Mississippi Public Broadcasting

2 weeks ago | mpbonline.org | Daja Henry

As of the Justice Department’s 2024 annual report, the investigation was one of two that remained open from Mississippi. The other was the death of Jerry Lee Armstrong, a 17-year-old who went missing after a Christmas dance in DeSoto County. His family believes white supremacists killed him. The Till Act, first passed in 2008, directs the Justice Department to investigate criminal civil rights violations that led to a death before 1980.

2 weeks ago | mpbonline.org | Will Stribling

Mississippi has among the highest maternal and infant mortality rates in the nation, and State Health Officer Dr. Daniel Edney says a lack of coordinated infrastructure is partially to blame. “Our maternal and infant mortality rates are not due to the fact that we have bad doctors, bad nurses, bad hospitals, it's because we have a bad system,” Edney said.

2 weeks ago | mpbonline.org | Will Stribling

Retiree and Jackson-native Carliss O'Banner was one of the attendees who's currently living with cardiovascular disease. What she calls "cardiac mishaps" are common in her family, but she thinks understanding heart health is also important for those who don’t carry similar risk factors. “It is affecting everybody, so that's why it's important to be educated on what's going on with yourself and what's going on with the disease in general,” O’Banner said.

3 weeks ago | mpbonline.org | Stephan Bisaha

National security has been the phrase of choice by the Trump administration to justify a wide range of policies. When it comes to U.S. shipbuilding, experts say the term fits. A prime example is the importance of commercial ships during and after World War II. The U.S. built hundreds of cargo ships out of Mobile, Alabama, called Liberty ships. Their role was so vital to the war effort, Germany sent U-boats to destroy the transports to prevent supplies from reaching Europe.

3 weeks ago | mpbonline.org | Will Stribling

The trade war between the United States and China is exacerbating the financial struggles of Mississippi farmers, who were already confronting rising costs and heavy losses due to lower crop prices. According to a report from Pinion Global, an agriculture accounting firm, Mississippi farmers experienced more than half a billion dollars in losses last year.