Mississippi
Sen. Wicker the only Mississippi Republican to weigh in on national abortion ban proposal
U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker was the one member of Mississippi’s Republican congressional delegation to answer questions this week a few proposal to impose a nationwide ban on abortions after 15 weeks.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, not too long ago proposed the 15-week ban within the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court docket overturning the nationwide proper to an abortion in June in a watershed case from Mississippi. The ruling — Dobbs v. Jackson Ladies’s Well being Group — meant the choice on whether or not to permit or to limit abortions can be for every particular person state to make.
The truth that the state of Mississippi is in an actual sense floor zero for the present abortion debate, due to the Dobbs case, makes the feedback of the state’s congressional delegation related.
However had been all silent — apart from Wicker.
“The Senate Republican convention is unified in in search of as many pro-life protections as attainable for all People, however this purpose has traditionally proven to be most successfully achieved when legislated on the native degree,” Wicker mentioned in a press release.
Graham, after all, is touting nationwide laws on abortion.
It could be truthful to say that some Republican candidates are backtracking on their place on abortion because the November midterm elections strategy. Polls in lots of states, together with Mississippi, point out that the Supreme Court docket motion overturning Roe v. Wade, which supplied the nationwide proper to an abortion, may not be as fashionable as some conservatives thought it could be. Voters in conservative Kansas rejected a state constitutional modification that might have made it simpler for the Legislature to ban abortion.
That vote was a wake-up name for a lot of.
In Might earlier than the Supreme Court docket had overturned Roe v. Wade, Senate Minority Chief Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, mentioned that it was “attainable” {that a} Republican-majority Senate would possibly vote subsequent yr on laws to position a federal ban on abortions.
However extra not too long ago as McConnell is making an attempt to elect sufficient Republicans in November to seize a Senate majority, he’s modified his tune.
Talking on Graham’s proposal for a nationwide 15-week ban, McConnell mentioned, “You’ll should ask him about it. By way of scheduling, I believe a lot of the members of my convention want that this be handled on the state degree.”
It is very important word that beneath Graham’s proposal there can be a 15-week nationwide ban however states that selected to have stricter bans, like Mississippi, wouldn’t be prevented from doing so. Mississippi bans all abortions besides within the case of rape and to protect the lifetime of the mom. As well as, Mississippi has one other regulation that bans abortions after six weeks besides in instances of medical emergency.
Wicker identified Mississippi has led the best way when it comes to anti-abortion advocacy.
“I hope that Mississippi’s robust legal guidelines defending the unborn can function a mannequin for my colleagues and assist them make a distinction of their respective states,” Wicker mentioned. “We can not permit partisan spin to undermine our dedication to struggle for the rights of the unborn, together with on the federal degree.”
It’s truthful to say that Wicker was a groundbreaker when it comes to passing legal guidelines to limit abortion in Mississippi. As a state senator representing Lee and Pontotoc counties in northeast Mississippi within the late Nineteen Eighties and early 90s, he was one of many leaders in passing laws enacting a 24-hour ready interval on having an abortion and imposing extra restrictions on abortion clinics.
At the moment, few states had been passing such laws.
Whereas Wicker was the one one of many 5 Republicans within the congressional delegation to touch upon the Graham invoice, all of them prior to now have expressed robust anti-abortion views. Mississippi’s solely Democrat within the congressional delegation – Bennie Thompson – voted for a invoice that primarily would have restored the Roe v. Wade requirements. That invoice handed the U.S. Home, however was blocked by Senate Republicans.
The problem of abortion, little question, shall be a serious concern within the November elections. Polls point out that the difficulty of abortion may present Democrats a lift. However in Mississippi abortion will not be anticipated to be a serious concern.
Wicker and the state’s different U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith usually are not up for re-election this yr. The three Home incumbents — Michael Visitor of the third, Trent Kelly of the first and Thompson of the 2nd — are all heavy favorites and it’s uncertain that their place on abortion will change these odds a lot.
Within the 4th District, Republican Mike Ezell, who defeated incumbent Steven Palazzo within the Republican main, can be anti-abortion.
The query is will Republicans vote on a nationwide ban on the flamable concern in the event that they seize the Home and Senate this November.
To this point, their place has been fluid.
The Mississippi high school football rankings saw some drastic changes after an opening week which saw multiple ranked matchups in the Magnolia State.
