Hosemann wants to reorganize state government Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann wants his Senate to develop a plan to reorganize state government. Hosemann and Sen. Chris Johnson, chair of the Senate Government Structures Committee, set that as a “top priority during next year’s session,” reported the Clarion-Ledger last week. This followed a presentation to Johnson’s committee by former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson who successfully reorganized government in Arkansas. Good luck. The history of significant government reorganization in Mississippi consists mostly of failures (Daily Journal 10/26/24) READ MORE>>>>> Primary runoff will determine what Republican will challenge U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson in November There is only one runoff on the ballot Tuesday to determine who will challenge 16-term Democratic incumbent Bennie Thompson in Mississippi’s 2nd Congressional District. Ron Eller and Andrew Scott Smith were the top vote-getters in the March 12 Republican primary, but neither received the vote majority needed to avoid Tuesday’s runoff election. Eller is a military veteran and physician assistant who placed first in the primary with about 47% of the vote. Smith has worked in commercial real estate and has a background in pumpkin farming and got about 36% of the vote. (MSN 5/27/24) READ MORE>>>>>> The city of Pearl Police Chief Dean Scott has resigned Pearl Police Chief Dean Scott has resigned, according to the city's Public Information Officer Frank Hutton. Hutton said Scott submitted his resignation effective Thursday. No further information is being released at this time because this is a "personnel matter." Scott was named as the chief of the Pearl Police Department in March 2018. (Pam Dankins/Clarion Ledger 1/18/24) READ MORE>>>>>
Coalition of 36 organizations pushes lawmakers for Medicaid expansion in Mississippi As Medicaid expansion remains a top political issue in Mississippi — and sure to be debated this legislative session — one group will be advocating for the policy on the front lines. Care4Mississippi is a coalition of 36 partner organizations, and growing, focused on getting Medicaid expanded in Mississippi. Co-chair Kimberly Hughes, who’s also the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network’s government relations director, says this is the first time the coalition will be “active” during the legislative session, but the work on this issue began years ago. (Devna Bose/Daily Hournal 1/17/23) READ MORE>>>>> 215 bodies were buried in a Hinds County pauper's field. Lumumba says Jackson isn't involved To associate the City of Jackson with national reports of 215 people who were buried in a pauper's field behind the Hinds County Penal Farm is "misinformation" and "dangerous," said Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba. Lumumba made the comments Saturday at the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum during a meeting of the Jackson People's Assembly to discuss important city priorities for 2024. He said the reports, which have been covered by multiple national news outlets in recent days, are harmful to improvements the city is trying to make and the overall narrative of Jackson. (Charly Drape/Clarion Ledger 1/13/24) READ MORE>>>>> House Speaker chooses committee chairs Friday. The Mississippi House of Representatives met Friday to announce Committee appointments ahead of the 2024 legislative session. After the chair, vice chair and member appointments were made Friday morning, House Speaker Jason White said in a press release that he looks forward to working with all the members selected to different committees. (Charly Drape/Clarion Ledger 1/12/24) READ MORE>>>>> Mississippi opts out of federal summer food program, Reeves cites opposition to ‘welfare state’ expansion Gov. Tate Reeves’ office says Mississippi won’t participate in a federal summer food program for children because of his desire to reject “attempts to expand the welfare state.” But officials at the state’s welfare agency that Reeves oversees, which participated in a similar federal program earlier in the pandemic, offered a different reason for opting out of the program: a lack of state resources to administer it. (Julia James/Mississippi Today 1/1/24) READ MORE>>>>> |
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Incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker will face at least two competitors in the GOP primary this year after a state legislator and a retired military colonel filed paperwork last week to run against him. Wicker, state Rep. Dan Eubanks and retired Marine Corps Colonel Ghannon Burton all qualified to run in the GOP primary, according to Mississippi Republican Party officials
(Taylor Vance/Mississippi Today 1/9/24)
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The best job security in Mississippi might be winning an election, or in some instances appointment, to one of the down-ticket statewide offices. The seven down-ticket statewide officials will be sworn in to begin a new four-year term next week during a joint session of the Mississippi Legislature. The swearing in will have the normal pomp and circumstance. The event will also be unusual because for only the second time since at least Mississippi’s 1890 Constitution was enacted, all seven statewide officials who will be sworn in after winning reelection this past November are incumbents.
(Bobby Harrison/Daily Journal 12/30/23)
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But Gov. Tate Reeves remains steadfast in his opposition, despite support from a majority of Mississippians, and has derisively referred to Medicaid expansion as adding more people to “welfare rolls.” |
Q&A: Rev. Charlton Johnson on seeing Medicaid expansion not as a financial issue, but a moral necessity
Rev. Charlton Johnson only joined Together for Hope as leader of its Delta region in September, but he began thinking about Medicaid expansion long before that. Together for Hope, an organization that works with people in the poorest counties in the country, has ramped up its efforts advocating for Medicaid expansion in Mississippi. The nonprofit hosts summits all over the states to bring together faith leaders, medical experts and health care advocates to raise awareness about Medicaid expansion. The policy, which would provide health insurance for an additional 200,000 to 300,000 Mississippians, would greatly improve health care access for the communities they work with, according to the organization. (Devna Bose/Mississippi Today 12/28/23) READ MORE>>>>> |
BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) - On Friday, Dec. 22, U.S. Senator Roger Wicker secured major military investments and conservative priorities in the annual congressional defense bill that passed both chambers of Congress.
The legislation, the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (FY 24 NDAA), which passed 310—118 in the House and 87-13 in the Senate, will now head to the President’s desk to become law.
(WLOX Staff/WLOX 12/23/23)
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The City of Jackson and the State of Mississippi are clashing over the creation of the Capitol Complex Improvement District court established by the passage of House Bill 1020. According to Mississippi Today, the Mississippi Black Caucus protested the passage of the bill on the grounds that it creates a separate court system. This has resulted in an NAACP lawsuit. The NAACP is suing state leaders over two new laws that it says create a “separate and unequal” structure involving the police and courts in the city.
(Daniel Johnson/Black Enterprise 12/23/23)
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Most of Mississippi’s Republican statewide officials and its two U.S. senators have endorsed Donald Trump’s bid for the presidency, according to an article published by Politico on Monday. Seven out of the state’s eight statewide officials endorsed the former president. The only statewide official who is not endorsing Trump’s campaign is Republican Secretary of State Michael Watson. Watson’s office told Mississippi Today that the secretary of state is planning to stay neutral because he will help administer the state’s election.
(Taylor Vance/Mississippi 12/12/23)
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COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) - A councilman in a Mississippi city has been arrested on drug charges for the second time within a matter of weeks. Lowndes County Sheriff Eddie Hawkins said deputies went to Columbus Councilman Pierre Beard’s house late Monday afternoon to serve a warrant on Quavis Betts, a friend of Beard’s. Deputies saw marijuana and methamphetamine in plain sight as they served the warrant. (Acyn/WLBT12/12/23)
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Mississippi officials are calling attention to the growing amount of foreign-owned farmland in the state, although it makes up less than three percent of the state’s agriculture and forest land. The amount of Mississippi farmland owned by foreign, nonresidents grew by over 100,000 acres from 2011 to 2021, according to a November report, totaling over 700,000 acres now. The report was written by a recently formed committee of Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner Andy Gipson; Attorney General Lynn Fitch; Rep. Angela Cockerham, I-Magnolia; Sen. Brice Wiggins, R-Pascagoula; Rep. Bill Pigott, R-Tylertown; Sen. Chuck Younger, R-Columbus; and three private sector appointees.
