| Tuesday, October 20, 2026 |
| MSU-Meridian receives $500,000 grant to expand rural clinical training for physician assistant students | |
 | Mississippi State University-Meridian is one of two Magnolia State institutions sharing a $500,000 U.S. Department of Education grant to expand clinical training opportunities for physician assistant students in rural Mississippi. The funding, which runs through August 2029, will help strengthen future healthcare workforces and improve patient outcomes where access to care is needed most. Collaborating with Mississippi Christian University in Clinton, the shared funding will support the development and expansion of rural preceptor partnerships, which provide supervision and training for students during required clinical rotations. Lesley Clack, dean of MSU-Meridian's School of Health Professions and principal investigator, said in addition to creating more preceptor relationships, the award will reduce financial barriers for the 40 MSU-Meridian PA students who are currently completing nine five-week rotations throughout the state. Pamela Vayda, who serves as MSU's PA program director and department head, said, "MSU-Meridian already works with preceptors throughout Mississippi and in neighboring states, but this grant will expand the program and will allow students to expand job opportunities within Mississippi's rural areas. |
| Marine life dramatically declined in Gulf of Mexico in years after BP oil spill, study finds | |
 | In a deep, dark part of the Gulf of Mexico, the number of marine animals plummeted by about 60% in the years following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion, a new study found. In a crucial part of the Gulf between the light surface and the darkest depths, where the BP-operated well failed and dumped 134 million gallons of oil, the number of fish found dropped by 63.5% from the year after the spill to 2015. Crustaceans, including shrimp and krill, a key food for whales, went down 62%, and larger animals like squid and octopuses fell 59.7%, according to a study published Monday in the journal PNAS. And those populations haven't come close to recovering, the study found. Researchers focused on the ocean's "twilight zone," a vast area above the seafloor, where much of the surface marine life, including dolphins and whales, feast on creatures. Yet little is known about this gigantic ecosystem, and this region of the Gulf had not been studied before the 2010 spill, said study lead author Tracey Sutton, a biological oceanographer at Nova Southeastern University. |
| Reeves appoints Jordan as DeSoto County Court Judge | |
 | A Desoto County prosecutor has been appointed by the governor to serve as the county's new County Court Judge. The appointment was announced Monday by Governor Tate Reeves. Starting on November 1, Russell B. Jordan of Hernando will begin his duties as the interim County Court Judge. A special election will be held next year to determine a permanent replacement. The appointment was made in response to a vacancy that occurred when Craig Treadaway, the former DeSoto County Court Judge, was appointed by Reeves to take over responsibilities of the 21st Circuit Court District in August. Jordan's legal experience entails various civil and criminal cases heard in state and federal courts. He earned his J.D. from the University of Mississippi School of Law and his B.B.A from Mississippi State University. |
| Mississippi AG says officer's force was justified during shoplifting call in which boy was killed | |
| Mississippi's attorney general says a Senatobia police officer was justified in the use of force during a June shoplifting call that ended in the fatal shooting of a 1-year-old boy. The conclusion of the state's investigation into the shooting death of Kohen Wiley follows months of mourning and calls for justice, both nationally and in the small town about 40 miles (65 kilometers) south of Memphis, Tennessee, where the shooting took place. The shooting occurred in mid-June as Senatobia officers responded to a shoplifting call at a local Walmart, where they saw Vellesiya Wiley, Kohen's mother, carrying her son as she and a friend left the store, got into a car and began driving away. Wiley and her friend are both Black. Police reports indicate diapers and baby clothes were allegedly stolen. According to a statement released shortly after the shooting by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but the car drove toward law enforcement, prompting an officer to fire into the car, striking Kohen and his mother's friend. |
| Faith leaders unite across religions to counter voter intimidation on Election Day | |
| Come Election Day, a Quaker leader will travel from the nation's capital to her home state of Ohio. A Christian minister and a Jewish rabbi will stand vigil outside a polling place in Arizona. A Buddhist nun will offer support to voters in Wisconsin. In battleground states across the country, these faith leaders and hundreds of their colleagues will assume the role of poll chaplains for one day. They will deploy to nine states -- Arizona, Michigan, Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Virginia and Texas -- where contentious races are expected to raise political tensions. Faiths United in Saving Democracy, a nonpartisan coalition of interfaith and secular partners, is helping to train and certify this volunteer force of clergy members and lay peacekeepers in time for the Nov. 3 elections. They'll wear identifying hats and vests, and stay outside the poll centers, with the goal of maintaining a calm, reassuring presence to encourage more voters to exercise their rights without fear or hesitation, said co-founder Barbara Williams-Skinner. As of Oct. 19, they've recruited 1,235 poll chaplains and peacekeepers, she said. The initiative, strongly rooted in the Black church, has expanded to include diverse faiths as well as non-religious people, she said. |
SPORTS
| Jeff Lebby gives Kamario Taylor injury update for Mississippi State vs Oklahoma | |
 | Mississippi State football coach Jeff Lebby would not commit to star quarterback Kamario Taylor playing in Week 8 vs Oklahoma. "The injury report will continue to speak to that," Lebby said on Oct. 19. "I talked about it in the post-game (press conference vs LSU). He didn't wake up yesterday morning and was healed. It's going to be day-to-day. He's got a lot of work to do, but we'll see where we end up." The Bulldogs (4-2, 2-2 SEC) host Oklahoma (3-3, 1-2) at Davis Wade Stadium on Oct. 24 (2:30 p.m., SEC Network). Taylor, the sophomore who emerged as a contender for the Heisman Trophy early in the season, missed MSU's Week 7 game at LSU. MSU has not said what his exact injury is. Taylor watched the 31-0 loss from the sideline with a boot on his right foot. The first availability report for the Oklahoma game will release on Oct. 21. Mississippi State was also without starting running back Fluff Bothwell for the LSU game, but Lebby did not give an update on him or any other injured players on Oct. 19. |
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