Mississippi

Minnesota adopts new, non-racist state flag, joins Utah, Mississippi, Michigan, Illinois in redesigning flags

Published

2 years ago

January 3, 2024

Minnesota adopts new, non-racist state flag, joins Utah, Mississippi, Michigan, Illinois in redesigning flags

The state of Minnesota is set to get a new official flag this spring that will reflect its motto of being the North Star State, replacing an old flag that pictured a Native American that some critics argued was racist.

State officials formed a committee and allowed entries from members of the community before voting and ultimately adopting a new flag design in December that included two blue shapes with a white star.

The dark blue shape on the left of the flag resembles Minnesota. On the right is a light blue field that symbolizes the abundant waters that help define the Land of 10,000 Lakes. It also has a white, eight-pointed North Star on it.

The Legislature is likely to approve the new flag — and a new state seal — and they will become official on May 11. The change comes as several other states also have been redesigning their flags, including Utah, Mississippi, Michigan, Illinois and Maine.

COMMISSION BEGINS WORK ON NEW MINNESOTA STATE FLAG

A final Minnesota’s flag design is on display Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023 St. Paul, Minn. The new state flag should feature an eight-pointed North Star against a dark blue background shaped like the state, with a solid light blue field at the right, a special commission decided Monday as it picked a replacement for an older design that many Native Americans considered offensive. (Glen Stubbe /Star Tribune via AP)

The new Minnesota flag was chosen by a committee that was provided with more than 2,600 proposals from the public. The committee chose a base design from Andrew Prekker, 24, of Luverne.

The commission then made some changes that included replacing his original light blue, white and green stripes with a solid, light blue field.

The significance of the light blue area is open to interpretation. The original Dakota name for Minnesota, Mni Sóta Makoce, which will go on the new seal, can be translated as “where the water meets the sky.” The commission’s chairman, Luis Fitch, said the light blue can also represent the Mississippi River, which originates in Minnesota.

Minnesota’s flag commission Chair Luis Fitch adjusts some of the final designs as the commission meets today in hopes of picking a final flag design Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023 St. Paul, Minn. (Glen Stubbe /Star Tribune via AP)

The new flag was met with some criticism, as commentators said it was boring or a wasteful change. Supporters of the new flag are hopeful that it will grow on people.

One Indigenous graphic designer is already selling T-shirts online that bear the new design and say, “At least the flag isn’t racist anymore.”

A Minnesota flag blew in the wind and snow before its redesign. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

Other states are also considering or have already made flag changes.

UTAH GETS OFFICIAL NEW FLAG AFTER GOVERNOR COX SIGNS BILL, EXECUTIVE ORDER

The Utah Legislature last winter approved a design that featured a beehive, a symbol of prosperity.

Mississippi chose a new flag with a magnolia to replace a Confederate-themed flag.

Michigan has started the process of simplifying its flag — which currently features a bald eagle, an elk and a moose and Latin words — to a tri-color design with stars or a lighthouse.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has also initiated an effort to change his state flag, a process that will allow a flag commission to select potential flag designs by September 2024.

“Throughout our 205-year history, Illinois has boasted two official state flags — and it may be time we create a new one that exemplifies the values of our great state,” Pritzker said in August 2023.

Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton added: “Our state flag demonstrates who we are as one Illinois, uplifting our history and our values. This bill will ensure the Illinois flag continues to be a symbol of progress and the ideals we uphold with the utmost honor. With the creation of the next flag of our state, we are ushering in a new era that will represent every Illinoisan and commemorate how far we have come so we may go even further together.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

In Maine, residents want to replace the current flag with a retro version featuring a simple pine tree and a blue north star. The current design features a pine tree, a moose, a seafarer and a lumberjack, against a blue background.

Democratic Gov. Janet Mills wants “robust public debate and discussion on all sides of the issue,” before a change is adopted, according to Mills spokesperson Ben Goodman.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source link

Mississippi

Stamps Super Burgers named best burger in Mississippi

Published

5 hours ago

April 6, 2026

Press Room

Stamps Super Burgers named best burger in Mississippi

A Jackson, Mississippi, icon has been named the best burger in Mississippi.

Foodie offers tips for “living a delicious life” from where you go out to eat to what you cook at home. It’s ranked the best hamburger restaurant in every state.

“Of course, the bigger burger chain names have become famous worldwide, but U.S. soil is also home to a dazzling variety of burger businesses, from those selling everything from high-end gastroburgers and gluten- or meat-free versions, to hole-in-the-wall places that have been slinging sliders for generations,” Scheenagh Harrington wrote for Foodie.

