Mississippi

Black bear moves on from DeSoto County. But could he — or other bears — return to area?

Published

9 months ago

June 11, 2025

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Black bear moves on from DeSoto County. But could he — or other bears — return to area?

A young black bear was spotted traveling through DeSoto County, Mississippi, sparking discussion about wild bears in the area.
The bear, likely a male, is exhibiting normal behavior by traveling long distances to establish a new home range.
Mississippi’s black bear population is growing, with the bear possibly originating from Arkansas.
Residents are advised to secure attractants like garbage and pet food to avoid attracting bears.

A juvenile black bear’s adventure through DeSoto County has produced photo and video across the area and sparked discussion about wild bears in Mississippi.

Now, more than a week after the bear was first spotted in DeSoto County, he appears to have moved on eastward to Byhalia and Marshall County.

But could this bear or other bears return?

Anthony Ballard is the Black Bear Program coordinator for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. He said it’s possible this bear or others could visit the area, but noted it’s hard to predict what bears will do.

“That bear could turn north and go to Tennessee,” Ballard said. “He might turn around and go right back to Lake McCormorant, or he may walk to Alabama. You just never know. He may set up camp right where he is and stay there for the rest of his life.”

The DeSoto County bear was noticeably young and likely male. Ballard said it’s normal for males of his age to travel long distances rapidly in this way. While females usually remain close to their mother, males around 16-18 months begin to roam.

“So this time of year, what you see is young males, usually, that disperse a long distance from their original home range,” he said. “So it could be tens or even hundreds of miles from that original home range, just to just spread those genetics out, you know, into a different area. That’s kind of a biological way of, you know, preventing inbreeding and genetic problems. They’re going to just try to figure out how to be a bear on their own.”

Ballard said the travel is instinctive — bears aren’t necessarily looking for females at this point or even going anywhere in particular, just somewhere to establish a home range without any competing males nearby. North Mississippi hasn’t seen a bear in years, so that certainly fits the bill.

While most of the estimated 150 bears in Mississippi can be found near the Gulf Coast and Mississippi Delta, Ballard hazards a guess that the bear is actually from Arkansas, meaning he swam across the Mississippi River.

“A lot of the bears that we have here in Mississippi came from population sources from either Louisiana or Arkansas,” he said.

It’s a good sign — as the population density of bears increases, the males adapt by going farther and farther distances to find their permanent home, even crossing large bodies of water like the Mississippi.

Black bear populations are making a comeback in Mississippi. They’re a historically important species to the state, with fossil records dating back 12,000 years. By the 1930s their numbers were devastated to about a dozen bears. Bear hunting was banned in 1932, and thanks to years of conservation efforts, by 2002 there were nearly 50 bears. Now the number is more than 150, though it is difficult to determine an exact number.

Bears are a protected species in Mississippi — harming one could lead to jailtime. If the bear has been spotted in your area, be sure to move inside your home anything that could attract the bear, like barbecue grills, smokers, garbage, animal and pet feed and even bird feeders. Do not scare or agitate the bear with loud sounds, simply wait for the bear to leave.

“I tell people anything that a dog can get into, a bear can smell even better, and they’re even better at getting into it,” Ballard said.

To learn everything you need to know about coexisting with bears in the areas that they roam, visit bearwise.org.

Jacob Wilt is a reporter for The Commercial Appeal covering DeSoto County, as well as Dining in the Memphis area. You can reach him at jacob.wilt@commercialappeal.com.

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Mississippi

Carpenter Pole and Piling invests $5M in Mississippi, creating 10 jobs

Published

11 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Carpenter Pole and Piling invests M in Mississippi, creating 10 jobs

Staff
| Mississippi Clarion Ledger

A Mississippi wood products manufacturer is investing nearly $5 million in an expansion.
Carpenter Pole and Piling’s project is expected to create 10 new jobs in Wiggins.
The expansion includes a new treatment plant and an additional 20 acres for storage.
Construction is anticipated to be completed by September 2026.

A wood products manufacturer is set to create new jobs as part of a major expansion.

Carpenter Pole and Piling is investing nearly $5 million into its Wiggins, Mississippi, operation.

The expansion will add 10 new positions and support long-term growth in the region.

“Carpenter Pole and Piling is a true Mississippi success story, and we’re proud to see the company continue investing right here at home,” Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said.

“This expansion in Stone County is creating new opportunities for hardworking Mississippians while strengthening a company that has long contributed to our state’s economy,” Reeves said. “When Mississippi businesses grow, our communities grow with them, and we remain committed to fostering a business environment where companies can thrive.”

Carpenter Pole and Piling produces utility poles and pilings for marine and foundation use.

The project includes construction of a new treatment plant, investment in a 2,600-cubic-foot autoclave and an alternative treatment option to improve production capacity.

The company is also clearing and preparing an additional 20 acres for a new pole storage yard.

Stone County is also contributing to the project.

The company expects to complete construction by September 2026.

The new roles are expected to be filled by January 2027.

Carpenter Pole and Piling specializes in the production of utility poles. It also manufactures foundation and marine pilings.

The new autoclave will increase production and add an alternative treatment option.

This story was created by business and development writer Ross Reily, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more.

