When Bay St. Louis native Mary Brooks established a weekend festival called Bay Fest in 2025, she was unaware that the town of Bay Springs, a three and a a half hour drive away in central Mississippi, had its own separate Bay Fest that had been running for 35 years.

The post A Tale of Two Bay Fests: Jasper and Hancock Counties Plan Separate Celebrations for Same Weekend appeared first on…

ICE arrested, shackled and separated Israel and Max Makoka as they were about to board their school bus in Diamondhead, Mississippi. While one brother endured confinement and pressure to self-deport in a Louisiana prison, the other was sent to a youth home in Texas.

The post Shackled, Isolated and Pressured to Self-Deport: Makoka Brothers Recount ICE Arrests appeared first on Mississippi Free…

Mississippi is preparing to launch a new Rare Disease Task Force as families struggle with decisions about where to find care, decisions that include long travel.

The post Mississippi Rare Disease Task Force Comes as Families Travel Out of State for Care appeared first on Mississippi Free Press.

City leaders in Diamondhead, Mississippi, plan to hire a police chief this month as the city moves closer to creating its own police department.

The post Diamondhead Nears Launch of City Police Force appeared first on Mississippi Free Press.

Features Editor Nate Schumann announces the launch of a new, biweekly Sunday newsletter called MFP Upbeat. “No matter how saturated our feeds may be at times, I firmly believe in finding reasons to stay positive,” he writes.

The post Editor’s Note | MFP Upbeat to Debut, Spreading Positivity Every Other Sunday appeared first on Mississippi Free Press.

Israel and Max Makoka, the Hancock High School students whom ICE arrested on April 21, are free after U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker intervened on the brothers’ behalf.

The post Israel and Max Makoka Are Coming Home After ICE Arrests Galvanized Their Mississippi Community appeared first on Mississippi Free Press.

A Mississippi bus driver shepherding about 40 children home from Hancock Middle School had an asthma attack last Wednesday that led her to black out while the bus was in drive. Quick-thinking students safely brought the vehicle to a halt.

The post Hancock Middle School Students Stop Bus From Crashing After Driver Blacks Out appeared first on Mississippi Free Press.

Hancock County, Mississippi, high school students Max and Israel Makoka are supposed to be at school, with Israel only weeks away from graduation. But while waiting for a school bus, ICE took and detained the brothers over a paperwork issue neither they nor their host family knew about.

The post Max and Israel Makoka Were Waiting for a Hancock High School Bus. ICE Took the Brothers Instead.…