Thursday, March 31
Mississippi Governor Signs Largest Teacher Raise in Years
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves signed a bill Wednesday authorizing the largest pay raise in a generation for the state's public school teachers, long among the lowest-paid in the nation.
Wednesday, March 30
Alumni Enrichment Institutes an MS Got Soul at JSU, State Science Fair at USM
Jackson State University recently announced that it is an Alumni Enrichment Institute Partner for the 2022 Alumni Enrichment Institutes.
Mississippi House, Senate Pass Separate Redistricting Plans
The Mississippi House and Senate voted by wide margins Tuesday to approve separate plans to redraw legislative districts to account for population changes revealed by the 2020 Census.
Tuesday, March 29
FDA Approves Second COVID-19 Booster For Immunocompromised, 50-And-Up
At-risk Mississippians over 12 years of age as well as anyone over 50 are now eligible for a second booster dose, thanks to authorization from the Food and Drug Administration today.
Mississippi Works to Set Budget After Missing Deadline
Mississippi legislators worked on budget proposals Monday after missing deadlines because of a long dispute over a tax cut plan.
Mississippi House OKs Redistricting; Senators Debate Plan
The Mississippi House on Tuesday approved a plan to redraw its districts to account for population changes revealed by the 2020 Census.
Monday, March 28
Sheriff: Rankin County Work-Release Program Is Not ‘Convict Leasing,’ A Vestige of Slavery
ACLU-MS Deputy Director Alicia N. Netterville said that the first iteration of House Bill 747 effectively functioned as convict-leasing by another name.
Mississippi Reveals Redistricting for State House and Senate
Mississippi legislators on Sunday unveiled plans to redraw the state House and Senate districts to account for population changes revealed by the 2020 Census.
Friday, March 25
Hal’s St. Paddy’s Parade, Spring Market, JXN Flea and Brian Ballou
After two years’ wait, Hal’s St. Paddy’s Parade and Festival returns to downtown Jackson. This year’s slogan, “Go Big and Come Home,” represents both the Jackson metro community getting to come together again, as well as Jackson’s celebration of its bicentennial.
Mississippi Increases Budget Estimates; Tax Cuts Unresolved
Top Mississippi lawmakers on Friday increased estimates of how much tax money the state will collect this budget year and next.
Mississippi Gov Says He's 'Married' to Income Tax Phaseout
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves insisted Thursday that legislators pass a bill to phase out the state income tax, but other Republicans who lead the House and Senate remained far apart on the issue.
US Judge Issues 2nd Contempt Order for Mississippi Jail
A federal judge has issued a second contempt order over poor conditions at a county jail in Mississippi, where court monitors found staff members are afraid to work in a housing unit controlled by gangs of inmates.
Thursday, March 24
COVID-19 Program for Uninsured Ends as Global Cases Rise
A federal program closing this week could mean less access to COVID-19 testing and treatment for poorer Mississippians moving forward.
Mississippi Leaders Spar Over Tax Cuts as Deadlines Approach
Mississippi House leaders offered a revised proposal Wednesday to phase out the state income tax, sending it to Senate leaders as legislators approach big deadlines to set taxes and spending.
Wednesday, March 23
Mo Williams
Former Murrah High School star and NBA player Mo Williams accepted JSU’s offer to serve as the school’s new head coach. Williams spent the last two seasons coaching at Alabama State University.
JSU Blue Tie Gala and Regions Card, MSU Virtual Reality Grant
Jackson State University’s National Alumni Association will host its fifth annual Blue Tie Gala on Saturday, April 9, at 7 p.m. at the Jackson Convention Complex in downtown Jackson.
Tuesday, March 22
Schools, Libraries Close As Mayor Declares Weather Emergency
In the midst of severe weather threatening Mississippi and the larger South, Jackson Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba issued a proclamation of a local weather emergency this morning closing vulnerable locations and providing a notice of sandbag availability to help prepare for the storm.
Monday, March 21
Emmett Till Family Again Demands Prosecution of White Woman for Child’s Lynching
The family of Emmett Till is once again calling for justice, nearly 70 years past young Till’s vicious murder, tied to a cotton-gin fan in the Tallahatchie River.
Friday, March 18
Jacquelynn’s Weekend Picks 3/18-3/20
If you’re looking for something to do this weekend in the metro area, don’t worry. We have you covered. Whether you’re looking for a night out on the town or a fun family day, there’s something appropriate for you.
