Mississippi

See which Mississippi high school earned the highest ranking from U.S. News list

Published

2 weeks ago

April 29, 2024

See which Mississippi high school earned the highest ranking from U.S. News list

For the second year in a row, Madison Central High School in Madison County ranked within the top 10 on the U.S. News Best High Schools list for the state of Mississippi.

The list studied data from nearly 18,000 public high schools in the nation, including traditional, magnet and charter public schools. The rankings are based on six different factors including graduation rate, college readiness and state assessment scores.

Nationally, the highest ranked Mississippi school is Ocean Springs High School, which earned a No. 682 national ranking.

Ocean Springs High School is the only Mississippi school in 2024 to break 1,000 on the rankings list. The next highest school, Lewisburg High School in Olive Branch, ranked 1,464.

Several other southern states broke the top 100 nationally. Alabama had one school at No. 21 nationally; Louisiana had one school at No. 49 and one school at No. 89; Tennessee had one school at No. 19 and one school at No. 48; Georgia had one school at No. 9.

The Mississippi coastal schools won out this year, earning five spots out of the state’s top 10.

Madison Central High makes top 10

Madison Central High ranked 10 on the 2024 list, the only Jackson Metro area school to break the top 10 in best high schools in Mississippi.

This ranking falls short of last year’s ranking by one; Madison Central held ninth place on the 2023 list.

In comparison to neighboring public schools, Madison Central earned first place in the Jackson Metro area.

Overall, Madison Central High School ranked No. 2,926 in the nation out of the nearly 18,000 ranked.

No Jackson Public Schools broke the top 10 for the Jackson Metro area.

The top 10 public high schools in Mississippi for the U.S. News 2024 list, in order from first place to 10th, are as follows:

Ocean Springs High School, Ocean Springs School District, No. 682 nationally
Lewisburg High School, Desoto County School District, No. 1,464 nationally
Hernando High School, Desoto County School District, No. 1,964 nationally
Pass Christian High School, Pass Christian Public School District, No. 2,028 nationally
Raleigh High School, Smith County School District, No. 2,034 nationally
Petal High School, Petal School District, No. 2,346 nationally
West Harrison High School, Harrison County School District, No. 2,678 nationally
Biloxi High School, Biloxi Public School District, No. 2,789 nationally
Long Beach Senior High School, Long Beach School District, No. 2,906 nationally
Madison Central High School, Madison County School District, No. 2,926 nationally

Compare to last year: See how Jackson area and state schools ranked in U.S. News and World Report rankings

Top 10 high schools in the Jackson Metro

The Jackson Metro area refers to the capital city and its surrounding counties, including Hinds, Madison, Rankin and Copiah among others.

Here are the top 10 schools in the Jackson Metro area, according to the U.S. News 2024 list, in order from first place to 10th:

Madison Central High School, Madison County School District, No. 10 in state, No. 2,926 nationally
Germantown High School, Madison County School District, No. 14 in state, No. 3,658 nationally
Brandon High School, Rankin County School District, No. 30 in state, No. 5,140 nationally
Clinton High School, Clinton Public School District, No. 32 in state, No. 5,337 nationally
Raymond High School, Hinds County School District, No. 37 in state, No. 5,885 nationally
Pearl High School, Pearl Public School District, No. 38 in state, No. 5,923 nationally
Northwest Rankin High School, Rankin County School District, No. 45 in state, No. 6,385 nationally
Terry High School, Hinds County School District, No. 72 in state, No. 8,527 nationally
McLaurin Attendance Center, Rankin County School District, No. 77 in state, No. 8,759 nationally
Wesson Attendance Center, Copiah County School District, No. 79 in state, No. 8,779 nationally

More in education news: Belhaven is first MS university to pair with Amazon for new curriculum. Read details here

Top high schools by district

Here are some top public schools in Jackson and Madison County by school district.

