OurTupelo

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s administration said Thursday it plans to overhaul Head Start, tossing out many of the regulations that are the hallmark of the early education program for the nation’s poorest children.

Officials from the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the federally funded preschool program, said the proposed changes would encourage more local decision-making. Early childhood policy experts argue the deregulation could undermine Head Start’s position as the gold standard in early education.

The Associated Press previously reported on the overhaul proposal, which became public Thursday when it was posted online. The public will have 60 days to weigh in on it before it goes into effect.

Head Start centers serve around 700,000 of the nation’s most vulnerable children, including those who are homeless, in foster care or disabled. That wouldn’t change under the overhaul.

But Alex J. Adams, an assistant secretary at Health and Human Services, said the department is hoping to give Head Start centers the flexibility to change the way they operate. That means eliminating most of Head Start’s regulations, such as standards for low staff-to-student ratios or requirements to provide services to preschoolers’ families.

“Federal mandates can certainly hinder local decision-making, drive up costs and limit the program’s reach,” Adams said on a call with reporters. He highlighted a decade-long decline in Head Start enrollment. “If we get this proposed rule right, we will grow the number of Head Start slots.”

On a call previewing the proposed changes, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy spoke reverently about Head Start, which was started by his uncle Sargent Shriver during the Lyndon B. Johnson administration.

“It’s a program that works for the most vulnerable of the poorest kids in our society, and it’s really important we protect it,” Kennedy said.

But the changes would undermine many of the things that make Head Start distinct from other early education programs, policy experts say.

“The model was created with intentionality,” said Khari Garvin, who oversaw Head Start under President Joe Biden, a Democrat. It was designed, he said, “as part of a strategy to move families out of poverty.”

What makes Head Start different

Head Start, which began in the 1960s as part of Johnson’s War on Poverty, is currently governed by more than 100 pages of regulations. Those regulations require centers to have low staff-to-student ratios and a research-backed curriculum, among other things, and they ensure centers are providing wraparound services that are critical to children in poverty, including medical and dental screenings and parent coaching.

The proposal would toss out nearly all of that rule book. Instead, Head Start’s 1,600 operators — which include nonprofits and school districts — would look to state and local childcare licensing requirements for guidance on many aspects of the program.

Once the proposed regulations are published online, the public will have 60 days to weigh in. The final rules could face legal scrutiny, further delaying their implementation.

While the proposed rules largely loosen requirements, Adams emphasized that centers have the option to continue to operate as they had in the past. He estimated the new rules could generate more than $2 billion in savings and potentially allow Head Start to serve more children.

The proposal adds in at least two new requirements, officials said. It includes a 5% cap on administrative expenses, down from 15% under current rules, and new nutrition provisions championed by Kennedy.

State rules are more lenient

Overall, experts emphasize, state childcare licensing requirements are far more lax than Head Start’s current regulations. State rules are largely focused on ensuring children are healthy and safe. Generally speaking, they do not require centers to provide things like medical or dental screenings, they don’t specify ways to engage with parents, and they don’t speak to what — if anything — should be taught in childcare settings.

Shantel Meek, who heads the Children’s Equity Project at Arizona State University, co-authored an analysis that compared state licensing requirements with Head Start standards and found massive gaps.

“Whereas licensing is, like, the bare minimum to keep kids safe, Head Start includes keeping kids safe but also ensuring that kids are developing, growing, learning well,” Meek said. “It’s a totally different purpose.”

Critically, states allow adults to care for far more children than is allowed under Head Start standards. In Mississippi, for example, one Head Start teacher is only allowed to teach up to four 2-year-olds. State childcare regulations would permit up to a dozen 2-year-olds to be supervised by one adult.

Head Start, which operates in all 50 states, has long had support from both Democrats and Republicans. But it has faced repeated threats under the Trump administration, whose budget chief, Russell Vought, had previously called for it to be eliminated. Not long after Trump, a Republican, took office again in early 2025, some Head Start programs had to briefly shutter because they had problems accessing their federal money. Later, a budget draft eliminated Head Start’s funding, but it was restored after widespread backlash.

