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From Bayou to Beach to the Blues, Mississippi’s Got Your Jam

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From Bayou to Beach to the Blues, Mississippi’s Got Your Jam


Known as the catfish capital of the U.S., famous for its long stretches of beach along the Gulf Coast, Mississippi is also the place to come face to face with alligators foraging in swamplands, a place to discover unlimited road biking opportunities, and a place packed with tranquil stretches of river for paddling. The birthplace of Oprah Winfrey, Elvis Presley, and B.B. King is also home to business owners who have turned this Deep South state into an emerging outdoor adventure destination. From canoe companies offering dugout trips down the Mississippi River to tiny home communities nestled against historic running and biking trails, there is a bit of everything for the hardcore outdoor enthusiast and the curious nature traveler.

Being an adventurer at heart, I made sure our north-to-south itinerary was packed with nature-based activities that ranged from kayaking to road biking.

My older cousin and I landed in Memphis, crossed the Tennessee-Mississippi border, and began our trip in Clarksdale, Mississippi, a small town with a population of fewer than 19,000 residents and known as the “Birthplace of Blues” for having spawned so many musical legends, from Muddy Waters to Sam Cooke. Filled with historic buildings housing juke joints, record shops, and blues clubs, Clarksdale was also unexpectedly home to the Quapaw Canoe Company, an outfitter that leads expeditions down the Mississippi River.

After meeting up with African American naturalist guide Mark River, we set off in a dugout canoe on a stretch of the sediment-rich Mississippi with a leisurely 45-minute paddle to the nearby Montezuma Island. After we landed, the plentiful cottonwood trees rained down white cottony seeds all around us like snow. One of my most peaceful moments in recent memory is sitting at the edge of the island’s sandbank and watching bass and carp jump while turtles poked their heads out of the water and minnows nipped at the dead skin on my feet.

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Some must-dos in Clarksdale include catching live blues music in the evenings at the Hambone Gallery and starting your day with coffee and muffins at the local hipster café, Meraki. Needless to say, our trip was off with a bang.

Starkville, Mississippi, is home to Mississippi State University and a 2.5-hour drive from Clarksdale. The destination immediately had a college-y town feel to it with its small, downtown area filled with bookstores, boutiques, and diners. We stopped for the day, explored the campus, and refueled at Nutrigroove, a small health-conscious eatery tucked away across from the main entrance. Some of the standout menu items were the cherry acai bowl; strawberry and blueberry bagels, and the beauty smoothies, infused with hyaluronic acid and probiotics for healthy skin and hair.

After leaving Starkville, we spent a few days in Ridgeland, a suburb of Jackson, the state capital. We rented bikes and rode several miles along the Natchez Trace, a primitive trail traveled by Native Americans for thousands of years that stretches 400 miles from Natchez, Mississippi, to Nashville, Tennessee. Some of the sights I took in while biking: canopies of maple, hickory, oak, and pine; small, murky swamps; openings to weedy campgrounds; and a cute snake in the middle of the trail.

If you’re driving down the adjacent Natchez Trace Parkway, Milepost 22 is worth a stop. Here you can traverse a wooden boardwalk that hovers above the Cypress Swamp. The cypress and tupelo tree-laden waters were populated by several juvenile alligators that measured around three feet. It was difficult to spot them in the swamp water at first since their bodies camouflaged nicely, but as you look closer you can see them moving slowly while turtles sun on nearby branches.

A tiny house at Longleaf Piney Resort.

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Sean MacGee/Courtesy of Visit Mississippi

I recommend a stay at the AC Hotel Jackson Ridgeland and taking a cycling or yoga class a few steps away at The Club, a mega health center with a steam room, fitness center, and lap pool.

The capital of Jackson was established 200 years ago in 1822, and it has a checkered past. It is the location of the world’s first heart and lung transplants. It is also where civil rights leader Medgar Evers was shot and killed in 1963 while standing in his driveway.

We stayed at the Fairview Inn, a historic mansion from 1903 that is now a chic bed and breakfast. Here it’s possible to find meditative moments in the tons of outdoor space where red jays flit around stately trees, or you can choose to roast marshmallows over the eight-seater fire pit. Jackson was also the place where I could wind down from my adventuring with massages and pampering. I spent a few hours at the Westin Jackson’s Soul Spa, which was equipped with a jacuzzi, dry sauna, multi-jet experience shower experience, and peaceful massage rooms.

