As we reflect on the past year, it’s hard to forget some of the more outlandish things that happened in Mississippi—a state that contributes more than its fair share of bizarre and/or fascinating stories year after year.
In a news year marked by triumph and tragedy, we turned to Reddit and our own archives to help us compile a list of unusual Mississippi stories from 2017, many of which left us speechless, slack-jawed and sometimes laughing ourselves to tears.

A Biloxi school removed “To Kill a Mockingbird” from its junior high reading list, which ignited a national firestorm and eventually convinced school officials to reverse the decision.

http://magnoliastatelive.com/mississippi-school-district-pulls-kill-mockingbird-lesson-plan-due-uncomfortable-language
 

A “cougar spotting” in Hernando had North Mississippians on edge, and a live shot from a Memphis news station had the entire nation laughing.

http://magnoliastatelive.com/house-cat-hilariously-crashes-live-tv-spot-mississippi-cougar-sighting-report/
 

A Mississippi man en route to a “voodoo doctor” ended up in a police chase after crashing his car at a Louisiana airport. He was found without clothing and explained to police it was because snakes were crawling up his pants.

http://magnoliastatelive.com/mississippi-man-heading-voodoo-doctor-crashes-fence-strips-off-clothes-thinking-snakes-crawling-pants/

Louisiana Tech’s game against Mississippi State wasn’t expected to draw a national audience. That is, until the Louisiana-based Bulldogs managed to lose 87 yards on a single hilarious play.

https://twitter.com/tbradenbishop/status/906708860727152646

A few years back, The Clarion-Ledger’s Jerry Mitchell reported that around 2,000 bodies were buried beneath the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

That’s creepy enough, especially when you consider the bodies are mental patients buried beneath what was then the state’s first mental institution. This year, the creep factor escalated when the number of bodies hit around 7,000—covering 20 acres of UMMC’s campus.

A Mississippi woman whose religious beliefs include wearing only skirts or dresses sued a restaurant chain after they fired her for not following their dress code.

http://magnoliastatelive.com/mississippi-restaurant-chain-sued-not-letting-christian-employee-wear-skirt-instead-jeans/

Two Mississippi teachers were indicted after it was discovered they had been buying prescriptions from a 16-year-old student.

http://magnoliastatelive.com/mississippi-teachers-indicted-for-buying-adderall-lortab-from-16-year-old-student

Mississippi police officers resigned over a sex scandal that made it seem like they didn’t have much time for doing their actual, um, jobs.

http://magnoliastatelive.com/mississippi-police-officers-reportedly-resign-accused-of-having-sex-on-the-job/
What were your most memorable stories of the year? Tell us in the comments.