Sandra Knispel

Mississippi remains under a hard freeze warning with overnight temperatures in the low teens. MPB’s Sandra Knispel reports from Oxford.

Northeast Mississippi's furniture industry has been losing jobs steadily since the beginning of the new Millennium. That's when cheaper Chinese imports began to squeeze local manufacturers. Now the Mississippi Furniture Association is fighting for legislative support. MPB's Sandra Knispel has more from an industry luncheon in Tupelo yesterday.

While U.S. automakers are hoping for a bailout package from Congress, everybody down the automobile supply chain is feeling the pain. In Mississippi, Cooper Tire & Rubber company has been offered a substantial incentives package to keep the company's Tupelo plant from closing. MPB's Sandra Knispel reports.

With the economic downturn, more people depend on food pantries and soup kitchens to supplement their meals, especially at Thanksgiving. In many parts of the country, giving is down as those middle-class families who used to donate suddenly find themselves in the opposite position. MPB's Sandra Knispel reports from Oxford.

Two partisan bloggers, whose opposing views are featured on the Clarion-Ledger's Red/Blue blog, argued over politics at the University of Mississippi's Overby Center yesterday evening. MPB's Sandra Knispel has more from Oxford.

Toyota says media reports of the Japanese automaker delaying the production start at its Mississippi plant near Tupelo are NOT true. MPB's Sandra Knispel has more.

Toyota Motor Company is setting up an emergency committee to focus on cost cutting and to review all new projects. This comes after the automotive manufacturer cut its profit forecast for the fiscal year by nearly 70 percent. MPB's Sandra Knispel has more on what this means for Toyota's plans for Mississippi.

Mississippi is not usually thought of as a major destination for illegal immigrants. Still, the arrest of nearly 600 suspected undocumented workers just two months ago in Laurel may have altered that perception. At the University of Mississippi's School of Law, a renowned author made his case against immigration Wednesday night. MPB's Sandra Knispel reports.

Incumbent Republican Senator Thad Cochran and his Democratic challenger, Erik Fleming, separately visited the University of Mississippi's Overby Center this week. On Wednesday, Cochran was the first to field questions from Clarion-Ledger columnist Sid Salter. MPB's Sandra Knispel has more.