In a call with reporters, Kennedy said he believes Head Start is effective. He cited research showing its graduates have fewer law enforcement encounters, do better in school and have better jobs than their peers. He added that he tried to shield Head Start from many of the cuts that hit the rest of his agency.

Still, the Trump administration succeeded last year in laying off much of Head Start’s support staff and closing half of its regional offices.

The Woodward Hines Education Foundation will provide $800,000 for FAITH scholarships, which the state awards to former foster youths who are attending colleges in Mississippi, officials announced Wednesday. The announcement comes a week after the Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid notified applicants that the scholarships were not being funded for 2026-27. 

The foundation stepped up to cover the awards in response to news about the lack of funding, President and CEO Jim McHale said Wednesday during a news conference. The scholarships will go to about 170 students.

“We are going to make sure that every one of these students has the opportunity to take advantage of the scholarship,” said Nicole Boyd, a Republican from Oxford who is chair of the Senate Universities and Colleges Committee. “That is the thing about Mississippi. In a time like this, everybody is going to work together to make sure that we get things covered.”

READ MORE: Mississippi financial aid programs face a $7.3 million shortfall, putting college grants at risk for more than 27K students

The office had requested $6.5 million — enough to cover the FAITH scholarships and Winter-Reed Teacher Loan Repayment Program — but the Legislature approved appropriations for less than half that amount. Officials at the financial aid office applied the money they received to the scholarships, but that was not enough to cover awards for all of the eligible students. 

The loan repayment program will not award money this year for the first time since it was created in 2021.

The FAITH scholarships and the funding loss for the loan repayment program are part of a broader funding crisis for the state financial aid office. Mississippi financial aid officials have said almost 27,000 college students could receive less state financial aid because of a $7.3 million budget shortfall, a gap between the funding request and legislators’ appropriation. 

The funding gap could force the financial aid office to cut programs that help low-income students, as well as hundreds of foster youths and future teachers, pay for college.

The Woodward Hines foundation’s gift is a one-time boost for the FAITH scholarships. Future funding for the awards is uncertain.

On Friday, the foundation will publish information on its website for anyone who wants to donate to the FAITH scholarships. 

Bill Kinkade, a Republican from Byhalia and the FAITH scholarship’s namesake, vowed to work with other legislators before January to address any anticipated funding shortfalls for the financial aid office. In 2022, the Legislature created the State Representative Bill Kinkade Fostering Access & Inspiring True Hope Scholarship, which covers expenses such as  tuition, housing, books and living costs that remain after other financial aid is applied.

“This program has such a broad impact for our most needed youth because I’ve received so much input,” Kinkade said. “We need to continue funding it because it is vital.”

The increasingly insane world of college sports has come to this: A month before the 2026 football season will begin, Ole Miss has sued two of its former football players – Princewill Umanmielen and Devin Harper – for breach of contract.

Last season, Umanmielen and Harper helped Ole Miss to the most victories in school history. This season, they will play for the Rebels’ hated rival, LSU.

Umanmielen, a prized edge rusher, and Harper, a reserve offensive lineman, transferred to LSU in January after signing revenue sharing agreements with Ole Miss only a few days earlier. 

Umanmielen reportedly signed his contract with Ole Miss on Jan. 3, Harper on Jan. 6. Keep in mind, Ole Miss had defeated Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1 and would lose to Miami in the Fiesta Bowl and national semifinals on Jan. 8.

Despite signing the legal contracts, Harper entered the transfer portal on Jan. 14, followed by Umanmielen on Jan. 20. Harper signed with LSU on Jan. 16, Umanmielen on Jan. 21.

At LSU, Unmanielen and Harper will be joining former Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin, who also tried to lure several other players, including superstars Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy, to LSU. LSU also successfully lured prized linebacker TJ Dottery away from Ole Miss, but Dottery had not signed a new contract with Ole Miss and thus owes Ole Miss no compensation.

The Ole Miss contracts of Umanmielen and Harper included buyout clauses if the players did not fulfill the terms. The buyouts total approximately $1 million, with Umanmielen’s by far the larger of the two. And that’s what Ole Miss is suing for. 

