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You’ve put in the late nights, the weekends and the hustle. And now, what started as an opportunity to make extra money has turned into an enterprise with real potential.

If you handle everything on your own – logistics, production, marketing, finances and everything in between – you’re part of a growing group of entrepreneurs nicknamed “solopreneurs.” While the image of a small business often includes an owner and a few employees, for many entrepreneurs, “solopreneurship” makes the most sense for their business model and goals.

If you’re considering the solopreneur life or have already launched your business, here are five tips to grow your business in 2026.

1) Identify or solidify a business opportunity.

If you want to become a solopreneur or enhance your current offerings, look for a need in Mississippi or come up with an innovative idea. Maybe it’s a service that can help others or a product that could enhance or simplify their lives.

Once you have your big idea, careful planning and preparation can give your startup its best shot at becoming a success. That can include researching your industry’s trends to see if you’re meeting a niche or a growing need. Look for long-term demand and understand your total addressable market, not just seasonal or trendy success.

2) Make a business plan.

Start by writing or refining a business description to outline your goals and strategy. Your plan doesn’t have to be long, but it should outline your mission, goals, competitive analysis, marketing approach and financial forecasts.

If you’re already running a business, examine your customer base. Do you have repeat customers? Are they referring others to you? Side hustles that work have a steady and growing customer base. If yours does, it’s a positive sign your business may be ready for the next step.

3) Maximize savings to impact growth.

Many entrepreneurs use some personal savings to get their businesses started but also pursue business lines of credit or small business loans to fund equipment and marketing plans. No matter how you get started, prioritizing saving along the way will help secure the funds you need to get your business up and running. One powerful tool for solo entrepreneurs is the new Solo 401(k) from JPMorganChase. This plan is designed for business owners without full-time employees, apart from their spouse, and allows for high annual contributions — up to $72,000 for themselves and their spouse — with both pre-tax and Roth options.

The key is consistency. According to data from Chase, while Solo 401(k) accounts are a popular choice for self-employed business owners, 70% didn’t contribute in the past year. Building small, sustainable habits — such as setting up automatic monthly contributions or scheduling quarterly check-ins with a financial advisor — can strengthen follow-through. Over time, these simple actions add up, helping ensure Solo 401(k) accounts reach their full potential and deliver meaningful long-term results.

You could also look for additional financing from angel investors—wealthy individuals that can provide small investments, usually in the very early stages of a business. Angel investors accept more risk but want an ownership stake. Crowdfunding can also be beneficial for solopreneurs. With the right product and approach, you can raise small dollar amounts from a large pool of individual online backers with the bonus of connecting with your target customers early on.

4) Develop your marketing and brand strategy.

Define your brand voice and value proposition and choose the right marketing channels for growth. You might explore channels such as social media, email marketing or paid advertising. As you set a realistic marketing budget, consider the cost of tools, advertising and outsourced services like graphic design or content writing. Start small, measure results and scale what works.

You should also build a strong network to find mentors who can provide startup advice. Stay focused on your target audience so you can market to them effectively.

5) Plan for growth and operations.

The logistical side of entrepreneurship includes thinking about order fulfillment, customer service, project management and scheduling. Invest in the right tools to streamline daily operations, improve customer experience and save time.

A final note:  Self-employment comes with new tax responsibilities, including quarterly estimated taxes and self-employment tax. You may also need to collect and remit sales tax, depending on your industry—and you could have to pay sales tax in all the states where your goods or services are sold.

You may already be operating as a sole proprietor, but going full time could mean exploring a more formal business structure. While creating an LLC for your side hustle is common, consider which structure best supports your long-term goals and legal needs. Depending on your industry, you may need licenses, permits, insurance, contracts or compliance paperwork before you can legally or safely scale operations.

If you want more assistance in taking your solo business to the next level, your local financial institution has resources that can help. You can also reach out to a Chase business banker today for more information and advice.

Annual campaign finance reports show potential top contenders for Mississippi governor in 2027 were busy fundraising last year. 

Potential gubernatorial candidates all increased their cash on hand from last year. Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, Attorney General Lynn Fitch and State Auditor Shad White, billionaire businessman Tommy Duff and former House Speaker Philip Gunn are all considered potential candidates. Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson has already declared his candidacy for the governor’s mansion, but he trails his potential rivals in fundraising totals. 

Gov. Tate Reeves is term limited from running again.

Duff, who is the co-richest person in Mississippi along with his brother according to Forbes, is a newcomer to politics and has not created a campaign committee.

