Mississippi

Jackson hotel, restaurant taxes could increase with Mississippi Senate bill

Published

3 hours ago

March 23, 2026

Press Room

Jackson hotel, restaurant taxes could increase with Mississippi Senate bill

A bill in the Mississippi Legislature proposes a tax increase on hotels and restaurants in Jackson.
The increased revenue would benefit the city’s tourism department, Visit Jackson.
The hotel tax rate would increase by 1% and the restaurant tax rate by 0.5%.
Legislators say the proposed rates would keep Jackson competitive with other cities in the region.

A bill making its way through the Mississippi Legislature would bump up tax rates on hotels, motels and restaurants in Jackson, with the revenue benefitting the city’s tourism department.

The proposal would increase the hotel tax rate by 1% and the restaurant tax rate by 0.5%, modest bumps, said bill sponsor Sen. Hillman Frazier, D-Jackson, that would go a long way for the Jackson Convention and Visitors Bureau, known as Visit Jackson.

“We’re trying to be very conservative here with this increase,” he said in a March 20 interview. “These changes are just enough to maintain operations.”

With inflation taking ever-growing bites out of profits and reduced state funds on the horizon as the income tax revenue decreases, Frazier said a minor tourism tax increase is necessary to keep Visit Jackson well-funded.

Hotels and motels currently have an 11% tax rate, most of which is attributed to the 7% sales tax. The convention center tax adds another 3%, and Visit Jackson nets 1%. Under Frazier’s bill, which has been co-authored by four other Jackson-area senators, Visit Jackson’s share would double.

For restaurants, the rate would increase from 9% to 9.5%, with Visit Jackson collecting 1.5% of that sum. The increased revenue, according to documents prepared by Visit Jackson and shared with legislators, would fund hotel-restaurant partnerships, collaborations with local farmers and culinary demonstrations at city events.

The rate changes, according to the documents, would yield the bureau around $2 million in additional revenue each year.

The crucial part of the bill, Frazier said, is that Jackson will remain competitive when compared to other cities in Mississippi and throughout the south.

The proposed 12% hotel tax rate falls below nearby New Orleans, which boasts a 16.2% tax and $3 nightly fee, and Birmingham, where the $3 nightly fee is accompanied by a 17.5% tax.

Neighboring Brandon, Flowood and Richland levy a 12% hotel tax and 9% restaurant tax, the documents read, nearly identical to the rates that Jackson would adopt with legislative consent.

Approval from other legislators may present a challenge, Frazier said, explaining that some lawmakers have opposed the provision in the past because it increases the amount they pay when they check into Jackson-area hotels during the session. His bill has passed two committees as of March 20 and faces a full vote in each chamber before it can become law.

“Visit Jackson does a very good job selling Jackson and bringing people here to visit,” Frazier said. “We need to give them the resources to keep doing what they’re doing.”

Bea Anhuci is the state government reporter for the Clarion Ledger. She covers the Mississippi Legislature, and its impact on Jackson. Email her at banhuci@usatodayco.com or message her on Signal @beaanhuci.42.

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Mississippi

Minnesota stuns Mississippi with late comeback, buzzer-beater to advance to Sweet 16

Published

15 hours ago

March 22, 2026

Press Room

Minnesota stuns Mississippi with late comeback, buzzer-beater to advance to Sweet 16

Host Minnesota was in trouble against No. 5 seed Ole Miss on Sunday, trailing 54-46 heading into the fourth quarter.

But it rallied to stun Mississippi with a late comeback capped by a game-winning bucket in the final second to secure a 65-63 win.

Minnesota tied the game at 61-61 with a Mara Braun 3 with 1:17 remaining.

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Mississippi

Mississippi Made brings artisans, food vendors to Laurel

Published

1 day ago

March 22, 2026

Press Room

Mississippi Made brings artisans, food vendors to Laurel

LAUREL, Miss. (WDAM) – Mississippi Made is an arts and crafts festival hosted by Laurel Mercantile that includes makers from all over Mississippi.

About 60 vendors gathered on March 21 to display their creative art for local residents and tourists to enjoy.

“It’s relaxing out here. My husband loves art, and I was like ‘hey, the local artisans from the hometown show are going to be in Laurel, my parents live an hour away,’” said Brandy Haynes of Fort Worth, Texas.

“I said we could go see my parents, and I mentioned it to my son and his fiancée, and they were like ‘Oh, we’ll come along.’”

Not only were there vendors showing off their arts and crafts, but there were also vendors selling food that satisfied the taste buds.