LSU will play at Ole Miss on the night of Sept. 19, roughly six weeks away. As if this fierce, storied rivalry needed any further fanning of the flames, there you have it, a wildfire.

Harper, a 19-year-old sophomore from Shreveport, Louisiana, played sparingly as a freshman, last season but is considered a promising offensive lineman. Umanmielen, a 21-year-old senior from Austin, Texas, who began his career at Nebraska, led Ole Miss in quarterback sacks last season with nine. He is, as coaches say, a stud. Neither has commented publicly.

Indeed, the only comment thus far has come in a statement from Ole Miss last week.

“The University of Mississippi values its student-athletes and is committed to honoring all obligations made to them. In return, the university expects that same commitment from its student-athletes and their representatives in upholding their contracts,” the university said. “Before transferring to another institution, student-athletes Devin Harper and Princewill Umanmielen signed revenue sharing agreements that included a provision requiring them to compensate the university with a predetermined amount if they departed before fulfilling their commitment. The University of Mississippi has a responsibility to enforce its contractual terms, and this position is consistent with the actions of other institutions in the current landscape of college athletics.”

The statement goes on to say Ole Miss attempted to amicably resolve the matter before filing suit.

Seems to this writer Ole Miss holds all the legal cards. Umanmielen and Harper signed legally binding contracts. They failed to meet their obligations. Should the case go to court, that would be the Circuit Court of Lafayette County, Mississippi. Talk about home field advantage. That’s a much bigger advantage than Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Sept. 19.

Keep in mind, Ole Miss and head coach Pete Golding still face possible sanctions because of the successful recruitment of linebacker Luke Ferrell, who had already begun attending classes at Clemson after transferring from California. After LSU signed Dottery, Ole Miss needed a linebacker. Ferrell fit the bill. In just three weeks’ time, Ferrell was part of three different football teams: Cal, Clemson and then Ole Miss. This kind of stuff is going on all over the country.

So, welcome to collegiate athletics, 2026-style, replete with multimillion dollar salaries, lawsuits, agents and much, much more. You may wonder what all this has to do with higher education, and I will tell you: nothing. Nothing at all. 

Question: When is the last time you heard or read about a player being deemed academically ineligible? And you won’t. Good luck to the professor who flunks a so-called student-athlete the university is paying $5 million a year to play football. 

This is professional sports without collective bargaining and without an effective commissioner. It really is insane. Teams no longer give it the old college try. No, they write checks and hire lawyers. It is sordid. It can’t continue.

Gov. Tate Reeves announced Wednesday new pilot programs aimed to combat obesity, eliminate obstetric care deserts and expand mental health services in rural Mississippi. 

The programs will be funded with federal Rural Health Transformation Program dollars. The Mississippi State Department of Health will oversee the projects designed to reduce obesity through Make America Healthy Again movement principles, track chronic conditions through remote patient-care monitoring and deploy mobile clinics to areas lacking access to prenatal or obstetric care. 

The Department of Mental Health will launch a new telehealth program for veterans and first responders, expand crisis diversion centers to provide an alternative to emergency departments and jails for people experiencing mental health crises and expand access to evidence-based training programs for behavioral healthcare staff. 

“This is not a collection of individual or separate projects,” said Reeves, who spearheaded the state’s application for the federal dollars last fall and is overseeing their distribution. “It’s one, coordinated project.”

In December, Mississippi was awarded nearly $206 million as a part of the Rural Health Transformation Program. States will receive payments over five years as a part of the national $50 billion program, which was designed to support rural health care and offset the disproportionate impact rural hospitals are expected to face as a result of federal spending cuts Congress passed into law last summer. 

Mississippi’s plan included a statewide rural health assessment and other initiatives focused on coordinating care, strengthening the workforce, creating a statewide health information exchange, expanding telehealth opportunities and improving infrastructure. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services approved Mississippi’s program budget in April. Mississippi must obligate the funds by October and spend them by Sept. 30, 2027. 

Reeves said the state received 726 applications from 236 organizations for the initial three grant opportunities offered as a part of the program. Applications for the initiatives, which focus on facility improvements, upgrading technology systems and increasing telehealth capacity, were due by July 15. Reeves said applicants requested more than $676 million in funding for $81.7 million in available funds.

