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☆ These 13 states — including Florida and Texas — opted out of a $2.5 billion federal food program that would help feed low-income kids this summer
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-27 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

During the pandemic, the federal government covered the entire cost of the Summer EBT program, but starting this summer, states will be on the hook to split administrative costs 50/50. AdvertisementThirteen Republican-led states ultimately opted out of the program this summer, citing myriad reasons, including redundancy, insufficient support, and politics. AlabamaAccording to the state's Department of Health, one in four children in Alabama faces food insecurity. The state will reconsider joining the summer program once the backlog is dealt with, the outlet reported. Brian Kemp told local outlet 11 Alive that the state already has a summer food program in place.

Persons: —, Brian Kemp, Republican Sen, Cindy Carlson, Kim Reynolds, Reynolds, Kevin Stitt, Stitt, Biden, Henry McMaster, Scott Olson, Iran Fury, Kristi Noem, Chalkbeat, Fury, Megan Degenfelder, Degenfelder Organizations: Service, Department of Agriculture, SUN, Business, The, Agriculture, state's Department of Health, SUN Bucks, Alabama, state's Department of Education, Assistance, SNAP, state's Department of Children, Families, Florida Department of Children, Republican Gov, Republican, Idaho Education, Iowa, Iowa Iowa Gov, Human Services, Biden Administration, Mississippi The Mississippi Department of Human Services, Magnolia Tribune, Oklahoma Republican Gov, South Carolina Republican Gov, The Texas Tribune, state's, Human Services Commission Locations: Alabama, Alaska Alaska, Alaska, Florida, Georgia, SUN Bucks, NurPhoto Idaho, Idaho, Iowa Iowa, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Dakota South Dakota, Iran, Texas Texas, Wyoming Wyoming, Wyoming

(AP) — Inmates at a Mississippi prison were forced to mix raw cleaning chemicals without protective equipment, with one alleging she later contracted terminal cancer and was denied timely medical care, a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday alleges. Susan Balfour, 62, was incarcerated for 33 years at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility until her release in December 2021. Prisoners were required to clean the facility, without protective equipment, using chemicals that might cause cancer, Balfour's lawsuit says. “I feel betrayed by our system that failed to provide timely medical care for me. The companies contracted to provide health care to prisoners at the facility — Wexford Health Sources, Centurion Health and VitalCore — delayed or failed to schedule follow-up cancer screenings for Baflour even though they had been recommended by prison physicians, the lawsuit says.

Persons: JACKSON, Susan Balfour, Balfour, I'm, VitalCore —, Drew Tominello, Tominello, Pauline Rogers ,, ” Rogers, ” ___ Michael Goldberg Organizations: Central Mississippi Correctional Facility, U.S . Southern, U.S . Southern District of, Centurion Health, Mississippi Department of Corrections, of Corrections, Mississippi Supreme, Rech Foundation, Associated Press, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: Miss, Mississippi, U.S, U.S . Southern District, U.S . Southern District of Mississippi, Wexford, @mikergoldberg

Hinds County Chancery Judge Crystal Wise Martin blocked the law in October 2022 after Parents for Public Schools sued the state. The nonprofit group argued the grants would give private schools a competitive advantage over public schools. “Any appropriation of public funds to be received by private schools adversely affects schools and their students,” Martin wrote. Tate Reeves created a grant program to help private schools pay for water, broadband and other infrastructure projects. State attorneys also wrote that the Mississippi Constitution only blocks the Legislature from sending money directly to private schools.

Persons: JACKSON, Crystal Wise Martin, ” Martin, Tate Reeves, general's, “, lopsidedly, Martin Organizations: Mississippi Supreme, Public Schools, Mississippi’s Republican, Republican Gov, Midsouth Association of Independent Schools, Public, American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi, Mississippi Center for Justice, Democracy Forward, Mississippi Department of Finance, Administration, DFA, Mississippi Constitution, Mississippi Adequate Education Locations: Miss, Mississippi, Hinds County

(AP) — Mississippi's state auditor filed court papers Monday renewing his call for Brett Favre to repay the state for welfare money that the auditor says was improperly spent on projects backed by the retired NFL quarterback. White said in 2020 that Favre had improperly received $1.1 million in speaking fees from a nonprofit organization that spent welfare with approval from the Mississippi Department of Human Services. The money from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program was to go toward a volleyball arena at the University of Southern Mississippi. “Favre had no legal right to the possession or control of this $1.1 Million,” White's attorneys wrote in the court filing Monday. No criminal charges have been brought against Favre, although a former department director and other people have pleaded guilty to their part in the misspending.

