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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.  

Children and educators in Mississippi are powering one of the biggest statistical anomalies in this year’s 2026 KIDS COUNT Data Book from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. In this report, the most comprehensive annual 50-state overview of child well-being, Mississippi was a leader in education gains — but also ranked at the bottom nationally in categories such as child and teen deaths and children living in poverty. 

The Data Book aggregates and reports on 16 measures of child well-being in every state in the areas of education, economic stability, health, and family and community, and ranks the states accordingly. This year’s Data Book adds a new feature: each state receives a score of 0-1,000 in addition to a ranking, both overall and in each of the 16 indicators measured from 2019 to 2024.

While Mississippi ranked 50th in the Data Book for overall child well-being, with a score of 271 out of 1,000, we ranked 16th in education, with a score of 448. More impressively, while 47 states’ education scores have declined since 2019, Mississippi’s has improved.

Mississippi has proven through our educational gains we can do better. We’ve shown that when we put our minds to it, we can become a national example for transforming education. We are not destined to remain at the bottom. Now we have the opportunity to do more to improve Mississippi children’s lives and ensure they have what they need not just to survive, but thrive.

Much has been written and said about the “Mississippi Miracle.” While this is a catchy moniker, the improved reading outcomes are the result of intentional legislation backed by resources and accountability, teachers using their instructional time focused on the science of teaching reading and people and communities all over the state working together for our kids’ futures. We can celebrate this win (and we should!), but we must continue to build on this momentum.

Lawmakers came together across party lines in 2013 on two pieces of legislation  designed to work together and lay the foundation for reading success: The Early Learning Collaborative Act  establishing Mississippi’s first state-funded pre-K program and the Literacy-Based Promotion Act, a multi-pronged plan to get children reading at grade level.

The first law expanded access to pre-K, giving 4-year-olds a strong foundation for kindergarten.

The second focused on state-approved literacy curricula grounded in phonics and comprehension, literacy coaches for teachers so they know how to best use those curricula in their classrooms, frequent screening for reading progress, approved interventions for students who need support and holding back students who do not meet benchmarks by the end of third grade.

Crucially, these laws didn’t leave it to school districts to figure out how to improve students’ reading. They equipped educators with the tools and resources they needed to reach and engage every student and provided experts – literacy coaches employed by the Mississippi Department of Education – to walk alongside teachers in areas with the greatest need as they applied the science of teaching reading. The “miraculous” results of these efforts make it clear: to support our children, we must first support our teachers.

The same goes for Mississippi communities, which have been quietly, behind the scenes, supporting children and families so that today’s kids can break the cycle of generations of unfulfilled educational potential.

For example, in Vicksburg, the United Way of West Central Mississippi recently received a $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to expand its SOAR United Literacy Intervention Program from two counties to 21. SOAR — Serving Others by Accelerating Reading — supports students in kindergarten through fifth grade with tutoring grounded in the same evidence-based reading strategies mandated by the state, and giving children books to take home.

But SOAR, and other programs throughout the state, go beyond work with children. If we want our kids to succeed, we have to expand our focus on literacy to the adults in their lives – a multi-generation approach.  Local groups are convening adult reading groups in churches and community centers, talking to parents and grandparents without judgment about the importance of reading to children and providing educational games and books for families to take home.

We have to meet families where they are, not where we think they should be.

Our work in education is far from done. Next up is proposed legislation to improve math skills among all students and continue the third-grade reading gains through eighth grade. We need to continue screening children for reading difficulties and provide appropriate interventions when they need support to progress — without stigma and without penalty.

And even as we expand our progress, we cannot ignore racial and ethnic gaps, as the Data Book shows us that our Black and Latino students need more support to meet statewide reading levels. We cannot settle for statistics that mask harsh disparities, but have to recommit so Mississippi’s education transformation touches all students, regardless of ZIP code, county, race or ethnicity.

We also have substantial work to do in the other areas of our kids’ lives. Mississippi is leading in education gains — but we also trail the nation in infant mortality, low birthweights and children living in poverty.

Just think about how much better our children’s outcomes would be if we applied the same laser focus we have on literacy to children’s health and economic stability. Then our education ranking would no longer be an anomaly, but one of many measures of Mississippi’s excellence.

