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The Mississippi Center for Public Policy staff attended the Neshoba County fair this week.
While there, MCPP networked with several elected officials and other policy groups, as well as celebrated some of our state’s wins throughout this year, such as the historic income tax cut.
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When the City of Jackson asked residents to conserve water in late June, it stated that the water department was “anticipating increased water demand as a result of the higher than average temperatures forecast for the next several days.”
Since then, state health department officials clarified that mechanical issues at the plant were the primary reason for the conservation advisory, not the heat. Jackson officials said they issued the advisory because of a recommendation from the health department.
“Heat was not the primary reason for the recommendation,” Mississippi State Department of Health spokesperson Liz Sharlot said in an e-mail. “We have this type of weather every summer. If it was about the heat, the entire state would be affected.”
While initially the city didn’t provide a timetable for how long residents should conserve water, Jackson officials told Mississippi Today on Wednesday that the advisory will “continue during the summer months.”
The city issued the conservation advisory on June 21, three days before it issued a city-wide boil water noticed that lasted for two weeks. Both notices came after the city was forced to lower water pressure because of an ammonia leak and issues with the membrane filters at the O.B. Curtis water treatment plant.
MSDH issued another city-wide boil water notice due to high turbidity when operators used too much lime in the treatment process. Both boil water notices have since been lifted.
City of Jackson spokesperson Justin Vicory echoed that mechanical issues led to the conservation advisory, but added that “higher than average water use” because of the heat was a contributing factor.
“The state Department of Health made the recommendation,” he wrote in an e-mail. “A second recommendation from (MSDH) suggested we issue a boil water notice after the conservation advisory. That advisory was issued with the hope it would reduce ongoing water pressure issues at the plant.”
At the time the advisory was issued, only three of the six membrane trains at O.B. Curtis — part of the plant’s filtering system — were online. But, as of Wednesday, five of the filters were running, city officials said.
Mechanical issues at the O.B. Curtis treatment plant, including the membrane filters, have been a regular issue for the city, including when a winter storm shut down Jackson’s water system in early 2021.
As part of the conservation advisory, the city is asking residents to do the following:
• Do not water lawns between 7 A.M. to 7 P.M.
• Do not wash down sidewalks, driveways, etc.
• Refrain from washing cars
• Reduce draining and refilling of swimming pools
• Only wash full loads of clothes and dishes
• Take showers instead of baths
The post City of Jackson, health department clarify water conservation advisory appeared first on Mississippi Today.
While Mississippi continues to sit on the sidelines, two very different states chose to health care access by providing nurse practitioners with full practice authority.
New York and Kanas recently granted full practice authority to nurse practitioners just days apart from each other.
New York and Kansas add to the total of 26 states to grant this authority. Before this was passed, nurse practitioners in those states needed a collaboration agreement with a physician, as is still required in Mississippi. Along with these signed agreements, there are also hurdles created by the fees that nurse practitioners need to pay to work with these physicians.
Now with that full practice authority, nurse practitioners in New York and Kanas will now be able to practice to the full extent of their education, their clinical training, and their board certification.
Of particular interest, the states that are granting full practice authority are seeing them serve in more rural communities. The states without this full practice authority are more closely linked to geographically associated health disparities and primary care shortages across their state.
Especially in Mississippi, a state with the worst physician shortage in the country, than anywhere else. The National Institute of Health predicts that Mississippi will need an additional 3,709 doctors by 2030, a substantial increase from our current pool of 5,714 active physicians.
The math to hit this mark with new physicians becomes quite difficult when you realize that a full third of active physicians today are 60 or older, and likely to retire soon. And then you add the fact that more than half of all active Mississippi physicians are clumped in four metropolitan areas, leaving vast swaths of rural population without access.
Nurse practitioners are educated to perform various primary care functions, diagnose, prescribe medications, and conduct physical exams.
“New York has taken a critical step forward in our country, increasing access to vital health care services. New Yorkers will now have full and direct access to the comprehensive care NPs provide,” said April N. Kapu, president of AANP. “The majority of states have now adopted this legislative model, known as full practice authority.”
You can Kansas to that quote. But not Mississippi.
Help expand health care access in Mississippi with full practice authority. Sign the petition below.
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Mississippi Today investigative reporter Anna Wolfe, who has closely covered the state’s welfare scandal for more than three years, joined MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Tuesday morning to discuss a dramatic new development in the case.
