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BILOXI — Family and friends filed into the Mississippi Coast Coliseum for the 2026 D’Iberville High School graduation ceremony, quickly filling up the stadium bleachers. Parents took photos of their children on the jumbotron, which flashed portraits of roughly 400 seniors — female-presenting graduates posed with an elegant drape, and male ones with a sharp tuxedo. 

But when the portrait popped up of this year’s salutatorian, Jonas Hole, he was shown in a full graduation gown covering any clothing that might point to gender. On May 17, D’Iberville High School published a Facebook post that used Hole’s former name and allegedly edited his photograph to appear more feminine. Hole is a transmasculine graduate whose chosen name of Jonas differs from his legal name.

But the social media post was not the only incident in recent days where D’Iberville High students appeared to be singled out over their gender. While Hole’s case is the highest profile one, D’Iberville High School has targeted at least five other graduating seniors because they are transgender or do not follow the school’s gender presentation norms, said Tara Shay Montgomery, an LGBTQ+ advocate who has been in contact with the students, their parents and teachers. On May 15 when school staff distributed yearbooks, transgender students found their photos were missing. They have still not received an explanation for this decision, advocates say.  

School officials addressed the students who walked the stage, including Hole, by their deadnames, or former names, when presenting them with diplomas and in the program. Other students chose not to attend the event, said two community advocates who know their identities. 

At the ceremony Saturday, D’Iberville High School Principal Cheryl Broadus, who has not provided comment to Mississippi Today after multiple requests to the school and administrative offices, introduced Hole with his deadname. 

“I would now like to introduce an outstanding young lady who has maintained a 4.404 quality point average and will deliver the salutatory address,” she said. 

In his speech, Hole first introduced himself with his former name, then added, “a lot of you know me as Jonas,” before expressing his gratitude at having the opportunity to address the crowd. 

He gave shoutouts to the school’s athletics teams and thanked ROTC leadership and fellow cadets for shaping his high school experience. Hole then talked about gathering the courage to advocate for self-expression both for himself and others. 

“Despite my own self-acceptance, others judged me without understanding me. I became my label, and it felt as if my achievements, hardships, personality, all became irrelevant for the sole fact that I present myself differently,” he said. 

According to several advocates from the Transgender Resources, Advocacy, Networking and Services Program and allies who attended the ceremony in support of transgender and LGBTQ+ seniors, the speech was both respectful of the school and acknowledged Hole’s specific challenges as a transgender student. 

“I think that he showed exactly why he was salutatorian in the way that he spoke,” Montgomery said. While the advocate and local drag queen wasn’t able to attend the ceremony, she saw the speech on Facebook and told Mississippi Today that it was a kind, “above the belt” way to address Hole’s situation.

“All the words were very, very thoughtfully chosen. They were effective. They were not judgmental or confrontational, but they were stern and swift and sincere.”

While D’Iberville High School has received the most attention for how they treated transgender students, Montgomery said similar incidents have occurred across Harrison County this year. She said she has been contacted by mothers of students from D’Iberville, Gulfport and Harrison Central high schools seeking support for their kids or their friends’ kids who were being negatively impacted by school policies. 

The first person who contacted Montgomery was Marivel Watson, the former Scout leader for one of the impacted students. Watson said she found out that several students had been excluded from the yearbook through her daughter, a graduating senior who knows several of the affected students. While Watson’s daughter was in the yearbook, she was upset that her friends weren’t.

When the students asked why this had happened, they were told that it had been Principal Broadus’ decision, Watson said. A former Scout member told Watson that Broadus had called his mother to say his photo had been removed because of his septum piercing, Watson said. Broadus cited the Harrison School District dress codes, which allow for “one small, non-distracting nose stud,” but no other facial piercings. This student wore the same piercing in his junior year portrait, and was included in the yearbook. Broadus was also school principal at the time. 

Watson said she understands the need to use a student’s legal name on legal documentation but can’t see why school officials wouldn’t address graduating students with their chosen name otherwise. 

“What harm is in calling that student by their preferred name, especially in a huge public setting like that?” she said. 

At Harrison Central High School, another parent reached out to Montgomery because her transgender daughter was forced to wear a tuxedo for her senior portrait. The student chose to take her photo with the school’s attire, but also with her hair down and a full face of makeup. 

