Business News for the Mississippi Delta

Stem the Tide

Back in September, the paper I write for profiled a young man from Sunflower County who is attempting to bring a commercial biodegradable plastic cup to market. Indianola Academy graduate Joey Daniels is the founder of New Wave Plastics.  When we caught up with Daniels, he was conducting research and development out of an airport […]

Taking Care of What Matters

Agriculture is, without question, the most important industry in the Mississippi Delta. Farmers and the allied agriculture industries that support farmers drive the local economy in the 19-county region of the state, more than any other business. Mississippi State University’s Delta Research and Extension Center (DREC) was established in 1904 as the Delta Branch Experiment […]

Positive Education News

It’s been a busy spring for Mississippi’s public university system. The close of the 2024 legislative session saw a total appropriation for FY25 of nearly $893 million, which represents a modest 0.4% increase over FY24. Within the total appropriation, a 6.5% increase was included for campus operations to address rising costs related to health insurance, […]

As Costs Go Up

Like most things these days, the material costs related to generating and delivering power have gone up recently. Almost 70 percent of the energy produced by Entergy Mississippi comes from natural gas which has doubled in cost over the last year. Since our natural gas purchases are passed through to customers (with no profit to […]

Delta State Prepares Future Industry Leaders 

By William N. LaForge To ensure that our Delta neighbors are aware of some of Delta State’s key and signature academic programs, I am pleased to provide a brief overview of a few of the disciplines that, in many cases, are exclusive to Delta State, and that attract a wide array of students from around […]

A New Era for State Employment

By Kelly Hardwick Forty years. Four decades. Consider how much has changed in forty years. The way we communicate, the way we travel, the way we work, and the list goes on and on. With all the advancements in technology and societal changes, Mississippi state employees had not seen any significant updates or improvements in […]

Tech in Education

By Jason Dean  For decades, Mississippi was behind in education. However, the COVID-19 pandemic prompted many advancements that are giving Mississippi hope and a promising future. Although the state was already working hard on improving education, the pandemic added extra pressure to address multiple long-known issues such as lack of learning devices and few science, […]

Tackle the Tape

By Michael Watson Starting a business in Mississippi has always been a quick and easy process. However, many businesses still struggle to stay alive due to unnecessary government regulations, also known as “red tape.” Mississippi’s regulatory code contains roughly 118,000 restrictions, making us one of the most regulated states in the Southeast. As Mississippi’s Secretary […]

Peter Nimrod

By Mark H. Stowers With 212 miles of levees and 360 miles of interior streams under his charge, Peter Nimrod stands tall as a Delta advocate. His work as the Levee Board Chief Engineer may find him standing on a levee one day and in Washington D.C. the next.  Employed by a six county Board, […]

Entergy Mississippi’s Customer Initiative

By Haley Fisackerly With a pandemic, racial tension, political divisiveness and natural disasters, 2020 has been one of the more challenging years ever. While it is natural to want to bury those memories and look toward a more hopeful future, if we reflect on these last 12 months, we almost surely will find bright spots.  […]