WATCH: Wolfe’s full MSNBC interview about the Mississippi welfare scandal
(Note: Skip to the 16:15 mark to watch welfare scandal segment)
Wolfe was asked about the abrupt firing of Brad Pigott, the attorney hired by the state’s welfare department to recoup tens of millions in stolen welfare funds — money intended to help the state’s poorest residents but instead benefitted friends of welfare officials and celebrities.
Pigott, a former U.S. attorney and Democrat who had recently subpoenaed the Southern Miss Athletic Foundation for communications it had with former Gov. Phil Bryant and NFL legend Brett Favre, said his firing was politically motivated. Pigott said political operatives in current Gov. Tate Reeves’ office were behind the firing, which has spurred questions of a cover-up in the ongoing case.
Wolfe also discussed Bryant’s role in the scheme, which has become a public focus following Wolfe’s “The Backchannel” investigation. On Wednesday, Mississippi Today broke news that Bryant has been subpoenaed for records regarding the biggest purchase of the welfare scheme — a $5 million volleyball center at University of Southern Mississippi, the former governor’s alma mater.
READ MORE: Mississippi Today’s full “The Backchannel” investigation and coverage
The post Mississippi Today reporter Anna Wolfe discusses welfare scandal on MSNBC’s ‘Morning Joe’ appeared first on Mississippi Today.
Months after a lawsuit was filed in federal court alleging the Jackson Police Department’s roadblock program violates drivers’ constitutional rights and disproportionately affects people from Black and low-income neighborhoods, attorneys from the Mississippi Center for Justice and the City of Jackson are working toward a resolution.
Settlement negotiations have been active since early March, shortly after the center filed the class action lawsuit, said Mississippi Center for Justice attorney Paloma Wu, who is also deputy director of the George Riley Impact Litigation Initiative.
The suit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi against the City of Jackson and Police Chief James Davis, has not gone before a judge yet.
The four plaintiffs in the lawsuit are Black, white and mixed race. Although they are not in the room during the discussions, they are offering potential ways to mitigate harm from the checkpoints, Wu said.
Jackson police calls the roadblock program “Ticket Arrest Tow.” Since the beginning of the year, they have been used around the city to check if drivers have valid licenses, insurance and registration.
Police officials have said the roadblocks also allow officers to see if a driver has an active warrant.
“Our intent is to get wanted individuals off the streets,” court records document Davis saying to reporters on Feb. 18. “We are doing everything we can to keep Jackson safe. We’ve got individuals with outstanding warrants that is wanted (sic) and we’re looking to bring them to justice.”
Plaintiffs say the checkpoints disproportionately harm people who can’t afford or are unable to stay on top of keeping driver’s licenses, registration and car insurance updated.
Members from the Mississippi Alliance for Public Safety reached out to MCJ about peoples’ experiences with the roadblocks and how members wanted to organize around the issue.
Wu said the center began looking into the roadblocks and moved quickly to file a lawsuit because harm was building.
“Every time the roadblocks went up, it was like a casualty zone,” she said.
Between Jan. 4 to March 18, Jackson police officers made a total of 208 arrests – 10 for felonies, 198 for misdemeanors – from its roadblocks, according to information from the department obtained through a public records request shared with the Mississippi Center for Justice.
During that period, Jackson police officers also issued 1,149 citations and towed 186 vehicles.
Members of the alliance spoke with over 80 people in South and West Jackson, where they said they’d heard most of the roadblocks were occurring, and found many had negative experiences.
People said they felt inconvenienced and unable to move in and out of their communities. Alliance members heard a story about a mother who walked home with her children in the rain because her car was towed after going through a checkpoint.
Archie Skiffer Jr., 43, is a member of the Mississippi Alliance for Public Safety and has been a community organizer for over 20 years. He is also one of the four plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
He commutes from Simpson County to work in Jackson, and at night delivers food for DoorDash in the city. Skiffer uses driving apps to find alternate routes to avoid the roadblocks and get food orders to customers in a timely manner.
The money Skiffer earns from his two jobs help him afford his home and other living expenses.
“It would be devastating,” he said about potential loss of food delivery income or employment if he were to lose his car.
While delivering food, Skiffer said he has met Jackson residents who rely on food delivery because they do not have the credentials to drive to get food themselves. He said they fear getting caught up in a roadblock and potentially cited or arrested.
Like Skiffer and other alliance members, the Poor People’s Campaign also believes Jackson police’s roadblocks criminalize poor people.
The Poor People’s Campaign is working with the city and has set up tents near the checkpoints to provide information to people who may not have a license or other documentation, Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said during a March 21 press conference.