Persons: JACKSON, Brett Favre, Shad, White, Favre, “ Favre, ”, Shannon Sharpe, who's, Pat McAfee, McAfee Organizations: —, NFL, Favre, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Mississippi Department of Human Services, University of Southern, Associated Press, Department of Human Services Locations: Miss, — Mississippi's, Mississippi, University of Southern Mississippi

☆ Opinion | The Dawn of a New Era of Oppression
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Charles M. Blow | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

I am fascinated, and alarmed, by the swiftness with which periods of backlash take shape after surges of Black progress, and I believe that we have entered another such period. Much of my inquiry on the matter has focused on the period after Reconstruction was allowed to fail and that saw Jim Crow begin to rise. Much of this was embodied by the state of Mississippi, which in 1870 was majority Black. White supremacists in the state developed the “Mississippi Plan” in advance of the state’s 1875 elections to use fraud and the intimidation of Black voters, including through violence, to retake state power from progressives. The plan worked.

Persons: Jim Crow, White, Black, Jason Phillips Organizations: Reconstruction, Mississippi Historical Society, Mississippi Department of Archives, Democratic, Republican Locations: Mississippi

(AP) — One day after Mississippi health officials told residents in the state’s capital that dangerous bacteria could be in their tap water, the state health department said Friday that city water was safe to consume. Mississippi health officials lifted their health advisory after a new round of test results did not find E. coli in Jackson's supply. The move came hours after Ted Henifin, Jackson’s interim water manager, said repeat samples taken from the city’s water system tested negative for E. coli. In a statement Friday, the health department stood by the initial test results and dismissed the idea that its lab had been contaminated. At news conferences on Thursday and Friday, Henifin said state officials refused to validate the lab results before issuing the boil-water notice.

Persons: JACKSON, Jackson, Ted Henifin, Henifin, ”, Dan Edney, Greg Flynn, Flynn, “, Flowood, ___ Michael Goldberg Organizations: Mississippi Department, Mississippi Department of Health, Associated Press, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: Miss, Mississippi, Flowood, Jackson, @mikergoldberg

(AP) — A federal judge on Monday dismissed Brett Favre’s defamation lawsuit against fellow retired NFL player Shannon Sharpe, ruling that Sharpe used constitutionally protected speech on a sports broadcast when he criticized Favre's connection to a welfare misspending case in Mississippi. Discussion of Mississippi welfare spending on “Undisputed” took place after extensive news coverage about allegations of Mississippi's largest public corruption case. Favre is not facing criminal charges, but he is among more than three dozen people or businesses the state is suing to try to recover misspent welfare money. In addition to suing Sharpe, Favre filed defamation lawsuits earlier this year against White, the auditor, and sportscaster Pat McAfee, who is a former NFL punter. Favre has repaid $1.1 million he received for speaking fees from a nonprofit group that spent TANF money with approval from the Mississippi Department of Human Services.

Persons: JACKSON, Brett Favre’s, Shannon Sharpe, Sharpe, Favre's, Keith Starrett, Favre, “, ” Favre, Skip, Shannon, ”, Shad White, Starrett, ’, ” Starrett, Michael Shemper, Pat McAfee, McAfee, White, Favre’s Organizations: —, District, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Fox Sports, Mississippi Department of Human Services, Prosecutors, University of Southern, Twitter, Associated Press, White, NFL, McAfee, Favre, of Human Services Locations: Miss, Mississippi . U.S, Mississippi, U.S, University of Southern Mississippi, alma

(AP) — One of the people being sued by the Mississippi Department of Human Services over allegations of misspending welfare money has filed a separate lawsuit against Gov. Austin Garrett Smith filed the suit Wednesday and described himself in court papers as “politically powerless.” Smith's suit says Reeves should sue Republican former Gov. The ongoing suit seeks to recover more than $20 million of the roughly $77 million in welfare money that the state auditor said had been misspent between 2016 and 2019, during Bryant's second term as governor. Smith is a nephew of former Mississippi Department of Human Services executive director John Davis. The Democratic nominee for governor, Brandon Presley, said Reeves is tainted by the welfare misspending that occurred when Reeves was lieutenant governor and had power to oversee how the Department of Human Services was operating.

