Mississippi

How Mississippi will keep China from land ownership

Published

1 year ago

December 1, 2023

How Mississippi will keep China from land ownership

Family farms in the Delta and throughout Mississippi have been selling out to corporate entities for more than two decades.

Despite laws against foreign ownership of Mississippi land, more and more foreign entities are buying and owning state farm and timber land.

In 2021, according to a recent 363-page report by the Mississippi Department of Agriculture, 757,816 agricultural acres were held by foreign interests in Mississippi. That is an increase from 600,456 acres in 2011. Nationally, as of December 2021, 40,031,308 acres of all private agricultural land in the U.S. had foreign ownership. That was an increase of 2.4 million acres from Dec. 31, 2020, and an increase of 14.3 million acres since 2011.

“We have provisions in the Mississippi law that are meant to limit, restrict or prevent the holding of land by quote non-resident aliens as stated by section 84 of the Mississippi constitution,” Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson told the Clarion Ledger this week. “When you look at foreign ownership, that’s about 2.6% all of the land ownership in the State of Mississippi. Something is not working. Something is not being enforced.”

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Gipson said what the committee that put together the study found is a lack of a workable enforcement mechanism.

Gipson would like to see Mississippi’s Legislature follow the lead of Arkansas, which has been dealing with many of the same issues.

In October, the Arkansas Legislature put together a set of land restrictions and will enforce foreign-ownership. On Oct. 17, Arkansas ordered a China-owned company to drop farmland in northeast Arkansas.

Northrup King Seed Co., a subsidiary of Syngenta owned by Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-controlled ChemChina, was directed to divest of 160 acres of Craighead County farmland within two years. ChemChina is listed by the Department of Defense as a Chinese military company carrying threat potential to the U.S.

Gipson said the same company owns many thousands of acres of land in Mississippi. In the case of forest land, most of the foreign ownership comes from the Netherlands, he said.

“This is a huge deal. That really got the attention of the committee,” Gipson said. “No one has ever really looked at this since the constitution was put in place. I think what we discovered was that a law is no good if it has no enforcement. That’s the bottom line.”

He said most the states, like Arkansas, are focusing their immediate efforts on China and companies like Northrup King Seed.

“The biggest concern is our foreign adversaries, defined by the United States,” Gipson said. “Our Legislature is going to want to tighten that up. They are going to want to especially focus on foreign adversaries. That includes China. That includes Russia and eight or nine other countries that are known to be enemies of the United States. I think the legislature will have to consider further than that to other non-resident alien foreign interests, such as the Netherlands.”

Other than in Arkansas, Florida law bans Chinese citizens from property ownership altogether. Montana banned farmland sales near military areas to six countries. Other southern states like Alabama, Louisiana and Texas are also looking at legislation that would regulate foreign land ownership.

The committee in Mississippi said the continued unrestricted foreign ownership of Mississippi’s agricultural land and water rights especially by foreign adversaries presents a serious concern to Mississippi and to national security, including food security.

“The Legislature should act to address these concerns. At a bare minimum, the Legislature should pass an enforcement mechanism with any appropriate reporting requirements and legal enforcement procedures, along with any exemptions as may be necessary or appropriate tailored to Mississippi needs and based on the experiences of other States,” The report states. “In order to accomplish this, the Study Committee highly recommends thatthe Legislature review and receive guidance from legal experts within the National Agricultural Law Center.”

Gipson said action by the Mississippi Legislature would prevent the loophole that has been in place.

“It is so easy to form an LLC (Limited Liability Corporation). You can have someone from Mississippi with the name to that. But behind the veil, it is actually controlled by a foreign entity. That’s how this has happened,” Gipson said. “That’s the loophole that’s got to be addressed by the Legislature. Our No. 1 recommendation to the Legislature is to create an enforceable mechanism that is workable.”

He said he understands it may not be feasible to address every preexisting transaction for foreign entities that own Mississippi land.

“I will say, though, it is certainly feasible and necessary that the Legislature act now moving forward to make certain that the enemies of America will not control this nation’s of this state’s food, fiber and shelter production.”

Ross Reily can be reached by email at rreily@gannett.com or at 601-573-2952. You can follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @GreenOkra1.

