Subscribe to Daily Recap hcs feed
2 weeks 1 day ago
Below is a political opinion column by Russ Latino:
Policy should not be made in response to very small groups of very loud people when it comes at the expense of everyone else that happens to be too busy living to understand how they are getting screwed.
“This is not PBM reform. It’s a tax increase on every Mississippian.” That’s how one of Mississippi’s largest employers summed up the Senate’s changes to HB 1665 in a conversation with Magnolia Tribune on Wednesday.
By Russ Latino - Magnolia Tribune on
2 weeks 1 day ago
Caregiver background checks will now be required every two years instead of annually.
Both chambers in the Mississippi Legislature have agreed to minor changes to the state’s medical cannabis program this session.
The House concurred with the Senate’s changes to HB 895 this week.
Under the amended provisions, the time of validity of a patient’s medical cannabis card will remain at 12 months, but the time a caregiver needs to undergo a follow-up background check was extended slightly.
By Jeremy Pittari - Magnolia Tribune on
2 weeks 1 day ago
It is the second time this session that a mobile sports betting bill from the House has died in the Senate.
The “Mississippi Mobile Sports Wagering Act,” which passed 100 to 11 in the House of Representatives, has died in the Senate Gaming Committee at the hands of chairman State Senator David Blount (D).
By Frank Corder - Magnolia Tribune on
2 weeks 1 day ago
The Mississippi Department of Education developed the updated plan after gathering input through a survey and focus group interviews with approximately 100 Mississippians last fall.
By Frank Corder - Magnolia Tribune on
2 weeks 1 day ago
Photo by Amanda D. Lee, © 2026 Emmerich Newspapers, Inc.
DJ No Request Love spins the tunes at the Hattiesburg Craft Beer Festival.
Downtown Hattiesburg Association’s biggest fundraiser of the year, the Hattiesburg Craft Beer Festival, took place on last Saturday night. The festival featured more than 40 different breweries, food trucks, vendors and music
By Amanda D. Lee - Reporter on
2 weeks 2 days ago
POPLARVILLE, Miss. — No. 3 Pearl River baseball's Drew Harrison (Madison; Germantown) has been named National Junior College Athletic Association Pitcher of the Week following a dominant performance on the mound for the Wildcats.
Harrison turned in an electric outing against Southwest, tossing five no-hit innings in a 10-0 run-rule victory over the Bears. The right-hander struck out seven and allowed just two baserunners — one via walk and one on an error.
By Dylan Dunaway on
2 weeks 2 days ago
Photo by Amanda D. Lee, © 2026 Emmerich Newspapers, Inc.
The following business was conducted in Monday and Tuesday’s meetings of the Hattiesburg City Council:
By Amanda D. Lee on
2 weeks 2 days ago
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Trey Lamar, R-Senatobia, speaks in the House chamber during legislative session on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, at the Capitol in Jackson. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today
Though school choice talks have stalled this session, bills regarding a state tax program that incentivizes Mississippians to donate to private schools have now passed both chambers of the Legislature and head to final negotiations.
Since 2020, private schools and foster care organizations have been receiving money through the Children’s Promise Act, which gives donors a dollar-for-dollar tax credits for up to 50% of the donor’s state tax liability.
By Devna Bose - Mississippi Today on
2 weeks 2 days ago
Photo special to the Pine Belt News from William Carey Athletics
Hattiesburg, Miss.- After 44 seasons on the Carey bench, Mississippi’s all-time winningest college basketball coach, Steve Knight, announced his retirement today, bringing an end to a remarkable career that ranks amongst the best in college basketball history.
By Ben Smith on
2 weeks 2 days ago
Photo by Dima Mixon, © 2026 Emmerich Newspapers, Inc.
One of the most accomplished and respected figures in Mississippi college athletics is calling it a career.
William Carey head men’s basketball coach Steve Knight announced his retirement following 44 seasons leading the Crusaders, closing the book on a historic tenure.
By DIMA MIXON on
2 weeks 2 days ago
Measles hit Spartanburg, South Carolina, hard. Reuters reported last month nearly 1,000 individuals got infected in Spartanburg County since October. The outbreak hit in places like the Global Academy of South Carolina where 21% of students had not been vaccinated, then spread to the unvaccinated at places like Costco, Publix, Goodwill, Burger King, the library, a museum, and the post office, reported the New York Times.
