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Coffee Shop Stop – Lost & Found Coffee Company

Lost+Found Coffee Company @ 248 South Green Street, Tupelo,MS. inside Relics in Downtown Tupelo. Open Monday through Saturday from 10:00am till 6:00pm.

With most any restaurant or coffee house, it’s a balance between atmosphere, menu, and know how. For a coffee shop, Lost & Found has it going on!

You could spend the better part of a day just strolling through both floors of the antique building looking at all the treasures. When your ready for a coffee break, the knowledgeable baristas can help you choose the perfect pick me up!

They have everything from a classic cup of joe to the creamiest creation you could imagine! From pour overs to cold brews. From lattes, mochas, to cappuccino’s, Lost & Found Coffee Company has got ya covered!

So the next time you want to hunt for lost treasures, or find the perfect cup of coffee, Lost & Found Coffee Company has got ya covered! See y’all there!

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Food Truck Locations for Tuesday 9-8-20

Local Mobile is at TRI Realtors just east of Crosstown.

Gypsy Roadside Mobile is in Baldwyn at South Market.

Taqueria Ferris is on West Main between Computer Universe and Sully’s Pawn.

Magnolia Creamery is in the Old Navy parking lot.

Stay tuned as we update this map if things change through out the day and be sure to share it.

Food Truck Locations for 9-1-20

Taqueria Ferris is on West Main between Computer Universe and Sully’s Pawn

Local Mobile is at a new location today, beside Sippi Sippin coffee shop at 1243 West Main St (see map below)

Gypsy Roadside Mobile is in Baldwyn at South Market

Today’s Food Truck Locations

How to Slow Down and Enjoy the Scenic Route

Do you thrive on the unexpected? Are you waiting for the next fire to crop up?

Have you ever noticed that you can plan something so intricately and you are still going to catch the glitches when life throws you a curve ball? It is one of the beauties of life that we can never prepare for. The unexpected. The only difference is our response to the unexpected. Do we have a knee jerk reaction that finds us swerving to gain back control of our life? Or do we instead just go with the flow and decide to embrace the scenic route life decided to take us on? Our response to life can cause us more stress or we can just enjoy it for what it is in that moment of time. I used to thrive on the unexpected. It was part of my career for many years. The never knowing what “fire” was going to sprout up that day and how I was going to need to put it out. Even this week as we launched our newest book in my publishing company. I thought I had it all planned out only to run into major “hiccups” within 72 hours of the launch. I could either stress out or take it in stride. 

Slow and Steady

As my dad retired I watched him take a different approach to life than I had ever seen him take before. I mean, all you have to do is climb up in the cab of his king ranch Ford pick-up and see he is a changed man. He drives slower than anyone should even be allowed to drive out on the roads these days. He knows how to drive, so don’t go yelling at him next time you are stuck behind him. Trust me, my mom does enough yelling for all of us at him about that! He just takes life these days. His sentiments are that he lived in the fast lane his whole life. Rushing to be on time to work, rushing to come home to his family, the constant busy we get entangled with as adults…now, he doesn’t have to be busy and he is going to enjoy that. Truth is, I can’t even be mad at him for that. Now that I am an adult out here rushing from one thing to the next, I totally could use some driving twenty miles per hour in my life some days. Took me getting to nearly forty to even be able to say that though.

The lesson in his wisdom can be heard by all. Some things we lose it over won’t even amount to anything five years from now, yet we gave them so much energy in the moment. All the things we think are so important that we must do and do now. Most will not really matter years from now, yet we poured our soul into them. What would change if we took the time to just enjoy life? To just flow with things as they happened? When hit with something we didn’t expect, we embraced it instead of fighting it? What would happen? I dare say we might have more peace? I probably would be a lot calmer. I probably wouldn’t lose my temper near as much. I probably wouldn’t have anxiety or stress on the daily. I would probably take time to enjoy life more. I certainly wouldn’t yell at the slow driver in front of me.