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Mississippi

Mississippi colleges, school districts announce Wednesday closures amid winter weather

Published

3 hours ago

January 21, 2025

Press Room

Mississippi colleges, school districts announce Wednesday closures amid winter weather

Universities, colleges and public school districts throughout Mississippi closed Tuesday in anticipation of potentially dangerous winter weather. Some have now announced extended closures through Wednesday.

By Tuesday afternoon, some areas of the state faced icy roads and several inches of snow while other parts got only a few snow flurries.

Temperatures are expected to warm slightly by Wednesday morning, but several parts of the state, especially Southern Mississippi and along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, will still face potentially dangerous conditions. A state of emergency declared by Gov. Tate Reeves will remain in effect through Wednesday, Jan. 21.

As a result, several schools have announced extended closures or modified operations through Wednesday.

Universities and colleges

Many universities and colleges had not yet made an announcement regarding campus operations for Wednesday, Jan. 22, by press time for this story.

The following universities and colleges have canceled or modified classes:

Jones College implemented modified operations starting Tuesday. Campus will remain open, but all classes will transition to remote through Wednesday, Jan. 22.
The University of Southern Mississippi announced Tuesday afternoon that all campuses will remain closed through Wednesday, Jan. 22, and all classes will be canceled. The university will make a decision on Thursday’s campus operations by 3 p.m. on Wednesday.
William Carey University announced Tuesday afternoon that all campuses including Hattiesburg, Biloxi and Baton Rouge will remain closed through Wednesday, Jan. 22, due to the continuing winter storm. Normal operations will resume Thursday, Jan. 23.

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School districts

Many of Mississippi’s school districts throughout the state closed on Tuesday due to winter weather. Potentially dangerous conditions and cold temperatures are expected to continue through Wednesday, especially for southern and coastal counties.

The following school districts have announced canceled classes for Wednesday:

Bay St. Louis- Waveland School District announced Sunday all schools will be closed Tuesday, Jan. 21, and Wednesday, Jan. 22, after Monday’s MLK Day holiday in order to “ensure the safety of our students, staff and families.” The district shared photos on Facebook of the mascot Bayland the Tiger enjoying the snow day.
Forrest County School District announced Tuesday afternoon all schools will remain closed on Wednesday, Jan. 22, at the advice of Forrest County Emergency Management due to the possibility of dangerous road conditions.
Hattiesburg Public Schools will remain closed through Wednesday, Jan. 22, with plans to resume normal operations on Thursday, Jan. 23.
Ocean Springs School District met with Jackson County Emergency Management officials Monday afternoon and decided to extend its closure through Wednesday, Jan. 22. As of Tuesday afternoon, the district plans to reopen Thursday, Jan. 23, and will keep community members updated on any changes through social media.
Petal School District met with Forrest County Emergency Management officials Tuesday afternoon and decided to keep all schools closed through Wednesday, Jan. 22, due to snow covered roads. Extracurricular activities have also been canceled. The district will continue monitoring weather conditions and provide updates on the rest of the week’s schedule.

This is a developing story. Check back in with the Clarion Ledger for updates.

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Mississippi

What channel is Tennessee basketball vs Mississippi State on today: Time, TV schedule, streaming

Published

11 hours ago

January 21, 2025

Press Room

What channel is Tennessee basketball vs Mississippi State on today: Time, TV schedule, streaming

Tennessee men’s basketball will face No. 14 Mississippi State in Knoxville on Tuesday, fresh off a one-point road loss against unranked Vanderbilt.

The No. 7 Vols’ record fell to 16-2 overall and 3-2 in the SEC.

The Bulldogs (15-3, 3-2) are the only SEC team Tennessee did not defeat last season en route to the regular-season conference title.

The Vols’ schedule doesn’t get any easier after Tuesday, with games against top-ranked Auburn, No. 9 Kentucky and No. 5 Florida, which won the first matchup between the two teams this season by 30 points.

Here’s how to watch the Tennessee basketball vs. Mississippi State game today, including time, TV schedule and streaming information:

Watch Tennessee vs. Mississippi State live on Fubo (free trial)

Tennessee men’s basketball vs. Mississippi State can be watched via streaming on SEC Network+, which can be accessed by logging into your cable/streaming subscription that includes the SEC Network.