(Alex Rozier/Mississippi Today 12/12/23)
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Purpose focused. Passion Driven. It’s the theme of the 2022 Gulfport State of the City address from Mayor Billy Hewes. He talked about everything Gulfport, including the blue economy, growth along several different corridors, to the expansion down by Jones Park and the Mississippi Aquarium.
Longtime state Sen. Chris McDaniel, once the standard bearer for tea party conservatives in Mississippi who made two unsuccessful U.S. Senate runs, is pondering a challenge of incumbent Republican Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann next year.
McDaniel says Hosemann isn’t conservative enough for Mississippi.
“My official answer is, all the cards are on the table and all the options are available and there’s time to decide,” McDaniel said when questioned about a run for lieutenant governor. “… (Hosemann) is not one of us, and that’s causing a tremendous amount of frustrated conservatives.”
Doug Evans, the prosecutor who tried Curtis Flowers six times for murder since 1997, lost his bid for a District 5 Mississippi Circuit Court judge seat to Winona Municipal Court Judge Alan D. Lancaster in a runoff election Tuesday.
Run-Off Election Places Tim Gray as Chancery Clerk 11.30.22
Attorney General Lynn Fitch has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to deny the Biden Administration’s bid to reinstate its student debt relief plan.
Earlier this month, the Biden Administration petitioned the Supreme Court to lift an injunction imposed by a lower court and allow the plan to go forward. The administration cited the impact that legal limbo would have on “millions of economically vulnerable borrowers,” including many of the nearly 439,000 Mississippians with student debt.
Former NFL quarterback Brett Favre nagged former Gov. Phil Bryant for help funding a new volleyball facility at his alma mater and a pharmaceutical start-up he had invested in.
Bryant’s subordinates then funneled a total of $7.1 million in federal welfare funds to the two projects, plus another $1.1 million to Favre himself, within what officials have called the worst public fraud scheme in state history.
Favre now says he’s receiving all the blame while officials are letting Bryant off the hook. 11.28.22
The American Lung Association’s 5th annual “State of Lung Cancer” report reveals that Mississippi ranks 47th in the nation for new cases of lung cancer. The report reveals that 73.2 per 100,000 residents were diagnosed in 2022, whereas the national rate is 56.7.
Mike Seilback is with the American Lung Association, and he says that the key to lowering these numbers is detecting the cancer early.
“Mississippi has a lot of progress that it could make on reducing the toll of lung cancer,” he said. “we need to do a better job making sure eligible Mississippians receive lung cancer screenings.”
Dr. Jennifer Bryan, former chairman of the Mississippi State Medical Association, expressed her concerns about the ramifications communities will face if they lose their regional hospitals. According to Bryan, once a medical facility completely shuts down, the domino effect spans from hospital employees losing their jobs to patients losing nearby access to healthcare.
So it comes to a head once again. Earlier this year common sense won over nonsense when the Legislature chose not to fully eliminate personal income taxes. Instead, it moved to phase out the 4% tax bracket plus a few other changes.
Now comes nonsense champion Gov. Tate Reeves once again pushing to eliminate the final 5% bracket.
“Last session the fiscal and the financial environment was right to do exactly that, but unfortunately, the political environment was not," Reeves said at the MEC’s annual Hobnob event. "This session I hope that’s not the case.”
At a hearing in the build-up to writing the nation’s agriculture production law, U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith used the dire outlook of rural hospitals in Mississippi to show why the 2023 Farm Bill should strengthen federal rural development programs to help rural health care facilities stay afloat.
Hyde-Smith serves on the Senate Agriculture Committee that conducted a hearing titled, “Farm Bill 2023: Rural Development and Energy Programs” on in mid-November. It was the latest in a series of hearings leading up to the development of a new five-year farm bill to authorize U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) agricultural, rural development, and nutrition programs.
“Thousands of constituents of mine from Clarksdale, Mississippi, and Greenville, Mississippi, and other rural hospitals throughout the state are living with the fear of uncertainty of their hospital closing,” said Hyde-Smith. “It is a reality.”
According to court documents, former sheriff Terry Grassaree and former deputy Vance Phillips are charged with using facilities in interstate commerce, namely, the internet and a cellular phone, for the purpose of committing the offense of bribery. Grassaree is also charged with lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Over half of Mississippi’s rural hospitals are at risk of closing immediately or in the near future, according to the state’s leading public health official.
Dr. Daniel Edney, the state health officer, spoke to state senators at a hearing Monday about the financial pressure on Mississippi hospitals. Edney said 54% of the state’s rural hospitals — 38 — could close. The potential closures threaten to exacerbate poor health outcomes in one of the nation’s poorest states.
“That is a situation that is intolerable from an economic standpoint — to lose 54% of our hospitals in the state — much less from an access to care perspective,” Edney said.
Attorney General Lynn Fitch led a 11-state coalition to protect the Constitution’s checks and balances that guarantee both security and liberty. The states filed a merits-stage amicus brief at the Supreme Court of the United States supporting the Ohio National Guard in its challenge to a Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) order enforcing collective bargaining for its Guard technicians. 11.17.22
Attorney General Lynn Fitch led a 11-state coalition to protect the Constitution’s checks and balances that guarantee both security and liberty. The states filed a merits-stage amicus brief at the Supreme Court of the United States supporting the Ohio National Guard in its challenge to a Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) order enforcing collective bargaining for its Guard technicians. 11.17.22
Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson has announced a new local food initiative between Mississippi farmers and food banks at the Mississippi Food Network in Jackson.
The Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce (MDAC) was awarded $2.82 million through a Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement with the United States Department of Agriculture. Through this initiative, food will be acquired from local farmers and food producers, including socially disadvantaged farmers and processors, then distributed to underserved communities throughout the state.
11.17.22
Auditor Shad White alleges that Management & Training Corporation, also known as MTC, had nearly 12,000 unfilled mandatory shifts from 2017 to 2020 at the Marshall County Correctional Facility in rural north Mississippi -Mississippi demands $2M from Utah-based prison company 11.14.22
Expansion would mean someone making $18,754 a year (138% of the poverty level) would be eligible for health care coverage through the federal-state program. The federal government would pay 90% of the costs for those covered, with the state paying 10%.
When Medicaid expansion began Jan. 1, 2014, the federal government paid 100% of the costs, stepped down to 90% over years. Mississippi missed out on the larger matching rates from the federal government.
But under the recent American Rescue Plan, the 12 states that have not expanded Medicaid have been offered a financial incentive to do so. That equates to more than $700 million for Mississippi, and more recent studies have factored in those incentives.
11.11.22
House District 1: Trent Kelly vs D. Black
House District 2: Benny Thompson vs B Flowers
House District 3: Mike Guest vs S Young
House District 4: Mike Ezell vs Johnny Dupree
The special session to give incentives to a North Mississippi company is now a done deal. Lawmakers returned for less than 12 hours to approve the money for a project in Lowndes County.
When former Mississippi Gov. James K. Vardaman thought about endorsing the notion of honoring Jefferson Davis and James Z. George with statues in the U.S. Capitol, his intent was clear.
The unabashed white supremacist who often catered to the racist instincts of rural white voters believed that honoring the two men would be a deserved tribute to the Confederate States of America.
