Mississippi
A Mississippi Confederate monument covered for 4 years is moved
GRENADA, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi town has taken down a Confederate monument that stood on the courthouse square since 1910 — a figure that was tightly wrapped in tarps the past four years, symbolizing the community’s enduring division over how to commemorate the past.
Grenada’s first Black mayor in two decades seems determined to follow through on the city’s plans to relocate the monument to other public land. A concrete slab has already been poured behind a fire station about 3.5 miles (5.6 kilometers) from the square.
But a new fight might be developing. A Republican lawmaker from another part of Mississippi wrote to Grenada officials saying she believes the city is violating a state law that restricts the relocation of war memorials or monuments.
The Grenada City Council voted to move the monument in 2020, weeks after police killed George Floyd in Minneapolis. The vote seemed timely: Mississippi legislators had just retired the last state flag in the U.S. that prominently featured the Confederate battle emblem.
The tarps went up soon after the vote, shrouding the Confederate soldier and the pedestal he stood on. But even as people complained about the eyesore, the move was delayed by tight budgets, state bureaucracy or political foot-dragging. Explanations vary, depending on who’s asked.
A new mayor and city council took office in May, prepared to take action. On Sept. 11, with little advance notice, police blocked traffic and a work crew disassembled and removed the 20-foot (6.1-meter) stone structure.
“I’m glad to see it move to a different location,” said Robin Whitfield, an artist with a studio just off Grenada’s historic square. “This represents that something has changed.”
Still, Whitfield, who is white, said she wishes Grenada leaders had invited the community to engage in dialogue about the symbol, to bridge the gap between those who think moving it is erasing history and those who see it as a daily reminder of white supremacy. She was among the few people watching as a crane lifted parts of the monument onto a flatbed truck.
“No one ever talked about it, other than yelling on Facebook,” Whitfield said.
Mayor Charles Latham said the monument has been “quite a divisive figure” in the town of 12,300, where about 57% of residents are Black and 40% are white.
“I understand people had family and stuff to fight and die in that war, and they should be proud of their family,” Latham said. “But you’ve got to understand that there were those who were oppressed by this, by the Confederate flag on there. There’s been a lot of hate and violence perpetrated against people of color, under the color of that flag.”
The city received permission from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History to move the Confederate monument, as required. But Rep. Stacey Hobgood-Wilkes of Picayune said the fire station site is inappropriate.
“We are prepared to pursue such avenues that may be necessary to ensure that the statue is relocated to a more suitable and appropriate location,” she wrote, suggesting a Confederate cemetery closer to the courthouse square as an alternative. She said the Ladies Cemetery Association is willing to deed a parcel to the city to make it happen.
The Confederate monument in Grenada is one of hundreds in the South, most of which were dedicated during the early 20th century when groups such as the United Daughters of the Confederacy sought to shape the historical narrative by valorizing the Lost Cause mythology of the Civil War.
The monuments, many of them outside courthouses, came under fresh scrutiny after an avowed white supremacist who had posed with Confederate flags in photos posted online killed nine Black people inside the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015.
Grenada’s monument includes images of Confederate president Jefferson Davis and a Confederate battle flag. It was engraved with praise for “the noble men who marched neath the flag of the Stars and Bars” and “the noble women of the South,” who “gave their loved ones to our country to conquer or to die for truth and right.”
A half-century after it was dedicated, the monument’s symbolism figured in a voting rights march. When the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders held a mass rally in downtown Grenada in June 1966, Robert Green of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference scrambled up the pedestal and planted a U.S. flag above the image of Davis.
The cemetery is a spot Latham himself had previously advocated as a new site for the monument, but he said it’s too late to change now, after the city already budgeted $60,000 for the move.
“So, who’s going to pay the city back for the $30,000 we’ve already expended to relocate this?” he said. “You should’ve showed up a year and a half ago, two years ago, before the city gets to this point.”
A few other Confederate monuments in Mississippi have been relocated. In July 2020, a Confederate soldier statue was moved from a prominent spot at the University of Mississippi to a Civil War cemetery in a secluded part of the Oxford campus. In May 2021, a Confederate monument featuring three soldiers was moved from outside the Lowndes County Courthouse in Columbus to another cemetery with Confederate soldiers.
Lori Chavis, a Grenada City Council member, said that since the monument was covered by tarps, “it’s caused nothing but more divide in our city.”
She said she supports relocating the monument but worries about a lawsuit. She acknowledged that people probably didn’t know until recently exactly where it would reappear.
“It’s tucked back in the woods, and it’s not visible from even pulling behind the fire station,” Chavis said. “And I think that’s what got some of the citizens upset.”