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Mississippi

CBSB: Southern Miss sweeps again, Mississippi State shines in Texas, Ole Miss struggles – SuperTalk Mississippi

Published

23 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

CBSB: Southern Miss sweeps again, Mississippi State shines in Texas, Ole Miss struggles – SuperTalk Mississippi

Southern Miss earned its second consecutive sweep, rounding out a mostly successful weekend of college baseball for Mississippi’s major programs.

The No. 12 Golden Eagles (10-1), fresh off a mercy-rule victory over Alabama, exited a hostile Louisiana Tech environment with three straight wins versus a former conference counterpart. Christian Ostrander’s crew won 8-3 on Friday, cruised to an 11-0 run-rule victory through seven innings on Saturday, and was on the good side of a 6-2 scoreboard in Sunday’s finale.

A three-run bomb by Kyle Morrison in the top of the fourth of Friday’s game put the black and gold up 5-3, and solid pitching carried the team the rest of the way. A six-run top of the fourth of Saturday’s game, in part due to a Matthew Russo 2 RBI single, broke a scoring stalemate and fueled Southern Miss to a win in a shortened matchup. A two-run long ball by Joey Urban in the top of the ninth of Sunday’s battle gave the Golden Eagles a buffer that would not be eclipsed.

Kros Sivley (2-0) was Friday’s winning pitcher after logging a pair of strikeouts in 1.2 innings. Grayden Harris (2-0) got the win on Saturday after fanning five batters and surrendering no runs through six complete innings. Camden Sunstrom (1-0) closed out the finale with the win after striking out two batters and not giving up a hit or a run in the final two frames.

Mississippi State wins two in Texas

The No. 4 Bulldogs (11-1) had a solid weekend in the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series. Brian O’Connor’s club handled the weekend test with an 8-4 win over Arizona State, a 15-8 victory over Virginia Tech, and a heartbreaking 8-7 extra-innings loss to No. 1 UCLA.

Mississippi State broke a scoring hiatus on Friday with a strong bottom of the fifth. A Bryce Chance RBI single scored the game’s first run, then a Gehrig Frei homer put the Bulldogs up 4-0. Three insurance runs were added in the next offensive frame, and Mississippi State did not look back. On Saturday, an Ace Reece longball gave the maroon and white a 4-0 lead in the top of the second. Virginia Tech chipped away, cutting the deficit to two runs, until a five-run top of the seventh put things out of reach.

Sunday’s finale was a battle between two teams vying for bragging rights as the nation’s best. The Bruins took an early 3-0 lead, but Mississippi State quickly countered. A two-run bomb by Reed Stallman and an RBI double by Ryder Woodson knotted things up 3-3 in the bottom of the fourth. The Bulldogs added a run in the bottom of the seventh and eighth innings to lead 5-3.

A two-out home run by UCLA’s Roch Cholowsky tied the ballgame in the top of the ninth. Mississippi State, with runners on second and third and no outs in the bottom of the ninth, could not send a runner home. A wild pitch and a 2 RBI triple scored three Bruins in the top of the 10th. Stallman hit his second home run of the day to inch the Bulldogs within one run of their foe, but it was not followed up with more scoring.

Winning pitchers for Mississippi State this weekend were Ryan McPherson (2-0) and Tomas Valincius (3-0), while Ben Davis (0-1) was tabbed with the lone loss.

Ole Miss struggles in neutral-site tournament

In its first set of tests versus power conference opponents, the Rebels (10-2) struggled mightily, dropping two of three outings in the BRUCE BOLT College Classic. Mike Bianco’s club fell to Baylor 6-5 in extra innings on Friday before bouncing back on Saturday in an 8-0 win over Ohio State and suffering a 9-2 loss to Coastal Carolina in Sunday’s finale. Ole Miss was a combined 0-18 at the plate with runners in scoring position in the two losses.

Though the weekend didn’t play to the Rebels’ advantage, a few individual performers stood out. Murray State transfer Dom Decker, who entered his junior campaign without hitting a home run, hit three balls over the outfield wall at the Houston Astros’ Daikin Park. Hunter Elliott had a career-high 11 strikeouts on Friday, while Cade Townsend and Taylor Rabe collectively fanned 16 batters in Saturday’s shutout.

Next up

Southern Miss will play a pair of home midweek games, the first being against Mississippi State on Tuesday at 6 p.m. and the second versus Nicholls on Wednesday at 6 p.m., before hosting North Alabama over the weekend.

Mississippi State will host Lipscomb over the weekend after facing the Golden Eagles.

Ole Miss will host Memphis on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. and North Alabama on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., before welcoming Evansville for a weekend series.

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Mississippi

Mississippi State women’s basketball vs LSU, Kim Mulkey score, live updates, start time, TV

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Mississippi State women’s basketball vs LSU, Kim Mulkey score, live updates, start time, TV

STARKVILLE — Mississippi State women’s basketball is playing its final regular season game against No. 6 LSU at Humphrey Coliseum on March 1 (3 p.m., SEC Network).

The Bulldogs (18-11, 5-10 SEC) enter the game on the NCAA Tournament bubble after losing three consecutive games, so an upset win could secure an at-large bid.

The Tigers (25-4, 11-4) and coach Kim Mulkey have won three straight games. Their only losses of the season are to Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Texas and South Carolina.

The Clarion Ledger is bringing you live updates from the game. Follow along.

Watch Mississippi State vs LSU