Mississippi
Governor Tate Reeves discusses Mississippi’s outlook for the new year
JACKSON, Miss. (WLOX) – As Tate Reeves enters his second term as Governor of Mississippi, he goes into the new year optimistic about what he plans to do to lead the state of Mississippi.
Entering his second term, Reeves says he has a different mindset than when he was elected Governor in 2019.
“You know, I think I probably do have a slightly different mindset because I had spent eight years as Lieutenant Governor,” Reeves said. “When you’re Lieutenant Governor, literally the entire world from a work standpoint revolves around legislation and what happens in the Mississippi Capitol.”
“Being Governor is so much more than that, so it’s a very important piece of the overall process dealing with the legislature and dealing with the legislation that comes out, but it’s a small piece of the overall job of being Governor.”
The theme of Governor Reeves’ second inauguration was “Mississippi’s Time,” a call-back to a frequent refrain throughout his reelection campaign: “Mississippi has momentum, and this is Mississippi’s Time.”
“I will tell you the theme of the inauguration is going to be exactly that,” Reeves said. “I really do believe that it is Mississippi’s time. We’re beginning to see a lot of progress in a lot of areas that haven’t seen much progress in the state for many, many years.”
In terms of Mississippi’s financial standpoint, Reeves says that Mississippi is in the best state it’s been in for a while.
“You talk about the financial situations that we’re in, we’re in the best financial shape we’ve ever been in, and we’re in the best fiscal shape we’ve ever been in,” Reeves said. “That fact allows us, hopefully, to make some progress on some initiatives that I think are really important to the future of our state.”
As Reeves goes into his inauguration on Tuesday, Jan. 9, he believes that Mississippi can progress tremendously over the next four years.
“This is an opportunity for our state to take a huge step forward,” Reeves said.
Tickets for the traditional Inaugural Ball will be available and can be secured on the Inaugural website at www.MississippisTime.com.
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‘We’re doing this to decrease the pressure we get early in the season. We’re trying to move that pressure on into later in the season.’
Bobcat stalks and strikes at Wisconsin turkey hunter
Turkey hunter Carson Bender of Wisconsin Rapids recorded a video of a bobcat that stalked and lunged at him as he hunted April 18, 2026 near Nekoosa, Wis.
Carson Bender
If a proposal made in the April meeting of the Mississippi Commission on Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks is finalized, nonresident turkey hunters will see big changes in the 2027 spring turkey season.
“We’re doing this in a way to impact how hunting pressure occurs and how the harvest happens in the early season,” said Caleb Hinton, Wild Turkey Program coordinator for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. “We’re doing this to decrease the pressure we get early in the season. We’re trying to move that pressure on into later in the season.”
Turkey hunters enjoy a three-bird bag limit and a little more than six weeks of hunting in spring, which is similar to some other states. What is at issue is when it opens. March 15 is the typical opening date for the regular season, making it one of the earliest in the nation.
That early opening date combined with a growing trend among turkey hunters is where the problem lies.
Mississippi is a destination for early season, nonresident hunters
Possibly more than any other group of hunters, turkey hunters like to travel. For some, it may be a matter of seeing a different landscape and hunting birds under condions they don’t encounter in their home state. For others it may be a quest to harvest each of the subspecies in North America.
For yet another group, it’s the challenge of harvesting a gobbler in each of the 49 states that have turkeys.
“It seems to be getting more and more popular every year,” Hinton said.
Regardless of why a turkey hunter chooses to travel, it puts a target on Mississippi’s back because for the first few weeks of the season, it’s almost the only game in town, so hunters flock to the state.
In an effort to curb the amount of hunting pressure in those first weeks of turkey season, MDWFP proposed limiting nonresident hunters to two legal gobblers per season and only one of those can be harvested before April 1.
“Hopefully, it will help curb the massive influx of pressure we get the first week or two of the season,” Hinton said.
When will turkey season changes for nonresidents be voted on?
The proposed changes aren’t the first that have been geared toward alleviating pressure on turkeys in the early part of the season by nonresidents. In 2022, the commission passed a rule requiring nonresident hunters to enter a drawing for a hunt on public land during the first two weeks of turkey season. Currently, the number of hunters drawn is limited to 800.
Like that change, the current proposal will pass or fail by a vote of the wildlife commission. In the April commission meeting, the proposal passed an initial vote. It is now in a 30-day public comment period and a final vote will be taken in the May meeting.
Public comments may be submitted at https://www.mdwfp.com/proposed-rules-regulations.
A lifelong outdoorsman and wildlife enthusiast, Brian Broom has been writing about hunting, fishing and Mississippi’s outdoors for the Clarion Ledger for more than 14 years. He can be reached at 601-961-7225 or bbroom@gannett.com.
Mississippi
Mississippi high school addresses social media post, says it won’t tolerate racism or harassment
LAUDERDALE COUNTY, Miss. (WLBT) – A Mississippi high school has made a statement after a social media post involving a student surfaced.
Northeast Lauderdale High School officials say they’re reviewing a social media post involving a student.
In a statement, the school said administrators are aware of the post and are “reviewing the situation.”
The school said it is committed to maintaining a safe, orderly and respectful environment for students and staff.
“Neither our district nor our school accept or condone racism, discrimination, harassment, or behavior that is inconsistent with the expectations of our school community,” the statement said.
Officials said they are working with the appropriate parties and will address the matter in accordance with district policies and procedures.
The school added that it cannot share additional details because of student privacy laws.
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(This story was updated to add new information.)
STARKVILLE — Mississippi State baseball starting pitcher Ryan McPherson exited his May 9 return against Auburn with an ankle injury, according to coach Brian O’Connor.
McPherson tripped behind home plate while backing up a potential throw in the second inning and limped back to the mound. The MSU coaches and trainer examined McPherson before pulling him.
McPherson was making his first start since March 20 after suffering a forearm strain.
The No. 11 Bulldogs (38-14, 15-12 SEC) trailed the No. 6 Tigers (35-15, 16-11) by one run with one out in the inning before getting run-ruled 13-2 in seven innings at Dudy Noble Field.
McPherson threw 34 pitches in 1⅓ innings with one earned and one unearned run allowed, two hits, no walks and no strikeouts.
He did not throw a practice pitch while being examined, and he didn’t limp as he walked into the dugout, either.
Ryan McPherson injury update from Brian O’Connor
O’Connor revealed after the game that McPherson was on a 40-pitch limit, so he was likely going to get pulled soon anyway.
“I would hate for the young man to have a setback because he goes out there and tries to throw to another batter or two and changes this delivery because of an ankle (injury),” O’Connor said. “So that’s what went into that decision. It’s unfortunate, but it was good to get him back out there.”
McPherson, a sophomore, missed six straight starts with his forearm injury. He took Charlie Foster’s spot in the pitching rotation for the Auburn series.
One series remains at Texas A&M before the SEC Tournament.
“We’ll see how he recovers from this and then to see what his availability will be for next weekend,” O’Connor said.
Ryan McPherson stats
McPherson was charged with the loss, dropping his record to 3-1 with a 2.62 ERA.
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
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