For Mississippi to reach its full potential, we must make sure our state’s children reach theirs.

Ashley Parker Sheils is the chief executive officer of the Children’s Foundation of Mississippi, home to the Mississippi KIDS COUNT data center and a non-profit focused on improving the well-being of children in Mississippi by strengthening the systems, programs, and policies that impact communities, our young people and their families. With more than two decades in literacy education and programming, she has led students, teachers, research and statewide initiatives all toward the goal of improving reading.. In the past five years, Sheils has secured over $13 million in grant funding to support literacy-related work in Mississippi. Her most esteemed title is “Mom” to twin boys.  

Senate Public Health Chairman Hob Bryan said the lack of transparency around the governor’s program to spend millions in federal rural health dollars in Mississippi is “almost the Saturday Night Live parody of secrecy.” Bryan and his House counterpart, Chairman Sam Creekmore, share their frustrations over lack of input from communities, and the Legislature, in how the state spends federal rural health care money.

Veronica Robeson remembers witnessing the birth of her first and only grandchild, Kohen Wiley, and seeing the bond grow between him and her daughter. 

Robeson is now trying to support the 1-year-old’s mother Vellesiya Wiley, who is experiencing panic attacks, cries every night and doesn’t eat or sleep. On June 14, Wiley held the child in her arms and witnessed as officers in Senatobia fired into the car they were in, hitting him in the rib area and striking the woman driver in the arm and thigh. 

“I watched my baby take his first breath, and I watched my baby take his last breath,” Vellesiya Wiley said at a Monday news conference at Gospel Temple Church in Senatobia. 

Other relatives and their legal team, national civil rights attorney Ben Crump and Memphis civil rights attorney Van Turner, joined the mother to call for justice and answers. 

An independent autopsy, footage from law enforcement body and dashboard cameras and Walmart surveillance video can help provide the family answers and peace, the attorneys said. 

“Transparency plus accountability equals trust,” Crump said. 

Kohen’s funeral is set for Saturday, and the family is expecting a preliminary autopsy report Wednesday. 

READ MORE: ‘Can’t get him back’: Family and community mourn toddler killed in Senatobia

Last week, Senatobia police and Tate county sheriff’s deputies received a call about shoplifting from the Walmart on U.S. 51. Police said officers saw two adults and a juvenile get into a car and try to drive away. Then police said the car drove in the direction of officers, leading them to shoot. The family and attorneys dispute this claim and allegations of shoplifting. The women in the car have not been charged, according to the family’s attorneys.

Wiley said she raised her baby and tried to show officers he was in the car, according to a video shared by Crump’s office on social media. 

At the news conference, Crump raised issues about the law enforcement response, including how it did not make sense for an officer to shoot into a moving vehicle and use force because of an alleged theft of a box of diapers and a bottle of water. 

He led the crowd in chanting “Baby Kohen’s life mattered” and “Baby Kohen’s life mattered more than a box of diapers” as he held up a pack of diapers in one hand.

After the child was shot and killed, the Senatobia Board of Aldermen placed an unnamed officer on administrative leave. Marquell Bridges, an advocate working with the Wiley family who attended the meeting, previously told Mississippi Today the board did not vote to terminate the officer or release footage. 

After the meeting, hundreds of demonstrators went from Senatobia’s city hall to the Walmart where law enforcement used tear gas to disperse the crowd. Family and community members have set up a memorial at the site. 

On Friday, two Memphis television news stations reported the name of the Senatobia officer as Hunter Foster. Officials with the Mississippi Department of Public Safety said the name was inadvertently disclosed through a public records request. Crump said his office has not received any police background history about the officer, but he encourages people with experiences of excessive force to contact the office. 

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation took over the case and is expected to spend between six and nine months to complete an investigation, said DPS spokesperson Bailey Martin. 

Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell acknowledged the tragic situation and said an independent investigation is underway with five agents assigned. He asked for patience during the process and said records will be made public once the investigation is complete. 

“I want you to be assured that it will be a thorough investigation, and it will be one where transparency is there,” Tindell said last week during a news conference. 

