Mississippi

Thousands of seniors and people with disabilities in Mississippi will receive higher Social Security payments in 2025 – it's now official

Published

12 months ago

December 31, 2024

Thousands of seniors and people with disabilities in Mississippi will receive higher Social Security payments in 2025 – it's now official

Almost half a million retirees in Mississippi, along with thousands of others, are expected to see their Social Security benefits go up in the new year.

In October, the Social Security Administration announced a 2.5% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2025. On average, Social Security retirement benefits will increase by around $50 a month starting in January.

“Social Security benefits and SSI payments will rise in 2025, providing support to tens of millions of people as they manage expenses, even as inflation begins to ease,” Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley said in an October statement.

Over the past decade, COLA increases have averaged about 2.6%, with a peak of 8.7% in 2023. In 2024, the COLA increase was 3.2%.

Across the country, nearly 68 million Social Security recipients will see a 2.5% increase in their benefits. For the 7.5 million people receiving SSI, the higher payments will start on Dec. 31, 2024. Here’s an overview of Social Security in Mississippi.

How many people in Mississippi receive Social Security?

As of December 2023, 469,560 retirees in Mississippi were receiving Social Security benefits, according to official figures. Almost half a million residents!

In addition, 106,000 people were receiving Social Security disability benefits. Payments also went to 43,000 widows, widowers, and parents, 14,000 spouses, and approximately 59,000 children.

How old do I have to be to collect Social Security?

You can start receiving Social Security retirement benefits as early as age 62, but your payments will be reduced if you claim them before reaching your “full” retirement age.

You can check the Social Security Administration’s website to see how your benefit amount changes depending on when you start taking it.

The full retirement age has gradually increased over time. For example:

If you were born between 1943 and 1954, full benefits began at age 66.
For those born in 1955, the full retirement age is 66 years and 2 months.
It increases slightly for each birth year until it reaches 67 for those born in 1960 or later.

If you wait to claim your benefits past your full retirement age, up until age 70, your payments will increase.

People can sign up for text or email notifications to know when a new message, like their COLA notice, is available in their My Social Security account, according to Social Security.

Will Medicare and other benefits change?

Details about Medicare changes for 2025 can be found at their official website. Social Security beneficiaries who are also enrolled in Medicare can check their 2025 benefit amount in the Message Center of their My Social Security account.

How is the COLA calculated?

The Social Security Act outlines the process for calculating the COLA.

The annual COLA is based on the increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), which is determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics within the Department of Labor.

The Social Security Administration provides a list of annual COLA increases dating back to 1975. Before that, any increases had to be approved by Congress, and they didn’t occur yearly.

The 2025 COLA of 2.5% is the smallest adjustment since January 2021, when the increase was only 1.3%. Here’s a ranking of the different COLAs throughout history:

Lowest COLAs:

0%: 2010, 2011, 2016
0.3%: 2017
1.3%: 1987, 1999, 2021
1.6%: 2022
1.7%: 2013, 2015

Highest COLAs:

14.3%: 1980
11.2%: 1981
9.9%: 1979
8.7%: 2023
8%: 1975
7.4%: 1982
6.5%: 1978
6.4%: 1976
5.9%: 1977, 2022

How much of my paycheck is taxed to fund Social Security?

Each year, adjustments are made in January based on the rise in average wages. In 2025, the maximum earnings subject to Social Security tax will increase from $168,600 to $176,100.

For employees and employers: Each pays 6.2% of wages up to the maximum taxable amount.
For the self-employed: They pay 12.4% of their earnings up to the same limit.

In 2023, total income to the combined OASI (Old-Age and Survivors Insurance) and DI (Disability Insurance) Trust Funds reached $1.351 trillion. This included:

$1.233 trillion from net payroll tax contributions
$51 billion from taxes on benefits
$67 billion from interest income

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Mississippi

East Mississippi running back Gavin Griffin selected to 2025 NJCAA All-America First Team – Meridian Star

Published

12 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

East Mississippi running back Gavin Griffin selected to 2025 NJCAA All-America First Team

Published 12:08 pm Tuesday, December 23, 2025

East Mississippi Community College running back Gavin Griffin has added to his list of 2025 season accomplishments by being named to this year’s NJCAA Division I Football All-America First Team. The National Junior College Athletic Association announced the organization’s first-team, second-team and honorable-mention football selections on Dec. 20.

As an NJCAA All-Region 23 honoree as well as being the MACCC North Division’s Offensive Player of the Year recipient this season, Griffin’s most recent honor gives East Mississippi’s football program a total of 36 NJCAA All-America selections during the past 18 seasons under the guidance of NJCAA Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame head coach Buddy Stephens. Dating back to the 2008 season, the EMCC Lions have had at least one NJCAA All-American in football during 13 of the past 18 years.

In becoming EMCC’s 15th first-team NJCAA All-American dating back to 2008, Griffin helped lead the Lions to a 7-3 overall record and 5-1 MACCC North Division mark while earning the program’s 12th division crown and 15th conference playoff appearance during the Stephens coaching era.

A Troy University signee, Griffin was twice selected as the NJCAA and MACCC Offensive Player of the Week this season while topping the NJCAA Division I statistical leaders with 22 rushing touchdowns and ranking second nationally with 1,168 rushing yards. With six 100-yard rushing outings on the year, Griffin’s top performances on the ground included a career-high 220 rushing yards and four touchdowns in 22 attempts during EMCC’s 49-27 home win over Pearl River. He also had 189 rushing yards and three scores in 23 carries during the Lions’ 34-28 road victory at Northwest Mississippi.

