Mississippi
Mississippi, Go Braugh
The Irish have a saying “Erin go Braugh.” It roughly translates to “Ireland to the End of Time.” This weekend, Mississippians will join in celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, kicking off the springtime festival season in Jackson where the historic “St. Paddy’s Day parade” attracts thousands of visitors to the capital city for a weekend of good ole Irish fun.
St. Patrick’s Day has been my favorite holiday for years. I was just a wee lass when I became obsessed with all things Ireland. The leprechauns I saw on my breakfast cereal paved way to exploring the yard in search of four-leaf clovers. I dreamt of visiting the Emerald Isle one day.
As I grew older, my interest in the Irish became more personal. My late grandfather – Tom O’Loughlin, also known as “Tom Cat” – was a fierce Irish Catholic who married my grandmother later in life. Tom Cat and I were very close, sending each other handwritten letters from time to time. I still have these cards, most of which include some Irish or Gaelic phrase. He once referred to me as a “shane lass” (the meaning of which I’m still not sure). And, a recent DNA test put my ancestry at 9 percent Irish, a fact I share with green pride.
Last summer, my family and I had the chance to visit Ireland, spending about two weeks
exploring that beautiful island. During that visit, we met Senator Mark Daly, the 24th Chair of the Senate of Ireland and Leas Cathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann. Sen. Daly has been working with American elected officials to establish the American Irish State Legislature Caucus (AISLC).
This bipartisan network of current and former American Irish legislators is open to everyone,
Republicans and Democrats, and fosters economic, political, and cultural ties between
Ireland and the United States.
Turns out, the world is flat. While speaking with Mr. Daly, I learned he was already working
hand-in-hand with Mississippi leaders like Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann and Senate Finance
Chairman Josh Harkins to establish the Mississippi-Ireland Trade Commission, a non-taxpayer
funded initiative to formalize strong trade relations between the state and the Irish Republic.
Chairman Harkins met Sen. Daly last year during the Irish elected official’s visit to Mississippi during one of his tours across America. The Irish Times described Mr. Daly as “the driving
force” behind more localized efforts to strengthen ties with U.S. politicians by engaging them at
an earlier stage in their careers. Through his efforts, Mr. Daly was able to secure a partnership
agreement between the AISLC and the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL),
enhancing Ireland’s ability to directly connect with U.S. lawmakers.
Mr. Daly and Chairman Harkins both believe there is opportunity for Mississippi in a post-Brexit
world in which Ireland is the main English-speaking country in the European Union. New links
and connections with American states like Mississippi will serve as gateways to foster greater
economic and educational links, including research partnerships among universities.
So far, the effort has been well received at the Mississippi State Capitol. Chairman Harkins (note
that “Harkins” is a classic Irish surname) introduced, and the Senate unanimously passed, Senate
Bill 2218 to set up the trade commission, noting that more than seven percent of Mississippi’s
population is of Irish descent and is the third largest ancestry in the Magnolia State.
Federal data shows that Ireland is our 12th largest foreign trade partner, representing industries such as agriculture, aerospace, and pharmaceuticals.
The Mississippi-Ireland Trade Commission will consist of ten members (none compensated by
taxpayers), including appointments from the Governor, Lt. Governor, Speaker of the House,
Mississippi Economic Council, Mississippi Development Authority, and the Institutions of
Higher Learning.
These members are called to advance trade relations, initiate joint action on
policy issues; promote business and academic exchanges, and encourage mutual economic
support and investment. If implemented in its current form, the law goes into effect March 17,
2024 – on St. Patrick’s Day in the very year the U.S. and Ireland celebrate 100 years of formal
diplomatic ties!
Mississippi’s economy has rarely experienced such economic growth as in recent years, with
multiple record-breaking economic development announcements, record low unemployment, and an increasingly competitive tax structure and pro-business mindset. Adding direct relationships with friendly, aligned countries like Ireland not only makes good economic sense, but enhances our state’s ability to compete in a global marketplace.
I commend Chairman Harkins and Mr. Daly for their hard work and good ideas. This green
holiday, I wish you both Erin – and Mississippi – go braugh!
Easy ways to identify snakes
Depending on where you are, snakes are inevitable. Here’s how to identify if the snake is venomous or not.
Can you kill a snake in your yard in Mississippi? As the weather heats up and people spend time outdoors, run-ins with snakes are increasingly likely.
It is legal to kill most snakes found in Mississippi. But there are rules about when you need a license. Some species have federal protection.
Mississippi is home to more than 50 types of snakes. A small number are venomous.
Most snake-related interactions can be avoided by just walking away or letting them slither to safety. Still, there are times when you might need to keep kids and pets safe.
Here’s what we know about the rules protecting wildlife, venomous snakes that live in Mississippi and which species are protected.
Can you kill a snake in your yard in Mississippi?
Yes, Mississippi residents can kill a snake in their yard. Mississippi landowners, or people who live on the property, can kill a snake on their property, whether it’s venomous or not.
It’s one of a few specific exceptions when the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks allows killing a snake without a hunting or fishing license.
Nongame snakes and animals that have come inside a resident’s building, damage plants and yards or hurt pets or livestock can be killed. Nonresidents are allowed to kill wildlife that enters a building they lease or rent.
If a venomous snake poses “a reasonable danger to human life,” MDWFP regulations allow people to kill it.
In any of these cases, the animal’s body has to be disposed of or allowed to decay in nature. You can’t keep it as a trophy or sell it.
