| Magee Courier-Simpson County News

The settlement that aimed to desegregate higher education in Mississippi, explained

Tue, 12/28/2021 - 09:24 AM

Overview:

It’s been 20 years since Mississippi’s HBCUs settled for $500 million. Here’s what happened since.

The settlement that capped off a landmark case in the fight to desegregate higher education in Mississippi is about to run out.

2021 Year in Review

sfairchild

Tue, 12/28/2021 - 09:11 AM

January 7 – Simpson County continues to be included in the mask mandate issued by Gov. Tate Reeves, requiring citizens to wear masks in public.
Simpson General Hospital received Moderna 1st phase Covid-19 vaccinations for their healthcare workers. Chief of Staff Dr. Chip Holbrook was one of the first to receive the inosculation.

Hinds CC announces scholars and grads

sfairchild

Tue, 12/28/2021 - 08:01 AM

Hinds Community College has announced its Fall Term President's Scholars, who are those with a cumulative 4.0 grade point average.
Scholars from Simpson County are Jessica Hardwick of Braxton, Ariel Jordan of Braxton, Kayla Liddell of Braxton, Cassie Patterson of Braxton, Molly Berch of Magee, Kyyorris Craft of Magee, Luke Mullins of Magee, Dexter Nelson of Magee, Tyler Slater of Magee, Erynn Sturgon of Mendenhall, Mykel Thornton of Mendenhall, Audbrey Winters of Mendenhall, James Dampeer of Pinola

Jennifer Parker of Magee, center, was honored on “Pajama Day” by the superintendent and other administrators for being named Secondary Teacher of the Year in the Rankin County School District. She teaches at Puckett High School.

Parker named top teacher

sfairchild

Tue, 12/28/2021 - 07:56 AM

Jennifer Parker of Magee has been named the Rankin County School District Secondary School Teacher of the Year.
Parker teaches AP European History, ninth grade geography, a law class for tenth graders and Teacher Academy at Puckett High School in Rankin County. Her law class recently staged a mock trial before an audience as a hands-on learning activity.
Parker is in her seventh year at Puckett. She was formerly the librarian at Magee High School.

Mississippi's Education and Research where the Institutions of Higher Learning has its offices. Credit: Molly Minta/Mississippi Today

Here are the salaries of every IHL college president since 2008

brandonsup

Mon, 12/27/2021 - 03:24 PM

The presidents of Mississippi’s three predominately white research institutions have seen their salaries balloon since 2008.

The presidents at University of Mississippi and Mississippi State University are now paid more than three times their peers at Delta State University, Mississippi University for Women, Alcorn State University and Mississippi Valley State University.

The Other Side Podcast: Marshall Ramsey celebrates 25th anniversary in Mississippi

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Mon, 12/27/2021 - 10:18 AM

Mississippi Today editor at large Marshall Ramsey joins Adam Ganucheau to recount some of his most memorable stories during his 25-year career as a Mississippi editorial cartoonist.

Mississippi Stories: William Walker

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Mon, 12/27/2021 - 10:06 AM

Mississippi Today investigative reporter Anna Wolfe has been covering the state's sprawling welfare scandal for years.

Mississippi Today’s Anna Wolfe explains sprawling welfare fraud case

brandonsup

Mon, 12/27/2021 - 09:24 AM

Nearly two years after officers from the Mississippi state auditor’s office made arrests in a sprawling welfare fraud scheme and turned their investigative files over to federal agents, four people still await trial and the FBI has made no arrests.

Pictured is Edna Moudy holding a photo of her mother taken shortly before she disappeared from Indianola in 1974. To the right of that photo is the same picture of Carolyn Moudy. Below that photo is the composite sketch of Carolyn Moudy that was produced by law enforcement in south Florida.

"I WANTED TO MEET YOU": ANSWERS LEAD TO MORE QUESTIONS FOR FAMILY, POLICE IN 46-YEAR-OLD MYSTERY

Anonymous

Sun, 12/26/2021 - 01:24 PM

Carolyn Jeanette Dunn Moudy disappeared from Indianola in 1974, leaving behind two daughters. Her fate remained a mystery for over four decades. Thanks to the combined work of a south Florida cold case unit and one of the nation’s leading genetic genealogists, Carolyn was recently identified as a Jane Doe who was found murdered in Davie, Fla. in 1975. With answers have come more questions for her family and the detectives.

Opt for tasty over traditional

sfairchild

Tue, 12/21/2021 - 02:18 PM

Gumbo, tacos, soup, brisket, tamales, cheesecake, chocolate chip cookies, lemon pie, ice cream – not the typical fare found on the table Christmas Day. What once was a Thanksgiving repeat is now giving way to non-traditional foods.