What about you? Next time you get behind someone driving slowly…take back the name calling and curse words. Maybe take back all of the assumptions that they don’t know how to drive. Maybe use it as a reminder to take a moment, roll down your window, soak in the sunshine. I can promise you that wherever the heck you are going, you will still get there. Maybe that person figured out life and you can use their wisdom too. If they are driving a blue king ranch Ford truck, I can assure you that he is just enjoying his day and he would want you to enjoy yours too. Matter of fact, I wish I had listened to his wisdom a lot more in my earlier days instead of waiting until now. 

See you on down the road…take it easy my friend.

Looking for the Text from Tupelo’s New Mask Order? Here you go.

Here is a plain, searchable text version (most other versions we found were Images or PDF files) of City Of Tupelo Executive Order 20-018. Effective Monday June 29th at 6:00 PM

The following Local Executive Order further amends and supplements all previous Local Executive Orders and its Emergency Proclamation and Resolution adopted by the City of Tupelo, Mississippi, pertaining to COVID-19. All provisions of previous local orders and proclamations shall remain in full force and effect. 

LOCAL EXECUTIVE ORDER 20-018 

The White House and CDC guidelines state the criteria for reopening up America should be based on data driven conditions within each region or state before proceeding to the next phased opening. Data should be based on symptoms, cases, and hospitals. Based on cases alone, there must be a downward trajectory of documented cases within a 14-day period or a downward trajectory of positive tests as a percent of total tests within a 14-day period. There has been no such downward trajectory in the documented cases in Lee County since May 18, 2020. 

Hospital numbers are not always readily available to policymakers; however, from information that has been maintained and communicated to the City of Tupelo, the Northeast Mississippi Medical Center is near or at their capacity for treating COVID-19 inpatients over the past two weeks without reopening additional areas for treating COVID-19 patients. The City of Tupelo is experiencing an increase in the number of cases of COVID-19. The case count 45 days prior to the date of this executive order was 77 cases. That number increased within 15 days to 107, and today, the number is 429 cases. The City of Tupelo is experiencing increases of 11.7 cases a day. This is not in conformity with the guidelines provided of a downward trajectory of positive tests. By any metric available, the City of Tupelo may not continue to the next phase of reopening. 

Governor Tate Reeves in his Executive Order No. 1492(1)(i)(1) authorizes the City of Tupelo to implement more restrictive measures than currently in place for other Mississippians to facilitate preventative measures against COVID-19 thereby creating the downward trajectory necessary for reopening. 

That the Tupelo Economic Recovery Task Force and North Mississippi Medical Center have formally requested that the City of Tupelo adopt a face covering policy. 

In an effort to support the Northeast Mississippi Health System in their response to COVID-19 and to strive to keep the City of Tupelo’s economy remaining open for business, effective at 6:00 a.m. on Monday, June 29, 2020, all persons who are present within the jurisdiction of the City of Tupelo shall wear a clean face covering any time they are, or will be, in contact with other people in indoor public or business spaces where it is not possible to maintain social distance. While wearing the face covering, it is essential to still maintain social distance being the best defense against the spread of COVID-19. The intent of this executive order is to encourage voluntary compliance with the requirements established herein by the businesses and persons within the jurisdiction of the City of Tupelo. 

It is recommended that all indoor public or business spaces require persons to wear a face covering for entry. Upon entry, social distancing and activities shall follow guidelines of the City of Tupelo and the Governor’s executive orders pertaining to particular businesses and business activity. 

Persons shall properly wear face coverings ensuring the face covering covers the mouth and nose, 

1. Signage should be posted by entrances to businesses stating the face covering requirement for entry.  (Available for download at www.tupeloms.gov).

