Mississippi

Mississippi, Missouri GOP: No popular votes on abortion access

Published

2 years ago

January 30, 2024

Mississippi, Missouri GOP: No popular votes on abortion access

Legislative efforts in Missouri and Mississippi are attempting to prevent voters from having a say over abortion rights, building on anti-abortion strategies seen in other states, including last year in Ohio.

Democrats and abortion rights advocates say the efforts are evidence that Republican lawmakers and abortion opponents are trying to undercut democratic processes meant to give voters a direct role in forming state laws.

“They’re scared of the people and their voices, so their response is to prevent their voices from being heard,” said Laurie Bertram Roberts, executive director of Mississippi Reproductive Freedom Fund. “There’s nothing democratic about that, and it’s the same blueprint we’ve seen in Ohio and all these other states, again and again.”

Since the United States Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion in 2022, voters in seven states have either protected abortion rights or defeated attempts to curtail them in statewide votes. Democrats have pledged to make the issue a central campaign topic this year for races up and down the ballot.

A proposal passed Jan. 24 by the Mississippi House would ban residents from placing abortion initiatives on the statewide ballot. Mississippi has among the toughest abortion restrictions in the country, with the procedure banned except to save the life of the woman or in cases of rape or incest.

In response to the bill, Democratic Rep. Cheikh Taylor said direct democracy “shouldn’t include terms and conditions.”

The resolution is an attempt to revive a ballot initiative process in Mississippi, which has been without one since 2021 when the state Supreme Court ruled that the process was invalid because it required people to gather signatures from the state’s five previous U.S. House districts. Mississippi dropped to four districts after the 2000 census, but the initiative language was never updated.

Republican Rep. Fred Shanks said House Republicans would not have approved the resolution, which will soon head to the Senate, without the abortion exemption. Some House Republicans said voters should not be allowed to vote on changing abortion laws because Mississippi originated the legal case that overturned Roe v. Wade.

“It took 50 years … to overturn Roe v. Wade,” said Mississippi House Speaker Jason White, a Republican. “We weren’t going to let it just be thrown out the window by folks coming in from out of state, spending 50 million bucks and running an initiative through.”

But Mississippi Democrats and abortion access organizations panned the exemption as limiting the voice of the people.

“This is an extremely undemocratic way to harm access to reproductive health care,” said Sofia Tomov, operations coordinator with Access Reproductive Care Southeast, a member of the Mississippi Abortion Access Coalition.

In Missouri, one of several states where an abortion rights initiative could go before voters in the fall, a plan supported by anti-abortion groups would require initiatives to win a majority vote in five of the state’s eight congressional districts, in addition to a simple statewide majority.

The proposal comes days after a Missouri abortion-rights campaign launched its ballot measure effort aiming to enshrine abortion rights into the state constitution. Missouri abortion rights groups also have criticized Republican Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, saying he is attempting to impede the initiative by manipulating the measure’s ballot summary. A Missouri appeals court recently found the summaries were politically partisan and misleading.

When asked during a recent committee hearing if the GOP proposal was an attempt to get rid of direct democracy, Republican state Rep. Ed Lewis said “I think that our founding fathers were about as fearful of direct democracy as we should be. That’s why they created a republic.”

Sam Lee, lobbyist for Campaign Life Missouri, testified on Jan. 23 for the need for provisions like this that make sure “the rights of the minority aren’t trampled on.”

Democratic Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo said controlling who can vote and on what subjects has been “the highest priority of the Republican Party for the last 20 years.”

Democratic Rep. Joe Adams criticized the plan in part by alleging that the state’s congressional and legislative districts are gerrymandered to favor Republicans. That would make it nearly impossible for an abortion measure to be approved under the proposed legislation.

Attempts to keep abortion measures off the ballot in Missouri and Mississippi follow a similar blueprint in other states to target the ballot initiative process, a form of direct democracy available to voters in only about half the states.

Florida’s Republican attorney general has asked the state Supreme Court to keep a proposed abortion rights amendment off the ballot as an abortion-rights coalition this month reached the necessary number of signatures to qualify it for the 2024 ballot.

