Latest Mississippi Headlines
All the headlines from our Mississippi Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Mississippi AG Hood, Feinberg Spat Over BP Oil Spill Claims
Apr 15 2011 // The administrator of BP’s $20 billion oil spill fund says Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood could undermine the claims process by urging a court to intervene and by making allegations that border on...
One Year Later, Gulf States Still Grappling with BP Oil Disaster
Apr 15 2011 // When a BP oil rig exploded and sank in the Gulf of Mexico last April, killing 11 workers, authorities first reported that no crude was leaking into the ocean. They were wrong. The disaster that captivated the world’s...
Allstate Agrees to Reduced Rate Hike, Policy Drops in Mississippi
Apr 13 2011 // Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney has agreed to let Allstate Property and Casualty Co. increase homeowner insurance rates 19.4 percent in the state. Chaney said that Allstate was threatening to drop 18,000...
Gulf Coast Officials Enjoy Spending Spree at BP’s Expense
Apr 12 2011 // In the year since the Gulf oil spill, officials along the coast have gone on a spending spree with BP money, dropping tens of millions of dollars on gadgets, vehicles and gear — much of which had little to do with the...
‘Katrina’ Federal Judge Senter of Mississippi Retiring
Apr 8 2011 // U.S. District Judge L.T. Senter Jr., who presided over hundreds of Hurricane Katrina insurance cases, is retiring Friday. The Sun Herald reported that Senter and his staff have spent the week packing up his offices on the...
Mississippi Governor Signs School Bus Safety Bill
Apr 7 2011 // Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour has signed into law a school bus safety bill drafted in response to a Jones County child’s death. The bill, known as Nathan’s Law, would require motorists to stay at least 10 feet...
Mississippi Gov. Barbour Vetoes Insurance Verification Bill, Seeks Fix
Apr 6 2011 // Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour has vetoed a bill to set up an electronic system to verify that drivers have auto insurance, a program intended to reduce the number of uninsured drivers on the state’s roads. In...
Mississippi Toughens Parental Social Host Liquor Liability Law
Apr 5 2011 // Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour has signed into law a bill that supporters say will make it easier to prosecute parents who host drinking parties for teenagers. The “social host” bill makes adults liable for...
Mississippi College Football Player Sues Nightclub Over Shooting
Mar 21 2011 // A University of Southern Mississippi football player shot outside Remington’s Hunt Club has sued the business and its owner for $87 million in damages. Martez Smith was one of three football players wounded in a Nov....
Mississippi Damages Cap Before High Court
Mar 21 2011 // Gov. Haley Barbour has asked the Mississippi Supreme Court to uphold a state law that limits non-economic damages in civil cases. Barbour contends that Mississippi’s tort reform measure, passed in 2004, has lowered...
Mississippi Challenge
Mar 21 2011 // Incumbent Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney, a Republican, will face opposition in his bid for re-election. Louis Fondren, a Democrat, who ran for governor in 2007, is running against Chaney. Fondren, an...
Mississippi Senate Sends ATV Safety Bill to Governor
Mar 17 2011 // The Mississippi Senate has passed a bill requiring safety measures for young ATV riders, sending the bill to the governor for consideration. The bill would require riders and passengers under age 16 who ride on public land...
Mississippi Debates ATV Helmet Law for Kids
Mar 16 2011 // Mickey Hale, the manager of a store that sells all-terrain vehicles, says manufacturers encourage consumers to get training before taking ATVs for a spin. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with...
Mississippi Senate Passes Auto Insurance Verification Bill
Mar 11 2011 // A bill designed to force compliance with Mississippi mandatory insurance laws passed this week in the Senate, and was among several proposals facing a legislative deadline. The bill would allow the state Department of...
Midwest Prepares for Massive Spring Flooding
Mar 7 2011 // One of the snowiest winters on record for the Midwest and northern U.S. Plains have crop watchers worried about a repeat of the massive flooding that hit one of the world’s top grain producing regions in...
Mississippi Passes Bill to Speed Workers’ Compensation Appeals
Mar 4 2011 // The Mississippi Senate has passed a bill making it easier to appeal a decision of the state Workers’ Compensation Commission. Currently, an appeal of a commission decision or award is appealed to circuit court and...
Democrat Fondren to Challenge Chaney in Mississippi Insurance Race
Mar 4 2011 // Incumbent Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney, a Republican, will face opposition in his bid for re-election. Louis Fondren, a Democrat, who ran for governor in 2007, is running against Chaney. Fondren, an...
Mississippi Governor Urges Court to Uphold Damages Cap
Mar 4 2011 // Gov. Haley Barbour has asked the Mississippi Supreme Court to uphold the constitutionality of a state law that limits non-economic damages in civil cases. Barbour contends in court documents filed this week that...
Mississippi Firm Sued for Hiring Bias By Non-Immigrants
Mar 2 2011 // A Mississippi company that pleaded guilty to conspiracy related to the largest U.S. workplace raid on illegal immigrants is now facing a lawsuit accusing it of discriminating against non-immigrants who applied for jobs. A...
Major Flooding Expected in North Central U.S.
Feb 18 2011 // A large swath of the country is at risk of moderate to major flooding this spring, from northeastern Montana through western Wisconsin following the Mississippi River south to St. Louis, National Weather Service flood...