Vardaman, who served as Mississippi’s governor from 1904 to 1908, wrote in the newspaper he edited, The Issue, that Mississippi owed it to “the men who wore the grey,” an obvious reference to Confederate soldiers during the U.S. Civil War, to erect a statue of Davis and George in what was then called the “Hall of Fame” at the Capitol.
10.15.22
10.31.22
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed the sentencing of a Mississippi man for threatening to carry out a race war.
Authorities said Aubrey Suzuki, 21, messaged members of a white nationalist organization, made threats to wage a race war and made several statements about Nazi and white supremacist ideology. He was arrested after agents learned that he was in the process of purchasing an AR-15 rifle from an online dealer. He was sentenced to 2½ years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner said, “The defendant in this case made credible threats to shoot members of various minority groups, and then purchased a semi-automatic rifle. While all Americans enjoy a constitutional right to free speech, that right does not include a right to threaten or terrorize other individuals.”
10.21.22
U.S. House races in Mississippi are not usually close contests, at least not in recent years, but two candidates for districts in the Jackson-area believe they can change that.
The last incumbent to lose a general election to a challenger from another party was Democrat Gene Taylor in 2010, when he lost to then state Rep. Steven Palazzo.
10.24.22
"We have been told by city officials that the Mayor of Jackson is planning to functionally end the city’s cooperation with the Unified Command Structure — the team that has been keeping Jackson water stable — by refusing to participate in the process of selecting a water operator alongside federal and state water experts as the Biden Administration repeatedly asked to be done," the governor's office stated in a press release Monday afternoon. 10.16.22
A new Morning Consult poll had to grab the attention of House Speaker Philip Gunn and a few other prominent Mississippi Republicans.
The poll, conducted over a three-month period this summer, tagged Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves as the fifth most unpopular governor in the nation. Reeves had the approval of 48% of the respondents and a 42% disapproval.
10.16.22
An attorney is trying to force former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant to release text messages or other communications about the state improperly using welfare money to help fund development of a concussion drug backed by retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre. 10.11.22
Years before people in Jackson were recently left without running water for several days, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves claimed to have helped block money to fund water system repairs in the capital city.
Reeves, a Republican, blames Jackson's water crisis on mismanagement at the city level. The city's latest water troubles are far from its first, and they have stemmed from decaying infrastructure beyond one water treatment plant. The EPA said 300 boil-water notices have been issued over the past two years in the city.
9.27.22
The Jackson City Council said it is moving on to get a new garbage contract with another company, while it agrees to pay millions of dollars to the mayor's choice for the job — Richard's Disposal. 10.12.22
Former NFL quarterback Brett Favre, currently embroiled in a $77 million Mississippi state welfare fund scandal, released his first statement on the scandal itself on Tuesday claiming that he is innocent of any crimes."I have been unjustly smeared in the media," Favre said in a statement provided exclusively to Fox News Digital. "I have done nothing wrong, and it is past time to set the record straight...Favre's statement is in direct opposition to texts that were released by Mississippi Today last month. The texts are reportedly between Favre and then-Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant, in which Bryant tells Favre how to write a funding proposal that would be accepted by the Mississippi Department of Human Services.. 10.11.22
Video of daycare employees using a Halloween mask to scare little children has gone viral.
They’ve been fired, the owner said. Many people on social media have called for the individuals to be arrested. Currently, no one faces charges.
10.10.22
New’s attorney Gerry Bufkin argues in a court document filed Friday that the evidence suggests Bryant may have had a hand in pushing the project into the end zone.
At this time in July of 2017, Nancy New had already entered a subgrant with the USM athletic foundation for around $200,000, which would be used to renovate another building on campus called M-Club. As the smaller of Mississippi’s big three universities, USM has historically had a harder time generating funds for these kinds of projects.
10.1.22
Gov. Tate Reeves and attorney Brad Pigott agree on one thing: that Pigott was dismissed from leading the state’s lawsuit to recoup millions of dollars in stolen or misspent welfare money because of politics.
Pigott said it was because he was looking into the roles of former Republican Gov. Phil Bryant, the USM Athletic Foundation and other powerful and connected people or entities Reeves and others didn’t want him looking at.
Reeves on Thursday said he signed off on firing Pigott because the attorney wasn’t up to the task, had a “political agenda” and wanted to be in the media spotlight.
9.28.22
Years before people in Jackson were recently left without running water for several days, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves claimed to have helped block money to fund water system repairs in the capital city.
Reeves, a Republican, blames Jackson's water crisis on mismanagement at the city level. The city’s latest water troubles are far from its first, and they have stemmed from decaying infrastructure beyond one water treatment plant. The EPA said 300 boil water notices have been issued over the past two years in the city.
9.28.22
Former NFL quarterback Brett Favre has been in the news for all the wrong reasons this year after the state of Mississippi filed a civil lawsuit accusing him and several others of misusing millions of dollars of welfare funds.
Favre was specifically accused of receiving welfare money in exchange for speeches he never made and of helping to funnel grant funds to companies he’d invested in. 9.27.22
Years before people in Jackson were recently left without running water for several days, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves claimed to have helped block money to fund water system repairs in the capital city.
Reeves, a Republican, blames Jackson’s water crisis on mismanagement at the city level. The city’s latest water troubles are far from its first, and they have stemmed from decaying infrastructure beyond one water treatment plant. The EPA said 300 boil water notices have been issued over the past two years in the city.
9.27.22
Mississippi’s welfare troubles didn’t start with Favre, though.
In 2020, an audit of the $94 million spent by the state’s Department of Human Services resulted in the largest embezzlement scheme in state history. As Jackson, Mississippi, reels from its ongoing water crisis, what needs to change when it comes to the transparency in the use of state funds?
9.27.22
The Justice Department has announced that Axel C. Cox has been charged with hate crime and arson violations for burning a cross in his front yard in an attempt to intimidate his Black neighbors in Gulfport.
According to court documents, Cox is charged with one count of criminal interference with the right to fair housing and one count of using fire to commit a federal felony. It is alleged that on December 3, 2020, Cox threatened, intimidated, and interfered with a Black family’s enjoyment of their housing rights by means of cross-burning, an action conceived by the Ku Klux Klan.
9.26.22
The lawsuit, filed Friday, includes as defendants the City of Jackson, its current and former mayors, the former city public works directors, and companies that have contracted with the city “for their involvement in the ruination of the public water system in Jackson,” attorneys said in a statement. The lawsuit is filed on behalf of four residents to represent all customers. It comes after a nearly two-month long boil-water notice lifted only last week, and a complete failure of the system that resulted in loss of water pressure for most of the 200,000 residents it serves for several days in late August and early September. This prompted an emergency state takeover of the system, and a governor’s state of emergency is still in effect.9.22.22
John Davis, former director of the Mississippi Department of Human Services, enters the Thad Cochran United States Courthouse in Jackson, Miss., on Thursday, where he is pleaded guilty to new federal charges in a conspiracy to misspend tens of millions of dollars that were intended to help needy families.9.22.22
Although Mississippi’s Secretary of State approved a 2022 Medicaid expansion ballot initiative for circulation in April 2021, on May 19 the organizing committee suspended its campaign following a Mississippi Supreme Court decision ruling that the state’s entire ballot initiative process is inoperable due to procedural errors regarding ballot initiative language in the state’s constitution. While Medicaid expansion was a key issue in the 2019 Mississippi gubernatorial election, current Republican Governor Tate Reeves opposes expansion, making it unlikely that the state will take up expansion through legislation.