2. A patron located inside an indoor public or business space without a face covering will be asked to  leave by the business owners if the patron is unwilling to come into compliance with wearing a face covering 

3. Face coverings are not required for: 

a. People whose religious beliefs prevent them from wearing a face covering.
b. Those who cannot wear a face covering due to a medical or behavioral condition.
c. Restaurant patrons while dining.
d. Private, individual offices or offices with fewer than ten (10) employees.
e. Other settings where it is not practical or feasible to wear a face covering, including when obtaining or rendering goods or services, such as receipt of dental services or swimming.
f. Banks, gyms, or spaces with physical barrier partitions which prohibit contact between the customer(s) and employee.
g. Small offices where the public does not interact with the employer. h. Children under twelve (12).
i. That upon the formulation of an articulable safety plan which meets the goals of this 

Executive Order businesses may seek an exemption by email at covid@tupeloms.gov 

FACE COVERINGS DO NOT HAVE TO BE MEDICAL MASKS OR N95 MASKS. A BANDANA, SCARF, TSHIRT, HOMEMADE MASKS, ETC. MAY BE USED. THEY MUST PROPERLY COVER BOTH A PERSONS MOUTH AND NOSE

Those businesses that are subject to regulatory oversight of a separate state or federal agency shall follow the guidelines of said agency or regulating body if there is a conflict with this Executive Order. 

Additional information can be found at www.tupeloms.gov COVID-19 information landing page. 

Pursuant to Miss. Code Anno. 833-15-17(d)(1972 as amended), this Local Executive Order shall remain in full effect under these terms until reviewed, approved or disapproved at the first regular meeting following such Local Executive Order or at a special meeting legally called for such a review. 

The City of Tupelo reserves its authority to respond to local conditions as necessary to protect the health, safety, and welfare of its citizens. 

So ordered, this the 26th day of June, 2020. 

Jason L. Shelton, Mayor 

ATTEST: 

Kim Hanna, CFO/City Clerk 

Restaurants in Tupelo – Covid 19 Updates

Thanks to the folks at Tupelo.net (#MYTUPELO) for the list. We will be adding to it and updating it as well.

Restaurants
Business NameBusiness#Operating Status
Acapulco Mexican Restaurant662.260.5278To-go orders
Amsterdam Deli662.260.4423Curbside
Bar-B-Q by Jim662.840.8800Curbside
Brew-Ha’s Restaurant662.841.9989Curbside
Big Bad Wolf Food Truck662.401.9338Curbside
Bishops BBQ McCullough662.690.4077Curbside and Delivery
Blue Canoe662.269.2642Curbside and Carry Out Only
Brick & Spoon662.346.4922To-go orders
Buffalo Wild Wings662.840.0468Curbside and Tupelo2Go Delivery
Bulldog Burger662.844.8800Curbside, Online Ordering, Tupelo2Go
Butterbean662.510.7550Curbside and Pick-up Window
Café 212662.844.6323Temporarily Closed
Caramel Corn Shop662.844.1660Pick-up
Chick-fil-A Thompson Square662.844.1270Drive-thru or Curbside Only
Clay’s House of Pig662.840.7980Pick-up Window and Tupelo2Go Delivery
Connie’s Fried Chicken662.842.7260Drive-thru Only
Crave662.260.5024Curbside and Delivery
Creative Cakes662.844.3080Curbside
D’Cracked Egg662.346.2611Curbside and Tupelo2Go
Dairy Kream662.842.7838Pick Up Window
Danver’s662.842.3774Drive-thru and Call-in Orders
Downunder662.871.6881Curbside
Endville Bakery662.680.3332Curbside
Fairpark Grill662.680.3201Curbside, Online Ordering, Tupelo2Go
Forklift662.510.7001Curbside and Pick-up Window
Fox’s Pizza Den662.891.3697Curbside and Tupelo2Go
Gypsy Food Truck662.820.9940Curbside
Harvey’s662.842.6763Curbside, Online Ordering, Tupelo2Go
Hey Mama What’s For Supper662.346.4858Temporarily Closed
Holland’s Country Buffet662.690.1188
HOLLYPOPS662.844.3280Curbside
Homer’s Steaks and More662.260.5072Temporarily Closed
Honeybaked Ham of Tupelo662.844.4888Pick-up
Jimmy’s Seaside Burgers & Wings662.690.6600Regular Hours, Drive-thru, and Carry-out
Jimmy John’s662.269.3234Delivery & Drive Thru
Johnnie’s Drive-in662.842.6748Temporarily Closed
Kermits Outlaw Kitchen662.620.6622Take-out
King Chicken Fillin’ Station662.260.4417Curbside
Little Popper662.610.6744Temporarily Closed
Lone Star Schooner Bar & Grill662.269.2815
Local Mobile Food TruckCurbside
Lost Pizza Company662.841.7887Curbside and Delivery Only
McAlister’s Deli662.680.3354Curbside

