Tevis Hillis

JACKSON, Miss. - As Oklahoma leaders search for ways to improve the state’s education ranking and test scores, News 9 examined what some have called the “Mississippi Miracle.” For generations, Mississippi was a punchline in conversations about public education. The state was consistently ranked 50th. Always last. “I would tell them my name and that I was from Mississippi, and this would be the look that I would get,” said Erica Jones, Executive Director of Mississippi’s Association of Educators.

The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry is inspecting store scales across the state as holiday grocery shopping picks up. The department’s Weights and Measures Program checks thousands of scales each year to ensure shoppers are charged accurately — a key concern during one of the busiest shopping seasons. Gary Smith, program manager for the department’s Weights and Measures Program, said his team of 17 inspectors covers all 77 counties.