If anything about the situation has been positive, Montgomery said, it was seeing the community rally to support the children. She pointed to the network of parents who reached out to her, organizations such as Gulf Coast Association of Pride, Gulf Coast Equality and TRANS Program working together, and teachers who risked their jobs to give her information about students they knew were struggling. 

Through this network, at least 30 people showed up to the ceremony in support of  affected students, Montgomery said. 

Small contingents of people wearing rainbow apparel or transgender-affirming T-shirts were present in the crowds outside the Coliseum, as graduates flocked to celebrate with their family and friends. 

At the ceremony, Hole ended his speech by thanking his mentors and quoting Romans 15:7, “Accept one another then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.”

“To everyone here today, I hope all of you at some point in your life feel that same freedom I get to feel by living every day unapologetically,” he said. “Be yourself, no matter who tries to stop you from doing so.”

This story was produced with support from the Sarah Yelena Haselhorst Fund for Health Journalism.

Mississippi Today Ideas is a platform for thoughtful Mississippians to share their ideas about our state’s past, present and future. Opinions expressed in guest essays are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of Mississippi Today. You can read more about the section here.

Mississippi’s recent gains in reading and math have attracted national attention. A state long associated with low academic rankings is now being discussed as a model for improvement. In education circles, the turnaround has been called the “Mississippi Miracle.”

The label has helped shape the national conversation around Mississippi schools, even if it simplifies a much longer story.

Miracles are usually understood as rare, unexplained events. Mississippi’s progress in literacy was neither sudden nor mysterious. The state’s gains followed years of changes in reading instruction, teacher training and academic accountability. Those improvements came from decisions made inside classrooms, schools and intervention programs across the state.

The progress did not happen by chance.

Over the last decade, Mississippi has steadily shifted toward literacy instruction rooted in the science of reading, a research-based approach built on decades of study in cognitive science, language development and education. The framework focuses on five major components tied to reading success: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension.

Those practices have increasingly shaped instruction in Mississippi classrooms, particularly in the early grades. When implemented consistently, they tend to produce measurable results. Mississippi’s improvement on fourth grade reading scores from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, often referred to as the Nation’s Report Card, reflects that broader shift toward structured literacy and evidence-based instruction.

Similar patterns are beginning to emerge outside the traditional school day, as well.

Across parts of the Mississippi Delta, after-school literacy programs are using many of the same strategies to support struggling readers. At Reading Roadmap Inc., where I serve as director of strategic partnerships, our intervention model is built around the same research base guiding classroom instruction.

Students are grouped according to specific literacy deficits identified through assessment data. Lessons are designed intentionally around those needs, and progress is monitored throughout the year rather than assumed after a few weeks of instruction.

In many cases, growth follows that structure.

Some students who begin the school year performing significantly below grade level can move from Tier 3 intervention status to grade-level proficiency within the same academic year. For families who have spent years watching a child struggle with reading, that kind of progress can feel dramatic.

Still, dramatic does not necessarily mean miraculous.

Students often improve when instruction reflects how reading development works. Teachers tend to improve when they receive consistent training and support. Intervention programs are more effective when they rely on data and evidence instead of habit or repetition.

What happened in Mississippi was not accidental. It was the result of sustained implementation over time.

At the same time, Mississippi’s literacy gains have not reached every school or community equally. In her 2024 Mississippi Today article, “Mississippi’s ‘reading miracle’ has been out of reach for some schools,” reporter Julia James noted that many high-poverty and historically underserved communities have not experienced literacy gains equally across the state. In many districts, challenges connected to staffing shortages, chronic absenteeism and limited intervention resources remain ongoing barriers.

Those disparities matter because Mississippi continues to face deep economic challenges that affect many students long before they enter a classroom.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately 1 in 5 Mississippians lives in poverty. The Annie E. Casey Foundation has also ranked Mississippi near the bottom nationally in overall child well-being, considering factors such as child poverty, school access, health insurance coverage and teen births. For many students, academic struggles are tied to broader conditions that extend beyond literacy instruction alone.

That reality makes the state’s progress more impressive, but it also underscores how much work remains.

