Mississippi
Portrait of former MS Speaker Philip Gunn added to House gallery
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Another portrait of a Mississippi Speaker of the House is set to grace the walls of the chamber.
More than 200 family members, legislators and Capitol staff came together March 25 to see the new portrait of former Speaker Philip Gunn. Gunn, who became the first Republican to occupy the position in more than 130 years when he was elected in 2012, served five terms in the body before opting not to seek re-election in 2023.
Gunn’s portrait is the sixth of the speaker series, and it was painted by Oxford-based artist Jason Bouldin, who also contributed the portrait of Gunn’s predecessor, former Speaker Billy McCoy. Bouldin and his father, Marshall Bouldin III, painted all six of the Speaker of the House portraits hanging in the Capitol.
“Painting contains an inherent challenge for us as the viewer,” Bouldin said at the portrait unveiling ceremony. “By its very nature, it lacks words. That doesn’t mean that paintings are necessarily silent.”
Bouldin brought viewers’ eyes to details in the painting, like the new Mississippi state flag, which Gunn led efforts to change in 2020, emblazoned in the corner. He placed Gunn on a simple, armless chair, he pointed out, the same chair that House junior pages use.
“I wanted this portrait to capture him as more of a person than as a speaker,” Bouldin said. “The goal for any portrait is not simply to look like somebody… That’s a relatively easy thing to do. It’s more important to get the feelings of a person.”
Gunn, he said, was surprised when Bouldin requested a day and a half to paint his portrait.
“I said, ‘My God, what are we going to do for a day and a half? Just take a picture and go paint,’” Gunn recounted at the ceremony. “But no, he wanted to get to know me and Lisa (Gunn’s wife). He wanted to find out what our values are and who I am as a person.”
Gunn thanked countless people in his speech, including his family, former colleagues in the House and Gov. Tate Reeves, who sat alongside him during the ceremony. He singled out the members of the Senate in attendance, emphasizing the importance of cooperation between the chambers to turn bills into laws.
He also touted what he considered the biggest successes of his tenure as speaker, including the change of the state flag and the legislation that led to the reversal of Roe v. Wade.
“Brighter days are ahead for Mississippi, but that bright future is not guaranteed,” he told the audience. “It took leadership for us to get here, and it’s going to take leadership for us to get there. I want to be a part of that.”
Bea Anhuci is the state government reporter for the Clarion Ledger. She has covered the Mississippi state legislature, and the people who make it run, since the start of the session. Email her at banhuci@usatodayco.com.
Mississippi
Mississippi State baseball beats Cincinnati 10-5, moves within one win of regional title – SuperTalk Mississippi
Tomas Valincius struck out 10, Ace Reese and Kevin Milewski homered, and Reed Stallman knocked in three runs to lead Mississippi State to a 10-5 victory in the winner’s bracket game of the Starkville Regional on Saturday night.
The top-seeded Bulldogs (42-17) managed early behind another standout performance from Valincius, who allowed two runs over 7.1 innings to earn his 11th win of the season.
Valincius was supported offensively by Reese’s solo home run in the first inning, a run two-seed Cincinnati (38-21) responded to in the second to tie the game at 1-1. The Bulldogs broke open the game with three runs in the fifth inning, then followed with four more in the sixth and two more in the seventh to build a 10-1 lead.
As part of the surge, Stallman knocked in three runs on two doubles, Gehrig Frei hit a two-run single, Bryce Chance drove in one, and Milewski hit a two-run shot. Vytas Valincius, Tomas’ brother, crossed home plate on a wild pitch.
Cincinnati worked to chip away late, but the deficit was too much to overcome. The Bearcats scored two in the eighth and two in the ninth before Mississippi State reliever Ben Davis limited the damage by getting the final outs to end the ballgame.
Mississippi State is now just one win away from winning its first regional championship since 2021 – the same year the Bulldogs won the College World Series. Mississippi State will play the winner of Sunday afternoon’s elimination game between Cincinnati and Louisiana at 7 p.m. If Mississippi State drops the game, a winner-take-all final will be played Monday.
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WLBT) – Mississippi State got a dominant performance from Tomas Valincius and a 13-hit offensive performance to defeat Cincinnati 10-5 on Saturday night at Dudy Noble Field, moving on the the Starkville Regional Championship.
The Bulldogs broke open a tight game with a three-run fifth inning before adding four more runs in the sixth and two in the seventh.
Reese gets it started
Ace Reese started the scoring with a solo home run to center field in the first inning, giving the Bulldogs an early 1-0 lead. Cincinnati answered in the second when Christian Mitchelle doubled to shallow left, scoring Enzo Infelise to tie the game at 1-1.
Bulldogs score three in the fifth
Mississippi State scored three runs in the fifth inning, beginning with an RBI infield single from Bryce Chance to shortstop that scored Jacob Parker. Gehrig Frei followed with an infield single to second, plating Reed Stallman and Kevin Milewski to push the lead to 4-1.
Four more in the sixth
Mississippi State added four more runs in the sixth. Stallman delivered an RBI double to left to score Parker before Valincius crossed the plate on a wild pitch from Cincinnati’s Alex Gonzalez. Two batters later, Milewski launched a two-run homer to right field, stretching the Bulldogs’ lead to 8-1.
Stallman extends lead in the seventh
The Bulldogs extended the lead in the seventh when Stallman ripped a double to right, scoring Noah Sullivan and Parker for a 10-1 advantage.
Cincinnati added two runs in the eighth and two more in the ninth, making the final 10-5.
Valincius dominates on the mound
Valincius worked 7 1/3 innings, allowing just three runs on five hits while striking out 10 and walking two. He threw 112 pitches and recorded his 10th strikeout before exiting in the eighth inning. Maddox Webb took over after that and walked two batter. Ben Davis closed the game for State, pitching 1 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on three hits while striking out two.
Offensive leaders
Mississippi State finished with 13 hits.
Stallman led the way offensively, going 3-for-5 with three RBIs and two doubles. Chance collected three hits and drove in a run, while Frei finished with two hits and two RBIs. Reese added his first-inning homer, and Milewski’s two-run blast highlighted the sixth-inning surge. Parker scored three runs.
Up next
The Diamond Dawgs now head to the Starkville Regional Championship, where they will face the winner of the Cincinnati and Louisiana elimination game. State will only need one more win to advance to a Super Regional.
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HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WDAM) – The Mississippi Miss Hospitality Program announced Saturday that contestants competing for the title in 2026 will be eligible for the organization’s largest scholarship offerings in its 77-year history.
Contestants will be eligible for more than $105,000 in scholarships and prizes, including $32,500 in direct cash scholarships.
The winner of the competition will receive a $10,000 cash scholarship, tuition scholarships, travel opportunities and a total prize package valued at $27,000. The first alternate will receive a cash scholarship of $6,000, the second will receive $3,500, the third will receive $2,500 and the fourth will receive $2,000.
During Saturday’s announcement, the Advisory Board of the Mississippi Miss Hospitality Program also revealed that the winning cash scholarship will be named for Bonnie Warren.
Warren has spent decades supporting tourism, hospitality and economic development efforts across Mississippi. She also helped move the Miss Hospitality Program from Starkville to Hattiesburg in 1998 and has remained one of its strongest advocates.
The theme for this year’s Miss Hospitality will celebrate America’s 250th anniversary.
The competition will take place July 17-18 in Hattiesburg. Tickets will go on sale in two weeks.
The Miss Hospitality Program was founded in 1949.
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Copyright 2026 WDAM. All rights reserved.
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