Latest Mississippi Headlines
All the headlines from our Mississippi Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Mississippi Enacts First Statewide Building Code Law
Mar 19 2014 // Mississippi has enacted its first statewide building code that is designed to set construction guidelines to strengthen homes and other buildings from hurricane and other weather-related damage. Governor Phil Bryant signed...
State Farm Ordered to Pay $3M in Damages to Mississippi Katrina Whistleblowers
Mar 16 2014 // A federal judge has ordered State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. to pay legal fees and damages of $3 million in a whistleblower lawsuit after a jury found the insurer defrauded the government in a policyholder claim after...
Poll: Most Mississippians Support Ban on Texting While Driving for All Motorists
Mar 13 2014 // A new survey released this month says most Mississippians support tightening the state’s law on texting while driving. Currently Mississippi prohibits texting while driving for those with a learner’s permit or...
Mississippi City Looks for Ways to ‘Put Teeth’ in Fire Code
Mar 7 2014 // Oxford has had fire codes for decades, aimed at protecting businesses and citizens. However, there’s been no way to enforce the codes other than some nudging and prodding from the fire inspector. Now, Fire Chief Cary...
Mississippi Woman Must Repay $17K in Oil Spill Claims Fraud
Feb 28 2014 // A 32-year-old Gulfport woman has been ordered confined at home and must repay $17,000 in an oil spill fraud case. Sheila Wilbanks, spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney’s Southern District office, told The Sun Herald...
Mississippi Lawmakers Move to Tighten Law on Texting While Driving
Feb 18 2014 // Mississippi could tighten its law against sending text messages while driving. The House passed House Bill 484 last Thursday. It would ban texting while driving for anyone 18 or younger. Current law bans it for any younger...
Mississippi Senate Backs Fine for Texting While Driving
Feb 7 2014 // The Mississippi Senate has voted to make texting a driving a crime _ but not much of one. Senate Bill 2434 says anyone caught sending a text message or checking a social media site while driving can be charged with...
Mississippi Court Hears If Exxon Liable for Land Depreciation Caused By Alligators
Feb 6 2014 // The Mississippi Supreme Court is refereeing a dispute between a Wilkinson County couple and ExxonMobil Corp. over an alleged alligator infestation. Justices heard oral arguments Tuesday. The dispute involves more than 80...
Judge Dismisses Kmart’s Mississippi Flood Damage Suit Against Kroger
Feb 4 2014 // A federal judge has dismissed Kmart Corp.’s lawsuit over flood damage to one of its stores in Corinth. U.S. District Judge Glen Davidson ruled that Kmart has insufficient evidence to support its arguments that the...
Canadian Oil Train Derails, Spills in Mississippi
Feb 2 2014 // A Canadian National Railway Co. train carrying fuel oil and other hazardous materials derailed and was leaking in southeast Mississippi on Friday, forcing the evacuation of nearby residents, officials said. No one was...
Mississippi Bills Seek More Insurance Company Cost Disclosure, Deductibles Regulation
Jan 31 2014 // Mississippi lawmakers could require insurers to disclose how much they collect in premiums and how much they pay in claims in each ZIP code under a bill advancing in the state legislature. House Bill 753 could spark more...
Mississippi Navy SEAL Wrongful Death Case to Be Heard
Jan 29 2014 // A jury in DeSoto County will hear the wrongful-death lawsuit brought by the family of a Navy SEAL killed during a training exercise at a northwest Mississippi shooting range. Petty Officer 2nd Class Shapoor Alexander Ghane...
Mississippi Jury to Hear Navy SEAL Wrongful Death Suit
Jan 27 2014 // A jury in Mississippi’s DeSoto County will hear the wrongful-death lawsuit brought by the family of a Navy SEAL killed during a training exercise at a northwest Mississippi shooting range. Petty Officer 2nd Class...
Mississippi Insurance Chief Urges Background Checks on Home Security Personnel
Jan 24 2014 // Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney said he’d like to see security system sales people subject to background checks. The Picayune Item reported that Chaney told a local civic club this past week that the...
Maker of 3-Wheeled Vehicle Seeks Exemption from Mississippi Helmet Law
Jan 17 2014 // A company that plans to make a three-wheeled vehicle is seeking a change in Mississippi’s helmet law. Elio Motors wants Mississippi to specify that a helmet won’t be required in its “autocycle,” an...
Kmart’s Flood Damage Claims Against Kroger Going to Trial in Mississippi
Jan 15 2014 // A federal judge has denied a request from Kmart Corp. to file a corrected report on testimony of its engineering expert in a lawsuit over flood damage to one of its stores in Corinth. U.S. District Judge Glen Davidson...
Supreme Court Upholds Mississippi AG in Action Against LCD Makers
Jan 14 2014 // In a case involving the Mississippi attorney general suing liquid-crystal display (LCD) makers on behalf of citizens of his state, the U.S. Supreme Court has unanimously ruled states’ claims against corporate...
Workers’ Compensation Called Bar to Ex-Felons Getting Jobs in Mississippi
Jan 10 2014 // Mississippi lawmakers say they want to reduce the number of former inmates who return to prison after serving time. However, one state representative said ex-felons could have trouble finding jobs because of workers’...
Mississippi Asbestos Ruling Throws Out Product Liability Standard
Jan 6 2014 // Union Carbide Corp. has until Jan. 27 to file a motion asking the Mississippi Supreme Court to review an unfavorable ruling in an asbestos case. The Supreme Court on Dec. 12 overruled a Smith County judge who threw out a...
Mississippi Town Told Liability Insurance Will Rise 15%
Jan 3 2014 // What the city of Columbus, Miss., pays for liability insurance will increase 15 percent in 2014. WCBI-TV in Columbus reported that insurance consultant Eddie Mauck told officials this week that three or four major police...