Mississippi landowners, or people who live on a property, can kill a snake on their property, whether it’s venomous or not.
When you need a license to kill a snake
The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks oversees regulations for hunting and the management of nongame species in the state.
Everyone needs the appropriate hunting/fishing license to harvest snakes for personal use, according to MDWFP information. No more than 20 nongame snakes and lizards can be taken a year. No more than four specimens of a species or subspecies should be taken from the wild in a year.
Venomous snakes found in Mississippi
The Mississippi Poison Control Center via the University of Mississippi Medical Center lists venomous snakes and other animals, like spiders, stingrays and jellyfish.
The list of dangerous snakes includes:
- Timber rattlesnakes
- Pygmy rattlesnakes
- Eastern diamondback rattlesnakes
- Water moccasins (also called Cottonmouths)
- Coral snakes
- Copperheads
Snake Snap lists eight snakes with venom. The site includes specific variations of some species: Western Cottonmouth and Northern Cottonmouth, along with the Dusky and Western variations of Pygmy Rattlesnakes.
Snakes you cannot legally kill
The Endangered Species Act helps protect native wildlife and plants from dying off entirely. The MDWFP lists several animals that are protected, including the black bear, Florida Panther and gopher tortoise. All sea turtles, sawback turtles and two kinds of bat are also protected.
These snakes are protected because they’re listed as an endangered species:
- Black pine snake
- Eastern indigo snake
- Rainbow snake
- Southern hognose snake
The Eastern Indigo Snake hasn’t been seen in decades in Mississippi. It’s now considered rare in the state or extirpated, meaning locally extinct.
Bonnie Bolden is the Deep South Connect reporter for Mississippi with USA TODAY Network. Email her at bbolden@gannett.com.
It will be a beautiful start to the weekend with sunny skies and highs in the 80s. Here’s your statewide forecast from the National Weather Service.
Northern Mississippi
It will be a sunny Friday with highs in the mid-80s. Friday night will be mostly cloudy and warmer with lows in the mid to upper 60s.
Central Mississippi
Friday will be sunny with highs in the mid to upper 80s. Friday night will be mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid-60s.
Southern Mississippi
It will be a sunny Friday with highs in the mid-80s. Friday night will be partly cloudy with lows in the lower 60s.
Mississippi
Golden Spikes watchlist features players from Mississippi State, Ole Miss – SuperTalk Mississippi
Two pitchers representing Mississippi universities are up for the 2026 Golden Spikes Award.
USA Baseball announced Thursday the 25 semifinalists for the award, which is presented annually to the most prolific college player in the nation. Both Mississippi State’s Tomas Valincius and Ole Miss’ Cade Townsend cracked the list. It’s the latest award each was announced to be up for after Valincius and Townsend became Ferris Trophy finalists earlier this week.
Valincius, a left-hander who followed first-year Bulldog head coach Brian O’Connor to Starkville from Virginia has been a star for Mississippi State this season. In 13 starts, the sophomore is 8-2 with a 2.52 ERA and 105 strikeouts, along with just 16 walks across 75 innings of work.
He has effectively limited opposing hitters to a .209 batting average on the year and ranks second in the SEC in strikeouts and wins, and is third in innings pitched and fourth in strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.56) and WHIP (0.99).
Valincius is the 10th Bulldog to earn a semifinalist distinction from the Golden Spikes Award and the first since Dakota Jordan in 2024. Will Clark is the program’s only Golden Spikes Award winner in 1985 while Rafael Palmeiro and Brent Rooker finished as finalists for the honor in 1984 and 2017, respectively.
For Ole Miss, Townsend is the first Rebel since Doug Nikhazy in 2021 and just the seventh ever to be named a semifinalist for the award. He is the first Ole Miss sophomore to ever be named a semifinalist as all six before him were juniors.
The right-hander boasts a 3.25 ERA and has struck out 77 batters while only allowing 20 earned runs in 55.1 innings. Townsend ranks fifth in the SEC in WHIP (1.01), strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.50), and strikeouts per nine innings (12.52). He leads the Rebels in all three categories as well as batters struck out looking (24) and wins and is second in opponent batting average (.202) and total strikeouts (77).
If Townsend is announced as a finalist, he will join Stephen Head and Drew Pomeranz in earning the honor. No Ole Miss player has ever won the Golden Spikes Award.
The full list of semifinalists can be found here. Finalists will be named on June 10, and this year’s Golden Spikes Award winner will be announced on the MLB Network on June 29. Fans can weigh in on which player is their favorite by clicking here.
-
New York38 minutes agoVideo: Debris From Overpass Strikes Car on Busy N.Y.C. Road
-
Los Angeles, Ca44 minutes agoL.A. police shoot knife-wielding man during response to assault call
-
Detroit, MI1 hour agoHow many division wins will the Detroit Lions tally in 2026?
-
San Francisco, CA1 hour agoSF’s economy may be at an “inflection point”
-
Dallas, TX1 hour agoDallas Cowboys schedule wallpapers: Mobile and desktop versions available
-
Miami, FL2 hours ago18-year-old man from NW Miami-Dade found safe, detectives say – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports | Fort Lauderdale
-
Boston, MA2 hours agoMan hospitalized after slashing at Nubian Square MBTA Station – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News
-
Denver, CO2 hours agoBroncos will travel 19,129 miles in 2026 (see where that ranks in the NFL)