“The need is greater than the funding available in the first round,” Reeves said during a Wednesday press conference that was broadcast on social media.

Richard Grimes, program director for Mississippi’s Rural Health Transformation Program Office, said state agencies will be responsible for the scoring and evaluation of the grant applications, keeping a firewall between program administration and scorekeeping. 

Decisions about funding will be made using a scoring rubric designed to identify the projects that will make the greatest difference for rural Mississippians. The first three grant programs’ applications have begun being evaluated by independent reviewers, whose recommendations will be vetted by the Mississippi State Department of Health.

The program’s office currently seeks applications for workforce development and psychiatric emergency services grant opportunities. Applications are due by Aug.17 and will be reviewed by the state Department of Mental Health and Accelerate Mississippi, the state’s workforce development agency.

The state has also released requests for proposals for an assessment of the emergency medical system’s capacity and expertise to begin designing a health information exchange, Reeves said. 

Grant recipients will be required to pay for most projects upfront and then be reimbursed, though there may be some exceptions. Reeves said his office will work with awardees to ensure the process is not burdensome.

“The reimbursement’s going to happen as soon as humanly possible,” he said.

Attorney General Lynn Fitch kicked off her statewide tour promoting her 2027 campaign for governor by promising to speed up the income tax elimination, improve the state’s healthcare outcomes and work to make Mississippi more affordable.

Speaking at the Mississippi Republican Party headquarters in downtown Jackson on Wednesday, Fitch described herself as aligned with President Donald Trump and said she wants to make Mississippi the “leader in conservative governance.”

“Together, we will make a bold and sustaining change for Mississippi,” Fitch said. “That is how we make the most of this moment in time. That is how we make Mississippi the nation’s leader. That is how we give you and your family the best future.” 

In 2025, the Legislature passed a bill to phase out Mississippi’s income tax, which Republican Gov. Tate Reeves signed into law. 

Mississippi is currently reducing its income tax rate to 4% from a previously passed tax cut being phased in. Beginning next year, the new law will reduce that rate by .25% over four years until it reaches 3%. In 2031, the tax will be reduced incrementally each year as certain revenue “growth triggers” are met. 

Lawmakers have predicted that the income tax could be eliminated in roughly 13 years if the revenue growth triggers are met.

As state lawmakers cut taxes, they are facing tough funding choices. During the 2026 session, the Legislature adopted a $7.4 billion state budget in which the Division of Medicaid was funded through excess cash reserves. Legislative leaders said they did not give public teachers a large pay raise because of the Division of Medicaid’s funding needs. 

Fitch told reporters that she would be “very diligent” and look for the “correct revenue stream” to responsibly speed up the elimination of the income tax. 

“If you’re not paying your personal income tax, that is a huge benefit for you,” Fitch said. “That’s a huge benefit for the workforce as we attract businesses.” 

Fitch is the first woman to serve as attorney general in Mississippi. If elected, she would be the first female governor in the state’s history. 

With Fitch as the state’s top legal officer, attorneys from her office argued the landmark  Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision that overturned national abortion rights, and now abortion is almost entirely banned in Mississippi and in multiple other states. 

Fitch’s role in that case has made her a lightning rod for supporters of abortion rights, as well as a champion of the anti-abortion movement. Mississippi has some of the worst maternal health and infant mortality outcomes in the nation. 

She told supporters at the Jackson event that she wants to promote policies that improve Mississippi’s health outcomes. When asked how she would do that, she pointed to her record on suing pharmacy benefit managers on behalf of the state. PBMs oversee prescription drug plans for employer and have been accused of driving up drug prices.

“I don’t mind going after these big companies like the pharmacy benefit managers who are not doing the right thing,” Fitch said. 

Wednesday’s event in Jackson was the first of a multiple appearances across the state over three days where Fitch will tout her plans and qualifications to succeed Reeves, who is constitutionally prohibited from seeking a third term in 2027.

Fitch, a Holly Springs native, was elected to two terms as state treasurer before being elected attorney general in 2019. She began her legal career in the attorney general’s office as a special assistant attorney general. 

