Tippah County News Today, Sept. 13: Dangerous Heat Arrives, Ballot Deadlines Near, Walnut Rallies in Tupelo
Dangerous late-season heat moves into Tippah County today, county voters are running up on the first hard deadline of the November election, and Walnut’s volleyball team salvaged a long Saturday in Tupelo. Here is what Tippah County needs to know for Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026.
Dangerous heat arrives today and holds through Tuesday
The National Weather Service office in Memphis has issued a Heat Advisory covering areas along and west of the Mississippi River, running from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. today, with heat index values expected to reach 105 to 109 degrees. Near-record to record warmth is forecast to continue through Monday and Tuesday as an upper-level ridge builds across the Lower Mississippi Valley, Alcorn County News reported.
Tippah County sits east of the advisory area, but forecasters have been clear that the same air mass is settling over all of North Mississippi. Afternoon highs here are expected to approach 100 degrees, with heat index readings topping 105 in spots — a forecast the Weather Service flagged Friday as the sharpest heat of the month.
The timing is worth noting for anyone with outdoor plans this week. Football practices, ballfield work, and yard projects that felt routine two weeks ago carry real risk at a heat index above 105. The standard guidance applies: shift heavy work to early morning, drink water before you feel thirsty, and check on elderly neighbors and anyone without reliable air conditioning. Saturday’s storms, which brought heavy rain and wind gusts of 30 to 50 mph across the area, were the last break in the pattern for several days.
Nov. 3 ballot is set, and the registration deadline is Oct. 5
Tippah County’s general election ballot is finalized. Voters will decide a U.S. Senate race, the 1st Congressional District House seat, seven judicial contests, and the District 1 Election Commissioner seat.
In the Senate race, incumbent Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith faces Democrat Scott Colom and independent Ty Pinkins. The 1st District House ballot lists Republican Trent Kelly, Democrat Cliff Johnson, and Libertarian Johnny Baucom. Four candidates — Larry Dollar, Stephanie Ford, Tony Jones, and Leta Kelley — are running for District 1 Election Commissioner.
Four of the seven judicial races are uncontested, which means those seats are effectively decided already. The exception worth watching is Chancery Court District 18, Place 1, which drew four candidates. Chancery court handles divorces, child custody, guardianships, and estates — the court most Tippah County families are likeliest to deal with at some point in their lives, and the one race on this ballot where a vote most directly touches everyday life.
Three dates matter: Oct. 5 is the voter registration deadline, in-person absentee voting runs through noon Saturday, Oct. 31, and polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 3. Full candidate details are in Saturday’s Tippah County report.
First stretch of the Ripley bypass opens on Highway 2
The Mississippi Department of Transportation opened a new 1.5-mile section of State Route 2 on Sept. 8, including two bridges and connections to State Route 368 and County Road 700. It is the first completed piece of a planned four-lane corridor running from Blue Mountain to Ripley.
The near-term effect is modest — a mile and a half of new roadway does not transform a commute. The longer-term case is economic. The state has awarded Tippah County a $4.2 million site development grant to build infrastructure at the North Ripley Industrial Park, the goal being shovel-ready sites that a prospective industry can evaluate without waiting on utilities and access roads. A four-lane connection to Blue Mountain is the piece that makes those sites competitive with parcels in Union and Lee counties. Track further updates under county government coverage.
Tippah County sports: Walnut rallies, Jones and Massengill lead the runners
Walnut’s volleyball team went 2-2 at Saturday’s Tupelo tournament and now sits at 19-4 on the season. The Wildcats answered an opening-set loss to Lake Cormorant with their most decisive set of the day, taking the match 22-25, 25-10, 15-12, and also beat Olive Branch 2-1. Three-set losses to New Albany and Tupelo accounted for the other half of the day, Tippah Sports reported.
On the cross country courses, Walnut’s Landon Jones posted the top county finish of the weekend, taking third in the boys 5K at the Hickory Flat Invitational in 19:30. Teammates James McConnell (12th, 20:44) and Jeremiah McAlister (20th, 21:31) followed, and Evelin Aguilar led the Walnut girls in 15th at 26:16. At the Tupelo Invitational, Ripley’s Jenna-Lynne Massengill finished sixth in the girls 5K at 23:03.1, while Blue Mountain’s Cason Gentry and Caleb Galvez came in 29th and 30th, separated by six-tenths of a second.
The weekend’s headline, though, came Friday night: Walnut football beat previously unbeaten Holly Springs 22-14, giving coach John Meeks the 90th win of his career — every one of them at Walnut, making him the winningest high school football coach in county history. The Wildcats improved to 2-1 a week after being shut out 29-0. Full Friday and Saturday results are here.
At Blue Mountain Christian, the men’s soccer team stayed unbeaten in SSAC play with a 1-1 road draw at Point University, the volleyball team dropped matches to Lindsey Wilson and No. 10 Cumberlands in Kentucky and hosts Freed-Hardeman on Tuesday, and both cross country squads finished second at the Harding Invitational in Searcy, Arkansas.
Monday’s volleyball slate sends teams to Kossuth and New Site at 6 p.m., with Pine Grove and Walnut hosting at 6:30 p.m. More at Tippah County Sports.
Around the region
In Alcorn County, Kossuth stunned Tishomingo County 31-13 and Corinth edged Houston 24-21 in Friday football, per Alcorn County News. In DeSoto County, Olive Branch took the 72nd meeting with Horn Lake 17-12 and Hernando scored 58 points and still lost in double overtime at Kosciusko, DeSoto County News reported.
Mississippi State’s 38-13 win at Minnesota was the Bulldogs’ largest road victory since 2021, with quarterback Kamario Taylor throwing for 227 yards and three touchdowns. Details here.
Worth knowing this week
- MPACT is open again. State Treasurer David McRae announced Mississippi’s prepaid tuition program has reopened, and families can lock in 2026-27 pricing through May 31, 2027. What it covers.
- Velvet season is underway. Hunters must report harvests through the MDWFP Game Check system before 10 p.m. on the day of the kill.
- Mississippi Science Fest, Sept. 19. Hands-on exhibits across four museums in Jackson’s LeFleur Museum District — a reasonable day trip if you have school-age kids.
Tippah News publishes a local rundown every morning. Follow along at Tippah County News and Ripley News.
