Mississippi

How White South Africans Are Reshaping the Mississippi Delta

Published

4 hours ago

March 14, 2026

How White South Africans Are Reshaping the Mississippi Delta

Sometimes, Ramsden and his peers in Mississippi might hop down in the mud to lay irrigation pipe. But their work typically involves operating machinery. The region’s farms mostly grow commodity row crops such soybeans, corn and cotton, which require modern tractors running complex software; laborers monitor G.P.S.-guided equipment that automates planting depth and seed spacing. Jason Holcomb, an emeritus professor of geography and global studies at Morehead State University, told me that South African H-2A workers in the U.S. first found jobs on the Great Plains in the nineteen-nineties, working on custom harvesting crews that travelled from farm to farm, to cut crops. Historically, this work had been a rite of passage for high schoolers and college students in the region. But in the nineteen-nineties, as regulations tightened, local interest waned. Now South Africans represent the fastest-growing source of H-2A farm labor in the U.S.: from 2011 to 2024, the number of visa holders has increased by more than four hundred per cent and the number of South Africans in the program has increased fourteenfold. Ramsden told me that on a flight from Atlanta to South Africa, in November or December, at the end of the working season, you might find that two hundred and fifty of the three hundred passengers are farm workers headed home. “If this program went away tomorrow, farming would cease,” Walter King, one of the co-owners of Nelson-King Farms, said.

For the South Africans, part of the draw is money. Ramsden estimated that workers in Mississippi could make at least four times the wages they earned back home. But it’s not just the pay that sends them abroad—there’s also a feeling that they are escaping anti-white sentiment. Many of these men in the Delta are the descendants of colonists who, beginning in the eighteen-thirties, embarked on the “Great Trek,” a migration from the coast of South Africa into the region’s interior to establish farms, and, later, whole republics that were independent from the British Crown. They called themselves Afrikaners to indicate their commitment to what they saw as their homeland, unlike the Brits still tied to London.

In the twentieth century, Afrikaners seized power in South Africa. Eve Fairbanks, the author of “The Inheritors: An Intimate Portrait of South Africa’s Racial Reckoning,” told me that, in the Afrikaners’ narrative, farmers were “the total backbone of the country—the great ones, the heroes.” (The word “Boer,” which means “farmer” in Afrikaans, is sometimes used interchangeably with Afrikaner.) They talked about themselves as a people who had tamed an empty place, making nationhood possible. To maintain the illusion of democracy in a country that was majority Black, Afrikaners created the apartheid system, which, nominally, created smaller, independent states for different ethnic groups, but effectively denied citizenship to Black South Africans, stripping them of the right to participate in politics, own land, or move freely. (The architects of apartheid were inspired by the Jim Crow policies of the American South, which effectively disenfranchised much of the region’s Black majority.)

In 1992, after decades of external pressure and internal resistance, the country voted to end the system. But imbalances in property ownership persisted: today, white South Africans, who make up around seven per cent of the country’s population, still own seventy-two per cent of its private farmland. Meanwhile, millions of Black South Africans still live in informal settlements.

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Mississippi

Mississippi to join Trump Administration’s foster parent recruitment initiative

Published

16 hours ago

March 13, 2026

Press Room

Mississippi to join Trump Administration’s foster parent recruitment initiative

(AP) — For every 100 foster children in Mississippi’s custody, the state has only 52 foster homes. To recruit more families to care for these children, the state is joining the Trump Administration’s A Home for Every Child Initiative, Gov. Tate Reeves announced Tuesday.

Mississippi is the fifth state to join a pilot of the initiative behind Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma and Tennessee. Each state will be required to share updated data with the federal government about its child-to-home ratio, which will be shared on an online dashboard.

To incentivize states to opt in, the federal government is allowing these states to forgo tedious paperwork associated with Children and Family Services Reviews. These federal performance reviews of state child welfare programs look at metrics such as the percentage of cases in which states deployed appropriate risk and safety assessments or concerted efforts to prevent family separations.

Under those reviews, states develop Program Improvement Plans to address problem areas. But states who join the push will no longer be required to conduct these. The last PIP from Mississippi available on the federal website is from 2019.

The initiative is not tied to additional federal funding, but a federal representative said the reduction of red tape will allow the state to target funds for necessary casework.

