Mississippi
Mississippi teen becomes one of youngest people ever to graduate law school
A Mississippi teenager recently became one of the youngest people ever to graduate from law school after gaining admission in 2023 at age 15.
James “Jimmy” Chilimigras, 18, graduated on Sunday with highest honors from Loyola University New Orleans’ law school, a little more than three years after he earned national news headlines with an entrance exam score that was the highest in a region encompassing his home state, Alabama to the east, and Louisiana to the west.
In a statement released by Loyola and attributed to him, Chilimigras said he “had no idea what to expect” starting law school at an age where many US teens are preparing for either their first or second year in high school. But he said faculty and fellow students went out of their way to “welcome and embrace” him as he successfully pursued his juris doctorate, the kind of degree required to practice as an attorney in the US.
Jimmy’s parents, John and Erin Chilimigras, have previously spoken publicly about how they realized early that their son – the oldest of seven siblings – was highly intelligent. He was just two years old when he started speaking in full sentences, and he received a high school diploma from St John Paul the Great in his home town of Bay St Louis, Mississippi, at the unusually early age of 12.
By 15, he had attained both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in accounting from the online, non-profit Western Governors University. He subsequently became what is widely believed to be the world’s youngest certified public accountant, aced the law school admission test (LSAT) by scoring a 174 out of 180, and enrolled at Loyola in time for the fall 2023 semester, the Louisiana university said.
Chilimigras made a name for himself at Loyola by ranking in the top 2% of his class while earning the highest grade in more than 40% of his course, according to the school. He represented clients in immigration-related matters at Loyola’s Stuart H Smith law clinic.
And, among other accomplishments, as part of his degree he merited certificates of concentration in five areas: taxation, social justice and immigration and citizenship law; international legal studies; and technology and entrepreneurship. That is “a distinction believed to be unmatched at Loyola”, whose law school was founded in 1914.
Loyola projected Chilimigras to be the youngest law school graduate ever in Louisiana, which joined the US in 1812. Furthermore, a list compiled by the history and culture website oldest.org suggests he could be among the four youngest people globally to obtain a law degree.
The person in third place on that list – Jozef Erece of the Philippines – was 18 when he secured his law degree in 2015.
The person in second, Gabrielle Turnquest of Florida, was 17 when she got her law degree, according to the site. Then, in 2013, Turnquest at age 18 became the youngest barrister in the UK in six centuries.
The site says the world’s youngest known person to get a law degree is Stephen Baccus of Florida, who received his juris doctorate at age 16 in 1986.
Erece, like Turnquest, became a practicing attorney. Baccus became a neurobiology professor.
For his part, on Monday, Chilimigras was vacationing on a cruise ship, a Loyola spokesperson said. He then intends to pursue a master of laws (LLM) degree in taxation from Northwestern University’s Pritzker law school in Chicago.
Loyola noted that would be the first time Chilimigras moved so far away from Bay St Louis, which is less than 60 miles (96.6km) north-east of New Orleans.
If all went to plan, Chilimigras would complete that LLM before age 20.
Mississippi
Governor: At least 47 homes, 50 roads damaged by Mississippi storms, flooding – SuperTalk Mississippi
Gov. Tate Reeves has released updated damage assessments following the severe weather and flooding that inundated parts of southern Mississippi last week.
According to Reeves, assessments through the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency are ongoing, and disaster aid is still being distributed through a mix of federal, state, and local agencies, along with nonprofits. But numbers as of Monday morning showed dozens of homes and businesses damaged and even more public roads affected.

Among the counties with significant impacts are Covington, Forrest, George, Greene, Hancock, Jackson, Pearl River, Perry and Stone. Across those counties and others, at least 47 homes were affected, seven of which were completely destroyed. Nine businesses sustained damaged, six of which are considered major. One farm sustained major damage.
50 public roadways were affected, including four that are considered major and four that were completely destroyed. Two bridges sustained major damage, while two public buildings sustained minor damage.