The next phase of Mississippi’s literacy progress will depend on whether evidence-based instruction becomes more consistent across schools, intervention programs and after-school settings. Sustaining those gains will require continued investment in teacher development, stronger alignment between school day and out-of-school learning and broader access to structured literacy support for students who continue to fall behind.

Research has consistently shown that high-quality after-school programs can improve academic outcomes, particularly for students in under-resourced communities. When those programs reinforce what students are learning during the school day, the impact can become even more significant.

Mississippi’s literacy growth is real and explainable.

The state made intentional choices about reading instruction. Educators adjusted their practices over time, and schools committed themselves to methods grounded in research rather than tradition alone.

Those decisions produce measurable results.

That may not fit the narrative of a miracle. Overall, though, it may prove to be something far more valuable because it means the progress can be repeated.

Taurean Morton, M.Ed., is director of strategic partnerships at Reading Roadmap Inc., where he supports literacy initiatives across Mississippi. He also serves as the senior minister of the Lincoln Garden Church of Christ in Cleveland.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has awarded more than $948,000 to the city of New Albany to assist with picking up debris caused by Winter Storm Fern in January.

The city in Union County was one of the areas hit hardest by the storm.

The funding, which was announced Friday, is part of more than $60 million in post-disaster funding for Public Assistance and Hazard Mitigation Grant Program projects in Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

In early April, Union County emergency director Curt Clayton told Mississippi Today he estimated the county faced between $15 million and $20 million in debris pick-up costs. Between local roads and state highways, the county had hauled over 330,000 cubic yards of debris with roughly 200,000 more remaining, Clayton said.

Union County was one of the 34 counties, as well as the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, affected by the storm to be approved for all funding categories of FEMA’s Public Assistance program, which helps pay for repairs to public buildings and infrastructure.

The other 33 counties are: Adams, Alcorn, Attala, Benton, Bolivar, Calhoun, Carroll, Claiborne, Grenada, Holmes, Humphreys, Issaquena, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lee, Leflore, Marshall, Montgomery, Panola, Pontotoc, Prentiss, Quitman, Sharkey, Sunflower, Tallahatchie, Tate, Tippah, Tishomingo, Warren, Washington, Webster, Yalobusha and Yazoo.

Officials from the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency estimated the total damages from Winter Storm Fern, which killed at least 30 people in the state, were well over $400 million.

WASHINGTON — The Congressional Black Caucus on Tuesday called on major corporations across the U.S., including those that previously expressed support for voting rights and racial justice, to oppose redistricting efforts by Republican-led states that seek to eliminate majority-Black U.S. House districts.

In a letter sent to more than 250 companies, members of the Black Caucus urge them to condemn the redistricting efforts, which the lawmakers describe as “coordinated efforts to silence Black voices at the ballot box.” Some of the companies had co-signed their own message to Congress five years ago urging lawmakers to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, a Democratic proposal to restore and update the Voting Rights Act.

That 2021 coalition, Business for Voting Rights, was backed by many of the country’s most valuable and influential companies, including Apple, Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Tesla, Salesforce, Target, PayPal, Intel and Starbucks.

READ MORE: ‘We’re ready to fight’: Thousands protest Mississippi redistricting and rally for voting rights

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Tuesday’s letter is the latest effort by the Congressional Black Caucus and its allies to gather support for preventing more Republican-led states from redrawing their legislative maps in ways that would dilute Black political representation. Several states have moved to eliminate congressional districts represented by Black Democratic lawmakers after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last month that severely weakened a key provision of the Voting Rights Act.

“Corporations that have profited from Black consumers, relied on Black workers, and amassed wealth in part from Black communities cannot look away while Black political power is dismantled in plain sight,” Rep. Yvette Clarke, chair of the Black Caucus, said in an interview.

Clarke described the letter as “putting corporate America on notice,” but she said the caucus was not seeking an adversarial relationship with corporations. Among those receiving Tuesday’s letter were companies based overseas that have a significant presence in the U.S.

The caucus last week called for Black athletes to boycott public universities in states that are gerrymandering their congressional maps to eliminate districts held by Black lawmakers. The 59-member Congressional Black Caucus consists entirely of Democrats, including more than a third from Southern states.

