Mississippi

Pearl River Bridge Closed on U.S. 98 After ‘Void’ Discovered

Published

5 months ago

July 7, 2025

Pearl River Bridge Closed on U.S. 98 After ‘Void’ Discovered

COLUMBIA, Miss.—Semi-trucks were among the vehicles that clogged historic downtown Columbia, Mississippi, on Monday morning after the Mississippi Department of Transportation suddenly closed a bridge that crosses the Pearl River on U.S. Highway 98.

“A void was discovered near the approach to the U.S. 98 westbound bridge over the Pearl River, prompting MDOT officials to close the bridge to traffic due to safety concerns,” MDOT said in a statement this morning.

MDOT closed the bridge, located between Columbia and Foxworth, Mississippi, around 11:30 a.m.

Highway 98 is a two-lane highway, but the eastbound bridge over the Pearl River in Marion County has been closed for several months while crews work to replace the aging infrastructure. Since then, the westbound bridge has served both eastbound and westbound traffic.

Now, MDOT is telling drivers to use State Route 35, State Route 13 and State Route 198 as detours—forcing hundreds of drivers to take alternate routes on far less-traveled roads, including through the heart of the small town.

MDOT has long planned to replace both the eastbound and westbound bridges as part of a $60-million project, but officials don’t expect that work to be complete until 2027. Officials have said that the age of the bridges, along with seasonal flooding, has made the replacement project necessary.

The old westbound span should soon be back up to serve eastbound and westbound traffic again for now, though, Mississippi Department of Transportation Public Information Officer Anna Ehrgott told the Mississippi Free Press on Monday morning.

“We are thinking more in terms of days than weeks currently,” she said when asked how long the repairs could take. “As soon as we have more information, we’ll share it with the public.”

The Mississippi Department of Transportation is in the midst of a $60-million project to replace both the eastbound and westbound spans of the bridge over U.S. Highway 98 in Marion County between Columbia, Miss., and Foxworth, Miss. MDOT said the discovery of a “void” forced the closure of the westbound span on Monday, July 7, 2025, at a time when the eastbound span was already closed for replacement. Photo by Ashton Pittman

As of 2024, Mississippi had 7,385 bridges that needed repair and 1,009 bridges designated as structurally deficient, an American Road and Transportation Builders report said. The State has taken steps to address its infrastructure issues in recent years, thanks to an influx of both federal and state dollars.

Under former President Joe Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Mississippi received $225 million for bridge repairs and replacement. In 2018, the Mississippi Legislature approved the Emergency Road and Bridge Repair Fund, which has provided around $600 million for infrastructure repairs since its passage.

On July 1, 2025, a new law took effect that will increase Mississippi’s gas tax by three cents per gallon over a period of three years. Lawmakers say they expect the new tax to generate about $200 million annually for MDOT to improve Mississippi’s roads and bridges.

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Mississippi

Mississippi Lottery Mississippi Match 5, Cash 3 results for Nov. 22, 2025

Published

14 hours ago

November 23, 2025

Press Room

Mississippi Lottery Mississippi Match 5, Cash 3 results for Nov. 22, 2025

The Mississippi Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Nov. 22, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Mississippi Match 5 numbers from Nov. 22 drawing

01-09-24-26-28

Check Mississippi Match 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 3 numbers from Nov. 22 drawing

Midday: 2-8-1, FB: 3

Evening: 2-2-0, FB: 4

Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 4 numbers from Nov. 22 drawing

Midday: 0-1-6-2, FB: 3

Evening: 2-5-2-0, FB: 4

Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from Nov. 22 drawing

Midday: 12

Evening: 06

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.

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Mississippi

How much does Ole Miss drama benefit Mississippi State in Egg Bowl?

Published

1 day ago

November 22, 2025

Press Room

How much does Ole Miss drama benefit Mississippi State in Egg Bowl?

Mississippi State faces a gigantic challenge if it wants to play a game in December.

The Bulldogs need one more win to reach bowl eligibility, but will have to get that win against its biggest rival that’s having one of its greatest seasons ever.

And one of the most drama-filled seasons, too.

It’s unlikely any college football fan isn’t aware of the ongoing soap opera in Oxford involving Rebels’ coach Lane Kiffin and whether or not his future is in Oxford or Baton Rouge.

Last week, Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby said he hadn’t spent any time thinking about it. That’s going to be a lot less believable this week.

(Note: Because this week’s game is on Friday, Lebby will hold his weekly press conference on Sunday.)

Ole Miss athletics director Keith Carter issued a statement Friday to try and turn everyone’s focus towards the Egg Bowl and not let Kiffin’s coaching future drama be a distraction.

Unfortunately, anything other than a definitive “Kiffin’s not leaving” statement, the “outside noise” will be loud and it will be a distraction.

That’s great for the Bulldogs who need as much help as they can get. The Rebels begin the week as 8.5-point favorites and ESPN’s matchup predictor gives Mississippi State just a 21.7 percent chance at winning.

Ole Miss was ranked No. 6 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings and is one win away from its first-ever 11-win season. A win, ignoring the coaching drama, would have Ole Miss hosting a playoff game, too.

But if rumors (calling them “reports” would be too strong of a word) of some players being frustrated with the situation are true, the Rebels might not be at their best on Friday.

And it’s not like some Kiffin coaching drama hasn’t helped Mississippi State win an Egg Bowl before. Oh wait, it has.

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

Spread

Ole Miss: -8.5 (-105)
Mississippi State: +8.5 (-115)

Moneyline

Ole Miss: -320
Mississippi State: +255

Total

Over: 62.5 (-115)
Under: 62.5 (-105)

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Mississippi

Childhood obesity found to be ‘prevalent’ in Mississippi

Published

2 days ago

November 21, 2025

Press Room

Childhood obesity found to be ‘prevalent’ in Mississippi

SUMRALL, Miss. (WDAM) – Obesity among the youth of Mississippi is a state health issue.

“According to the Mississippi State Department of Public Health, nearly a quarter of our high schoolers are obese, so we see that this is prevalent in Mississippi”, said Dr. Jamie Lou Rawls, who practices family medicine at Sumrall Medical Center.

Healthier food options can tend to be more expensive while processed food tends to be cheaper, but Rawls laid out a list of what children should be eating per meal.

“Children need 2 to 3 ounces of meat per serving,” Rawls said. “Half the plate needs to be fruits and vegetables of variety.”

Healthy living starts at home with parents, Rawls said, with conversations including talk of a healthy lifestyle, not diets and exercise.

“The focus should be healthy choices and healthy lifestyles, and not diets and losing weight, as that can negatively impact children’s social and emotional health,” Rawls said. “So, the conversation could be like, ‘We are doing this to be healthier, healthy choices and to protect our health as we get older,’ can be really beneficial.”

Rawls said that getting in exercise as a family, like walking outside after dinner or playing in a park for an hour a day can be beneficial to the health of children as well as adults.

For low-income families, some federal government programs such as Women, Infants and Children’s Nutrition Program, offer nutrition classes to teach parents how to shop and cook healthier foods on a budget.

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