Mississippi

FBI SAC Eikhoff throws ceremonial first pitch at MBraves game

Published

2 years ago

July 11, 2024

FBI SAC Eikhoff throws ceremonial first pitch at MBraves game

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Mississippi’s FBI Field Office is 60 years old on July 10, 2024, and to celebrate the occasion, the new Special Agent-In-Charge tossed out the first pitch at Tuesday’s M-Braves baseball game.

He also gave me his first on-camera interview since he took the job in March. In a 3 On Your Side exclusive interview, Robert Eikhoff shares with me, his vision for the agency.

As Robert Eikhoff takes the field at Trustmark Park in Pearl to make the ceremonial first pitch for this baseball game, the turbulent history of the state he now serves is not lost on him.

NAACP Field Secretary Medgar Evers had been killed by a sniper in 1963; three civil rights workers, Michael Schwerner, James Chaney and Andrew Goodman had been murdered the following year. Then President Lyndon Johnson told Director J. Edgar Hoover that the FBI should have a stronger official presence in Mississippi. Hoover attended the re-opening of the Jackson Division.

SAC Robert Eikhoff said, “When you think about Mississippi and you think about the Jackson field office, take it back 60 years to this day, July 10 of 1964 is when we reopened this field office. Eight days prior is when the Civil Rights Act was passed. I don’t think you can look at those two as not connected. So it goes to the importance of the history of Mississippi and the importance to the FBI of ensuring that civil rights are protected for all, and especially here in Mississippi.”

The 54-year-old says trust is fundamental to the community; you being able to rely on law enforcement and for law enforcement to be able to rely on you, the community.

Eikhoff said, “When we look at what’s happened in recent years and even the history of Mississippi that led to the Civil Rights Act and the opening of reopening this office 60 years ago today, is fundamental, the civil rights that afforded everybody, individually, and for those who are not going to honor and respect civil rights, they’re going to be held to account. And for us, it’s important that we work with our law enforcement partners, that they understand the importance of hiring practices, policy, training and accountability, and ultimately, transparency and all those together lead to trust in those communities where there’s trust, you have to have that to maintain it. In the communities where trust has been affected, then you have to work towards building that trust with those pillars.”

Eikhoff is a Georgia native who graduated from Georgia State University, and he says Mississippi reminds him of his home.

“I’m really excited to be here. Having the opportunity to come to Jackson and be part of the FBI family here, and then part of the greater Mississippi community is really a great honor. And I’m humbled for the opportunity.” said Eikhoff.

Robert Eikhoff most recently served as a section chief in the Operational Technology Division at FBI Headquarters in Washington D.C.

He replaces Jermicha Fomby who officially retired from the FBI last December.

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Mississippi

Stamps Super Burgers named best burger in Mississippi

Published

3 hours ago

April 6, 2026

Press Room

Stamps Super Burgers named best burger in Mississippi

A Jackson, Mississippi, icon has been named the best burger in Mississippi.

Foodie offers tips for “living a delicious life” from where you go out to eat to what you cook at home. It’s ranked the best hamburger restaurant in every state.

“Of course, the bigger burger chain names have become famous worldwide, but U.S. soil is also home to a dazzling variety of burger businesses, from those selling everything from high-end gastroburgers and gluten- or meat-free versions, to hole-in-the-wall places that have been slinging sliders for generations,” Scheenagh Harrington wrote for Foodie.

The site’s pick for the best in the Magnolia State is not surprising.

“Many businesses claim their product is the best in town, but Jackson-based Stamps Super Burgers really does deliver,” Harrington wrote.

They warned to plan your trip. Afternoons can get very busy.

Why do people love Stamps burgers?

Stamps Super Burgers, 1801 Dalton St., Jackson, was founded in 1986. Since then, three generations of the Stamps family have served juicy burgers and fresh-cut fries to the community.

Today, it’s co-owned by Phil Stamps Jr. In a previous interview with the Clarion Ledger, he said it “originally started with my grandmother and grandfather in 1970 when they purchased it from Canterbury Grocery, and the entire family operated that business as a grocery and meat market for a while before transitioning over to burgers in 1986.”

The kitchen is open, in the center of the restaurant. You can watch employees cut potatoes for fries or man the grill.

A signature Stamps hamburger comes with an 11-ounce beef patty and mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, lettuce, tomato, pickle and onions. The menu also has wings and different burger options, like turkey or portobello.

The Washington Addition restaurant regularly tops “best of” rankings for the state. In 2024, it was on the USA TODAY Restaurants of the Year list.

Where are the best burgers in Jackson, MS?

Yelp lists the Top 10 burger joints in Jackson, based on user reviews.

Stamps Super Burgers
Foundation Burger
Fat Albert’s
Cs’s
Rooster’s Restaurant
Rowan’s
Bulldog Burger
The Pig & Pint
Brent’s Drugs
Not Just a Burger

Contributing: Kiara Fleming

Bonnie Bolden is the Deep South Connect reporter for Mississippi with USA TODAY NETWORK. Email her at bbolden@gannett.com.

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Mississippi

An 1850s Parsonage in Natchez, Mississippi, Is Selling for the First Time in Over a Century

Published

15 hours ago

April 5, 2026

Press Room

An 1850s Parsonage in Natchez, Mississippi, Is Selling for the First Time in Over a Century

A 174-year-old brick parsonage house on a bluff above the Mississippi River is now for sale in Natchez, Mississippi, asking $1.985 million.

The home, completed in 1852, was built by architect James Hardie as a residence for Methodist ministers, according to historical records. The land was donated by Peter Little, a wealthy cotton broker and slave owner who built the city’s historic Rosalie mansion.

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The house was initially built as a one-story residence with an “English” basement and a carriage house; a two-story annex was added later, according to the listing with Douglas Adams of Crescent Sotheby’s International Realty, informed by the Historic Natchez Foundation.

“The location is what is superb because it is one of the highest points in Natchez overlooking the Mississippi River,” said Adams, who posted the listing Thursday.

In 1893, the Parsonage changed hands for the last time when it was purchased by James and Agnes Metcalfe, and has been in the Metcalfe family ever since.

Known as the Parsonage, the residence is considered a classic example of Greek Revival architecture from the pre-Civil War South, with a wide portico, raised porch and sash windows. It is located on South Broadway Street, in a commanding position that overlooks Bluff Park, the Mississippi and downtown Natchez. It spans 6,500 square feet with five bedrooms, two formal parlors flanking a central hall and richly detailed interiors that include original exposed-brick walls, fireplaces and stained-glass windows.

In addition to a front porch, the property includes several outdoor terraces and balconies, including a second-floor wraparound deck and a balustraded rooftop—which has the best vantage point from which to see the wide views.

The home was occupied for many years by the late Albert and Gay Metcalfe, who married at the Parsonage in 1959, and would host events for friends. “It became something of a social hub,” Adams said. “They’d host families to celebrate someone’s life; there may have been some weddings that occurred there.”

Gay Metcalfe died in 2023 and the heirs are her three children, Adams said. The family couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

Hardie, the architect, was a Scottish immigrant who built several other notable buildings in Natchez, including most prominently St. Mary Basilica, a Gothic Revival structure on the National Register of Historic Places, and the Homewood plantation, a Greek Revival mansion.

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According to local lore, the Parsonage was commissioned by Little because his wife, Eliza’s religious devotion led her to welcome every passing minister into their home, according to “Natchez,” a 1940s history of the city. Displeased with the “long siege of such guests,” Little decided to build a separate home for his wife’s visitors.

Little’s own mansion at Rosalie still stands today near the site of the 1729 massacre of the Natchez Native Americans, from whom the city takes its name.

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