Mississippi Today also reviewed campaign finance reports for House Speaker Jason White, as well as potential statewide candidates for other offices. Secretary of State Michael Watson has expressed interest in running for lieutenant governor. State Sen. Jeff Tate has declared his candidacy for secretary of state. Former state Rep. Nick Bain is a potential candidate for state auditor, and Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell is a potential candidate for attorney general. 

Below is a breakdown of fundraising totals for potential candidates whose reports were on the Secretary of State’s website as of Feb. 2. The deadline for filing the reports was Friday.

Gov. Tate Reeves: 

Contributions received last year: $81,851

Money spent last year: $135,883

Cash on hand: $2 million

Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann: 

Contributions received last year: $1.6 million

Money spent last year: $404,112

Cash on hand: $2.8 million

Attorney General Lynn Fitch: 

Contributions received last year: $1.6 million

Money spent last year: $615,053

Cash on hand: $3.5 million

State Auditor Shad White: 

Contributions received last year: $1 million

Money spent last year: $216,876

Cash on hand: $3.8 million 

Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner Andy Gipson: 

Contributions received last year: $477,481

Money spent last year: $443,367

Cash on hand: $272,148

Former House Speaker Philip Gunn:

Contributions received last year: $84,392

Money spent last year: $132,659

Cash on hand: $590,531

House Speaker Jason White: 

Contributions received last year: $268,700

Money spent last year: $44,105

Cash on hand: $1.1 million

Secretary of State Michael Watson: 

Contributions received last year: $1.1 million

Money spent last year: $182,905

Cash on hand: $2.4 million

State Treasurer David McRae: 

Contributions received last year: $125,940

Money spent last year: $112,061

Cash on hand: $84,959

Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney: 

Contributions received last year:  $66,213

Money spent last year:  $ 64,568 

Cash on hand:  $196,822

Former state Rep. Nick Bain: 

Contributions received last year: $122,750

Money spent last year: $7,490

Cash on hand: $239,830

State Sen. Jeff Tate

Contributions received last year: $1,250

Money spent last year: Did not list 

Cash on hand: $156,000

Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell

Contributions received last year: $478,985

Money spent last year: $0

Cash on hand: $507,339

Mississippi Today reporter Taylor Vance contributed to this report

These recollections originally were published on Gerald Blessey’s Substack page and can be linked at geraldblessey333.substack.com. It is part of Mississippi Today Ideas’ effort to provideMississippians a platform for thoughtful, fact-based ideas about our state’s past, present and future. You can read more about the section here.

Mississippi’s Legislative Black Caucus filed House Bill 1446 on Martin Luther King Jr. Day to enact a state Voting Rights Act, named in honor of my friend, the late Rep. Robert G. Clark, Jr., who in 1967, became the first Black Mississippian elected to the Mississippi Legislature since the 1800s. Robert was a very courageous, fearless gentleman. His decision to seek election in the 60s was in itself a profile in courage. In the 70s, I represented Biloxi in the House and served with Robert for 10 years.

Loyalty test

In February 1974, the House Rules Committee put on the floor a resolution urging the U.S. Congress to repeal the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965. The resolution was a test of members’ loyalty to the old order.

Four shocked the House

Robert went to the podium and spoke eloquently against the resolution.

As soon as Robert finished, I stood up. The speaker asked, “For what purpose does the gentleman from Harrison seek recognition?” I answered, “To speak against the Resolution.” Suddenly, you could hear a pin drop. No one expected any white members to oppose it. I walked through the hush to the podium.

Here’s the gist of what I said: “Just a few short years ago, I was in the mountain jungles of Viet Nam, where many of my friends, Black and white, gave their lives to protect the right to vote, for their families and future generations. On the street where I grew up in Biloxi, two of my neighbors, one Black and one white, 19-year old infantrymen who were not even old enough to vote, were killed in Viet Nam. I will not dishonor their sacrifice by voting for this sham resolution!”

At the time, I was the only Viet Nam vet in the Legislature, but there were many WWII and Korean vets in the House. I looked straight at my friend, Rep. Charlie Capps, a WWII vet and former sheriff of Bolivar County, and said: “Many of you fought for these rights, too. You know that a repeal of the Voting Rights Act would mean Black people will be kicked off the voting rolls in many places, and Mississippi will retreat to a darker past. You know this is wrong. Vote against this awful resolution.”

I sat down. Then, more shocks to the Old Guard: young Walter Brown of Natchez spoke forcefully against the measure, and my fellow Biloxian, Jerry O’Keefe, Jr., passionately condemned it. Yet, it passed, 97-4. A sad day for Mississippi. However, there was some hope. After adjournment, many of the younger members came up to me to say they agreed with the four opponents but feared a “no” vote would defeat them in the next election.