Mississippi Senate OKs Pay Raise for Teachers, House to Vote
Mississippi teachers would receive their largest pay raise in years, under a bill that the state Senate passed Thursday.
Thursday, March 17
It's a Deal: Mississippi Teacher Pay Plan Awaits Final Votes
Negotiators from the Mississippi House and Senate reached a deal Wednesday to boost some of the lowest teacher salaries in the nation.
Mississippi Legislature Cuts Ties with Russia
Echoing deepening sanctions from the U.S. government, both the Mississippi House of Representatives and Senate passed resolutions this week condemning Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine and barring any business between state entities and Russia.
Wednesday, March 16
JSU Education Endowment, Ezra Jack Keats Awards and Out of the Darkness Campus Walk at USM
Jackson State University recently received a $75,000 education endowment named for the late Stephen F. Mason, the 17th pastor of the Greater Pearlie Grove M.B. Church.
House, Senate Pursue Separate Tracks on Mississippi Tax Cuts
The Mississippi House and Senate are pushing forward with separate tax cut proposals, and leaders will hold final negotiations later this month.
Mississippi Pushes Toward Deal to Increase Teacher Salaries
Mississippi lawmakers on Wednesday discussed the latest proposal to boost some of the lowest teacher salaries in the nation, and negotiators said they hope to reach a final deal soon.
Tuesday, March 15
EXPLAINER: What's Behind Federal Anti-Lynching Legislation?
President Joe Biden is expected to sign into law the first bill that specifies lynching as a federal hate crime. The Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act, which Congress passed on March 7, enables the prosecution of crimes as lynchings if they are done during a hate crime in which the victim is injured or slain.
Mississippi Could Renew Push to Extend Medicaid for New Moms
Mississippi’s Republican-led Senate will try to revive a proposal to let mothers keep Medicaid coverage for a year after giving birth, Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said Monday.
Lt. Gov. Hosemann: Suspend Mississippi Gas Tax 6 Months
Mississippi Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said Monday that he and other Senate leaders are pushing to suspend the state's gasoline tax for six months to give drivers a break as gas prices continue climbing.
Waste Management Dismisses Lawsuit Against City of Jackson
Two weeks after filing a lawsuit against the City of Jackson, garbage-disposal company Waste Management has voluntarily filed a motion for dismissal of its case.
Monday, March 14
Reeves: Logjam on Tax Cut Could Force a Special Session
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves says he is not ruling out the possibility of calling a special legislative session to seek elimination of the state income tax if the House and Senate reach an impasse on the issue.
Clinton to Speak at Memorial of Late Mississippi Gov, Wife
Democratic former President Bill Clinton, Republican former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and former Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Reuben Anderson are scheduled to speak May 3 at an event celebrating the lives of the late Gov. William Winter and his wife, Elise Winter.
House Political Games Kill Medicaid Extension For New Mothers in Mississippi
For the second year in a row, Mississippi House leadership has once again killed an extension of postpartum Medicaid benefits, likely guaranteeing that many low-income people will lose health insurance benefits only two months after giving birth.
Friday, March 11
Mississippi House Makes Opening Bid on Teacher Pay Deal
Mississippi House leaders said Thursday that they have signed off on a plan to increase some of the lowest teacher salaries in the nation by an average of $4,850.
Emmett Till Relatives Seek Renewed Probe of '55 Lynching
Relatives of Emmett Till joined with supporters Friday in asking authorities to reverse their decision to close an investigation of his 1955 lynching and instead prosecute a white woman at the center of the case from the very beginning.
'Bomb Cyclone' to Dump Snow from Mississippi to Maine
A powerful, late-winter storm combining rivers of moisture and frigid temperatures is expected to dump snow from the Deep South all the way north to the Canadian border over the weekend, forecasters said Friday.
Thursday, March 10
Additional Free COVID-19 Tests Available As Virus Declines Across State
As COVID-19 continues its decline across both Mississippi and the United States, the Biden administration has made additional COVID-19 test kits available for free home delivery to every household in the country.
Mississippi Advances Bill Against COVID Vaccine Mandates
Anyone in Mississippi could cite “a sincerely held religious objection” to avoid a public or private employer's COVID-19 vaccination mandate, under a bill that advanced Wednesday at the state Capitol.
