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2 months 2 weeks ago
Jewish Clarksdale residents and other members of the community discussed their thoughts and feelings after a fire was set to Beth Israel Congregation in northeast Jackson on the morning of Saturday, Jan. 10.
Spencer Pittman, 19, a former Coahoma Community College baseball player and Madison resident, has been charged with arson for allegedly setting the congregation on fire.
By JOSH TROY/PUBLISHER on
2 months 2 weeks ago
Chinese leaders at a December meeting led by Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated their consistent focus on “pursuing progress while ensuring stability.”
Stability, hmmm.
By Bill Crawford on
2 months 2 weeks ago
It all depends on your point of view.
(More on that later.)
I estimate I called over 800 games during my 38 years of officiating high school football. I still run the game clock and occasionally assist with replays. I have lost track of the number of times I have been asked over the past few days what I thought about the final call of the Fiesta Bowl.
A little background is helpful here. I am a Mississippi State graduate. For the 18 years before I enrolled at State, I was a huge Ole Miss fan. And, even today, many of my best friends and referee buddies are Ole Miss grads.
By Kendall Smith on
2 months 2 weeks ago
I am a Hoosier. I was raised on Indiana athletics, and like most Hoosiers, I am first and foremost a basketball fan. It is in my blood. My grandfather was an Indiana University Academic All-American and my father became the team doctor, which meant long periods of my childhood were spent in the stands of Assembly Hall.
We went to football games too. However, Indiana was known as one of the worst programs in the country. We showed up anyway. We were always expected to respect the athletes, remain humble, and demonstrate character in victory or defeat.
By Stephanie Garriga on
2 months 2 weeks ago
In yet another sign of the times, a deranged teenager torched the Beth Israel Synagogue in the heart of northeast Jackson.
I have been to the beautiful synagogue many times for seminars and funerals. I am heartbroken by this. I am confident my sentiment is shared by almost every Northsider.
By Wyatt Emmerich on
2 months 2 weeks ago
“The House should pass it! The Senate should then pass it! And I will gladly sign it to keep Mississippi’s momentum booming,” Governor Tate Reeves said.
Governor Tate Reeves (R) took to social media Tuesday afternoon to encourage lawmakers in the Mississippi House and Senate to send HB 2, the “Mississippi Educational Freedom Program Act of 2026,” to his desk.
By Frank Corder - Magnolia Tribune on
2 months 2 weeks ago
Important state and national stories, market and business news, sports and entertainment, delivered in quick-hit fashion
By Magnolia Tribune Staff on
2 months 2 weeks ago
The IRS said the One Big Beautiful Bill Act could impact federal taxes, credits and deductions. Taxpayers in Mississippi have until April 15 to file both their federal and state income taxes.
The Internal Revenue Service has set Monday, January 26 as the opening of the 2026 federal filing season.
By Frank Corder - Magnolia Tribune on
2 months 2 weeks ago
“This is insane execution speed by xAI and the state of Mississippi. We are grateful to Governor Reeves for his support of building xAI at warp speed,” Elon Musk said.
Governor Tate Reeves (R) joined xAI Thursday in Southaven to announce Mississippi’s largest corporate investment to date.
xAI, the artificial intelligence company founded by billionaire businessman Elon Musk, is locating a data center in Southaven to be known as MACROHARDRR.
By Frank Corder and Daniel Tyson - Magnolia Tribune on
2 months 2 weeks ago
Lumberton Police Chief Elsie Cowart said she believes the measure would be “a terrible thing for law enforcement.”
State Rep. Omeria Scott, a 32-year Democratic lawmaker representing Clarke, Jasper and Jones counties, has filed a longshot bill to prohibit Mississippi police officers from using Tasers or stun guns.
In response, Lumberton Police Chief Elsie Cowart said she believes the measure would be “a terrible thing for law enforcement.”
By Frank Corder - Magnolia Tribune on
2 months 2 weeks ago
“Options are extremely limited for families who want something better or simply different for their children,” New Hebron Mayor Cindy Bryan told lawmakers. “We now have fewer students, more funding per student and lower performance.”