The Fourth Amendment protects citizens from unreasonable searches and seizures by the government. A traffic stop by police would need to be supported by reasonable suspicion or probable cause, Wu said.
The Supreme Court ruled in 2000 roadblocks can’t be used for general crime control, but law enforcement can use them to check for licenses, car insurance and registration, she said.
General roadblocks treat people like they are guilty when that isn’t always the case, Wu said.
In a July 1 court filing, the city denied most of the allegations in the complaint, including that the roadblocks are unconstitutional, they target majority Black and low-income neighborhoods and people are treated as suspects as they drive through them.
“Any injury, damage or deprivation alleged or suffered by the plaintiff was the result of the plaintiff’s failure to act reasonably or avoid or mitigate such injury, damage or deprivation,” the city said in its response.
In addition, the city says it is immune from the lawsuit under the Mississippi Tort Claims Act and through qualified immunity, which states a government employee can’t be sued if they were acting within the bounds of their job, according to the court documents.
City Attorney Catoria Martin, whose office is involved in settlement negotiations with the Mississippi Center for Justice, said in an email the city does not comment on pending litigation. Jackson Police Department Public Information Officer Sam Brown did not respond to a request for comment.
Looking ahead, Skiffer and members of the Mississippi Alliance for Public Safety would like to see the roadblocks used in a more equitable way. That could mean where they are placed rotates among precincts over a certain period of time, and the roadblocks could also be placed in predominantly white neighborhoods such as Belhaven or Eastover, he said.
Skiffer said Jackson police could share information and resources with people who need to renew a driver’s license or let people contact a family member to give their vehicle to instead of having it towed.
Police can also use discretion not to cite or arrest someone, he said, adding that a warning could work in some situations.
“Have compassion,” Skiffer said.
Editor’s note: The Mississippi Center For Justice President and CEO Vangela M. Wade serves on Mississippi Today’s board of trustees.
The post JPD roadblock lawsuit: Plaintiffs, city in settlement negotiations appeared first on Mississippi Today.
The Mississippi State Department of Health announced Wednesday the detection of an “uncommon” bacteria on the Gulf Coast called Burkholderia pseudomallei. This is the first time it’s been found in the United States.
MSDH, working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, identified the bacteria after two people on the Gulf Coast were diagnosed with a rare disease called melioidosis. The disease, caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, typically spreads through direct contact with water or soil contaminated with the bacteria, the CDC says.
The CDC says the disease is predominantly found in tropical climates, with cases being more common in Southeast Asia and northern Australia. It is now investigating how widespread the bacteria is in the U.S.
The disease has a wide range of symptoms similar to those of tuberculosis or pneumonia, such as fever, localized pain or swelling, coughing and headaches. Most people who come into contact with the bacteria never develop melioidosis, according to an MSDH press release. The National Institutes of Health estimates that anywhere between 30,000 to 200,000 people in the U.S. have the disease.
The CDC says that incubation period for the disease is unclear, but generally ranges between two to four weeks from exposure to the bacteria.
For anyone at risk of exposure to contaminated water and soil, MSDH recommends to:
Soil samples collected outside the homes of the two infected patients showed that the bacteria was present in the area since 2020, and that the soil was the likely source of infection.
“Individuals living on the Gulf Coast who have chronic illnesses such as diabetes, chronic kidney disease, chronic lung disease, or excessive alcohol use may be at risk of severe illness from infection and need to take precautions to protect themselves,” the state health department said.
The post First spotting of rare bacteria in U.S. found on Mississippi Gulf Coast appeared first on Mississippi Today.
Days after Mississippi’s largest company – Laurel-based poultry processor Sanderson Farms – finalized its $4.5-billion sale to an out-of-state competitor, it agreed to pay its part of millions dollars in restitution to workers for its alleged role in a scheme to suppress wages.
The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit this week that outlined decades of communications and data sharing between the poultry industry’s largest players, including Sanderson and its new owner, accusing the companies of working together to keep wages and benefits from being competitive.
“Through a brazen scheme to exchange wage and benefit information, these poultry processors stifled competition and harmed a generation of plant workers who face demanding and sometimes dangerous conditions to earn a living,” Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Doha Mekki of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division said in a statement.
Cargill Inc., Sanderson Farms Inc., and Wayne Farms signed an agreement with the Justice Department to pay $84.8 million in restitution to workers to resolve the lawsuit.
