Mississippi news

• Jackson Gay Men’s Chorus is creating a safe space through music

  29-06-2026 16:00 via mississippitoday.org
  
  Audio recording is automated for accessibility. Humans wrote and edited the story.
  Jackson is Mississippi’s largest city but aside from a few clubs and bars, it has relatively few places for LGBTQ+ people to gather.However, Michael Montgomery said he thinks a new group that he joined, the Jackson Gay Men’s Chorus, is helping create a new safe space. Michael Montgomery rehearses with other members of the Jackson Gay Men’s Chorus at Broadmeadow United Methodist Church on Thu
  
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• Community Invited to Kosciusko Blood Drive Thursday as Blood Supply Runs Critically Low

  01-07-2026 10:26 via breezynews.com
  
  Mississippi Blood Services is encouraging residents to roll up their sleeves as the state’s blood supply has reached critically low levels, with an immediate need for donors of all blood types—especially A, B and O.
  Local residents will have an opportunity to help during a community blood drive at Attala County Bank in Kosciusko on Wednesday, July 2, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
  As a thank-you, presenting donors at participating community blood drives will receive a Save Our Summer T-sh
  
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• Mississippi Sales Tax Holiday Set for July 10–12

  01-07-2026 07:00 via breezynews.com
  
  The Mississippi Department of Revenue is reminding residents that the state’s annual Sales Tax Holiday—often referred to as Tax Free Weekend—will take place Friday, July 10 through Sunday, July 12, 2026.
  During the three-day period, shoppers will not pay state sales tax on qualifying clothing, footwear, and school supplies, as long as each individual item is priced under $100.
  The holiday is designed to help families save money on back-to-school shopping, with the exemption app
  
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• State court office will follow judge orders on youth court access, while legal conundrum around secrecy remains

  30-06-2026 23:09 via mississippitoday.org
  
  Audio recording is automated for accessibility. Humans wrote and edited the story.
  The state agency that oversees court operations in Mississippi has agreed to continue providing attorneys with case file access while an impending change in state law threatens youth court functions more broadly.The Office of the State Public Defender requested a temporary restraining order last week to curb what it predicted would be catastrophic results from the sunsetting of a crucial law dealing with access to
  
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• Some federal judges are scrambling to decide the fate of thousands in ICE custody. Not in Mississippi

  30-06-2026 21:00 via mississippitoday.org
  
  Audio recording is automated for accessibility. Humans wrote and edited the story.
  Mukta Joshi is an investigative reporter at Mississippi Today. She is spending a year as a New York Times Local Investigations fellow examining immigration and criminal justice issues. She can be reached at [email protected] federal courts face a flood of petitions filed by immigrants pleading to be released from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, judges around the country have been improvi
  
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• Long Beach administrator says virtual learning one of keys to school district’s success

  30-06-2026 20:31 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.There is an important difference between passive screen time and purposeful instructional technology, or virtual learning, that is getting lost within the current debate about tech in schools. As
  
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• Attala County Home Destroyed in Fire Tuesday Afternoon

  30-06-2026 19:04 via breezynews.com
  
  A home was destroyed in a fire Tuesday afternoon in Attala County.
  The Attala County Fire Department was dispatched to what was initially reported as a barn fire near the intersection of Highway 43 and Highway 14 around four miles south of Kosciusko.
  When firefighters arrived, they determined the structure was a residence and found it fully engulfed in flames.
  No one was at the home at the time of the fire, and no injuries were reported.
  Firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze. The house was
  
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• Multiple Disorderlies and Felony Shopliftings in Philadelphia and Neshoba County

  30-06-2026 14:00 via breezynews.com
  
  JEREMY WADE ADAMS, 29, of Philadelphia, DUI – 1st, Seat Belt Violation, Careless Driving, NCSO.  Bond $1,500, $60, $400.
   TAMARA BELL, 43, of Philadelphia, Contempt of Court – Philadelphia Municipal Court, PPD.  Bond N/A.
   HEATH LEE DAVIS, 49, of Tupelo, Public Drunk, NCSO.  Bond $600.
   BLAKE ANDREW DOOLEY, 68, of Sebastopol, Hold for Circuit Court, NCSO.  Bond $0.
   SONYA MARIE EVANS, 45, of Toomsuba, Hold for Circuit Court, NCSO.  Bond $
  
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• What happened at the Neshoba County Fair?