Members of the Mississippi House Education Committee heard testimony from parents and others invested in education about the potential impacts school choice may have on the state during a hearing held Wednesday afternoon.
By Jeremy Pittari - Magnolia Tribune on
2 months 2 weeks ago
President Trump’s desire to acquire Greenland has drawn criticism and skepticism from allies around the globe.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Monday that President Donald Trump (R) has not set a timeline to acquire Greenland but it is “definitely a priority for him.”
By Frank Corder - Magnolia Tribune on
2 months 2 weeks ago
Similar bills were introduced during the 2025 legislative session but did not gain enough support from both chambers to make it to the governor’s desk.
In the first week of the 2026 legislative session, four bills were filed to ban cell phone use in Mississippi public school classrooms.
Two of those bills came out of the Senate, where SB 2099 was authored by State Senator Briggs Hopson (R) and SB 2069 was authored by Senator Dennis DeBar (R).
By Jeremy Pittari - Magnolia Tribune on
2 months 2 weeks ago
Colonel Chris Cooksey, Commander of the 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team for the Mississippi National Guard, told lawmakers that chaplain support is plays a major role in reducing service member suicide rates.
Legislators on the Mississippi Save Our Service Member Task Force heard Monday of the importance of having someone to talk to when dealing with mental health issues, particularly for members of the military and the nation’s veterans.
By Jeremy Pittari - Magnolia Tribune on
2 months 2 weeks ago
Senator Lydia Chassaniol believes the measure will pass again this session and Governor Tate Reeves will support the legislation with the accompanying budget bills.
State Senator Lydia Chassaniol (R), chair of the Senate Tourism Committee, brought back a bill on Tuesday that aims to create a standalone Mississippi Department of Tourism.
By Frank Corder - Magnolia Tribune on
2 months 2 weeks ago
Below is an opinion column by Kimberly Ross:
Neither Renee Good nor Jonathan Ross should be political pawns. One person is dead, the other person has to live with the knowledge he took her life, and a country that has been sitting on a tinderbox inches ever closer to explosion.
By Kimberly Ross - Magnolia Tribune on
2 months 2 weeks ago
The FBI’s affidavit against Spencer Pittman in the Beth Israel fire lays out damning details and also provides clues as to Pittman’s motives. A particular phrase used by Pittman appears frequently in anti-semitic propaganda from internet provocateurs like Nick Fuentes.
Jackson, Miss. — On Monday, Stephen Spencer Pittman, 19, appeared via Zoom from a hospital bed, for his initial court appearance in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi.
By Russ Latino and Daniel Tyson - Magnolia Tribune on
2 months 2 weeks ago
Higgins, who was abruptly removed from his longtime position with the Golden Triangle Development LINK in August, said his role is to help provide a road map that will lead to exponential growth of Tate County.
On Monday, the Tate County Board of Supervisors and the Tate County Economic Development Foundation announced an agreement with 2EQLAST Consulting, led by Joe Max Higgins, to head the Tate County EDF team.
2EQLAST stands for “Second Equals Last.”
By Frank Corder - Magnolia Tribune on
2 months 2 weeks ago
In a state known for storytelling, it feels fitting that one of Mississippi’s most meaningful businesses isn’t about writing new stories—but about making sure the old ones are never lost.
There are places in Mississippi where time doesn’t rush you. Where history isn’t tucked behind glass or sealed away in archives, but still shows up every morning for work. Where stories aren’t just told—they’re repaired, rebound, and sent back into the world to keep living.
By Meredith Biesinger - Magnolia Tribune on
2 months 2 weeks ago
“If our Congressman’s 33 years in office had helped build up this district, built wealth and health in this district, there’d be no need for change,” Turnage asserts.
Evan Turnage, the former chief counsel to U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), has teamed up with the same ad team that helped Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic socialist, win the New York mayor’s race in 2025.
By Frank Corder - Magnolia Tribune on
