Mississippi

DeSoto County recorded the largest shift toward Democrats of any Mississippi county in the U.S. Senate race, swinging approximately 23 points from 2020 to 2026. Mississippi's permit board rejected an appeal of air permits for SpaceXAI's Southaven data center following two days of testimony.

Tippah News · DeSoto Co., MS

Headline onlyMississippi Today · DeSoto Co., MS

Independent Mississippi Senate candidate Ty Pinkins said he remained in the race despite knowing he couldn't win because he drew votes primarily from Republican areas. Pinkins received about 20,000 votes, and Democratic candidate Scott Colom won the seat, becoming Mississippi's first Black U.S. senator since Reconstruction.

WSFA · Mississippi

Mississippi's environmental regulator affirmed an air permit allowing xAI to operate 41 gas turbines in Southaven on Nov. 10, rejecting environmental groups' challenges that the facility could become a major smog pollution source in the region.

FOX13 Memphis · DeSoto Co., MS

The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality rejected an appeal challenging an air permit granted to SpaceXAI for operating 41 methane gas turbines at a Southaven power plant supporting a nearby Memphis data center. Environmental groups had appealed the permit citing emissions concerns, but the agency's Permit Board dismissed the appeal, citing insufficient evidence.

Action News 5 · DeSoto Co., MS

Headline onlyFourWeekMBA · DeSoto Co., MS

Headline onlyFox News · Mississippi

Mississippi environmental regulators found that SpaceXAI began constructing its Southaven data center facilities without required water pollution permits, potentially incurring $6.1 million in fines based on $25,000-per-day penalties for violations affecting approximately 30 acres.

HottyToddy.com · DeSoto Co., MS

Headline onlyWREG.com · Mississippi

Headline onlySovereign Wealth Fund Institute | SWFI · Mississippi

Headline onlyWLBT · Mississippi

The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality permit board held a hearing Monday regarding a proposed power plant for a Southaven data center. Discussion focused on air emissions permits and potential impacts on water usage, utility bills, and noise levels for North Mississippi residents.

WAPT · DeSoto Co., MS

xAI has installed eight jet engines converted into generators at one data center to power operations, but environmental experts and agencies are raising concerns about the approach due to high inefficiency and pollution levels. The Southern Environmental Law Center is challenging Mississippi's approval, arguing the generators exceed emission standards and may not meet promised carbon reduction targets.

SlashGear · Mississippi

The U.S. Senate race between Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democratic challenger Scott Colom remains undecided as election workers count outstanding ballots, with all but one other Senate race nationwide already decided. State environmental regulators imposed penalties against SpaceXAI for constructing its Southaven data center without required water permits, with potential fines reaching $6.1 million.

Tippah News · DeSoto Co., MS

Mississippi Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner Andy Gipson will chair an evidentiary hearing Monday before the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality Permit Board regarding MZX Tech's gas-fired power plant in Southaven that supplies electricity to SpaceXAI data centers. The hearing, which begins at 9 a.m., marks the first evidentiary hearing the agency has held over a power plant tied to a data center, according to Gipson.

DeSoto County News · DeSoto Co., MS

Headline onlyThe Grand Junction Daily Sentinel · DeSoto Co., MS · also at WV News

Mississippi environmental regulators alleged that SpaceXAI began construction on its Southaven data center without required water pollution permits, violating state law. The company faces potential fines up to $6.1 million, with penalties of $25,000 per day of continued violations without permits.

Route Fifty · DeSoto Co., MS · also at Athens Daily Review, Yahoo! Finance Canada, Henry Herald

SpaceXAI is constructing two additional data centers in Southaven on Tulane Road—one at a former city training facility and another at a former Hormel building—expected to come online in November and December respectively. The expansion brings the Memphis metro area total to six data centers, though increased traffic congestion has affected some local businesses while generating significant tax revenue for the county and city.

Action News 5 · DeSoto Co., MS

Southaven's Board of Aldermen approved a $26.7 million, eight-indoor-tennis-court facility on Nov. 3, with the city planning to fund it using approximately $11 million in tourism tax revenue and a general obligation bond for the remaining amount.

DeSoto County News · DeSoto Co., MS

DeSoto County supervisors are pushing SpaceXAI to increase buyout offers to homeowners near its power plant expansion, calling current offers of 110 percent of appraised value insufficient for relocation costs in the area.

DeSoto County News · DeSoto Co., MS

SpaceX is seeking to purchase 418 homes in Colonial Hills, a Southaven neighborhood, reportedly to support its expanding artificial intelligence operations and accommodate employees. The buyout offers are conditioned on residents withdrawing from a pending lawsuit over noise disruption from nearby turbines and power facilities operated by the company's subsidiary MZX.

TechRadar · DeSoto Co., MS

Residents near xAI's expanding Southaven supercomputer campus report sharp increases in traffic, congestion and noise as construction continues on two additional facilities. The company, operating under the SpaceXAI name, plans six total supercomputer facilities across the Memphis-Southaven area, with five expected operating by year's end.

DeSoto County News · DeSoto Co., MS

Headline onlyMississippi Today · Mississippi

A Mississippi federal court denied SpaceX's motion to dismiss a lawsuit alleging Clean Air Act violations at its Southaven facility, allowing the NAACP to proceed with claims that unpermitted gas turbines endanger public health. The court rejected arguments that the turbines qualify for temporary exemptions under state regulations.

Mississippi Free Press · DeSoto Co., MS

xAI operates eight converted jet turbines at its Mississippi data center under state permits that allow elevated volatile organic compound limits, though the Southern Environmental Law Center has challenged the approval citing concerns about emissions standards and projected pollution levels.

Mezha.net · Mississippi

xAI has installed eight converted jet engine turbines at a Mississippi data center despite environmental concerns over pollution, volatile organic compounds, and carbon monoxide emissions. The Southern Environmental Law Center has challenged the state's approval, arguing xAI failed to guarantee compliance with emissions standards for specific pollutants including formaldehyde.

Tom's Hardware · Mississippi

Headline onlylocalmemphis.com · DeSoto Co., MS · also at Yahoo, Yahoo

Elon Musk's xAI is expanding its supercomputer campus across Tennessee and Mississippi with six total facilities planned, including two new data centers under construction in Southaven expected operational by end of 2026. Nearby residents report increased traffic, congestion, and noise from the growing development.

FOX13 Memphis · DeSoto Co., MS

Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes introduced an ordinance to rescind Jackson's six-month moratorium on data centers, which the council approved in July with a 5-2 vote. The reason for seeking to end the ban was unclear, and the ordinance was listed for introduction rather than immediate voting.

WLBT · Hinds Co., MS · also at WLBT

A federal court in Mississippi ruled that xAI's gas-turbine power plant supplying its Colossus 2 data center must face Clean Air Act permitting claims, rejecting the company's argument that the stationary facility qualifies as exempt mobile equipment. The NAACP and environmental groups allege the plant was built and operated without required air permits and could emit over 5,000 tons of nitrogen oxides annually.

Gadget Review · DeSoto Co., MS