RIPLEY, Miss. — Tippah County voters now know exactly what they will decide on Nov. 3. The general election ballot has been finalized, sample ballots have been published, and the deadlines that govern registration and absentee voting are locked in.
That news landed the same week the county gained a new stretch of highway, a Walnut coach entered the county record book and forecasters began warning about a heat index that could push past 105 degrees by Sunday afternoon.
Here is Tippah County news today — the ballot, the deadlines, the weather you need to plan around and the road work reshaping the Ripley corridor.
Nov. 3 ballot is set: what Tippah County voters will decide
The ballot for the Nov. 3 general election has been finalized, with sample ballots published in recent days, according to the Tippah County Circuit Clerk’s office. Deadlines for voter registration and in-person absentee voting have also been set.
Tippah County voters will weigh in on a U.S. Senate seat, the 1st Congressional District seat and seven judicial contests. Voters in District 1 will also choose an election commissioner — the only race on the county ballot limited to a single district.
Key election dates and deadlines
Monday, Oct. 5 — Deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 3 election.
Through noon Saturday, Oct. 31 — In-person absentee voting. Circuit clerks’ offices will be open 8 a.m. until noon that Saturday.
Tuesday, Nov. 3 — Election Day. Polls are open 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.
Questions? Contact the Tippah County Circuit Clerk’s office at 662-837-7370.
District 1 Election Commissioner
District 1 voters only. All candidates nonpartisan.
Larry (Doc) Dollar
Stephanie Ford
Tony Jones
Leta Kelley
United States Senate
Scott Colom (Democrat)
Cindy Hyde-Smith (Republican)
Ty Pinkins (Independent)
U.S. House of Representatives, 1st Congressional District
Johnny Baucom (Libertarian)
Cliff Johnson (Democrat)
Trent Kelly (Republican)
Judicial races
All judicial candidates appear on the ballot as nonpartisan.
Court of Appeals, District 1 (Place 1)
Derek Dewayne Hopson Jr.
John Weddle
Court of Appeals, District 1 (Place 2)
Donna M. Barnes
Chancery Court, District 18 (Place 1)
Jenessa Carter Hicks
Sarah J. Liddy
Jennifer L. Shackelford
Michael Watts
Chancery Court, District 18 (Place 2)
Bob Whitwell
Circuit Court, District 3 (Place 1)
Gray Tollison
Circuit Court, District 3 (Place 2)
Bart Adams
Shirley C. Byers
Steven Patrick Jubera
Circuit Court, District 3 (Place 3)
Kent E. Smith
What the ballot tells you
Four of the seven judicial contests on the Tippah County ballot are uncontested — Court of Appeals District 1 Place 2, Chancery Court District 18 Place 2, and Circuit Court District 3 places 1 and 3 each drew a single candidate. Those seats are effectively decided.
The deepest fields are both four-candidate races: the District 1 Election Commissioner seat and Chancery Court District 18, Place 1. Chancery court is where divorces, child custody, guardianships, estates and land disputes are settled — the court most Tippah County families are likeliest to encounter in their lifetime, and one that often draws the least attention on a ballot.
With four candidates and no party labels to guide voters, that race is worth homework before Nov. 3.
Storms first, then a stretch of dangerous heat
Strong thunderstorms pushed across Tippah County and the surrounding region early Saturday, carrying heavy rain, frequent lightning and wind gusts of 30 to 50 mph inside the strongest cells, officials warned as the line moved through. No significant damage had been reported in the county as of midday.
Saturday’s activity capped an unusually wet stretch. Rainfall estimates released Friday showed some areas picked up several inches in a 24-hour window, leaving saturated ground, standing water in low spots and swollen ditches across North Mississippi.
The relief will not last.
The National Weather Service office in Memphis says highs will climb into the upper 90s and approach 100 degrees beginning Sunday, with heat index values rising above 105 degrees in some locations across the Mid-South. Heat Advisories are possible as the pattern locks in.
Forecasters had flagged the setup earlier in the week, cautioning that relief would be limited once the ridge built back over the region. Combine mid-September sun with the moisture left behind by this week’s rain, and the result is the kind of oppressive humidity that turns a 98-degree afternoon into a 105-degree one.
The practical takeaway for Tippah County families is straightforward: Saturday’s storms were the front end of a weather week that turns genuinely dangerous by Sunday afternoon. Outdoor workers, weekend ballplayers, livestock handlers and anyone without reliable air conditioning should plan for it now rather than react to it later.
Heat safety basics
Drink water before you are thirsty. Thirst is already a late signal.
Shift outdoor work to early morning or after sundown when possible.
Never leave a child or pet in a parked vehicle, even briefly, even in shade.
Check on elderly neighbors and anyone living alone without working air conditioning.
