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JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Local groups are raising concerns about how affidavit ballots are being counted in DeSoto, Harrison and Madison counties. The groups say part of the process is happening out of public view. Harya Tarekegn, director of advocacy for the Mississippi Center for Justice, said some counties are...
It’s all the more important to pass the Mississippi Voting Rights Act to enshrine critical voting rights protections for Black voters into state law, advocates argue.
With the outcome of Mississippi’s U.S. Senate election between Democrat Scott Colom and U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith hinging on the results of affidavit ballots, the Mississippi Free Press is working to find out how many affidavit ballots each county has uncounted. Rankin County received 1,667 affidavit ballots, but county...
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Leaders with the NAACP are calling for a fair and legal vote count in Mississippi’s U.S. Senate race. Their message: election officials should be able to legally count ballots without pressure or intimidation. Derrick Johnson, CEO for the NAACP, joined other leaders in Jackson Sunday...
JACKSON, Miss. (WXXV) – The NAACP is set to hold a press conference Sunday afternoon in Jackson as election officials across Mississippi continue counting and certifying ballots following this week’s closely watched election. The organization says the event comes after it sent a public letter to county election...
233 student ballots thrown out in Mississippi election
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Councilman Kenneth Stokes said data centers are a new source of money for the city to fix roads and restore the Mayes Street bridge, which has barricades, piles of dirt and abandoned tires along its side. The bridge’s condition is causing drivers to take a different route.
People who live or run a business in parts of Washington, Mississippi and Hawaii hit by wildfires, a tropical storm and an earthquake now have until Feb. 1, 2027 to file and pay many federal taxes. The IRS issued three separate postponements this summer and fall, one for each disaster. Each one covers only the […]
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Mississippi’s U.S. Senate race remained too close to call, a suspect in Jackson’s deadly Hideaway nightclub shooting appeared in court, and two former public officials were sentenced in the federal Jackson bribery case. Here’s a look back at the news that made headlines this...
A bookstore that began in an apartment now draws readers from hundreds of miles away. I love that story. It proves a big idea can start in a very small space. This Mississippi shop sits upstairs in a building with a restaurant below. Shelves climb toward the ceiling, and small reading corners are tucked all around.
While Rankin County Election Commissioners have cured about half of the county’s affidavit ballots so far, they intend to work through the weekend to finish the rest. “I think the plan is to continue to work throughout the weekend,” Rankin County District 2 Election Commissioner Andrew Sorrentino told the Mississippi Free Press. “We understand that the candidates are looking for these results, and they need these results. They’ve worked hard on their campaigns, and more importantly, I think the public’s entitled to that information.”
Mississippi rejects some Jackson State student ballots
Jackson, Mississippi -Mississippi residents are facing a "nerve-wracking" wait to see whether the southern state elects its first Black senator in more than a century as vote-counting dragged on Sunday after last week's midterms. Voters who spoke to AFP in the state capital of Jackson on Saturday anticipated that history could be in the making in the whisker-close race between Democrat Scott Colom, an African-American man, and Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith, a white woman. With 97% of the vote counted by Sunday afternoon, Colom was 2,574 votes ahead of Hyde-Smith - a gap of just 0.3%. M...
Jackson Councilman Kenneth Stokes is at the center of a viral controversy after an explosive confrontation with a woman during a city council meeting brought government business to a standstill. The November 3 incident has become a major talking point on TikTok, where clips of the heated exchange are dominating timelines and drawing attention to what was supposed to be a routine discussion about data center development.
Small Town, Mississippi, comes to life during the annual 2026 Harvest Festival at the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum. From 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m., November 10 through 14, come enjoy live demonstrations throughout the museum grounds as you get a glimpse of what life was like years ago in Mississippi. Visitors will experience the impact agriculture has made on our daily lives. Admission is $10 (ages 3 and up).
RIDGELAND, Miss. (WLBT) - Whitney Lipscomb, a Gulfport native and Ridgeland resident, has become the second Republican to announce plans to run for Mississippi secretary of state. Lipscomb, the general counsel for the Republican Attorneys General Association, said that if elected, she would use her platform to keep the integrity...
JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – The Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) announced the restoration work of the state’s Merci Train, a post-World War II gift from France, has been completed. Located behind the Old Capitol Museum and the GM&O Train Depot, the gray boxcar is one of...
Our family pulled off the highway expecting a quick leg stretch and maybe a snack break. Instead, we found trees older than any mountain story we had ever told the kids, and they were made of stone. Tucked into the quiet woods of central Mississippi, this spot turns a lazy...
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - A human rights activist and member of Jackson’s Muslim community is calling on a Jackson city councilman to resign a day after he hurled a derogatory religious remark at her and her fellow protesters. On Tuesday, Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes told Candace Abdul-Tawwab and...
JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – The annual Harvest Festival will be held November 10-14, 2026, at the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum. Small Town Mississippi will come to life each day from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Admission is $10 for ages 3 and up. Live demonstrations throughout the museum...