Some lawmakers have said mass protests and federal legislation might be necessary to undo the efforts underway in Republican-led states. Any new federal voting rights law would almost certainly require Democrats to secure majorities in both chambers of Congress and win the presidency.

It is unclear how companies will respond to the demands. The Associated Press reached out for comment to dozens of companies that were sent a letter by the caucus, but did not receive a response from most firms. Microsoft declined to comment.

“Many companies that previously issued statements after the murder of George Floyd, pledged billions toward racial equity initiatives, and spoke forcefully in defense of democracy following January 6 now face a defining test of whether those commitments were rooted in principle or convenience,” the caucus’ letter states.

It also represents the latest instance of the caucus expressing frustrations with corporate America. A 2024 Black Caucus report noted that lawmakers were “troubled that some corporations that made pledges in 2020 have taken several steps in the opposite direction,” such as rolling back or failing to follow through on pledges to diversify their workforces.

“We understand who the occupant in the White House is and the reality of Republicans being in charge,” Democratic Rep. Steven Horsford of Nevada said of the caucus’ message. “But what corporate America also understands is that there will be a shift at some point.”

The letter calls on companies to publicly condemn the redistricting plans, meet with Black Caucus members to discuss corporate America’s role in protecting voting rights and disclose their political donations to Republican politicians in states that are redistricting their congressional maps.

President Donald Trump last year kicked off the unusual mid-decade round of congressional redistricting when he pushed Texas lawmakers to redraw their maps in a way that would add Republican seats. Democratic-led California responded, but it has been mostly Republican states redrawing their lines since as the party tries to maintain its majority in the U.S. House during this year’s midterm elections.

The effort was supercharged by the Supreme Court decision, which allowed even more Republican states to redraw congressional maps that previously had protected minority communities.

Horsford, who chaired the Black Caucus during President Joe Biden’s Democratic administration, said the caucus is demanding that companies “stand on the side of democracy, fairness and equal representation.”

“This is about power, who holds it and what it’s used for,” he said. “And when you’re diluting Black economic and political power, we need to know where these companies stand in this moment, and what side of history they’re on.”

Update, 5/26/2026: This article has been updated to show The Associated Press reached out to dozens of companies to seek comment.

Mississippi Today’s politics team gives a rundown on a monumental week in the Magnolia State that saw thousands of people marching and rallying in Jackson over voting rights and the gerrymandering battle embroiling much of the nation.

A nonprofit group formed by a key supporter of Mayor John Horhn will help pay for public safety initiatives, including support for senior police officers, under an agreement approved by the City Council. 

Jackson Rising made a donation to the city after a dispute over an employment contract Horhn proposed that would have given Jackson’s new police chief, RaShall Brackney, benefits not typically received by city department heads. 

After some council members voiced concerns during an unrecorded meeting in April, Horhn pulled the contract. The mayor vowed to find philanthropic funding for Brackney’s benefits, including severance if she is let go without cause after her first year, up to $15,000 in moving expenses and a 90-day rental stipend of $1,000. 

The City Council last week narrowly approved the agreement with Jackson Rising. The group was recently formed by attorney and former Hinds County Circuit Judge Robert Gibbs, who chaired Horhn’s mayoral transition team in 2025. It has agreed to donate up to $100,000 to an account controlled by the mayor. 

Documents submitted to the City Council did not specifically name the police chief but said the money can be used to recruit and retain senior officers, including “employment-related expenditures.” 

Gibbs did not respond to Mississippi Today’s requests for comment. Nic Lott, the city’s communications director, did not respond to the news outlet’s questions but sent a response the city had provided to WLBT. 

“This development arose organically through interactions the Mayor had with supporters and community leaders,” Lott wrote. “Citizens want to know what they can do to help.” 

The donor agreement is not the first time private donors in Jackson have supported local law enforcement. 

Meet the Hundred Club of Jackson  

Each year, the Hinds County Sheriff’s Department, the Jackson Police Department, Capitol Police and city firefighters are honored at a black-tie banquet hosted by the nonprofit Hundred Club of Jackson. 

The club is primarily supported by dues-paying local businesspeople. It was founded in 1961 by “to use the old-fashioned term, ‘captains of industry,’” said Doug Boone, president of the club’s board of directors. 

“We’ve really flown under the radar most of that time,” he said, adding similar clubs exist across the country. 