Mississippi
Mississippi State women’s basketball vs LSU score today: Live updates vs Kim Mulkey
Mississippi State women’s basketball achieved one of its biggest wins under coach Sam Purcell last season, beating LSU 77-73 at Humphrey Coliseum. The Bulldogs go for a second-consecutive win against the Tigers and coach Kim Mulkey today.
MSU (16-6, 3-5 SEC) is on the road playing No. 5 LSU (22-1, 7-1) on Sunday (1 p.m., SEC Network).
LSU no longer has stars Angel Reese and Hailey Van Lith but has others in Flau’Jae Johnson and Aneesah Morrow. The Tigers’ only loss this season is to South Carolina.
The Bulldogs lost on a buzzer-beater at Missouri on Monday.
Follow along for live score updates.
Watch Mississippi State vs LSU live on ESPN+ (subscribe today)
Mississippi State vs LSU score updates
This section will be updated when the game begins.
What time does Mississippi State vs LSU play today?
- Date: Sunday, Feb. 2
- Time: 1 p.m.
- Location: Pete Maravich Assembly Center
What channel is Mississippi State vs LSU on today?
- TV channel: SEC Network
- Streaming: ESPN+ (subscribe here)
- Radio: Mississippi State radio network 96.1 FM
Mississippi State vs LSU live stream options
Mississippi State women’s basketball vs. LSU will be broadcast on SEC Network. Streaming is available via ESPN+.
Mississippi State vs LSU predictions
LSU 80, Mississippi State 64: It will be interesting to see if any disappointment from MSU’s loss to Missouri carries over to this game. The Tigers have another powerful team, and it’s hard to see Mississippi State keeping up with their offense.
Mississippi State vs LSU betting odds
Betting lines and odds have not yet been posted by BetMGM.
Mississippi State vs LSU injury updates
Mississippi State starting center Madina Okot is probable. LSU will be without Sa’Myah Smith and Izzy Besselman.
Mississippi State women’s basketball schedule 2024-25
Record: 16-6
Next five games on the Mississippi State schedule:
- Feb. 2: at LSU
- Feb. 6: vs. Arkansas
- Feb. 9: vs Alabama
- Feb. 13: at Vanderbilt
- Feb. 16: at Florida
LSU women’s basketball schedule 2024-25
Record: 22-1
Next five games on the LSU schedule:
- Feb. 2: vs. Mississippi State
- Feb. 6: at Missouri
- Feb. 9: vs. Tennessee
- Feb. 16: at Texas
- Feb. 20: vs. Georgia
Mississippi State women’s basketball news
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
Mississippi
Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi hosts 25th Annual Bacchus Ball
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – The Jackson Country Club was packed Saturday night for the 25th annual Bacchus Ball hosted by the Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi, bringing a fun night of celebration with a Mardi Gras twist.
“It’s so much fun as a Louisiana native. I am really blessed to be able to bring a part of Mardi Gras from Louisiana and the coast of Mississippi to Jackson for a really great cause,” Public Relations and Special Event Coordinator Faith Ruchti said.
Established in 1984 by the late Warren and Elsie Hood, the DFM Bacchus Ball has grown each year bringing awareness to the disease.
The event offered all things from Creole cuisines to live music and even a silent auction.
The ball helps ensure the foundation can continue providing care for every family affected by both type 1 and type 2 diabetes in Mississippi.
“All money raised stays in Mississippi for Mississippians. Mississippi is number two in the United States for diabetes, and so, we get out their and raise awareness whether it’s through walks, health fairs, [or] church fairs. Anything like that is really like the main goal. We are able to do that through our smaller events, but also, making sure people are aware of the risks of diabetes, the signs and symptoms, and complications because diabetes is a silent killer,” Ruchti said.
Every dollar raised by the foundation at its various events stays in Mississippi and supports educational and medical assistance programs for adults and kids facing this disease in the state.
“Being parents of five kids, we understand how financially stressful it is, especially with a medical disability like diabetes, to handle that stress and emotional burden. And so, to be able to relieve parents a little bit of that worry, it’s a blessing to us,” 2025 Bacchus Chair Heather Ward said.
You can click here if you would like to get involved or donate to the Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi.
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See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Please click here to report it and include the headline of the story in your email.
Copyright 2025 WLBT. All rights reserved.
Mississippi
What I'm looking at: Mississippi State
Here’s a scouting report, some notes, matchups to watch and what I think will lead to a Tiger win today as No. 20 Missouri (16-4, 5-2) takes on No. 14 Mississippi State (16-5, 4-4) in the Tigers’ second of four consecutive ranked matchups at noon today (SEC Network).
The Bulldogs enter today’s matchup having lost four of their past six matchups, including an 88-84 loss to No. 4 Alabama on Wednesday.
