BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) – It’s a week before Christmas and travelers are hitting the interstate for the holidays.

According to AAA, over 119 million people are expected to travel, of which 107 million will travel by car.

Mississippi Highway Patrolman Landon Orozco says lower gas prices are one reason you’ll see more cars on the road this holiday season.

According to AAA, the price for a gallon of regular unleaded gas in Mississippi is between $2.30 and $2.50.

Orozco also says reparation is key when it comes to getting to your holiday destination safely.

“Make sure your vehicle is in order and operational. Make sure your tires are checked, make sure your fluids are checked and your oil is checked,” said Orozco. “Make sure you have everything you may need. Pack some extra snacks just in case you do run into the occasional traffic here and there as you travel across the states and to your destination.”

You are urged to dial *47 in an emergency or 511 for road conditions

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JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – As your children prepare for the holiday break, educators are letting lawmakers know what’s on their wish list for next year.

If you have a child in Mississippi public schools, you’ve heard about standardized state tests. And the Mississippi Association of Educators says one item on their agenda will be to yet again push to have them eliminated.

“I had an opportunity to speak with my son’s U.S. history teacher,” explained MAE President Erica Jones. “And as you know, U.S. History is one of those subject areas that’s tested. And he mentioned to me that he would teach the students totally different if it wasn’t a tested area because there are so many requirements that go to ensuring that the students are passing that particular test.”

A Senate bill was introduced last session but didn’t make it through the full process that would’ve eliminated those state tests for algebra, biology, English, and U.S. history.

“I know there are other options out there,” noted Jones. “This is now the time for us to gather, to start talking about what we can do differently.”

But before testing to ensure students are meeting benchmarks, they have to establish a strong foundation. That’s why MAE is requesting a move towards making pre-k available to all kids.

“As a second-grade teacher, I can recall how it was having to work with students who might have been behind because they did not receive that pe-K in order to be successful,” she said. “So, really urging our legislators to do for students here in Mississippi, really looking at exploring making pre-K available to all students across Mississippi and not just a selected district.”

Other items the group says they have on their legislative agenda include continued work on retention of teachers and the creation of community schools that provide wraparound services in areas of the state most in need of additional support for their students.

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The clock is ticking for congressional leaders to pass a stopgap measure, avoiding a government shutdown, and one sector of Mississippi’s population is loudly urging lawmakers to go ahead and get legislation passed before Friday’s deadline.

Although a bipartisan measure was released Tuesday, President-elect Donald Trump rejected the plan Wednesday and told House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republicans to essentially renegotiate. As lawmakers work to get home for the holidays, a deal must be reached, or federal funding will run out and the government will shut down until a new funding bill is approved.

As part of the package that Trump rejected, farmers would have received $21 billion in disaster relief and $10 billion in economic assistance, along with a one-year extension of an agricultural funding bill called the F.A.R.M. Act. The Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation, a general farm organization that often serves as a liaison between the agriculture sector and Washington politicians, issued a press release calling for Congress to act during a “dire situation” for Mississippi farmers.

“Our state’s number one industry is in a dire situation,” Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation President Mike McCormick said. “We are seeing a crisis in farm country for farmers of our major crops. Producers are facing this perfect storm of record-level production costs, low commodity markets, and an outdated farm safety net.

“The funding in this bill could mean the difference between planting a crop next year and giving up for many farms in the state. We appreciate our members of Congress who rolled up their sleeves to ensure farmers can continue to deliver the safest, most affordable, and abundant food supply in the world.”

While McCormick showed gratitude for the chunk of funding granted to farmers in the continuing resolution agreed on earlier in the week, he wants to see it remain in what lawmakers come up with between now and Friday night, assuming they pass a measure to avert a shutdown.

McCormick specifically hopes Mississippi’s delegation consisting of Sens. Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith along with Reps. Trent Kelly, Bennie Thompson, Michael Guest, and Mike Ezell will join forces to pass a continuing resolution that also includes agricultural aid.

“We urge our Mississippi congressional delegation to pass this legislation and then return in January ready to tackle the challenges facing agriculture,” he continued. “Another one-year extension of the farm bill addresses immediate needs, but only a new, modernized farm bill will bring certainty for America’s families, farmers, ranchers, and rural communities.”

Any bill reached would need to fund the government at current levels to prevent everything from the mail service halting to military members not being paid. However, as is often the case in Washington, heaps of add-ons are added to funding bills to please all with their hands in the proverbial cookie jar.

Some examples of add-ons included in Tuesday’s 1,500-page measure were transferring RFK Memorial Stadium from the federal government to Washington, D.C., providing money to rebuild Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, and giving members of Congress a pay raise for cost-of-living increases. To that, Mississippi Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson joined forces with the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation but asked for an end to the “frivolous spending measures” in whatever a new package might look like.

“It is extremely unfortunate that the Continuing Resolution that contains a Farm Bill extension and farm relief that also contained a host of frivolous spending measures,” Gipson wrote on X. “There is still time for Congress to pass a clean bill with farm relief. Put politics aside for our farmers.”