Mississippi
Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi hosts its annual Meridian Walk for Diabetes
MERIDIAN, Miss. (WTOK) -On Sunday, the Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi held its annual Meridian Walk for Diabetes at Bonita Lake Parks.
Many people came out to walk in support of children and families who have been diagnosed with type and type two diabetes.
Registration began at 1 pm, followed by Miss Mississippi’s Becky Williams leading the warm-ups and stretches to prepare people for their walk, which began at 2.
There were also activities for the children, such as face painting, a sneaker contest, food, snacks, and cold beverages for everyone in attendance, and everyone who finished the walk earned a medal of accomplishment.
Jowilla Secoy, Regional Director of the Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi, was very excited about the turnout of their event.
“Today was a little small, but we’re always thankful to everyone who comes out here. I think we’ve got about 75 to 100 people out here today, and we’ve done this for years, and it just always depends. Last year, it was freezing cold, and we had a lot of people out here, you know, on Sundays, it can be hard to have people out because they have other obligations; however, those that don’t come out, they’re still supporting us, whether it’s through donor drive or sending in checks. But it’s the ones that we have out here today; they’re here for a reason, and there’s meaning behind them. Everything that they do for us,” says Jowilla Secoy, Regional Director.
Miss Mississippi Becky Williams was also in attendance, talking more about her Make a Move initiative and how this walk was important.
“There are so many comorbidities related to sedentary and unhealthy lifestyle, and so when we start moving our bodies through these simple ways, whether it is just walking, whether it is going to get your own groceries, we really can change our lives. And so understanding that this correlation between walking and diabetes and also understanding that Mississippi is one of the most unhealthy states in the nation and has a very high diabetes rate. You know, it just makes sense to to combine these things to bring awareness to health,” says 2024 Miss Mississippi’s Becky Williams
All the money raised at the walk will stay in Mississippi to help provide support for the families and get them access to equipment, tools, and resources they need to survive and live an everyday life with diabetes.
Click here to subscribe to our daily newsletter!
Copyright 2024 WTOK. All rights reserved.
Wingate rejects standing challenge in Jackson ARPA lawsuit
Subscribe to the Clarion Ledger
If you are not a subscriber, consider subscribing now. You will also get access to the Clarion Ledger’s E-Edition, the electronic replica of the print publication along with print archives. The E-edition is also available on our app.
USA Today Network
A federal judge said the NAACP and Jackson residents suing Mississippi over withheld American Rescue Plan Act water infrastructure money have cleared the first major hurdle in their lawsuit against the state.
During a hearing Monday, May 18, U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate announced he had rejected the state’s argument that the plaintiffs lacked legal standing to bring the case, clearing the way for the lawsuit to continue.
The lawsuit was filed by the Jackson branch of the NAACP along with Jackson residents Doris Glasper and Nsombi Lambright. It alleges Mississippi officials discriminated against Jackson, a majority-Black city, through the way they controlled and distributed federal American Rescue Plan Act water infrastructure funding that plaintiffs argue could have helped prevent or lessen the city’s 2022 water crisis.
The hearing was a continuation of arguments first heard Thursday, May 14, where Mississippi attorneys asked Wingate to dismiss the lawsuit on several grounds, including standing, statute of limitations issues and 11th Amendment immunity claims.
But Monday, Wingate said the plaintiffs had met the legal threshold required to keep the case alive.
“This court is persuaded that this lawsuit shall go forward,” Wingate said from the bench. “This court has determined that these plaintiffs, all of them, have standing.”
Wingate said he is still finalizing a written opinion explaining his reasoning and expects to issue one later this week that will address the remaining dismissal arguments as well.
The state had argued the plaintiffs could not directly connect their alleged harms — including boil water notices, low pressure and prolonged water outages — to Mississippi’s handling of ARPA funds. Instead, state attorneys argued those problems stemmed from Jackson’s longstanding water system failures themselves.
The plaintiffs, meanwhile, argued Mississippi created additional barriers specifically for Jackson after lawmakers approved Senate Bill 2822 in 2022, including requiring Jackson’s award money to flow through a separate state-controlled Capital City Water/Sewer Projects Fund. Jackson was the only municipality to have a separate fund.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs also argued that while Jackson was publicly awarded roughly $35.6 million in ARPA funding, much of the money never actually reached the city.
Monday’s hearing focused narrowly on the legal question of whether the NAACP and the two residents had the right to sue in the first place.
Wingate summarized the plaintiffs’ claims in court, saying they alleged Mississippi’s actions “prevented the disbursement of federal funds that had been directed at and allocated to the City of Jackson” and that those delays prolonged residents’ suffering tied to the city’s water problems.
Wingate also noted the NAACP argued its Jackson membership had dropped from roughly 500 members to around 300 members because of the city’s ongoing water problems, which the organization cited as part of its standing argument.
After announcing his ruling on standing, Wingate immediately moved the hearing into arguments over the state’s statute of limitations defense. The hearing recessed for 20 minutes before attorneys resumed arguments on the remaining motions to dismiss.
The next fight: Did the plaintiffs wait too long to sue?
After ruling the plaintiffs had standing, Wingate moved into another major argument from the state: whether the lawsuit was filed too late.
State attorney Lisa Reppeto argued the clock started in April 2022 when the state’s ARPA laws were passed, meaning the lawsuit filed in August 2025 fell outside the three-year statute of limitations.
