Prosecutors say a Memphis-area man who told police he had been smoking marijuana because he was upset NBA star Kobe Bryant had died has been charged with killing two Mississippi residents in a car crash. Shelby County prosecutors say Charles Robert Jones has been indicted on charges including vehicular homicide involving intoxication, DUI and reckless … Read more
Photos taken by a Mississippi River kayaker about five years before a crack was found in the Interstate 40 bridge linking Tennessee and Arkansas appear to show the fracture that led transportation officials to close the span indefinitely to cars and trucks. Arkansas transportation officials said they cannot confirm or refute what’s shown in the … Read more
A state judge in Mississippi dismissed murder charges Thursday against two Black police officers accused of body-slamming and beating a Black man. The ruling by Hinds County Judge Faye Peterson ended the trial of former Jackson officers Desmond Barney and Lincoln Lampley after hearing prosecution witnesses but without hearing defense witnesses, news outlets reported. Peterson, … Read more
The Tennessee Department of Correction says that it will soon implement pay raises for probation and parole officers after the salary increases were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The agency announced Wednesday that the 7.5% pay bump will become effective July 1. Gov. Bill Lee and the General Assembly approved the raises in 2019, … Read more
Tennessee’s Gov. Bill Lee has approved legislation that bans gender-confirming treatment for young minors over objections that the series of bills unfairly discriminate an already vulnerable population. The move makes Tennessee just the second state in the United States to enact such a ban after Arkansas approved a similar version earlier this year over a … Read more
An inspection of the Interstate 55 bridge connecting Tennessee and Arkansas has begun a week after the span became the states’ primary Mississippi River crossing when a cracked steel beam prompted the indefinite closure of the nearby Interstate 40 bridge. Inspectors using drones are looking closely at the I-55 bridge to ensure it is structurally … Read more
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves on Tuesday announced nine nominations to three boards that govern public education from kindergarten through college. The nominees must be confirmed by the state Senate. Reeves made the nominations after some vacancies had occurred because members’ terms had expired — a situation that meant boards could lack a quorum to conduct … Read more
An inspector who failed to discover a crack in the Interstate 40 bridge linking Arkansas and Tennessee that prompted the span’s closure has been fired. The Arkansas Department of Transportation on Monday said the inspector was fired after drone video showed the crack on the bridge in May 2019. The department says the crack was … Read more
Parents suing a now-closed north Mississippi child care center where their infant died last year allege that a worker left their child swaddled and face down on a soft surface for about 35 minutes. The Oxford Eagle reports that Joe and Jenna Hastings sued owners and managers of the Mother Goose Daycare in Lafayette County … Read more
Some Mississippi lawmakers say they want Gov. Tate Reeves to call them back to the Capitol for a special session to revive the state’s initiative process. Others want a chance to quickly revive discussion of a medical marijuana program. The state Supreme Court ruled Friday that the medical marijuana initiative is void because Mississippi’s initiative … Read more