Mississippi

Mississippi voter turnout falls lower than previous years. How much did it fall?

Published

1 year ago

November 19, 2024

Mississippi voter turnout falls lower than previous years. How much did it fall?

State decline in election figures mirrors preliminary national voter turnout

Voter turnout in this year’s election came out higher than early vote counters predicted, but still far lower than in some of the previous presidential elections over the last 20 years.

The trend also seems to follow a national decline in voter turnout, though, national numbers are still being tallied up and finalized as of Monday.

According to finalized reporting by the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office, 1,225,176 people voted by or on Nov. 5 in the presidential, congressional, state and special elections. That figure represented about 62% of the state’s electorate, or the total number of eligible voters.

Compared to previous years, it’s a bit of a drop.

“While we were hopeful to see our voters rise to the occasion, it has become apparent we continue to face voter apathy and fatigue,” Secretary of State Michael Watson said in a press release issued last week before the count was finalized. “I encourage each of you to continue to encourage your family, friends, and neighbors to engage in the elections process and fulfill civic duty and responsibility. Mississippi needs an engaged electorate now more than ever.”

In 2020, 66% of the state’s electorate cast a ballot in the election. In 2016, 2012 and 2008, it was 64%, 67% and 68%, respectively, according to the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office.

In respect to the nation, as of Friday afternoon about 149 million ballots were cast across all 50 states, which is still about 7 million than what was seen in the 2020 election.

Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office Communications Director Elizabeth Jonson said that voter turnouts were actually pretty high during the early hours of Election Day, but overall, they just didn’t exceed previous years’ numbers.

As for Mississippi, there are still two elections left undecided: The Mississippi Supreme Court Central District race and the Mississippi Court of Appeals race. Candidates in those races are heading to a runoff on Nov. 26, just two days before Thanksgiving.

Grant McLaughlin covers the Legislature state government for the Clarion Ledger. He can be reached at gmclaughlin@gannett.com or 972-571-2335.

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Mississippi

Mississippi State baseball, Brian O’Connor 10-0 after Arizona State win

Published

29 minutes ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Mississippi State baseball, Brian O’Connor 10-0 after Arizona State win

Mississippi State baseball didn’t have a hit through four innings but came through with big fifth and sixth innings to reach 10-0.

The No. 5 Bulldogs defeated Arizona State 8-4 in the first game of the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series in Arlington, Texas, on Feb. 27.

Gehrig Frei jolted MSU’s offense in the fifth inning when he hit a pinch-hit, three-run home run for a 4-0 lead over the Sun Devils (8-2). MSU then added three more runs in the sixth inning for a 7-1 lead. Aidan Teel homered for a second straight game with a solo home run in the eighth inning.

Mississippi State sophomore Ryan McPherson had the longest start of his career, throwing seven innings with one run allowed, four hits, three walks and five strikeouts.

Watch Mississippi State baseball in Amegy Bank College Baseball Series

Mississippi State baseball vs Arizona State score updates

Dominic Longo and Dominic Smaldino both hit solo home runs in the ninth inning off MSU’s Maddox Miller to cut the score to 8-4.

Centerfielder Aidan Teel led off the bottom of the eighth inning with a solo home run for an 8-2 lead.

The Sun Devils scored one run in the eighth inning on a PJ Moutzouridis sacrifice fly. It cut Mississippi State’s lead to 7-2.

McPherson is done for the day as MSU’s pitcher after throwing a career long seven innings. He allowed one run with four hits, three walks and five strikeouts.

Chone James hit a two-RBI single, then Reed Stallman also hit an RBI single. Mississippi State is up 7-1 in the sixth inning.

Landon Hairston grounded into a double play to trim MSU’s lead to 4-1 in the sixth inning.

The first pitch thrown by Arizona State reliever Josh Butler was a pinch-hit, three-run home run by Gehrig Frei. MSU leads 4-0 in the fifth inning.

Arizona State starting pitcher Cole Carlon exited in the fifth inning with an apparent cramp after giving up the RBI single to Bryce Chance.

Bryce Chance hit an RBI single for a 1-0 Mississippi State lead in the fifth inning.

There were no hits by either team through four innings. ASU’s Dean Toigo hit a single and so did MSU’s Blake Bevis.

Only one batter has reached base through the first two innings, MSU’s Noah Sullivan via a walk in the first inning. MSU pitcher Ryan McPherson has three strikeouts, while Arizona State pitcher Cole Carlon has five.

The Bulldogs are 9-0 with new coach Brian O’Connor. It’s their best start since they went 13-0 in 2015. However, the Bulldogs had a poor season after that, finishing 24-30.

2B Drew Wyers
3B Ace Reese
DH Noah Sullivan
LF Vytas Valincius
C Chone James
1B Blake Bevis
SS Ryder Woodson
CF Aidan Teel
RF Bryce Chance

The Feb. 27 game between Mississippi State and Arizona State in the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series is also streaming for free on YouTube at this link.

Mississippi State vs Arizona State will air on 96.1 FM. It can also be streamed for free on the Mississippi State Hail State app or on the MSU athletics website.

What time does Mississippi State baseball play today?

All games are played at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

Feb. 27: vs. Arizona State (11 a.m. CT)
Feb. 28: vs. Virginia Tech (3 p.m. CT)
March 1: vs. UCLA (2:30 p.m. CT)

What channel is Mississippi State baseball on today?