Persons: JACKSON, Tate Reeves, Austin Garrett Smith, ”, Reeves, Phil Bryant, “ Reeves, Jim Waide, Shelby Wilcher, Governor Reeves, Smith, Brett Favre, Shad White, John Davis, Bryant, Smith's, ” Waide, Brandon Presley, Presley, Todd Reeves, White, Favre, “ Tate Reeves, ” Presley, Clifton Carroll Organizations: Mississippi Department of Human Services, Gov, Republican, of Human Services, NFL, University of Southern, Davis, Democratic Locations: Miss, U.S, Bryant, The State, Mississippi, University of Southern Mississippi, “

(AP) — Mississippi has seen a consistent rise in the number of families accepting public assistance for child care since lawmakers banned abortion in almost all circumstances, with the sharpest increase coming after a child support policy change in May, the state human services director said Friday. They also said that when parents couldn't find child care, it prevented them from getting back to work. Delbert Hosemann, also a Republican, disputed the idea that the abortion ban has had an impact on child care voucher enrollment. “It’s clear to me it’s not the Dobbs decision. It’s the fact that we made this policy decision that’s been approved by the governor and that you’re seeing thousands of people become eligible because of that,” Hosemann said.

Persons: JACKSON, Bob Anderson, Dobbs, ” Anderson, Roe, Wade, Tate Reeves, couldn't, Delbert Hosemann, “, it’s, that’s, ” Hosemann, they’re, Reeves, ”, Cory Custer, ” ___ Michael Goldberg Organizations: —, Mississippi Department of Human Services, Jackson, Health Organization, U.S, Supreme, Gov, Republican, Child, Associated Press, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: Miss, — Mississippi, Mississippi, @mikergoldberg

☆ Hunting alligators is actually good for the environment and for people
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Maiya Focht | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Mississippi hunters just broke the state record for the largest alligator ever caught. These hunting programs help control alligator populations and fund state wildlife agencies. This has drawn attention to the state's alligator hunting program, which may provide more benefits for the reptiles than you might think. Because of this system, state officials were able to track the 776 alligators that were harvested in Mississippi in 2021. It's best for both the alligators and humans to keep their populations separate, at least from a public relations standpoint, Watkins said.

Persons: Tate Watkins, Bruce Bennett, Watkins, Mike Heithaus, Maureen Donnelly, Phys.org, he's Organizations: Service, Environment Research Center, Mississippi Department of Wildlife Fisheries, Endowment Fund, gator, Mississippi, gators Locations: Mississippi, Wall, Silicon, Texas , Arkansas , Louisiana , Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Parks, Yellowstone, Willow

☆ Tasers, taunts, torment: What we know about the hours of horror 2 Black men suffered at the hands of a self-described 'Goon Squad'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Emma Tucker | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Dedmon, Opdyke and Elward broke open the carport door and Hartfield kicked open the back door. Entering the home without a warrant, the officers encountered two Black men: Eddie Parker and Michael Jenkins. The abuse continued in a bedroom, where Opdyke, Middleton, Dedmon and McAlpin assaulted Parker with pieces of wood and a metal sword. Dedmon, Middleton, Hartfield and Elward then began to tase the two men repeatedly to see “which (Taser) was the most powerful,” the document said. Attorneys for Middleton, Elward and Hartfield declined to comment on the case.

Persons: Christian Dedmon, Hunter Elward, Jeffrey Middleton, Daniel Opdyke, Brett McAlpin, White, Dedmon, ” Dedmon, Joshua Hartfield, McAlpin, Jerome DeLoach, Elward, Hartfield, Eddie Parker, Michael Jenkins, Parker, Jenkins, —, Mary Helen Wall, Kristen Clarke, tased, Brett McAlpin Forrest, Jenkins –, Opdyke, defecated, Jeffrey Middleton Jerome DeLoach, Elward’s Taser, Middleton, Daniel Opdyke Jerome DeLoach, Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey, CNN Parker, Sheriff Bailey, Joshua Hartfield orrest, “, ”, Jeffery Reynolds, Bailey, CNN’s Ryan Young, ” Parker, “ You’re, ” Jenkins, he’s, I’m Organizations: CNN, Justice Department, Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, Adult Detention, Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, Mississippi Department of Public, Rankin, Detention, Mississippi Attorney General’s, Dedmon Locations: Rankin County , Mississippi, Braxton, Jackson, Mississippi, Rankin County, Black, Opdyke, Middleton, Dedmon, Hartfield, McAlpin, Elward

☆ Mississippi Supreme Court won’t remove Brett Favre from lawsuit over misspent welfare money
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The Mississippi Supreme Court says it will not remove NFL Hall of Famer Brett Favre as a defendant in a civil lawsuit that seeks to recover millions of dollars of misspent welfare money meant to help some of the poorest people in the United States. Favre asked the Supreme Court to overturn Peterson's decision. Attorneys for the state responded that Favre took $1.1 million in TANF money from Nancy New "for speeches he never made." State attorneys wrote in March that Favre's attorneys had given the court "a long press release" rather than legal arguments in trying to get him out of the lawsuit. The state attorneys wrote in May that the Mississippi Supreme Court does not grant appeals "based on whether a defendant is famous, or on speculations about the plaintiff's motives, or on fact disputes."