Caughman competes for Miss Mississippi USA

sfairchild

Tue, 12/21/2021 - 12:57 PM

She is a lot more than just another pretty face. Abby Caughman is soon to be a contestant for Miss Mississippi USA.
Abby is the daughter of State Senator Chris Caughman and Melissa Caughman of Mendenhall. The pageant event will be held on March 31 through April 2. 2022, at the Pearl River Resort and Casino.
We asked Abby what encouraged her to give this pageant a shot, and she said, “It was something I did in high school but did not have the time to devote while in college.”

Vernita Burnett, 31, works inside of her office at W.A. Higgins Middle School in Clarksdale in late October 2018.

Teacher shortage: Mississippi lacks 3,000 certified teachers

brandonsup

Mon, 12/20/2021 - 10:48 AM

The Mississippi Department of Education says there are 3,036 certified teacher vacancies across the state — a staggering figure that shows the extent of the state’s long-standing teacher shortage.

Mississippi Today has reported several times since 2019 that state officials had never tracked data regarding the state’s critical teacher shortage. The release of the new data last week by MDE marks the first time the generational problem has been comprehensively tracked by state officials.

MDE: MDE awarding more than $9.8M in grants to five Mississippi universities to enroll potential teachers in graduate degree programs

brandonsup

Fri, 12/17/2021 - 01:36 PM

Below is a press release from the Mississippi Department of Education:

The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE), through its Mississippi Teacher Residency (MTR) program, is awarding $9,886,468 in grants to five universities in the state to cover tuition and expenses for up to 240 individuals seeking a graduate degree in elementary and secondary education.

The MDE is using American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds to cover the grants.

New initiative launched to aid charter, private school startups in Mississippi

brandonsup

Fri, 12/17/2021 - 09:36 AM

Elyse Marcellino talks about how Embark can help parents, communities navigate the educational landscape in Mississippi.

Mississippi Stories: Anthony Thaxton

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Thu, 12/16/2021 - 12:42 PM

Mississippi One Grant AMA with Molly Minta

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Thu, 12/16/2021 - 11:36 AM

The antique pickup truck at the Bush’s Beans venue made a perfect background for a group photo followed by lunch in Bush’s Family Cafe, where Pinto Bean Pie is a specialty.

‘Tis the season to go traveling!

sfairchild

Wed, 12/15/2021 - 09:04 AM

With the holidays on the horizon, the Peoples Bank Platinum Club hit the road on November 30 for “A Smoky Mountain Christmas” trip that featured good food, great entertainment and fun-filled fellowship among the 24 participants.
Headquarters for the tour was Pigeon Forge, Tenn., which was wide open and busy with visitors after months of pandemic closures and precautions. The Christmas lights and displays are shining as brightly as ever over every mountain town this year.

Simpson County Technical Center’s Program Feature of the Month – Agriculture and Natural Resources

sfairchild

Fri, 12/10/2021 - 08:41 AM

Simpson County Technical Center (SCTC) is proud to expose students to careers as scientists, engineers, farmers and educators in the modern agricultural and natural resources industry.
Through the Agriculture and Natural Resources program, students learn about the basic and fundamental principles of agriculture and natural resources, in addition to the conservation and management of resources; agricultural business management practices; and the environment as it relates to water quality, forestry and wildlife.

Teachers monitor students as they walk to their classrooms during the first day of school at Neshoba County Central Middle School on Wednesday, August 5, 2020. Credit: Eric J. Shelton/Mississippi Today

There’s an exodus of Mississippi school leaders. Is the pandemic to blame?

brandonsup

Thu, 12/09/2021 - 05:06 PM

Superintendents, the chief administrative leaders of Mississippi’s 138 traditional public school districts, have in recent months been left to drive bus routes, serve food in school cafeterias, teach classes in place of teachers and substitutes, and conduct contact tracing missions to identify children who’ve been exposed to COVID-19.

And in what have undoubtedly been their worst moments, they’ve lost school staff and students to the virus.

Those in the education business say more superintendents are leaving before their contracts are up or are retiring early.

The Pfizer vaccine is administered during a free COVID19 vaccination event held at New Horizon Church International in partnership with the Mississippi State Department of Health, Wednesday, August 4, 2021 in Jackson. Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were available to those 12 years of age and older. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today

University of Mississippi ditches employee vaccine mandate

brandonsup

Wed, 12/08/2021 - 04:12 PM

Chancellor Glenn Boyce announced on Wednesday that the University of Mississippi is abandoning its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for employees. The decision comes after a federal judge in Georgia issued an injunction against President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate for federal contract workers.

Overview:

Elyse Marcellino talks about how Embark can help parents, communities navigate the educational landscape in Mississippi.

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