“On average, states were sending us 300-page reports of mostly duplicated and recycled content across years that the federal agency did nothing with, frankly,” said Alex Adams, assistant secretary for the Administration for Children and Families under the U.S. Department of Human Services. “A lot of what this is doing is liberating the time and energy of the best caseworkers that they have to better deploy that time to actually benefiting kids as opposed to checking boxes and all those things that just sap time and energy.”

Reeves said the state’s child welfare agency, the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services, has already begun using data to determine where and what kind of foster homes are most needed across the state. Many children who come into state custody require therapeutic care requiring a higher level of licensing.

“Instead of broad recruitment efforts that don’t always meet specific needs, we are moving towards targeted recruitment, identifying the right families for the right types of placements,” Reeves said. “At the same time, we are working to cut unnecessary red tape that discourages qualified families from stepping up and stepping forward. Good people who want to help children should not be overwhelmed by bureaucracy.”

In the absence of licensed foster homes, some children who come into state custody end up in short-term rentals, hotels, Airbnbs or even in government offices, Adams added.

“This is a beautiful building, but I don’t know that government buildings are conducive to stable, loving, nurturing environments that every child deserves,” Adams said during the press conference at the Walter Sillers Building in downtown Jackson.

Andrea Sanders, director of CPS, said the agency is working on a modern, digital application process for prospective foster parents. She also said a new campaign to recruit foster families will launch soon.

“That’s part of the work that we’re doing to make sure that this becomes a transparent process where the agency is fulfilling its role to help support and provide information to foster parents,” Sanders said.

A federal announcement of the A Home for Every Child Initiative says it also aims to reduce the number of children entering the system by prioritizing other interventions.

“By investing in prevention, we can reduce unnecessary entrees into foster care while still protecting children who truly need intervention,” Reeves said.

The Tuesday announcement did not provide specific details about how Mississippi plans to increase prevention through the initiative.

The Family First Prevention Services Act, enacted in 2018 during Trump’s first term, was designed to pump unprecedented levels of funding into states to support the stability of biological families – such as mental health and substance abuse treatment and in-home parenting programs – to prevent the need for foster families.

It took years for Mississippi to submit a state plan to the federal government to start receiving these funds. The plan was approved last August, but the state has yet to fully launch the program.

A Home for Every Child is a product of HHS’s Administration of Children and Families. Laurie Todd-Smith, a deputy assistant secretary for that agency and former Gov. Phil Bryant’s senior policy advisor, recently visited Mississippi ahead of the announcement to assemble suitcases for foster children as part of a partnership with evangelical Christian parachurch organization, Focus on the Family.

The problem they sought to solve: Children carrying their belongings from home to home in trash bags. “Nationally, it’s 57 homes to every hundred children. In Mississippi, it’s 52 homes for every hundred children. So our goal is to get to a one-to-one ratio. A home for every child,” Todd-Smith said at the Jan. 14 suitcase event, WLBT reported.

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This story was originally published by Mississippi Today and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.

For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, Mississippi Today.

Tenn. mom invites son’s organ recipients to do his favorite activity, dance

Here’s a beautiful story of how one mother turned her grief journey into a gathering of gratitude… and organ donation awareness.

Robb Coles highlights a special event organized by Cari Hollis – whose 26-year old son Austin died two years ago. Austin agreed to be an organ donor – and that single gesture saved multiple lives.

Cari reached out to as many recipients she could find – several of whom traveled to Nashville for an emotional celebration in Austin’s honor. One woman – whose life was saved by receiving Austin’s lungs – put it simply: “He’s my angel”.

– Rhori Johnston

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Mississippi

Watch your step! These 6 Mississippi areas can be copperhead hotspots

Published

1 day ago

March 13, 2026

Press Room

Watch your step! These 6 Mississippi areas can be copperhead hotspots

Spring is coming. That means a higher risk of copperhead sightings as more people head to trails, parks and yards where these venomous snakes hide.

World Atlas has flagged six hotspots across the state where copperheads are most likely to be found.

But they can be almost anywhere in the state. People should be aware when outdoors and especially cautious when clearing debris from winter storms that have downed lots of trees and limbs.

Copperheads are responsible for the most bites in the U.S. (But rattlesnakes cause the most deaths.) The species isn’t aggressive and usually tries to avoid people, but they will bite if threatened or handled.

Mississippi is home to more than 50 snake species, but only a handful are venomous. Being bitten might be scary, but it is rarely deadly, according to Live Science.

Check out the places where you should keep your eyes peeled for snakes. Watch your step!

Where do copperheads live in Mississippi?