Reeves said two rivers are in the moderate flood stage – Leaf River near McClain and the Pascagoula River at Graham Ferry.
15 other waterways are in the minor flood stage: Big Black River near Bentonia, Biloxi River near Lyman, Chickasawhay River at Enterprise, Chickasawhay River at Leakesville, East Hobolochitto Creek near Caesar, Pascagoula River at Merrill, Pearl River at Jackson, Pearl River near Pearl River, Pearl River near Philadelphia, Pearl River at Rockport, Strong River at D’Lo, Tallahala Creek at Laurel, Tuscolameta Creek at Laurel, West Hobolochitto Creek near McNeill, and Wolf River around Gulfport.


Damage reports could have worsened on Monday with additional rounds of severe weather in some parts of the state. The worst of the storms and floods came with the remnants of what was Tropical Storm Arthur late last week and into the weekend.
Mississippi
Family of 1-year-old killed by police at a Walmart in Mississippi wants video released
(AP) – A Mississippi family whose 1-year-old child was killed when police fired into a moving vehicle said Monday they want authorities to release video showing whether officers were in danger of being struck when one of them opened fire.
The shooting has sparked outrage in the small city of Senatobia, where some say it’s the latest in a series of troubling encounters between police and Black residents.
Kohen Wiley was riding with his mother and another woman in a Walmart parking lot on June 14 when police responded to a shoplifting call. The family says they were driving away, while the officers say the car was heading toward them.
“I watched my baby take his first breath, and I watched my baby take his last breath,” Vellesiya Wiley said at a news conference Monday.
The other woman in the car, whose name has not been released, suffered “critical injuries,” according to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, which is handling the inquiry.
Standing alongside Kohen’s parents and grandparents at a local church, civil rights attorney Ben Crump told reporters Monday that the best way to determine whether the officers were at risk is to publicly release any body camera, dash camera or Walmart security camera video.
“If that is the truth, then show us that,” Crump said. “The longer you delay releasing the video, the more distrustful we become.”
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation declined to comment on what videos investigators have or whether they would be released, agency spokesperson Bailey Martin said Monday.
“This case has been made a top priority,” Martin said in an emailed statement, “and we currently have multiple agents working tirelessly to ensure every aspect of the investigation is thoroughly examined.”
The agency says the officers weren’t hurt. Senatobia Police Chief Harold Vanderford did not return a phone message seeking comment Monday.
State investigators gave an initial account of the shooting last week, saying that when Senatobia police arrived at the Walmart, they found two women and a child getting into a car and driving away.
“Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver drove in the direction of the officers, almost striking one. An officer then discharged their weapon and the vehicle fled the scene,” the agency statement said.
Kohen’s mother has said the shoplifting call was over a box of diapers that her friend was carrying — and that she believes her friend had paid for the diapers. State investigators declined to comment on those details.
Crump questioned why police didn’t let the car go and take down the license plate number.
“They were called over a box of diapers and a family now has to bury their baby,” Crump said Monday. “You cannot put those two things next to each other and call it reasonable policing.”
Crump also said an independent autopsy would be performed.
While there’s no question the child was shot by police, he said, details about the angles at which any bullets struck the child could yield clues as to whether the officer fired from in front of the car or off to the side — and therefore whether that officer was in any danger.
Policing expert Ian Adams, who teaches criminal justice at the University of South Carolina, told The Associated Press last week that police should know that “shooting into a moving vehicle is a very bad idea and one to be avoided at almost all costs,” noting the danger to passengers and other bystanders.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Mississippi
Mississippi Association of Coaches Inducts Six New Members
Six new members were inducted into the Mississippi Association Coaches Hall of Fame on Friday.
Five electees and one surprise honorary inductee announced at the evening’s end.
Each says the MAC HOF is a special one and this is the ultimate honor for a coach in Mississippi.
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