With at least one rushing touchdown in all 10 games this past season, Griffin had seven contests with multiple scoring runs, including an additional four-touchdown effort in EMCC’s 50-39 home win over Holmes. During the Stephens coaching era at EMCC, Griffin’s 134 total points scored and 22 touchdown runs this season rank second behind Tyrell Price’s NJCAA-leading 24 rushing touchdowns and 150 points scored during the Lions’ 2017 national championship season.

On EMCC’s single-season statistical leaders list during the Stephens era, Griffin’s 1,168 rushing yards in 10 games played rank third behind 2025 EMCC Sports Hall of Fame inductee Rod Moore (1,303 in 2011) and Lakenderic Thomas (1,334 in 2013), who both had the advantage of playing two additional games during EMCC’s respective national championship seasons. Griffin’s 207 rushing attempts this season are the most by an EMCC player during the Stephens era, breaking the mark of 200 carries previously held by second-team NJCAA All-American Deon McIntosh during the Lions’ 2018 national championship season.

For his two EMCC seasons, Griffin’s 1,722 career rushing yards rank third behind Thomas (1,724) and Moore (2,211), while his 30 career rushing touchdowns tie Price for the most during the Stephens era. Along with the 66 points that Griffin scored (8 rush TDs and 3 TD catches) as an EMCC freshman in 2024, the 2023 MHSAA Class 1A Mr. Football out of Velma Jackson High School became just the second EMCC player of the Stephens era to reach 200 career points scored.

EMCC’s 35 NJCAA All-America players under Stephens’ leadership are divided among 18 offensive performers, 15 defensive honorees and two special teams players. Leading the way positionally for EMCC dating back to 2008, the Lions have had 10 All-America quarterback selections, including NJCAA Offensive Player of the Year recipients Ty Keyes (2023) and Bo Wallace (2011) as well as two-time All-America signal-caller Randall Mackey (2008 & 2009). On the defensive side of the football during the Stephens coaching era, the Lions have featured eight All-America defensive linemen, headlined by 12-year NFL veteran Denico Autry (2011) of the Houston Texans and recently retired 11-year NFL standout Za’Darius Smith (2012).

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

Published

1 day ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

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

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

Winning Mississippi Match 5 numbers from Dec. 22 drawing

20-21-22-24-25

Check Mississippi Match 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 3 numbers from Dec. 22 drawing

Midday: 1-8-7, FB: 3

Evening: 9-1-4, FB: 1

Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 4 numbers from Dec. 22 drawing

Midday: 0-6-1-7, FB: 3

Evening: 1-2-4-0, FB: 1

Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from Dec. 22 drawing

Midday: 13

Evening: 11

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

No snow in a Mississippi Christmas – Meridian Star

Published

2 days ago

December 22, 2025

Press Room

No snow in a Mississippi Christmas

Published 11:11 am Monday, December 22, 2025

From the looks of the weather forecast, it appears I am going to be disappointed again this year: no White Christmas, no one-horse open sleigh ride, and no chestnuts roasting on an open fire.

Our songs and traditions this time of year sure paint a pretty picture! Unfortunately, almost every Christmas season I’ve ever experienced in Mississippi has found me wearing shorts on Christmas Day. I think the forecast calls for a high of 74 degrees on Christmas Eve, 73 on Christmas Day, and 75 the day after.

Even though the weather disappoints me, I love my Christmas traditions. As silly as it sounds for a grown man, I love Christmas socks and wear them throughout the year. I grew up with a mom who made fresh eggnog. I haven’t had any homemade in years, but I purchase some every season.

In true Clark Griswold fashion, no Christmas would be complete without proper outdoor Christmas illumination. To make it even funnier, you can’t see my lights unless you come up our very rural driveway. Yes, the lights are just for me.

Speaking of Clark and company, my sweet indulgent wife always watches Christmas Vacation at least once each season with me. And then there are my other favorite Christmas shows and movies: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Charlie Brown’s Christmas, the Grinch, and Home Alone. (Also, I vote that Die Hard is a Christmas movie.)

And because my wife indulges me, I’ve been known to indulge her by sleeping through, er, I mean watching a Hallmark Christmas movie or two. She’s just blessed like that. What a guy I am!

But moving on from praising myself, when my oldest son got married, his wife brought us a new Christmas tradition: the Christmas Pickle ornament. You hide it on the tree, and whoever finds it gets to open the first present. I’m not sure that one has much of a future. Nevertheless, I unabashedly love Christmas.

Here’s my Christmas rule: “If you quit believing in Santa Claus, you get clothes for Christmas.” Not this guy. I’m all in it for the toys. (You may be familiar with the adage that the only difference between a man and a boy is the price of his toys—I resemble that remark.)

And in case you are wondering what to get me, my sizes are .45, 9mm, .233, .22, .380, and 12 gauge. Smile! It’s all in good fun.

In the immortal words of Clark Griswold, “Where do you think you’re going? Nobody’s leaving. Nobody’s walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas. No, no. We’re all in this together.”

And we are. May your blessings be great, and your opportunities and abilities to bless others be even greater.

Merry Christmas!

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people he favors!”

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