Dozens Killed In Five States During Tornadoes

Dozens of people in five states have been killed by tornadoes that leveled entire communities on Friday night, but the toll at a Kentucky candle factory is not as devastating as initially feared. Officials initially said only 40 of 110 workers at Mayfield Consumer Products had been rescued. But spokesman Bob Ferguson now says eight … Read more

8 Confirmed Dead At KY Candle Factory

Eight people are confirmed dead at a Kentucky candle factory that was hit by a tornado and another eight remain missing, but dozens more have been accounted for, a company spokesman said Sunday, raising hope that the toll from a Midwest twister outbreak won’t be as high as first feared. Still, the governor expects the … Read more

Initial Funding Approved For MS Mental Health Monitor

A federal judge has approved funding for an independent monitor to collect and analyze data on how Mississippi’s mental health system is working to prevent unnecessary hospitalizations. U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves ordered on Dec. 3 that the state make an initial payment of $25,000 to Michael Hogan, a mental health care veteran with 40 … Read more

Rhodes College Appoints Jennifer Collins As New President

Rhodes College has announced the appointment of Jennifer M. Collins as the Memphis school’s 21st president. According to a news release on the appointment, Collins has served as dean of the Dedman School of Law at Southern Methodist University in Texas since 2014. There she manages a $49 million annual budget and has raised more … Read more

Kellogg’s Workers Reject Contract Offer

Kellogg’s workers have overwhelmingly rejected a new contract that would have given them 3% raises, so the strike that began Oct. 5 will continue at the company’s four U.S. cereal plants. The union that represents the 1,400 workers released the results of the contract vote on Tuesday. Besides the initial raises, the five-year offer also … Read more

MS Reports 1st Omicron Variant Case

Mississippi health officials said Monday that the state’s first case of omicron variant of COVID-19 has been confirmed. The state Health Department said the case was in a fully vaccinated person who recently traveled to New York. The person was not hospitalized. “We were prepared for the appearance of this variant in Mississippi,” state health … Read more

Country Musician Stonewall Jackson Dead At 89

Country musician Stonewall Jackson, who sang on the Grand Ole Opry for more than 50 years, died Saturday after a long battle with vascular dementia. He was 89. The Opry is the longest-running radio show in history. It announced Jackson’s death in a news release. Jackson was a guitarist and performed on the Opry beginning … Read more

Two Teen Girls Killed In Memphis Gas Station Shooting

Police in Memphis, Tennessee, are investigating a gas station shooting that resulted in the deaths of two teen girls in Memphis, Tennessee. Police say another teen girl and a 9-month old boy were wounded Friday night when a car pulled up to their vehicle at a gas pump and shots were fired. Killed were two … Read more

Analysis: Politicians Split On Questions Of Bodily Autonomy

Republican Gov. Tate Reeves and several other Mississippi politicians make clear that they don’t think the government should mandate vaccination against COVID-19. They take a different stance on bodily autonomy when it comes to a woman or girl deciding whether to have an abortion. In arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 1, the … Read more