Mi Michocana662.260.5244
Mike’s BBQ House662.269.3303Pick-up window only
Mugshots662.269.2907Closed until further notice
Nautical Whimsey662.842.7171Curbside
Neon Pig662.269.2533Curbside and Tupelo2Go
Noodle House662.205.4822Curbside or delivery
Old Venice Pizza Co.662.840.6872Temporarily Closed
Old West Fish & Steakhouse662.844.1994To-go
Outback Steakhouse662.842.1734Curbside
Papa V’s662.205.4060Pick-up Only
Park Heights662.842.5665Temporarily Closed
Pizza vs Tacos662.432.4918Curbside and Delivery Only
Pyro’s Pizza662.269.2073Delivery via GrubHub, Tupelo2go, DoorDash
PoPsy662.321.9394Temporarily Closed
Rita’s Grill & Bar662.841.2202Takeout
Romie’s Grocery662.842.8986Curbside, Delivery, and Grab and Go
Sao Thai662.840.1771Temporarily Closed
Sim’s Soul Cookin662.690.9189Curbside and Delivery
Southern Craft Stove + Tap662.584.2950Temporarily Closed
Stables662.840.1100Temporarily Closed
Steele’s Dive662.205.4345Curbside
Strange Brew Coffeehouse662.350.0215Drive-thru, To-go orders
Sugar Daddy Bake Shop662.269.3357Pick-up, and Tupelo2Go Delivery

Sweet Pepper’s Deli

662.840.4475
Pick-up Window, Online Ordering, and Tupelo2Go Delivery
Sweet Tea & Biscuits Farmhouse662.322.4053Curbside, Supper Boxes for Order
Sweet Tea & Biscuits McCullough662.322.7322Curbside, Supper Boxes for Order
Sweet Treats Bakery662.620.7918Curbside, Pick-up and Delivery
Taqueria Food TruckCurbside
Taziki’s Mediterranean Café662.553.4200Curbside
Thirsty DevilTemporarily closed due to new ownership
Tupelo River Co. at Indigo Cowork662.346.8800Temporarily Closed
Vanelli’s Bistro662.844.4410Temporarily Closed
Weezie’s Deli & Gift Shop662.841.5155
Woody’s662.840.0460Modified Hours and Curbside
SaltilloPhone NumberWhat’s Available
Skybox Sports Grill & Pizzeria (662) 269-2460Take Out
Restaurant & CityPhone NumberType of Service
Pyros Pizza 662.842.7171curbside and has delivery
Kent’s Catfish in Saltillo662.869.0703 curbside
Sydnei’s Grill & Catering in Pontotoc MS662-488-9442curbside
 Old Town Steakhouse & Eatery662.260.5111curbside
BBQ ON WHEELS  Crossover RD Tupelo662-369-5237curbside
Crossroad Ribshack662.840.1700drive thru Delivery 
 O’Charley’s662-840-4730Curbside and delivery
Chicken salad chick662-265-8130open for drive
Finney’s Sandwiches842-1746curbside pickup
Rock n Roll Sushi662-346-4266carry out and curbside
Don Tequilas Mexican Grill in Corinth(662)872-3105 drive thru pick up
Homer’s Steaks 662.260.5072curbside or delivery with tupelo to go
Adams Family Restaurant Smithville,Ms662.651.4477
Don Julio’s on S. Gloster 662.269.2640curbside and delivery
Tupelo River 662.346.8800walk up window
 El Veracruz662.844.3690 curbside
Pizza Dr.662.844.2600
Connie’s662.842.7260drive Thu only
Driskills fish and steak Plantersville662.840.0040curb side pick up

Honeyboy & Boots – Artist Spotlight

Band Name : Honeyboy and Boots

Genre: Americana

Honeyboy and Boots are a husband and wife, guitar and cello, duo with a unique style that is all their own. Their sound embodies Americana, traditional folk, alt country, and blues with harmonies and a hint of classical notes.

