Federal ice storm relief approved

Governor Tate Reeves made the announcement of the federal ice storm aid approval Friday afternoon.

What some see of Mississippi

Ole Miss women’s basketball coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin discussed on SiriusXM the negative opinions some have about Mississippi, their effect on recruiting and comments made by Stephen A. Smith about Oxford.

"If you have been to Oxford, you have enjoyed your experience."@YolettMcCuin discussed narratives around the state of Mississippi, their effect of recruiting, & comments made by Stephen A Smith about Oxford. @OleMissWBB | #HottyToddy | @PeterBurnsESPN | @ChrisDoering pic.twitter.com/54wletw0Tg
— College Sports on SiriusXM (@SXMCollege) January 15, 2026

Tennessee election brings back Mississippi memory

You may be aware of today’s special election for the U.S. House in Tennessee’s Seventh Congressional District. It’s getting plenty of attention because the race between a Democrat and a Republican is believed to be much closer in a district that usually goes big for the GOP.

Chris Cillizza’s preview of this election included a look back by Decision Desk HQ of previous congressional special elections, and it included a huge upset locally in 2008 that got a lot of attention at the time. That’s when Prentiss County Chancery Clerk Travis Childers, a Democrat, defeated Southaven Mayor Greg Davis, a Republican, for the U.S. House seat in North Mississippi. The seat in Mississippi’s First Congressional District came open when Representative Roger Wicker was selected to replace Senator Trent Lott, who had retired.

Even if the Democrat wins the special election in Tennessee, it still would not be as big of an upset as Childers defeating Davis 17 years ago to represent the region in Congress.

There’s an app for that

The Mississippi Lottery has launched an app for those who play. You can’t buy tickets on it, but there may be other things that interest you. From the lottery’s news release:

For the first time, players can quickly scan their tickets with their phones to see if they are winners.
The app streamlines participation in 2nd Chance Drawing promotions, allowing players to enter eligible non-winning tickets directly through the app.
Users can view current jackpots and winning numbers, find nearby retailers and access detailed game information and odds for all scratch-off and draw games.

We may get wet next week

The Climate Prediction Center on Monday said there is a 40 to 60 percent risk of heavy rainfall for Mississippi during the middle of next week.

That risk also includes west Alabama, west Tennessee, most of Arkansas, southeast Oklahoma, east Texas and all of Louisiana.

As you can see below, there is an area beyond that with a slight risk of heavy rainfall from Tuesday through Saturday of next week.

And then there’s next year

It’s time to apply

Applications are being accepted for people in Mississippi who want to be reimbursed for the majority of the cost of building a safe room. The video above briefly explains what is being offered.

Apply for MEMA safe room reimbursement

Watch the MEMA video on how to apply for the safe room reimbursement

Find out everything you need to know about the MEMA safe room reimbursement

Update on Saturday mass shooting in Mississippi Delta

Many specifics haven’t been released, but this is some of what’s known five days after the early Saturday shooting in Leland by the numbers.

State executes convicted killer

Charles Ray Crawford (Mississippi Department of Corrections)

The state of Mississippi executed Charles Ray Crawford Wednesday for the 1993 killing of Northeast Mississippi Community College student Kristy Ray.

The Mississippi Department of Corrections declared him dead at 6:15 p.m. at the State Penitentiary.

Crawford kidnapped and raped the student from Tippah County before taking her life. She was 20. He was 26.

A jury in Lafayette County Circuit Court found him guilty of capital murder a year later. The execution came more than three decades after he was sentenced to die.