Persons: Brett Favre, of Famer Brett Favre, Favre, Faye Peterson, Favre's, Nancy New Organizations: NFL, The Mississippi Supreme, of Famer, Mississippi Department of Human Services, Hinds, of Human Services, Human Services, Nancy, USM Athletic Department Locations: Santa Clara, Calif, The Mississippi, United States, Mississippi

They said they plan to share the footage with the Justice Department. The main entrance to the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman. Mississippi Department of CorrectionsThe crisis in state prisons had become so acute that Gov. Some changes were already in the works under new leadership, the Justice Department said at the time, with cooperation coming from state officials. The Justice Department did not immediately return a request for further comment.

☆ Mississippi agency denies NAACP’s water discrimination claim
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

A Mississippi environmental regulator has denied claims that the state agency he leads discriminated against the capital city of Jackson in its distribution of federal funds for wastewater treatment. Most of Jackson lost running water for several days, and people had to wait in lines for water to drink, cook, bathe and flush toilets. The EPA announced on Oct. 20 that it was investigating whether Mississippi state agencies discriminated against the state’s majority-Black capital city by refusing to fund improvements to the water system. EPA Administrator Michael Regan has visited Jackson multiple times and has said “longstanding discrimination” has contributed to the decline of the city’s water system. The federal agency could withhold money from Mississippi if it finds wrongdoing — potentially millions of dollars.

☆ Suspect accused of fatally shooting 2 Mississippi officers died from return fire during shootout, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Minyvonne Burke | Minyvonne Burke Is A Senior Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Authorities now say that a Mississippi woman who fatally shot two police officers was killed by one of the officers who returned fire during a shootout. But on Friday, the Mississippi Department of Public Safety released additional details. As Estorffe approached the vehicle, Anderson and Estorffe exchanged rounds resulting in fatal injuries to both individuals," the release stated. Anderson told the officers that she thought she was being followed by a person in a white pick-up truck. The Mississippi Department of Public Safety has not said what sparked the shooting.

☆ Brett Favre helped an experimental drug maker get $2M in welfare money. Experts doubt the drug can work.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Dilanianmug.Jpg | Ken Dilanian | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

And he did more than evangelize, court records show — he successfully lobbied Mississippi state officials who granted the company $2.1 million in federal welfare money that was intended to help poor families. The payment was illegal, state officials allege in a lawsuit — part of a huge Mississippi welfare misspending scandal that has tarnished Favre’s reputation. Favre, who is being sued by Mississippi, has consistently said that he did not know the money he was seeking from the Mississippi Department of Human Services—the state welfare agency—was welfare money. Six people have been charged in what state and federal officials call a massive fraud scheme, including the former director of the state welfare agency, who is cooperating with the FBI and federal prosecutors. Favre is among 38 defendants in a civil lawsuit by the state seeking to recoup the welfare money, including the funds devoted to the volleyball facility and the unproven concussion drug.

☆ New: Epps Shuts Down Whistleblower
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailNew: Epps Shuts Down WhistleblowerMississippi Department of Corrections investigates suspected abuse, but the case is closed abruptly.

The civil rights organization alleged that the state’s rollout of federal dollars has favored whiter communities, even as Jackson has struggled to comply with state and federal guidelines meant to protect drinking water quality. The NAACP’s federal complaint raises concerns about a loan program overseen by the state Department of Health that distributes federal funding to communities to improve their water systems. Problems with water billing and collections have also resulted in Jackson missing out on sorely needed revenue that could go toward repairs. The EPA’s inquiry comes just days after the launch of a congressional investigation concerning the city’s water crisis. Reps. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., have asked Reeves to answer a series of questions about how the state has spent or plans to spend federal funds that can upgrade water systems in the state.

☆ Mississippi Faces EPA Probe of Jackson Water Supply Cutoff
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Adolfo Flores | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday said it has launched an investigation into whether Mississippi state agencies discriminated against the mostly Black city of Jackson by not funding improvements to its crumbling water system. The investigation is in response to a complaint filed with the EPA against the Mississippi Department of Health and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality by the NAACP on behalf of nine Jackson residents who went without running water late this summer.

