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The dozens of independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan news organizations that make up the Rural News Network are developing the broadest news alliance reporting on rural America. These newsrooms are pursuing coverage that provides a more complete picture of what it means to live and work in these communities.
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LATEST NEWS FROM THE NETWORK
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Mississippi Governor Signs SHIELD Act Into Law, Enacting Voter Citizenship Checks
April 03, 2026
Mississippi’s new law comes just as similar legislation being pushed by President Donald Trump has stalled in Congress.
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Months After Winter Storm Fern, Mississippi Families Are Still Waiting for Help
April 01, 2026
More than two months after Winter Storm Fern battered the state with snow and freezing rain, residents and local governments are still feeling its effects.
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Grassroots Efforts Bring Print Newspaper Back to Lumberton
April 01, 2026
The idea gained traction as more residents raised the same concern: It was hard to know what was happening in town and where to find reliable updates in one place.
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Lauren Stokes’ Firing Over Kirk Post Chilled Speech on University of Mississippi Campus, Faculty Testify
March 04, 2026
After the University of Mississippi employee lost her job for reposting criticism of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, faculty testimony in a federal court hearing suggests the decision by university leaders chilled speech across the campus of University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi—a small rural college community where the controversy quickly reverberated beyond campus.
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Pearl River County Introduces Microchip Stations to Reunite Lost Pets Faster
February 16, 2026
Leaders say the goal is simple: Reunite pets with their families faster and reduce overcrowding at the shelter.
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For the First Time in Generations, Leflore County Is Building a New High School
February 12, 2026
A decades-long push for modern facilities and district unity culminates in a historic bond vote and groundbreaking for a consolidated campus.
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ICE Proposal to Hold 8,500 Immigrants in Mississippi Mega Warehouse Draws Local Opposition
February 05, 2026
Opponents of the Marshall County ICE facility have gained an unlikely ally: Roger Wicker, the state’s senior Republican U.S. senator and the chairman of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee.
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Mississippi’s Arkabutla Lake Park Rangers Give Disabled Hunters a Second Chance at Their Outdoor Passion
January 14, 2026
For the last 34 years, an annual, controlled disabled deer hunt that has happened near Arkabutla Lake in Tate County.
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Petal Becomes Second Dementia-Friendly City in Mississippi
November 14, 2025
Mississippi is home to more than 62,000 people living with Alzheimer’s and has the highest mortality rate from the disease. Officials in Petal, near Hattiesburg, intend to educate local businesses and improve access to care.
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‘No Kings’ Protests Draw Mississippi Crowds From Kosciusko to Gulfport
October 20, 2025
The group in Kosciusko, a small town in Attala County of fewer than 6,800 residents, was among thousands of Mississippians and millions of people nationwide who took the streets on Saturday to oppose the Trump administration’s expansion of executive power.
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Timeline: Trey Reed’s Hanging Death at Delta State University
October 14, 2025
As rumors swirl on TikTok, X, Facebook and other social media platforms that the second autopsy uncovered evidence of foul play, the Mississippi Free Press publishes a fact-check, noting that the autopsy results still have not been finalized.
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WIC Stops Accepting Some New Applicants Amid Government Shutdown
October 08, 2025
The effects of WIC’s application limitations could be especially harmful for Black women living in food deserts like the Mississippi Delta.
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Photos: No Kings Day Protests in Oxford, Mississippi
June 16, 2025
Between 350 and 400 people showed up to speak up against the Trump administration and its policies on immigration, executive power and more in Oxford, Mississippi.
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Uncertainty About Federal Disaster Aid Looms As Storms Roll In
May 23, 2025
President Donald Trump’s administration is looking to significantly scale back FEMA and pass disaster recovery costs onto states.
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Mississippi Education Leaders Reeling After Trump Administration Rescinds $137 Million in COVID-19 Relief Funds for Schools
April 18, 2025
The federal government awarded the funds amid the pandemic to help states and school districts address issues arising from the crisis, but until this month had said it would allow states an extension to finish using the money.
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