Mississippi
In Mississippi, Nobody Is Policing the Sheriffs
Sheriffs in Mississippi are elected by the people, but after that, who holds them accountable? While the state is responsible for looking into shootings and deaths if a sheriff or deputy is involved, allegations of brutality lobbed against their departments, including beatings, rape, and retaliation, commonly go nowhere, according to a joint investigation by the New York Times and and Mississippi Today. In fact, the sheriffs’ offices are under no obligation even to report the allegations to state authorities. (The piece is part of a series on the power of Mississippi sheriffs, one that previously revealed Rankin County’s “Goon Squad.”) Together they examined lawsuits against sheriff’s departments across the state that hit dead ends despite ample evidence, with most cases being settled out of court. The details of what people alleged were harrowing.
One woman claimed she was raped in her cell in 2016 by a deputy, while a man says he was choked and his head was slammed against the wall until he passed out. Former Maine attorney general James Tierney called the allegations “criminal” and “corrupt” after examining the suits, adding “this wasn’t one renegade cop or a renegade DA. There is a systemic problem here.” The Times notes that those tapped to investigate the crimes often have close ties to sheriffs’ offices, a relationship described as a “politically incestuous.” In one case, a man provided photos and medical records to chief investigator Brian Calico after claiming he was shackled and beaten by deputies under Sheriff Billy McGee, rendering him unconscious with broken ribs. Calico said he found no improper conduct. Less than a year later, he married McGee’s daughter. Read the full report. (And check out more Longform stories.)
STARKVILLE — The playing surface at Charles Schwab Field is dirt where Mississippi State baseball hopes to be playing in the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.
So, if that stadium has dirt, why shouldn’t MSU’s Dudy Noble Field?
That was part of the thought process for new Mississippi State coach Brian O’Connor as changes were made to the playing surface.
New for the 2026 season is a dirt batter’s box and dirt basepaths leading to first and third base. Previously, they were turf.
Foul territory and the warning track will remain turf but it has been replaced. The rest of the field is dirt and grass.
“I get why it was turf,” O’Connor told The Clarion Ledger on Jan. 21. “You get rain, it’s better off being turf. But where the national championship is played, your spikes digging into the batter’s box are in dirt.”
O’Connor said it wasn’t solely his decision, but a collective one with administration and the grounds crew. There were already plans to get new turf for foul territory and the warning track before O’Connor was hired in June.
The new dirt and turf were installed after fall practices and ahead of opening day when Mississippi State hosts Hofstra on Feb. 13.
“I do like that,” O’Connor said. “That said, it wasn’t that big of a deal to me. But there were some things going on actually with the playing surface that by going to dirt base paths helped.”
The logos in foul territory have also been changed. The banner M logos adjacent to first and third base are gone. The Mississippi State baseball M over S logo is now behind home plate.
Mississippi State had turf in the batter’s box since 2014.
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
GREENVILLE, Miss. (WLBT) – Ten people were taken to the hospital after a canopy collapsed at a gas station in Greenville, Mississippi.
According to the Greenville Fire Department, the incident occurred at the Rick’s Express, and was seemingly caused by excessive water and ice.
The structure, the fire department said, fell onto several vehicles, and ten people were taken to the hospital for both minor and major injuries.
Fire crews remained on the scene to secure the area and assess the stability of the structure. Crews also blocked off the area.
The fire department later said that another canopy had collapsed at a separate gas station in the city, this one occurring at the B-Quick.
One person was injured, and several vehicles were damaged.
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Will Mississippi be the first state to expand educational freedom in 2026? It’s too early to know, but it’s notable that the state House recently passed HB2, the Mississippi Education Freedom Act, a step in that direction. The centerpiece of the massive bill is an education savings account program called Magnolia Student Accounts, or MSA for short.
By creating these Magnolia Student Accounts, Mississippi would join a growing number of states that recognize parents know their kids better than bureaucrats do, and education funding should follow students to the learning environments where they’ll thrive.
This isn’t a radical concept. We don’t mandate where families shop for groceries or what doctor they visit. Education is too important to be the one service where choice doesn’t matter.
The mechanics of MSAs are straightforward. Instead of locking all education dollars into assigned district schools, the state would deposit funds into accounts that families control. Those funds could pay for private school tuition, tutoring, educational technology, curriculum materials, specialized courses and more.
If HB2 is passed, every student would be eligible to apply for an MSA, but the number of available accounts would be limited. In the first year, there would be a maximum of 12,500 accounts for private school tuition, with half of those reserved for students transferring out of public schools. The cap would automatically increase by 2,500 each year for the first four years. After that, it would automatically increase by 2,500 whenever all accounts are claimed the previous year. If applications exceed available funds, students from lower-income households would receive priority and a lottery would be conducted if needed.
For students using the accounts at participating schools, funding would be based on the state’s base student funding for the applicable school year, currently around $6,800. Students at non-participating schools would receive $2,000 with a family maximum of $4,000. Up to 5,000 homeschoolers could receive $1,000 per family. The program also allows families to carry over unused funds for future educational expenses, which discourages wasteful spending.
As currently drafted, the program respects participating schools’ autonomy. Schools aren’t forced to participate, and those that do aren’t subjected to state curriculum mandates. They can still set their own admissions standards, hire teachers who share their mission and maintain the distinctive programs that make them effective. Religious schools can maintain their faith-based instruction. These protections are critical in encouraging diverse educational options rather than cookie-cutter schools that all look alike.
While adopting MSAs would be a significant step toward more educational freedom for Mississippi families, there are areas for improvement in the proposal. The participation caps mean only around 3% of Mississippi students would be able to participate in the beginning, and the cap increases at a very slow pace. Providing lower funding amounts based on what type of education children receive limits families’ flexibility and complicates program administration, as well.
As is often the case, the teachers union, superintendents’ association and other opponents of school choice are campaigning against the Education Freedom Act, claiming that MSAs will harm public schools. Yet public school funding would only be affected if parents choose other options — which, critically, would not happen if the school is meeting their needs. Keeping kids trapped in schools that aren’t working for them helps no one.
Mississippi’s public schools may be a great fit for many students, but they can’t work for every child. Some students need more personalized environments, different instructional approaches or specialized support that their assigned school can’t provide. When we pretend one-size-fits-all in education, the students who suffer are typically those with the fewest alternatives.
The education landscape is changing. Enrollment in Mississippi district schools has fallen. Many families want options that better fit their children’s needs. Magnolia Student Accounts acknowledge this reality and enable education funding to reflect family choices.
No education system is perfect, and choice programs require careful drafting and implementation. But the old way of doing things — a system where kids are limited by their addresses, struggling students can’t escape schools that aren’t meeting their needs, and innovative approaches can’t get funding — is no longer good enough.
Education works best when families have options and schools have the freedom to meet students where they are. Mississippi is moving decisively in that direction.
— Colleen Hroncich is a policy analyst at the Cato Institute’s Center for Educational Freedom.
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