After MBI is finished, the case will be turned over to the attorney general’s office to review the officer’s use of force and present the case to a Tate County grand jury for any criminal charges. 

To date, few Mississippi law enforcement officers have been criminally charged in police shootings. The attorney general’s office has also cleared a majority of officers for their use of force. 

Senatobia community activists attended the Monday news conference, including Patrick Alexander, who said the police department has had other recent incidents of using force against residents. 

Alexander asked some of those victims to stand, including a 10-year-old child taken into police custody for urinating outside a law firm parking lot in 2023. Another case he referenced was of a woman who said she was Tased and beaten in the same Walmart parking lot last year for alleged illegal use of a handicap parking spot. 

Kohen’s paternal grandparents shared their loss and how they looked forward to sharing life moments with the child. 

“They took away so much,” said Lasandra Williams, Kohen’s grandmother. “I was looking forward to graduation, the first day of school. So much they took away from us. That’s why we demand justice, because it’s not right.”

The date for the special election between David Archie and Anthony “Tony” Smith for the Hinds County District 2 supervisor seat is uncertain after a judge changed a recent ruling.

In an amendment filed Thursday, Special Judge Barry Ford said the election date — which was set for July 14 — was void and that Gov. Tate Reeves would have to set an election date under Mississippi law. The law says that the governor or lieutenant governor shall call a special election for the office or offices involved.

Ford said in the ruling he hopes the governor will keep the same date that had been set by the Hinds County Election Commission.

Archie, the incumbent who lost to Smith by nearly two to one in the 2023 Democratic primary, sued Smith and the Hinds County Democratic Party over allegations of fraud and election tampering. What ensued was a multi-year legal battle over the matter.

The amendment comes one day after Smith filed an appeal with the Mississippi Supreme Court about Ford’s initial ruling. His lawyer, Warren Martin, had said he was excited about the appeal, and believed it would be overturned by the Supreme Court.

In his original ruling on June 3, Ford ordered that a special election be held, stating that the will of Hinds County voters could not be determined due to various missing materials during Archie’s 2023 ballot box review. 

Archie said Monday his team is ready for the special election. Smith said he “trusts the system.”

Reeves had not set a new date as of Monday.

The Mississippi Board of Mental Health appointed Teresa Mosley and Dr. Sara Gleason as its new chair and vice chair, respectively. They will serve in the posts for the upcoming fiscal year, starting July 1.

Mosley, who was previously vice chair, is the lead psychometrist at the Mississippi College Dyslexia Education and Evaluation Center and owns TRM Educational Consulting. She represents Mississippi’s 4th Congressional District on the board.

Gleason is a professor at the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior and assistant vice chancellor for clinical affairs at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. She is the board’s psychiatrist representative.

They were named to the positions by fellow board members during last week’s meeting. The previous chair was Dr. Alyssa Killebrew.

The nine-member board governs the state Department of Mental Health. The members are appointed by the governor to staggered terms and require state Senate confirmation, The board includes a physician, a psychiatrist, a clinical psychologist, and a social worker with experience in the field of mental health.

The state Department of Mental Health has more than 4,500 employees working in state hospitals, residential programs in other programs provided by the agency.

“We look forward to working with Ms. Mosley, Dr. Gleason and all of our board members over the coming year,” Wendy Bailey, the Mississippi Department of Mental Health’s executive director, said in a statement.

“Their leadership and experience, both personal and professional, continues to make a difference for Mississippians in need of mental health, addiction and disability services throughout our state,”  Bailey said.

At the same meeting, the board was also informed that Mississippi was one of 10 states selected for the 2026 Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic Medicaid Demonstration Program. This federal program changes the reimbursement model, providing these centers more funding and allowing them to provide a wider variety of care options.

Communicare in north-central Mississippi and LifeHelp in the Delta will host pilot programs and receive four years of Medicaid funding.

Central and northern parts of Mississippi are seeing a continued flood risk Monday, the National Weather Service reported. Meanwhile, state officials’ ongoing assessments have counted 76 homes with damage from Tropical Storm Arthur.