The state also argued the lawsuit never identified a specific ARPA funding request that was denied by Mississippi.
But Crystal McElrath, an attorney representing the plaintiffs through the Southern Poverty Law Center, pushed back, arguing the alleged discrimination and harms continued well beyond 2022. They pointed to actions taken by state officials in late 2022 and afterward, along with ongoing water-related problems residents say they continue to experience.
McElrath also argued Mississippi intentionally created a separate and confusing process for Jackson’s ARPA money by requiring the funds to flow through a special state-controlled account.
Both Reppeto and McElrath sparred Monday over the “continuing violation doctrine,” a legal argument centered on whether the alleged discrimination happened only when Mississippi passed the ARPA laws in 2022 or whether the state’s later handling of Jackson’s funding kept the clock running for the lawsuit.
“The system itself, the process created, was intentionally designed to prevent the City of Jackson from being able to access those funds,” McElrath said.
Wingate did not immediately rule Monday on the statute of limitations argument.
Charlie Drape, the Jackson beat reporter, has been covering all of the nuances of the Jackson water crisis since 2024.
We interrupt your downpour of college baseball news for a reminder that some basketball programs are still building out their roster for next season.
Mississippi State landed a commitment from Ashton Magee on Saturday.
Magee becomes the latest piece in what has turned into a near-total roster rebuild for Mississippi State, and his addition fits the broader theme of what the staff has been chasing this spring.
He’s a 6-7 forward coming off his freshman year at Southern University, where he played steady rotation minutes and showed enough long-term upside to draw interest once he hit the portal. He’ll arrive in Starkville with three seasons of eligibility and the option to redshirt if the staff wants to stretch his development.
The Laurel native and South Jones product didn’t put up big numbers in Baton Rouge, but he played in 31 games and logged 350 minutes as a true freshman.
Magee shot 44.4 percent from the field, averaged 3.0 points and 1.7 rebounds, and got a taste of what a full college season feels like. Southern finished 17-17 and 11-7 in SWAC play, and Magee’s role grew as the year went on.
His path to Mississippi State has already taken a few turns. Magee originally committed to Kansas State out of high school before reopening his recruitment and signing with Southern.
Now he’s back in his home state with a chance to carve out a role on a roster that has plenty of room for new contributors.
And that’s the real context here. Mississippi State returns only one full-time starter in rising senior Josh Hubbard, who will carry the scoring load again.
King Grace is back after playing meaningful minutes as a freshman, and redshirts Cameren Paul and Tee Bartlett will finally get their first real look after sitting last season. Everything else is open. Everything else is up for competition.
Mississippi State Basketball Transfer Portal Tracker
Women
Incoming
- Reese Beaty, 5-8, G, Fr. (Iowa State)
- Aryss Macktoon, G, 5-11, So. (La Salle)
- Arianny Francisco De Oliviera, F, 6-4, So. (Gulf Coast State College)
- Macie Phifer, 6-1, G, Fr. (Middle Tennessee)
- Cali Smallwood, 5-9, G, Jr. (UAB)
Outgoing
- Awa Fane, 5-8, G, Jr.
- Nataliyah Gray, 6-3, F, Fr.
- Rocío Jiménez, 6-7, C, R-So.
- Saniyah King, 5-7, G, So.
- Jaylah Lampley, 6-2, Fr.
Men
Incoming
- Thomas Bassong, 6-8, F, Fr. (Florida State)
- RJ Johnson, 6-4, G, Jr. (Kennesaw State)
- Ashton Magee, 6-7, F, Fr. (Southern)
- ND Okafor, 6-7, F, Sr. (Washington State)
- Kendyl Sanders, 6-8, F, Fr. (Utah)
- Tajuan Simpkins, 6-4, G, (Seton Hall)
Outgoing
- Gai Chol, 7-0, C, Jr.
- Jamarion Davis-Fleming, 6-10, F, Fr.
- Dellquan Warren, 6-2, G, So.
- Amier Ali, 6-8, G/F, So.
- Sergej Macura, 6-9, F, So.
- Brandon Walker, 6-8, F, Sr.
Follow
Softball
May 16, 2026
Alyssa Faircloth’s no-hitter is Mississippi State’s first in NCAA softball tournament
May 16, 2026
Alyssa Faircloth threw a no-hitter in Mississippi State’s regional win over Oregon, the Bulldogs’ first in an NCAA tournament game. Watch the extended highlights from the no-hitter here.
-
Finance38 seconds agoAussie suburbs with the largest superannuation losses from collapsed funds: ‘Still unaware’
-
Fitness7 minutes agoScientists say just 30 minutes of exercise a week could transform your health
-
Movie Reviews19 minutes ago‘Her Private Hell’ Review: Nicolas Winding Refn’s Trippy Return To Cinema
-
World31 minutes agoShakira Is Found Not Guilty of Tax Fraud in Spain
-
News37 minutes agoVideo: Deal Ends Long Island Rail Road Strike
-
Business49 minutes agoVideo: Jury Rejects Elon Musk’s Lawsuit Against OpenAI and Microsoft
-
Culture1 hour agoKennedy Ryan on ‘Score,’ Her TV Deal, and Finding Purpose
-
Lifestyle1 hour agoColbert’s last episodes: What happened on ‘The Late Show’ last night
