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Former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre said he's been diagnosed with Parkinson's, a stunning disclosure made to Congress on Tuesday while testifying about his potential misuse of taxpayer money. Favre, appearing before the House Ways and Means Committee, has been accused of improperly using political connections to redirect public money to his alma mater and his own pocket. "Sadly, I also lost an investment in a company that I believed was developing a breakthrough concussion drug I thought would help others, and I’m sure you’ll understand why it’s too late for me because I’ve recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s," Favre told lawmakers. Recently, the doctor, running the company pleaded guilty to taking (public) money for his own use." The Hall of Fame QB improperly received program money for speaking engagements that he never made, according to a state auditor.

Persons: Brett Favre, he's, Favre, I’ve, Parkinson’s, Angelina Katsanis, who’d, Phil Bryant Organizations: Green Bay Packers, Parkinson's, POLITICO, AP, JAMA, NFL, Assistance, Fame, Gov, University of Southern Locations: Canton, Washington, University of Southern Mississippi

☆ A 4th-grade teacher found a lucrative side hustle: designing decadent dorm rooms for college kids for $5,000 apiece
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-23 | by ( Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Read previewThis as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Shelly Gates, 49, whose Jackson, Mississippi-based interior-decor firm Mary Margaret Designs focuses on college dorm rooms. It started with my daughter's dorm room at Mississippi State in 2020. There was a little "dorm room of the year" contest in one of my mom Facebook groups, and they happened to pick my daughter's room. The study corner of a room Gates designed at Ole Miss. A University of Southern Mississippi dorm room that Gates decorated.

Persons: —, Shelly Gates, Mary Margaret Designs, Gates, Shelly Gates I've, Ole, I've, Mizzou, they'll, It's, Shelly Gates I'm Organizations: Service, Business, Mississippi State, Facebook, Mississippi State University, Southern Methodist University, SMU, University of Southern, Ole Miss, Amazon, Ole Locations: Jackson , Mississippi, South, Ole Miss , Mississippi State, University of Southern Mississippi, Bama, Belmont, Arkansas, Ridgeland , Mississippi

(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

(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) — The deposition in the civil lawsuit against retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre surrounding Mississippi's welfare scandal has been pushed back at the request of the athlete's attorneys, a court document shows. The Pro Football Hall of Famer is among more than three dozen defendants in a lawsuit the state Human Services director filed to recover some of the welfare money. Favre has denied wrongdoing, sued the state auditor who investigated the misspending for defamation and said he paid back misspent welfare funds. A subsequent court document filed Friday shows the hearing has been rescheduled for Dec. 11 based on a request by Favre's lawyers. Another $1.7 million went to develop a concussion treatment drug investigators have said Favre supported.

Persons: JACKSON, Brett Favre, Favre, Favre’s Organizations: NFL, Pro Football Hall of Famer, Human Services, Mississippi’s Department of Human Services, University of Southern Locations: Miss, Mississippi, Hinds County, Hattiesburg ., University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg

All three states lean heavily Republican in federal elections, yet Democrats currently control the governorship in two out of the three. As usual, we are rating these races on the following scale: Safe Republican, Likely Republican, Lean Republican, Toss-Up, Lean Democratic, Likely Democratic and Safe Democratic. The race moving in the Republican direction is Louisiana, which we’re shifting from Likely Republican to Safe Republican. But for now, we’ll keep it at Likely Republican. That may be in tune with Kentucky voters, who, despite the state’s Republican lean, rejected a 2022 ballot measure that would have enhanced the state’s ability to outlaw abortion.

Persons: There’s, Andy Beshear, Democrat John Bel Edwards, Republican Tate Reeves, Edwards, Jeff Landry, Shawn Wilson, Edwards –, Landry, Donald Trump, Stephen Waguespack, John Schroder, Sen, Sharon Hewitt, Hunter Lundy, Lundy, he’s, polluters, Wilson, Mason, Dixon, that’s, Republican Reeves isn’t, Brandon Presley, Phil Bryant, Brett Favre, Favre, Reeves hasn’t, drumbeat, Reeves, Democrat hasn’t, Jim Hood, Presley, Elvis Presley, Beshear, Steve Beshear, Daniel Cameron, Mitch McConnell, Joe Biden, Kentuckians, Cameron, He’s, Trump Organizations: Republicans, Democrat, Republican, Lean Republican, Lean Democratic, Democratic, Safe Democratic, Safe Republican, Louisiana Safe Republican, Republican Party, Republican Governors Association, Mississippi, NFL, University of Southern, Public Service Commission, Kentucky Lean Democratic, Gov, Beshear, Kentucky, Democratic Governors Association Locations: Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, In Mississippi, Landry, Lundy, Brandon, Federal, University of Southern Mississippi, Cincinnati

☆ Jimmy Buffett, legendary 'Margaritaville' singer, dies at 76
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Henry Austin | Phil Helsel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Jimmy Buffett of Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band performs during the 2022 New Orleans & Jazz festival at Fair Grounds Race Course on May 08, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Jimmy Buffett, the singer-songwriter who drew millions of fans with his folksy tales of living and loving on tropical sandy beaches, frozen concoction in hand, died Friday night. But it was in Key West, Florida, in the 1970s that Buffett "found his true voice," according to his website. As time went on, Buffett also appeared on TV, movies and his work became a musical. There was also a Broadway show based on Buffett's music, " Jimmy Buffett's Escape to Margaritaville," which debuted in 2017.

