Articles by Emily Wagster Pettus

Push for Flood Mitigation Draws Concerns Over Impact in Mississippi and Louisiana

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Flooding left squishy, stinky messes in hundreds of homes in Mississippi’s capital city in 2020 — a recurring problem when heavy rains push the Pearl River over its banks. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says …

Mississippi Grand Jury Declines to Indict Deputy Who Shot Man Yelling ‘Shoot Me’

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi grand jury decided not to bring criminal charges against a sheriff’s deputy who fatally shot a man who was yelling “shoot me,” the state attorney general’s office said Monday. The Hancock County Sheriff’s Department …

Mississippi Judge Affirms Settlement After 62-year-old Died in Police Encounter

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A judge has ordered the enforcement of a lawsuit settlement between Mississippi’s capital city and the family of a man who died after police officers pulled him from a car while searching for a murder suspect. …

Sister of Mississippi Man Who Died After Police Stop Rejects Settlement

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A woman who sued Mississippi’s capital city over the death of her brother has decided to reject a settlement after officials publicly disclosed how much the city would pay his survivors, her attorney said Wednesday. George …

Attorney Wants Footage of Fatal Chase in Mississippi But Town Says None Exists

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Civil rights attorney Ben Crump demanded Tuesday that police in a small town in Mississippi release camera footage of a chase that ended in the death of a Black teenager, but the city attorney said the …

Mississippi Lawmakers Approve Incentives for 2 Large Amazon Data Centers

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi lawmakers met in special session last week and quickly approved job training money and other state incentives to support a plan by Amazon Web Services to spend $10 billion to build two data centers in …

Mississippi Businesses, Cities Sue to Protect Dolphins From Louisiana Spillway

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Opening a spillway as a flood-control measure in 2019 sent polluted fresh water from the Mississippi River into the Gulf of Mexico and killed bottlenose dolphins that live in saltwater, according to a new lawsuit. Several …

Shot-at FedEx Driver, Now on Workers’ Comp, Has Been Fired, Attorney Says

A Black FedEx delivery driver who says two white men shot at and chased him in Mississippi in 2022 has now been fired from his job, he and his attorney said Monday. “I honestly feel disrespected,” the former driver, D’Monterrio …

Mississippi State Dept. of Health Officer: Medical Marijuana Regulation a Concern

The Mississippi state health officer said that he’s concerned about how the Health Department would receive money for its part in licensing and regulating a proposed medical marijuana program. Dr. Thomas Dobbs said some regulatory programs, such as restaurant inspections, …

Mississippi Legislative Negotiators Reach Medical Marijuana Proposal

Mississippi House and Senate negotiators said that they have agreed on a proposed medical marijuana program. Leaders are expected to ask Republican Gov. Tate Reeves to call the Legislature into session to put the plan into law. The step comes …