This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune.

• The Mississippi Department of Mental Health hopes the new free downloadable app will empower individuals to take control of their mental health and seek help if needed.

The Mississippi Department of Mental Health (DMH) has launched a new app aimed at helping Mississippians with mental health needs.

DMH says the Mental Health Mississippi mobile app is an innovative, user-friendly tool designed to provide immediate access to mental health resources and support.

“This mobile app is a continuing step in DMH’s commitment to enhancing access to mental health services and improving wellness throughout the state,” the agency said.

The features and resources offered in the new app include:

• A resource directory to search for mental health service provides such as counselors, crisis intervention and substance abuse treatment.

• An interactive map showing available services in each Mississippi county.

• Crisis support links to 24/7 hotlines and emergency services.

• Various educational resources on treatment and wellness strategies.

Wendy Bailey, executive director of DMH, said the app will make these and more resources readily available to all Mississippians in need.

“The Mental Health Mississippi mobile app represents a significant advancement in our effort to support mental health and wellness in our state,” Bailey said. “By providing easy access to essential resources and support, we hope to empower individuals to take control of their mental health and seek the help they need.”

The new app is available for free download on both Apple and Android devices.

This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Read original article by clicking here.

This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune.

• The Mississippi Department of Mental Health hopes the new free downloadable app will empower individuals to take control of their mental health and seek help if needed.

The Mississippi Department of Mental Health (DMH) has launched a new app aimed at helping Mississippians with mental health needs.

DMH says the Mental Health Mississippi mobile app is an innovative, user-friendly tool designed to provide immediate access to mental health resources and support.

“This mobile app is a continuing step in DMH’s commitment to enhancing access to mental health services and improving wellness throughout the state,” the agency said.

The features and resources offered in the new app include:

• A resource directory to search for mental health service provides such as counselors, crisis intervention and substance abuse treatment.

• An interactive map showing available services in each Mississippi county.

• Crisis support links to 24/7 hotlines and emergency services.

• Various educational resources on treatment and wellness strategies.

Wendy Bailey, executive director of DMH, said the app will make these and more resources readily available to all Mississippians in need.

“The Mental Health Mississippi mobile app represents a significant advancement in our effort to support mental health and wellness in our state,” Bailey said. “By providing easy access to essential resources and support, we hope to empower individuals to take control of their mental health and seek the help they need.”

The new app is available for free download on both Apple and Android devices.

This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Read original article by clicking here.

This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune.

• Whether you follow the classic recipe or put your own spin on it, this dish is sure to become a favorite in your household.

Part of adulting is cooking most nights, and honestly, it’s not easy, especially after a long day. Sometimes you just need a set-it-and-forget-it meal – something warm, hearty, and versatile.

You need something easy to pair with any sides or repurposed for a stew or sandwich because who doesn’t love to get the most bang for their grocery buck?

You need the Mississippi Pot Roast. 

From Humble Beginnings to Viral Sensation: The History of the Mississippi Pot Roast

Maybe you’ve heard of the Mississippi Roast, also known as “the viral Mississippi Roast” or “that roast recipe online,” but like any great Mississippi food, the entree had humble beginnings at a church potluck. 

Robin Chapman of Ripley, Mississippi, is credited with the Mississippi Roast recipe. She talked to the Seattle Times nearly a decade ago to discuss the famous recipe that was born from necessity around her family dinner table. Simply put, she changed a few ingredients in the roast to meet her family’s taste buds. 

When Chapman took the dish to church, friends asked for the recipe. It is relatively simple: slow-cooking a chuck roast with a packet of ranch dressing mix, a packet of au jus gravy mix, a stick of butter, and a few pepperoncini peppers. Easy peasy, pepperoncini squeezy. 

It could be the simplicity that made the recipe so sought after. The roast went viral the old-fashioned way, through word of mouth and hand-scribbled recipe cards. Then, it was shared on a blog. Then another. And another. 

