Mississippi’s Friday morning brings a big Saturday in Oxford, two wild junior-college football finales that settled the MACCC picture, a Delta report on two neighboring school districts, and new public-safety news in DeSoto County. Here is the morning roundup from across the Mississippi News Group network for Friday, October 30, 2026.
Top Stories
No. 12 Ole Miss hosts Auburn on Saturday morning. No. 12 Ole Miss is scheduled to host Auburn at 11:45 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, according to the university’s game-day guide. Parking operations and the North Plaza tailgate are listed to begin at 7 a.m., stadium gates are set to open at 9:45 a.m., and the Walk of Champions is scheduled for 9:05 a.m. Read the game-day details.
A tale of two districts in the Delta. A Mississippi Today report, by Leonardo Bevilacqua and Devna Bose, follows Greenville mother Disheanna Brown, who is apartment hunting a four-minute drive from her home — the difference, in her view, between Greenville Public Schools, which she sees as holding her son back, and the nearby Western Line district, which provides the services and resources he needs, including an updated learning plan and a full-time special education teacher. The report says Western Line has stable leadership, decent-to-good scores on the state accountability scale, and a clean record with the state Department of Education on accreditation violations and investigations of wrongdoing. Read the full report.
Around North Mississippi
Southaven police accept applications for the 2027 Citizens Police Academy. The Southaven Police Department is accepting applications for its free 2027 Citizens Police Academy for DeSoto County residents, offering a behind-the-scenes look at police operations with classroom instruction, facility tours, live demonstrations, and hands-on scenarios, including criminal investigations, SWAT and K-9 demonstrations, and a ride with a driving instructor on an obstacle course. Classes are scheduled every Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. beginning Jan. 7, 2027. Read the announcement.
Horn Lake K-9s to receive donated protective vests. Horn Lake police K-9s Art, Caine, and Vincent will receive bullet- and stab-protective vests through a charitable donation from the nonprofit Vested Interest in K9s, Inc., with delivery expected within 10 weeks. Each vest will be embroidered in memory of a fallen K-9: Art’s for K9 Floki of the Mississippi Department of Corrections, Caine’s for K9 Zigg of Southaven, and Vincent’s for K9 Fox of Rankin County. Read the report.
Sports
Jones holds off No. 7 Hinds 43-42 in a wild finale. Jones College erased a 14-point deficit and held on for a 43-42 victory over No. 7 Hinds on Thursday night at Gene Murphy Field at Joe Renfroe Stadium in Raymond. Jevarion Glover threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns for the Bobcats, who led 43-34 with 3:53 remaining before Hinds scored with three seconds left and missed the extra point. Despite the loss, Hinds secured a berth in the MACCC Championship Game against Northwest Mississippi Community College, scheduled for Nov. 7. Read the recap.
Northwest clinches the MACCC North title. No. 5 Northwest Mississippi beat No. 6 East Mississippi 38-28 to secure the MACCC North Division title, improving to 8-2 overall and 6-0 in the division. The Rangers led 28-7 at halftime, DJ Woods rushed for a career-high 157 yards, and Northwest forced three turnovers on fourth-down plays. Read the recap.
Blue Mountain Christian opens basketball season with a century mark. Blue Mountain Christian opened its 2026-27 men’s basketball season Thursday with a 100-81 win over Rust College at Tyler Gym in Blue Mountain. Five Toppers scored in double figures, led by Esrael Yant with 23 points off the bench, while Seck Zongo added 18 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Read the recap.
Mississippi State’s Madison Francis named to McClain Award watch list. Mississippi State sophomore forward Madison Francis is one of 20 players nationally on the watch list for the 2027 Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year Award, announced Thursday by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. The 6-foot-3 sophomore from Lancaster, New York, is the fourth Mississippi State player named to the award’s preseason watch list and the first Bulldog to receive the recognition since the 2023-24 season. Francis led the nation in blocks per game as a freshman, averaging 2.8, along with 13.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game. Read the report.
Stories compiled from Mississippi News Group network sites, including DeSoto County News and Mississippi Sports Group.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
