Mississippi

Mississippi cities under boil-water notice after E. coli found in samples

Published

2 years ago

January 12, 2024

Mississippi cities under boil-water notice after E. coli found in samples

JACKSON, Miss. — The Mississippi State Department of Health issued a boil-water notice Thursday for the cities of Jackson and Flowood after E. coli bacteria was detected in the water supplies, a result that local officials plan to dispute.

Around 169,000 residents in the capital city of Jackson, Byram, and Flowood are affected by the order. But JXN Water — Jackson’s third-party water manager — believes the state’s notice to be in error and plans to dispute the state’s lab results, according to a news release.

“Officials in the (MSDH Public Health Laboratory) do not believe there was any contamination of the samples while in the lab and the results are not false positives,” the state health agency said in a news release.

Health officials are recommending that all water be “boiled vigorously for 1 minute before it is consumed,” according to the state health agency’s website. It added that the precaution will last for at least two days and water system officials will be notified when the boil-water advisory is lifted.

Thursday’s notice is the latest incident in Jackson’s water troubles. In August 2022, infrastructure breakdowns in the city’s water system left 150,000 residents without safe drinking water for weeks.

The city’s water crisis highlighted years of infrastructure issues, which experts say reflect the disinvestment of communities of color. Jackson residents have long faced water supply issues, including a boil-water notice in late July 2022, lead concerns, and a cold wave that left residents without water.

Is there hope ahead?: Deadly disasters are ravaging school communities in growing numbers.

Jackson’s interim water manager questions state’s results

During a news conference Thursday, Jackson’s interim water manager Ted Henifin questioned the state’s results. He said the detection of E. coli bacteria in two different water systems was suspicious, adding that the amount of chlorine within the water system would kill the bacteria.

“Having positive results (for E. coli.) from any system…is fairly unusual. Having two positives from two different water systems on the same day, analyzed at the same time seems highly suspect,” Henifin said.

Despite his concerns, Henifin clarified that residents should follow state orders.

“You need to follow what the state is saying, they are the health professionals,” he said. “We’re not asking to lift the boil-water notice even though we’re taking these samples from the taps that failed and we’ll test those to show that we’re pretty confident.”

JXN Water relies on the Mississippi State Department of Health to conduct testing to ensure the water system is compliant. Henifin said he asked the department if they would further validate the sample results before taking any action, but they refused to do so.

“Over the last 12 months since we’ve been doing this, we’ve turned in almost 1,500 samples to the lab and there have been no positives, no false positives, no problems at all,” Henifin said. “It’s something that really caught us off-guard and got our attention quickly.”

Lead water pipes pose a health risk: The EPA wants to remove them all

E. coli bacteria in drinking water ‘very unlikely,’ local officials say

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requires JXN Water to take monthly water sampling tests at 120 different sites throughout the city and test for bacteria. Henifin said the water system has been in full compliance and has not failed any tests for the past year.

Yvonne Mazza-Lappi, the Drinking Water Compliance Manager for Jacobs Engineering, whom JXN Water contracts to run the city’s water plant, said Thursday that the state’s results could be a false positive. A number of factors could be the cause for this, according to Mazza-Lappi, including cross-contamination in the lab, improper handling of the water samples or human error.

“We knew how much chlorine or disinfection we had in our distribution system, therefore the likelihood of having E. coli in our drinking water would be very unlikely,” Mazza-Lappi said at Thursday’s news conference.

“The fact that you have chlorine present and E. coli? That is really unusual,” Henifin added.

To lift the order, JXN Water must resample all 120 locations around the city and have two consecutive days of no E. coli being found in the system.

“Barring no other analysis failures on the lab’s part, I am confident that we will clear all those samples and be able to lift this,” Henifin said. “We’re moving as fast as we can to get those samples back to the lab and they’ll do the analysis and I am confident we’ll be lifting the order by Monday.”

Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said Thursday he would look into this more but that residents should follow state recommendations.

Contributing: Nada Hassanein, USA TODAY

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Mississippi

Renowned New York dance instructor visits Mississippi to recruit for summer program

Published

11 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Renowned New York dance instructor visits Mississippi to recruit for summer program

LAUREL, Miss. (WDAM) – A world-renowned dance instructor from New York visited Laurel Thursday to conduct a special class and do some recruiting for a prestigious summer dance program in the Big Apple.

Melanie Person, who is co-director of the Ailey School in New York, taught a master ballet class Thursday morning at Laurel Middle School.

It’s part of a three-day residency in the Magnolia State, organized by the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience in Meridian.

She’ll teach two other classes Friday in Meridian before hosting an audition Saturday for a prestigious summer dance program at the Ailey School.

“I typically tour in about six to eight cities in the U.S., and I recruit dancers to come to our summer intensive, so part of this weekend, in one of the classes, I will be accepting students to come to New York for our five-week summer intensive,” Person said.

