Mississippi
Mississippi County, Mo. leaders tackle food insecurity in the community

CHARLESTON, Mo. (KFVS) – A growing number of people in southeast Missouri worry about putting food on the table.
That’s according to new numbers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The department’s annual “Map the Meal Gap” report showed food insecurity in southeast Missouri jumped from 14.5 percent in 2023 to more than 17 percent in 2024.
According to the Southeast Missouri Foodbank, higher food prices are driving that increase. The national average cost of a meal is up nearly $3.50 in the food bank’s coverage area.
That report also broke down food insecurity by county in the Show Me State, and seven southeast Missouri counties landed in the top 10.
According to the report, Mississippi County ranks 7th in food insecurity and second in child hunger in Missouri.
We talked with local leaders about how they’re tracking the issue as summer break begins.
“It’s important for us to be a village,” said Lester Gillespie, CEO of Fresh Start Self-Improvement Center in Charleston.
Wednesday, May 15 marked the last day of his winter food program where he feeds up to 200 kids five days a week. The Summer Food Program begins on Thursday.
Gillespie said he’s here to help parents in need.
“It’s not so much we give out a handout. We give it, we give a hand up and I really love the fact that our parents are trying to do the best that they possibly can do under the circumstances,” he said.
Veronica Dunigan is a member of the Fresh Start organization. She said providing children with breakfast and lunch makes a difference.
“A lot of times the parents, they run out of food or either they’re working and they don’t get a chance to come home at all. Some time to feed their children, like during the summer time they’re at work all day,” Dunigan said.
And it fills a real need in this community.
“The parents feel good that their kids are somewhere and they can release them to the program and that’s what I see this program I’ve done and, and I see this continue to do and I pray that it continues to grow more and more,” she said.
Gillespie hoped talking about food insecurity in his county and across the state brings more awareness.
“I really appreciate the fact that we’re putting a light on this. We’ll bring it to full attention throughout our community and allow other people to get involved in any way they want because it is a problem,” Gillespie said.
According to Gillespie, the program provides food to children up to 18 and offers transportation to his program at the C. F. Bowden Civic Center in Charleston, Mo.
Copyright 2024 KFVS. All rights reserved.

Mississippi
Hubbard withdraws from NBA Draft, returns to Mississippi State

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Josh Hubbard, the dynamic 5-foot-11 guard from Madison-Ridgeland Academy, officially announced on Wednesday that he will return to Mississippi State.
Bulldogs’ fans have been waiting for the news. It ended speculation about his professional future and providing clarity to the Mississippi State’ roster. He didn’t run it to the end with the last day to decide May 28.
The move, while widely anticipated, is a significant boost for coach Chris Jans and a Bulldogs’ team that is navigating a busy offseason of roster changes.
Hubbard’s sophomore campaign was nothing short of historic.
He led the Bulldogs in scoring with 18.1 points per game, starting all 34 contests and ranking among the SEC’s top 15 in seven statistical categories. His impact was felt across the board:
• 3rd in the SEC in points per game
• 2nd in assists-to-turnover ratio (2.49)
• 2nd in three-pointers made per game (3.18)
• 4th in free throw percentage (87.8%)
• 7th in three-point percentage (34.5%)
• 15th in assists (3.15) and field goal percentage (40.2%)
Hubbard’s free throw percentage set a new school record, and he became the first player in Mississippi State history to record at least 600 points and 100 assists in a single season.
He also captured the 2025 Bailey Howell Award, given to Mississippi’s top college basketball player, becoming the first freshman to win the honor since its inception in 2004-05.
In just two seasons, Hubbard has amassed 1,240 points, 168 assists and 55 steals. His combined freshman-sophomore point total is the highest in the SEC since 2000 and ranks fourth all-time in conference history.
As a freshman, Hubbard set school records for three-pointers made (108) and points scored (598), while averaging 17.1 points per game.
Hubbard’s decision to return was rooted in his commitment to the Bulldogs and his belief in the program’s direction.
“I’m blessed to be a Mississippi State Bulldog. I’m blessed to play for one of the best coaches in the country in Chris Jans,” Hubbard said. “I’m blessed to have another opportunity to represent my home state on a national stage. It’s special.”
His leadership will be crucial as Mississippi State navigates a changing roster.
The Bulldogs have seen several players transfer out, including Kanye Clary (Oklahoma State), Michael Nwoko (LSU), and KeShawn Murphy (Auburn), but have also added experienced transfers like Ja’Borri McGhee (UAB) and Jayden Epps (Georgetown).
With Hubbard back in the fold, Mississippi State is poised to remain competitive in the SEC.
His scoring ability, playmaking, and experience will anchor a team looking to build on last season’s NCAA Tournament appearance and ninth-place SEC finish (21-13 overall).
National analysts believe Hubbard’s return gives him a legitimate shot at All-American honors next season, especially as he continues to develop under Coach Jans.
While he tested the NBA Draft waters, Hubbard was not listed on ESPN’s top 100 prospects, making his return to Starkville a logical step for further growth and exposure.
Mississippi
MS celebrates Jefferson Davis’ birthday, Memorial Day as state holiday. What to know