WLOX : Why one Mississippi mayor vetoed installation of traffic cams found in Ocean Springs 9.20.22
Y'all Poltics: MS04: Libertarian Johnson talks platform ahead of November Midterms 9.20.22
Slate: How Brett Favre and the State of Mississippi Trapped a Volleyball Stadium in the Culture of Poverty 9.16.22
Daily Beast: Mississippi Guv Insults Water-Starved City of Jackson
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves took a swing Friday at the capital city of Jackson—where he lives and which went weeks without clean water. Addressing a crowd in Hattiesburg, the Republican said it was “as always, a great day to not be in Jackson.” The snide remark came as Reeves and city officials point fingers over who is to blame for the water crisis that left that predominately Black community hunting for clean water to drink, cook with, and bathe in for seven weeks. A boil-water notice was lifted on Thursday.9.16.22 |
“I’ve got to tell you it is a great day to be in Hattiesburg. It's also, as always, a great day to not be in Jackson,” Reeves said, as he spoke at a groundbreaking event in the southern Mississippi city on Friday. “I feel like I should take off my emergency management director hat and leave it in the car and take off my public works director hat and leave it in the car.”
9.18.22
Text messages suggest Former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant and NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre, discussed steering federal welfare funds toward the construction of a volleyball stadium at the University of Southern Mississippi. The stench of hypocrisy from Mississippi leaders smells as bad as the water that was flowing through the capital city’s pipes until a few days ago. 9.18.22
Favre is one of several people being sued by the State of Mississippi, alleging they misspent millions of dollars in welfare money. The former NFL star has not been charged with any criminal offences, and has repaid the money, saying in a post on social media that he didn't know the money came from welfare funds. 9.16.22
“What I can tell you is the state has spent about $200 million in the city over the last five or six years,” he said. “As we get the short-run problems fixed, I think you’ll see a greater willingness to invest even more resources beyond the approximately $200 million.” -Gov Tate Reeves 9.12.22
Mississippi has a state budget surplus of more than $2 billion but no clean running water in its capital city. Yet Reeves, Hosemann and Gunn have not publicly called for a special session of the state legislature to appropriate funds to fix the Jackson water treatment infrastructure.
“Nationwide, it is estimated that 10% is fraudulent,” said U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner. “What we are finding locally is that is a gross underestimate. In this district (Northern Mississippi), we estimate the number is well north of 50%.”
A Northeast Mississippi attorney is attempting a legal maneuver to force more scrutiny onto a decision by Gov. Tate Reeves and the state welfare agency to cut ties with Brad Pigott, the attorney who was until July attempting to retrieve millions in allegedly misspent and wasted federal aid dollars for the poor.
On Monday, attorney Jim Waide filed a motion in Hinds County Circuit Court requesting a court hearing to determine whether Reeves unlawfully ordered Pigott’s removal from the civil litigation he had been carrying out on the state's behalf.
The Rental Assistance for Mississippians Program will not accept any applications past Aug. 15, and the state will return as much as $130 million for the program back to the federal government. The total amount that will be returned to the Treasury Department will decrease with each new application that is approved or recertified, according to the governor’s office. “It’s time our state returns to pre-pandemic policies,” Reeves said at a press conference. “We will continue to say ‘no’ to these types of projects and handouts that encourage people to stay out of the workforce.”
7 baffling things about Mississippi’s welfare fraud scandal case
by Geoff Pender, Mississippi Today
August 2, 2022
It's now been three years and counting since investigations began into the largest public fraud case in Mississippi history — a case that involves powerful public officials, former pro football stars and pro wrestlers, and tens of millions of dollars.
And to date, authorities have provided scant information on those investigations, and judges have tried to stifle those involved. Most public information about the case has come from investigation and reporting by Mississippi Today, often to the chagrin of state officials.
THE BACKCHANNEL: Full coverage of Mississippi’s welfare scandal
State officials have assured that federal authorities will run the case to ground, and that punches are not being pulled on any powerful or famous people involved in the theft or misspending.
But to date, to quote former Gov. Phil Bryant about his own role in the scandal, "It doesn't look good," and there appear to be many incongruities about the case and investigations.
Brad Pigott fired from case
State leaders can't get their stories straight on why attorney Brad Pigott was dismissed from leading the state's lawsuit to try to recover millions in stolen or misspent welfare dollars.
First, Mississippi's welfare agency chief said officials were blindsided by Pigott's subpoena of communications between the USM Athletic Foundation, former Gov. Phil Bryant and others over $5 million in welfare money spent on a USM volleyball stadium. But then emails showed Pigott gave them a draft of the subpoena 10 days before he filed it.
Gov. Tate Reeves, who said he signed off on Pigott's dismissal, first said Pigott, as a semi retired sole practitioner, wasn't up to leading such a lawsuit (despite having done so for a year). Then later he said Pigott also had a "political agenda" and was seeking the media spotlight.
Pigott said it was because he was looking into the roles of Bryant, the USM Athletic Foundation and other powerful and connected people or entities Reeves and others didn’t want him looking at.
READ MORE: Welfare head says surprise subpoena led to attorney’s firing. Emails show it wasn’t a surprise
READ MORE: Gov. Tate Reeves says ousted welfare scandal lawyer had ‘political agenda,’ wanted media spotlight
Feds weren't initially called in
State Auditor Shad White spearheaded the initial investigation and charges with a local district attorney — for eight months — without contacting federal authorities. Federal investigation experts said this seems odd, given the case involved tens of millions of federal dollars, and federal authorities have more resources to fully investigate and prosecute such a case.
At the time the auditor and Hinds County DA charged six people in early 2020, the then-U.S. attorney for Mississippi complained he was surprised by the move and only learned of it from media reports.
Subsequent reporting by Mississippi Today that former Gov. Phil Bryant — a close friend and former boss of White — was set to accept stock from a company involved in the fraud scheme in the days before White made arrests. Announcement of the arrests prevented the deal from going through, a Mississippi Today investigation showed. Did the decision to bring charges stymie or delay federal intervention, or give others involved a chance to take cover?
White has said that after the initial arrests, his office and the DA turned everything over to the FBI and have been working closely with federal authorities.
READ MORE: Phil Bryant had his sights on a payout as welfare funds flowed to Brett Favre
READ MORE: Former auditors question whether Shad White was too close to investigate Phil Bryant
Auditing firm was limited in what and who it could examine
The Mississippi Department of Human Services and auditor's office hired prominent national accounting firm Clifton Larson Allen for up to $2.1 million for a forensic audit to get to the bottom of where the money went.
But CLA was limited in what and whom it could examine. In its findings, it noted it was not given access to the former welfare director's computer hard drive or financials and it was limited in whose emails it could examine — initially just those of the welfare director, then later a few more lower level employees. CLA noted in its reports that it perhaps would have found more misspending had it not been severely limited in where and at whom it could look.
Bryant as the 'whistleblower'
Since the 2020 arrests, White has called Bryant the whistleblower in the case — though the fraud tip White says Bryant turned over to his office pertained to a small portion of the larger welfare scheme.
But more recently, communications obtained by Mississippi Today between Bryant and others — including Bryant agreeing to accept stock from a company involved in the scheme — cast doubt on the idea of Bryant being the whistleblower.