Years later

In 2018, it was my honor to join Rep. Willie Bailey of Greenville in introducing Robert Clark as the recipient of the Champions of Justice award given by the Mississippi Center for Justice at the Jackson Convention Center. We spoke about Robert Clark’s distinguished career. See the speeches on YouTube here.

2026: Rep. Bryant Clark picks up the torch

Robert’s son, Rep. Bryant Clark, is a co-sponsor of the new bill. On the day of filing, he said, “[M]y daddy taught me one thing. He taught me when democracy is threatened, you don’t give up. You fight harder.”

Bio:  Gerald Blessey was a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives, mayor of Biloxi, president of the Mississippi Municipal League and Mississippi Coast Housing director after Hurricane Katrina. He is a graduate of Biloxi High, Ole Miss B.A. & J.D. and Harvard Law School; Vietnam veteran, Bronze Star recipient, 1st lieutenant Army, military intelligence. He and his wife, Paige Gutierrez, live in Biloxi.

Mississippi lawmakers face the first major killing deadline of the 2026 legislative session on Tuesday, the deadline for House and Senate committees to pass measures originating in their own chamber.

This deadline will likely winnow the nearly 3,000 bills and resolutions filed by the state’s 174 lawmakers down to several hundred. For years, some lawmakers have called the first committee deadlines, and subsequent death of hundreds or thousands of bills, the “end of the silly season” as they get down to brass tacks negotiating remaining measures. In the end, typically 600 or so bills will become law, including roughly 100 that make up the $7-billion state budget.

Of note last week:

Prison health care reform. The House Corrections Committee passed several bills aimed at improving health care in state prisons, an issue that has been documented in Mississippi Today’s “Behind Bars, Beyond Care” investigative series. At the same hearing where the measures were passed, Corrections Chairwoman Becky Currie also questioned tens of millions of dollars in mysterious bank accounts related to the prison system’s inmate welfare fund.

Campaign finance reform. Secretary of State Michael Watson is spearheading an effort to reform Mississippi’s notoriously lax campaign finance laws. The Senate Elections Committee last week approved a bill with many of Watson’s recommendations, but its House counterpart committee killed a similar measure without even a discussion. Mississippi lawmakers have for many years been loath to change the state’s campaign finance laws, which the attorney general has said are such a conflicting hodgepodge as to make many of them unenforceable.

Certificate of need. The House and Senate sent to the governor a bill to help medical facilities make improvements more easily and to require the University of Mississippi Medical Center to seek state approval before opening facilities outside its Jackson campus. Lawmakers last year passed similar changes to Mississippi’s certificate of need laws, but they have removed a provision that prompted Gov. Tate Reeves to veto the legislation in April.

Quote of the Week

“I get pictures of people trying to eat a bag of chips in their cell and they have to fight off the roaches, and I’m talking an unbelievable amount of roaches.” – House Corrections Chairwoman Becky Currie. She was explaining a bill that would require state prisons to provide monthly pest and rodent control services.

In Brief

Casinos reaffirm opposition to online sports betting

Eight Mississippi casinos sent a joint letter to lawmakers last week reaffirming their “unwavering opposition” to the legalization of online sports betting.

The casinos cited concerns including online gambling cutting into their revenue by reducing in-person betting, online gambling’s addictive qualities and legalization’s potential to become a gateway to fully online casinos. According to the casinos that sent the letter, seven of the fifteen commercial casino operators in Mississippi oppose online sports betting, seven support it and one remains undecided.

The letter comes as the House is set to try for the third year to legalize mobile sports betting, after the Senate has killed proposals. Supporters say the state is missing out on tens of millions in tax revenue that could be generated through legalization, as a black market continues to thrive. – Michael Goldberg

Bill would expand early learning collaboratives

The House Education Committee on Wednesday passed a bill that would expand the state’s successful early learning collaboratives program. 

Early learning collaboratives, a state- and taxpayer- funded pre-K program created by the Legislature in 2013, established education partnerships in communities across Mississippi. The program compensates child-care centers, nonprofit organizations, school districts and Head Start agencies for partnering. Now, there are 40 collaboratives across the state, and the program has received national recognition. 

House Bill 1215 would require that the Mississippi Department of Education continue to try to scale the program up by at least 20 collaboratives annually. The goal is that eventually every district in the state would have a voluntary pre-K program.. – Devna Bose

Measure would make all school board positions elected

Another bill advanced by the House Education Committee would remove appointed school board positions, instead requiring all school board members be elected. 

An amendment from Rep. Kimberly Remak, a Republican from Olive Branch, also created a mechanism for residents to recall school board members. 

