Latest Mississippi Headlines
All the headlines from our Mississippi Topic Page, ordered by recency.
5 Years After Katrina Gulf Coast Building Codes Still Inadequate
Aug 30 2010 // Five years ago, Hurricane Katrina caused an estimated 1,300 tragic deaths as well as $41.1 billion in insured losses across six states. Louisiana and Mississippi suffered the brunt of Katrina’s wrath followed by...
Hurricane Katrina Changed the Market in Gulf States
Aug 27 2010 // Writing about the landfall of Hurricane Katrina five years ago, essayist Ellis Anderson of Mississippi likened the communities along the gulf to a string of pearls. “Then, in August 2005, in the course of a single...
Report Suggests Gulf Coast Properties Not Much Safer Since Katrina
Aug 18 2010 // Louisiana has done a good job upgrading its building code requirements in the five years since Hurricane Katrina, but Alabama and Mississippi have not, according to a new report from the Institute for Business and Home...
Mississippi Staged Crash Draws Yuks
Aug 18 2010 // The attorney general of Mississippi dubbed the perpetrators of the staged car accident the Apple Dumpling Gang, a reference to the 1975 Disney movie about a gang of bunglers out to steal gold. The last of the seven...
Feds Give Mississippi Increased Flood Aid
Aug 16 2010 // The federal government is affirming it will pay 90 percent of the disaster recovery costs from tornadoes and floods that hit Mississippi in late April and early May. U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran announced the federal share...
Mississippi Gets Hurricane-Resistant Development
Aug 11 2010 // Officials say a community of hurricane-resistant homes is being built in Gulfport. The Sun Herald reports that the modular concrete homes will be built by Royal Concrete Concepts in Okeechobee, Fla., and sold through the...
Mississippi City Mulls Ban on Texting While Driving
Jul 23 2010 // The north Mississippi city of Columbus is considering a local ban on texting while driving. Mayor Robert Smith and council members have asked the city attorney to research the issue and present some possible options for an...
Mississippi School District Pays Lesbian $35K for Canceled Prom
Jul 22 2010 // A rural school district that canceled its prom rather than allow a lesbian student to attend with her girlfriend has agreed to pay $35,000 to settle a discrimination lawsuit the ACLU filed on her behalf. The district also...
Gulf Coast Fishermen Angered By Clean-Up Offset Against BP Claims
Jul 20 2010 // Fishermen in Mississippi say they are angry that under the terms of BP’s $20 billion oil spill fund, money they earn doing clean-up will be subtracted from their claim against the company. The fishermen reacted after...
Gulf State Residents Relieved But Wary Over BP Oil Well Fix
Jul 16 2010 // News that oil has stopped leaking from BP’s blown-out well into the Gulf of Mexico spread a wave of relief Thursday among coastal residents, but it failed to dispel concerns about the disaster’s long-term...
Mississippi Demands City Repay Misspent Fire Insurance Funds
Jul 15 2010 // Former Sledge Mayor Bernard Handy, former City Clerk Mary Allen and current City Clerk Yvonne Amos have been issued demand letters for the repayment of illegally spent Fire Insurance Rebate Program funds. Auditor Stacey...
Ratings Roundup: Heddington, MS Frontier, Oman Insurance
Jul 13 2010 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit rating of “a+” of Bermuda-based Heddington Insurance Limited, both with stable outlooks. The ratings...
It Figures
Jul 5 2010 // 9.8% The average drop in South Carolina workers compensation rates approved by state insurance regulators. Insurance Director Scott Richardson also reported that the Assigned Risk Plan, the residual market mechanism,...
FEMA: States Need Time to Review Flood Map
Jul 5 2010 // After facing strong opposition during a public meeting in Arkansas, a top federal official wants to give cities and towns in the Mississippi Delta more time to review maps that outline where flood insurance would be...
Bad Weather Hinders BP Oil Cleanup; Oil Invades More Wetlands
Jul 2 2010 // Tropical storm Alex slowed oil spill clean-up and containment work in the Gulf of Mexico and drove more petroleum into fragile Gulf wetlands and beaches Thursday, with any permanent fix to BP Plc’s ruptured deep-sea...
FEMA: Arkansas, Other Delta States Need Time to Review Flood Map
Jun 24 2010 // After facing strong opposition during a public meeting in Arkansas, a top federal official wants to give cities and towns in the Mississippi Delta more time to review maps that outline where flood insurance would be...
Mississippi County Ordinance Requires Some Dog Owners to Buy Insurance
Jun 23 2010 // Hinds County residents who own pit bulls, hybrid wolf dogs and exotic animals must obtain a permit from the sheriff’s department and hold insurance under changes approved to the animal control ordinance. The...
Mississippi Ban on Sale of Toy Lighters Goes Into Effect July 1
Jun 22 2010 // Retailers throughout Mississippi have a little less than two weeks to remove all novelty lighters from their shelves. The law which bans the sale and distribution of these lighters takes effect on July 1. Novelty lighters...
Oil Fears May Hurt Gulf States’ Economies More Than BP Spill
Jun 18 2010 // Fear that oil from a huge BP Plc spill will damage Mississippi’s coast is hurting the state’s economy more than oil damage itself, according to a new report. Tourists are staying away from restaurants and...
Insurance an Issue as Mississippi City Seeks to Restore Taxi Service
Jun 17 2010 // Vicksburg officials hope to attract one or more taxi companies as the city prepares to relaunch local cab service. The city has been without taxi service for nearly a year. Jim Stirgus Jr., president of the recently...