Cargill and Continental Grain Co. closed the acquisition of Sanderson Farms on Friday, almost a full year after announcing its plans. Continental owns Wayne Farms. The new corporate entity combines Sanderson – the third largest chicken production company in the country – with Wayne – the sixth largest – to create Wayne-Sanderson Farms.
“While we are pleased to have resolved this matter and put it behind us, both legacy companies are proud of their track record with their employees and growers and the agreement with DOJ evidences our commitment to continue to be an industry leader in those areas,” Wayne-Sanderson Farms said in a statement.
Cargill said in a statement it denies any wrongdoing but has been cooperative. The antitrust probe slowed the company’s plans to purchase Sanderson, which was first announced in August 2021.
The settlement, which still has to be approved by the court, also calls for a compliance monitor who will ensure the poultry companies are following regulations related to both processing facilities and with chicken growers.
The lawsuit says Sanderson and Wayne were both in violation of a protection act for the farms that hatch and grow chickens for slaughter. The poultry processors used a “tournament system” that adjusted payouts based on the quality of their brood compared to others, according to the lawsuit. The processors, however, are the ones supplying the chicks and feed.
DOJ alleged the poultry companies failed to provide the information the chicken growers needed to understand the inherent financial risks. Propublica outlined those types of risks in a 2019 investigation that showed how another poultry processor – Koch Foods – took advantage of Black Mississippi farmers to grow chickens, leaving them saddled with debt.
The agreement prevents Sanderson-Wayne from penalizing chicken growers by reducing base pay while still allowing for incentives and other bonuses. It requires expanded disclosures and transparency in contracts and prohibits retaliation against growers who raise antitrust concerns.
The new Sanderson-Wayne Farm is based in Oakwood, Georgia, with Clint Rivers, the CEO of Wayne Farms, as its head. The future of Sanderson’s corporate offices in Laurel is unclear.
“As we proceed with the integration of Wayne-Sanderson Farms, we look forward to investing in our communities, employees and grower partners to ensure there continues to be a strong and competitive American food supply,” the new company said in a statement.
Under its new ownership, Sanderson is no longer publicly traded. D.R. Sanderson founded the business in 1947 as a feed and seed store. For 75 years, it was family owned and based out of Laurel. Today, it spans more than 17,000 employees.
“It has been an incredible privilege to lead the Sanderson Farms team over the last 33 years and to continue my family’s legacy by helping to nourish families across the country,” former CEO Joe F. Sanderson, Jr. said in a statement. “I am proud of all we have achieved together, and I am confident that the fairness, honesty and integrity that has been synonymous with the Sanderson Farms name will carry on with Wayne-Sanderson Farms.”
The post Sanderson Farms $4.5-billion sale finalized amid DOJ antitrust probe of poultry industry appeared first on Mississippi Today.
A film to debut in the fall will follow the story of Mamie Till Mobley and her fight for justice after the lynching death of her son Emmett Till in 1955.
“Till”, written and directed by Chinonye Chukwu, will be shown during opening weekend of the New York Film Festival from Sept. 30 to Oct. 16 at the Lincoln Center in New York City. The premiere and screening were announced Monday on what would have been Till’s 81st birthday.
Deborah Watts, co-founder of the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation and a Till family member, said the film is the story of Mamie Till Mobley’s love for her son and how that powered her fight for justice and commitment to the truth.
“Seeing this film made is yet another milestone for our family, and a testament to Mamie’s fight for justice and to our commitment to legacy,” Watts said in a statement. “The power of history turning tragedy into triumph is something Mamie would have wanted all of us to do.”
The film’s trailer, released this week, opens with Mamie Till Mobley reflecting on her son’s death as scenes recreated from history play: Till saying goodbye as he boarded the train from Chicago to Mississippi; Till’s kidnapping in the middle of the night; and Mamie Till Mobley seeing her son’s body.
That trailer also shows her insisting on having an open casket for her son’s funeral. Photographs of Till’s damaged body published in Black publications Jet and the Chicago Defender showed people across the nation what happened to him and helped galvanize the civil rights movement.
The film’s release comes nearly 70 years after Till’s death, and family members say justice has not been served.
The U.S. Department of Justice has reopened the case several times, but its investigations did not result in new charges.
Family members say new evidence uncovered in recent weeks should be used to charge Carolyn Bryant Donham as an accomplice in Till’s death. Donham, then 21 in 1955, accused Till of making advances toward her and grabbing her at the shop where she worked.