The site’s pick for the best in the Magnolia State is not surprising.

“Many businesses claim their product is the best in town, but Jackson-based Stamps Super Burgers really does deliver,” Harrington wrote.

They warned to plan your trip. Afternoons can get very busy.

Why do people love Stamps burgers?

Stamps Super Burgers, 1801 Dalton St., Jackson, was founded in 1986. Since then, three generations of the Stamps family have served juicy burgers and fresh-cut fries to the community.

Today, it’s co-owned by Phil Stamps Jr. In a previous interview with the Clarion Ledger, he said it “originally started with my grandmother and grandfather in 1970 when they purchased it from Canterbury Grocery, and the entire family operated that business as a grocery and meat market for a while before transitioning over to burgers in 1986.”

The kitchen is open, in the center of the restaurant. You can watch employees cut potatoes for fries or man the grill.

A signature Stamps hamburger comes with an 11-ounce beef patty and mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, lettuce, tomato, pickle and onions. The menu also has wings and different burger options, like turkey or portobello.

The Washington Addition restaurant regularly tops “best of” rankings for the state. In 2024, it was on the USA TODAY Restaurants of the Year list.

Where are the best burgers in Jackson, MS?

Yelp lists the Top 10 burger joints in Jackson, based on user reviews.

Stamps Super Burgers
Foundation Burger
Fat Albert’s
Cs’s
Rooster’s Restaurant
Rowan’s
Bulldog Burger
The Pig & Pint
Brent’s Drugs
Not Just a Burger

Contributing: Kiara Fleming

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

Source link

Mississippi

An 1850s Parsonage in Natchez, Mississippi, Is Selling for the First Time in Over a Century

Published

17 hours ago

April 5, 2026

Press Room

An 1850s Parsonage in Natchez, Mississippi, Is Selling for the First Time in Over a Century

A 174-year-old brick parsonage house on a bluff above the Mississippi River is now for sale in Natchez, Mississippi, asking $1.985 million.

The home, completed in 1852, was built by architect James Hardie as a residence for Methodist ministers, according to historical records. The land was donated by Peter Little, a wealthy cotton broker and slave owner who built the city’s historic Rosalie mansion.

MORE: ‘Hunger Games’ Director Gary Ross Dug Under His Brooklyn Home to Build a ‘Magical’ Theater

The house was initially built as a one-story residence with an “English” basement and a carriage house; a two-story annex was added later, according to the listing with Douglas Adams of Crescent Sotheby’s International Realty, informed by the Historic Natchez Foundation.

“The location is what is superb because it is one of the highest points in Natchez overlooking the Mississippi River,” said Adams, who posted the listing Thursday.

In 1893, the Parsonage changed hands for the last time when it was purchased by James and Agnes Metcalfe, and has been in the Metcalfe family ever since.

Known as the Parsonage, the residence is considered a classic example of Greek Revival architecture from the pre-Civil War South, with a wide portico, raised porch and sash windows. It is located on South Broadway Street, in a commanding position that overlooks Bluff Park, the Mississippi and downtown Natchez. It spans 6,500 square feet with five bedrooms, two formal parlors flanking a central hall and richly detailed interiors that include original exposed-brick walls, fireplaces and stained-glass windows.

In addition to a front porch, the property includes several outdoor terraces and balconies, including a second-floor wraparound deck and a balustraded rooftop—which has the best vantage point from which to see the wide views.

The home was occupied for many years by the late Albert and Gay Metcalfe, who married at the Parsonage in 1959, and would host events for friends. “It became something of a social hub,” Adams said. “They’d host families to celebrate someone’s life; there may have been some weddings that occurred there.”

Gay Metcalfe died in 2023 and the heirs are her three children, Adams said. The family couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

Hardie, the architect, was a Scottish immigrant who built several other notable buildings in Natchez, including most prominently St. Mary Basilica, a Gothic Revival structure on the National Register of Historic Places, and the Homewood plantation, a Greek Revival mansion.

MORE: Manhattan’s Richest Home Buyers Were Out in Force as $10 Million-Plus Sales Surged in the First Quarter

According to local lore, the Parsonage was commissioned by Little because his wife, Eliza’s religious devotion led her to welcome every passing minister into their home, according to “Natchez,” a 1940s history of the city. Displeased with the “long siege of such guests,” Little decided to build a separate home for his wife’s visitors.

Little’s own mansion at Rosalie still stands today near the site of the 1729 massacre of the Natchez Native Americans, from whom the city takes its name.

Source link