Date: Tuesday, Jan. 21
Start time: 7 p.m. ET

The Tennessee men’s basketball vs. Mississippi State game starts at 7 p.m. ET Tuesday from Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center in Knoxville

Tennessee men’s basketball vs Mississippi State predictions, picks, odds

Knox News reporter Mike Wilson’s prediction: Mississippi State 75, Tennessee 67

The Bulldogs gave Tennessee problems last season, and Tennessee is having problems lately. It’s the wrong time for a difficult matchup.

Tennessee Vols basketball schedule 2024-25

Nov. 4: Gardner-Webb, W 80-64
Nov. 9: at Louisville, W 77-55
Nov. 13: Montana, W 92-57
Nov. 17: Austin Peay, W 103-68
Nov. 21: vs. Virginia in Nassau, Bahamas, W 64-42
Nov. 22: vs. Baylor in Nassau, Bahamas, W 77-62
Nov. 27: UT Martin, W 78-35
Dec. 3: Syracuse, W 96-70
Dec. 10: vs. Miami (FL) in New York City, W 75-62
Dec. 14: at Illinois, W 66-64
Dec. 17: Western Carolina, W 84-36
Dec. 23: MTSU, W 82-64
Dec. 31: Norfolk State, W 67-52
Jan. 4: Arkansas, W 76-52
Jan. 7: at Florida, L 73-43
Jan. 11: at Texas, W 74-70
Jan. 15: Georgia, W 74-56
Jan. 18: at Vanderbilt, L 76-75
Jan. 21: Mississippi State, 7 p.m. on ESPN2/ESPNU
Jan. 25: at Auburn, 8:30 p.m. on ESPN/ESPN2
Jan. 28: Kentucky, 7 p.m. on ESPN
Feb. 1: Florida, 12 p.m. on ESPN/ESPN2
Feb. 5: Missouri, 7 p.m. on SEC Network
Feb. 8: at Oklahoma, 12 p.m. on ESPN2/ESPNU
Feb. 11: at Kentucky, 7 p.m. on ESPN
Feb. 15: Vanderbilt, 1 p.m. on SEC Network
Feb. 22: at Texas A&M, 12 p.m. on ESPN/ESPN2
Feb. 25: at LSU, 9 p.m. on SEC Network
March 1: Alabama, 1 p.m. on ESPN/ABC
March 5: at Ole Miss, 9 p.m. on ESPN2/ESPNU
March 8: South Carolina, 2 p.m. on SEC Network
March 12-16: SEC Tournament in Nashville

Record: (16-2, 3-2 SEC)

Paul Skrbina is a sports enterprise reporter covering the Predators, Titans, Nashville SC, local colleges and local sports for The Tennessean. Reach him at pskrbina@tennessean.com and on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter) @paulskrbina. Follow his work here.

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Mississippi

Mississippi High School Boys Basketball Scores (1/17/2025)

Published

18 hours ago

January 21, 2025

Press Room

Mississippi High School Boys Basketball Scores (1/17/2025)

The Mississippi high school boys basketball season is in full swing, and High School On SI has scores for every team and classification.

Keep track of Mississippi high school boys basketball scores below.

Mississippi high school boys basketball scores

MISSISSIPPI HIGH SCHOOL BOYS BASKETBALL STATEWIDE SCORES

CLASS 7A

CLASS 6A

CLASS 5A

CLASS 4A

CLASS 3A

CLASS 2A

CLASS 1A

MIDSOUTH ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS

CLASS 6A

CLASS 5A

CLASS 4A

CLASS 3A

CLASS 2A

2024-25 MISSISSIPPI BOYS BASKETBALL SCHEDULES: FIND YOUR TEAM

Follow High School On SI throughout the 2024 high school boys basketball season for Live Updates, the most up to date Schedules & Scores and complete coverage from the preseason through the state championships!

Be sure to Bookmark High School on SI for all of the latest high school boys basketball news.

High School On SI will serve as the premier destination for high school sports fans, delivering unparalleled coverage of high school athletics nationwide through in-depth stories, recruiting coverage, rankings, highlights and much more. The launch of a dedicated high school experience expands Sports Illustrated’s reach to even more local communities as fans can now truly follow athletes from “preps to the pros” on a single platform, bringing them closer to the action than ever before. For more information, visit si.com/high-school.

Download the SBLive App

To get live updates on your phone – as well as follow your favorite teams and top games – you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App| Download Android App

— Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @highschoolonsi

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