Much of Kristi Melancon’s approach to education involves helping students rethink the things they take for granted. Professor and chair of the Department of English and World Languages at Mississippi Christian University, Melancon challenges them with seemingly basic questions. Who can be an educator? What is knowledge? What is the power of language?    …

By Cara Pridemore Independence Day is one of the most important holidays for an American, and this year’s celebration is especially significant, coinciding with the nation’s semiquincentennial, or 250th anniversary, as well as Mississippi Christian University’s bicentennial, marking 200 years since its founding. Together, university leaders say these milestones make this Independence Day a truly…

Special to The Clinton Courier Commissioner Willie Simmons, Chairman of the Mississippi Transportation Commission, has announced updates to several Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) projects across central Mississippi, including several in Clinton and in and around the Hinds County area. “We are well into maintenance and construction season here in central Mississippi, and I am…

Special to The Clinton Courier The “Cook Around the World” competition held at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, early last month included a culinary team from Clinton High School, who brought home a second-place win overall in the Asian Entreé category. Seventy schools from around the country and over eight hundred culinary students…

Special to The Clinton Courier Ginny Grace Brumfield, a second-grade teacher at Northside Elementary School, recently received a one-thousand-dollar graduate scholarship from Mississippi Professional Educators, the state’s largest and premier organization for professional educators. Brumfield is a National Board Certified Teacher and a current Mississippi Christian University student pursuing an educational specialist degree in educational…

By Randy Bell The Board of Aldermen has made changes to some of Clinton’s city ordinances and has approved a new ordinance dealing with nuisance property.   At its May 2 meeting, the Board voted to amend the zoning ordinance to include data centers and similar facilities which had not been specifically addressed in the…

  The State Fire Marshal’s Office (SFMO) and Mississippi Insurance Department (MID) encourages fireworks safety this Independence Day. “I expect that this year, as we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, fireworks use will be at an all-time high. It’s up to you to implement safety standards when shooting fireworks at home. That means using common sense,…

Special to The Clinton Courier Main Street Clinton welcomes the community to participate in a patriotic evening at the upcoming June 30 Fresh at Five farmer’s market. Held weekly every Tuesday evening in the 300 block of Jefferson Street from 5 until 7 p.m. through July 28, the markets typically host fifteen to twenty vendors,…

By Cara Pridemore Few one-year-olds have to undergo surgery, especially one as life-changing as the procedure that saved Cornelius Kimple’s life. At just eighteen months old, Kimple received a kidney donated by his mother. “We went from hospital to hospital for those first few months of my birth,” Cornelius Kimple, a 23-year-old Clinton native, said.…

Special to The Clinton Courier After more than a year of construction, the Pinehaven Bridge is now officially open to traffic. The bridge replacement project, which began in April 2025, involved the complete reconstruction of the bridge crossing Bogue Chitto Creek. The new structure was designed to improve long-term safety, increase reliability and provide a…

America Prays 250 is a nationwide, grassroots prayer movement mobilizing churches and leaders from coast to coast for a unified one-hour of prayer on July 4, 2026. Beginning at 9:00 AM in each time zone and moving across the nation, we will gather to seek God for spiritual revival among believers and a spiritual awakening in…

On the night of July 4, 1776, Philadelphia printer John Dunlap set the Declaration of Independence in type and printed an estimated 200 copies. These broadsides, large single-page printed sheets, were the document that spread the news of independence across the colonies. Twenty-six copies are known to survive. The auction record was set in 2000…

Crown Club of Clinton recently announced their 2025-26 scholarship recipients. Pictured (l to r) are Junior Auxiliary of Clinton Scholarship Chair Alisa Watson; Jamaya Ivory, who received the “Heart of Crown Club” scholarship; Taijha Hackett, who received the “Carolyn Lynchard Education Scholarship;” Keyera Mallett, who received the “Hands and Feet” scholarship; Kayla Richardson, who received…

The Clinton High School Alumni Association (CHSAA) recently announced its 2026 scholarship winners. This year is the 26th consecutive year that CHSAA has awarded scholarships to graduating Clinton High School seniors. The association, founded in 2000, is a nonprofit whose primary objectives are to foster fraternity among CHS graduates through reunions, provide scholarships for worthy…

By Randy Bell Clinton Fire Chief Levius Buckley earned a round of applause from the Board of Aldermen June 2 when he announced that the fire department has filled fifty-seven of its fifty-eight funded positions. Some firefighters have left the department to make more money in other nearby cities, and there have been a number…

By Randy Bell The bear sightings reported in Clinton in April and more recently around Utica should come as no surprise, especially at this time of year. “What you have are young males that are dispersing from the [female bears] that raised them up until this point in their lives,” says Anthony Ballard, the Black…

    Groves named 2026 Military Friendly® Veteran of the Year for Mississippi Special to The Clinton Courier   Ryan G. Groves, a Clinton resident, retired U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer Three, combat- wounded veteran, and National Park Service leader, has been selected as the 2026 Military Friendly® Veteran of the Year for the State…

YMCA and DaVita Partner to Offer Free Community Kidney Health Screenings in Flowood and Clinton Jackson, Miss. – The Metropolitan YMCAs of Mississippi and DaVita Kidney Care are partnering to provide free community health screenings focused on kidney health, blood pressure awareness, and preventive care. The screenings are open to the public and designed to…

The Clinton Courier The Clinton Public School District is getting ready for its 2026-27 school year, which begins for students on July 20. Proof of residency is required for all new and returning students before the start of school. Parents and guardians will be able to prove residency for the school year at the CPSD…

By Randy Bell Clinton voters gave overwhelming approval to four more years of a two per cent restaurant tax during a special election June 9. The tax revenue is earmarked for parks and recreation improvements. Needing 60 per cent approval to pass, 82 per cent of the voters were in favor of the tax. At…

The undergraduate elementary teacher preparation program at Mississippi Christian University has earned an A+ rating from the National Council on Teacher Quality for how well it prepares future teachers to teach reading to elementary students. The NCTQ’s report, “Teacher Prep Review: Decoding Progress in Reading Preparation,” published on June 9, spotlights MC for meeting the…

  The Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning has given Stage Two approval for three Doctor of Nursing Practice tracks at the Mississippi Christian University School of Nursing. This approval will allow MC to admit students into its August 2026 cohort of the fully online programs. Mississippi consistently has approximately 3,000 nursing vacancies, about one-fifth of…

    The Institute for the Advancement of Minority Health will offer an all-male yoga experience designed to promote mental wellness, stress reduction and self-care among Black men across Mississippi.  Balanced Man: A Men’s Mental Health Yoga Experience will be held from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, June 29, at Split Rebel Yoga Studio,…

By Randy Bell The City of Clinton wants someone from the community to play a major role in Clinton’s annual Fourth of July celebration this year, performing the National Anthem at the event. Local musicians and vocalists were invited to submit video auditions and a winner chosen in online voting will perform the Star Spangled…