Here's a text exchange between Bryant and the company's owner around the time of the alleged whistleblowing:
“Is this your company mentioned in the second paragraph (of a news article on arrests)?” Bryant wrote.
The company's owner said yes, that he’d been subpoenaed and “just gave them everything.”
“Not good…” Bryant wrote.
READ MORE: Q&A with former Gov. Phil Bryant about Prevacus, welfare scandal
No Attorney General case
Attorney General Lynn Fitch has been mostly silent about the largest public fraud case in state history, and her involvement appears to have been limited to signing off on a civil case attempting to recoup misspent money.
Asked recently whether she had any interest in leading a state investigation into the case, Fitch said: "Certainly the AG's office is very engaged, but that's pending litigation and I cannot comment ... We are very invested in it. I just cannot comment any further."
Auditor White initially said he took the case to the notoriously understaffed and backlogged Hinds County district attorney's office for expediency — to quickly halt the fraud and misspending.
More recently, White said he brought in the Hinds DA, a Democrat, to bring bipartisanship to an investigation that might involve powerful Republicans.
READ MORE: Alleged scam: Nancy New’s school claimed to treat hospitalized kids
Many known recipients not included in civil recovery case
MDHS is suing 38 people or companies trying to "claw back" $24 million of the at least $77 million in stolen or misspent federal welfare money.
But those not named in the lawsuit to date have been the subject of much discourse. The lawsuit, for example, doesn't address the largest purchase made in the scheme — $5 million in welfare money spent to build a volleyball stadium at USM, with the payments disguised as a lease. Reeves shied away from committing to recoup those funds, saying he didn't know if the payments were illegal, despite the fact that a defendant in the criminal case has already pleaded guilty, admitting that he defrauded the government by paying welfare money to the USM athletic foundation.
One defendant in the case recently filed a subpoena for Bryant's communication and records involving the volleyball stadium, and has claimed Bryant directed her to spend welfare dollars, including to pay former NFL star Brett Favre $1.1 million in welfare money for speeches he allegedly never gave.
Never-ending gag order and lack of public information
The initial auditor/Hinds DA case has been the subject of judicial "gag orders" for nearly two years — aimed at preventing defendants, attorneys and prosecutors from speaking to the media about the criminal charges.
Most recently, gag orders were extended to include Auditor White and the new welfare director talking about former welfare Director John Davis, who faces criminal charges. The two opposed this, saying such an order amounts to unconstitutional prior restraint and would "severely interfere" with their responsibilities as public officials.
It is unclear whether there will ever be a state-level trial in the case, or when these gag orders might be lifted. The gag orders have appeared to be only mildly effective.
Federal authorities have given no public information about any investigation into the welfare fraud and refused even to confirm they are investigating, although state officials said the feds are.
READ MORE: Auditor, DHS head object to broad gag order in welfare theft case
READ MORE: In welfare scandal, judge weighs public interest versus the right to a fair trial
This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
The law suit that overturned Roe v. Wade was initiated in Mississippi by Thomas E. Dobbs, a state official. Anti-abortion Mississippi politicians hypocritically claim to care about children and families, yet Mississippi has the largest percentage of children living in poverty, the highest infant mortality rate, is the poorest state and has been called the worst place to raise a family.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves needed to explain why he “called the dogs off” the University of Southern Mississippi Athletic Foundation for being one of the top beneficiaries in the state’s massive welfare scandal.
July 23, 2022: CNN: Mississippi police chief fired after audio of slurs surfaces
The White police chief of a predominantly Black town in Mississippi was terminated this week after audio surfaced, allegedly of him using racist and homophobic slurs, telling one of his officers he wouldn't care if the officer "killed a m*therf**ker in cold blood," and that he himself had killed 13 people. |
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Brad Pigott, who was zoning in on high-profile welfare scandal players who have so far escaped legal scrutiny, says his firing was politically motivated. It is unclear whether the termination could weaken or end the state’s ongoing civil lawsuit.
Meridian police officer Kennis Croom died from his wounds June 9 after responding to a domestic violence call. The suspect, Dante Bender, had already killed his pregnant girlfriend and attacked her children. He is charged with capital murder.
The Mississippi Board of Education voted Thursday to repeal a policy barring guns in state public schools in order to comply with the state’s enhanced-carry law.
The Board voted to repeal a 1990 policy prohibiting “the possession of pistols, firearms, or weapons in any form by any person other than duly authorized law enforcement officials on school premises or at school functions.”
Thomas Duff
- Net worth: $2.0 billion (#1,522 wealthiest in the world)
- Residence: Hattiesburg, Mississippi
- Source of wealth: tires, diversified
James Duff
- Net worth: $2.0 billion (#1,522 wealthiest in the world)
- Residence: Hattiesburg, Mississippi
- Source of wealth: tires, diversified
He also has been open about Mississippi's shrinking workforce, blaming the federal government for the problem.
Payroll employment in Mississippi this year increased to its highest rate since 1995.
That puts the job recovery in Mississippi ahead of the U.S., as payroll employment for the nation in March was an entire percentage point below the February 2020 level for the nation.
---Ross Reilly; Clarion ledger 4.7.22
That’s according to a new report from my office. It’s a part of our continued work to understand the cost of these PBMs. PBMs are hired by health plans to help manage prescription drug plans. They make money when a pharmacy fills a prescription because the PBMs pass the payment for your drugs from your health plan to the pharmacy. In an ideal world, PBMs negotiate deals with drug manufacturers to get cheaper medications for patients.
Over the last few years, PBMs, which were once simple businesses, have become more complex and more powerful. President Trump once called PBMs “middlemen” and said they were responsible in part for driving up the cost of drugs. -Mississippi Auditor Shad White 4.6.22
Legislators approved $20 million in federal pandemic relief funds to private K-12 schools and private colleges for infrastructure improvements this week, despite concerns from some that public dollars should stay with public schools.
The money comes from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which gave the Mississippi Legislature $1.8 billion to spend on pandemic response, government services, and infrastructure improvements to water, sewer, and broadband. After several rounds of deliberation, the Legislature approved grants of $10 million each to private K-12 schools and private colleges and universities. --Julia James; Mississippi Today 4/7/22 |
College graduates continue to move away from Mississippi for job opportunities elsewhere, according to a new report from the State Auditor Office.
And the city of Jackson may hold the key to turning that trend around. A report released by the state this week found that half of all Mississippi college students who graduated between 2015-2017 left the state within 3 years of receiving their diplomas. --Andrew J Yawn; Clarion Ledger 4.7.22 |
Mississippi Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said Monday that he and other Senate leaders are pushing to suspend the state’s gasoline tax for six months to give drivers a break as gas prices continue climbing.
Democratic former President Bill Clinton, Republican former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and former Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Reuben Anderson are scheduled to speak May 3 at an event celebrating the lives of the late Gov. William Winter and his wife, Elise Winter.
The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) is reporting 390 new cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Mississippi, along with 20 additional deaths. The new cases were reported to MSDH between March 11-13, 2022.
Relatives of Emmett Till are asking authorities to reverse their decision to close an investigation of his 1955 lynching and instead prosecute a white woman at the center of the case. Family members told a news conference in Jackson, Mississippi, on Friday that authorities have known for decades that Carolyn Bryant Donham played a key role in Till’s slaying. Donham is now in her 80s, and Till relatives say action is needed immediately before time runs out. Donham accused Till of accosting her, and he was killed days later. A book published in 2017 claimed Donham recanted, but a federal investigation closed in December found there was no evidence to back that up.
