Mississippi
Mississippi to join Trump Administration’s foster parent recruitment initiative
(AP) — For every 100 foster children in Mississippi’s custody, the state has only 52 foster homes. To recruit more families to care for these children, the state is joining the Trump Administration’s A Home for Every Child Initiative, Gov. Tate Reeves announced Tuesday.
Mississippi is the fifth state to join a pilot of the initiative behind Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma and Tennessee. Each state will be required to share updated data with the federal government about its child-to-home ratio, which will be shared on an online dashboard.
To incentivize states to opt in, the federal government is allowing these states to forgo tedious paperwork associated with Children and Family Services Reviews. These federal performance reviews of state child welfare programs look at metrics such as the percentage of cases in which states deployed appropriate risk and safety assessments or concerted efforts to prevent family separations.
Under those reviews, states develop Program Improvement Plans to address problem areas. But states who join the push will no longer be required to conduct these. The last PIP from Mississippi available on the federal website is from 2019.
The initiative is not tied to additional federal funding, but a federal representative said the reduction of red tape will allow the state to target funds for necessary casework.
“On average, states were sending us 300-page reports of mostly duplicated and recycled content across years that the federal agency did nothing with, frankly,” said Alex Adams, assistant secretary for the Administration for Children and Families under the U.S. Department of Human Services. “A lot of what this is doing is liberating the time and energy of the best caseworkers that they have to better deploy that time to actually benefiting kids as opposed to checking boxes and all those things that just sap time and energy.”
Reeves said the state’s child welfare agency, the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services, has already begun using data to determine where and what kind of foster homes are most needed across the state. Many children who come into state custody require therapeutic care requiring a higher level of licensing.
“Instead of broad recruitment efforts that don’t always meet specific needs, we are moving towards targeted recruitment, identifying the right families for the right types of placements,” Reeves said. “At the same time, we are working to cut unnecessary red tape that discourages qualified families from stepping up and stepping forward. Good people who want to help children should not be overwhelmed by bureaucracy.”
In the absence of licensed foster homes, some children who come into state custody end up in short-term rentals, hotels, Airbnbs or even in government offices, Adams added.
“This is a beautiful building, but I don’t know that government buildings are conducive to stable, loving, nurturing environments that every child deserves,” Adams said during the press conference at the Walter Sillers Building in downtown Jackson.
Andrea Sanders, director of CPS, said the agency is working on a modern, digital application process for prospective foster parents. She also said a new campaign to recruit foster families will launch soon.
“That’s part of the work that we’re doing to make sure that this becomes a transparent process where the agency is fulfilling its role to help support and provide information to foster parents,” Sanders said.
A federal announcement of the A Home for Every Child Initiative says it also aims to reduce the number of children entering the system by prioritizing other interventions.
“By investing in prevention, we can reduce unnecessary entrees into foster care while still protecting children who truly need intervention,” Reeves said.
The Tuesday announcement did not provide specific details about how Mississippi plans to increase prevention through the initiative.
The Family First Prevention Services Act, enacted in 2018 during Trump’s first term, was designed to pump unprecedented levels of funding into states to support the stability of biological families – such as mental health and substance abuse treatment and in-home parenting programs – to prevent the need for foster families.
It took years for Mississippi to submit a state plan to the federal government to start receiving these funds. The plan was approved last August, but the state has yet to fully launch the program.
A Home for Every Child is a product of HHS’s Administration of Children and Families. Laurie Todd-Smith, a deputy assistant secretary for that agency and former Gov. Phil Bryant’s senior policy advisor, recently visited Mississippi ahead of the announcement to assemble suitcases for foster children as part of a partnership with evangelical Christian parachurch organization, Focus on the Family.
The problem they sought to solve: Children carrying their belongings from home to home in trash bags. “Nationally, it’s 57 homes to every hundred children. In Mississippi, it’s 52 homes for every hundred children. So our goal is to get to a one-to-one ratio. A home for every child,” Todd-Smith said at the Jan. 14 suitcase event, WLBT reported.
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This story was originally published by Mississippi Today and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.
For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, Mississippi Today.
Tenn. mom invites son’s organ recipients to do his favorite activity, dance
Here’s a beautiful story of how one mother turned her grief journey into a gathering of gratitude… and organ donation awareness.
Robb Coles highlights a special event organized by Cari Hollis – whose 26-year old son Austin died two years ago. Austin agreed to be an organ donor – and that single gesture saved multiple lives.
Cari reached out to as many recipients she could find – several of whom traveled to Nashville for an emotional celebration in Austin’s honor. One woman – whose life was saved by receiving Austin’s lungs – put it simply: “He’s my angel”.
– Rhori Johnston
Odds of winning the Powerball and Mega Millions are NOT in your favor
Odds of hitting the jackpot in Mega Millions or Powerball are around 1-in-292 million. Here are things that you’re more likely to land than big bucks.