In the beginning, the club offered $10,000 life insurance policies for officers, Boone said. Over the decades, that assistance morphed into providing direct financial support for families of officers killed on duty. 

“We call ourselves financial first responders,” Boone said. 

The club has also sporadically helped local police agencies with projects, including donating $25,000 to refurbish MetroOne, a helicopter used by law enforcement agencies across central Mississippi. 

Recently, Boone said the club took over the finances of another nonprofit, the Jackson Police Foundation. Boone said the foundation had long offered opportunities for people to donate equipment or money to police for backpack drives, JPD’s Christmas toy drive or other initiatives that are often “the first casualty of any kind of budget tightening.” 

“Somebody wanted to donate some money so the sheriff’s department could buy some feed for their horses for their mounted unit,” he said. 

Would the club donate to support the police chief’s benefits? Boone said his 12-member board would have to think on it. But, he added, the club has been contemplating ways to use its resources to support Jackson’s entire police department – and help sustain the new energy Boone believes Horhn has brought to the city.

“Put it this way,” he said. “Nobody’s come and asked us yet.”

How would the agreement work?  

While the Hundred Club of Jackson sometimes reimburses local agencies for requests, Jackson Rising is making a direct donation to the city. 

Once the city takes control of the donation, the agreement says the money would become public dollars, subject to Mississippi’s transparency laws. Jackson Rising has agreed to donate an initial $50,000, according to the agreement, as well as pursue an additional $50,000. 

“Donor shall have no authority to direct personnel decisions, compensation decisions, promotions, discipline or law-enforcement operations,” the agreement says. 

To that end, the agreement also says the money is not “earmarked” for a specific employee and that Jackson Rising shall not have “control” over recipients. But the donation can be used for executive recruitment efforts, retention initiatives and “relocation or transition assistance” — spending areas that WLBT first reported overlap with Brackney’s proposed employment contract. 

At a May 18 meeting, the day before the council approved the contract, Ward 1 Council Member Ashby Foote asked how the city was going to determine which senior officers would receive benefits. 

“Is the city council out of the loop, in the loop?” he asked. 

In response, Pieter Teeuwissen, the city’s chief administrative officer, said he’d had several conversations with Jackson Rising and the city attorney, Drew Martin. Everyone was comfortable the contract was “not going to blow up on anyone.” 

“It’s perhaps a narrow path or a narrow needle to thread, but it is a doable one,” Teeuwissen said.

He added that he thought Jackson Rising would indicate “who it intended to support” and that a council vote wasn’t necessary, even though the contract states the donor “shall not” select recipients. 

“We’ve tried to be transparent from this administration, and I would encourage us to continue to be transparent if we get to a point where Jackson Rising is supporting any of our senior officers,” he said. “Nobody wants to find that out some other way.” 

Asked about this comment on Thursday, Teeuwissen said he misspoke and that “documents speak for themselves.” 

Why did some council members vote no? 

Teeuwissen previously told Mississippi Today that Brackney was the only department head to request an employment contract. 

The proposed contract included benefits similar to ones Brackney received when she was police chief in Charlottesville, Virginia, according to documents reviewed by Mississippi Today — professional development support, a three-month housing stipend and moving expenses. 

As she left City Hall after Tuesday’s council meeting, Brackney said she wasn’t aware of the new agreement. She was followed by her new chief of staff, Tonya Norwood, a former community engagement specialist with the Arizona Department of Public Safety. 

“I don’t know what the Jackson Rising proposal is,” Brackney said. “I have not seen that.” 

If the city uses Jackson Rising’s donation to support Brackney’s relocation expenses, she would be the only department head to receive such a benefit under Horhn’s nearly year-old administration, according to information provided through a public records request. 

The exceptional treatment is the reason Ward 2 Council Member Tina Clay said she voted against the agreement with Jackson Rising. She was joined by Ward 4 Council Member Brian Grizzell, but neither offered an explanation for their votes during Tuesday’s meeting. 

Clay told Mississippi Today she thought the agreement sent the message that police matter more than other city departments.

“Don’t put that police department out there on a pedestal by itself,” she said. 

The Jackson Rising donation could be a model for future private support of Horhn’s goals for the city. 