Her former husband, Roy Bryant, and his brother-in-law J.W. Milam kidnapped, beat and shot the teenager and threw his body into the Tallahatchie River. The men were acquitted of the crime but later admitted to killing Till.
In June, the original arrest warrant listing her as “Mrs. Roy Bryant” alongside Roy Bryant and Milam was discovered in the basement of the Leflore County courthouse in Greenwood.
This month, the Associated Press received a copy of Donham’s unpublished memoir. In it, she said she didn’t know what would happen to Till after accusing him. Donham said when her former husband and his half brother brought the teenager to her in the middle of the night to identify, she denied it was him and claimed Till identified himself.
As of now, there aren’t any plans to reopen Till’s case. The attorney general’s office told the Associated Press there isn’t new evidence in the case. Leflore County District Dewayne Richardson, who would handle any new prosecution, did not respond to a request for comment.
In the film, Danielle Deadwyler stars as Mamie Till Mobley and Jalyn Hall as Emmett Till. Frankie Faison and Whoopi Goldberg star as Mobley’s parents, John and Alma Carthan.
The cast also includes Sean Patrick Thomas, who plays Mamie’s husband Gene Mobley; John Douglas Thompson as Mose Wright, the great uncle who Till stayed with in the Delta; and Haley Bennett as Carolyn Bryant Donham.
The film has several producers including Goldberg and Keith Beauchamp, a friend of the Till family who created the 2005 documentary “The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till” that led to one of the DOJ’s investigations of Till’s death.
Dates for the premier and community screenings will be announced at a later time as part of the lineup and schedule for the New York Film Festival.
Early access passes for the New York Film Festival are on sale. Tickets for the general public will go on sale Sept. 19 at 12 p.m. ET.
The post Emmett Till movie will debut this fall appeared first on Mississippi Today.
In his Neshoba County Fair speech on Wednesday, Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said that with state coffers at historically full levels, “This year, it’s time to give you your money back.”
“It’s not the government’s money,” Hosemann said. “It’s your money.”
Hosemann said that lawmakers could have provided a rebate last year, but were focused on passing the largest income tax cut in state history. In setting up his proposed rebate, he told fairgoers, “Inflation is scaring me. The possibility of a recession is scaring me.”
Mississippi, like most states, is collecting an unprecedented amount of revenue thanks to a number of factors, including federal COVID-19-relief money directed to the states, inflation and strong consumer spending. About 20 states already have opted to return some of those record revenue collections to taxpayers through direct payments. While Hosemann proposed a direct rebate during the 2022 session, the Legislature opted instead to provide the record tax cut that will not kick in until calendar year 2023. The income tax, when fully enacted in 2026, will be the largest in state history, taking about $525 million out of state coffers.
In addition to that tax cut, Hosemann renewed his call for a direct rebate during the 2023 session at the Nashoba County Fair speech, saying the state had the funds to do both.
The state ended the just completed fiscal year with $1.4 billion above the revenue projection and concluded the previous fiscal year about $1 billion about the official projection. The official revenue projection for the just-completed fiscal year was $5.9 billion. The state collected $7.4 billion in tax collections.
Hosemann said Wednesday that he’s “proud Mississippi led the way with the Dobbs case” to end the national constitutional right to abortion. But he said now Mississippi faces a challenge to provide health services to mothers and children and to be “pro child.” He lamented that the House shot down proposals to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage for working mothers, which “the Senate voted for three times to have.”
“How can we celebrate the rights of the unborn and then when they get here tell them, good luck?” Hosemann said. “We are better than that.”
The first-term Republican lieutenant governor made clear that the Senate where he presides will again make it a priority to extend postpartum coverage. Under current state law, pregnant women who fall below a certain income level are eligible for health care coverage through Medicaid. But the Medicaid coverage extends only 60 days after the pregnancy.
He cited Georgia, Alabama and Louisiana among the states that have extended postpartum coverage and said Mississippi should do the same.
Hosemann recapped an “historical” legislative session early this year, including spending about $1 billion in federal funds for water, sewer and other infrastructure and reducing state debt.
“And one other thing — we passed the largest teacher pay raise in Mississippi history, $246 million,” Hosemann said. “… The greatest asset that Mississippi has is a child’s brain.”
Hosemann also made clear he is running for a second term as lieutenant governor, and not seeking any other office.
“If you’ll rehire me for another four years, I promise to come back to work for you,” Hosemann said.
Hosemann and Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney spoke Wednesday on the opening day of the fair’s political speakings. The six other statewide elected officials and House Speaker Philip Gunn are scheduled to speak Thursday.