According to the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, the Southern Copperhead is one of the most common snakes across the Magnolia State. They’re everywhere except the Gulf Coast and barrier islands.

Keep your eyes peeled in hardwood forests, pine country, old fields, bottomlands and even subdivisions.

The state wildlife department notes they’re often seen crossing roads at night and get surprised when people uncover them in wood piles.

They usually stay still or slither away quickly when people approach.

Most bites happen when a copperhead is stepped on, touched accidentally or when someone tries to kill it.

What do copperhead snakes look like?

They’re usually two to three feet long with a base color that’s light gray or beige, according to the MDWFP.

Juveniles have a bright yellow tail, and sometimes adults have a slight pink or orange tint. Darker, hourglass-shaped bands are sometimes compared to the shape of a Hershey’s Kiss, especially from the side view.

Copperheads are pit vipers, meaning they have a heat-sensing pit between their eyes and their nostrils.

Their eyes have vertical slits, like a cat.

What do copperheads eat?

Copperheads eat small birds, frogs, lizards, rodents and bugs. MDWFP says they especially like cicadas. So they’re more likely to be where food is easy to find.

“They do best where ground cover is thick and moisture is nearby, such as in accumulated leaf litter, downed limbs, brush piles, and shaded edges that support common prey, like frogs, lizards, and rodents.” World Atlas wrote.

What are copperhead hotspots in Mississippi?

World Atlas highlighted several parks and wildlife areas where copperheads could thrive, “especially along creeks, wooded slopes, and mixed hardwood bottoms.”

They advise caution when stepping off regular trails and extra alertness at night, near water, and in brushy areas.

Tishomingo State Park

The park has large rock formations and trails through the woods. Leaf litter provides ground coverage. Areas along the creek are good areas for copperheads to hunt for prey while camouflaged.

Clark Creek Natural Area

“The park itself warns visitors they may see venomous snakes, which makes sense, given the area’s shaded ravines, wet rock, and dense woodland corridors that stay humid even when nearby uplands dry out,” World Atlas wrote. The park’s isolation makes it a great spot for wildlife to flourish.

De Soto National Forest

The De Soto National Forest has a variety of terrains where copperheads can hide and hunt, including sandy areas, swamps and hardwood forests. World Atlas warns hikers to be extra careful ” around sunny sandbars and the leaf line where the lowlands transition to higher ground.”

Holly Springs National Forest

The Holly Springs National Forest is another wide area with different environments where the snakes could be heavy on the ground. The lakes and campsites can be attractive to the rodents and amphibians that the snakes like to eat, and the forested areas provide cover that could make a run-in easier.

Tombigbee National Forest and the Davis Lake area

Pine and hardwood forests are near the lake, so most of the action is likely to be right against the water. Near Davis Lake, World Atlas says to be cautious near “shaded tent pads, downed limbs near the bank, and the leaf line beside roads and trails.”

Homochitto National Forest

Homochitto National Forest has creeks and drainage patterns that can make damp places where copperheads hide in what’s normally a dry area. Be aware near “streamside leaf mats, root tangles, and brushy edges.”

What should you do if you see a copperhead?

Encountering a copperhead doesn’t have to ruin your hike. Most copperheads are shy and will avoid humans, but it’s smart to know what to do.

Keep your distance
Back away slowly
Watch your step
Protect pets and kids
Don’t try to kill it: copperheads are protected in some areas, and most bites happen when people handle snakes.
Seek help if bitten: Even though bites are rarely fatal, get medical attention immediately.

How many venomous snakes live in Mississippi? See photos

The Mississippi Poison Control Center via the University of Mississippi Medical Center lists six venomous snakes and other animals, like spiders, stingrays and jellyfish.

The list of dangerous snakes includes:

Copperheads
Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes
Water Moccasins (also called Cottonmouths)
Timber Rattlesnakes
Pygmy Rattlesnakes
Coral Snakes

Snake Snap lists eight snakes with venom. The extras come from listings of more variations of some species: Western Cottonmouth and Northern Cottonmouth, along with the Dusky and Western variations of Pygmy Rattlesnakes.

How rare are snake bites?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 7,000 to 8,000 people get a venomous snake bite in the U.S. each year.

Only about five people a year die, but some bites can cause long-term injuries. Up to 44% of people bitten by rattlesnakes have other health problems, like losing a finger.

How many people in Mississippi die from snake bites?

World Population Review estimates about 236 venomous snake bites per year in Mississippi, or about 11 incidents for every 100,000 people.

