1 month 3 weeks ago
Gladys Forester, Texas native, longtime Jackson resident, supporter of the arts, and founder of two popular Jackson businesses, passed away peacefully on October 21, 2025 in Franklin, Tenn. Gladys Edwina Maresh was born in Nelsonville, Texas to Lydia Stalmach Maresh and Edwin Jerry Maresh, second generation Texas - Czech immigrants. Gladys was a graduate of Bellville High School and attended Texas State College for Women. She married Smithville, Texas native Marcial Davidson Forester in 1950, following his graduation from the University of Texas.
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1 month 3 weeks ago
John Ralph McNeal Jr. was born in Moss Point, Miss. June 15, 1946, and passed away, surrounded by his family, on January 28, 2026, after suffering a heart attack at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.
He was a true Mississippi Coast boy, growing up in Pascagoula and Moss Point. As a student at Moss Point High School, he discovered his love for music, a love that continued throughout his lifetime.
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2 months ago
Richard DeMeyere Chotard Jr. died in Memphis on January 26, 2026, at the age of 88. He was former president of Trustmark Corporation and former deputy comptroller of the Currency. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Mary Jane Calame Chotard; his two dearly beloved sons, Richard Chotard and his wife, Margaret, of Nashville, and Christopher Chotard and his wife, Milena, of Charlotte; and the lights of his life, his three treasured grandchildren, Lauren, Evan, and Anna Jane Chotard.
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2 months ago
Last week, House Speaker Jason White unveiled HB2, the Mississippi Education Freedom Act - the most exciting and ambitious advancement for school choice in our state in years, perhaps ever!
This comprehensive bill delivers everything supporters of parental power have long hoped for, and it aligns perfectly with President Trump’s strong commitment to education freedom.
This isn’t some minor adjustment or performative law – it’s the real thing for anyone who believes in putting parents in charge of their children’s education.
By Douglas Carswell - Mississippi Center for Public Policy on
2 months ago
Students listed to the Jackson Academy’s first quarter honor roll include:
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2 months ago
Mr. Jefferson warned of the American Presidency: “bad men will sometime get in”. Now that we can plainly see; that we plainly know. The Sage of Monticello wrote for the ages. It is time for the Congressmen from both parties along with the Courts, and perhaps the Cabinet itself, to speak up more firmly to reign in a destructive President.
By Robert Wise - Guest Columnist on
2 months ago
Bill Pierce’s sons, (from left) Sam and Paul Pierce; his wife, Patricia Pierce;
LouAnn Woodward; and Calvin Thigpen at the chair-naming ceremony
Dr. Calvin Thigpen, professor of medicine and director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, has been named the Dr. Paul W. Pierce III Chair in Internal Medicine. The appointment unites two physicians, both shaped by a deep commitment to the practice of internal medicine and a shared passion for mentorship.
The legacy of the chair’s namesake, Dr. Paul Williamson “Bill” Pierce III, is that of a leader and a dedicated physician. Though, medicine was not his first profession.
By Rachel Vanderford - Special to the Sun on
2 months ago
Mayor Gene McGee
Gene McGee set two personal goals he hopes to accomplish for the city of Ridgeland in 2026.
One goal focuses on the expansion of Freedom Ridge Park at 235 E. School St., he said, and the other centers upon moving ahead plans for the Ridgeland Performing Arts Center.
McGee said he expects to have the final design for Freedom Ridge Park’s development and for the city to take bids on it this year.
By Nell Luter Floyd - Sun Staff Writer on
2 months ago
Jackson business leaders Liz and Bill Brister say Mississippi’s capital city is closer than many realize to a downtown renaissance — if state leaders and private investors will help push it over the finish line.
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2 months ago
Joseph Alexander Purvis, much loved husband, father, grandfather and friend, died suddenly at home on January 26, 2026. He was born in Jackson, Mississippi, on October 2, 1953, the youngest of four sons of Dr. George Dewey Purvis and Janet Mitchell Purvis.
Joe attended Jackson Public Schools, and attained the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America, and graduated from Southwestern at Memphis (now Rhodes College). He earned his juris doctor degree in 1984 at Mississippi College School of Law, where he was a member of the law review.
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2 months 1 week ago
Guy Lee Hovis Jr. passed away peacefully on Thursday evening, January 22, 2026, at the age of 84. He leaves behind a legacy of love, kindness, and an unwavering commitment to his family, friends, and the many audiences he entertained over his lifetime.