The last stop on my road trip was to the southern Mississippi city of Hattiesburg and one of the most tranquil parts of the voyage. After the one-hour drive from Jackson, we checked into the Longleaf Piney Resort, a collection of tiny houses in Hattiesburg with kitchenettes, comfortable beds, and TVs if you need some reverse digital detox.

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You can rent manual or e-bikes from the resort and travel along some 50 miles of paved concrete on the Longleaf Trace Trail, which runs adjacent to the tiny homes. For food, a favorite stop was T Bones Records & Cafe, a record shop with gifts, memorabilia, and an eatery offering healthy fare from green salads to sandwiches with locally sourced produce.

To end our trip with an extremely tranquil experience, we kayaked down the local Bouie River, where there were dozens of blue and white herons gliding overhead. The most pivotal moment while paddling was jumping out of the kayak into the Mississippi to cool off from the aerobic activity. I had a mind-clearing moment that in these waters my ancestors waded, Native Americans survived, and hundreds of animal and bird species continue to thrive.



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Mississippi

Gov. Reeves announces $110 million investment for ‘future economic development success’

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Gov. Reeves announces 0 million investment for  ‘future economic development success’


JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Governor Tate Reeves has announced the state is investing over $110 million toward economic development, infrastructure upgrades, workforce development, tourism, and conservation efforts throughout Mississippi.

The majority of grant approvals, totaling over $97 million, will be invested into projects that, the governor says, will strengthen Mississippi’s economy.

“Mississippi’s economic development results have been historic and unprecedented,” said Governor Tate Reeves. “We’ve secured billions in new private sector investment and created thousands of jobs across the state. The funding we announced today will go a long way toward continuing Mississippi’s economic momentum and will help create more high-paying job opportunities for Mississippians across the state.”

According to Reeves, the investment will help expand infrastructure capabilities at sites across the state and better position Mississippi to secure more private sector investment.

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Funding for these projects is available through the Mississippi Development Authority, Appalachian Regional Commission, Delta Regional Authority, RESTORE Act, GOMESA, and Southeast Crescent Regional Commission.

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Eniya Russell fitting right in as a starter at Mississippi State

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Eniya Russell fitting right in as a starter at Mississippi State


STARKVILLE — Eniya Russell had spent four years in the Southeastern Conference almost exclusively coming off the bench. But Mississippi State head coach Sam Purcell was familiar with Russell long before she scored a combined 29 points in two games against the Bulldogs with Kentucky last year.

Russell grew into a five-star recruit and a top-50 national prospect in the class of 2020 at St. Vincent Pallotti High School in Maryland, and Purcell, then an assistant coach at Louisville, tried to recruit her to the Cardinals. Instead, Russell chose to play for Dawn Staley at South Carolina, where she won a national championship in 2022 but played roughly seven minutes per game.

She broke out as Kentucky’s sixth woman last season, averaging 10.1 points per game, but with the Wildcats making a coaching change, Russell transferred again, and this time Purcell landed her for her final year of eligibility.

“He stayed consistent throughout this whole process,” Russell said. “When we played against him when I was at Kentucky, I witnessed the fan base here. It was amazing. And when I came on my visit, it felt like home. Even when I got here and committed, he stayed consistent. It was like a real, true friendship. He wasn’t just a coach, he was helping me on and off the court.”

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A 6-foot wing who has been a jack of all trades throughout her career, Russell can spell Jerkaila Jordan for stretches, but the two also work well on the court together. Jordan struggled in MSU’s season-opening win over Memphis, and it was Russell who filled her usual role as the lead scorer, finishing with 26 points on 10-for-15 shooting — including 4-for-8 from 3-point range.

Jordan returned to her usual form Sunday against Alcorn State and Russell was held to eight points, but she did pull down 10 rebounds, all on the defensive end.

“The style of play has changed. I wouldn’t say my role has really changed,” Russell said. “Coach Sam allows me to play free and fast, (which is) how I like to play. I fit into this system very well.”

Russell did turn the ball over five times against the Braves, and turnovers have been the Bulldogs’ biggest weakness so far. MSU (2-0) had 20 turnovers and just 12 assists Sunday, though the Bulldogs did hold Alcorn State to just nine points off those turnovers.

“The turnovers are coming because sometimes we’re too unselfish, and we love to make that home run pass,” Purcell said. “We’re new, with so many new pieces. It’s a combination of everything. Do I think it’s going to improve and get better? I do. Because every game we play better.”

