News

Azia’s Picks NYE Edition 2020

If you’re looking to get out and make new memories tonight, check out my picks. And please, no drinking and driving, be sure to socialize responsibly and good luck staying dry! See you on the other side!

JPS Seeks Support to Expand Non-Traditional Sports Like Tennis, Golf, Archery, Swimming

The students of Jackson Public Schools are underserved in non-traditional sports such as tennis, archery and golf, and the district is inviting paid and volunteer coaches to help reduce that disparity.

Ladavius Draine

Ladavius Draine added his name to the University of Southern Mississippi record books when he scored 21 points against Loyola University New Orleans, becoming the 38th player in USM history to score 1,000 career points.

Mississippi Hits Single-Day High of New Coronavirus Case

Mississippi reported more than 3,000 new coronavirus cases Wednesday, a single-day high in the state. Health officials warned that they expect worse to come, partly because of holiday gatherings.

No Midnight Alcohol Sales on New Year's Eve in Mississippi

Mississippi bars and restaurants are limited in selling alcohol to customers ringing in the new year. An executive order by Gov. Tate Reeves bans the sale of alcohol between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. It is one of several restrictions the governor set to try to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

Mississippi Could Alter Legislative Session amid Pandemic

Mississippi legislators should consider delaying much of their 2021 session by several weeks to prevent the state Capitol from again becoming a super spreader for the coronavirus, Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said Tuesday.

Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann Declares Teacher Pay Raise as Priority in 2021

Mississippi Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said Tuesday that giving teachers a pay raise will be the most important issue he pushes during the 2021 legislative session that opens next week.

Three Mississippi Inmates Die; One in Privately Run Prison

An inmate was pronounced dead Monday at a privately run prison in Mississippi after an officer found him lying unresponsive on a floor.

North State Street ‘TIGER' Project Completed, Medgar Evers Resurfacing Begins

The Dec. 15 ribbon-cutting ceremony on North State Street marked the end of three years of construction work. With $16 million funding from the Federal Government's Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Discretionary Grant Program, the project means a resurfaced road and new underground water and sewer infrastructure along the busy Jackson artery, which is also serves as U.S. Highway 51 through the city limits.

85 Deaths Set New COVID-19 Record in Mississippi

Yesterday, Mississippi saw a record single-day total in reported deaths from COVID-19. As the year wanes, record numbers of people continue to die from the virus as the state struggles with a persistently high rate of viral spread.

Jackson Receives $1M Grant to Aid Minority-Owned Businesses

Businesses owned by people of color will be able to receive guidance and financial help through a program being developed in Mississippi's capital city. The program in Jackson is funded in part by a $1 million grant from the Rockefeller Opportunity Collective, an organization that aims to expand equity and economic opportunity for low-wage families and communities of color.

Mississippi Defends Initiatives in Medical Marijuana Lawsuit

The attorney general's office filed arguments Monday on behalf of Secretary of State Michael Watson, attacking the premise of Butler's lawsuit. Butler argues that the initiative process in the Mississippi Constitution is outdated because it requires petitioners to gather an equal number of signatures from five congressional districts.

Nolan Mettetal

Republican Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said Monday on Twitter: "Nolan provided leadership for over 2 decades not only on policy, but also on personal character/statesmanship.”

Analysis: Mississippi Early Voting Needs Veto-Proof Support

With Reeves staking out his preference for the tradition of Election Day, singular, rather than Election Days, plural, any change would have to be made by a veto-proof margin with more than two-thirds support in the state House and Senate.

Education Group: Automation Means Workers Need New Skills

Automation could displace thousands of workers in Mississippi and other parts of the South unless they learn new skills, according to a report from the Southern Regional Education Board. Thousands of jobs were already on track to be automated by 2030.

Mississippi Special-Needs Vouchers Used More in Metro Areas

Many children using special-needs vouchers in Mississippi the past two years came from metro areas where more private or parochial schools are available than in rural areas.

Jackson Leaders Look to Legislature for Revitalization Funds

Officials in Mississippi's capital city say they hope to approach the Legislature for money to begin revitalizing a section of Jackson that's fallen on hard times. Areas near the Jackson Zoo are filled with trash, abandoned homes and neglected properties, City Council members said.

NFL Honors Mississippi Man Freed after 22 Years in Prison

The NFL says it is honoring Curtis Flowers, a Black man from Mississippi who was imprisoned more than 22 years and was freed in late 2019, months after the U.S. Supreme Court threw out the last of his several convictions in a quadruple murder case.

Jordan Davis

Jordan Davis' great grandmother told him for years she better have a ticket to the first Division I football game he ever played in. It came six months after her death, but Davis said the ticket never went to waste.

Azia’s Picks Christmas Edition 2020

I hope this day is full of warmth, love and holiday spirit. If you’re getting out or looking for something festive to get into with friends and family, check out my holiday picks.

College Football Preview: UM and MSU Bowl Games

The NCAA waived the requirements for accepting a bowl bid due to the coronavirus, which means both Mississippi State University and the University of Mississippi are able to go bowling.

MSU Film Award and College of Education Ambassadors, JSU Mortar Board Inductees

Mississippi State University's Broadcast Education Association Student Media Club recently won first place in a national competition with its inaugural submission to the BEA 168-Hour Film Challenge.

City Eulogizes Winter, Warns of COVID-19 ‘Community Spread,’ Backs Legislative Agenda

In its last meeting for 2020, members of the Jackson City Council joined numerous others on Tuesday to recognize the contribution of former Mississippi Gov. William Winter, who died Dec. 18 at age 97.

Mississippi Governor Expands Mask Mandate to All But Four Counties

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves expanded his mask mandate to 78 out of 82 counties on Tuesday as the state surpassed its previous record for the highest ever number of coronavirus deaths reported in a single day.

Lt. Gov. Hosemann Addresses Budget Cuts, Teacher Pay, and Patriotic Education

With COVID-19 rampaging through the Magnolia State, Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann would like to see a late start to the 2021 session. "You know, we qualify as a super-spreader event," he told the Jackson Free Press in a Dec. 14 interview, recalling the legislative outbreak earlier in 2020.

Ellington