Things To Know Monday, March 13

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - If you missed a few of the most important headlines and need to play catch up, no worries. WLBT has gathered some of the top stories from our website to get you up to speed.

1. Mississippi teams learn their March Madness fate

March Madness will officially begin Tuesday with the play-in games for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament in Dayton, Ohio. The Mississippi State men’s team will also be playing in Dayton. The Bulldogs will face the Pittsburgh Panthers on Tuesday at 8:10 p.m. The winner of the game will play Iowa State on Friday in Greensboro, North Carolina. The Lady Dawgs will face Illinois on Wednesday. The winner of the game will play Creighton on Friday in South Bend, Indiana. The Ole Miss women’s basketball team is expected to be safely in the field. The No. 8 seed Rebels will face the No. 9 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs in Stanford on Friday.

2. 3 YEARS LATER: Mississippi’s first COVID-19 case, and where we’ve been

This weekend marks the 3rd anniversary of Mississippi’s first COVID-19 case. Let’s take a look back at what’s happened and see where we’re headed. MARCH 2020: “Now we’ve identified our first case of COVID-19 in Mississippi,” State Epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers said. That statement came to you exactly three years ago this weekend, the day the COVID-19 pandemic came to the Magnolia State. Dr. Michael Threlkeld, an Infectious Disease Specialist with Baptist Memorial Hospital, says experts had no idea what was coming. “When we heard about the first few cases, we all said, ‘Wow, that’s interesting. I wonder if that’ll amount to anything.’ [We] never thought that, you know, three years later, we’d be still sitting here talking about it,” Dr. Threlkeld explained.

3. Coutour Cares organization provides free prom dresses to JPS students

Couture Cares, an organization based in Memphis, Tennessee, brought their prom closet to Jackson in hopes of giving JPS students a night to remember. “When I first walked in, I was like, that is the dress I want,” said Daniya Wallace, a JPSD junior. Inside the Cade Chapel M.B. Church, excited juniors and seniors from several Jackson Public schools waited for their number to be called to pick out their dress of choice for their special night. “This is great for Jackson because they came all the way from Memphis to come and help these girls,” said Draya Smith, a makeup vendor at the event. “They could have went anywhere else, but they came here. It’s a great way for a positive light to be in Jackson versus all of the negative stuff that a lot of people say.”

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