The post Hosemann wants to cut Mississippians a tax rebate check appeared first on Mississippi Today.
Nancy New’s attorney has filed a subpoena directly on former Gov. Phil Bryant for documents related to the use of federal welfare funds to build a volleyball stadium at his alma mater, University of Southern Mississippi — information the state has appeared intent on concealing.
“We have no confidence that the state will follow through with its subpoena or pursue the evidence wherever it leads,” said Gerry Bufkin, the attorney for New and the nonprofit Mississippi Community Education Center. “We’re going to find the truth, even if we have to drag it kicking and screaming into the light.”
Bufkin’s subpoena asks Bryant to produce any of his communication surrounding the USM volleyball stadium and efforts to fund it. This marks the first known time the former governor, who oversaw the welfare agency while the misspending occurred, has been compelled to provide documents related to his involvement in the scheme.
The attorney also filed subpoenas on the USM Athletic Foundation, and on the Attorney General’s Office and Institutes of Higher Learning — two state agencies that approved the project. These three entities, as well as a spokesperson for Bryant, did not return requests for comment to Mississippi Today on Wednesday morning.
The Monday subpoena comes just days after Mississippi Department of Human Services fired the private attorney representing the agency in a massive civil suit that attempts to claw back $24 million in misspent grant funds from 38 individuals or companies. The suit is heavily based on audits conducted by State Auditor Shad White, a Bryant appointee, and private forensic auditors the welfare agency hired in 2020.
The welfare agency’s lawsuit targets New, her son Zach New, former welfare director John Davis, NFL legend Brett Favre, and many others — but not Bryant.
The agency said it removed the attorney on the case, former U.S. Attorney Brad Pigott, because Pigott had recently filed his own subpoena on the University of Southern Mississippi Athletic Foundation. Pigott was poking into why and how New, former First Lady Deborah Bryant’s close friend, paid $5 million in welfare funds to satisfy Brett Favre’s desires to see a new stadium on USM’s campus, where his daughter played volleyball.
“Although USM Athletic Foundation is not yet a party in this case, Brad Pigott issued an extensive subpoena to that entity without any prior discussion of the matter with MDHS,” current welfare director Bob Anderson said in a statement Saturday.
MDHS originally told the public that it would include the volleyball stadium in its civil suit, but Pigott told Mississippi Today the governor’s office prohibited him from doing so.
“All I did, and I believe all that caused me to be terminated from representing the department or having anything to do with the litigation, was to try to get the truth about all of that,” Pigott told Mississippi Today hours after his firing Friday. “People are going to go to jail over this, at least the state should be willing to find out the truth of what happened.”
The federal government prohibits states from spending funds from the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant on brick and mortar, such as building an athletic facility. To get around this prohibition, the parties crafted a $5 million lease agreement, pretending that the New nonprofit would use the athletic facilities on campus to provide services to needy families. The athletic foundation would use the money to build the volleyball stadium, which it called the Wellness Center.
The volleyball facility represents the single largest known purchase in the welfare scandal, and with approved IHL meeting minutes revealing the nature of the project and the source of the funds, it’s also the scheme with the potential to ensnare the widest group of powerful people.
A text Favre sent to his business partner in late 2018, obtained by Mississippi Today, illustrates the attitude surrounding the payment: “(Nancy New) has strong connections and gave me 5 million for Vball facility via grant money.”
Favre was the inspiration behind at least three major expenditures in the scandal: the volleyball facility, $2.1 million in payments to a pharmaceutical startup, and a $1.1 contract directly with Favre to promote services for needy families — all of which now have some alleged proximity to former Gov. Bryant.
Nancy New, who has pleaded guilty to state charges of fraud, bribery and racketeering in the overall welfare scandal, has argued in responses to the state’s complaint that she has taken responsibility for her role in the scheme, but that she was acting on the direction of others who have been shielded from consequences.
For example, Bryant was the one who directed Nancy New to give Brett Favre the $1.1 million contract, she alleged in a recent filing. A spokesperson for Bryant denied this.
“Nancy and Zach have been cast as the ring leaders in this spending circus since the beginning. The auditor’s office focused on them to the exclusion of others and now MDHS has fired Brad Pigott to ensure that the cast of characters remains small,” Bufkin said. “This certainly appears to be a patent attempt by the state to obfuscate truth and to protect itself and its political allies.”
The post Former Gov. Phil Bryant subpoenaed for USM volleyball stadium documents appeared first on Mississippi Today.