Persons: Jimmy Buffett, Jimmy, Buffett, Hank Williams, Alan Jackson, —, Jerry Jeff Walker, margarita, Tom Selleck, Jimmy Buffett's, Joe Merchant, Jane Slagsvol, Cameron, — Christopher Cichiello Organizations: Reefer, Orleans & Jazz, Forbes, Alabama's Auburn University, University of Southern, Billboard Magazine, Key West, University of Miami, Men's, Associated Press Locations: Orleans, New Orleans , Louisiana, Pascagoula , Mississippi, University of Southern Mississippi, New Orleans, Nashville , Tennessee, Key West , Florida, South Florida, Margaritaville, Pitcairn, Savannah

“If you were to throw gasoline on a fire that’s already burning, that fire would grow really rapidly, really quickly. “Being hurricane season prepared also means being compassionate and kind to yourself during times of hardship,” NOLA Ready, the city’s emergency preparedness campaign, advised in a post on Instagram. Ms. Sibley, an administrative assistant and Ms. Ozane’s sister, has tried to save money to help with riding out hurricanes only for other demands to interfere with that. “What am I going to do if a hurricane really comes?” she said. “I pray we don’t have a bad one this year,” Ms. Sibley said.

Persons: El Niño, ”, Roishetta Sibley Ozane, Phil Klotzbach, “ There’s, Hurricane Ida, Emily Kask, The New York Times El, El, Eric Blake, Andrew, Craig E, Blake, Michael, Laura, Ian, Clay Tucker, NOLA Ready, Hurricane Laura, Ozane, “ They’re, Lake Charles, Ms, Meoshia Sibley, Sibley, Ozane’s, ” Ms, “ Organizations: Biscayne, El, Colorado State University, ”, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Atlantic, The New York Times, National Hurricane Center, Experts, Louisiana State University, University of Southern, Delta, of Louisiana Locations: Biscayne Beach, Florida, Westlake, La, Hurricane, Galliano, United States, University of Southern Mississippi, New Orleans, Lake Charles, Louisiana

CNN —American track and field champion Tori Bowie died from complications of childbirth, according to an autopsy report released by the Orange County, Florida, medical examiner’s office. The three-time Olympic medalist was found deceased in bed on May 2, according to the report. Bowie’s manner of death was ruled natural, and the report stated that there had been “possible complications,” including “respiratory distress and eclampsia.”Tori Bowie won three medals at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. Bowie won three medals at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio: gold in the 4x100m relay, silver in the 100 meters and bronze in the 200 meters. A native of Sandhill, Mississippi, Bowie was a three-time All-American at the University of Southern Mississippi.

Persons: Tori Bowie, ” Tori Bowie, Quinn Rooney, Bowie, Bowie’s Organizations: CNN, Centers for Disease Control, CDC, University of Southern Locations: Orange County , Florida, Rio, American Indian, Alaska, White, Sandhill , Mississippi, University of Southern Mississippi, Doha

☆ Track Star Tori Bowie Died in Childbirth
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Talya Minsberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Track and Field Career: She was the world’s fastest woman. Bowie’s ascension to the fastest woman in the world began on a basketball court in Sandhill, Miss. Pisgah High School was too small to field separate basketball and track teams, so if Bowie wanted to play basketball, she would have to run track, too. She went on to help her track team win state titles, competing in the 100 meters, 200 meters, 4x100-meter relay and long jump. “It was one of the best conversations we’ve had in a long time,” Holland said over the phone on Monday.

Persons: Bowie, Antoine Preudhomme, ”, Kimberly N, Holland, we’ve, ” Holland, “, ” Bowie Organizations: Pisgah High School, University of Southern Locations: Sandhill, Miss, University of Southern Mississippi, Florida, Mississippi, Holland, Atlanta

☆ Can Brandon Presley Help Mississippi Break from the Past? - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( David Firestone | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Mr. Presley, 45, is one of three elected members of the state Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities, and is the former mayor of Nettleton, a small town in the bright-red northeast section of Mississippi. His most effective tactic is his unrelenting attack on Mr. Reeves and the welfare scandal that has swirled around him and the previous Republican governor, Phil Bryant. At the same time, the state was rejecting a large majority of requests from families for Mississippi’s meager $170 a month in welfare payments. Mr. Reeves was lieutenant governor when all this was going on, and several people at the center of the scandal have been his friends and supporters. That was all Mr. Presley needed.

