Mississippi
Hernando’s Fran Kelly named Gatorade Mississippi girls basketball player of the year
Hernando guard Fran Kelly has been named the Gatorade Mississippi girls basketball player of the year for the 2024-25 season.
Kelly is the winner of the girls basketball award from Hernando.
The 5-foot-10 junior led the Lady Tigers to a 22-7 record and an appearance in the quarterfinals of the MHSAA Class 7A state playoffs. She averaged 26 points, 4.3 steals, 3.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.
Kelly won 7A-Region 1 player of the year, was named MHSAA 7A Miss Basketball and was a 2024-25 Clarion Ledger Dandy Dozen selection.
“She is a phenomenal athlete and basketball player,” Lafayette coach Shayne Linzy said in a news release. “She not only displays a high IQ for the game, but she has the ability to make plays all over the court. With all that ability, she still gets her teammates involved as much as possible.”
She has offers from Clemson, Louisiana Lafayette, Southeast Missouri State, Austin Peay, Mercer and Southern Miss.
Kelly joins recent Gatorade Mississippi girls basketball winners Macie Phifer (2023-24, Ingomar), Madison Booker (2020-23, Germantown) and Debreasha Powe (2021-22, Meridian).
Michael Chavez covers high school sports, among others, for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at mchavez@gannett.com or reach out to him on X, formerly Twitter @MikeSChavez.
The Neshoba County Fair is a Mississippi policymaker’s rite of passage. Every year, leaders from across our state gather to talk about what we’ve accomplished and what still lies ahead. This year was no different. Of course, what’s said at the Neshoba County Fair rarely stays at the Neshoba County Fair, so I thought it appropriate to share my message here with you today.
If I had to sum up this year’s speech in just two words, it would be this: Mississippi Firsts. For example, we became the first state in the nation to launch proactive Money Match programs focused on disaster areas. When families are dealing with the aftermath of devastating storms, the last thing they should have to worry about is tracking down missing money. Instead, we take the initiative, find the rightful owners, and return millions of dollars to Mississippians when they need it most.
We were also the first in the nation to require citizenship verification before returning unclaimed money, ensuring Mississippians come first. That innovation has become a national model, earning recognition in congressional hearings and a seat at the table with the Department of Justice and Vice President Vance’s Anti-Fraud Task Force.
Those innovations have produced real results. Alongside first-in-state-history modernizations, they helped us return nearly $200 million in unclaimed money to our citizens – the first Treasury in Mississippi history to reach such a milestone.
We also broke new ground by becoming the first Mississippi Treasurer to expand the Mississippi Affordable College Savings (MACS) program so families can use their savings for apprenticeships, workforce certifications, and career and technical education. By putting students’ needs first, our program has grown into one of the nation’s Top 6 college savings plans.
The Neshoba County Fair is a Mississippi policymaker’s rite of passage. Every year, leaders from across our state gather to talk about what we’ve accomplished and what still lies ahead. This year was no different. Of course, what’s said at the Neshoba County Fair rarely stays at the Neshoba County Fair, so I thought it appropriate to share my message here with you today.
If I had to sum up this year’s speech in just two words, it would be this: Mississippi Firsts. For example, we became the first state in the nation to launch proactive Money Match programs focused on disaster areas. When families are dealing with the aftermath of devastating storms, the last thing they should have to worry about is tracking down missing money. Instead, we take the initiative, find the rightful owners, and return millions of dollars to Mississippians when they need it most.
We were also the first in the nation to require citizenship verification before returning unclaimed money, ensuring Mississippians come first. That innovation has become a national model, earning recognition in congressional hearings and a seat at the table with the Department of Justice and Vice President Vance’s Anti-Fraud Task Force.
Those innovations have produced real results. Alongside first-in-state-history modernizations, they helped us return nearly $200 million in unclaimed money to our citizens – the first Treasury in Mississippi history to reach such a milestone.
We also broke new ground by becoming the first Mississippi Treasurer to expand the Mississippi Affordable College Savings (MACS) program so families can use their savings for apprenticeships, workforce certifications, and career and technical education. By putting students’ needs first, our program has grown into one of the nation’s Top 6 college savings plans.
MISSISSIPPI COUNTY, Mo. (KFVS) – A 10-year-old girl is seriously injured following a UTV crash on Friday, June 26.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s crash report, a 10-year-old girl from Sikeston was driving a UTV southbound on Levee Road, 11 miles east of East Prairie.
MSHP said the crash occurred around 11 a.m. as the vehicle travelled off the left side of the roadway, returned to the road and then overturned.
The girl was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Cape Girardeau for serious injuries.
Copyright 2026 KFVS. All rights reserved.
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