Areas including Greenville, Greenwood, Eupora and Columbus face an elevated risk, including two to three inches of potential flash flooding. Other cities to the south, including Yazoo City and Philadelphia, have a limited risk of flash flooding, which includes one to two inches of rain in a short period.

Arthur inundated south Mississippi late last week. The tropical storm caused one death in Franklin County as of Friday morning, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said. Damages from the flooding and severe weather were also reported in Forrest, Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Lawrence, Pearl River, Rankin, Stone and Walthall counties.

“Our thoughts are with the family (of the deceased) affected by this tragic loss,” said Gov. Tate Reeves, who declared a state of emergency on Friday. “MEMA remains fully engaged with our local emergency management partners to support response operations, assess damages, and ensure resources are available to communities impacted by flooding.”

Seven of the damaged homes were destroyed, and another nine received major damage, Reeves reported Monday. Additional damages included: nine businesses, one farm, 50 roads — including four destroyed — three bridges, two public buildings and three power associations. MEMA reported over 10,000 outages on Thursday, but most were resolved by Friday.

The impacts include “significant flood damage” to a wastewater treatment facility in Harrison County. In addition to flooding, Hancock County saw two confirmed EF-1 tornadoes on Friday, the governor said.

Arthur also threatened to compromise a dam in Pearl River County, emergency officials said, and 30 homes were evacuated as a precautionary measure, emergency officials said Thursday. The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality said Friday that the structure was operating as designed. As of a 2023 inspection, the dam was in “poor” condition and has a “high” hazard condition for downstream areas if it were to fail, according to the federal government’s inventory

Erosion from the storm also “undermined a portion of” another dam in Harrison County, but state officials said the hazard and downstream impact were low.

MEMA asked impacted residents to self-report damages through the agency’s online portal.

Deep South Today, a nonprofit network of newsrooms in Louisiana and Mississippi, is pleased to announce it has received a $500,000 grant from the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation to deepen and expand investigative and justice-focused reporting to amplify its impact across the region.

“The Jonathan Logan Family Foundation was among the earliest investors in Mississippi Today and Deep South Today, as it recognized the need and potential for impactful investigative journalism in our region,” said Warwick Sabin, President and CEO of Deep South Today. “We are grateful for the opportunity to build upon that strong foundation and our record of achievement to further scale the reporting on behalf of the communities we serve.”

With this new support, the DST newsroom Mississippi Today will address a critical gap in how courts are covered in the state. Instead of focusing narrowly on proceedings, journalists will cover the broader systems and consequences that shape people’s lives and civic participation.

Building on Mississippi Today’s prior reporting on felony disenfranchisement, the newsroom will develop a justice-oriented reporting beat that examines how court decisions, prosecutorial practices and legal structures impact communities — particularly those historically excluded from the democratic process.

“This work will illuminate where barriers to participation persist, and how systems of justice reinforce or dismantle those barriers,” said Mississippi Today Editor in Chief Emily Wagster Pettus. “By covering the courts through this lens, Mississippi Today will shine light on stories that are too often invisible, while providing the public with a clearer understanding of how power operates within the legal system.”

Resources also will be directed toward increasing impact, which will include dedicating more time and resources to long-term reporting projects, strengthening collaborations across the Deep South Today network and continuing to partner with national outlets to amplify stories that resonate beyond Mississippi. Sustaining and growing the impact of this work requires more than reporting capacity — it requires editorial leadership capable of building systems, guiding strategy and scaling collaboration across multiple newsrooms.

The Deep South remains one of the most consequential and undercovered regions in the country, and Deep South Today is building a network of nonprofit newsrooms designed to meet that challenge by creating infrastructure for investigative reporting and amplifying its reach and influence.

“This kind of reporting doesn’t happen by accident. It takes time, resources and editorial infrastructure built for the long haul,” said Adam Ganucheau, executive editor and chief content officer of Deep South Today. “We’ve already used that infrastructure to expose police torture and the misspending of public dollars, and to dig into how courts shape who gets to participate in our democracy. This grant lets us go further, reaching more communities and strengthening independent journalism in Mississippi and across the Deep South.”

