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Republican State Sen. Nicole Akins Boyd of Oxford, stares at a projected slide bearing fiscal budget numbers during a Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, meeting of the Mississippi Joint Legislative Budget Committee, while other members review their personal copies of the proposed fiscal year 2026 Budget Recommendation, in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
Women represent half of the US. But they sometimes lack clout in budget and tax talks
Women represent half of the U.S. population. But it’s still rare in some states for female lawmakers to have leading roles in budget matters.
 
James Meredith, who became the first Black student to enroll at the University of Mississippi in 1962, acknowledges the crowd in Kosciusko, Miss., Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, during the unveiling of a Mississippi Department of Archives and History marker recognizing his birthplace and his legacy in the Civil Rights Movement. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Civil rights icon James Meredith is honored in his Mississippi hometown
A new historical marker has been unveiled in the hometown of civil rights icon James Meredith. He is a Black man who fought white supremacy by integrating the University of Mississippi in 1962.
 
Sheldon "Timothy" Herrington Jr., center, who was on trial for the murder of University of Mississippi student Jimmie "Jay" Lee, joins family as they leave court after a mistrial was declared, at the Lafayette County Courthouse in Oxford, Miss. on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024. (Bruce Newman/The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, via AP, Pool)
Judge declares mistrial after jury deadlocks over killing of gay University of Mississippi student
A judge has declared a mistrial in the killing of a University of Mississippi student who was prominent in the local LGBTQ+ community. A jury on Wednesday said it could not agree on a verdict in the trial of Sheldon Timothy Herrington Jr.
 
Sheldon Timothy Herrington Jr., left, who is on trial in the 2022 death of University of Mississippi student Jimmie "Jay" Lee, confers with his defense attorney Kevin Horan in Oxford, Miss., Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. (Ashley Charles/The Daily Mississippian via AP, Pool)
Man on trial in Ole Miss student’s death lied to investigators, police chief says
Police became convinced they were investigating a crime rather than a voluntarily missing person two weeks after a University of Mississippi student disappeared.
 
Clarke Reed, who was chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party from 1966-76, discusses the contested 1976 Republican National Convention in Greenville, Miss., on April 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
Clarke Reed, who helped Gerald Ford win the 1976 Republican nomination, has died at 96
Clarke Reed, a Mississippi businessman who helped build the Republican Party across the South, has died. Reed was 96 when he died Sunday at his home in Greenville, Mississippi.
 
Sheldon Timothy Herrington Jr., who is on trial in the 2022 death of University of Mississippi student Jimmie "Jay" Lee, enters the Lafayette County Courthouse in Oxford, Miss., Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (Antonella Rescigno/The Daily Mississippian via AP, Pool)
Man on trial in the killing of an Ole Miss student gave conflicting information, police say
The man on trial in the killing of University of Mississippi student Jimmie “Jay” Lee gave conflicting information to police about how well he and Lee knew each other.
 
FILE - Senate Elections Committee Chair Jenifer Branning, R-Philadelphia, explains a facet of an absentee-ballot bill during floor debate at the Capitol in Jackson, Miss., June 15, 2020. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
State Sen. Jenifer Branning wins a Mississippi Supreme Court seat
State Sen. Jenifer Branning has won a seat on the Mississippi Supreme Court, defeating Justice Jim Kitchens. The Associated Press on Friday declared the race for Branning as counties reported official results from the Nov. 26 runoff election.
 
People voicing their opposition to Mississippi House Bill 1020 wear protest t-shirts as they gathered on the steps of the Mississippi Capitol in Jackson, Jan. 31, 2023. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
The NAACP ends its challenge over Mississippi creating a new court in majority-Black capital city
The NAACP is ending its lawsuit that challenged a decision by the majority-white and Republican-run Mississippi Legislature to create a new state court in Jackson. The capital city is majority-Black and governed by Democrats.
 
Sheldon Timothy Herrington Jr., who is charged in the 2022 death of University of Mississippi student Jimmie "Jay" Lee, looks at photos of Lee's car during Herrington's capital murder trial in Oxford, Miss., Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (Antonella Rescigno/The Daily Mississippian via AP, Pool)
An Ole Miss student exchanged messages with the man now on trial in his killing, police say
In the final hours before University of Mississippi student Jimmy “Jay” Lee disappeared, sexually explicit Snapchat messages were exchanged between his account and the account of the man now on trial in his killing.
 