Wednesday, March 9
MSU/MDAC Partnership, i.R.O.C.K. Grant and Marjorie Spruill Book Drive at USM
Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson announced a promotional partnership between the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce and Mississippi State University on Monday, March 7.
Mississippi Moves Toward Reviving an Initiative Process
Mississippi legislators are working to revive a way for people to petition to put issues on the statewide ballot. This is happening months after the state Supreme Court found the state's old initiative process was invalid.
'Home Town' Stars Back Mississippi City's Tourism Tax Effort
The Mississippi House honored the stars of HGTV's “Home Town" at the state Capitol on Tuesday, and married couple Ben and Erin Napier used the visit to help lobby for a possible increase in a local tourism tax for their community.
Tuesday, March 8
Lumumba Apologizes for ‘Distraction’ over Dispute with City Council
One week after accusing Jackson City Council members of taking bribes in order to steer government contracts, Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba walked back some of his rhetoric, in tone if not in content.
Hearing Set for Mississippi Inmate Who Sought Execution Date
A Mississippi judge will hold a hearing next month to determine if a death row inmate truly wants to request an execution date and if the inmate is mentally competent to waive appeals in the case.
Monday, March 7
Analysis: Mississippi Legislators Face Pocketbook Decisions
Mississippi legislators are supposed to make big decisions about the state's pocketbook in the next few weeks, setting a budget that exceeds $6 billion and deciding whether to approve tax cuts.
Republicans Approve ‘CRT’ Bill Despite Opposition From All Black House Members
For six hours on Thursday, Black Mississippi House representatives argued against a bill that would set limits on discussions of race in classrooms. Once their arguments wrapped up, though, the chamber approved the bill in a 75-43 vote, sending it to the governor’s desk with only white Republicans voting in favor.
Friday, March 4
Shakira Austin
The University of Mississippi women’s basketball team finished fourth in the conference standings during the regular season. That finish allows the Rebels to earn a double-bye in the 2022 SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament.
Mississippi Teacher Pay Raise Bill Heading to Negotiations
Mississippi lawmakers will negotiate a final version of a bill to increase some of the lowest teacher salaries in the nation.
Thursday, March 3
‘Babies in the Hospital’: Mississippi Drastically Lags in Child and Pediatric Vaccinations
As COVID-19 continues its decline across Mississippi and the country, state health leadership warns that hospitals are still seeing pediatric patients, while vaccinations in children are lagging far behind the national average.
Mississippi Senate OKs Pay Bill 'By Teachers, for Teachers'
Mississippi senators acted quickly Wednesday to unanimously pass a teacher pay raise bill, sending it back to the House for possible debate within the next three weeks.
Wednesday, March 2
JSU Relaunches Institute for Social Justice and Race Relations, Jazz Festival and Camp Kesem at MSU
Jackson State University relaunched its Institute for Social Justice and Race Relations on Thursday, Feb. 24, in the College of Liberal Arts. The original institute opened in 2013, but a lack of funding halted programming four years later.
Mississippi County OKs Contracts for Emmett Till Statue
A Mississippi county has approved contracts for a sculptor to make and install a bronze statue of Emmett Till, the Black teenager whose 1955 lynching became a catalyst for the civil rights movement.
Mississippi Teacher Pay Survives Legislators' Political Spat
Proposals to increase some of the lowest teacher salaries in the U.S. were in danger Tuesday as Mississippi legislators engaged in a political showdown. Hours before a big deadline, Senate committees voted to keep the issue alive.
Tuesday, March 1
Economist: Federal Money Boosted Mississippi Income in 2020
Employment in Mississippi decreased during the first months of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, but personal income in the state increased during that time because of federal payments that were intended to head off a steep decline in the national economy, an expert said Monday.
Mayor Lumumba Alleges City-Council Corruption Amid Garbage-Disposal Lawsuit
Amid an ongoing dispute between Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba and the Jackson City Council over garbage-disposal contracts, the mayor said that he believes certain members of the council have accepted bribes.
Mississippi House Panel OKs Limits on Teaching About Race
A Mississippi House committee divided along lines of race and party Monday in advancing a bill that would limit how race can be discussed in classrooms.
Mississippi Remapping Diminishes Black Voices, NAACP Says
Mississippi legislators drew a congressional redistricting plan that diminished Black voters' influence in the state's three majority-white districts, attorneys for the NAACP and two other groups argue in federal court papers.