“There are folks who want to donate to support various causes while not wanting to necessarily donate directly to the government,” Teeuwissen said at the May 18 meeting, noting the nonprofit shares a name with the series of community conversations that Horhn tasked several campaign supporters with convening last year. 

The discussions yielded a list of ideas that could be supported by public-private partnerships, including an effort to bring a Texas consultant to Jackson to help the city reduce homelessness. 

Downtown Jackson Partners, the organization managing the downtown business improvement district, is helping Horhn pursue donations for that contract. 

FORREST COUNTY — Some Mississippi minors accused of firearm-related crimes will be sent to adult circuit court instead of youth court under a new law that also increases penalties for stolen-gun offenses. 

Senate Bill 2710 takes effect July 1. It increases penalties for possessing, selling or transferring stolen firearms, especially if those guns are later used in violent crimes. 

State Sen. Joey Fillingane, R-Sumrall, said the bill was developed after law enforcement agencies and local leaders raised concerns about youth violence involving firearms. 

READ ALSO: ‘We’ve got to try something different’” Anti-gang bill could put more children in prison

“That was their priority for this legislative session … was to try to figure out a way to curb or try to restrict the amount of increase in youthful violence as it relates to use of deadly weapons,” Fillingane said. 

Mississippi continues to report one of the highest firearm death rates in the country. According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the state’s firearm death rate was about 29.4 deaths per 100,000 residents. About 810 deaths in Mississippi were due to firearms in 2024.

What Senate Bill 2710 changes 

Senate Bill 2710 moves certain firearm-related cases involving minors from youth court to circuit court. Those cases include violent crimes, possession or trafficking of stolen firearms, drive-by shootings or other firearm crimes, and illegal firearm possession tied to felonies. 

Fillingane said the bill also strengthens penalties for people who possess, sell or transfer stolen guns, or traffic multiple stolen firearms. 

“The days of allowing young people — underage folks — to get away with very violent crimes using deadly weapons in Mississippi has ended. We are no longer going to tolerate anybody, whether you’re over 21 or under 21,” Fillingane said.

The law also makes it a crime to intentionally discharge a firearm into a group of two or more people, even if no one is injured. 

Penalties include up to five years in prison for a first stolen-firearm conviction; at least 15 years for repeat stolen-firearm offenses or possession of multiple stolen firearms; 10 to 20 years for transferring a stolen firearm to a minor; and up to 40 years if a stolen firearm is later used in attempted murder, murder, capital murder or child homicide. 

People convicted of shooting into a group could face five to 15 years in prison and fines of up to $10,000. Cases involving minors, schools, churches, parks, gangs or terrorist organizations could carry up to 30 years in prison and $20,000 in fines. 

Local retailer raises theft concerns 

Matt Pelham, general manager of The Lead Dispensary in Hattiesburg, said the store experienced an attempted robbery on May 3 involving four teenagers who vandalized a window. 

Although tougher penalties may help, Pelham said security remains the store’s first line of defense. 

“It’s more our responsibility to keep it out of the most capable thief’s hands,” Pelham said. “So really the front line of defense is our security which obviously it helped a lot because those kids didn’t even try to get through the window.” 

Pelham and Fillingane said many stolen firearms are taken from unsecured vehicles overnight and later used in crimes. 

“The number one place where stolen firearms are stolen from and wind up in the criminal’s hands is from people’s personal vehicles overnight,” Fillingane said. 

Pelham said some gangs use minors to steal firearms because juveniles often face lighter punishment. 

“Gang initiations can include sending children in to steal firearms because their punishment is less severe than if the adults were to go do it themselves,” Pelham added. 

Store employees said guns are placed in vaults and removed from display after hours to deter theft. Pelham said he believes stricter gun laws could help reduce robberies and other violent crimes. 

Gun safety and prevention

While Senate Bill 2710 focuses on penalties, firearm retailers also emphasized safe storage and firearms education. 

“I’ve heard of accidental shootings. Children usually, because they’re curious. That’s why I say teach your children, you know, because you don’t want them to be curious, and that’s how accidents happen,” Pawn Shop Plus employee Amanda Pool said. 

Pool said guns should be stored in a safe at home and kept away from teenagers and children. 

