Emily Wagster PettusAssociated PressView CommentsJACKSON — Some Mississippi residents are rebelling against the Legislature's decision to retire a Confederate-themed state flag, and they are being encouraged by conservative legislators who fought the change.Organizers of a group called said Monday that they are starting an initiative to put the retired flag and three other flag designs on the statewide ballot.“What the legislators did, in my opinion, was 100% wrong,” said the group's leader, Dan Carr. “We should give the people of Mississippi the right to vote on this flag.”Getting...…Emily Wagster PettusAssociated PressView CommentsJACKSON — Some Mississippi residents are rebelling against the Legislature's decision to retire a Confederate-themed state flag, and they are being encouraged by conservative legislators who fought the change.Organizers of a group called said Monday that they are starting an initiative to put the retired flag and three other flag designs on the statewide ballot.“What the legislators did, in my opinion, was 100% wrong,” said the group's leader, Dan Carr. “We should give the people of Mississippi the right to vote on this flag.”Getting...WW…

Mississippi Clarion LedgerView CommentsIt took a 33-year-old Michelangelo four years to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, but 26-year-old Thomas Rosete needed just five minutes to create the Mosquito Flag.Rosete is no student of vexillology. He had never created a flag before. But as a deckhand on the Yazoo River, he spends his days swatting at a pest that every Mississippian knows too well: the Mosquito.Rosete created the Mosquito Flag as a joke, but this week it took on a life of its own.“I believe people from all background can get behind this and raise it proudly,” Rosete told...…Mississippi Clarion LedgerView CommentsIt took a 33-year-old Michelangelo four years to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, but 26-year-old Thomas Rosete needed just five minutes to create the Mosquito Flag.Rosete is no student of vexillology. He had never created a flag before. But as a deckhand on the Yazoo River, he spends his days swatting at a pest that every Mississippian knows too well: the Mosquito.Rosete created the Mosquito Flag as a joke, but this week it took on a life of its own.“I believe people from all background can get behind this and raise it proudly,” Rosete told...WW…

Sid SalterGuest columnistView CommentsMississippi voters will face the question of legalized medical marijuana use on a broader scale on the November ballot. Medical marijuana is already legal in Mississippi in the narrowest of senses.  Legal, yes. Available? Not really.Former Republican Gov. Phil Bryant signed Mississippi’s very narrow current medical marijuana bill into law in 2014 with help from some of the state’s most conservative lawmakers. Harper Grace’s Law was supposed to allow patients to obtain treatment with cannabis oil at the University of Mississippi Medical Center....…Sid SalterGuest columnistView CommentsMississippi voters will face the question of legalized medical marijuana use on a broader scale on the November ballot. Medical marijuana is already legal in Mississippi in the narrowest of senses.  Legal, yes. Available? Not really.Former Republican Gov. Phil Bryant signed Mississippi’s very narrow current medical marijuana bill into law in 2014 with help from some of the state’s most conservative lawmakers. Harper Grace’s Law was supposed to allow patients to obtain treatment with cannabis oil at the University of Mississippi Medical Center....WW…

Mississippi Clarion LedgerView CommentsMississippi Gov. Tate Reeves announced Tuesday he would sign an executive order to combat the coronavirus pandemic.Before issuing the statewide mandate, . "I know that I want to see college football in the fall," Reeves said in a press conference on Tuesday. "The best way for that to occur is for us all to recognize that wearing a mask, as irritating as it can be – and I promise you, I hate it more than anybody watching today — it is critical."If you wear a mask, if you socially distance, if we do the little things, it will make a difference,...…Mississippi Clarion LedgerView CommentsMississippi Gov. Tate Reeves announced Tuesday he would sign an executive order to combat the coronavirus pandemic.Before issuing the statewide mandate, . "I know that I want to see college football in the fall," Reeves said in a press conference on Tuesday. "The best way for that to occur is for us all to recognize that wearing a mask, as irritating as it can be – and I promise you, I hate it more than anybody watching today — it is critical."If you wear a mask, if you socially distance, if we do the little things, it will make a difference,...WW…

Mississippi Clarion LedgerGov. Tate Reeves announced a new executive order Tuesday that requires every Mississippian to wear a mask at public gatherings and when shopping for the next two weeks. The announcement comes as coronavirus cases and deaths continue to surge and more than 1 in 5 COVID-19 tests in Mississippi are coming back positive, a staggering rate that indicates rampant infection.Reeves said wearing a mask is irritating, but important to stop the spread of coronavirus."I hate it more than anybody watching today," Reeves said at a press conference.Asked about the timing of...…Mississippi Clarion LedgerGov. Tate Reeves announced a new executive order Tuesday that requires every Mississippian to wear a mask at public gatherings and when shopping for the next two weeks. The announcement comes as coronavirus cases and deaths continue to surge and more than 1 in 5 COVID-19 tests in Mississippi are coming back positive, a staggering rate that indicates rampant infection.Reeves said wearing a mask is irritating, but important to stop the spread of coronavirus."I hate it more than anybody watching today," Reeves said at a press conference.Asked about the timing of...WW…

