JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – The spotlight was on the Magnolia state top up-and-coming innovators at the Innovate MS Accelerate Conference.

Eight finalists were selected to pitch their company’s idea in hopes of landing a deal from investors.

Innovate Mississippi’s CEO said, “This pitch day is really the culmination of something that started with eight regional partners. We had 240 applications that then turned into about 120 pitches. Those pitch competitions awarded up more than $100,000 of prizes at the pitch. But now of that Group, eight of them have been selected. They’ve been working their butts off for the last 12 weeks.”

One of the presenters started his company just this past summer. He is blending medical care with artificial intelligence.

Brandon Newton, founder and CEO of Gen Med Labs, said, “My background is mostly like chemistry and medicine, and I’ve recently started studying computer engineering. I have passion for both medicine and technology, so I wanted to create a company that leverages both of those skill sets in order to basically aid the medical industry as a whole.”

Gen Med Labs is working on a pair of ordinary glasses that function as a portable computer.

So, when the user puts them on, it’s a type of virtual reality. The other presenting all had something different to bring to the table.

“Well, that’s kind of the front of this is we don’t focus in any one industry. So we have, you know, a company that can allow you to do food delivery where you sort by price or time. We have a company that does videos. For homes, we have companies that help with, you know, getting away from that annoying clipboard when you go to the doctor’s office. They’re companies doing all sorts of different things,” Jeff said.

The conference will continue on Wednesday, where interested investors can meet with innovators to discuss how involved they want to be in advancing their companies.

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North Carolina’s winters are
warming at an alarming rate, bringing unpredictable weather, reduced snowfall,
and a host of challenges for agriculture, tourism, and daily life. From
disrupted farming cycles to ski resorts struggling to make snow, the effects of
this climate shift are felt across the state— and experts warn it’s only going
to get worse.

Winter temperatures in North
Carolina have been steadily rising, with significant consequences for
agriculture, local communities and tourism. Since 1970, Raleigh has warmed by
about 5.7°F, surpassing the national average. This warming trend is part of a
broader pattern across the U.S., where winters have warmed by about 4°F on
average since 1970, with meteorological winter —spanning December through
February — being the fastest-warming season.

Jacob Sheff, an atmospheric
scientist at UNC Charlotte, attributes this rise in temperatures largely to
human activity. “The fossil fuels we burn create a blanket around the earth,
and we’re sort of inadvertently making that blanket thicker and thicker,” he
says. “Now, it’s much more difficult for us to have snow here in North
Carolina.” Sheff says that it’s becoming harder to get cold enough for snow as
the overall climate warms.

Warm winter ahead: WRAL Severe Weather outlook doesn’t look good for snow lovers

This prolonged warm season is
impacting agriculture. Michelle Pace Davis, with Pace Family Farms in Clayton,
has noticed the effects of recent erratic weather, from heavy rain to drought.
She also says it’s harder to keep pests at bay. “With these warmer winters,
pests can survive longer and affect our crops more, and that, in turn,
increases costs,” she says.

Warmer temperatures extend the growing season, but
they also bring new challenges for farmers, who now have to contend with pests
that would typically die off in the cold.

The longer warm season also
extends the mosquito and allergy seasons. Lauren Casey, a meteorologist with
Climate Central, notes that warmer winters are affecting health in a variety of
ways. “In the past, we could count on the cold weather to kill off mosquitoes
and keep allergies at bay, but now we’re seeing them stick around longer,” she
explains.

In Raleigh, there are now 27 more days suitable for mosquitoes than
in 1980, which increases the risk of health-related diseases.

“Nearly 14
million kids suffer from seasonal allergies, and longer allergy seasons mean
more suffering from congestion and sneezing,” Casey said.

In addition to the health and
agricultural impacts, warmer winters are bringing more intense rainstorms.
“When it rains these days, it’s raining about seven or eight percent harder
than it used to,” Sheff says. This increased rainfall can strain local water
systems and complicate flood management, especially as more moisture is in the
air due to warmer temperatures.

While milder conditions may
benefit some, the region’s ski resorts are feeling the effects of reduced
snowfall.

“We used to get about six or seven days in a row of weather cold
enough to make snow, but now it’s just two or three,” says Shawn Cassell, marketing
director at Snowshoe Mountain Resort. “We really have to weatherproof ourselves
for those upswings, making more snow in tighter windows than we ever had
before.”

Sheff warns that as the
planet continues to warm, North Carolina — and the world — will face more
disruptions to weather patterns, agriculture, and local economies.

Looking ahead, North Carolina
faces increasingly unpredictable weather patterns. “We’re seeing a rise in
warmer-than-normal winter days, which has a ripple effect on everything from
water supply to pest survival,” says Casey. “With warmer winters, mold season
is lasting longer, as mold thrives in these conditions.”

As these effects become more
pronounced, adapting to these changes will be essential for maintaining the
state’s economy, infrastructure and quality of life.

Just over half of Oklahomans voted in the presidential election trailing only Hawaii for the lowest voter turnout nationwide. Oklahoma United wants to amend the state constitution opening state primaries to everyone. 

Many independent voters behind this petition said they feel they don’t have a say in their community until it’s too late.

They want their government to represent everyone, and they said Oklahoma has to change its tune. 

“We are all here today to support improving our democracy,” A.J. Griffin, chief executive officer of the Potts Family Foundation. 

Oklahoma United filed a petition on behalf of several independent voters. U.S. Coast Guard veteran Anthony Stobbe said he feels left out in primary elections. 

“Over half of military service members don’t affiliate with a political party,” Stobbe said. “The current system we have in place says to me that your political opinions don’t matter.” 

Oklahoma Republicans only allow registered GOP voters to vote in their primaries. News 9 Political Analyst Scott Mitchell said closed primaries silence diverse voices. 

“The numbers are down,” said Mitchell, referring to Oklahoma’s chronically low voter turnout. “If you’ve got a small minority deciding all of the issues, that’s not a healthy democracy.” 

The spokesperson for the Vote Yes 835 campaign Alex Weintz said politicians don’t have to work for people’s vote. 

“We’ve made these November races all but meaningless,” Weintz said. “A Democrat in a heavily Democratic area or a Republican in a heavily Republican area is just cruising to victory.” 

Gov. Kevin Stitt posted to X saying, “Open primaries are a hard no in Oklahoma.” 

Lt Gov. Matt Pinnell said in a statement:

“At best, the push to mandate open primaries is a solution in search of a problem, and at worst, it is a thinly veiled attempt to weaken Republican voters in choosing the nominees to represent our Party. As a former Republican state party chairman and State Party Director at the RNC, I would hope the current primary structure would incentivize independents and conservative Democrats to register as Republicans and help choose our party’s nominees.” 

Mitchell said most state Republicans will oppose the idea of open primaries because the current rules overwhelmingly benefit GOP candidates. 

“They’re doing just fine with the results,” said Mitchell, regarding the legislature’s GOP supermajority. 

However, Stobbe believes democracy is at stake, and he said it’s time for Oklahomans to face the music. 

“It’s time to fix this,” Stobbe said. “It shifts the decision about who will represent the people closer to all of the people.” 

Oklahoma United submitted the initial petition to the secretary of state.

Once approved they have 90 days to gather nearly 173,000 signatures and get them certified to get the question on the ballot.

Advocates for this measure hope to get the question on the table for the November general election in 2026.