Brandon, Madison Central and Louisville each won top-10 games while Oak Grove, West Jones, Clinton and Germantown also picked up ranked wins.
Below is the updated Mississippi On3 Massey Ratings top 25, as of Sept. 2.
The On3 Massey Ratings — which were officially used during the BCS era and have generated college high school sports team rankings since 1995 — rank sports teams by analyzing game outcomes, strength of schedule and margin of victory.
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Previous Ranking: No. 4 (+3)
Madison Central opened the season in style with a 27-20 top-10 win over Ocean Springs. Ocean Springs shut out Madison Central for nearly the entire first half — until Madison Central running back Glen Singleton rattled off four consecutive rushing touchdowns. The Jaguars are on the road again Friday in the Mississippi game of the week as they travel to face No. 2 Brandon.
Previous Ranking: No. 3 (+1)
Brandon featured in another Mississippi top-10 game in week one, thrashing then-No. 7 Picayune Memorial 60-34. Star junior defensive back Preston Ashley recorded a 45-yard scoop-and-score touchdown, Logan Drummond returned a punt 61 yards to the house and Trey McQueen returned an interception 38 yards for a score in a night filled with unconventional scoring for the Bulldogs. Brandon will host No. 1 Madison Central on Friday.
Previous Ranking: No. 2 (-1)
Starkville took down Noxubee County 43-22 in week one. Tyson Knox picked off Mississippi State commit KaMario Taylor on Starkville’s own 1-yard line to keep the Yellowjackets’ 14-point lead in the second half. Two plays later, quarterback Jaylen Ruffin hit Jaheim Deanes for a 97-yard touchdown. Starkville now gets to look forward to hosting No. 20 West Point this week.
Previous Ranking: No. 1 (-3)
Oak Grove fell in the rankings this week simply by virtue of other teams’ impressive performances — as the Warriors won their game over No. 15 Grenada 38-24. Oak Grove quarterback Kellon Hall was 19-of-27 passing for 306 yards with a touchdown. Next up is No. 11 Ocean Springs at home.
Previous Ranking: No. 5
Tupelo escaped upset-minded Whitehaven last week with a 26-19 opening win. Quarterback Noah Gillon and running back J.J. Hill each accounted for two touchdowns as the Golden Wave came away with an ugly win in ugly conditions following a 90-minute weather delay. Tupelo will play Southaven on the road next.
Previous Ranking: No. 9 (+3)
Yet another top-10 matchup on opening night in Mississippi. Louisville took down then-No. 10 West Point 15-14 in a nailbiter. Louisville scored the only points of the second half — a 21-yard field goal to put the Wildcats on top. Louisville will hit the road again this week at Neshoba Central.
Previous Ranking: No. 8 (+1)
West Jones knocked Laurel out of the Mississippi top 25 with a dominant 34-6 win on Friday. Senior running back Elijah Jones was unstoppable on the ground with 226 yards and four touchdowns on 24 carries. West Jones will play Northeast Jones on the road this Friday.
Previous Ranking: No. 21 (+13)
Clinton pulled off the upset in week one with a 26-20 win over then-No. 11 Warren Central in the ‘Red Carpet Bowl’. Jakobe Williams rushed for two touchdowns while the Clinton special teams and defense scored on a blocked punt and recovered three fumbles. A road game against Northwest Rankin is on deck.
Previous Ranking: No. 16 (+7)
Oxford owned one of the few week one blowouts on this list, beating Lafayette 45-0 in the ‘Crosstown Classic.’ All six of the Chargers’ touchdowns came on the ground. Oxford will play No. 22 South Panola at home this Friday.
Previous Ranking: No. 12 (+2)
Madison-Ridgeland moved to 3-0 on the season after a 50-6 win over Oak Forest Academy that was never in question. Pulaski Academy — The No. 9 team in Arkansas — is on deck for the Patriots.
11. Ocean Springs (-5)
12. Gulfport (+2)
13. Pearl (+4)
14. Germantown (+10)
15. Hartfield Academy (+3)
16. Grenada (-1)
17. Picayune Memorial (-10)
18. Hattiesburg (NR)
19. Jackson Prep (+3)
20. West Point (-10)
21. D’Iberville (NR)
22. South Panola (-9)
23. Poplarville (NR)
24. Warren Central (-13)
25. Gautier (NR)
Dropped from rankings: Northwest Rankin, Meridian, Columbia, Laurel
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. —It winds 650 miles, rushing past the cities, industries and landscapes that make up Minnesota.