“We accept the dancers we like, and we see if they are able to come. The decision to come to New York for the summer is a big undertaking for families, so we just hope that they can do it.”

Registration is required for that audition, which will be held at the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience.

To do that, click HERE.

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No. 12 Mississippi State’s Balance Shows Again in Road Win at Georgia Tech

Published

23 hours ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

No. 12 Mississippi State’s Balance Shows Again in Road Win at Georgia Tech

Mississippi State has won plenty of different ways during this 15-1 start, but Wednesday night in Atlanta felt like one of those games where the Bulldogs reminded everyone why they’ve looked so steady all month.

It wasn’t perfect, and it wasn’t stress‑free, but the 8-3 win over Georgia Tech was the kind of road win that shows a team knows exactly who it is and what buttons to push when things get a little weird.

Alyssa Faircloth set the tone again, even on a night when she didn’t have her cleanest beginning. She gave up a game‑tying homer in the second, shrugged, and then basically disappeared Georgia Tech’s lineup for the next three innings.

Eight strikeouts in nine batters the second time through the order, back‑to‑back innings striking out the side. The only real hiccup came on another leadoff homer in the sixth, and by then she’d already done the heavy lifting.

And while Faircloth was settling in, the lineup did what it’s been doing all year: spreading the damage around.

Des Rivera wasted no time, jumping on the first pitch of the second inning and sending it out. When Georgia Tech tied it, Nadia Barbary answered immediately with a solo shot of her own. It wasn’t loud or flashy, but it was the kind of response good teams make without thinking.

The middle innings were more about pressure than power. Barbary worked a walk, Kiarra Sells split the gap for an RBI double, and Anna Carder did her job with a sac fly. Suddenly it was 4-1, and Mississippi State had the game exactly where it wanted it with Faircloth cruising, the lineup stacking quality at‑bats, and the defense staying clean.

The seventh inning, though, is where the Bulldogs turned a solid win into a comfortable one. Sells homered again, and then Rivera and Tatum Silva kept the inning alive long enough for Morgan Bernardini to drop the hammer. Her three‑run shot to center didn’t just put the game away; it capped off the kind of night she’s been stringing together for a week now. She’s 7‑for‑11 during her four‑game hitting streak and looks like a hitter who’s seeing everything in slow motion.

Peja Goold handled the final outs, picking up her second save and slamming the door on a Georgia Tech team that kept trying to make things interesting late.

What stands out most about this win isn’t the four homers or the 11 strikeouts or even the 15-1 record. It’s how routine it all felt.

Mississippi State went on the road, took a couple of punches, and never looked rattled. Rivera homered. Barbary homered. Sells homered. Bernardini homered. Faircloth dominated. Goold closed. It was the same formula, just in a different ballpark.

Now the Bulldogs head to Clemson for a weekend that should tell us even more about who they are. But if Wednesday night is any indication, they’re traveling with a lineup that can hurt you anywhere and a pitching staff that doesn’t mind carrying the load when needed.

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Mississippi Lottery Mississippi Match 5, Cash 3 results for Feb. 25, 2026

Published

1 day ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

Mississippi Lottery Mississippi Match 5, Cash 3 results for Feb. 25, 2026

The Mississippi Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at Feb. 25, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Mississippi Match 5 numbers from Feb. 25 drawing

02-06-09-16-17

Check Mississippi Match 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 3 numbers from Feb. 25 drawing

Midday: 4-6-6, FB: 6

Evening: 4-3-5, FB: 9

Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 4 numbers from Feb. 25 drawing

Midday: 0-7-2-8, FB: 6

Evening: 6-3-6-1, FB: 9

Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from Feb. 25 drawing

Midday: 10

Evening: 12

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Story continues below gallery.

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

Winnings of $599 or less can be claimed at any authorized Mississippi Lottery retailer.

Prizes between $600 and $99,999, may be claimed at the Mississippi Lottery Headquarters or by mail. Mississippi Lottery Winner Claim form, proper identification (ID) and the original ticket must be provided for all claims of $600 or more. If mailing, send required documentation to:

Mississippi Lottery Corporation

P.O. Box 321462

Flowood, MS

39232

If your prize is $100,000 or more, the claim must be made in person at the Mississippi Lottery headquarters. Please bring identification, such as a government-issued photo ID and a Social Security card to verify your identity. Winners of large prizes may also have the option of setting up electronic funds transfer (EFT) for direct deposits into a bank account.

Mississippi Lottery Headquarters

1080 River Oaks Drive, Bldg. B-100

Flowood, MS

39232

Mississippi Lottery prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the drawing date. For detailed instructions and necessary forms, please visit the Mississippi Lottery claim page.

When are the Mississippi Lottery drawings held?

Cash 3: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
Cash 4: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
Match 5: Daily at 9:30 p.m. CT.
Cash Pop: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Mississippi editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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