“I also suggest taking them to shoot with you and teaching them,” Pool said. “Because if they know what it does and the sound of it, they’re less likely to want to mess with it.” 

State leaders and local firearms retailers said Senate Bill 2710 is meant to reduce violent crime and increase accountability for firearm-related offenses involving minors and stolen guns.

Gov. Tate Reeves has released the Mississippi Statewide AI Framework, a document that outlines the state’s priorities with artificial intelligence and provides guidance to help Mississippians of all ages learn about and prepare for the AI economy.

The document focuses on four priorities and 11 skills centered around AI literacy and accessibility, ethical use, privacy and workforce readiness in alignment with other state efforts. It provides a sweeping overview for AI skills and understanding for those from elementary school age to people well into their careers. 

READ MORE: Mississippi lawmakers are looking to regulate AI after the technology is misused

Citing AI’s rapid evolution, the document says, “it is not legislation, a requirement or a mandate. Rather, it serves as a strategic point of alignment and leadership-oriented guide.” It says the document will be updated as technology develops.

“This is about more than technology — it’s about people,” said Courtney Taylor, executive director of AccelerateMS, the state’s workforce development office.

The 27-page document was created by the AI Workforce Readiness Council along with AccelerateMS and the Mississippi Artificial Intelligence Network, or MAIN. The council was established last year as part of the Mississippi AI Talent Accelerator Program, which also gave out over $9 million in grants to Mississippi colleges and universities to expand their AI education programs. 

Statewide, Mississippi departments and legislators are already exploring how to use AI and what policies are needed to regulate it. Last year, the Mississippi Department of Education launched a pilot program for teachers to use AI to help with lesson planning and the Department of Information Technology Services issued guidance on AI use in state government. 

With the growing adoption of AI and concerns about safety, all 50 states have introduced legislation over the last few years on issues including education and criminal use of AI.   

During the recent session, the Mississippi Legislature passed a bill defining AI and considered another that would have created more protections for Mississippians from AI misuse. The state already has laws around using deepfakes in political campaigns and classifying AI images of children as child exploitation.

The Department of Justice is considering intervening in the NAACP’s lawsuit against Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company over its operation of natural gas turbines in Southaven. 

The DOJ has until June 15 to intervene.

The federal government’s interest comes as xAI considers going public this summer.

Last summer, xAI began bringing generators to Mississippi to power its data center operations in the area using temporary mobile turbines. Mississippi does not require air permits for mobile turbines that run for less than 12 months. But the Southern Environmental Law Center, which is representing the NAACP, alleges that running the turbines without a permit violates the federal Clean Air Act. 

The lawsuit asks the court to stop xAI’s turbine operations and to fine the company for its previous operations.

xAI has maintained the turbines are not a violation of the Clean Air Act. 

In documents filed in the Northern District of Mississippi earlier this month, the DOJ wrote it is “evaluating potential intervention” in the lawsuit and asked the court to give it more time to evaluate the case. 

The DOJ said it is interested in the case as it pertains to U.S. policies, citing the Clean Air Act and President Donald Trump’s January 2025 executive order protecting U.S. dominance in the AI sector. 

“It is the policy of the United States to sustain and enhance America’s global AI dominance in order to promote human flourishing, economic competitiveness, and national security,” the DOJ wrote in court filings. The department added that “artificial intelligence infrastructure” is a key priority for the U.S.

xAI’s method of self generating energy has allowed it to quickly scale up its data center operations in Southaven and Memphis. In SEC filings published this month, the company cited its “ability to construct power infrastructure at this scale and speed as a significant competitive advantage.” 

Southaven residents who live close to the turbines have complained about the noise coming from the turbines and potential environmental impact to the area’s aquifer and air quality. xAI constructed a sound barrier around the turbines but residents say that it has had little impact. 

xAI has continued to increase power generation on site, with over 40 mobile turbines now on site, up from 18 last summer. In addition, the company is working to bring permanent turbines on site. Earlier this year, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality approved air permits for 41 permanent turbines at the site. 

On Thursday, the court granted xAI an extension until June 15 to respond or file a motion to dismiss the suit. It gave the DOJ the same deadline to decide whether it will try to intervene in the case.

The Southern Environmental Law Center declined to comment on the litigation.