In Nevada, a judge on Jan. 22 approved an abortion-rights ballot measure petition as eligible for signature-gathering, striking down a legal challenge by anti-abortion groups attempting to prevent the question from going before voters.

Ohio abortion rights advocates have said last year’s statewide vote to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution was as much about abortion as it was a referendum on democracy itself. They said Republicans tried to obstruct the democratic process before the vote and attempted to ignore the will of voters after the amendment passed.

Ohio Republicans called a special election in August attempting to raise the threshold for passing future constitutional amendments from a simple majority to 60%. That effort was defeated at the polls and was widely seen as aiming to undermine the abortion amendment.

After Ohio voters approved the abortion protections last year, Republican lawmakers pledged to block the amendment from reversing the state’s restrictions. Some proposed preventing Ohio courts from interpreting any cases related to the amendment.

“It wasn’t just about abortion,” Deirdre Schifeling, chief political and advocacy officer of the ACLU, said last fall after the Ohio amendment passed. “It’s about, ‘Will the majority be heard?’”

This story was reported by the Associated Press. AP writers Summer Ballentine in Jefferson City, Missouri, and Emily Wagster Pettus in Jackson, Mississippi, contributed to this report.

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Mississippi

Watch your step! These 6 Mississippi areas can be copperhead hotspots

Published

2 hours ago

March 13, 2026

Press Room

Watch your step! These 6 Mississippi areas can be copperhead hotspots

Spring is coming. That means a higher risk of copperhead sightings as more people head to trails, parks and yards where these venomous snakes hide.

World Atlas has flagged six hotspots across the state where copperheads are most likely to be found.

But they can be almost anywhere in the state. People should be aware when outdoors and especially cautious when clearing debris from winter storms that have downed lots of trees and limbs.

Copperheads are responsible for the most bites in the U.S. (But rattlesnakes cause the most deaths.) The species isn’t aggressive and usually tries to avoid people, but they will bite if threatened or handled.

Mississippi is home to more than 50 snake species, but only a handful are venomous. Being bitten might be scary, but it is rarely deadly, according to Live Science.

Check out the places where you should keep your eyes peeled for snakes. Watch your step!

Where do copperheads live in Mississippi?

According to the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, the Southern Copperhead is one of the most common snakes across the Magnolia State. They’re everywhere except the Gulf Coast and barrier islands.

Keep your eyes peeled in hardwood forests, pine country, old fields, bottomlands and even subdivisions.

The state wildlife department notes they’re often seen crossing roads at night and get surprised when people uncover them in wood piles.

They usually stay still or slither away quickly when people approach.

Most bites happen when a copperhead is stepped on, touched accidentally or when someone tries to kill it.

What do copperhead snakes look like?

They’re usually two to three feet long with a base color that’s light gray or beige, according to the MDWFP.

Juveniles have a bright yellow tail, and sometimes adults have a slight pink or orange tint. Darker, hourglass-shaped bands are sometimes compared to the shape of a Hershey’s Kiss, especially from the side view.

Copperheads are pit vipers, meaning they have a heat-sensing pit between their eyes and their nostrils.

Their eyes have vertical slits, like a cat.

What do copperheads eat?

Copperheads eat small birds, frogs, lizards, rodents and bugs. MDWFP says they especially like cicadas. So they’re more likely to be where food is easy to find.

“They do best where ground cover is thick and moisture is nearby, such as in accumulated leaf litter, downed limbs, brush piles, and shaded edges that support common prey, like frogs, lizards, and rodents.” World Atlas wrote.

What are copperhead hotspots in Mississippi?

World Atlas highlighted several parks and wildlife areas where copperheads could thrive, “especially along creeks, wooded slopes, and mixed hardwood bottoms.”

They advise caution when stepping off regular trails and extra alertness at night, near water, and in brushy areas.

Tishomingo State Park

The park has large rock formations and trails through the woods. Leaf litter provides ground coverage. Areas along the creek are good areas for copperheads to hunt for prey while camouflaged.

Clark Creek Natural Area

“The park itself warns visitors they may see venomous snakes, which makes sense, given the area’s shaded ravines, wet rock, and dense woodland corridors that stay humid even when nearby uplands dry out,” World Atlas wrote. The park’s isolation makes it a great spot for wildlife to flourish.

