Local Education & Culture: Northeast Lauderdale students toured The MAX as part of a Mississippi Power Foundation partnership, using hands-on visits to connect classroom learning to state history and future possibilities. Tourism & Community: Visit Meridian named 2026-2027 Community Grant recipients, backing local events and cultural projects meant to draw overnight visitors and keep downtown buzzing. Arts & Literature: A Mississippi Writers Trail marker honored Noel Polk at USM, spotlighting the Faulkner scholar’s lifelong work shaping how Mississippi stories are studied and taught. Civic Life: Lowndes County voters gained a permanent precinct location after the Lone Oak Volunteer Fire Station was restored and designated for District One elections. Immigration & Human Rights: Mississippians held a “Walk for Eddie” after ICE detained Kiln resident Heriberto “Eddie” Reyes-Ochoa following a car wreck, with family describing fear and uncertainty. Public Safety & Health: A Mississippi man survived a motorcycle fire during a test drive that doctors pegged at 18% survival, and he’s now rebuilding strength at a burn center in Memphis. Music: Mississippi blues legend Jesse Robinson is set for a free MSU concert Thursday, “Echoes from the Delta,” bringing blues, jazz, and soul to campus. Workforce Training: AccelerateMS and the Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid launched the UPSKILL Mississippi Grant to help adult learners pursue workforce-aligned certificates and associate degrees. Arts in the City: Downtown Jackson Partners’ Alley Gallery mural project added a new public-art piece at an Episcopal church, aiming to “activate” downtown spaces through inclusive storytelling.