Jackson Public School District:

Some schools within the Jackson Public School District received a ranking between two values rather than a specific number placing.

Murrah High School, No. 104 in state, No. 10,321 nationally
Callaway High School, No. 106 in state, No. 10,354 nationally
Jim Hill High School, No. 118 in state, No. 10,854 nationally
Forest Hill High School, No. 142-229 in state, No. 13,242-17655 nationally
Lanier High School, No. 142-229 in state, No. 13,242-17655 nationally
Provine High School, No. 142-229 in state, No. 13,242-17655 nationally
Wingfield High School, No. 142-229 in state, No. 13,242-17655 nationally

In Dec. 2023, the Jackson Public School District voted to permanently close Wingfield High School, along with 10 other schools, when the current school year concludes.

More on Wingfield’s closure: Wingfield football coach, players describe the pain of learning of their school’s closing

Madison County School District:

Madison Central High School, No. 10 in state, No. 2,926 nationally
Germantown High School, No. 14 in state, No. 3,658 nationally
Ridgeland High School, No. 83 in state, No. 9,043 nationally
Velma Jackson High School, No. 117 in state, No. 10,847 nationally

Hattiesburg and its surrounding districts:

Lamar County School District, which covers schools in Hattiesburg and surrounding cities, had four schools ranked as follows:

Oak Grove High School, No. 15 in state, No. 3,667 nationally
Sumrall High School, No. 46 in state, No. 6,427 nationally
Lumberton High School, No. 99 in state, No. 9,959 nationally
Purvis High School, No. 109 in state, No. 10,491 nationally

The only Hattiesburg Public School District school ranked by the U.S. News for 2024 is Hattiesburg High School, which came in at No. 53 in the state and No. 6,828 nationally.

Forrest County School District also had one school ranked. North Forrest High School ranked No. 66 in the state and No. 7,949 nationally.

Neighboring district Petal School District also had only one school ranked, Petal High School, which earned 6th place in the state’s top 10 and ranked No. 2,346 nationally.

Got a news tip? Contact Mary Boyte at mboyte@jackson.gannett.com

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Mississippi

Mississippi Sound Coalition working to stop Mid-Breton sediment diversion project in Louisiana

Published

7 mins ago

May 14, 2024

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Mississippi Sound Coalition working to stop Mid-Breton sediment diversion project in Louisiana

BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. (WLOX) – The Bonnet Carre Spillway opened 13 times in 2019. Low salinity caused marine life in the sound to die, leaving fishermen with no catch.

Cary Trapani said fishing in Bay St. Louis hasn’t been the same since all the freshwater flowed into the Mississippi Sound, killing shrimp, crabs, and oysters.

“Our way of life was devastated,” Trapani said. “The salinity level was so low. It couldn’t sustain life or the main fish or the oysters or what have you.”

Trapani learned that officials in Louisiana want to rebuild marshlands as part of a Mid-Breton Sound sediment diversion project.

That’s why he met with the Mississippi Sound Coalition and the University of Southern Mississippi on Tuesday, to find ways to prevent this from happening.

“Freshwater will take over the sound which would change everything,” he said.

The proposed Breton Sound Project aims to rebuild Louisiana marshlands and divert more fresh water. Mississippi Sound Coalition Manager Gerald Blessey believes this will do more harm to marine life in the Sound.

“If you want to restore Louisiana, don’t do it with diversion water, dredge the Mississippi River,” Blessey said. “Everything that must have some saltwater and cannot live with too much pollution will be gone.”

The Coalition is also concerned about studies from the University of Southern Mississippi that show if the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would open the spillway more over the next 15 years, causing algae blooms again, beaches to close, and impact tourism, as well as the seafood industry.

153 bottlenose dolphins died after the 2019 spillway openings. The Mississippi Sound Coalition said that was the highest one-year loss ever, even when compared to the BP oil spill.

Blessey said he and the Mississippi Sound Coalition will be following these Breton Sound projects in Louisiana as well as working to prevent harmful impacts to the Mississippi Sound.