“This is not normal,” state epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell said. “This is unprecedented.”
By Bill Crawford on
2 weeks 2 days ago
POPLARVILLE, Miss. — It took eight innings and one clutch swing, but No. 1 Pearl River found a way to outlast No. 6 Jones College Wednesday night, splitting a MACCC doubleheader against the rival Bobcats. The Wildcats fell 4-0 in the opener before taking the nightcap 4-2.
"In the first game, we barreled some balls up; we were just not hitting in a timely manner," head coach Christie Meeks said. "We made a little adjustment in game two so we could protect some hitters who were barreling the ball up, and it worked out in our favor."
By Grant McLeod on
2 weeks 2 days ago
Truth can be strange, and those who think to the contrary should try reading Julian Sancton’s new book, “Neptune’s Fortune, The Billion Dollar Shipwreck and the Ghosts of the Spanish Empire.”
At the center of the book is Roger Dooley, a Cuban American who explored the island’s waters for Castro, scoured the Spanish archives for decades, and at age 71 found off the coast of Colombia the wreck of a famous 18th century ship loaded with gold, which neither he nor anyone else has gotten to touch.
By Luther Munford on
2 weeks 2 days ago
JXN Water and Entergy Mississippi have something in common. They are both regulated monopolies that have failed to provide affordable water and electricity to justify their monopoly status. They are “natural monopolies” based on the premise that competition involves costly duplication of plants and pipes and transmission lines and thus higher costs. Hence, regulated monopolies to provide cheaper water and electricity.
By Kelley Williams on
2 weeks 2 days ago
Funeral homes may submit obituaries to obits@hubcityspokes.com. Death notices are printed free of charge; obituaries with photos and detailed information will incur a charge. For assistance, call (601)-268-2331.
Henry M. “H.M.” Bounds (88) of Brooklyn passed away on March 9, 2026. Moore Funeral Service handled the arrangements.
By Staff reports on
2 weeks 2 days ago
Ted "Teddy" DiBiase Jr. and his wife Kristen Tynes walk to the Thad Cochran United States Courthouse on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Jackson. Credit: Vickie D. King, Mississippi Today
Attorneys defending Ted “Teddy” DiBiase Jr., the only person to face trial in a welfare fraud scandal that has rocked Mississippi over the last six years, kept their case succinct.
They began Tuesday and rested Wednesday afternoon, the 18th day of trial, after calling just four witnesses. DiBiase opted not to take the stand. On Thursday, the judge will deliver the jury’s instructions, both sides will present closing arguments and jurors will begin deliberating.
By Anna Wolfe - Mississippi Today on
2 weeks 2 days ago
Jackson’s premier culinary celebration returns March 20–22 with festival chair Chef Nick Wallace and more than 35 participating chefs.
By Susan Marquez - Magnolia Tribune on
2 weeks 3 days ago
Important state and national stories, market and business news, sports and entertainment, delivered in quick-hit fashion
In Mississippi
Four more counties added to winter storm public assistance program
Four more counties are now eligible for Public Assistance grants to support debris removal and permanent work to repair public facilities damaged by the January winter storm.
By Magnolia Tribune Staff on
2 weeks 3 days ago
Jail dockets for Forrest and Lamar counties are provided to the Pine Belt News as a public records service. Arrest records are current for the week prior to publication.
Hattiesburg Police:
Jadacae Armstrong- DUI (first offense)
Jovontae Brenell Badon- shoplifting (two counts)
Jesse Barksdale- DUI (first offense)
Deandre Bolling- disorderly conduct (failure to comply with police officer), disorderly conduct (interference with a business or customers)
Lenny Derell Bolton- domestic violence (simple assault; two counts)
By Staff reports on
2 weeks 3 days ago
After being fired following an incendiary post about Charlie Kirk’s death, former ole Miss employee Lauren Stokes argued her First Amendment rights were violated. U.S. District Judge Glen Davidson dismissed the claims Monday, setting up a potential 5th Circuit appeal.
A federal judge has dismissed former University of Mississippi employee Lauren Stokes’ First Amendment retaliation lawsuit against Chancellor Glenn Boyce, bringing an early end—at least for now—to one of the state’s most closely watched campus speech disputes.
By Russ Latino - Magnolia Tribune on