“We started the farm two years ago and started going to local markets just kind of doing greens, corn, peas and then we got into making things,” said John Dew, co-owner of Dew Kissed Farms.

Members of the Laurel Mercantile are grateful for the turnout at the event and glad to be a part of people’s new experiences.

“I just want to thank the community for coming out and supporting. The weather was great today, and lots of footsteps,” said senior store manager Erica Crowder.

“It was great to see so many new faces coming to shop at our stores this week.”

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Mississippi

How to Watch No. 6 Mississippi State vs. Vanderbilt at Dudy Noble Field

Published

2 days ago

March 21, 2026

Press Room

How to Watch No. 6 Mississippi State vs. Vanderbilt at Dudy Noble Field

No. 6 Mississippi State won a low-scoring series opening game against Vanderbilt and Friday night. Now the two sides will meet again for a Saturday evening game. Here’s everything to know about the Bulldogs’ and Commodores’ second game of the weekend.

The Opponent: Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt brings a 13-9 overall record with it, including a series win over defending national champion and then 13th-ranked LSU at home last weekend. The Commodores are coming off a 5-1 loss to Indiana in Nashville on Tuesday.

Vandy is No. 2 nationally with 52 home runs, rank fourth in slugging (.603) and 10th in drawing walks (136). Tim Corbin’s club is batting .308 and scoring 8.6 runs per game. They have also stolen 26 bases in 31 attempts and have a fielding percentage of .979.

Brodie Johnston tops Vanderbilt hitting .393 while Braden Holcomb is tied for second in the league with 11 long balls to go along with 33 RBIs. Rigdon Rustan has been the Commodores biggest base thief with six steals in seven tries.

Fennell leads the way in strikeouts while Austin Nye, Nate Schlote and Adria Casoliba all sport flawless ERAs. Tristan Bristow and England Bryan are responsible for both of Vanderbilt’s saves this season.

Weather Forecast

Saturday should be another near-perfect night for a baseball game. The National Weather Service’s forecast is “clear, with a low around 61. South southwest wind around 5 mph.”

Vanderbilt

Out

P #43 Matthew Shorey
P #90 Miller Green
P #92 Adria Casoliba
P #99 England Bryan

Questionable

P #40 Austin Nye
C #44 Colin Barczi

Mississippi State

Probable

OF #5 Aidan Teel

How to Watch: Vanderbilt at No. 6 Mississippi State

Who: Vanderbilt Commodores (13-10, 2-2 SEC) at No. 6 Mississippi State Bulldogs (18-4, 2-2 SEC)
When: 6 p.m., Saturday
Where: Dudy Noble Field, Starkville, Miss.
TV: SEC Network
Radio: Live Radio
Stats: Live Stats
Series History: Mississippi State leads the all-time series 77-59-2
Last Meeting: Mississippi State 4, Vanderbilt 2 (Friday)
Last time out, Bulldogs: def. Jackson State, 17-1
Last time out, Commodores: lost to Indiana, 5-1

Pitching Matchup

LHP Wyatt Nadeau (1-0, 1.50 ERA) vs. LHP Tomas Valincius (4-0, 1.30 ERA)

Mississippi State Batting Leaders

Bryce Chance: .431/.552/.541, 1.093 OPS, 23 R, 25 H, 7 2B, 13 RBI, 11 BB, 3 K, 7 SB
Reed Stallman: .375/.646/.484, 1.130 OPS, 9 R, 18 H, 4 2B, 3 HR, 22 RBI, 10 BB, 13 K, 2 SB
Ace Reese: .375/.728/.453, 1.181 OPS, 26 R, 30 H, 11 2B, 6 HR, 31 RBI, 12 BB, 19 K, 2 SB
Aidan Teel: .354/.521/.508, 1.029 OPS, 18 R, 17 H, 2 2B, 2 HR, 14 RBI, 13 BB, 12 K, 4 SB

Vanderbilt Batting Leaders

Brodie Johnston: .393/.774/.475, 25 R, 33 H, 11 2B, 7 HR, 21 RBI, 13 BB, 11 K, 1 SB
Braden Holcomb: .333.786/.420, 25 R, 28 H, 5 2B, 11 HR, 33 RBI, 14 BB, 23 K, 1 SB
Ryker Waite: .333/.530/.521, 16 R, 22 H, 5 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 16 RBI, 26 BB, 22 K, 5 SB
Mike Mancini: .333/.650/.432, 18 R, 20 H, 4 2B, 5 HR, 19 RBI, 12 BB, 16 K, 5 SB

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