Sheldon Timothy Herrington Jr., who is on trial on a capital murder charge in the 2022 death of University of Mississippi student Jimmie "Jay" Lee, looks out into the courtroom during the lunch break, in Oxford, Miss., Wednesday, Dec 4, 2024. (Antonella Rescigno/The Daily Mississippian via AP, Pool)
Campus cameras showed a student leaving his Ole Miss apartment the day he disappeared
Security cameras captured video of a University of Mississippi student leaving his campus apartment twice on the morning he was last seen alive. That’s according to testimony Wednesday from University Police Department Capt. Jan Mahan.
 
Sheldon Timothy Herrington Jr., who is on trial on a capital murder charge in the 2022 death of University of Mississippi student Jimmie "Jay" Lee, looks out into the courtroom during the lunch break, in Oxford, Miss. on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (Bruce Newman/The Northeast Daily Journal via AP, Pool)
Trial begins in the killing of an Ole Miss student who was known in the local LGBTQ+ community
A trial has begun for a man charged in the killing of a University of Mississippi student who was well-known in the local LGBTQ+ community.
 
This August 3, 2017, photo provided by the Mississippi Department of Corrections shows Mississippi death row inmate Charles Ray Crawford, who was convicted and sentenced to death in 1994 in the 1993 kidnapping and killing of community college student, 20-year-old Kristy Ray. (Mississippi Department of Corrections via AP)
Mississippi seeks execution date for 1993 killing but lawyers say case could go to Supreme Court
The Mississippi attorney general is requesting an execution date for a man who’s been on death row for 30 years. But his lawyer says Monday that the request is premature because the 58-year-old inmate still intends to take an appeal to the U.S.
 
FILE - Mississippi Supreme Court justices including Justice Jim Kitchens, seated at right, fourth from top, listen to arguments, July 6, 2023, in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
Candidates in tight race for Mississippi Supreme Court as St. Pe’ wins Court of Appeals seat
Amy St. Pe’ has won an open seat on the Mississippi Court of Appeals. State Sen. Jenifer Branning and Justice Jim Kitchens were in a tight race late Tuesday as votes were still being counted in a runoff election for the state Supreme Court.
 
This undated photo provided by Institute for Justice shows Clarence Cocroft II, who opened Tru Source Medical Cannabis in Olive Branch, Miss. (Institute for Justice via AP)
Court agrees with ban on medical marijuana advertising in Mississippi
A federal appeals court says medical marijuana businesses in Mississippi don’t have the right to advertise on billboards or other places because marijuana itself remains illegal under federal law.
 
Early morning voters line up to cast their ballots on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, at a North Jackson, Miss., precinct. (AP Rogelio V. Solis)
Attorneys want the US Supreme Court to say Mississippi’s felony voting ban is cruel and unusual
Mississippi’s practice of removing voting rights for certain felonies is cruel and unusual. That is the argument attorneys are making in a new filing with the U.S. Supreme Court.
 
FILE - Sen. Josh Harkins, R-Flowood, right, reacts as Sen. John Horhn, D-Jackson, left, purposes amendments that would affect Harkins' proposed legislation that would shift control of the Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport to state officials and surrounding counties, March 3, 2016, in Senate chambers at the Capitol in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
Court says it’s ending dispute over Mississippi airport board but city officials disagree
A federal appeals court says it is ending a dispute over whether the state or the city will control the airport board in Mississippi’s capital of Jackson. The ruling Tuesday could clear the way for a board appointed mostly by the state.
 
FILE - Mississippi Speaker of the House of Representatives Rep. Jason White, R-West, ponders a question during a end of legislative session sit-down with reporters, Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at his offices in the Mississippi Capitol in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
Mississippi expects only a small growth in state budget
Mississippi’s budget is expected to grow more slowly next year than it has the past few years. That reflects economic trends with a cooling off of state sales tax collections.
 
FILE - Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves delivers his State of the State address to the state Legislature, Feb. 26, 2024, at the state Capitol in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
Mississippi governor intent on income tax cut even if states receive less federal money
Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves says he will push lawmakers to phase out the state income tax, even if federal spending is slashed during Donald Trump’s second term as president. Mississippi is one of the poorest states.
 
A precinct worker precuts "I Voted" stickers from a long roll prior to the site opening up for voters Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Jackson, Miss. (AP Rogelio V. Solis)
Groups seek a new hearing on a Mississippi mail-in ballot lawsuit
A federal appeals court panel incorrectly interpreted federal and state laws when it ruled that Mississippi cannot count mail-in ballots that are cast by Election Day but arrive a few days later.
 
