JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) - Efforts to expand Medicaid to roughly 200,000 Mississippians during the 2024 Legislative Session have died. Negotiations broke down between House and Senate leaders late Wednesday night after the House unveiled a new proposal that would call for a ballot referendum for Mississippi voters to have the final say on Medicaid expansion. Mississippi Republicans revive bill to regulate transgender bathroom use in schools A previous compromise measure between both chambers would have offered healthcare coverage to roughly 200,000 Mississippians making up to 138% of the federal ..read more

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi’s Republican-led Legislature completed a last-ditch effort Thursday to revive a bill to regulate transgender people’s use of bathrooms, locker rooms and dormitories in public education buildings. Lawmakers pushed the proposal through the House and Senate in the final days of their four-month session after negotiations between the chambers broke down Monday on an earlier proposal. Republicans said they received a flurry of messages urging them to bring the bill back to life. “This probably, to a lot of our constituents and to a lot of people in this chambe ..read more

PETAL, Miss. (WHLT) - A Petal teacher, who received a $25,000 Milken Educator Award in 2022, has been charged with sex crimes. Petal police said they received a report in February 2024 from the Petal School District. In the course of an internal investigation for misconduct, Petal School District officials said they discovered several instances of criminal conduct had occurred between a teacher and several minors. Hattiesburg police search for auto burglary suspect Petal police said the teacher, 34-year-old Tyler Shows, had been engaged in several questionable activities that involved at least ..read more

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The Mississippi Supreme Court has declined to rule on whether the state is violating its own constitution with a program that would spend $10 million of public money on infrastructure grants for private schools. The justices on Thursday ruled 7-2 that an advocacy group lacked legal standing to sue the state. Parents for Public Schools “failed to sufficiently demonstrate an adverse impact that it suffers differently from the general public,” the majority wrote. Because of that finding, justices said they would not rule on the larger constitutional quest ..read more

JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) - Capitol police are investigating a bank robbery. The robbery happened at Trustmark Bank in the 500 block of State Street in Jackson on Thursday, May 2. Capitol Police Chief Bo Luckey said officers found the suspect's vehicle at another location. The suspect has not been arrested. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News SIGN UP NOW ..read more

JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) - Medicaid expansion talks have hit a wall after House Speaker Jason White (R-Miss.) announced Wednesday that the latest House proposal would have Mississippi voters voice their opinion on Medicaid expansion through a ballot initiative. The proposal has not been well received in the Senate with no discussions likely to take place. However, the issue is not officially dead yet. This effort is coming from House Democrats, and it revolves around the work requirement that has split both chambers on Medicaid expansion. House Minority Leader Rep. Robert Johnson III (D-District ..read more

OXFORD, Miss. (WJTV) - A pro-Palestine protest at the University of Mississippi in Oxford turned into a shouting match between the protesters and counter-protesters. The Clarion Ledger reported the protesters were evacuated off of the university's campus after the incident. The protest happened on the Quad of the campus on Thursday, May 2. According to the report, 50-60 protesters gathered to protest the Israeli military response in Gaza following the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel. At least 2,000 people arrested at pro-Palestinian protests on US campuses, AP tally shows More than ..read more

HINDS COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) – The three suspects charged in connection to the fatal shooting at a Utica club have been denied bond. Anthony Brown, 48, Eric Dixon, 42, and Joseph Crum, 34, made their initial appearance in court on Thursday, May 2. Brown, Dixon and Crum have each been charged with murder and three counts of aggravated assault. The shooting happened just before midnight on Sunday, April 28 outside the Sugar Shack Club in the 1000 block of Lee Davis Circle. Third suspect arrested for fatal Hinds County club shooting According to Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones, 41-y ..read more

JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) - A Hinds County judge has ruled that the brother of Dau Mabil can conduct an independent autopsy. According to court documents, Judge Dewayne Thomas said Dau's widow, Karissa Bowley, testified that she would consent to the autopsy. Dau Mabil’s family argue over right to request autopsy Dau went missing on March 25 in the Belhaven neighborhood in Jackson. His body was found in the Pearl River in Lawrence County on April 13. His brother, Bul Mabil, issued a restraining order because he believes foul play was involved in Dau's death. TEMPORARY-ORDER-OF-THE-COURT-DAU-MABIL-R ..read more

BILOXI, Miss. (WJTV) - A Biloxi City Councilman pled guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a Schedule I controlled substance. Robert Leon Deming, III, 47, pled guilty in U.S. District Court in Gulfport.   According to court documents, Deming founded the Candy Shop, LLC, in 2019 to operate Candy Shop stores in Mississippi and North Carolina. The Candy Shop stores sold CBD and vape products.    In 2020, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics (MBN) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) began investigating the Candy Shop. The investigation revealed tha ..read more