The Mississippi Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 6, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Mississippi Match 5 numbers from May 6 drawing
02-05-30-33-35
Check Mississippi Match 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 3 numbers from May 6 drawing
Midday: 6-6-3, FB: 6
Evening: 4-6-0, FB: 3
Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 4 numbers from May 6 drawing
Midday: 6-7-2-3, FB: 6
Evening: 7-5-1-3, FB: 3
Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash Pop numbers from May 6 drawing
Midday: 15
Evening: 14
Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Story continues below gallery.
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
Winnings of $599 or less can be claimed at any authorized Mississippi Lottery retailer.
Prizes between $600 and $99,999, may be claimed at the Mississippi Lottery Headquarters or by mail. Mississippi Lottery Winner Claim form, proper identification (ID) and the original ticket must be provided for all claims of $600 or more. If mailing, send required documentation to:
Mississippi Lottery Corporation
P.O. Box 321462
Flowood, MS
39232
If your prize is $100,000 or more, the claim must be made in person at the Mississippi Lottery headquarters. Please bring identification, such as a government-issued photo ID and a Social Security card to verify your identity. Winners of large prizes may also have the option of setting up electronic funds transfer (EFT) for direct deposits into a bank account.
Mississippi Lottery Headquarters
1080 River Oaks Drive, Bldg. B-100
Flowood, MS
39232
Mississippi Lottery prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the drawing date. For detailed instructions and necessary forms, please visit the Mississippi Lottery claim page.
When are the Mississippi Lottery drawings held?
- Cash 3: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
- Cash 4: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
- Match 5: Daily at 9:30 p.m. CT.
- Cash Pop: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Mississippi editor. You can send feedback using this form.
‘My goal was to be a biologist and be the best one I could be. I try to do the best I can do at whatever I’m doing.’
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Staff
A number of familiar names have shifted into new roles at the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks and among them is Amy Blaylock who is the first woman to lead the wildlife division.
“I feel honored and blessed,” Blaylock said. “I’m excited.
“I wouldn’t say it was necessarily a goal of mine. My goal was to be a biologist and be the best one I could be. I try to do the best I can do at whatever I’m doing.”
Blaylock joined the department in 2007 after receiving her undergraduate degree in forestry and master’s degree in wildlife science at Mississippi State University. It was an education and career path that came naturally for her.
Her father, Larry Castle, had a career with the agency as did an uncle, Bennie Herring.
“Of course, I love the outdoors and hunting,” Blaylock said. “I hunt as much as I can.
“My kids take up a lot of my time now, but deer hunting is what I do most of. I’ve grown up with the agency with my daddy and my uncle. I guess that encouraged my passion for the agency.”
New role as wildlife chief is not Blaylock’s first groundbreaking move
Blaylock began her career with MDWFP as a biologist with the deer program. She then moved into the role of East Central Region wildlife management area biologist where she oversaw management of 11 WMAs. During that time, she also served as wildlife restoration coordinator and was responsible for writing and managing grants that assisted in funding the Wildlife Bureau.
In 2017, Blaylock accepted an offer to become the assistant chief of the wildlife division. With that, she became the first woman to serve in a top role in the agency.
“I enjoyed being in the assistant chief position, and, so far, I love being in this position,” Blaylock said.
More position changes in MDWFP
Blaylock is not the only person to recently take on a new role at MDWFP. Russ Walsh left the position of chief of the wildlife division, which Blaylock assumed and is now the director of public policy.
Adam Butler also moved into a new position. Butler was previously the director of conservation programs and before that, he was the Wild Turkey Program coordinator. Butler was recently named the assistant chief of wildlife.
A lifelong outdoorsman and wildlife enthusiast, Brian Broom has been writing about hunting, fishing and Mississippi’s outdoors for the Clarion Ledger for more than 14 years. He can be reached at 601-961-7225 or bbroom@gannett.com.
PINE BELT, Miss. (WDAM) – Mississippi lawmakers will return to the State Capitol later in May after Gov. Tate Reeves called a special session.
According to Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, the session will be limited to redistricting the state’s Supreme Court districts. He emphasized that lawmakers can only address the issues outlined by the governor in the official call.
He says after a recent Supreme Court decision, federal requirements driving previous plans are no longer in play.
Hosemann argued that redistricting decisions should remain in the hands of state leaders, taking into account factors like geography, economics and the interests of communities across Mississippi.
“We believe one man, one vote,” Hosemann said. “I mean, everybody ought to be able to vote. I’ve never liked it where the federal government told me that I had to have so many people for this or that or the other. Running our elections and redistricting ourselves is given to the legislature that’s elected by the people. And we ought not be ordered by the federal court to do something like that. That’s one of the few states’ rights we have left in this country, is that we can redistrict and run our own elections.”
The special session is scheduled for later this month.
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