She has also served as executive director of the Mississippi State Personnel Board, worked in private practice and was deputy executive director of the Mississippi Department of Employment Security.

Fitch joins what’s expected to be a crowded Republican primary for governor. So far, Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson and former House Speaker Philip Gunn have announced they’re running for governor. 

Other possible contenders for governor are state Auditor Shad White, Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, former U.S. Rep. Gregg Harper, businessman and radio talk show host Gerard Gibert and billionaire businessman Tommy Duff. 

Here is a list of candidates who have announced they are running for statewide office in 2027: 

Governor: 

Lynn Fitch (R)

Andy Gipson (R)

Philip Gunn (R)

Lieutenant Governor: 

Michael Watson (R)

Secretary of State: 

Shuwaski Young (R)

State Auditor: 

Nick Bain (R)

Daniel Sparks (R)

A federal agency has approved a set of proposals to build a new natural gas pipeline system that will span the width of Mississippi.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission announced the approval Friday, reasoning that the new infrastructure would serve a need for additional gas transportation in the southeastern United States. The decision came despite protests from environmental groups and landowners in the impacted states, which also include Alabama and Georgia.

The new pipeline, a joint project between Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co. and Southern Natural Gas Co., will take gas from an existing network and send it from Greenville across Mississippi to Butler, Alabama. The line will go through Washington, Humphreys, Holmes, Attala, Leake, Neshoba, Newton, Lauderdale and Clarke counties. New compressor stations will also be built in Humphreys, Attala and Lauderdale counties.

The 206 miles of new pipeline will provide up to 1.5 billion cubic feet a day of added transportation capacity, according to FERC. The $1.7-billion project is set to create 750 temporary jobs and 15 permanent positions, according to Kinder Morgan, the applicants’ parent company.

Environmental groups, including in Mississippi, expressed concern over the more than 2,000 water bodies the pipeline’s route crosses, as well as surrounding wildlife habitat and air quality. The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, whose reservation in Neshoba County is adjacent to the pipeline’s route, said it received limited consultation over the proposal and told Mississippi Today it didn’t think there was enough consideration of impacts to historical artifacts.

“The pipeline would split my property, and I do not believe the company has offered fair options for landowners other than a one-time payment,” Trevor Langston, a Leake County property owner, wrote in a recent comment submitted to FERC. “That payment does not adequately account for the long-term loss of use, value, and impact to the property over the years.

“This land has been passed down through my family, and we do not wish to lose it to a gas line.”

FERC, the federal body in charge of regulating interstate transport of energy sources, such as natural gas, said the pipeline’s route largely overlaps with or is near existing rights-of-way. The commission, in the July 31 order, wrote that the companies “have taken appropriate steps to minimize adverse economic impacts on landowners and surrounding communities affected by the” pipeline project.

“The Commission finds that there is no basis to conclude that property sales, demand, and development decisions would be significantly impacted on land surrounding proposed project facilities,” FERC wrote. “As for use and enjoyment of property, we find that Applicants’ route design, co-location, as well as the mitigation measures prescribed in this order adequately address these impacts.”

The Trump administration cut the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s workforce without a plan, Congress’ watchdog found.

The disaster-response agency is at risk of being unprepared and without the necessary staff to respond to future emergencies, the Government Accountability Office said in a report released Tuesday.

As of May, FEMA has pushed out over 6,400 employees since President Donald Trump took office last year, according to data maintained by the Office of Personnel Management. FEMA is now trying to hire nearly 350 employees deemed a priority by the agency, according to the GAO, although the watchdog says that as of last month, FEMA still hasn’t done the analysis and planning related to its workforce necessary to make sure that it’s prepared for future disasters.

“FEMA did not base its workforce reduction decisions or proposed future workforce actions on an analysis of the current state of its workforce or a forecast of future requirements,” the report says. “As a result, FEMA does not know the impact of these changes on its capacity to meet mission needs now or in the future.”

After scrapping its strategic plan in May of last year, the agency waited to develop a new one until a FEMA Review Council established by Trump issued its report, which didn’t happen for another year due to several delays in its release. Typically, FEMA’s strategic plan would be used to guide workforce planning. The panel ultimately recommended in May of this year that much of the responsibility for disaster response be shifted to state and local government.

