East Mississippi Correctional Facility presented appreciation awards to three guests for their continued support at a Community Relations Council meeting on Wednesday, March 26.

Maj. Jeffrey Willis, with the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations, and Marion Mayor Larry Gill were presented with awards, and Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Deputy Sheriff Brian Fortenberry accepted the award for Sheriff Ward Calhoun.

The three men have supported East Mississippi Facility countless times and shared many ideas with the facility. The appreciation awards were presented to show the gratitude of EMCF staff for those contributions.

• The 50501 Movement is planning nationwide protests against President Donald Trump for Saturday, April 5.
• The protests are organized in opposition to Trump’s policies and actions.
• Protests are planned in Jackson, Tupelo and Gulfport, Mississippi.

Protests against President Donald Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk, are planned April 5 nationwide. Multiple events will happen across Mississippi.

The new protests are planned for Saturday, April 5 are billed as the Hands Off Mass Mobilization. Some organizers are using the hashtags “#HandsOff” and “#HandsOff2025” on social media. Others are calling it People’s Veto Day.

The 50501 Movement organized protests in each state on Feb. 5; President’s Day, Feb. 17; and again on March 4. The upcoming events are being organized in partnership with Hands Off! and Women’s March.

Previously, people organized with Voices of Mississippi to speak out against President Donald Trump’s administration and Project 2025 at the Mississippi State Capitol.

The organizers are in opposition to Trump’s goals and policies and cuts that DOGE is making to government agencies under the guidance of Elon Musk.

Local political organizations and 50501 Mississippi have protests and a peaceful march planned this weekend. Here’s what we know.

What is the 50501 Movement?

The protest movement is against Trump’s actions during his first weeks back in office. After a plethora of controversial executive orders and pardons for the Jan. 6 rioters, the 50501 Movement organized to combat Trump’s position in the White House.

Since then, there have been multiple rounds of protests in the Magnolia State and across the nation. (Local event times might differ.)

What are they protesting in Mississippi?

Specific issues cited on posts for the first protests were mass deportations and ICE raids and standing against “homophobia, ableism and sexism.”

The Hands Off Mass Mobilization is seeking protections for Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security. More general topics include:

• Jobs and the economy.
• Democracy.
• Citizens’ personal data.
• Veteran services.
• NATO membership.
• Consumer protections.
• Schools and edutaion.
• Free speech.
• Protections for trans individuals.
• Healthcare.
• Clean air and energy.

Elon Musk, under the banner of Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency, is accused of seizing access to financial payment systems key to running the country and personal data of citizens and government employees. Deep cuts to government jobs, grant distributions, contracts and real estate leases are being contested.

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Where are the protests in Mississippi? When do they start?

A flyer provided to The Clarion-Ledger shows three events across Mississippi on Saturday, April 5.

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See photos of the most recent protest against Trump, Musk in Jackson

How do I find another protests with the 50501 Movement or Hands Off?

The national 50501 Movement is active on Instagram, Reddit and Bluesky. The website is www.fiftyfifty.one.

Or look for other Hands Off protests at handsoff2025.com.

Contributing: Presley Bo Tyler and Pam Dankins

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

After a rocky start to the weekend, No. 1 Texas Longhorns softball clinched its third Southeastern Conference series win against the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

For the first time in Starkville, Texas got runs on the board first. At the top of the first, junior outfielder Ashton Maloney tripled to left field. When sophomore outfielder Kayden Henry took on the bat as the next one in the lineup, she followed on Maloney’s footsteps and tripled to center field to run her teammate in.

“What we talked about this morning was trying to find a way to get ahead early in the game, because we are confident in Teagan (Kavan) being out there and her abilities to limit opposing offenses,” head coach Mike White said. “We went into a little bit of a lull, offensively, during the middle innings, but found a way to explode back in the top of the fifth, so we did a good job of creating some distance between us and them.”

Senior utility Mia Scott kept the momentum going as she flied out to left-field, bringing Henry home. Texas finished the first with a 2-0 lead as sophomore pitcher Teagan Kavan stopped the Bulldogs from getting any runs on the board.

The game took a slow pace for the next three innings as neither team scored. At the top of the fifth, Texas finally got this running again.

In a similar fashion from the first inning, Henry’s batting allowed Maloney to run home, and Scott brough Henry to the second run of the inning. This time, Scott also got her name up the board as graduate infielder Joley Mitchell homered to center field. Scoring four runs in five hits and leaving junior infielder Katie Stewart on base, Texas opened a six run lead.

In the bottom of the inning, Kavan got it done quickly as the Bulldogs failed to get any hits.

The Longhorns sealed the win in the top of the seventh as Stewart doubled to left center to allow freshman infielder Shylien Brister to get just her sixth collegiate run.

Mississippi State finally managed to put a couple runs on the board, but it was too late. Down 7-2, the Bulldogs dropped their first series of the season.

Texas will take on another away series next weekend as it faces unranked Missouri in Columbia.

“It’s about us and the attitude we bring,” White said. “We have to have that killer attitude, because every team in this conference is very good and we have to bring our best stuff and if you don’t, you get beat and that’s evident, so we have to be prepared for that. We have another road series coming up at Missouri. They’re tough, so we have to be prepared for that one.”