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Jackson: Drinking water emergency declared

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State health department declares drinking water emergency for Jackson

The state health department declared a public drinking water supply emergency for Jackson on Tuesday, the morning after Gov. Tate Reeves announced that the city’s treatment system had begun to fail.

The release listed the following reasons for the declaration:

• Insufficient number of certified operators at J.H. Fewell and O.B. Curtis Water Treatment Plants
• Insufficient number of maintenance staff at all water treatment plants and to support the distribution system
• Failure of multiple raw water pumps at O.B. Curtis Water Treatment Plant
• Low levels of water in storage tank
• Low water pressure impacting proper sanitation and education opportunities

The statement also said that disinfection levels are not reliable enough to prevent the potential of disease-causing organisms in the drinking water, including E. Coli, cryptosporidium, and giardia.

As part of the declaration, the Mississippi State Health Department is ordering that City of Jackson employees “cooperate with state response teams and contractors deployed to augment current staffing and to take remediation actions deemed necessary by the State Incident Commander.”

In his announcement on Monday, Reeves said that the state was deploying health department staff to O.B. Curtis on Tuesday to evaluate the plant’s ability to produce water.

In a tweet Tuesday, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency instructed Jackson residents on what to do and not do during the current boil water notice. MEMA wrote not to drink the water, although neither MEMA nor MSDH have clarified since yesterday whether or not the water is safe to drink after boiling it.

Yesterday, State Health Officer Dr. Daniel Edney instructed residents to boil water for three minutes before using water to drink, brush teeth or cook.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Mississippi News

LIVE: Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs guilty of prostitution-related offense

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www.wjtv.com – Safia Samee Ali – 2025-07-02 09:18:00

SUMMARY: Sean “Diddy” Combs was found guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution but acquitted of racketeering and sex trafficking charges after a seven-week trial. The jury convicted him of flying people, including girlfriends and paid sex workers, across the country for sexual encounters, violating the federal Mann Act. However, they did not find sufficient evidence for racketeering conspiracy or sex trafficking. The prosecution portrayed Combs as the head of a criminal enterprise exploiting women, while the defense argued the women were consenting adults and the charges exaggerated his lifestyle. The trial included testimonies from former partners and lasted 13 hours of jury deliberation.

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Mississippi News

Defendant in Mississippi auditor’s ‘second largest’ embezzlement case in history goes free

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www.wjtv.com – Anna Wolfe – 2025-06-28 10:19:00

SUMMARY: Four years ago, Tunica nonprofit operator Mardis Jones was arrested for allegedly embezzling over $1 million from a county home rehabilitation program funded by casino revenue. The state auditor accused Jones of misusing funds meant to help vulnerable residents, claiming little money reached contractors. Jones’ defense cited poor program administration and insufficient evidence of theft, with a jury ultimately acquitting him last month. Despite the criminal acquittal, the auditor’s office demanded repayment through a civil claim, which the attorney general’s office had yet to act on, but recently confirmed receipt of the demand letter. The case highlights issues in government oversight and program management.

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Mississippi News

Events happening this weekend in Mississippi: June 27-29

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www.wjtv.com – Kaitlin Howell – 2025-06-27 07:11:00

SUMMARY: This weekend (June 27-29) in Mississippi offers a variety of events across the state. Central Mississippi hosts the Kiwanis Club of Pearl Golf Tournament, multiple hot air balloon events including the Mississippi Championship Hot Air Balloon Festival in Canton, and exhibitions like Hurricane Katrina: Mississippi Remembers in Jackson. There are also family-friendly activities such as Guys and Dolls Jr. in Natchez, Pilates and yoga events in Jackson, and farmers markets in Jackson, Natchez, and Vicksburg. The Pine Belt region features Story Time with a Soldier in Hattiesburg, immersive theater experiences, karaoke, and runs supporting recovery programs in Laurel.

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