Jump ahead to the social media age, and the Mississippi Pot Roast is viral on every social media platform. In the 2010s, it took Pinterest and Facebook by storm. When TikTok boomed into the social media market, thousands of posts about this Mississippi Pot Roast made the recipe viral again. Food forums, home chef blogs, YouTube channels, and more featured this simple yet delicious recipe. Now the Mississippi Roast is one of those dishes that goes down on the menu of good Mississippi eatin’. 

Mississippi Roast: Viral Status Renewed by a Mississippi TikTok Chef

Thanks to TikTok stars like Caroline Davis, this now Southern staple has emerged from the collection of church cookbooks and spread worldwide. 

Caroline Davis, known as Mississippi Kween on TikTok, brings a touch of Southern flair to her cooking videos. With a nod to traditional Mississippi flavors, she demonstrates how to make the perfect Mississippi Pot Roast with a few personal tweaks. Her engaging personality and clear instructions make it easy for her followers to recreate the dish at home.

Versatility on a Plate: Why the Mississippi Pot Roast Slaps 

So, what’s so special about the Mississippi Roast? 

1. Simplicity: There’s nothing to it! Toss it in the slow cooker (or pressure cooker, if you’re so inclined) and get on about your business.
2. Flavor: Ranch mix, au jus mix, butter, pepperoncini, chuck roast… you know the saying, “If it tastes good alone, it must all taste good together?” Mississippi Pot Roast is the prime example.
3. Versatility: While the traditional recipe is viral, the comments are loaded with people adding twists, from searing the roast ahead of time to playing with the ratios of the ingredients.
4. Comfort: You know it will await you when you’re ready. There’s just something so warm about a crockpot meal, and this one is no exception. Plus, that smell when you leave and return a couple of hours later? Heaven.

Joining the Trend

If all this talk of roast doesn’t have you rushing to the nearest church cookbook or social media for a recipe, you’re missing out! 

Between TikTok tutorials, cooking blogs, Pinterest boards, cookbooks, and more, you’ve got the Mississippi Pot Roast recipes with any variations at your fingertips. Whether you follow the classic recipe or put your own spin on it, this dish is sure to become a favorite in your household.

Look, I’ll make it easy on you. 

Here’s how I make it. I’m no Robert St. John or Mississippi Kween, but I know good food when I taste it! 

Courtney’s Mississippi Pot Roast

INGREDIENTS

• 3lb Chuck Roast
• One packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Mix (it matters to me, but use your favorite brand) 
• Stick of Butter
• One packet of Au Jus mix 
• One jar of pepperoncini 
• Garlic powder (or the esteemed “Jarlic,” jarred minced garlic)

INSTRUCTIONS

Sear off your chuck roast in a cast iron skillet with some garlic and butter. Sear each side and the ends. 

Put the roast in the crockpot and sprinkle the au jus and ranch powders on top. Then, pour the juice of the pepperoncini, roughly half the jar, over the top. Toss in your stick of butter, then cook on low for 7 hours. When you’re ready, slice it or shred it. However you’d like to serve it! 

I get two nights out of this for my family of four. I slice what I need the first night and serve it with mashed potatoes or mac-and-cheese (my kids’ favorite) and a veggie. The second night, I slice it and serve it over rice or on sliders with provolone cheese. I throw the sliders in the oven for extra cheesy goodness. 

What’s your take on the Mississippi Roast? 

This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune.

• But God’s firm foundation stands. – 2 Timothy 2:19

The foundation upon which our faith rests is this, that “in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them.” The great fact on which genuine faith relies is that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,” and that “Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God”; “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree”; “Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.” In one word, the great pillar of the Christian’s hope is substitution.

The vicarious sacrifice of Christ for the guilty, Christ being made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him, Christ offering up a true and proper expiatory and substitutionary sacrifice in the room, place, and stead of as many as the Father gave Him, who are known to God by name and are recognized in their own hearts by their trusting in Jesus—this is the cardinal fact of the Gospel. If this foundation were removed, what could we do? But it stands firm as the throne of God. We know it; we rest on it; we rejoice in it; and our delight is to hold it, to meditate upon it, and to proclaim it, while we desire to be stirred and moved by gratitude for it in every part of our life and conversation.