"If funds were raised for the Jan. 6 event by an organized group, then there might be an opportunity for us to know who it was and what was paid," said Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., who chairs the House select committee.
On Friday, Governor Tate Reeves (R) held a ceremonial signing for House Bill 779, which ensures that families of law enforcement officers and firefighters who pass away due to contracting COVID-19 in the line of duty receive full state death benefits.
The same Mississippi Legislature that proclaimed racial reconciliation after removing the Confederate battle emblem from the state flag nearly two years ago passed a bill Thursday to limit how race can be discussed in classrooms.
Several Black legislators said during the six-hour debate that the bill could squelch honest discussion about the harmful effects of racism because parents could complain if history lessons make white children uncomfortable.
State Republicans have balked at expanding Medicaid, but are embracing legislation that would take advantage of the federal program to pay for healthcare for very sick incarcerated people — and likely create a money-making opportunity for nursing homes.
The proposal passed the House Universities and Colleges Committee on a 14-9 vote Monday, with white Republicans in favor and Black Democrats opposed. When the bill passed the Republican-controlled Senate in January, all of the Black senators withheld their votes and walked out in protest.
Attorneys for the NAACP and two other groups say Mississippi legislators drew a congressional redistricting plan that diminished Black voters’ influence in the state’s three majority-white districts.
Former Booneville police officer Dustin Rambo will serve 16 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to violating civil rights and making false statements.
After weeks of rhetoric and warning signs, Russia’s military launched a long-feared invasion of Ukraine on Thursday. At the Mississippi State Capitol, lawmakers reacted to the attack.
“Somebody can take some sense into President Putin, so that he may realize he’s barking up the wrong tree,” said State Rep. Bo Brown (D-District 70).
Family Dollars in Mississippi and six other states have closed temporarily due to a recall. Products have also been recalled after more than 1,000 rodents were found in an Arkansas distribution center.
Feb 19, 2022: Washington Post: A century ago, Mississippi’s Senate voted to send all the state’s Black people to Africa
The Senate voted 25 to 9 on Feb. 20, 1922, to ask the federal government to trade some of the World War I debts owed by European countries for a piece of colonial Africa — any part would do — where the government would then ship Mississippi’s Black residents, creating “a final home for the American negro.” |
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Mississippi candidate Carl Boyanton states on his web site that his "top priorities are family and politics. Specific inspirations of his are President Donald J. Trump and President Ronald Reagan. " So as a supporter of coups and the party that claims coups and murder of policemen is "legitimate political discourse" it makes him an official supporter of the domestic terrorist group that officially goes by the title "Republican Party." This means, however, that both Boyanton and his competition, Steven Palazzo
are both on the same page on the terrorist issue.
Each week, COVID-19 data looks different.
The Clarion Ledger regularly publishes the number of Mississippi COVID-19 cases, deaths, vaccinations and other relevant pandemic health news in efforts to keep residents informed. Here are the findings from state officials from Jan. 27 to Feb. 2.
Mississippi joined 36 other US states in legalising marijuana for medical use on Wednesday, as the governor signed legislation permitting cannabis for the treatment of severe, debilitating health conditions such as cancer, AIDS and Alzheimer's disease.
As an oncologist working in Mississippi, my patients sometimes request that I delay treatments or prescribing prescription medications because of their insurance deductibles.
Republican Sen. Roger Wicker drew outrage from the White House, a member of his own party and beyond for a comment that compares President Joe Biden’s pledge to nominate a Black woman to the U.S. Supreme Court to affirmative action.
“The irony is that the Supreme Court is at the very same time hearing cases about this sort of affirmative racial discrimination and while adding someone who is the beneficiary of this sort of quota,” Wicker, R-Miss., told local radio station SuperTalk Mississippi on Friday. USA TODAY reached out to Wicker's office for a comment.
A new bill to legalize medical marijuana was introduced in Mississippi on Tuesday and on Wednesday afternoon, the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee approved the measure by a voice vote. The bill is expected to be taken up on the floor as soon as Thursday, reported Marijuana Moment. A medical cannabis program could start in 2022.
SB 2095, sponsored by Sen. Kevin Blackwell (R), would allow patients with about two dozen specific medical conditions (such as cancer, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, muscular dystrophy, glaucoma, HIV, AIDS, hepatitis, Alzheimer’s, as well as chronic medical conditions) to qualify for medical marijuana with a doctor’s recommendation.
The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) has released a new, interactive tool that presents easily digestible data on key measures of cost-effectiveness and academic quality for nearly 500 public, four-year colleges and universities. On the site, lawmakers can instantly see how their state ranks on institutional finance issues (such as administrative bloat) and academic quality issues (such as free speech policies). ACTA’s tool collates 10 important, measurable data points and makes them available on one easily searchable map
The 2nd Congressional District will meander the almost length of the state along the Mississippi River under the congressional redistricting plan approved 76-42 Thursday by Republicans in the House of Representatives.
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Governor Tate Reeves today announced the appointment of Jeffery Belk as Chairman of the State Parole Board effective January 1, 2022. Belk will replace Steven Pickett who retired on December 31, 2021.
The Mississippi Legislature's 2022 session convened Tuesday and already the prospect of a personal income tax cut seems likely, whereas Medicaid expansion seems dead in the water.
Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) on Sunday said the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol has asked the Willard InterContinental hotel in Washington, D.C. for information as part of its probe.
A list of the 10 deadliest tornadoes in the United States since 1900:
695 deaths. March 18, 1925, in Missouri, Illinois and Indiana.
216 deaths. April 5, 1936, in Tupelo, Mississippi.
Political commentator Ben Shapiro breaks down what could happen to Roe v. Wade on 'Fox News Primetime.'
Three city employees abruptly resigned after the Poplarville Board of Aldermen were accused of hiring an uncertified employee and making the new hire one of the highest-paid employees in the city.
The three employees submitted their resignations, all effective Friday, Dec. 3, 2021.
Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) officials reported Thursday that 569 new coronavirus cases were found in the last 24 hours.
A federal judge has struck down the part of Mississippi’s eviction law that allows landlords to immediately seize the property of delinquent tenants, saying it has “unpredictable and absurd results.”
Supporters and opponents of abortion rights rallied, blared music and shouted taunts Wednesday during protests in Mississippi's capital as the state took center stage in a pivotal U.S. Supreme Court case that could end a nationwide right to abortion.
As a small-town girl from Mississippi, I couldn't have imagined that one day I would sponsor legislation that would find its way up to the Supreme Court of the United States and spark our nation's biggest abortion debate in decades.
The Supreme Court heard nearly two hours of arguments in the legal battle involving the Mississippi law that prohibits abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, which directly conflicts with its past decisions on abortion. In the landmark 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade and reaffirmed in 1992's Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the high court said states cannot ban abortion before fetal viability — the point at which the fetus can survive outside of the womb, which is now considered to be between 22 and 24 weeks of pregnancy.
On Wednesday, questions from the Supreme Court's new 6-3 conservative majority—solidified last year by Trump appointee Justice Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation—suggested that it would hand a win to the anti-abortion movement and uphold the ban in Mississippi prohibiting most abortions after 15 weeks.