  30-06-2026 13:00 via mississippitoday.org
  
  Audio recording is automated for accessibility. Humans wrote and edited the story.
  Mississippi Today staff gives a rundown of the political stumping at the Neshoba County Fair last week. Did anyone make any news? Did we mention it was hot?
  
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• Mississippi Today welcomes investigative fellows and video intern

  30-06-2026 13:00 via mississippitoday.org
  
  Audio recording is automated for accessibility. Humans wrote and edited the story.
  Mississippi Today is pleased to welcome one intern and two investigative reporting fellows for the summer. Georgie Pease is one of Mississippi Today’s two new fellows and will be working with reporter Jerry Mitchell and the justice team for 10 weeks. Pease is from Oakland, California, and is pursuing her master’s degree in journalism at the University of California Berkeley. Georgie PeaseAna
  
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• Kosciusko-Attala CTC Health Science Students Shine at International HOSA Conference in Indianapolis

  30-06-2026 12:12 via breezynews.com
  
  Four Health Science students from the Kosciusko-Attala Career & Technical Center recently represented their program on an international stage, competing at the 2026 HOSA International Leadership Conference held June 16–21 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
  Sara Coleman, Emerson Powers, Madeline Owen, and Sadie Standard joined more than 15,000 students, advisors, and healthcare professionals from around the world for the weeklong event, which also marked HOSA’s 50th anniversary.
  While in I
  
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• Kosciusko’s CJ Sandifer nominated for Mississippi’s top running back poll ahead of 2026 season

  30-06-2026 10:54 via breezynews.com
  
  Kosciusko High School standout CJ Sandifer has been named one of Mississippi’s top returning high school running backs heading into the 2026 football season by The Clarion-Ledger.
  The newspaper included Sandifer on its preseason watch list and fan poll featuring many of the state’s top rushers from both the MHSAA and MAIS.
  Sandifer rushed for 1,440 yards and 21 total touchdowns during the 2025 season and currently holds an offer from Alcorn State.
  Fans can vote for who they believe i
  
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• Audio: Mid-Mississippi Library Discusses Community Time Capsule Project on The BreckFast Show

  30-06-2026 08:30 via breezynews.com
  
  What would you want people 50 years from now to know about life in Mid-Mississippi?
  Janelle Snyder with the Mid-Mississippi Regional Library System joined The BreckFast Show Tuesday morning to talk about the “Voices of Mid-Mississippi: A Community Time Capsule,” community project which will be sealed this week at the Attala County Library.
  The project is collecting handwritten notes and small mementos from across five counties as part of the America250 celebration, preserving a snaps
  
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• Heat Warning Issued for Holmes, Storms Forecast for Wednesday

  30-06-2026 06:18 via breezynews.com
  
  HEAT ADVISORY (Today through Wednesday) shown in orange on map above
  EXTREME HEAT WARNING (for Wednesday) shown in purple
   
  The heat advisory for most of this area has been extended through tomorrow.   Heat index readings between 106 and 110 degrees are expected.  And part of western Mississippi including Holmes County will see the heat advisory upgraded to an extreme heat warning tomorrow with heat index values which could exceed 110.
  Some showers and thunderstorms will be p
  
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• Heat Warning Issued for Holmes, Storms Forecast for Today

  30-06-2026 06:18 via breezynews.com
  
  HEAT ADVISORY  shown in orange on map above
  EXTREME HEAT WARNING  shown in purple
   
  The heat advisory continues for most of this area.   Heat index readings between 106 and 110 degrees are expected.  And in part of western Mississippi including Holmes County, the heat advisory has been upgraded to an extreme heat warning with heat index values which could exceed 110.
  The National Weather Service heat index forecast for today:  as high as 111 in Durant, 108 in K
  
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• Heat Advisory Now in Effect Through Wednesday