“Protect Louisiana from flooding and protect the Mississippi Sound from being destroyed and by the way, protect the Louisiana fisheries from being destroyed like they are in Plaquemines Parish and St. Bernard Parish,” he said.

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Why is Red Lobster closing? See how many locations are affected in Mississippi

Published

7 hours ago

May 14, 2024

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Why is Red Lobster closing? See how many locations are affected in Mississippi

Red Lobster has closed its Jackson location as part of closures announced of 48 restaurants across 27 states, although the restaurant never reopened following being closed for renovations in July 2023.The Red Lobster at 6357 Interstate 55 North Frontage Road is officially no longer taking orders from patrons. The other closest location is in Meridian at 201 South Frontage Road.

Along with the closures, the equipment from more than 50 locations will go on auction this week. No equipment from the Jackson location will be auctioned. Winners of the auction will receive all the equipment from the individual locations.

More: Is Red Lobster filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy? How it could affect Mississippi restaurants

Here is what we know about the closures.

Why is Red Lobster closing so many stores?

According to a report from Bloomberg, the seafood restaurant considered filing for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy.

The company had been getting advice from law firm King & Spalding as it looked to shed some long-term contracts and renegotiate leases, Bloomberg reported, noting that Red Lobster’s cash flows had been weighed down by leases and labor costs, among other issues.

Red Lobster ultimately suffered its biggest losses with its “Ultimate Endless Shrimp” promotion. What started as a $20 promotional item became a $25 permanent menu item. The promotion ended up becoming an $11 million loss for the restaurant in the third quarter of 2023.

When was Red Lobster started?

Red Lobster started in 1968 in Lakeland, Florida, by Bill Darden and Charley Woodsby. After going through several changes in ownership, it is now owned by Thai Union Group. In November, the parent company said the chain was headed toward a $20 million loss for 2023.

How many Red Lobster locations are in Mississippi?

Locations in D’Ilberville and Hattiesburg are listed as “temporarily closed.” That leaves the only open locations in the state in Meridian, Southaven and Tupelo.

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Mississippi

DPS releases statement in trooper-involved shooting of Mississippi murder suspect in Greenlee County – The Gila Herald

Published

15 hours ago

May 14, 2024

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DPS releases statement in trooper-involved shooting of Mississippi murder suspect in Greenlee County – The Gila Herald

A Mississippi triple murder suspect was shot and killed by a DPS trooper during a traffic stop on U.S. Highway 191 at the Horseshoe bend between Clifton and Morenci.

By Jon Johnson

jonjohnsonnews@gmail.com

MORENCI/CLIFTON – On Monday, May 13, at around 7:30 a.m., the Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS) was notified of a possible sighting of a suspect in the Safford area who was wanted for a triple homicide that occurred in Mississippi on May 12, 2024.

Ivory James Welch III, was a suspect in the murder of Ida Thomas Welch, 76, Vicky Renee Welch, 56, and Crystal Lynn Welch, 42, in Ridgeland, Mississippi on Sunday. The victims are the suspect’s mother and sisters.

Utilizing investigative assets, detectives from the AZDPS, the Greenlee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Clifton Police Department believed the suspect to be in the Morenci-Clifton area, and responded to attempt to locate the suspect.

“An arrest warrant was obtained and the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force began searching for Welch,” Ridgeland Police Chief Brian Myers stated in a news release. “Arizona State Troopers attempted to apprehend Welch and he fired upon the troopers and was fatally wounded in the gunfight.”

At around 10:17 a.m., investigators successfully located the suspect’s vehicle on U.S. Highway 191 North between Morenci and Clifton and conducted a traffic stop to take the suspect into custody. The suspect exited the vehicle and presented a firearm, which resulted in a trooper-involved shooting, according to the DPS. The suspect, identified as Ivory James Welch III, was declared deceased on the scene.