The Mississippi NAACP is proposing a new congressional map in an effort to ensure everyone in the state is equally represented.
Many Mississippi Delta houses are in desperate need of repair. Here’s how one woman’s home renovation dream came true.
In Michigan, local GOP leaders have sought to reshape election canvassing boards by appointing members who expressed sympathy for former president Donald Trump’s false claims that the 2020 vote was rigged.
A conservative group is targeting Dale Ho, President Biden’s judicial nominee to serve on the Southern District Court of New York, with a six-figure ad buy — launching the first TV campaign against a Biden court pick.
At the heart of the dispute before the high court, now with a 6-3 conservative majority, is a Mississippi law that bans abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. State officials have used the case, known as Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, as a vehicle to ask the justices to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that established a constitutional right to an abortion.
Mississippi Department of Transportation Director Brad White joins Mississippi Today’s “The Other Side” podcast to discuss the $3.3 billion earmarked for Mississippi highway work in the recently passed federal infrastructure bill.
When the Supreme Court hears arguments Wednesday over whether Mississippi can ban abortions after 15 weeks, the justices will be focused on an issue that has dominated the term. Not only is there Mississippi’s call to overrule Roe v. Wade, but justices are already considering a Texas law banning abortion at roughly six weeks and written to make it difficult to mount legal challenges against it.
Onlookers reported having chills as they watched the senior at Forrest County Agricultural High School in Brooklyn, Mississippi, remove the coveted crown and place it on the head of her friend and classmate Brittany Walters.
Brittany's mother, A.J. Walters, an employee at the high school, had died from cancer just hours earlier.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said Sunday that while he encourages people to get vaccinated, he’s also against larger vaccine mandates, noting that he believes “in individual liberties and freedoms and people can make decisions on what's best for them.”
Less than a week after Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves ended his COVID-19 State of Emergency order, the World Health Organization is warning that a new, potentially more dangerous strain of COVID-19 has emerged. In a statement yesterday, the WHO said South Africa first notified it of the variant, known as B.1.1..529 or the omicron variant, on Nov. 24.
There have long been concerns about the quality of investigations into the suspicious deaths of young Black men in the state, especially when police are involved.
Joseph Ivy has lived through dark days.
The Nettleton native allows his faith to guide him every day. Often quoting from the Bible or Martin Luther King, Jr., Ivy has learned to live a life that reflects the words.
Mississippi lawmakers said the ban on most abortions after 15 weeks would make Mississippi 'the safest state in the country' for the unborn.
Among the Magnolia State contenders are Christone Ingram, Cedric Burnside, Charlie Musselwhite, Kenny Brown and Eric Deaton.
Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson unveiled his plans to relight the bridges that cross over the Mississippi River and he wants to do it with colored lights, music and more.
Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) officials reported Wednesday that 432 new coronavirus cases were found in the last 24 hours.
Hinds County neighbors voted in favor of Tyree Jones to be the next Hinds County sheriff on Tuesday, November 23.
The state would be better off expanding Medicaid even if the federal Build Back Better bill that would provide health care coverage for poor Mississippians becomes law, a diverse group of health care advocates claim.
A unanimous Supreme Court on Monday rejected a claim that the Memphis area has been taking water that belongs to Mississippi from an underground aquifer that sits beneath parts of both states.
As millions more federal dollars flow to Mississippi for expanding broadband internet access, large cable and telecom companies and rural electric cooperatives are already sparring over the money.
Democrat Kelvin Butler of Magnolia was sworn in to the Mississippi Senate on Tuesday, returning to the seat he previously held for 12 years.
Maybe they'll come back with pancakes.😎
A joint investigation by the commission and Office of the Attorney General found these companies have allegedly called hundreds of people whose numbers are listed on Mississippi’s Do Not Call Registry.
Governor Tate Reeves says he's looking to bolster education in the state by investing more in education. He says improving educational attainment is a critical part of moving Mississippi forward economically. He’s proposing a $1,300 teacher pay raise for next year and $1,000 increases for the following two years to attract and retain instructors. Reeves says the increase will make Mississippi’s salaries more competitive with other states. The Southern Regional Education Board reports the average teacher salary in Mississippi is $45,000 per year, $3,000 to $12,000 less than neighboring states.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves’ proposed budget for the upcoming year includes money for teacher pay raises, a water and sewer improvement grant program and a plan for eliminating the state income tax, according to recommendations he released Monday.
An Associated Press investigation has found that the federal Bureau of Prisons, with an annual budget of nearly $8 billion, is a hotbed of abuse, graft and corruption, and has turned a blind eye to employees accused of misconduct. In some cases, the agency has failed to suspend officers who themselves had been arrested for crimes.
Weeks after narrowly rejecting a proposal to give essential employees a pandemic pay bonus, the Hinds County Board of Supervisors has changed its course and approved the move.
Attorney General Lynn Fitch said in that time frame investigators encountered 49 potential victims and made the arrests for crimes including human trafficking, promoting prostitution and statutory rape.
A city in Mississippi is settling a lawsuit brought by a white former police lieutenant who said he was moved within the department to prevent a Black subordinate’s promotion.
Gov. Tate Reeves announced on Thursday his intent to allow the state of emergency he declared in early 2020 to combat the COVID-19 pandemic to expire on Nov. 20.
When Greg Parker was a senior at the University of Mississippi, he noticed something missing on the campus of the state’s oldest public university: a publication that celebrated the talents of its LGBTQ+ students and their allies. “I can’t remember quite when the idea for a magazine first came up,” Parker admitted. “But I attended the Transitioning to College Writing Symposium, and someone did a panel on zines.”
They’ll never find you there.🙄
A state appeals court has ruled against a Tishomingo County man who claimed that he was deprived of his constitutional right to a speedy trial after waiting in prison over three years.
In a court filing, the Biden administration is warning that the Mississippi-backed lawsuit asking courts to block enforcement of the president’s employer COVID-19 vaccine mandate “would likely cost dozens or even hundreds of lives per day.”
The two remaining candidates in the race for Hinds County Sheriff will face off in a debate at Jackson State University Thursday ahead of a runoff election later this month
For nearly a month, workers came and went, trying to stem the tide erupting from a clogged pipe. But to no avail: Bolden's front yard was cleaved by a river of sewage. Her neighborhood of tidy ranch houses in Mississippi's state capital became hostage to an overpowering stench, one reflecting the rot at the heart of the city's water system.
Congress allocated $1.8 billion for Mississippi through the American Rescue Plan, and the first half of the money arrived in the state treasury in May, weeks after legislators finished their 2021 session.
The Mississippi Department of Health reported zero new COVID-19 deaths on Thursday, making Nov. 3 the first day since June 30 without a pandemic-related death in Mississippi.
Mississippi is rescinding a policy that would have simplified the process of changing the gender listing on a driver’s license.
GRAMMY®-winning country musician Marty Stuart will be the recipient of the third annual Crossroads of American Music Award at GRAMMY Museum® Mississippi’s 2021 Gala, which will take place at the Museum in Cleveland, Mississippi, on Wednesday, December 1, at 6 pm. Presented by Walmart, the 2021 GRAMMY Museum Gala will feature a special appearance by Stuart, who will accept the award and perform live. Tickets for the 2021 Gala went on sale on October 15. Additional sponsors include Quality Steel Corporation and Visit Mississippi. More details will be announced soon.