  30-06-2026 06:18 via breezynews.com
  
  The heat advisory which now covers the entire state of Mississippi has been extended through tomorrow.   Heat index readings between 106 and 110 degrees are expected except in areas that get some rain.  And it looks like the eastern part of the state will have the best chance of seeing those isolated showers and thunderstorms. A few of the storms could be severe along the I-59 corridor late this afternoon and this evening.The post Heat Advisory Now in Effect Through Wednesday appe
  
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• Heat Advisory Extended, Heat Warning Issued for Holmes

  30-06-2026 06:18 via breezynews.com
  
  HEAT ADVISORY (Today through Wednesday) shown in orange on map above
  EXTREME HEAT WARNING (for Wednesday) shown in purple
   
  The heat advisory for most of this area has been extended through tomorrow.   Heat index readings between 106 and 110 degrees are expected.  And part of western Mississippi including Holmes County will see the heat advisory upgraded to an extreme heat warning tomorrow with heat index values which could exceed 110.
  Some showers and thunderstorms will be p
  
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• Tameshia Shelton is freed from prison after 11 years. Court said DA failed to prove guilt ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’ in murder case

  30-06-2026 02:21 via mississippitoday.org
  
  Audio recording is automated for accessibility. Humans wrote and edited the story.
  WEST POINT – For her birthday Monday, Tameshia Shelton got the present she’s been wishing for every day for the last 11 years: freedom from prison.Her four children, mother and other family members blew party blowers, handed her a teddy bear and hugged her as she emerged from the Clay County Detention Center Monday afternoon. “I felt numb before,” she said, “but now it feels real.&rdq
  
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• Tameshia Shelton freed from prison after 11 years

  30-06-2026 02:21 via mississippitoday.org
  
  WEST POINT – For her birthday Monday, Tameshia Shelton got the present she’s been wishing for every day for the last 11 years: freedom from prison.Her four children, mother and other family members blew party blowers, handed her a teddy bear and hugged her as she emerged from the Clay County Detention Center Monday afternoon. “I felt numb before,” she said, “but now it feels real.”On Monday, she was freed on a $50,000 bond with the help of the Mississippi Fun
  
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• Judge orders state Medicaid officials to pay Greenwood Leflore Hospital to prevent imminent closure

  29-06-2026 23:30 via mississippitoday.org
  
  A Hinds County Chancery judge on Monday ordered the Mississippi Division of Medicaid to make a scheduled payment of roughly $2.4 million to Greenwood Leflore Hospital after the agency said it planned to withhold the funds. The Delta hospital had argued that missing a payment would force it to close this week and jeopardize a proposed agreement for the University of Mississippi Medical Center to take over its operations.Judge Dewayne Thomas ordered the Division of Medicaid to make the June payme
  
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• Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens pleads guilty to conspiracy

  29-06-2026 22:10 via mississippitoday.org
  
  Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens pleaded guilty Monday to a federal conspiracy charge, two weeks before he was set to go on trial in a case stemming from an FBI operation aimed at exposing public corruption in Mississippi’s capital city.Owens will resign as the top prosecutor for Mississippi’s largest county, effective Wednesday. “While it hurts beyond measure to step away from a position I love, I believe this decision is what is best for me, my family, and the
  
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• Mississippi financial aid programs face a $7.3 million shortfall, putting college grants at risk for more than 27K students

  29-06-2026 20:25 via mississippitoday.org
  
  Mississippi financial aid officials say almost 27,000 college students could receive less state financial aid for the spring semester in 2027, and a student loan repayment program for teachers will not make awards this fiscal year, because of a budget shortfall. The Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid needs $7.3 million more to account for growing demand for its college aid programs. The funding gap could force the financial aid office to cut programs that help low-income students,
  
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• Mississippi Today wins top awards for reporting, investigations and Freedom of Information from the Mississippi Press Association

  29-06-2026 19:52 via mississippitoday.org
  
  BILOXI – Mississippi Today journalists received some of the top awards in the Mississippi Press Association’s 2025 Better News Media Contest, with winners announced Saturday during the association’s annual meeting.Michael Goldberg and Gwen Dilworth received the Bill Minor Prize for Investigative Journalism (all multi-day publications) for “Behind Bars, Beyond Care,” a series about problems with the health care system in Mississippi prisons. Credit: Graphic by
  