The ‘rebel flag’ wasn’t real banner of the Confederate states
As Walmart lowers Mississippi’s state flag from storefronts, learn why the infamous “rebel flag” isn’t even historically accurate.
STAFF VIDEO, USA TODAY
- Mississippi observes Jefferson Davis’ birthday, combined with Memorial Day, as a state holiday.
- This combined holiday is one of three Confederate holidays observed in Mississippi.
- While other states have holidays honoring Davis, Mississippi is the only one to combine it with Memorial Day.
- There have been unsuccessful attempts to remove Confederate holidays from the Mississippi state calendar.
Mississippi will honor Confederate President Jefferson Davis this three-day weekend.
The state isn’t the only one to honor him with a state holiday or local celebration, but it is the only one to combine it with Memorial Day.
It’s the third of three Confederate holidays on the state calendar, starting with a celebration of Robert E. Lee and Martin Luther King Jr. in February and Confederate Memorial Day in April.
Here’s what you need to know about when and why Mississippi celebrates Confederate holidays and what other states still honor them.
Why does Mississippi celebrate Jefferson Davis?
Davis was born in Kentucky on June 3, 1808, but Mississippi pairs it with Memorial Day on the last Monday in May. The president of the Confederacy spent most of his life in the Magnolia State and served it in both houses of the U.S. Congress.
The Davis family moved to the Mississippi Territory in 1812. In 1824, he graduated from West Point, the U.S. Military Academy and served in the U.S. Army, according to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.
Davis settled near family near Vicksburg, planted cotton and owned slaves in Warren County.
In 1845, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and resigned in less than a year to fight with the Mississippi Rifles in the Mexican War. In 1847, he was wounded and later was appointed to fill a seat in the U.S. Senate.
In 1851, he resigned to run for governor of Mississippi but did not win. He campaigned for Franklin Pierce and served as the president’s secretary of war.
He was re-elected to the Senate in 1857.
He resigned and announced Mississippi was seceding from the Union four years later.
By October of 1861, he was president of the Confederate States of America.
After Lee surrendered, Davis and his family ran but were later captured. He was held on treason charges for two years. The federal government dropped charges against him in 1869.
By 1877, he moved to Beauvoir in Biloxi and died in New Orleans in 1889.
The Biloxi building now serves as a presidential library. It’s open daily and offers tours. The organization that maintains it will celebrate his 217th birthday on Saturday, May 31, with a showing of Shirley Temple’s “The Littlest Rebel” and a Mississippi Rifles Honor Salute. Admission is $15 per person, and movie tickets cost another $2.
Alabama also has a state holiday for Confederate President Jefferson Davis on the first Monday in June. In Florida, it’s a local observance, according to timeanddate.com, but not an official state holiday that offices and schools or businesses would close for.
Does anyone want Mississippi to drop Confederate holidays from the state calendar?
Yes. There were multiple bills to remove Lee’s birthday and Confederate Memorial Day from the state calendar in the most recent regular session of the Mississippi Legislature.
None were successful.
Mississippi still honors Robert E. Lee on MLK Day
Two U.S. states honor Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee on the federal holiday for Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is always scheduled to take place on the third Monday in January. President Ronald Regan signed the bill creating the holiday into federal law in 1983. It was first observed in 1986.
King was born on Jan. 15, 1929.
When the federal holiday was adopted in the 1980s, Mississippi and Alabama lawmakers opted to add it to an existing holiday honoring Confederate general Robert E. Lee. Many states in the South initially adopted this approach. Most, including Lee’s home state of Virginia, have since dropped celebrating Lee, who was born on Jan. 19, 1807.
Mississippi celebrates Confederate Memorial Day
Mississippi celebrated Confederate Memorial Day on Monday, April 28 this year. Only four states still honor the Civil War dead with a day off for public workers, though others still treat it as a holiday.
The Magnolia State takes it a step further and celebrates April as Confederate Heritage Month.
Confederate Memorial Day was created in Georgia on April 26, 1866. It honored the deaths of Confederate soldiers on the first anniversary of the day that Confederate Gen. Joseph Johnston surrendered the Army of Tennessee to Union Gen. William Sherman at Bennett Place, North Carolina.
Many in the Confederacy felt that negotiation marked the end of the Civil War. Lee had surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant two weeks earlier at Appomattox Court House, but Johnston stayed in the field with almost 90,000 soldiers.
The holiday spread to the other Confederate states. Some changed their celebration dates to something more locally significant.
In Alabama and Florida, it’s on the fourth Monday in April. Alabama treats it as an official holiday.
Texas celebrates it as a state holiday on Jan. 19.
North and South Carolina celebrate on May 10, but state offices close only in South Carolina.
June 3 is when Kentucky and Tennessee honor the dead from the Civil War, and Tennessee calls it Confederate Decoration Day.
Does Mississippi celebrate Juneteenth as a state holiday?
No. Mississippi does not honor Juneteenth, though it is a federal holiday.
Juneteenth is a federal holiday that honors June 19, 1865, when enslaved people in Texas were set free. The order for the state came about two and a half years after the 1862 Emancipation Proclamation.
Civil War reenactors teach living history in Mississippi
When are Mississippi state holidays in 2025?
Many state holidays in Mississippi sync up with federal holidays, but not all of them, according to the list from the Department of Finance and Administration.
- Wednesday, Jan. 1: New Year’s Day.
- Monday, Jan. 20: Birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert E. Lee.
- Monday, Feb. 17: Washington’s Birthday.
- Monday, April 28: Confederate Memorial Day.
- Monday, May 26: National Memorial Day and Jefferson Davis’ birthday.
- Friday, July 4: Independence Day.
- Monday, Sept. 1: Labor Day.
- Tuesday, Nov. 11: Veterans Day or Armistice Day.
- Thursday, Nov. 27: Thanksgiving Day.
- Thursday, Dec. 25: Christmas Day.
2025 US federal holiday schedule
Here are the federal holidays in 2025, according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management:
- Wednesday, Jan. 1: New Year’s Day.
- Monday, Jan. 20: Birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. and Inauguration Day.
- Monday, Feb. 17: Washington’s Birthday.
- Monday, May 26: Memorial Day.
- Thursday, June 19: Juneteenth National Independence Day.
- Friday, July 4: Independence Day.
- Monday, Sept. 1: Labor Day.
- Monday, Oct. 13: Columbus Day.
- Tuesday, Nov. 11: Veterans Day.
- Thursday, Nov. 27: Thanksgiving Day.
- Thursday, Dec. 25: Christmas Day.
Bonnie Bolden is the Deep South Connect reporter for Mississippi with Gannett/USA Today. Email her at bbolden@gannett.com.
Mississippi
Vote: Mississippi high school softball player of the week (5/20/2025)