Rep. Jansen Owen, a Republican from Poplarville who authored the bill, said his aim is to give parents more power over the education their children receive, a sentiment he’s expressed while advocating for school-choice policies also making their way through the Legislature. 

“Parents feel like their school boards are not accountable to them,” he said.

Similar bills in the Senate have been referred to the chamber’s education committee, but not yet taken up. – Devna Bose

Bills moved to encourage religion in schools

Bills that encourage religion in school continue to advance in both chambers. 

The House Education Committee passed a bill that would require public schools to provide a time and place during the school day for students and teachers of different religious groups to pray. 

House Bill 2, the chamber’s massive education package, also includes a provision about classroom prayer, while three Senate bills about prayer in school have been referred to the higher chamber’s education committee.

One of those Senate bills requires the display of the Ten Commandments in the classroom, as does a separate House bill. – Devna Bose

Check-cashing businesses would be allowed to charge fees

House Bill 547, which would allow check-cashing businesses to pass on credit- and debit-card fees to customers, passed the House Business and Finance Committee.

Authored by Rep. Henry Zuber III, a Republican from Ocean Springs, the bill would allow the fees, provided they are clearly displayed to borrowers. While not an unusual practice, some committee members expressed concern especially because customers tend to be lower income.

There are close to 500 registered check cashers in Mississippi. Check cashing businesses are not banks and give cash quickly. They’re often used by people without bank accounts.

The bill is supposed to help businesses deal with rising credit card fees which have increased 70% since the pandemic according to the Nilson Report, a trade publication. – Katherine Lin

State of the State Address rescheduled to Wednesday

Gov. Tate Reeves’ annual State of the State Address had been planned for last week, but was rescheduled because of the major winter storm Fern hitting Mississippi.

The address will be held at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, on the second-floor rotunda of the state Capitol, and will be aired live by Mississippi Public Broadcasting. – Mississippi Today

By the Numbers

2,846

The number of bills and resolutions Mississippi lawmakers have filed for the 2026 legislative session, according to the State Watch legislative tracking service. This includes 2,728 general bills that would create or change state law – 1,805 in the House and 923 in the Senate.

More Legislative Coverage

Mississippi lawmakers push nuclear power expansion legislation

Mississippi lawmakers are pushing for the state to incentivize nuclear energy production, as increasing such production becomes a surprisingly bipartisan issue nationwide. Read the story.

Lawmaker targets getting guns away from domestic abusers

Sen. Brice Wiggins, a Republican from Pascagoula, filed Senate Bill 2339, which would criminalize possession of firearms and ammunition for respondents in domestic abuse protection orders and those convicted of a domestic violence misdemeanor. Read the story.

Lawmakers push bills to ban cellphone use in schools

The House Education Committee passed a bill during its Wednesday meeting that would require local school boards to enact policies that restrict or prohibit the use of cellphones during the school day. The Senate Education Committee greenlit a similar bill during its meeting last week, which bodes well for the legislative success of the policy. Read the story.

A Senate committee approved legislation to reform Mississippi’s notoriously lax campaign finance laws, while a House committee made clear it has no intentions of even considering it. 

The Senate Elections Committee on Thursday approved a bill that would require local and state candidates to file reports online, cap cash donations from any donor to political candidates at $1,000 and corporate donations, cash or otherwise, to $1,000 a year. Donations from individuals, other than cash, would still not be capped. The measure would transfer enforcement authority from the Mississippi Ethics Commission to both the Secretary of State’s office and the Attorney General’s office. 

Some members of the Senate committee said they want certain portions of the legislation to change, but committed to working on the bill. 

“You know I’ve voted with you every time on these campaign finance bills,” Republican Sen. Jeff Tate of Meridian said. “I know they’re complicated, but I hope that one day we can get to a point to where we have actual bank statements tied into this, because until you have that, you can put down whatever the heck you want.”

But the House Elections Committee, on the same day killed a similar measure with no discussion and without allowing the chairman of the committee, Republican Rep. Noah Sanford of Collins, to even explain what the bill would do. 

Rep. Gene Newman, a Republican from Pearl, motioned to table the bill. This passed on a voice vote, which essentially killed it. There are no recorded roll call votes in committees, but no member voiced any audible opposition to Newman’s motion.

When asked why Newman opposed the legislation, he said: “It’s too complicated.” 

“We’ve got too much other stuff going on right now,” Newman added. 

Chairman Sanford seemed caught off guard by the opposition to the legislation and told Mississippi Today he didn’t know why the committee shot it down. 

“I was a little surprised,” Sanford said. 

