Category: Mississippi

2nd Mississippi Jail Escapee Found; Arrested in Texas

JACKSON, Miss.—A man who escaped from a Mississippi jail last weekend and fled to Texas after allegedly stealing a public works vehicle has been arrested in Houston, authorities announced Thursday. Jerry Raynes was apprehended days after he and three other inmates escaped Saturday night from the Raymond Detention Center near Jackson, Mississippi’s capital, Hinds County…


Mississippi Jail Escapee Believed Dead After Armed Standoff

CONWAY, Miss.—A man who escaped from a Mississippi jail and is a suspect in a Monday night killing is believed to have died after barricading himself in a home and setting it on fire during an armed standoff with deputies, a police official said Wednesday. Plumes of smoke emanated from the charred remains of the…


Major Flood Warnings Issued for Mississippi River Cities

A number of cities along the Mississippi River across the Midwest are facing major flooding events as of Wednesday morning, according to the National Weather Service’s river monitoring service. According to the NWS’s river flood monitoring website, approximately 20 gauges along the Mississippi River are seeing “major flooding” or “moderate flooding” as of Wednesday morning,…


Mississippi Jail Escapee a Suspect in Killing, Carjacking

JACKSON, Miss.—A man who escaped from a Mississippi jail over the weekend is suspected of killing a man and stealing his pickup truck in Jackson, authorities said Tuesday. Anthony Watts, 61, was shot and killed Monday night around 7 p.m. on Interstate 55 after he pulled over to help a man who had wrecked a…


NAACP Files Lawsuit Against Mississippi for Legislation Expanding Capital City’s Law Enforcement

The NAACP has filed a lawsuit (pdf) against Mississippi over two bills signed into law to combat the capital city’s high crime rate by giving state officials more control over law enforcement. Last week, Gov. Tate Reeves signed House Bill 1020, establishing an independent, state-controlled judicial system for the 17.5 square mile Capitol Complex Improvement…


Mississippi Governor Signs ‘Culture of Life’ Legislation Giving Pregnant Mothers Alternatives to Abortion

Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves signed a series of “Culture of Life” bills on Wednesday giving pregnant mothers alternatives to abortion. “Mississippi will always protect life,” Reeves said in a press release. “Our state will continue to be a beacon on the hill, a symbol of hope for the country, and a model for the nation.”…


Negligence Led to Mississippi Grain Bin Death, Officials Say

GREENWOOD, Miss.—A South African teenage farm worker who suffocated to death after falling into a grain storage bin would still be alive had a Mississippi soybean farm followed federal workplace safety standards, inspectors with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration determined. Bare Bones Farms, located in the Mississippi Delta town of…


Judge Rules Religious Exemptions Must Be Allowed in Mississippi for Children’s Vaccine Requirements in Public Schools

A federal judge has ruled Mississippi must now provide religious exemptions to the state’s strict childhood vaccine requirements to be enrolled in public schools. U.S. District Judge Halil Suleyman Ozerden granted a preliminary injunction on Monday following an evidentiary hearing and handed down a full order on Tuesday. Several families filed the lawsuit last fall arguing that…


Mississippi Governor Signs Bill That ‘Takes Direct Aim’ at Efforts to Create Gun Registries and Databases

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, a Republican, has signed a bill that “takes direct aim” at efforts to create gun registries and databases that would track the purchase of firearms. “The Second Amendment rights of Mississippians shall not be infringed,” Reeves said in a press release. “My administration will continue to push back on national Democrats’ unconstitutional…


LIVE 6:30 PM ET: NTD Evening News (March 31): Trump’s First Hearing Set for Tuesday as Lawyers Prepare Not Guilty Plea

Former President Donald Trump’s first hearing will take place on April 4, a court spokesperson confirmed on March 31. Trump’s lawyer says they plan to plead not guilty. Trump spokesperson Liz Harrington tells NTD’s Stefania Cox she believes that the United States and the world are now in more danger, after Trump’s indictment. Florida lawmakers…