Guy was born on September 24, 1941, in Tupelo, the son of Guy Lee Hovis Sr. and Frances Hovis. From the age of five, he began singing in church, a passion that would become the foundation of a remarkable career spanning more than 40 years entertaining audiences of all ages all over America.
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2 months 1 week ago
George Guice Bell Jr, 82, passed away at The Blake in Flowood, January 22, 2026. He was born to George Guice Bell and Sharlyne “Tina” Whittington Bell October 30, 1943, in Jackson. George was a leader and a problem solver with a great sense of humor. He was an optimist who looked for the best in people and circumstances. George was an adventurer who loved meeting new people, exploring the great outdoors, traveling, photography, motorcycles and snow skiing.
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2 months 1 week ago
By the skin of our teeth, Jackson's Northside was spared with little ice storm repercussions.
The rain moved out just as temperatures dropped at 1p.m. There was just a small accumulation of ice on tree limbs.
Even so, there were scattered power outages throughout the area caused by ice-laden limbs dropping on above-ground power lines. Neighborhoods with buried utility lines fared much better.
Impassable streets and widespread power outages could have spelled disaster with residents stuck in their heatless homes with no way out and 20 degree temperatures.
By Wyatt Emmerich - Publisher, Jackson Northside Sun on
2 months 1 week ago
With temperatures hovering just below freezing and ice visibly accumulating on branches, the next six hours is critical for the Northside.
To the north, Winona and Grenada are almost totally without power. Whether Jackson escapes that fate remains to be seen
Weather radar indicates hours more of rain and temperatures right at freezing. Just one or two degrees will determine our fate.
By Wyatt Emmerich - Publisher, Jackson Northside Sun on
2 months 1 week ago
Madison-Ridgeland Academy honor roll students for the second nine weeks of 2026 term include:
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2 months 1 week ago
Photo by Nell Luter Floyd, © 2026 Emmerich Newspapers, Inc.
Plans include widening West County Line Road
The Madison County Board of Supervisors, the Hinds County Board of Supervisors, the city of Jackson, the city of Ridgeland and the Madison County Economic Development Authority plan to work together to improve West County Line Road.
The boards of supervisors, the city of Ridgeland, the city of Jackson and the Madison County Economic Development Authority plan to sign an intergovernmental cooperation agreement and be part of a regional partnership dedicated to improving West County Line Road, said Ridgeland Mayor Gene McGee.
By Nell Luter Floyd - Sun Staff Writer on
2 months 1 week ago
Mayor Mary Hawkins-Butler
An announcement about the development of a town square in the city of Madison tops the mayor’s list of good things expected to happen in 2026.
“We hope to have an announcement about the plans and development of the Madison Square some time in 2026,” said Mary Hawkins-Butler, who has served as the mayor of Madison for 45 years.
The city of Madison purchased the 17-acre parcel at U.S. Highway 51 and Main Street years ago with the expectation of developing a downtown square there.
By Nell Luter Floyd - Sun Staff Writer on
2 months 1 week ago
Marian “Happy” Skaggs was born May 28, 1929 in Pratt, Kan. She was the youngest child of Minnie and Clay Skaggs. It was an eventful time for America and west Kansas. The Roaring 20’s had subsided, the stock-market crash of 1929 was five months away with the Great Depression soon to follow. Then the ‘Dust Bowl,’ a hard drought that lasted from 1930 to 1936 hammered parts of Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas to include Pratt. When asked about the Dust Bowl, Happy would recall her silhouette outlined in fine dust on the pillow when she awoke in the morning.
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2 months 1 week ago
James (“Jim”) Lloyd Flippin went home to be with his Lord and Savior on January 17, 2026. He was born on February 7, 1947, in Memphis, to Bilbo and Elizabeth Flippin. Jim graduated from Independence High School in 1965 and, later that year, married his high school sweetheart, Leslie Lewis Flippin, on September 17.
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2 months 1 week ago
The city of Madison is no longer fluoridating their water and Ridgeland is on the verge of following Madison’s lead. It’s going to be a good decade for Northside dentists.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists fluoridation of drinking water as one of 10 great public health interventions of the 20th century because it led to a dramatic decline in cavities after community water fluoridation began.
By Wyatt Emmerich - Publisher, Jackson Northside Sun on
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1 day 13 hours ago
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