Republican Secretary of State Michael Watson has made strengthening the state’s campaign finance laws a main priority during the 2026 legislative session. One reason he’s pushing for the reforms is that federal officials have recently accused several local Mississippi officials of campaign finance-related bribery over the last year. 

A federal grand jury last year indicted two county sheriffs in the Mississippi Delta on charges of corruption linked to an alleged drug-trafficking scheme. The two have pleaded not guilty. Court documents allege that undercover law enforcement agents bribed the officials through campaign donations. 

Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens and former Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba are also fighting federal bribery charges, where law enforcement agents accuse them of accepting bribes in the form of campaign donations. They have pleaded not guilty. 

Some of the measures in the proposed legislation, such as the $1,000 corporate donation limit, are what many believed current Mississippi law already says. But after complaints during the 2023 elections of what some believed were flagrant violations of campaign finance laws, Attorney General Lynn Fitch said the state’s campaign finance code is such a confusing, conflicting mess that she cannot enforce such measures.

Watson told Mississippi Today that he was thankful the Senate Elections Committee passed the campaign finance reform bill and looks forward to hearing more debate on the Senate floor. 

“While there’s more work left to do, I’m excited to see Senate Bill 2558 clear the first hurdle, but ready to get it done!” Watson said. 

The deadline for the Senate to pass its bill on to the House is Feb. 12.

Mississippi lawmakers are pushing for the state to incentivize nuclear energy production, as increasing such production becomes a surprisingly bipartisan issue nationwide. 

Over the past fifteen years, Democratic and Republican presidents have pushed to increase the U.S.’s nuclear capacity by keeping existing plants operating and investing in new ones. 

Mississippi legislators have proposed two bills that would incentivize nuclear development and growth through the Mississippi Development Authority. 

Senate Bill 2185 authored by Sen. Joel Carter, a Republican from Gulfport, would provide up to $10 million to defray nuclear development costs in the coming fiscal year. House bill 697 by Rep. Jody Steverson, a Republican from Ripley, would create a special fund for nuclear site development grants.

“We need to provide multiple areas to increase the capacity of the grid,” said Carter.

There is a growing demand for power across Mississippi and the country. McKinsey and Company consulting firm expects U.S. power demand to grow up to 3.5% a year over the next 40 years. 

The need for power is especially pressing with multiple energy intensive artificial intelligence data centers coming on line soon in Mississippi and across the South, and potentially more coming. And nuclear plants generate massive amounts of power.

Carter’s bill is designed to further incentivize development of Entergy’s Grand Gulf Nuclear Station near Port Gibson. He said that Entergy had not requested the bill. The station, which began operation in 1980’s, is the only nuclear plant in the state and one of the most powerful in the world. 

While the Senate bill is a one-time appropriation, the House bill would create an ongoing fund for nuclear development. Grants could be given to nuclear power companies, and fund workforce development and site development. No dollar amount has been set yet, but the fund could receive money from public and private entities. 

Nuclear power requires massive investment and Carter said that further development in the state might require federal funding. Under President Donald Trump, the federal government has invested in numerous nuclear power projects, although none in Mississippi, with the goal of quadrupling U.S. capacity. 

State officials have said they are open to expanding nuclear power in Mississippi. Last year, Gov. Tate Reeves introduced a new initiative to increase the state’s energy capacity. 

While nuclear power is generally considered cleaner than natural gas, which is the state’s primary energy source, it is not without its challenges and critics.

In 2023, Southern Company, parent of Mississippi Power Co., opened the first of two new nuclear power plants that were seven years behind schedule and $17 billion over budget. 

Widely publicized nuclear plant meltdowns, such as Chernobyl, Three Mile Island and Fukushima, have raised concerns about the safety of plants. But proponents say reactors have become safer in recent years with fewer accidents reported. As energy demand surges, Three Mile Island may reopen within the next few years. 

Storage of radioactive waste from nuclear power production is another major concern, and something the U.S. hasn’t figured out yet. At Grand Gulf Station, spent fuel is stored on site and for years has been awaiting a federal government decision on a permanent disposal site. There have been concerns across the country about the long-term safety and stability of nuclear waste storage containers. In 2013, then-Gov. Phil Bryant said he was interested in reprocessing nuclear waste in Mississippi but backed away from the idea after sharp backlash from citizens and environmentalists. 

For many Mississippi and national leaders, increasing power generation is tied to economic development and considereds key to continued competitiveness. 

“We’ve got to win the energy war,” said Carter. 

Members of the state Public Service Commission, which regulates utility companies, have shown support for Mississippi expanding its investment in nuclear power, especially to meet the energy demand of new industries such as data centers.

