival.

‘Just For Them’: Goodman Native Organizes Inaugural Kids Fest Jackson

Mississippi native Jay Branch has organized the inaugural Kids Fest Jackson event taking place in Jackson, Miss., on Saturday, April 9, 2022.

Gov. Reeves Signs $524-Million Tax Cut As Education, Infrastructure Funding Woes Remain

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves signed an income-tax cut Tuesday afternoon that will eliminate $524 million from state revenues.

JSU Getty Images Donation, MSU Research Week and Give Wing at USM

Getty Images recently donated two Canon camera bodies and three Canon lenses to the Office of University Communications at Jackson State University as part of the company's new partnership with the university.

Teacher Raise, Tax Cut Top Issues in Mississippi Session

Mississippi legislators have finished their busiest session in years after enacting the largest teacher pay raise in a generation and setting the state's largest-ever income tax cut.

Mississippi Legislators Work to Approve State Spending Plans

Mississippi legislators on Monday were approving parts of a state budget for the year that begins July 1, and it is substantially larger than the budget for the current year.

Mississippi Joins States Limiting Outside Election Funding

Mississippi is the latest Republican-led state to ban election offices from accepting donations from private groups for voting operations—a movement fueled by conservatives' suspicion of donations by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in 2020.

'Go, Mississippi': State Could Ditch Song with Racist Roots

Mississippi is on the verge of scuttling a state song with racist roots, two years after it retired a Confederate-themed state flag.

Lawmakers Aim for More Emergency Rooms in Rural Mississippi

Mississippi lawmakers have approved a bill aimed at bolstering health care in rural Mississippi.

Mississippi Lawmakers Aim to Finish Budget and End Session

Mississippi legislators are returning to the Capitol on Monday with hopes of finishing their 2022 session.

Ukrainian Refugee Benefit Concert, Mississippi Transgender Day of Visibility and ‘The Wizard of Oz’

Mitchell McGinnis and many other Mississippians have raised funds to support Slavik’s family during this time of unrest within Ukraine. To further that goal, McGinnis has helped organize a benefit concert on Friday, April 1, in the parking lot outside of 601 Studios.

Mississippi House and Senate OK Each Other's Redistricting

The Mississippi House and Senate on Thursday approved each other's redistricting plans that are likely to maintain Republican majorities in each chamber.

Ellington