However, the Mississippi River has never gotten this type of attention from water quality professionals.
For the first time ever, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is testing the entirety of the river, from Itasca to Iowa, in a single year.
The governor’s office wants the river to be swimmable and fishable, but right now, parts of the river are polluted.
The MPCA says the upper Mississippi is largely healthy up north, but quality drops south of St. Cloud where metro development and tributaries from agriculture muddy the waters. The National Park Service says stretches of the river exceed water quality standards for things like mercury, bacteria and sediment.
Think of the testing like a checkup for one of our state’s most valuable and powerful resources. Researchers will check temperature, transparency and levels of pollutants like phosphorus, nitrogen and ammonia.
Crews also check fish for those contaminants and collect insects to test in a lab to identify any concerning trends.
“If we find the fish community is suffering — maybe the water is too warm and maybe there’s a thermal pollution source upstream or maybe it’s too much runoff — that sort of stuff. Temperature is an important indicator especially for sensitive species,” Isaac Martin with the MPCA said.
Also for the first time, the agency is looking for PFAS contamination with money from an Environmental Protection Agency grant to identify and stop the forever chemicals from streaming into the Mississippi.
PFAS are a group of manufactured chemicals for industry and consumer products that don’t break down in the environment. While research is ongoing, the EPA says exposure to the chemicals can cause human health issues. It’s why the federal agency just lowered the amount allowed in drinking water.
“They go to parts per trillion, which is incredibly sensitive. You get that low, you’re talking drops in an Olympic swimming pool,” Martin said. “Part of the reason why it was chosen is because it’s a primary drinking source or potentially could be a primary drinking source. We’re just finding them in places we never expected to find them. We’re finding them almost everywhere and being that it is new, there’s just a lot of ‘I don’t know’ that goes with it.”
It’s too early to know what this complete snapshot will reveal, but we know this powerful river is part of our community, economy and health.
“Maybe you don’t use the resource yourself, but maybe you know someone who does or future generations of your own will,” Martin said. “In Minnesota, we’re just trying to be the best stewards we can be.”
The data from this testing will be available early next year. Researchers will use that data and compare it to 10-year pollution averages to determine which parts of the river are improved or impaired.
A full report will be released in 2026.
Here are the candidates for SBLive’s Mississippi high school Athlete of the Week for August25-31. Read through the nominees and cast your vote. The poll will close Sunday at 11:59 p.m. If you would like to make a nomination in a future week, email Tyler@scorebooklive.com. For questions/issues with he poll, email athleteoftheweek@scorebooklive.com.
Editor’s note: Our Athlete of the Week feature and corresponding poll is intended to be fun, and we do not set limits on how many times a fan can vote during the competition. However, we do not allow votes that are generated by script, macro or other automated means. Athletes that receive votes generated by script, macro or other automated means will be disqualified.
Kohl Bradley, DB, George County: Racked up 17 tackles and returned an interception 80 yards for a touchdown in a 33-7 win over East Central.
DaJuan Colbert, DB, Natchez: Recorded 15 tackles, forced one fumble and returned another one 75 yards for a touchdown in a 58-50 win over Hancock.
Garrison Davis, QB, Holmes County Central: Completed 14 of his 21 pass attempts for 375 yards and three touchdowns in a 20-6 win over Vicksburg.
Xzavion Gainwell, DB, Yazoo County: Recorded nine tackles, an interception and an 80-yard interception return for a touchdown in the Panthers’ 20-16 win over South Delta.
Elijah Jones, RB, West Jones: Had 24 carries 226 yards and four touchdowns in a 34-6 win over Laurel.
Kingi McNair, WR, Pearl: Caught four passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns in a 26-20 win over Neshoba Central.
Ashton Nichols, DB, Clinton: Recorded six tackles to go with two big pass breakups, a blocked punt and a return for a touchdown in a 26-20 win over Warren Central.
Ethan Prater, RB, Pisgah: Rushed for 132 yards on 27 carries with three scores and caught a 60-yard touchdown pass in a 33-32 win over North Forrest.
Glen Singleton, RB, Madison Central: Rushed for 174 yards on 18 carries with all four touchdowns in a 27-20 win over Ocean Springs.
Damarius Yates, RB, Kemper County: Rushed for 193 yards on 17 carries and returned a kickoff 75 yards for a touchdown in a 38-15 win over Kosciusko.
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