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Scouting Alabama State

MSU will play in front of its largest crowd of the season so far against the Hornets (2-0), with elementary school students representing most of those in attendance. This is the Bulldogs’ annual Education Day game, tipping off at 11 a.m., and schools from around the Golden Triangle region will bus their kids to the game for a field trip.

Purcell, who has three daughters himself, recognizes the importance of being introduced to high-level athletics at a young age. He said MSU expects 5,800 kids will be in the stands at Humphrey Coliseum.

“When we score a bucket or get a stop, they’re going to cheer for us, but you know what, they’re probably also going to cheer for Alabama State,” Purcell said. “A young kid who doesn’t have the opportunity to come to the game because of hard-working parents, when they sit there and come to the game and watch Eniya Russell, they might say, ‘I want to grow up and I want to be her.’ This game is bigger than just getting them out of school.”

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Alabama State played two NAIA opponents to start the year, beating Faulkner University 70-58 and defeating Stillman College 55-50. The Hornets’ schedule is about to get a lot tougher — the Bulldogs are the first of six SEC teams Alabama State will face between Wednesday and the end of December.

Cordasia Harris leads the Hornets in scoring and rebounding, averaging 20.5 points and 14 boards per game.

“Their coach (Freda Freeman-Jackson) plays a tough non-conference schedule because she understands they have to win their conference in order to make the NCAA Tournament,” Purcell said. “They would love to have an opportunity to knock us off. Every possession matters, and that’s what I want our team to learn from coming into this game. We have to have that same kind of mentality.”

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Bribery scandal highlights how weaknesses in Mississippi law can be exploited

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Bribery scandal highlights how weaknesses in Mississippi law can be exploited


JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Last week‘s flurry of federal charges against Jackson’s mayor, Hinds County’s top prosecutor and a former city council president highlighted how alleged bribes can be concealed by exploiting weaknesses in state law.

“Because public officials finance their personal lives through their campaigns accounts, campaign contributions were the most effective way to influence them,” federal investigators wrote in the indictment unsealed Thursday, attributing the statement to Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens.

Owens allegedly made the remarks more than eight months ago, the first mention in federal documents of a method to conceal bribes for votes.

The developers in this deal for a Jackson convention center hotel — who were actually undercover FBI agents — lured Owens and Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba to a Florida yacht where a photo was taken of Lumumba accepting campaign contribution checks, five of them for $10,000 apiece.

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It’s unclear if the public ever would have known about it, though.

3 On Your Side dug into the Capital City’s records, finding that Lumumba hasn’t filed any reports of these contributions as required by law since June of 2021.

Lumumba admitted this to reporters when asked about it last month.

“I have not filed my campaign finance report, which unfortunately is not uncustomary for my campaign,” the mayor said at a Oct. 21 press conference.

Secretary of State Michael Watson said the bribery scandal serves as a reminder that the state needs greater campaign finance reform.

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“If people aren’t following the law, they need to be held accountable,” Watson said.

Figuring out what agency’s responsible for holding officials accountable, however, isn’t clear in state law.

The most recent campaign finance report Lumumba filed lists the penalty for not filing at the bottom of the page, saying the elected official “shall not be paid a salary unless and until they file all required reports.”

Who’s supposed to keep the official from being paid? That’s not clear in statute, either.

“That’s a great question, again. What the [Attorney General] opinion says is the municipality may not, shall not, pay the individual who is not up to speed on their reports. Look, I know the [state] auditor audits at the state level, municipal level,” Watson said. “I’ve seen prosecutions at different levels, so I would think that would probably fall under the purview of the auditor’s office. That said, I’ve not researched that enough to say yes or no with finality.”

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Though it failed last year, Watson plans to push for more robust campaign finance reform in 2025, making sure these reports are filed and spelling out which agency must step in when someone breaks the law.

“This is just another mechanism, in my opinion, to help keep elected officials honest,” Watson said. “When you have the statewide campaign finance system where everyone can go see who’s getting what, how are they spending those dollars from? Who is it coming? Did it change a vote? I just think that Mississippians deserve that, and we aim to deliver that as soon as we can.”

A spokesperson for the State Auditor’s office said enforcing the statute to withhold an official’s salary falls to the Mississippi Ethics Commission, but state law doesn’t mention which agency is responsible for that particular penalty.

3 On Your Side contacted Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s office to see whether it plays a role here, but the office has not officially responded.

Mississippi law doesn’t require cities or counties to notify the state when a candidate fails to file.

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