In these days a direct attack is made upon the doctrine of the Atonement. Men cannot bear substitution. They gnash their teeth at the thought of the Lamb of God bearing the sin of man. But we, who know by experience the preciousness of this truth, will proclaim it confidently and unceasingly and in defiance of them. We will neither dilute it nor change it, nor distort it in any shape or fashion. It shall still be Christ, a positive substitute, bearing human guilt and suffering in the place of men. We cannot, dare not give it up, for it is our life, and despite every controversy we affirm that “God’s firm foundation stands.”

This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Read original article by clicking here.

This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune.

• But God’s firm foundation stands. – 2 Timothy 2:19

The foundation upon which our faith rests is this, that “in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them.” The great fact on which genuine faith relies is that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,” and that “Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God”; “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree”; “Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.” In one word, the great pillar of the Christian’s hope is substitution.

The vicarious sacrifice of Christ for the guilty, Christ being made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him, Christ offering up a true and proper expiatory and substitutionary sacrifice in the room, place, and stead of as many as the Father gave Him, who are known to God by name and are recognized in their own hearts by their trusting in Jesus—this is the cardinal fact of the Gospel. If this foundation were removed, what could we do? But it stands firm as the throne of God. We know it; we rest on it; we rejoice in it; and our delight is to hold it, to meditate upon it, and to proclaim it, while we desire to be stirred and moved by gratitude for it in every part of our life and conversation.

In these days a direct attack is made upon the doctrine of the Atonement. Men cannot bear substitution. They gnash their teeth at the thought of the Lamb of God bearing the sin of man. But we, who know by experience the preciousness of this truth, will proclaim it confidently and unceasingly and in defiance of them. We will neither dilute it nor change it, nor distort it in any shape or fashion. It shall still be Christ, a positive substitute, bearing human guilt and suffering in the place of men. We cannot, dare not give it up, for it is our life, and despite every controversy we affirm that “God’s firm foundation stands.”

This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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LAS VEGAS (AP) — President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 while traveling Wednesday in Las Vegas and is experiencing “mild symptoms” including “general malaise” from the infection, the White House said.

Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden will fly to his home in Delaware, where he will “self-isolate and will continue to carry out all of his duties fully during that time.” The news had first been shared by Unidos US President and CEO Janet Murguía, who told guests at the group’s convention in Las Vegas that the president had sent his regrets and could not appear because he tested positive for the virus.

Dr. Kevin O’Connor, the president’s physician, said in a note that Biden “presented this afternoon with upper respiratory symptoms, to include rhinorrhea (runny nose) and non-productive cough, with general malaise.” After the positive COVID-19 test, Biden was prescribed the antiviral drug Paxlovid and has taken his first dose, O’Connor said.

Biden was slated to speak at the Unidos event in Las Vegas Wednesday afternoon as part of an effort to rally Hispanic voters ahead of the November election. Instead, he departed for the airport to fly to Delaware, where he had already been planning to spend a long weekend at his home in Rehoboth Beach.

Biden gingerly boarded Air Force One and told reporters traveling with him, “I feel good.” The president was not wearing a mask as he walked onto Air Force One.

The president had previously been at the Original Lindo Michoacan restaurant in Las Vegas, where he was greeting diners and sat for an interview with Univision.

Biden has been vaccinated and is currently on his recommended annual booster dose for COVID-19. The vaccines have proven highly effective at limiting serious illness and death from the virus, which killed more than 1 million people in the U.S. since the pandemic began in 2020. Paxlovid has been proven to curtail the chances of serious illness and death from COVID-19 when prescribed in the early days of an infection but has also been associated with rebound infections, where the virus comes back a few

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After weeks of back and forth, the widow and brother of Dau Mabil have agreed on a pathologist who can perform an independent autopsy. 

Hinds County Chancery Judge Dewayne Thomas wrote in a Wednesday order that Dr. Daniel Schultz, president of Florida-based Final Diagnosis, may perform the autopsy. 

Thomas denied a motion that asked for the autopsy to be performed by Bul Mabil’s choice pathologist, Dr. Matthias Okoye of the Nebraska Institute of Forensic Sciences. 