In the meantime, FEMA is still without goalposts to guide its actions. Because of this, FEMA hasn’t conducted workforce planning for future incidents — including the 2026 hurricane season, the GAO says.

The office said that it found “no evidence” that DHS or FEMA leadership assessed the impact of the agency’s move earlier this year to reduce the number of on-call employees who help with disaster recovery. In May, the agency began offering employees new appointments after previously not renewing their contracts.

Since Trump took office, FEMA did submit a staffing plan to DHS late last year that proposed cutting FEMA’s workforce in half. But there isn’t any evidence that that was based on a workforce analysis, either, the GAO says. That proposed reduction to 11,383 employees was made despite staffing analysis from program and regional offices that recommended the agency have 23,000 employees.

“With the start of the 2026 hurricane season and the increasing cost and complexity of federal support as natural disasters become more frequent and intense, FEMA is facing similar or greater risk of disaster workforce capacity and competency limitations than the agency faced in 2024 following Hurricanes Helene and Milton,” the watchdog agency said in the report.

Long-standing workforce challenges hampered FEMA’s response to those back-to-back disasters in 2024, the GAO has previously reported.

As part of its latest report, the GAO recommended that lawmakers consider providing “additional accountability” by mandating that future workforce changes at FEMA are informed by workforce planning at the agency and requiring that FEMA report to Congress on its workforce planning process before every hurricane season.

The report comes after a tumultuous year and a half for the agency, which has had four acting administrators since January 2025. This is both the longest it hasn’t had a confirmed administrator and the highest turnover in at least 15 years, according to the GAO.

Trump nominated one of those previous acting administrators, Cameron Hamilton, to lead the agency in May after ousting him just a year prior over Hamilton publicly breaking with the administration’s efforts to dismantle the agency. He’s yet to be confirmed by the Senate.

FEMA is also in the midst of an ongoing lawsuit arguing that separating the agency’s on-call response and recovery employees by refusing to renew their terms was unlawful.

DHS said in a response included in the GAO report that it “remains committed to continuing to help people before, during, and after disasters, as we seek to bring real reform to FEMA to meet the challenges of mission delivery and enhance how we assist survivors.”

In Tyler Cleveland’s absence, 51-year Mississippi sports writing veteran Billy Watkins joins the podcast to co-host with Rick Cleveland, who has been covering Mississippi sports for 60 years. They have a few memories.

Monday nights at Hal & Mal’s are usually crowded with karaoke, live blues and Capital City Pride trivia. But even the Jackson staple could feel the effects of the typically slow season. 

“August can sometimes not be the busiest month as people are transitioning out of summer break back into their routines,” said Damien Cavicchi, the restaurant’s owner.

Visit Jackson, the city’s marketing agency, is hoping to help bridge that gap across the city through JXN Restaurant Week, a weeklong campaign that runs through Saturday aimed at boosting restaurant sales during a notably slow time. 

“JXN Restaurant Week is an opportunity to celebrate the chefs, restaurateurs and hospitality professionals who help define Jackson while encouraging residents and visitors to discover new favorites and support local businesses,” Visit Jackson CEO Ricky L. Thigpen said in a statement.

Urban Foxes is just one of 12 restaurants running a special this week — offering a 15% student discount. The coffeehouse’s co-owner Cody Cox said the weeklong event has helped put a focus back on local restaurants. 

“Everyone’s getting back to school and getting back to a work schedule,” Cox said. “So it’s good to be like, ‘Hey, here’s some favorites that you might have not been visiting this summer.’” 

Patrons browsing Visit Jackson’s website can find localized dining itineraries alongside special discounts and menus. 

Visit Jackson will also host a daily scavenger hunt alongside a spend-to-win  giveaway during the week. It’s a new tactic Destination Development Manager Kim Lewis said is meant to boost participation among diners. 

Patrons who spend $25 or more can message their receipt to 601-509-5674 for a chance to win two VIP tickets to the 2027 Jackson Food and Wine Festival. Runner-up prizes include a gift card basket valued at $150.

