Mississippi news

• JTRAN workers will return Monday under new contract that hikes pay and benefits

  21-08-2026 22:12 via mississippitoday.org
  
  JTRAN employees will return to work Monday under a new tentative agreement with MV Transportation, putting an end to the monthlong strike between the two parties.Employees will see an immediate 5% increase in their base pay under the new contract and an additional 3% increase over the next two years. Under the old contract, starting pay was $17.18 an hour with senior workers receiving $23 an hour.The proposal was ratified Thursday by a 29–9 vote and addresses the union’s demands for
  
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• ICE detainee fights deportation to be with medically fragile infant son

  21-08-2026 21:30 via mississippitoday.org
  
  Yulia Gómez held her infant son during a doctor’s appointment in Alabama as part of his care for health complications he’s faced since birth. Until a month ago, her husband Olinder Calderon was by her side to translate and help her understand their child’s care. But on this day, Gómez was by herself because Calderon is hundreds of miles away in a Mississippi immigration detention center facing deportation to Guatemala, a country he left nearly 20 years ago.&
  
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• ‘The Rock’ at USM gets a new and more proper name: Renasant Stadium

  21-08-2026 19:40 via mississippitoday.org
  
  The former M.M. Roberts Stadium at Southern Miss is now Renasant Stadium, named for Renasant Bank. This is welcome news for far more than the 13.7 million obvious reasons.No: 1, Tupelo-based Renasant, which purchased The First Bank of Hattiesburg in 2025, will pay Southern Miss athletics a badly needed $13.7 million over 10 years for the naming rights to the stadium.Rick ClevelandNo. 2, and more importantly in my mind, the stadium is no longer named for Malcolm Mettle (M.M.) Roberts, the self-a
  
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• Lt. Gov. Hosemann ousts top Senate Democrat from redistricting committee 

  21-08-2026 19:11 via mississippitoday.org
  
  Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann has removed Senate Democratic Leader Derrick Simmons of Greenville from a select committee on redistricting that is tasked with advising the full chamber on redrawing electoral maps after the U.S. Supreme Court’s Callais decision. Republican Hosemann did not respond to a question on why he removed Simmons from the committee. But he did replace Simmons with another Democrat, Sen. Albert Butler of Port Gibson. The lieutenant governor’s removal of Si
  
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• Prediction markets, facing no Mississippi regulations, are targeting college campuses, policy expert warns

  21-08-2026 18:16 via mississippitoday.org
  
  Mississippi Today Ideas is a platform for thoughtful Mississippians to share their ideas about our state’s past, present and future. Opinions expressed in guest essays are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of Mississippi Today. You can read more about the section here.This month, Mississippi parents will pack their 18-year-olds off to campuses across the state and worry about the usual things – homesickness, roommates and that first shaky attempt at indep
  
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• Fannie Lou Hamer Digital Driving Tour relaunches

  21-08-2026 13:00 via mississippitoday.org
  
  Students, researchers and tourists have a new tool to learn more about the Mississippi-sharecropper-turned-civil-rights-activist Fannie Lou Hamer with the relaunch of her digital driving tour. The refreshed tour builds on the award-winning educational project Fannie Lou Hamer’s America, which includes the nationally broadcast documentary, a K–12 curriculum and digital resources dedicated to preserving and amplifying Hamer’s voice. The driving tour, originally develop
  
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• DUIs, Disorderly Conduct, and Drug Charges in Philadelphia and Neshoba County

  21-08-2026 13:00 via breezynews.com
  
  JD BELL JR, 44, of Louisville, Public Drunk, DUI – 1st, Suspended Driver’s License, No Insurance, Leaving the Scene of an Accident, NCSO.  Bond $600, $1,500, $800, $800, $500.
   KRISTEN L BRELAND, 34, of Newton, DUI – Other Substance, No Insurance, Suspended Driver’s License, MHP.  Bond $1,500, $800, $800.
   DALE L CHICKAWAY, 51, of Meridian, Disorderly Conduct – Interfering with a Business, Public Drunk, Trespass after Notice of Non-Permission, PP
  
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• Happening today: Attala County Library to Host Retirement Celebration for Genealogy Librarian Ann Breedlove

  21-08-2026 11:00 via breezynews.com
  
  The Attala County Library will host a retirement celebration for Genealogy Librarian Ann Breedlove Friday, Aug. 21, at 2:00 p.m., honoring her years of dedicated service to preserving local history and family heritage.
  The event, held at the library, is open to the public. Friends, patrons, colleagues, and community members are invited to attend, share memories, and recognize Breedlove’s lasting contributions to Attala County.
  Throughout her tenure, Breedlove has served as a central resour
  
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• Happening today: Ethel Set to Host Preseason Football Jamboree

  21-08-2026 10:00 via breezynews.com
  
  High school football action returns to Ethel this Friday, Aug. 21, as the Tigers host a multi-team preseason jamboree to close out their summer preparations.
  The exhibition event will give local fans their first look at the 2026 Ethel Tigers in live action before the regular season official kickoff Aug. 28.
  The jamboree features a double-header schedule, bringing together regional rivals for a night of scrimmage action on the hill:
  Jamboree Schedule (August 21)
  6:00 PM: Nanih Waiya vs. Pisgah
  Fo
  
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• Storm Threat Shifts to the South

  21-08-2026 07:24 via breezynews.com
  
  HEAT ADVISORY shown in orange on map above
  EXTREME HEAT WARNING shown in purple
   
  Severe thunderstorms rolled across Mississippi Thursday night blowing down trees.  In the local area, two mobile homes and one house were hit by falling trees in Leake County near Singleton. There’s a Level-1 “marginal” risk of more severe storms today mainly along and south of I-20.
  A heat advisory continues for this area with an extreme heat warning for west-central and southwest Missi
  
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• Jackson public transit workers end strike after reaching new pact with MV Transportation

  21-08-2026 01:04 via mississippitoday.org
  
  This is a developing story.A monthlong strike by Jackson transit workers ended Thursday when their union and MV Transportation reached agreement on a new contract, clearing the way for JTRAN workers to return to work after walking off the job in July. Mayor John Horhn called the agreement “good news” and thanked both sides for ending the 38-day strike.“Today’s agreement moves us forward and allows us to focus on providing the dependable transit service our residents
  
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• Okolona schools had been losing money for years, audit finds

  21-08-2026 00:29 via mississippitoday.org
  
  The Okolona school district had racked up a $1.25 million deficit by the time the state assumed control of it last year. The district had been operating at a deficit for six of the seven years that Novum Advisory, a private accounting firm, reviewed for the Mississippi Department of Education. An auditor for that firm presented the findings to the state Board of Education on Thursday.The Mississippi Department of Education is located in the former Central High School at 359 N. West Street
  
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• Field set for Hinds District Attorney special election after filing deadline passes

  21-08-2026 00:29 via mississippitoday.org
  
  Five candidates are seeking to serve out the term of former Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens, who left office earlier this summer after pleading guilty in a federal bribery case.Thursday was the deadline to file candidacy papers with the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office for a Nov. 3 special election.Jackson defense attorney Darla Palmer is making another bid for the office after two previous attempts – both times losing to Owens, who was first elected to the post in
  
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