“Although the independent autopsy is to be conducted at the direction and expense of Bul Garang Mabil, this court did not exclude Karissa Bowley from the process,” the judge wrote. “As the surviving spouse of Dau Mabil, Karissa Bowley has a legal right to be included in all matters concerning this process.” 

Dau Mabil – a Belhaven Heights resident in his 30s who had been one of the “Lost Boys of Sudan” and came to Jackson in 2000 –  disappeared in March after leaving his house to go on a walk. Early on, Bul Mabil questioned what happened to his brother and whether someone was responsible. 

Weeks later, Dau’s body was found over 50 miles away in Pearl River in Lawrence County. The State Medical Examiner report released in June found Dau died from drowning, but the manner of death was undetermined. 

Bul Mabil has continued to ask whether there was any foul play, and he and his attorneys have previously said that an independent autopsy can help answer that question. 

Thomas previously ordered that an independent autopsy would need to happen within 30 days of the conclusion of any law enforcement investigation. Capitol Police completed its investigation around the end of June.

Karissa Bowley, Dau’s widow, disagreed with Bul’s choice of Okoye, pointing out how the pathologist faced a lawsuit that questioned his findings in an autopsy report. She proposed several other pathologists who could perform Dau’s autopsy. 

Bul Mabil rejected Bowley’s alternatives and provided two more before they agreed on Schultz, according to court records. Shortly after, Bul’s attorney said he chose Okoye and only agreed to Schultz if Okoye was not available. 

In Wednesday’s ruling, Thomas said Schultz met all requirements previously set by the court, but he did not make a determination about Okoye or other “allegations of incompetency and partiality” raised about the pathologist. 

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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• Congressmen Guest (R), Ezell (R), and Thompson (D) sit on the House Homeland Security Committee. An oversight hearing with DHS, FBI and Secret Service is planned for next week.

Three of Mississippi’s four Congressmen will hear from Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray, and Secret Service (USSS) Director Kimberly Cheatle when the House Committee on Homeland Security convenes for a hearing next Tuesday, July 23.

The Committee’s chairman, Mark Green (R-TN), called the oversight hearing to examine the facts and circumstances surrounding the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania on Saturday.

The requested information and documents for the hearing are due on Friday, July 19, and the briefing request must be satisfied by Monday, July 22. Members want to see:

• The security plan to secure the perimeter of the event site;
• Communications between or among personnel at the Department of Homeland Security and the Executive Office of the President related to any potential increase or addition of protective resources to President Trump’s security detail;
• Briefing materials used by Secretary Mayorkas and Secret Service Director Cheatle to brief President Joe Biden about the attempted assassination of President Trump.

Trump, the Republican nominee for President, was hosting a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania when 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire from the rooftop of a nearby building, killing one attendee and critically injuring two others. A bullet pierced Trump’s right ear before the former President ducked and was soon covered by Secret Service agents. Agents returned fire, killing Crooks in the process.

President Joe Biden (D), Trump’s General Election rival, addressed the nation hours later, saying he had directed a thorough investigation into the security of the former President. Since then, Mayorkas and Cheatle have limited their comments on the shooting. Questions have swirled on social media in the days following the assassination attempt, raising concerns over the security planning and response at the rally. Much of the speculation has been fueled by video footage and firsthand reports shared by attendees. Federal investigators continue to assess Crook’s motives and associations.

In a statement announcing the hearing, Committee Chairman Green said the American people want answers on what happened in Pennsylvania.

“Secretary Mayorkas and Director Cheatle are responsible for the department and the agency charged with securing our homeland and protecting our nation’s chief executives and candidates, while Director Wray leads the agency with the vital responsibility of investigating this attempted assassination,” Chairman Green said. “It is imperative that we partner to understand what went wrong, and how Congress can work with the departments and agencies to ensure this never happens again.”

Chairman Green went on to say that successful oversight requires Congress to work together with the federal officials as they testify publicly before the House Committee on Homeland Security.

“The American people, and the individuals and families who receive protective services, deserve nothing less,” Green added.

