Jun 21 Watch 5:14 News Wrap: Supreme Court throws out Curtis Flowers conviction, citing racial bias In our Friday news wrap, the Supreme Court threw out the murder conviction and death sentence for a black Mississippi man, citing racial bias in jury selection. A 7-to-2 majority found Curtis Flowers was deprived of a fair trial. Also,… Continue watching
Jun 21 Supreme Court throws out murder conviction of black inmate By Mark Sherman, Associated Press The court's 7-2 decision says the removal of black prospective jurors violated the rights of inmate Curtis Flowers. Continue reading
Jun 17 Midwestern floods devastate seafood catches downstream By Janet McConnaughey, Associated Press Many species that depend on a brackish mix of fresh and saltwater in coastal estuaries are decamping as this year's huge floods flush in fresh water, laden with pollution from farms and cities in the Mississippi River basin. Continue reading
Jun 14 Watch 7:06 With the Juke Joint Festival, a Mississippi city aims to lose its economic blues By Jeffrey Brown, Frank Carlson In Mississippi’s Clarksdale, the heart of the rural Delta, a celebration of the blues has been drawing thousands of fans to the area for the past 16 years. The Juke Joint Festival, named for bars and informal music venues scattered… Continue watching
Jun 04 Former Sen. Cochran draws bipartisan praise at funeral By Emily Wagster Pettus, Associated Press Two U.S. senators from opposing parties praised their former colleague, Republican Thad Cochran of Mississippi, as one of their closest friends and as a gentleman who cared about the people of his state and worked across party lines. Continue reading
May 30 Lawsuit calls Mississippi’s rules for choosing governors racist By Emily Wagster Pettus, David A. Lieb, Associated Press In 1890, as white politicians across the South cracked down on the black population with Jim Crow laws, Mississippi inserted into its constitution an unusually high bar for getting elected governor or winning any other state office. Continue reading
May 30 Former U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi dies at 81 By Emily Wagster Pettus, Associated Press When he won a Senate seat in 1978, Cochran became the first Republican since Reconstruction to win statewide office in Mississippi. Continue reading
May 24 Federal judge blocks Mississippi abortion ban By Emily Wagster Pettus, Associated Press "Here we go again," U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves wrote in his order. "Mississippi has passed another law banning abortions prior to viability." His new order stops the law from taking effect July 1. Continue reading
May 21 Mississippi 6-week abortion ban heads to federal court By Emily Wagster Pettus, Associated Press The federal judge hearing the lawsuit against Mississippi's 6-week abortion ban already struck down a 15-week ban last year. Continue reading
May 20 U.S. judge will consider whether to block new Mississippi abortion law By Emily Wagster Pettus, Associated Press Inside Mississippi's only abortion clinic, administrator Shannon Brewer has been fielding phone calls from women who want to know whether they can still terminate a pregnancy if they think they might be more than a few weeks along. Continue reading