The 2025 high school softball season in Mississippi has come to its end, and it was an exciting season from start to finish. The championship series’ delivered as promised, and it was a fitting end to the season that was. These 12 players that have been nominated for the final player of the week poll went above and beyond as they did everything they could to try and help their team close out the season with an exclamation point. As always, we ask you, the fans, to vote on who you think is the final High School on SI Mississippi softball player of the week for 2025.
Editor’s note: Our corresponding poll is intended to be fun, and we do not set limits on how many times a fan can vote during the competition. This poll is specifically for fans to vote on the players that have been nominated and in no way discredits any other player that may not be mentioned in our poll
Congratulations to last week’s winner: Abby Danis East Central
Voting will close on May 25 at 11:59 p.m.
Here are the nominations:
In the 10-3 and 10-6 losses to East Central, Eason still managed to have some productive at-bats. She finished with four hits, two home runs, three RBIs and three runs scored.
In the two wins in game one and game three in the Class 3A state championship, Dearman pitched a complete game in both as she helped her team secure the championship. In game one, she allowed three hits, zero runs and 10 strikeouts in eight innings. In game three, she allowed two hits, zero runs with 10 strikeouts.
In the wins over Lafayette, Danis finished with four hits, one home run, four RBIs and two runs scored as she helped the Hornets secure the Class 5A state championship.
In three games in the Class 1A state championship versus Myrtle, Holifield finished with five hits, two home runs, one double, five RBIs and four runs scored as the Red Devils claimed the championship.
In the 10-0 and 12-1 wins over Pisgah in the Class 2A state championship, Johnson went 3-for-5 with two home runs, six RBIs and four runs scored.
In the 6-2 and 9-6 wins over Purvis in the Class 4A state championship, Owens finished with four hits, one double and one RBI. She also pitched 12.1 combined innings in the series. Owens allowed 13 hits, seven runs and struck out five batters.
Pipkins came up big from the plate in the Class 6A state championship that saw the Rebels emerge victorious in three games versus Neshoba Central. She finished the series with three hits, one home run, one double and four runs scored.
Slay is another member of the Rebels squad who had a successful showing from the plate in the 6A state championship series. She finished with five hits, one triple, five RBIs and three runs scored.
In the 8-3 and 9-0 wins over Hernando in the Class 7A state championship series, Smith finished with four hits, two doubles, two RBIs and five runs scored.
In the game two win over Hernando which secured the 7A state championship for the Cougars, Tubbs finished with three hits, two RBIs and one run scored.
In the wins over Myrtle, Townsend finished with three hits, two doubles, two RBIs, one stolen base and two runs scored.
In the 10-0 win over Pisgah, Cooper finished with two hits, one double, two RBIs and one run scored.
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