About Deep South Today

Deep South Today is a nonprofit network of local newsrooms that includes Mississippi Today, Verite News and The Current. Its new Arkansas Today newsroom will launch in fall 2026.

Founded in 2016, Mississippi Today is now the largest newsroom in the state, and in 2023 it won the Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting. Verite News launched in 2022 in New Orleans, where it covers inequities facing communities of color. The Current is a nonprofit news organization founded in 2018 serving Lafayette and southern Louisiana.

With its regional scale and scope, Deep South Today is rebuilding and re-energizing local journalism in communities where it had previously eroded, ensuring its long-term growth and sustainability.

About Jonathan Logan Family Foundation

The Jonathan Logan Family Foundation, based in Berkeley, California, supports organizations that advance social justice by empowering world-changing work in investigative journalism, documentary film, arts and culture and democracy.

When Camryn Johnson first heard Mississippi College would become Mississippi Christian University, she wasn’t sure how the name sounded.

Now, she thinks it could help introduce the state’s oldest higher education institution to a new group of students who have never heard of it.

“The only thing was it didn’t roll off the tongue as quickly as I’d like it,” said Johnson, a 2022 alumna. “But, I think still calling it ‘MC’ works.”

The university’s name change and rebranding coincides with the Baptist institution’s celebration of its bicentennial. For alumni such as Johnson, it’s more than changing placards, signs and banners on the private campus in Clinton. It represents their alma mater’s commitment to preserving the school’s heritage, establishing its academic legacy and strengthening students’ connection to their faith. 

MC officials say the change reflects the school’s Christian identity and repositions the institution’s future. Across the country, small private colleges are rethinking everything – from athletics to branding – to survive declining enrollment and rising financial pressures. A new report from the Huron Consulting Group, a research firm based in Chicago, estimates that 442 of the nation’s 1,700 private, nonprofit four-year colleges are at risk of closing or having to merge in the next decade. The firm analyzed federal enrollment data, tuition revenue, assets, debt, cash on hand and other measures for the report. 

In November 2024, the Mississippi College board of trustees voted to change the name to Mississippi Christian University. The university also dissolved its intercollegiate football program. In another press statement that same year, the school said “it wasn’t immune to the challenges” small higher education institutions faced, but was working to make changes to push the university forward to the next 200 years. 

MC officials said replacing signs on campus will continue throughout the summer. The university currently has a marquee sign at the U.S. Highway 80 and Springridge Road intersection. A banner also stands at the main entrance, “The Gates” on College Street. 

“The shift to Mississippi Christian University represents a strategic decision that reinforces our institutional vision – to be known as a university recognized for academic excellence and commitment to the cause of Christ,” said Jenny Tate, vice president of marketing and communications, in a statement to Mississippi Today. “This change was the result of a multi-year process that included university leadership, faculty, staff, alumni and external stakeholders.” 

The change also allows the institution to keep its “MC” logo and branding, Tate said. 

MC President Blake Thompson said the name change will not impact the institution’s accreditation or academic programs. The Mississippi College School of Law in Jackson also will adopt the new name, but will remain known as the MC School of Law or MC Law, according to the June 1 press statement. 

For Pernell Goodwin, a 2016 MC graduate, removing the “college” from the name and replacing it with “university” can offer more prestige to the institution. 

Rather than MC being seen as a “college,” which is often associated with two-year or undergraduate degrees, the university can compete against four-year institutions and attract a more competitive pool of students, he said. 

“The change could boost enrollment which in turn can improve the institution’s financial stability,” said Goodwin, who is also vice president of the Copiah-Lincoln Community College Natchez campus. 

State Sen. Kamesha Mumford, a Democrat from Jackson, was drawn to MC Law School because of her faith. The university’s rebranding just further ensures it will remain a safe place and community for Christian students, she said.

“I just think that the way things are going right now in this world, we ought to lean more on our faith,” Mumford said. “This change may help draw in students, people and communities to share and celebrate those values and beliefs.” 

Founded in 1826 as Hampstead Academy, Mississippi Christian University is the state’s oldest higher education institution and second oldest Baptist college in the nation. MC currently serves roughly 4,250 students. In 2024-25, the university had 340 faculty members, according to the university’s website. 