Deadly bites are extremely rare. The site hasn’t tracked any in Mississippi since 1970.

One of, if not the only, death in decades came in 2000 when the Brookhaven Daily Leader reported the death of Tommy Tanksley, 80, of Monticello.

According to the article, Tanksley was bitten by a rattlesnake and while driving to a hospital, he was involved in an accident. It was unclear if the bite caused his death or contributed to it.

Contributing: Nina Tran

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

Jennifer Lindahl is a Breaking and Trending Reporter in Alabama for USA TODAY’s Deep South Connect Team. Connect with her on X @jenn_lindahl and email at jlindahl@usatodayco.com.

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Mississippi

Where are tornado sirens in Hinds County MS? What residents should know

Published

2 days ago

March 12, 2026

Press Room

Where are tornado sirens in Hinds County MS? What residents should know

For many Mississippi residents, the first sign of a tornado warning today comes from a smartphone. Wireless emergency alerts, weather apps and social media often notify people about dangerous storms before an outdoor siren ever sounds.

But tornado sirens remain an important warning system in Hinds County — particularly for residents who may not have reliable internet access or smartphones.

A public records request obtained by the Clarion Ledger shows dozens of outdoor warning sirens placed in Hinds County, including locations throughout Jackson and in smaller communities in the county.

County officials say the sirens still serve an important role in making sure residents hear warnings when severe weather approaches.

Technology has changed dramatically since the March 3, 1966, Candlestick Park tornado, one of the deadliest storms in Mississippi history. The storm tore through South Jackson and other parts of central Mississippi, killing 57 people statewide, including 12 at the Candlestick Park shopping center. More recently, a powerful tornado struck the Mississippi Delta town of Rolling Fork in March 2023, killing 17 people and destroying much of the community.

While warning technology has advanced, emergency officials said systems such as outdoor sirens remain an important part of the region’s severe weather preparedness.

Where are the tornado sirens in Hinds County?

Records provided by Hinds County show a total of 74 outdoor warning sirens located throughout the county at parks, intersections, schools and other public areas.

The placements are intended to cover both populated neighborhoods and rural areas where residents may have fewer ways to receive weather alerts.

Why tornado sirens are still needed in Hinds County

Even as phone alerts become more common, county leaders said sirens remain important for residents who may not have reliable internet service or smartphones.

Hinds County Supervisor Robert Graham, who represents District 1, said the county plans to install two additional tornado sirens, though supply chain issues have delayed their arrival.

“We still are planning on doing it,” Graham said. “They’re still on order, and we’re just waiting for them to come in.”

County leaders had hoped to install the sirens before the start of tornado season, but Graham said delivery timelines remain uncertain.

“It’s all dependent upon the supply chain,” he said.

Graham said the county has made progress expanding internet access in recent years, particularly in northern Hinds County. But even with improved connectivity, he believes outdoor sirens remain an important backup warning system.

“A lot of elderly people, a lot of people in the city and outside the city still depend upon that air raid siren,” Graham said.

He said the continued demand becomes clear during the county’s monthly siren tests.

“When they do not go off, my phone will light up like a Christmas tree,” Graham said.

Sirens can also provide warnings when people may not have access to phones or electricity, he said.

“You may or may not have your phone with you,” Graham said. “And if the power is out, you may not be able to charge your phone.”

When is tornado season in Mississippi?

Unlike parts of the Midwest, Mississippi does not have a single, defined tornado season.

“Our main time is March, April and May,” said Michael Hill, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Jackson. “But I like to tell people we have year-round tornadoes.”

Hill said another active period often occurs in the fall and winter months when weather fronts moving across the region combine with warm, moisture-rich air from the Gulf of Mexico. Because Mississippi sits closer to that moisture source than states farther north, the ingredients for severe storms can come together more frequently.

What to do if you hear a tornado siren

Emergency officials say hearing a tornado siren means residents should seek shelter immediately.

“If you hear a tornado siren, you should just take cover,” Hill said.

The safest place during a tornado warning is an interior room on the lowest floor of a building, away from windows and exterior walls.

“If you’re in your house, go to your lowest floor, interior room, bathroom, put as many walls as you can between you and the outside and hunker down safely,” Hill said.

Hill also recommends protecting your head from flying debris, which causes many tornado injuries.

“We like to tell people to wear helmets to protect their heads because a lot of the problems with tornadoes is debris flying,” he said.

Charlie Drape is the Jackson beat reporter. Contact him at cdrape@gannett.com.

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