De Soto National Forest

The De Soto National Forest has a variety of terrains where copperheads can hide and hunt, including sandy areas, swamps and hardwood forests. World Atlas warns hikers to be extra careful ” around sunny sandbars and the leaf line where the lowlands transition to higher ground.”

Holly Springs National Forest

The Holly Springs National Forest is another wide area with different environments where the snakes could be heavy on the ground. The lakes and campsites can be attractive to the rodents and amphibians that the snakes like to eat, and the forested areas provide cover that could make a run-in easier.

Tombigbee National Forest and the Davis Lake area

Pine and hardwood forests are near the lake, so most of the action is likely to be right against the water. Near Davis Lake, World Atlas says to be cautious near “shaded tent pads, downed limbs near the bank, and the leaf line beside roads and trails.”

Homochitto National Forest

Homochitto National Forest has creeks and drainage patterns that can make damp places where copperheads hide in what’s normally a dry area. Be aware near “streamside leaf mats, root tangles, and brushy edges.”

What should you do if you see a copperhead?

Encountering a copperhead doesn’t have to ruin your hike. Most copperheads are shy and will avoid humans, but it’s smart to know what to do.

Keep your distance
Back away slowly
Watch your step
Protect pets and kids
Don’t try to kill it: copperheads are protected in some areas, and most bites happen when people handle snakes.
Seek help if bitten: Even though bites are rarely fatal, get medical attention immediately.

How many venomous snakes live in Mississippi? See photos

The Mississippi Poison Control Center via the University of Mississippi Medical Center lists six venomous snakes and other animals, like spiders, stingrays and jellyfish.

The list of dangerous snakes includes:

Copperheads
Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes
Water Moccasins (also called Cottonmouths)
Timber Rattlesnakes
Pygmy Rattlesnakes
Coral Snakes

Snake Snap lists eight snakes with venom. The extras come from listings of more variations of some species: Western Cottonmouth and Northern Cottonmouth, along with the Dusky and Western variations of Pygmy Rattlesnakes.

How rare are snake bites?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 7,000 to 8,000 people get a venomous snake bite in the U.S. each year.

Only about five people a year die, but some bites can cause long-term injuries. Up to 44% of people bitten by rattlesnakes have other health problems, like losing a finger.

How many people in Mississippi die from snake bites?

World Population Review estimates about 236 venomous snake bites per year in Mississippi, or about 11 incidents for every 100,000 people.

Deadly bites are extremely rare. The site hasn’t tracked any in Mississippi since 1970.

One of, if not the only, death in decades came in 2000 when the Brookhaven Daily Leader reported the death of Tommy Tanksley, 80, of Monticello.

According to the article, Tanksley was bitten by a rattlesnake and while driving to a hospital, he was involved in an accident. It was unclear if the bite caused his death or contributed to it.

Contributing: Nina Tran

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

Jennifer Lindahl is a Breaking and Trending Reporter in Alabama for USA TODAY’s Deep South Connect Team. Connect with her on X @jenn_lindahl and email at jlindahl@usatodayco.com.

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Mississippi

Where are tornado sirens in Hinds County MS? What residents should know

Published

14 hours ago

March 12, 2026

Press Room

Where are tornado sirens in Hinds County MS? What residents should know

For many Mississippi residents, the first sign of a tornado warning today comes from a smartphone. Wireless emergency alerts, weather apps and social media often notify people about dangerous storms before an outdoor siren ever sounds.

But tornado sirens remain an important warning system in Hinds County — particularly for residents who may not have reliable internet access or smartphones.

A public records request obtained by the Clarion Ledger shows dozens of outdoor warning sirens placed in Hinds County, including locations throughout Jackson and in smaller communities in the county.

County officials say the sirens still serve an important role in making sure residents hear warnings when severe weather approaches.

Technology has changed dramatically since the March 3, 1966, Candlestick Park tornado, one of the deadliest storms in Mississippi history. The storm tore through South Jackson and other parts of central Mississippi, killing 57 people statewide, including 12 at the Candlestick Park shopping center. More recently, a powerful tornado struck the Mississippi Delta town of Rolling Fork in March 2023, killing 17 people and destroying much of the community.