“If the United States wants to remain economically competitive and nationally secure, we must be honest about what works, and accelerate investment in advanced nuclear energy,” Northern District Public Service Commissioner Chris Brown wrote in an op-ed earlier this month. 

Rep. Steverson said he could not discuss his legislation in time for this publication due to winter storm problems in his district.

As frigid temperatures persist, supplies dwindle and roads remain impassable, tens of thousands of Mississippians remain without power. For some, there is no clear end in sight. 

Heather Hurt of Corinth had been without power for almost 60 hours on Tuesday afternoon. To keep herself and four children between the ages of 5 and 14 warm, she has been using a generator to run one space heater and three heated blankets. The family has been huddling in a bedroom to stay warm since Sunday in their home. 

Monday night, for dinner and to entertain the kids, the family taste-tested an array of ready-to-eat meals and cooked Polish sausages over Hanukkah candles Hurt found in the cupboard. Tuesday, they were using a terracotta pot and candles to fashion a makeshift stove to boil water for ramen. 

The family cannot leave the house because the roads in their neighborhood are impassable without four-wheel drive, Hurt said. She grew up in Indiana and is used to wintery weather, but said the conditions now in the northeastern corner of Mississippi — ice-covered roads, snapped trees and fallen power lines — are much worse. 

“This is a whole different ballpark,” Hurt said. 

Winter Storm Fern has caused subfreezing temperatures, icy roads and power outages across Mississippi.

Ten people were injured Tuesday when a canopy collapsed above gas pumps in Greenville, bringing the total injured in the state as a result of the severe weather to 13, Gov. Tate Reeves said. Four deaths had been reported in Mississippi as of Tuesday, according to the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency. 

The state has the highest proportion of customers in the country —about 9% — still without power, according to poweroutage.us. As of Tuesday evening, more than 128,000 homes and businesses were without power. 

Among the hardest hit are customers of the Tippah Electric Power Association, which serves Alcorn, Benton, Tippah and Union counties in northeast Mississippi. The utility company had the highest percentage of customers without power in the state on Tuesday – about 90% – according to poweroutage.us. On Monday, Tippah EPA said restoring electricity to customers could take weeks.

Eight substations powered by the Tennessee Valley Authority in northern Mississippi had no power flowing to them, according to a Tuesday statement from Electric Cooperatives of Mississippi, a nonprofit that represents Tippah EPA and other member utility companies. 

TVA is working diligently to restore power and hoped to have electricity provided to the substations “some time on Tuesday,” according to the cooperative organization.

“To be clear, electric energy provided to the substation does not mean that members will receive power immediately,” TVA said.

Dangerous roads, low temperatures, and failing limbs are also impacting crews’ ability to restore power to northern Mississippi and the Delta.

President Donald Trump approved an emergency declaration for Mississippi on Saturday, and Reeves deployed the Mississippi National Guard Monday to help with logistics and getting emergency supplies to parts of the state hit hardest by the storm. The Mississippi National Guard is delivering commodities by aircraft to Alcorn County Tuesday, Reeves said in a statement.

The federal emergency declaration authorizes FEMA to support Mississippi’s state-led emergency response. 

FEMA is working to assess impacts throughout the state, and the federal agency has brought in trailerloads of meals, water, tarps, blankets, cots and 60 generators, as well as personnel to install them, Rob Ashe, acting regional administrator for FEMA Region 4, told Mississippi Today on Tuesday. 

Ashe said he has also deployed six division supervisors, who will be placed in the most heavily impacted counties, to support local emergency managers. 

The large swath of states impacted, in addition to Mississippi, make this natural disaster unique, Ashe said. 

“The scale of this is different,” he said. 

Victoria Lavanway of Saltillo lost power Sunday and regained it Monday morning. But road conditions made it impossible for her and her husband to go see her mother-in-law, who lives near Memphis and was battling cancer, before she died Sunday.  

“It’s just been a lot, you know,” Lavanway said to Mississippi Today.

Lavanway’s parents, who are in their late 50s and live in Slayden, near the state’s northern border, have been out of power and water since Sunday. Their limited supply of gasoline for a generator was running out. 

Her parents have spent two days bundled up on the front porch in the sun to conserve energy so they can use their generator at night. The high temperature was 36 degrees Tuesday. 

Another daughter with running power lives 15 minutes away from them, in Byhalia, but the couple cannot travel the short distance to her because ice and snow covering the roads, along with highways backed up with 18-wheelers, have made the path unnavigable, Lavanway said. 

“It’s like pure devastation,” she said. 

The Mississippi Department of Transportation strongly advised people to travel for emergency reasons only. Densely packed ice and freezing temperatures are making it difficult to plow in northern parts of the state, the agency said Tuesday. 