☆ Tori Bowie: Olympic and world champion has died at age 32, agent tells CNN
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Jill Martin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —American sprinter and long jumper Tori Bowie – a three-time Olympic medalist and a two-time world champion in track and field – has died, according to her agent, Kimberly Holland. Holland told CNN on Wednesday that Bowie was found dead at home in Florida and that the cause of death is not known yet. “We’re devasted [sic] to share the very sad news that Tori Bowie has passed away,” an Instagram post from Bowie’s representation and Holland’s company, Icon Management Inc., said. A native of Sandhill, Mississippi, Bowie was a three-time All-American at the University of Southern Mississippi. Her last appearance on the world stage was in 2019 at the world championships in Doha, when she finished fourth in the long jump.

☆ Tori Bowie, World Champion Sprinter, Is Dead at 32
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Daniel E. Slotnik | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Bowie’s world championship title came the next year in London in a dramatic 100-meter race. Ivory Coast’s Marie-Josée Ta Lou sprung into the lead and seemed well ahead of the rest of the pack. But near the end of the race, Bowie accelerated, caught up to Ta Lou and leaned through the finish line ahead of her, then tumbled to the ground. Bowie won another gold at that world championship, in the 4x100 relay. Bowie went to the University of Southern Mississippi, where she became the national champion in the long jump in 2011.

☆ Tornadoes reported as storms cause flooding, damage across the South
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

The National Weather Service confirmed that tornadoes hit the ground in Mississippi on Tuesday evening and Alabama was in the forecast path of the storms during the overnight hours. The national Storm Prediction Center said in its storm outlook that affected cities could include New Orleans; Memphis and Nashville in Tennessee; and Birmingham, Alabama. Additional reports of property damage near Columbus were received by the Weather Service, according to Lance Perrilloux, a forecaster with the agency. Craig Ceecee, a meteorologist at Mississippi State University, peered out at “incredibly black” skies through the door of a tornado shelter in Starkville. The National Weather Service reported nearly 4 inches of snow on the ground at the airport by noon.

☆ Brett Favre files motion to dismiss lawsuit in Mississippi welfare fraud case
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Laura Strickler | Laura Strickler Is A Washington-Based Investigative Reporter With The Nbc News Investigative Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Attorneys for former NFL star Brett Favre filed court papers in Mississippi on Monday seeking to dismiss a civil lawsuit against him tied to a state welfare fraud scandal. Favre was sued in May by the state welfare agency after he received $1.1 million in federal welfare funds intended to lift children out of poverty in the poorest state in America. Favre’s attorneys say that he and his organization, Favre Enterprises LLC, repaid the funds and that Mississippi officials are to blame for the misspending. "Mr. Favre never had any control over how Mississippi spent its welfare funds. Six people have been charged in what state and federal officials call a massive fraud scheme to misspend state welfare funds, including the former director of the state welfare agency, who is cooperating with the FBI and federal prosecutors.

☆ Ray Guy: Pro Football Hall of Fame punter dies at the age of 72
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Jacob Lev | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Pro Football Hall of Fame punter Ray Guy has died at the age of 72, the National Football League and the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced Thursday. Former NFL punter Ray Guy with his bust during the NFL Class of 2014 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony at Fawcett Stadium on August 2, 2014, in Canton, Ohio. Jason Miller/Getty Images“Fittingly, much was written when Ray Guy was enshrined in Canton about how his election as the first true punter created a ‘full roster’ of players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Guy was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014. In 2000, the Ray Guy Award was first awarded to the nation’s best collegiate punter.

☆ 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.

☆ Former Mississippi Governor Denies Wrongdoing in Welfare Scandal
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-24 | by ( Cameron Mcwhirter | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant, seen in 2021, denies he acted improperly in a matter involving the funding for a new volleyball facility at a college in the state. Lawyers for former Mississippi Gov. The suit names Mr. Favre and others, but doesn’t name Mr. Bryant. His motion filed Friday is in response to a subpoena that Mr. Bryant is seeking to quash.

The welfare funds in question were part of the $86 million Mississippi is given each year by the federal government to lift families out of poverty. The state auditor uncovered $77 million in misspent welfare funds in February 2020. The text messages, which were part of a filing by New's attorney, do not establish that Favre knew the public funds discussed were welfare money. The newly released text messages indicate Bryant, a Republican, was much more involved in the project as governor than previously known. She would pay Favre $1.1 million in state funds directly and he would do a few radio ads.

The Mississippi state auditor said Favre never gave the speeches and demanded the money back, with interest. In an interview with the website Mississippi Today, Bryant said he never knew the grants came from welfare money. The former head of the state welfare agency, John Davis, has pleaded not guilty to state charges of bribery and conspiracy, and law enforcement officials say the investigations continue. Favre defended himself in a series of tweets last year against allegations from White, the state auditor, that he accepted state money for speeches he never intended to give. Marcus Dupree, a former college football star, also received $370,000 in welfare funds, which prosecutors say partly went to fund his horse ranch.

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