While warning technology has advanced, emergency officials said systems such as outdoor sirens remain an important part of the region’s severe weather preparedness.

Where are the tornado sirens in Hinds County?

Records provided by Hinds County show a total of 74 outdoor warning sirens located throughout the county at parks, intersections, schools and other public areas.

The placements are intended to cover both populated neighborhoods and rural areas where residents may have fewer ways to receive weather alerts.

Why tornado sirens are still needed in Hinds County

Even as phone alerts become more common, county leaders said sirens remain important for residents who may not have reliable internet service or smartphones.

Hinds County Supervisor Robert Graham, who represents District 1, said the county plans to install two additional tornado sirens, though supply chain issues have delayed their arrival.

“We still are planning on doing it,” Graham said. “They’re still on order, and we’re just waiting for them to come in.”

County leaders had hoped to install the sirens before the start of tornado season, but Graham said delivery timelines remain uncertain.

“It’s all dependent upon the supply chain,” he said.

Graham said the county has made progress expanding internet access in recent years, particularly in northern Hinds County. But even with improved connectivity, he believes outdoor sirens remain an important backup warning system.

“A lot of elderly people, a lot of people in the city and outside the city still depend upon that air raid siren,” Graham said.

He said the continued demand becomes clear during the county’s monthly siren tests.

“When they do not go off, my phone will light up like a Christmas tree,” Graham said.

Sirens can also provide warnings when people may not have access to phones or electricity, he said.

“You may or may not have your phone with you,” Graham said. “And if the power is out, you may not be able to charge your phone.”

When is tornado season in Mississippi?

Unlike parts of the Midwest, Mississippi does not have a single, defined tornado season.

“Our main time is March, April and May,” said Michael Hill, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Jackson. “But I like to tell people we have year-round tornadoes.”

Hill said another active period often occurs in the fall and winter months when weather fronts moving across the region combine with warm, moisture-rich air from the Gulf of Mexico. Because Mississippi sits closer to that moisture source than states farther north, the ingredients for severe storms can come together more frequently.

What to do if you hear a tornado siren

Emergency officials say hearing a tornado siren means residents should seek shelter immediately.

“If you hear a tornado siren, you should just take cover,” Hill said.

The safest place during a tornado warning is an interior room on the lowest floor of a building, away from windows and exterior walls.

“If you’re in your house, go to your lowest floor, interior room, bathroom, put as many walls as you can between you and the outside and hunker down safely,” Hill said.

Hill also recommends protecting your head from flying debris, which causes many tornado injuries.

“We like to tell people to wear helmets to protect their heads because a lot of the problems with tornadoes is debris flying,” he said.

Charlie Drape is the Jackson beat reporter. Contact him at cdrape@gannett.com.

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Mississippi

Volunteers sought for continued winter storm relief efforts in Tennessee, Mississippi

Published

1 day ago

March 12, 2026

Press Room

Volunteers sought for continued winter storm relief efforts in Tennessee, Mississippi

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) – A group that lent a helping hand to thousands in the Mid-South during the January 2026 winter storm is looking for volunteers to continue the work.

Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian humanitarian aid organization, was there for many people in North Mississippi and Southwest Tennessee when residents lost power, water, and suffered damage to their homes.

So far, Samaritan’s Purse has completed over 700 work orders, but there is still much work to be done.

The organization now needs volunteers to help residents Monday through Saturday for the next two and a half weeks. The scheduled completion for the work is Saturday, March 28.

How to sign up

Samaritan’s Purse has been hosting volunteer orientations in Corinth, Mississippi, and Adamsville, Tennessee, to assist homeowners in surrounding areas affected by the storm with debris cleanup and tree work.

Those who register for the Adamsville orientation will take trips to assist in areas of McNairy and Hardin Counties.

Those who register for the Corinth orientation will take trips to assist in areas of Alcorn, Tippah and Tishomingo Counties.

Volunteers must be at least 14 years of age or older.

More information can be found on Samaritan Purse’s registration links.