“We ask the traveling public to remain patient while we recover from this devastating storm,” said MDOT Executive Director Brad White. “Please give our crews space to clear roadways safely.”

More than 90 homes, three businesses and seven farms have reported damage, though the numbers are expected to rise as assessments continue.

Pastor Levi Burcham of Gospel Tabernacle in Corinth said roughly 100 people were staying at the church Tuesday. He said the number of people at the warming shelter, which is run by A Place of Grace, has grown as days have gone by, as most of the county is without power and water. 

All types of people have congregated at the church for warmth and shelter, Burcham said. 

“I’m in the same boat at my house, no heat outside of a generator, no running water,” he said. 

As a paramedic firefighter, Hurt caught her first glimpse of the coming devastation as she worked a shift Saturday night into Sunday morning. She said she expects the damage to be much greater than is currently known, given the widespread power outages, limited water supplies in some areas and obstructed roads. 

“I feel like we’re going to have a lot more fatalities than people realize when things are cleared up,” she said. 

Most Mississippi public school teachers are in the middle of a six-week payday gap. 

Their last payday was on Dec. 19, before winter break and amid several holidays. A bill authored by Rep. Zakiyah Summers, a Democrat from Jackson, would add a payday in early January, giving teachers financial relief before the end of the month.

House Bill 1420, or the Spring-Step Teacher Pay Bridge Act, has bipartisan interest, she said. The fight to improve teachers’ quality of life has a direct impact on student success, she said.

“We know that when we’re positioning our teachers to be successful, we’re also positioning our schools to be successful, our districts, and of course our communities to be successful as well,” Summers said.  

The bill is with the House Education and Appropriations committees. There is no guarantee that it will progress.

“We’re looking into it,” said Rob Roberson, chairman of the House Education Committee and a Republican from Starkville. “We’re trying to find an option that doesn’t necessarily include having to change a law, but works with MDE (the Mississippi Department of Education) to help alleviate some of the stress on teachers.”

“I understand the problem she’s trying to solve,” Roberson said of Summers. “I want our solution to be one that we can get districts to buy into as well.”

In a Facebook post announcing the bill, Summers said teachers are “the soldiers in the classrooms” and critical to schools’ success. 

“Teachers should not have to struggle financially just because of how the calendar falls,” Summers wrote.“This bill recognizes the reality of educators’ lives and provides stability when it’s needed most.”

Summers’ bill would split teachers’ monthly salary in half for January, with one payment on Jan. 7 and the other at the end of the month. For now, the stretch between mid-December, which includes the winter holiday season, is particularly stressful for teachers, said Nick Johnson, a teacher in Grenada. 

The time between December and January pay is a reminder “that passion pays the heart, not always the bills,” Johnson said. What many assume is a relaxing time for teachers, is actually the more stressful, he said.

“So while the calendar says ‘break,’ the bank account says ‘budget carefully,’ and the mind says, ‘you’re still on,’” Johnson said. “That gap is when you really learn how to budget, how to stretch a check, and how much you do this job for purpose, and not pay.”

Educators have told Mississippi Today about discouraging colleagues from frequenting payday loan stores in January. Administrators, including former Greenwood-Leflore Consolidated School District Superintendent Mary Johnson, have said biweekly paydays for teachers help with retention. 

Biweekly pay is doable, but with challenges

State law has allowed Mississippi public school districts to pay teachers semimonthly, or every two weeks, since 2022.

Four school districts — Lowndes County, Greenwood, Holly Springs and Harrison County — adopted biweekly pay in time for the 2025-26 school year.

Gulfport School District adopted biweekly pay but reverted to monthly pay. Processing more payments required more staff,  Superintendent Glen East said. Officials from six other districts shared similar concerns with Mississippi Today.

Chris Chism, superintendent of Pearl Public School district, has researched whether it was possible to pay teachers later in December to shorten the gap between their January pay. However, state law requires school districts to pay employees on the last working day of December.

“If they would just rescind that law, then you could actually just pay at the end of December, and that would solve the problem,” Chism said.

Banks routinely hold paychecks until the end of the month for companies, and can easily do so also for school district employees, said Paige Bromen, chief financial officer of Pearl schools.

Paying employees in mid-December could also strain district finances, Bromen said, because the state pays school systems’ funding allotment the last week of each month. The state Department of Education can only provide school districts with their monthly funding allocation “two business days prior to the last working day of each month,” according to state law.

Raising teacher pay, which proponents say could help with recruitment and retention, is already on the agenda for state legislators this session. Some educators say closing the winter pay gap could help too.