Josh Hubbard attempted to lead a second-half comeback for the Bulldogs with a career-high 38 points as the sophomore hit 14-of-28 shots, including six 3-pointers. Mississippi State tied the game and took the lead with 10:14 left, then traded the lead with the Crimson Tide before Alabama took the lead for good 2:30 left and held on the rest of the way.
Mississippi State entered SEC play with a 12-1 record, having beat Memphis and Pitt in ranked non-conference games.
The Bulldogs started the SEC schedule with big wins against South Carolina (85-50) and Vanderbilt (76-64), but have since lost to Kentucky (95-90), Auburn (88-66) Tennessee (68-56) and Alabama, while beating Ole Miss (84-81 in OT) and South Carolina (65-60 in OT).
The Bulldogs are more offensively-minded than Tiger fans might initially think about Mississippi State, averaging 80.8 points per game, while allowing 70.4.
In conference play, those numbers are 75.75 points scored and 74.25 allowed per game.
The Bulldogs shot 46 percent from the field, 32.1 percent from 3 and 69.6 percent from the free-throw line, while averaging just 13.7 free throw attempts per game.
Mississippi State allows opponents to shoot 42.4/35.2/68.6.
The Bulldogs force 14.1 turnovers per game, including 9.7 steals, while totaling 16.7 points off turnovers per game. They commit just 10.4 turnovers per game.
Hubbard (5-foot-11, 190 pounds) leads the team at 17.3 points per game to go with 3.0 assists per contest.
Redshirt junior forward KeShawn Murphy (6-10, 230) is next with 10.8 points per game, while grabbing a team-high 7.1 rebounds per contest and blocking more than a shot per game, while poking away 1.0 steals per game. Murphy started the first three games of the season, while playing off the bench the rest of the 21 matchups this season.
Senior guard Claudell Harris (6-4, 200) adds 10.6 points and 3.1 rebounds per game, while junior guard Riley Kugel (6-5, 210) scores 10.2 points per game, mostly off the bench.
Senior forward RJ Melendez (6-7, 210), who Mizzou fans might remember from his time at Illinois, and graduate forward Cameron Matthews (6-7, 235) round out the players who average more than 20 minutes per game. Matthews pulls down 7.0 rebounds per contest.
Hubbard is the lone player to start every game, while Mathews and sophomore center Michael Nwoko (6-10, 245) have both started 19-of-21. Melendez has started 16-of-21, Harris has started 14-of-21 and four players have started at least three games.
Mississippi State is No. 24 in the NET rankings, while Missouri is No. 27.
The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 14-6, including winning eight of the past nine games. The Tigers’ lone win in the past five years came 66-64 on Feb. 21, 2023 in Columbia.
The Tigers have won just once in Starkville, a 78-36 win on Feb. 13, 2013.
Mizzou notes: Caleb Grill ranks first in the country in 3-point percentage at 48.3 percent … Mizzou has led for all 20 minutes in the second half of all five of its SEC wins so far … Mizzou is 5-2 in SEC play for the first time in program history … Mark Mitchell is 39 points shy of reaching 1,000 for his career … Dennis Gates enters the matchup with 99 career wins, 50 at Cleveland State and 49 at Missouri.
Josh Hubbard vs. Mizzou’s defensive strategy
The Tigers have faced some top-tier guards recently and they’ve got another one with Hubbard. He makes the Mississippi State offense go.
More than half of his shot attempts come from beyond the 3-point line and he shoots just 39.3 percent from the field. I don’t know if the strategy will just be to try to have Ant Robinson lock him up individually or try to funnel him into the paint where he’ll have to go against bigger bodies, but the Tigers have done very well against a string of talented guards and if they can do the same with Hubbard, that’s a great first step to a victory.
Mizzou vs. the crowd
Obviously, the Tigers had one incredible road game against Florida and have done fine in most other road performances. But they still have a 1-4 record away from Mizzou Arena.
From the outside, it looks like the Tigers have just missed that little extra boost they get from playing in front of the home crowd, outside of the Florida game where they came out fast and quieted the crowd immediately.
There’s a good chance this matchup will be another rock fight, Chris Jans-coached teams are always talented on the defensive end and the Bulldogs are again this year, but if Missouri is able to quiet the crowd early and keep them out of it as much as possible, that should go a long way to getting a second road win this season.
Ball control is going to be a major factor in this game. Both teams are very good at forcing turnovers and using them to create easy opportunities on offense.
Mizzou has done a good job of staying below 15 turnovers per game since the matchup with Auburn, right up until a 16-turnover performance against Ole Miss.
If Mizzou gives up 18 points off turnovers like it did against the Rebels, you’re looking at a recipe for another road loss.
But if the Tigers can control the ball and say in single digits, like they did against Florida, then I think this will be another game at the top of the Tigers’ resume come Selection Sunday.
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