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• Drug Trafficking, Child Neglect, Domestic Violence, and Petit Larceny Arrests in Kosciusko and Attala County

  29-06-2026 19:31 via breezynews.com
  
  NICOLETTE BARRON, 31, of Ethel, Domestic Violence – Simple Assault, ACSO.  Bond $1,000.
   TAVION CLAYTON, 20, of Kosciusko, Petit Larceny, KPD.  Bond $1,300.
   TYQUANE L FELTON, 20, of Kosciusko, DUI – 1st, MHP.  Bond $1,000.
   STEPHEN D HUTCHISON, 49, of Kosciusko, Possession of a Controlled Substance, Contempt of Court – Kosciusko Municipal Court, KPD.  Bond $2,400, $0.
   JAMYA ICKOM, 22, of Kosciusko, Contempt of Court – Kosciusko Mu
  
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• Supreme Court ruling in Mississippi vote counting case deals blow to Trump effort

  29-06-2026 17:14 via mississippitoday.org
  
  This story will be updated.The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday upheld a Mississippi law in a ruling that will allow around more than a dozen states to count mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day. This deals a blow to President Donald Trump’s efforts to federalize state elections and limit mail-in ballot counting. The nation’s highest court ruled 5-4 in favor of Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson, who was forced to defend the lawsuit as the administrator of the
  
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• Video/Photos: Kosciusko welcomes “Rocky’s House” interactive exhibit

  29-06-2026 15:01 via breezynews.com
  
  Kosciusko welcomed a new hands-on educational experience today as the Mississippi Children’s Museum officially held a ribbon cutting for Rocky’s House, a 600-square-foot traveling exhibit.
  Developed through the Mississippi Children’s Museum and its early literacy initiative Talk from the Start, the exhibit is designed to help children build foundational language skills through interactive play—and just as importantly, to encourage adults to engage with them throughout the
  
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• Photos: Kosciusko welcomes “Rocky’s House” interactive exhibit

  29-06-2026 15:01 via breezynews.com
  
  Kosciusko welcomed a new hands-on educational experience today as the Mississippi Children’s Museum officially held a ribbon cutting for Rocky’s House, a 600-square-foot traveling exhibit.
  Developed through the Mississippi Children’s Museum and its early literacy initiative Talk from the Start, the exhibit is designed to help children build foundational language skills through interactive play—and just as importantly, to encourage adults to engage with them throughout the
  
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• Mississippi focuses on boosting middle school students’ reading scores

  29-06-2026 13:00 via mississippitoday.org
  
  Audio recording is automated for accessibility. Humans wrote and edited the story.
  Fourth grade literacy gains earned Mississippi national acclaim. But that achievement tapers off as students advance to higher grades. Lawmakers are putting millions toward changing that. Mississippi has seen the least progress across subject areas in eighth grade reading scores, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, and performs near the bottom compared to the rest of the country
  
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• Happening today: “Rocky’s House” Traveling Exhibit ribbon cutting

  29-06-2026 09:30 via breezynews.com
  
  A new hands-on learning experience focused on early childhood literacy is coming to Kosciusko this summer through a partnership between the Kosciusko Attala Partnership and the Mississippi Children’s Museum.
  During an interview on The BreckFast Show, KAP Executive Director Mary Catherine Dean announced that the community will soon host Rocky’s House, a 600-square-foot traveling exhibit designed to encourage early literacy and language development through play-based learning.
  The exhi
  
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• The Dirty Truth About the Wood Pellet Biomass Industry in Mississippi

  29-06-2026 08:40 via mississippitoday.org
  
  Audio recording is automated for accessibility. Humans wrote and edited the story.
  Mississippi has beautiful forests. For generations, Mississippians have camped, hiked, fished, and hunted. This kind of outdoor recreation is also great for the economy. But now, these forests under threat. A major culprit is the wood pellet biomass industry, like UK-based Drax. Drax has a factory in Gloster, MS.The industry wants you to believe that burning wood pellets for energy is clean. That it’s a bett
  
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