Mississippi’s 3rd and 4th District Republican Congressmen Michael Guest and Mike Ezell, respectively, serve on the Homeland Security Committee, as does the state’s lone Democrat Congressman Bennie Thompson of the 2nd District. Thompson is his party’s ranking member and previously chaired the Committee.

Guest, a former District Attorney, told Magnolia Tribune on Wednesday that he is committed to finding answers.

“With the news of what happened last weekend, Haley and I continue to pray for President Trump and our nation,” Guest said of he and his wife.

The 3rd District Congressman is the Vice Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee and also the Chairman of the House Ethics Committee. He added that Americans are shocked.

“I am committed to finding answers to determine the chain of events that allowed this assassination attempt to occur,” Guest said. “The Committee on Homeland Security will be leading the Congressional inquiry into the attempted assassination of President Trump. As Vice Chairman of that committee, I will do everything I can to see that the American people get the answers they deserve.”

Congressman Ezell, a former Sheriff in his first term representing the 4th District, brings an understanding to the hearing that few others in Congress have.

“As a former law enforcement officer, I am familiar with the unique relationship local law enforcement and the United States Secret Service have while working in coordination,” Ezell told Magnolia Tribune Wednesday. “It is clear there was an obvious breakdown of communication between these agencies this past weekend.”

Ezell said the briefs members have received have been helpful as they collect the facts and details of the heinous act.

“As a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, I look forward to next week’s hearing where we will hear testimony of this attempted assassination against President Trump,” Ezell said. “The American public, Corey Comperatore’s family, and President Trump deserve answers on how and why the situation escalated to the level it did. We must ensure that we learn from this horrific incident and that this never happens again.”

Comperatore is the husband, father and former fire chief who was killed at the rally by the assassin.

Thompson’s office did not respond to a request for comment as of press time.

The 2nd District Congressman, who served as chairman of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s select House committee to investigate the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, has been highly critical of former President Trump. However, Thompson sent Trump his “thoughts and prayers” Saturday evening after the shooting, saying, “There is no room in American democracy for political violence.”

The next day, following social media outcry, Congressman Thompson announced that he had fired a staffer who posted a message on Facebook expressing the desire that the shooter’s aim be better next time.

This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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A new task force aimed at addressing mental health in Mississippi schools began meeting at the state capitol in Jackson on Wednesday.

The K-12 and Postsecondary Mental Health Task Force, comprised of 24 members across government, education, and healthcare, will gather through Thursday and begin cataloging public resources available for mental health. Co-chairs Rep. Rob Roberson and Sen. David Parker have also opened the task force up to public testimonies and suggestions.

“It’s just very scary. It’s just a matter of trying to find the resources that are available out there to get these children the help they need as quickly as we can,” Roberson said during an appearance on MidDays with Gerard Gibert.

Roberson, a Republican who represents a portion of Oktibbeha County, added that time is of the essence when it comes to finding resources for students struggling with mental health. According to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mississippi ranks 13th in the U.S. with 10.4 deaths by suicide per 100,000 residents ages 15-19.

“There’s a time crunch there. You really need to be hitting this fast,” Roberson said. “This is not something that can wait 48 hours or a week. We need help as soon as possible.”

Following the initial meetings, the task force plans to branch out to other non-profits and experts not represented on the committee. The public is invited to provide any insight to [email protected] that could offer aid in drafting future mental health-related legislation.

A full list of members of the K-12 and Postsecondary Mental Health Task Force is as follows:

Dr. Jonathan Baker, UMMC Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist Sen. Kevin Blackwell, Chairman of Senate Medicaid Sen. Nicole Boyd, Chairwoman of Senate Universities & Colleges Sen. Hob Bryan, Chairman of Senate Public Health & Welfare Wendy Clemons, Associate Superintendent at the Mississippi Department of Education Rep. Sam Creekmore, Chairman of House Public Health & Human Services John Damon, CEO of Canopy Children’s Solutions Dr. Daniel Edney, State Health Officer Heather Garrett, Teacher and Science Chair at Brandon Middle School Joy Hogge, Executive Director for Families as Allies

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