Clues for the scavenger hunt are posted to Instagram and Facebook every day at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., leading scavengers to restaurant gift cards ranging from $10 to $50.

“We’re really trying to engage with the community. Not just saying, ‘Hey, these restaurants are here. Go see them.’ But to really engage and get people involved,” Lewis said. 

In previous years, restaurant week coincided with the state fair or National Travel and Tourism Week. Conversations with restaurant owners led Visit Jackson to move the event to the end of the summer. 

Those conversations also led to many of the changes implemented this year. The adjustments include meal times beyond lunch. Neighborhood-based itineraries changed to reflect new restaurants in the area.

Despite Visit Jackson’s efforts, some restaurant owners told Mississippi Today that they weren’t informed about the event – and aren’t participating.

Lewis urged restaurant owners who want to participate to reach out.

With the newly updated schedule and implemented changes, Visit Jackson hopes to continue growing restaurant week to draw more tourists to the city. 

“There’s Michelin-recognized restaurants and James Beard award-winning restaurants,” Lewis said of the capital city’s culinary scene. “There’s some great stuff here in Jackson, and sometimes we just have to remind people of that.”eople of that.”

Federal investigators have charged at least two more out-of-state people with allegedly threatening a witness and state court employees authorities believe are connected to the Nolan Xavier Wells’ death investigation. 

Ohio resident Michelle Edwards and Illinois resident Edward Porter each face a federal charge of transmitting threatening communication to kill or injure. Court records do not state what the maximum penalty would be if convicted, but the portions of federal law under which they are both charged carry sentences between five and 20 years. 

The court unsealed their charges Friday, the same day a California man was arrested for allegedly sending a bomb and death threat to a Mississippi Gulf Coast chancery judge who is the stepmother of a friend who went to Horn Island with Wells and others on July 4. A park ranger discovered Wells’ body on the island on July 6, after his friends had already returned home. 

Investigators from an FBI task force said Edwards called in bomb threats to the George County Chancery Clerk’s Office and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department the afternoon of July 23. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department is leading the death investigation, and George and Jackson counties are both in the chancery judge’s district.

Edwards allegedly used a blocked phone number when she called the clerk’s office 21 times between 1:34 and 1:42 p.m., according to the criminal complaint. During the calls, she said, “Do not go outside,” “the clock is ticking,” and “die.” 

She also allegedly called the sheriff’s office twice using the *67 function, which makes the caller ID appear as private, unknown or blocked. Those calls led law enforcement to place the building on lockdown and use a bomb detection dog to sweep the area. 

Investigators submitted disclosure requests to telephone companies, which identified an Ohio number. A Cash App account and law enforcement records listed the phone number under Edwards’ name. Cell site information from July 23 included an area in Cincinnati where Edwards had two listed addresses. 

The complaint accuses Porter of threatening to kill a witness in the Wells death investigation and another person in Mississippi on Friday morning; in both cases, Porter threatened to kill the person’s family members.

He allegedly told the witness, who is identified in court records as “W-1,” that he knew where they live and provided proof by texting the witness their address. Porter told the other person, identified as “W-2,” that he would cut them up and put them into a suitcase. Then, investigators say Porter called the witness back to say he was outside their home to kill them. 

The threats came from a Gulfport-area text free number, which allows people to make calls and send texts over the internet. Agents requested information from a company called Pinger about the number, and the company provided two IP addresses tied to Porter, which included a Chicago-area number and a Maywood, Illinois, address.

Agents found that the Pinger account used to make the threats was created the same day the threats were sent. Cell site information placed an iPhone under Porter’s name at his residence in Berwyn, Illinois. 

Wells’ disappearance and death have captured national attention, which has included the spread of theories and misinformation on social media and threats made against people believed to be involved. 

The FBI is investigating threats received by friends of Wells, their families, Wells’ parents and local and state public officials working on the case. So far, none of the threats against Wells’ family has resulted in an arrest. 

Wells, 18, traveled by boat with a group of friends to Horn Island off the Mississippi Gulf Coast to celebrate the Fourth of July. He did not return to Ocean Springs and was reported missing. 

His death remains under investigation and a cause of death has not been released. The case is expected to be presented to a grand jury once the investigation is complete.