What may seem to be a small change could make a big difference with attracting people to the profession, said Ebony Rice, president of the Jackson Federation of Teachers. 

“Our teachers work extremely hard in the classroom. The expectations that they are faced with on a daily basis are more than ever before,” Rice said. “Teaching is … a lot more complicated than it used to be. It’s a lot more demanding than it used to be.”

Closing the winter pay gap, she said, could help current teachers “feel more comfortable with staying here in the state of Mississippi as opposed to leaving.”

A former teacher inspired HB 1420 bill and, Summers said, made her aware of a burden that’s likely unknown to non-educators. 

“Teachers are the true champions in the classroom that make the difference between whether or not we’re at the bottom of the education ratings or where we are now,” Summers said. “This is one thing we can do for them.”

Editor’s note: This essay is part of Mississippi Today Ideas, a platform for thoughtful Mississippians to share fact-based ideas about our state’s past, present and future. You can read more about the section here.

Mississippi is facing a child care crisis.

Those directly impacted –  our kids, working parents and day care providers – are calling on the state to utilize existing state and federal Temporary Aid for Needy Families funds to fill the gap and ensure all eligible working families have access to child care.

As a state senator proudly representing the hard-working families of Hinds County, I’m joining them in that call.

The crisis is coming from many directions. As a result of expired pandemic funds, nearly 20,000 families in Mississippi are now on a growing wait list for child care vouchers – coupons that make child care affordable for low-income working parents. Then there’s President Donald Trump’s federal budget bill, known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which pays for trillions of dollars in tax cuts to billionaires and corporations by cutting Medicaid and food assistance for hundreds and thousands of our neighbors. And the bill’s child care provisions do little to help the crisis families face.

On top of all of that, this year the federal government announced a federal funding freeze, paired with a notice that it was rescinding rules permitting states to pay providers without verifying attendance logs. All of this has added to the confusion and stress of Mississippi’s child care providers, and the parents who depend on them.

But these are not just numbers, statistics, legislative or executive actions. These are thousands of working families without vouchers trying to piece together haphazard child care with family members, or going into debt with their child care providers.

Child care providers carry the burden too, eating the cost and risking closure. Child care providers are small business owners and  have monthly obligations that they must meet.

I recently had an opportunity to tour the Agape Christian Academy World Day Care in my district and learned firsthand the challenges the child care center is facing daily. The owner, Cantrell Keyes, told me that her center has the capacity to serve 75 students, but because of the cut in vouchers her center is now serving only 22 students.

Her center once received $23,00 per month in child care vouchers, but is now receiving $5,000 a month. Her overhead is the same. This has put stress on her center to make payroll and to keep the center open to provide quality child care to these families.

Many parents are facing a dilemma of whether to work or to stay home with their children because they cannot afford to pay for quality child care. Leaving their child at home unattended is not an option.

I spoke with Sharon Watson, a single parent who works in the private sector. As a result of the voucher crisis, her payment for child care went from $60 a week to $200 a week. That limits what she can provide for her child. She said that she is thankful that Cantrell Keyes at Agape Christian Academy World Day Care understands her circumstances and is working with her to continue providing the quality care that her child is receiving.

Cutting off or slowing child care funding worsens the state’s affordability crisis, with disastrous impacts for parents, children, workers and the economy.

It just takes one day without child care for a parent to lose a  job, and only a few weeks without funding for a child care provider to shut its doors for good. According to a recent survey by the Mississippi Low-Income Child Care Initiative, 170 licensed child care centers in the state closed in 2025. That’s the highest number in nearly a decade. But Mississippi officials have the power and the money to act. 

It just so happens that the Mississippi Department of Human Services has $156 million in stockpiled federal TANF funds that can be used to address the child care voucher wait list and ensure thousands of families get the child care they need, allowing providers to keep doing their invaluable work. Using part of the $156 million can provide immediate relief.

I was encouraged to see Mississippi Human Services Director Bob Anderson commit to pursuing a solution to address this crisis at a state Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee meeting on Jan. 21. He was also open to receiving $60 million in state appropriations to address this crisis.

With the cost of care for one child averaging $5,000-$7,000 a year and not enough child care for families who need it, working families are finding it harder and harder to access care they can afford. Mississippi should learn from other states like New Mexico, which recently made child care free for everyone.

In this crisis, it is essential the state acts swiftly. Families and day care providers alike are counting on us. And in the future, we need a new approach to avoid a crisis like this from happening again.

This is possible, if we work together and prioritize the prosperity of working families in our great state. 

Bio: Democratic Sen. Hillman Frazier has represented state Senate District 27 in Hinds County since 1993. Frazier, a consultant, previously served in the Mississippi House.