Johnson, who returned to MC in 2024 for her master’s degree in education, said she is feeling more excited about the change. It will be fun to have two diplomas with different names from the same university. 

“I’m excited to see (the name change) on my diploma when I graduate again because it looks like I graduated from two different colleges,” Johnson said. “This change gives students like me and the school a new presence in our state and community.”

A Q&A with Melissa Winston, Chase Home Lending Manager for the Greater South Region

For most Americans, owning a home has long been considered a cornerstone to building and preserving generational wealth. A home purchase often symbolizes more than just securing a place to live – homeownership can help anchor families, support long-term financial stability and fuel local economic growth.

If you currently own a home or if homeownership is one of your financial goals, it’s important to understand how your home can be a foundational pillar in helping you build and maintain generational wealth. A home can be an asset that appreciates over time as you build equity which can serve as a financial resource for you and your family for decades to come. 

Melissa Winston, Chase’s Home Lending Manager for the Greater South Region, shares more about the connection between homeownership and building generational wealth, and how you can make sure your home becomes, or remains, your most important financial asset.

Q: How does a home create generational wealth?

A: There are several perks to homeownership, many of which contribute to building wealth. Owning your home may be cheaper than renting in the long term if you have a mortgage with competitive rates; however, it’s important to keep in mind other home expenses, like insurance and taxes, when considering costs. Plus, since you own the home, that means you can build and tap into your equity for future expenses or profit when your home is sold.

Another way to think of homeownership as it relates to your financial picture is that it can influence your overall net worth. When you make monthly payments, you’re slowly owning more of your home and it can become an asset. On the other hand, if you rent, your monthly housing costs are just an expense for a place to live and you don’t own any of it when you leave. Put simply, owning a home may help you grow your money over time.

Q: Explain home equity and how building equity works.

A: The technical definition of home equity is the difference between the fair market value of your home and how much you still owe on your mortgage. Essentially, think of it as the part of your home’s value that you truly own. It’s made up of the amount you’ve already paid off, plus any increase in your home’s value. So, if you’re home’s value goes up, so does your equity and vice versa. Equity grows as you pay down your mortgage and, as I mentioned earlier, the market value of your home increases.

Q: How can this be beneficial financially?
A: There are a few ways. You can borrow against your home equity by taking out a loan, using your property as collateral to secure the loan. There are a variety of ways you can do this such as through a home equity loan, home equity line of credit (HELOC) or a cash-out refinance. You may use these funds to cover other expenses, like high-interest credit card debt, make home improvements, invest in another home or in an emergency. Home equity loans also tend to have more favorable terms than credit cards or other personal loans, potentially saving you money in the long run.

Q: What if you sell your home?

A: The more equity you have, the more you can profit from selling your home if you do so in the future. For example, if you’ve paid off your entire mortgage before you sell, you may get to keep all potential profits. If you haven’t paid off your mortgage, any profits will pay off what you owe and you’ll keep the remaining funds– the more home equity you have, the greater your profit could be.

Q: What other benefits come from owning your home?
A. Homeownership offers the potential opportunity for tax deductions. The interest you pay on your mortgage, insurance premiums, property taxes and even improvements to your energy efficiency may provide an opportunity for tax deductions. You can consult with your tax advisor if you’re looking to understand how buying a home may impact your taxes.

There’s no place like home

Homeownership has long been a powerful tool for building generational wealth in communities across the U.S. and can help you secure a solid financial future for yourself and your family. Your home is more than just the place where you rest your head—it can be your greatest financial asset. 

For informational/educational purposes only: Views and strategies described in this article or provided via links may not be appropriate for everyone and are not intended as specific advice/recommendation for any business. Information has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but JPMorgan Chase & Co. or its affiliates and/or subsidiaries do not warrant its completeness or accuracy. The material is not intended to provide legal, tax, or financial advice or to indicate the availability or suitability of any JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. product or service. You should carefully consider your needs and objectives before making any decisions and consult the appropriate professional(s). Outlooks and past performance are not guarantees of future results. JPMorgan Chase & Co. and its affiliates are not responsible for, and do not provide or endorse third party products, services, or other content.

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