Drew Blackwell, a true Southerner raised in the heart of the black prairie in Mississippi. First picked up the guitar at fourteen, he was greatly influenced by his Uncle Doug who taught him old country standards and folk classics. Later on in high school, he was mentored and inspired to write (and feel) the blues by Alabama blues artist Willie King. (Willie King is credited for bringing together the band The Old Memphis Kings.)

Drew has placed 3rd in the 2019 Mississippi Songwriter of the Year contest with his song “Waiting on A Friend” and made it to the semi finalist round on the 2019 International Songwriting Competition with his song “Accidental Hipster.”

Honeyboy (Drew) can also be found belting out those blues notes as the lead vocalist for the Old Memphis Kings and begins everyday with a hot cup of black coffee!

Courtney Blackwell (Kinzer) grew up in Washington State and comes from a talented musical family. She began playing cello at the age of three taking lessons from the cello bass professor Bill Wharton at the University of Idaho. Her mother was most influential in her progression of technique, tone quality, and ear training. Since traveling around much of the South, she has enjoyed focusing on the variety of ways the cello is used in ensembles. When she plays, you will feel those groovy bass lines making way to soaring leads create an emotional and magical connection between you and her music.

Courtney enjoys working in the studio, collaborating with artists and continuing to challenge the way cello is expressed.

They have opened for such acts as Verlon Thompson, The Josh Abbott Band, Cary Hudson (of Blue Mountain), and Rising Appalachia. 

Honeyboy And Boots have performed at a variety of venues and festivals throughout the southeast, including the 2015 Pilgrimage Fest in Franklin, TN; Musicians Corner in Nashville; the Mississippi Songwriters Festival (2015-2018); and the Black Warrior Songwriting Fest in Tuscaloosa, AL (2018-2019). They also came in 2nd place at the 2015 Gulf Coast Songwriters Shootout in Orange Beach, FL.

They have two albums, Mississippi Duo and Waiting On a Song, which are available on their website, iTunes, Amazon, and CD Baby.

The duo also just released their fourth recording: a seven-song EP called Picture On The Wall, which was recorded with Anthony Crawford (Williesugar Capps, Sugarcane Jane, Neil Young). It is now available on Spotify, Itunes, Google Music, and CD Baby.

Who or what would you say has been the greatest influence on your music?

My Uncle Doug, because he began to teach me guitar and introduced me to a lot of great older country music.

Favorite song you’ve composed or performed and why?

“We Played On” because it’s about our family reunions, where we would sit around and play guitar and share songs.

If you could meet any artist, living or dead, which would you choose and why?

Probably Willie Nelson. He’s my all time favorite.

Most embarrassing thing ever to happen at a gig?

A guy fell on top of me while I was performing. I was sitting down. He busted a big hole in my guitar.

What was the most significant thing to happen to you in the course of your music?

Getting to perform at Musicians Corner in downtown Nashville. Probably the biggest crowd we’ve ever been in front of.

If music were not part of your life, what else would you prefer to be doing?

I don’t know, maybe fishing or golf.

Is there another band or artist(s) you’d like to recommend to our readers who you feel deserves attention?

Our friends, Sugarcane Jane. They are a husband/wife duo from the Gulf Shores area. Great people and great artist.


Interested in seeing your own artist profile highlighted here on Our Tupelo?

Simply click HERE and fill out our form!

Sun sets on Mississippi State Fair

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Sun begins to set Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, at the 165th Mississippi State Fair in Jackson, Miss. Credit: Mukta Joshi/Mississippi Today

Mississippi’s 165th state fair just came to an end. The past week saw Mississippians of all ages flock to the heart of Jackson to enjoy freshly squeezed lemonade, every kind of fried food imaginable, gentle animals, thrilling games, and rides (for the particularly brave). The Mississippi Today team didn’t miss out.