☆ Brett Favre told Mississippi governor he would not ‘take No for answer’ over volleyball stadium, court filing shows
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Dilanianmug.Jpg | Ken Dilanian | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Phil Bryant on Sept. 4, 2019 about funding the volleyball center at the University of Southern Mississippi’s main campus in Hattiesburg. “Use of these funds (is) tightly controlled,” Bryant texted Favre on July 28, 2019, according to the filing. Favre also secured $3.2 million for a drug company in which he had invested, according to court records. Favre has also denied wrongdoing through his lawyer, who acknowledged that the ex-Packer has been interviewed by the FBI. He added that Favre behaved honorably and never knew the state grants he was seeking were from the federal welfare program.

☆ SiriusXM reportedly places former quarterback Brett Favre's NFL show on hold
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-25 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

SiriusXM has put Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre's NFL show on hold due to his involvement in an alleged welfare-fraud scheme in Mississippi, according to reports. Favre and nearly 40 others were sued by the Mississippi Department of Human Services in May for allegedly diverting millions of federal welfare dollars to fund personal projects. Favre might have used the funds to help construct a new volleyball stadium at the university where his daughter played, according to the Mississippi state auditor. He has hosted the show, "The SiriusXM Blitz With Brett Favre and Bruce Murray," which usually airs on Tuesdays, since 2018. SiriusXM is not the only company distancing itself from Favre, as ESPN Milwaukee announced Saturday that it was temporarily suspending Favre from his weekly appearances, according to NBC Sports.

☆ Former Mississippi Human Services Director Pleads Guilty to Charges Related to Welfare Scandal
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Cameron Mcwhirter | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

John Davis, former director of the Mississippi Department of Human Services, sits with his defense attorney, Merrida Coxwell, right, in Jackson, Miss., on Thursday. The former head of Mississippi’s department handling welfare funds pleaded guilty Thursday to federal theft and wire-fraud conspiracy charges and multiple state charges relating to the misuse of millions of dollars in federal aid meant for poor families, according to court documents. John Davis, 54 years old, the executive director of the state’s Department of Human Services from 2016 to 2019, agreed in a plea deal filed with the court to fully cooperate with federal and state prosecutors as they continue probes into how the state department doled out tens of millions of federal dollars.

☆ Flint residents reported high rates of depression, PTSD years after water crisis
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Carma Hassan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —In a new study, researchers say that the experiences of residents of Flint, Michigan, show that environmental disasters like the water crisis can have long-term consequences for mental health. Flint residents reported changes to the water’s color, smell and taste soon after the city turned to the Flint River as a water source in April 2014. Researchers found that 1 in 5 Flint residents met the criteria for presumptive major depression, 1 in 4 for presumptive post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and more than 1 in 10 for both disorders. Eight years after the water crisis began in Flint – even with new pipes and a different water source – some city residents recently told CNN they still don’t trust the water. In a statement, the Mississippi Department of Mental Health said community mental health centers can provide therapy, peer support and intensive outpatient programs for people in need of psychiatric care and substance abuse treatment.

☆ What it's like working for lawmakers whose golden years are clouded by power struggles, rumors of senility, and constant second-guessing
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-13 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +25 min

Doug Heye, a Republican strategist, told Insider that some political maneuvering is more tactical. Emanuel, now the US's ambassador to Japan, didn't refute that the exchange took place but told Insider he didn't remember it. It serves the institution," the former GOP aide told Insider, adding that seasoned dealmakers are preferable to partisan bomb-throwers "with some agenda that they're driving." Paul Morigi/Getty ImagesWhite, now the executive director of the Mississippi Department of Transportation, told Insider his boss always had the final word. 'Preserving their dignity'Convincing career lawmakers to hang it up before they tarnish their respective legacies is tricky business, a veteran GOP leadership aide told Insider.

One of two state agencies responsible for pushing out millions of dollars in federal infrastructure funds said it could be at least mid-to-late 2023 before any allocations roll out. Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, a Democrat, has said the price tag to overhaul the city’s water infrastructure could balloon into the billions. This year, the Mississippi Legislature created a $450 million water infrastructure funding program with money the state received through the Congressional Covid relief package that passed in 2021. The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality is administering the Clean Water State Revolving Fund program. Sam Mozee, director of the Mississippi Urban Research Center at Jackson State University, says his team is tracking what happens with funding going forward.

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