Know the warning signs. Heavy sweating, dizziness, nausea and muscle cramps point to heat exhaustion. Hot, dry skin and confusion point to heat stroke — call 911.
A new stretch of Highway 2 opens as the Ripley bypass takes shape
The biggest long-term story in Tippah County right now is being paved a mile and a half at a time.
On a map it is a short segment. In context, it is the first completed piece of something much larger: a planned four-lane bypass on State Route 15 running from Blue Mountain to Ripley.
MDOT District 1 Engineer Matt Dunn described the new connection as a first step toward a corridor built to absorb heavier traffic volumes, reduce congestion and support regional economic growth — the three arguments county leaders have made for the bypass for years.
Drivers who use SR 368 or County Road 700 should expect travel patterns in that area to keep shifting as later phases of the project move forward. Anyone routing trucks or farm equipment through the Blue Mountain–Ripley stretch should verify the current alignment before hauling.
Why the road work matters: a $4.2 million bet on North Ripley
Highway money rarely moves in isolation, and this project is no exception.
The purpose of that grant is narrow and deliberate: make the site shovel-ready. Site selectors evaluating a rural county rarely reward potential. They reward a graded pad, a paved approach and utilities already in place — because every month a company spends on dirt work is a month it is not producing.
Read the two projects together and the county’s strategy comes into focus. Route freight around Ripley instead of through the square, and hand prospects a finished pad at the north end of town with a four-lane connection to it. Neither piece works nearly as well without the other.
Meeks makes history: Walnut coach notches win No. 90
Walnut traveled to Holly Springs on Friday night and came home with the county’s only varsity football victory — and a place in the Tippah County record book.
The Wildcats beat previously unbeaten Holly Springs 22-14, delivering head coach John Meeks the 90th win of his career — every one of them earned at Walnut. Meeks is Tippah County’s winningest high school football coach, a distinction he claimed earlier this season.
The win doubled as a rebound. Walnut had been shut out 29-0 by Belmont a week earlier. The Wildcats moved to 2-1; Holly Springs dropped to 2-1 with its first loss of the season. It is the second consecutive year Walnut has beaten Holly Springs.
The rest of the county had a harder Friday. Ripley fell 42-7 at Lewisburg and sits at 1-2. Falkner lost 41-6 at Bruce and is also 1-2.
Next Friday’s slate
Walnut at Alcorn Central — Friday, Sept. 18, 7 p.m.
East Webster at Ripley — Friday, Sept. 18, 7 p.m.
East Union at Falkner — Friday, Sept. 25, 7 p.m. (Falkner is idle next week)
Both Blue Mountain Christian cross country squads placed second at Friday’s Harding Invitational in Searcy, Arkansas.
Ella Shepherd led the women in sixth place at 19:45.80, followed by Kaedyn Wilson (15th), Ally Moore (20th), Jorja Kate Mooneyhan (21st) and Ruth Hutchinson (24th). Jonah Barnhardt paced the men with a seventh-place finish in 21:17.60, with Lukas Dykes (11th), Samuel Aguilar (21st) and Austin Ellis (25th) close behind.
Center for Grace & Healing nears the finish line
Construction crews moved Blue Mountain Christian University’s Center for Grace & Healing measurably closer to completion this week, installing lab casework and millwork, painting lobby ceilings, finishing interior storefront glazing and preparing the lecture hall for seating. Outside, work continued on site masonry, grading, hardscapes, exterior lighting, rooftop patio flashing and an ADA ramp.
For a county of roughly 23,000 people, a university building out health sciences capacity is not a campus story. It is a workforce story.
A long Saturday on the volleyball court
Pine Grove and Walnut spent Saturday in a full day of matches against New Albany, Lake Cormorant and Olive Branch, with first serves starting at 8 a.m. and play running into the afternoon. The complete daily schedule is posted at TippahSports.com.
Sunday through midweek — the heat. Watch for Heat Advisories from NWS Memphis as highs approach 100 and heat index values climb past 105.
Tuesday, Sept. 15 — Board of Supervisors. The board’s published schedule sets a 10 a.m. meeting at 101 E. Spring St., second floor, in Ripley. Meetings are open to the public.
Friday, Sept. 18 — football returns. Walnut chases win No. 91 at Alcorn Central while Ripley looks to even its record at home against East Webster.
Monday, Oct. 5 — voter registration deadline. Just over three weeks out. Check your registration now rather than the week of.
Ongoing — the bypass. Expect continued shifts in traffic patterns near State Route 368 and County Road 700 as MDOT advances the next phases.
Catching up on Tippah County
Newer to the county or just catching up? A few stories worth your time:
Have a news tip, a photo or an event Tippah County should know about? Send it to us — local news works best when neighbors feed it. Bookmark TippahNews.com for daily Tippah County news and TippahSports.com for Tiger, Wildcat, Eagle, Panther and Cougar coverage.
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