All games are streaming on FloCollege. The Feb. 27 game against Arizona State is also streaming for free on YouTube.

Mississippi State starting pitchers in Amegy Bank College Baseball Series

Feb. 27 (vs. Arizona State): RHP Ryan McPherson (2.70 ERA, 1-0) vs. LHP Cole Carlon (2-0, 1.64 ERA)
Feb. 28: (vs. Virginia Tech): LHP Tomas Valincius (2-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. TBA
March 1 (vs. UCLA): TBA

Mississippi State injury updates

There is no official injury report for this series, though Mississippi State pitcher William Kirk exited his Feb. 24 start with a leg injury.

Mississippi State baseball 2026 schedule

Next five games:

March 3: at Southern Miss
March 6-8: vs. Lipscomb
March 10: vs. Tulane (in Biloxi)

Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.

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Mississippi

Couple sentenced for selling faulty fire extinguishers to Mississippi daycares, businesses – SuperTalk Mississippi

Published

13 hours ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Couple sentenced for selling faulty fire extinguishers to Mississippi daycares, businesses – SuperTalk Mississippi

The Smith County couple who knowingly sold faulty fire alarms to daycares and other commercial businesses across the state will spend time behind bars.

Daniel and Sherri Finnegan, the owners of Finnegan Fire Safety Equipment, entered guilty pleas on Tuesday in connection with the fraud scheme. Daniel Finnegan will spend seven years in prison, while his spouse will be locked up for one year. Officials report that the plea agreements encompass charges filed in both Rankin and Madison counties, where 12 charges have been filed against each defendant stemming from six different cases.

The Finnegans were arrested in Aug. 2024 for selling and installing used fire suppression systems that did not work and were not tested before being placed into service, putting people at risk in the event of fire. The Mississippi Insurance Department reported that the couple targeted minority-owned businesses and owners who had a language barrier.

Originally, the duo was charged with 41 counts each of false pretense, along with 37 counts each of violations of the Mississippi Fire Prevention Code. Despite the pleas entered in Rankin and Madison Counties, the defendants still face an additional 31 fire prevention code violations and 37 false pretense charges that remain pending in 11 other counties.

“The investigation showed that more than $343,000 was paid directly to the couple by confirmed victims. It is important to note that this figure does not represent the full financial impact, as some financial documentation could not be obtained,” a statement from the Mississippi Insurance Department reads. “Furthermore, many victims incurred substantial additional costs to correct and remediate deficient installations and to bring fire protection systems into compliance.”

Restitution ordered for Daniel Finnegan totals $67,853.95, while Sherri Finnegan has to pay out $20,000.

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Mississippi

Former federal attorney faces arson charge after two fires in Fondren

Published

1 day ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Former federal attorney faces arson charge after two fires in Fondren

A former federal attorney was arrested and charged with arson for two fires in Jackson, Mississippi.
The fires damaged a building and a dumpster at the Yana Club of Mississippi, a recovery community nonprofit.
The suspect, George McDowell Yoder III, has a history of previous arrests and was suspended from practicing law in 2022.

A former federal attorney was arrested and charged with arson after a building and dumpster were set on fire Friday, Feb. 27, in the Fondren area of Jackson, authorities said.

Jackson Fire Department Chief of Investigations Charles Felton said firefighters responded around 12 a.m. Friday in reference to a reported building fire and dumpster fire at Yana Club of Mississippi located at 555 Hartsfield Street.

Felton said fire crews arrived and found two separate fires in the Fondren neighborhood that caused damage to the Yana Club and the dumpster.

No injuries were reported.

After the fires were extinguished, a fire investigator was called to the scene. Investigators spoke with Capitol Police, who had a suspect detained.

Felton said the Jackson Fire Department Arson Division arrested George McDowell Yoder III, a former federal attorney, and charged him with first-degree arson of Yana Club and third-degree arson of the dumpster.

In 2021, WDAM TV reported Yoder had been a special assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi from 2009 to 2011. Yoder also ran unsuccessfully as a candidate for the Mississippi Court of Appeals in 2016.

According to a 2023 article by the Laurel Leader Call, Yoder was arrested in 2021 for residential burglary and faced multiple charges from 2021 to 2023. Yoder was also arrested in 2023 for arson charges, the outlet reported.

Documents from the Supreme Court of Mississippi also indicate that Yoder was admitted to the practice of law in the state in 1999 but later suspended in 2022 from practicing law for three years.

Court records show Yoder was found to be accepting fees from clients, abandoning them and then failing to deposit their retainers into a trust account. Yoder “commingled” his personal money with those of his clients and performed little to no work on a Madison County criminal case he was hired to resolve.

Jackson fire officials also said that a fire did not occur Friday morning at The Pig & Pint, a barbecue business located next to Yana Club.

Yana Club of Mississippi, a nonprofit organization, is described via their Facebook page as a “recovery community” that serves individuals seeking help with addictions.

The organization confirmed at 10:23 a.m. Friday via a social media post that the Yana Club building will be closed due to damages sustained from the fire.

“Due to the safety of our members, we will be closed through the weekend,” the organization stated. “We are working with [the] fire department and insurance to determine the best course of action. The building is currently deemed unsafe for meetings to be held. We will be in touch with updates when we have them.”

Pam Dankins is the breaking news reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Have a tip? Email her at pdankins@gannett.com.

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