FILE - Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens speaks about how the Mississippi Legislature has funded additional assistants for district attorneys in other parts of the state but not for Hinds County, at a Jackson Delegation Legislative Hearing at the Capitol in Jackson, Monday, March 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
Bribery case adds to problems in Mississippi city with water woes and policing disputes
Bribery and conspiracy charges against the mayor of Jackson, Mississippi, are the latest shock to the state’s capital city. A federally appointed official is already running the water system after it nearly collapsed.
 
FILE - The seal for the United States Department of Justice is displayed on a podium before a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington, Thursday, April 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
Mississippi Senate paid Black attorney less than white ones, US Justice Department says
The Mississippi Senate discriminated against a Black attorney by paying her about half of what her white colleagues were paid for the same job. That is according to a lawsuit that the U.S. Justice Department filed Friday.
 
FILE - Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba watches a debate at the Mississippi Capitol on Feb. 7, 2023, in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
Bribery charges brought against Mississippi mayor, prosecutor and council member
The mayor of Mississippi’s capital city, the top prosecutor in the state’s largest county and a Jackson City Council member have been indicted on conspiracy and bribery charges.
 
FILE - Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., speaks during an event on Capitol Hill in Washington, April 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
Republican Sen. Wicker wins reelection in Mississippi, defeating Democrat Ty Pinkins
Republican Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi has defeated Democrat Ty Pinkins. The challenger received little financial support from his own party in a heavily Republican state. Wicker is extending his 30-year career on Capitol Hill. He won a U.S.
 
FILE - U.S. Rep. Trent Kelly, R-Miss., speaks at a rally on Nov. 1, 2019, in Tupelo, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
Mississippi has 3 contested US House races and 1 incumbent without a challenger
Mississippi has three contested U.S. House elections. In the northern 1st District, Republican Rep. Trent Kelly faces Democratic challenger Dianne Dodson Black. This is a rematch of the 2022 race, when Kelly defeated Black. Democratic Rep.
 
FILE - Visitor information signs dot the entrance to the Hinds County Detention Facility in Raymond, Miss., Aug. 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
Court confirms federal takeover of a Mississippi jail but limits power over budget
An appeals court says a federal receiver can proceed with a takeover of a Mississippi jail where a judge found unconstitutional conditions and “a stunning array of assaults, as well as deaths.” A panel of the 5th U.S.
 
FILE - Democrat Ty Pinkins speaks about his campaign for the Mississippi Democratic nomination for United States Senate during a news conference at the Mississippi State Capitol in Jackson, Miss., Jan. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
Democrat Ty Pinkins is outspent as he tries to unseat Republican Sen. Roger Wicker in Mississippi
Democrat Ty Pinkins has jogged along highways and past cotton fields to try to draw attention to his effort to unseat Mississippi’s senior Republican U.S. senator, Roger Wicker. Pinkins acknowledges it’s a tough campaign.
 
FILE - Mississippi Speaker of the House of Representatives Rep. Jason White, R-West, ponders a question during a end of legislative session sit-down with reporters, Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at his offices in the Mississippi Capitol in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
Mississippi legislative leaders advocate Medicaid expansion, heading to conflict with the governor
Mississippi’s Republican legislative leaders say they plan to push for Medicaid expansion to cover working people who earn to little to afford private insurance. It’s a position that business groups have advocated but that Republican Gov.
 
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the Resch Center, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Trump campaigns with Packers legend Brett Favre at rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin
Donald Trump has campaigned with NFL legend Brett Favre at a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Republican presidential nominee thanked Favre on Wednesday, calling his appearance a “great honor.”
 
FILE - I Voted stickers at Willie Morris Library, Precinct 34, in Jackson, Miss., on Tuesday, Mar. 12, 2024. (Lauren Witte/The Clarion-Ledger via AP, File)
Court says Mississippi can’t count late ballots but the ruling doesn’t affect Nov. 5 vote
A conservative federal court says Mississippi cannot count mail-in ballots that arrive shortly after Election Day. But, Friday’s decision was not expected to affect the upcoming Nov. 5 election. The 5th U.S.
 
A portion of the gangway which collapsed Saturday afternoon remains visible on Sapelo Island in McIntosh county, Ga., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Lewis Levine)
Eyewitness video captures frantic efforts to save lives after deadly collapse of dock walkway
Eyewitness video from the scene of a deadly gangway collapse at a dock in Georgia shows bystanders jumping into action after 20 people plunged into the water off Sapelo Island.
 
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