State Senator Chris McDaniel told a rally of about 400 people this weekend that “My body is my temple. My immune system is part of my temple. I have faith in God to be a healer. I don’t want to put my faith in men.” He and the rally were protesting vaccine mandates. The appalling thing about McDaniels words is that he calls God into his equation. The weak and older folks who want to live and not be infected are dismissed and he makes the argument all about himself and "his" people...which I presume include a lot of red hatted magas. He also assumes power over the the folks who may not be "saved" into the Christian faith. God tends to give special favor at time to the weak...so I think he should re-evaluate his "God" card.
Mississippi M.O.V.E. will offer rides to polling precincts in Hinds County on Tuesday, November 2.
While Mississippians are calling for Governor Tate Reeves (R-Miss.) to call a special legislative session, the governor said adjustments still need to be made to the proposed medical marijuana program.
Hospitals in South Mississippi and throughout the state say they will have to close floors and reduce available patient beds if they don’t find a way to combat a nursing shortage that’s about to get worse.
Mississippi state Sen. Brice Wiggins says he is challenging U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo in the 2022 Republican primary.
He made the announcement Monday.
Senator Roger Wicker wants the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a lower court’s decision that allowed a coach in Washington state to be fired for silently kneeling and praying after school football games.
State lawmakers received an updated draft of a medical marijuana bill Monday afternoon. Senator Kevin Blackwell joined SuperTalk Mississippi this morning to discuss the multitude of changes.
Earlier last Saturday, some 200 members of law enforcement and the community gathered in front of Jackson Police Department headquarters on Pascagoula Street. As the morning sun filtered through the crowd, people wore shirts with the words “Peace in the Streets, Unity in the Community” surrounding two hands forming a heart.
A Mississippi woman says county government sold her house for $236 because of a mix-up in land records — and she wants assurances that her family won’t be left homeless because of someone else’s mistake.
Republican state lawmakers in Mississippi say that GOP Gov. Tate Reeves has been delaying a special session of the Legislature with “unreasonable demands” on parameters of a bill to legalize a medical cannabis program.
A Black transgender man from Jackson, Miss., was killed after being shot multiple times on Monday, police said.
After 25-year-old Mel Groves was shot, he drove himself to Merit Health Hospital in Jackson and then collapsed outside his car, according to local reports.
This comes after a camera captured Davis prior to the June general election asking for money to raffle off to voters.
The number of COVID-19 cases in Mississippi has been decreasing.
But do not rule out another wave of cases, State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said on Friday, Oct. 8
Way back in May of 2020 we told you about the sports scandal nobody was talking about, at least at a national level – Brett Favre owing the state of Mississippi over $1 million dollars for money that was given to him from the state from funds that were supposed to go to families in need.
Three sisters from Brandon formed a trio called KCK3 and last week, during the blind audition, they performed Ariana Grande’s “No Tears Left to Cry”. As you can see in the following video, Chelsea Cooper, Kyla Keller, and Kaitlynn Keller wowed the judges.
In a one-on-one interview with Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann, 12 News talked to him about education, medical marijuana and money coming into Mississippi from the COVID-19 stimulus.
The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) reported 719 additional COVID-19 cases and 26 additional deaths in its Wednesday morning report.
Since the student protest at the end of September, Mississippi Today spoke with more than a dozen students, faculty and alumni. They say that since Nave became president in 2019, she has made Alcorn a tougher place for low-income, marginalized students.
A basic income experiment in the state should teach national Democrats a lesson as they weigh a permanent Child Tax Credit.
Attorneys Lydia Roberta Blackmon and Aisha S. Sanders filed a lawsuit against each member of the Adams County Board of Supervisors. Supervisors were served with the lawsuit Monday morning.
On Monday afternoon, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves, in coordination with State Health Officer Thomas Dobbs and MEMA Executive Director Stephen McCraney, announced the extension of the State of Emergency related to COVID-19 for an additional 30 days.
Chairs of both the House and Senate Constitution committees said they would prefer to take up the issue of reinstating the initiative process in January when the new session begins. Reeves is expected to call a special session to allow the Legislature to address legalizing medical marijuana.
MSDH officials have recommended that individuals practice social distancing and people do not gather in groups more than 10. Schools, businesses and even state legislature have shut down for the time being in an attempt to “flatten the curve.”
Mississippi State football has had its ups and downs throughout recent history, but appears to be on a major upswing now and has several prospects on the current team who will go on to the NFL in coming years.
District 2 Supervisor David Archie filed the appeal Thursday, saying the board's vote "was unlawful because it did not conform with the Fourteenth Amendment due process requirements."
“We want to infuse a Christian worldview into everything,” Bell said. “We use academics, fine arts, and sports to teach our students to be people who love God and who can defend their faith in the world.”
“Being fully vaccinated by December 8, 2021 will be a condition of continued employment,” Ingalls President tells employees in memo.
Mississippi Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and Speaker of the House Philip Gunn said Friday they want Gov. Tate Reeves to call a special legislative session to address COVID-19 relief and legalizing medical marijuana.
Mississippi's joint legislative budget committee heard from an array of state agency heads Friday as part of an all-day hearing to help lawmakers start planning for next year's state budget.
The Mississippi Department of Corrections is taking over operation of Marshall County Correctional Facility — a prison that has been privately run since it opened 25 years ago.
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the review of a Mississippi case that could overturn Roe v. Wade on December 1st.
Both Attorney General Lynn Fitch and the state’s lone abortion clinic have filed briefs with the court in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization--the case that involves the 15-week abortion ban adopted by the Mississippi Legislature in 2018. While the bill was signed into law by then-Govenor Phil Bryant, it was blocked by a federal judge and deemed unconstitutional.
CNN's Jake Tapper presses Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves on his state's response to the coronavirus pandemic as Mississippi reports the highest coronavirus death count per capita in the nation.
The Mississippi State Department of Health is urging pregnant women to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to protect them and their unborn child.
Gulf Breeze City Manager Samantha Abell told members of Gulf Breeze City Council at Monday night’s meeting that Gulf Breeze residents are doing a good job of recycling, as revealed by the city’s low 16% contamination level.
State Rep. Dana Criswell, R-Olive Branch, has decried the Tupelo Public School District Board of Trustees as "arrogant and uncaring" and urged Tupelo parents to get their students "as far away from these people as possible."
A fifth child has died from Covid in Mississippi.
8th Grader Dies With COVID Hours After Reeves Downplays Child Cases
--brought to you by the prolife GOP in Mississippi
Last week, the Supreme Court agreed to take up the most important challenge to a U.S. abortion law in nearly three decades. Under scrutiny is Mississippi’s statute protecting most prenatal children beyond 15 weeks of gestation. If Roe v. Wade is still the controlling precedent, Mississippi’s law will likely be found unconstitutional, as the majority opinion in Roe stated that all abortion limits prior to viability violate a woman’s right to privacy.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, R., pushed back against President Biden’s executive order calling on schools to allow students to participate in sports under their chosen gender, telling "America Reports" legislators made a "smart, well-intentioned decision" by passing the Mississippi Fairness Act.
The South Africa COVID-19 variant has been identified in one Mississippi resident in Harrison County, State Health Officer Thomas Dobbs said Friday during a local media briefing.
Mississippi State Rep. Price Wallace called for the state to "succeed" from the rest of the United States just hours after former Vice President Joe Biden was named the winner of the presidential election.
covid: Mississippi
bank and pushing the number two button.😎
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