By: Frank Corder, Magnolia Tribune The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently notified Governor Tate Reeves (R) that 21 counties in Mississippi have been designated as primary natural disaster areas due to recent drought conditions. Another 24 counties...
By: Sophie Bates and Adrian Sainz, Associated Press Brandi Carter needs her wine. As the owner of Levure Bottle Shop in Jackson, Mississippi, she sells natural wine delivered to her business by a state agency responsible for distributing alcoholic...
By: Meredith Biesinger, Magnolia Tribune Have you ever visited a place that instantly makes you slow down? That place is Natchez. And every year, for a few weeks, it sounds like something more. The Natchez Festival of Music settles into the city as it...
By: Daniel Tyson, Magnolia Tribune Governor Tate Reeves (R) partially vetoed a funding bill that included monies for the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority last week as a lawsuit over control of the state’s largest airport continues. Reeves’ line-item...
Dr. Shelby Freland Thames, the eighth president of The University of Southern Mississippi and an accomplished research scientist and respected academic leader, passed away Friday, April 17, 2026. His life’s work left a lasting imprint on higher education,...
By: Frank Corder, Magnolia Tribune It has been 80 years since a former Speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives became Governor. Philip Gunn is trying to change that. In fact, if there was a theme to Gunn’s storied political career it may well...
Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson announced the opening of the Genuine MS® Farmers Market at the Rankin County Co-op in Brandon next month. The seasonal farmers market is expected to open every Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. beginning...
The Mississippi Division of Medicaid (DOM) has named Dr. Robert Besinger, a pediatrician from Brandon, to serve as the agency’s new Medical Director, effective April 1, 2026. Before joining DOM, Besinger worked in outpatient pediatrics at St. Dominic...
Recently, the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) announced the 2026 Mississippi Administrator of the Year is Dr. Matthew Fulton, principal at Sumner Hill Junior High School in the Clinton Public School District, and the 2026 Mississippi Teacher of the...
The IHL Board of Trustees has named Dr. Scott Tollison as the interim president of the Mississippi University for Women (MUW). Tollison currently serves as provost and executive vice president of academic affairs at MUW. He will assume the role of...
By: Daniel Tyson, Magnolia Tribune Governor Tate Reeves (R) signed off on the creation of a water authority to oversee the problem-plagued JXN Water on Tuesday when he signed a bill opposed by many Jackson area politicians. The bill, known as the Jackson...
By: Daniel Tyson, Magnolia Tribune Lawmakers say Mississippi children will be safer on social media after the governor signed a bill into law regulating the platforms. Under the Mississippi Keeping Kids Safe Online Act, youth visiting social media sites...
By: Richelle Putnam, Magnolia Tribune Beth Ann Fennelly writes from the kitchen table, the classroom, and the fleeting moments in between. In her latest work, The Irish Goodbye—a collection of micro-memoirs—she examines the tension between what matters...
By: Jeremy Pittari, Magnolia Tribune The Board of Trustees for the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning recently approved the next fiscal year’s budget, which included increases in tuition and other fees. Fiscal year 2027 state allocation...
By: Daniel Tyson, Magnolia Tribune Illegal immigration became a hot topic during the 2026 legislative session, with a flurry of bills being introduced, debated, and a few signed into law by the governor. The bills were mostly backed by Republican...
After an eight-month national search, the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning has selected Dr. Denise Jones Gregory as the 14th president of Jackson State University (JSU). Gregory has served as interim president since May 2025. Prior to...
By: Tina Hahn, Magnolia Tribune Former Mississippi Gov. Ray Mabus has been called “one of the outstanding public servants of our time.” Now his legacy at the University of Mississippi is being acknowledged with the naming of its Department of Political...
By: Magnolia Tribune State Rep. Missy McGee is investing in the future of the Joe Paul Leadership Scholarship Program at Southern Miss with a named endowment that will support the program and its students for generations to come. The Missy Warren McGee...
By: Frank Corder, Magnolia Tribune While national Democrats are crowing about large fundraising hauls in seemingly competitive races in Texas, Georgia, Ohio and North Carolina, here in Mississippi, U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R) continues to far...
By: Rachel Vanderford, UMMC Communications Photos By: Joe Ellis and Jay Ferchaud, UMMC Communications As the owner of Bloom Construction, John Decker is rarely ever “off the clock.” Deadlines, contracts and constant problem-solving come with the...