Anita LeeSun HeraldView CommentsWith Mississippi near the top of the list nationwide for COVID-19 spread, State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs is leery of sending children back to classrooms this week, .Dobbs said during a video question-and-answer session sponsored by the  that he believes COVID-19 cases will level off, then soar once schools are in session. He said Mississippi’s health department will be recommending a statewide mask mandate for all children attending schools."Unfortunately, nothing can not be political these days and so I think sometimes we’re making...…Anita LeeSun HeraldView CommentsWith Mississippi near the top of the list nationwide for COVID-19 spread, State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs is leery of sending children back to classrooms this week, .Dobbs said during a video question-and-answer session sponsored by the  that he believes COVID-19 cases will level off, then soar once schools are in session. He said Mississippi’s health department will be recommending a statewide mask mandate for all children attending schools."Unfortunately, nothing can not be political these days and so I think sometimes we’re making...WW…

Mississippi Clarion LedgerView CommentsAs coronavirus surges in Mississippi and much of the South, another surge is occurring on social media. While health experts are beating the table to warn the public of the potential consequences of coronavirus, a segment of the population is simultaneously downplaying that threat.   This is coming as coronavirus cases in Mississippi and the death toll continues to rise.  Nationwide, there have been over 4 million cases. There have been more than 146,000 deaths as of Monday,  Still, misinformation continues to...…Mississippi Clarion LedgerView CommentsAs coronavirus surges in Mississippi and much of the South, another surge is occurring on social media. While health experts are beating the table to warn the public of the potential consequences of coronavirus, a segment of the population is simultaneously downplaying that threat.   This is coming as coronavirus cases in Mississippi and the death toll continues to rise.  Nationwide, there have been over 4 million cases. There have been more than 146,000 deaths as of Monday,  Still, misinformation continues to...WW…

Mississippi Clarion LedgerView CommentsAuthorities faced with limited space to store bodies awaiting autopsies are now bringing in a refrigerated cooler to help as the coronavirus pandemic surges in Hinds County. Hinds County Coroner Sharon Grisham-Stewart said Thursday that without a morgue space is running out to store victims of homicides, car crashes and other fatalities that require autopsies. The surge in coronavirus cases and deaths in the county is also having an impact as bodies can no longer be sent to hospital morgues for temporary storage. Private facilities...…Mississippi Clarion LedgerView CommentsAuthorities faced with limited space to store bodies awaiting autopsies are now bringing in a refrigerated cooler to help as the coronavirus pandemic surges in Hinds County. Hinds County Coroner Sharon Grisham-Stewart said Thursday that without a morgue space is running out to store victims of homicides, car crashes and other fatalities that require autopsies. The surge in coronavirus cases and deaths in the county is also having an impact as bodies can no longer be sent to hospital morgues for temporary storage. Private facilities...WW…

Mississippi Clarion LedgerRobert Foster is mad about having to wear a face mask. And that’s putting it mildly.The former gubernatorial candidate and state representative on Friday ripped into a recent mask mandate, which includes DeSoto County where Foster lives, and called on Mississippians to outright ignore it.He said he would defy social distancing mandates as well and challenged Gov. Tate Reeves, , to respond.“With all due respect Mr. Governor, I am openly defying your public mask mandate and social distancing executive orders. Now, what are you going to do about...…Mississippi Clarion LedgerRobert Foster is mad about having to wear a face mask. And that’s putting it mildly.The former gubernatorial candidate and state representative on Friday ripped into a recent mask mandate, which includes DeSoto County where Foster lives, and called on Mississippians to outright ignore it.He said he would defy social distancing mandates as well and challenged Gov. Tate Reeves, , to respond.“With all due respect Mr. Governor, I am openly defying your public mask mandate and social distancing executive orders. Now, what are you going to do about...WW…

Tina H. HahnSpecial to Mississippi Clarion LedgerView CommentsOXFORD – With eyes on increasing job opportunities and boosting the economy, business leaders and brothers Jim and Thomas Duff, of Hattiesburg, have committed $26 million to the construction of a state-of-the-art science, technology, engineering and mathematics facility at the University of Mississippi.Chancellor Glenn F. Boyce announced Tuesday the top gift for the 202,000-square-foot building, which will be the largest single construction project in Oxford campus history, with a $160 million total project budget. The Jim...…Tina H. HahnSpecial to Mississippi Clarion LedgerView CommentsOXFORD – With eyes on increasing job opportunities and boosting the economy, business leaders and brothers Jim and Thomas Duff, of Hattiesburg, have committed $26 million to the construction of a state-of-the-art science, technology, engineering and mathematics facility at the University of Mississippi.Chancellor Glenn F. Boyce announced Tuesday the top gift for the 202,000-square-foot building, which will be the largest single construction project in Oxford campus history, with a $160 million total project budget. The Jim...WW…