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
Apr 15 Watch 2:38 More than a dozen tornadoes cut deadly path through the South At least 16 tornadoes touched down over the weekend in parts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, according to the National Weather Service. The twisters flattened several communities and the extreme weather caused at least eight deaths. Meanwhile, more dangerous… Continue watching
Mar 22 Watch 5:51 Roads, towns and livelihoods are washed away in Midwest floods Ongoing flooding across the Midwest has left thousands of homes damaged and vast swaths of farmland underwater. Residents and public officials alike are trying to cope with washed-out roads, lost livestock, ruined crops, and a lack of supplies. Meanwhile, weather… Continue watching
Mar 21 Mississippi governor to sign 'heartbeat' abortion law By Emily Wagster Pettus, Associated Press The Republican governor is scheduled to sign a bill Thursday to outlaw most abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, about six weeks into pregnancy. Continue reading