Mississippi State Fair offers a collage of colors, food, rides and fun on Sunday, Oct. 2024.
The annual Mississippi State Fair is a time for food, fun and trying new treats. Credit: Mukta Joshi/Mississipppi Today
Mississippi State Fairgoers in Jackson, Miss., enjoy a high-flying whirl on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. Credit: Mukta Joshi/Mississippi Today
Some kid-to-kid love at the petting zoo at the Mississippi State Fair in Jackson, Miss., Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. Credit: Mukta Joshi/Mississippi Today
Young people take in all the prizes and surprises at the Mississippi State Fair, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. Credit: Mukta Joshi/Mississippi Today
Winning gold — goldfish, that is — at the Mississippi State Fair in Jackson, Miss., Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. Credit: Mukta Joshi/Mississippi Today
Enjoying a tea cup twirl at the Mississippi State Fair on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. Credit: Mukta Joshi/Mississippi Today
Mississippi State Fair goers hop on a ride Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. Credit: Mukta Joshi/Mississippi Today
Young Mississippi State Fairgoers enjoyed making bubbles on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. Credit: Mukta Joshi/Mississippi Today
Blowing bubbles at the Mississippi State Fair, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. Credit: Mukta Joshi/Mississi[[i Today
Young Mississippi State Fairgoer gets a shoulder-top view of the sights on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. Credit: Mukta Joshi/Mississippi Today

The post Sun sets on Mississippi State Fair appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Jackson water update: Federal judge questions EPA public meetings, Henifin details system progress

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On Thursday evening and Friday morning, the U.S. Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency held listening sessions in the capital city to hear Jacksonians’ thoughts on the work being done with the city’s drinking water system.

While many recognized the progress in the system’s reliability, residents continued to lament JXN Water’s increased water bills, which went into effect earlier this year despite a key component of the billing change — a discount for SNAP recipients — being held up in court. Most of the complaints centered around the new $40 availability charge, as well as issues getting help through JXN Water’s call center in Pearl.

A meeting the EPA held at the Mississippi e-Center in Jackson to talk about the progress with the drinking water system, Oct. 10, 2024. Credit: Alex Rozier, Mississippi Today

But before those meetings kicked off, U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate, whose 2022 order put JXN Water and its leader Ted Henifin in charge of the water rehabilitation, criticized federal attorneys over the EPA’s decision to hold the public meetings.

During a Thursday afternoon status conference, where Henifin detailed the faster-than-expected progress in fixing Jackson’s sewer system, Wingate questioned DOJ attorney Karl Fingerhood, who represents the EPA in the lawsuit over Jackson’s water system, for roughly an hour about the meetings.

The judge wondered why the EPA would invite feedback from the public in a venue outside the court, and even asked Fingerhood if the listening sessions would somehow undermine the court proceedings. Wingate repeatedly referred to a hearing he held in 2023 where he invited feedback from Jackson residents about Henifin and JXN Water’s work thus far.

While that meeting was held more than a year ago and Wingate hasn’t announced plans for one since, the judge wondered why the EPA didn’t consult him about their plans. Fingerhood explained that the meetings weren’t meant to be formal proceedings, but that the EPA had made a commitment to hear Jacksonians’ feedback and that it had been a while since the agency had last engaged with residents.

FILE – U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate smiles, Aug. 19, 2022, in Jackson, Miss. On Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023, Wingate ruled that the Meridian Public School District can come out from under federal supervision in a decades-old desegregation lawsuit. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

After last year’s hearing in Wingate’s courtroom, where residents and advocates made a range of requests including more communication from JXN Water, the judge filed a response brushing off most of the feedback he heard, even calling some criticisms of Henifin “racist.”

Both Wingate and Henifin also pointed to a letter that Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba sent the EPA in March criticizing JXN Water, wondering if the EPA was holding the meetings in response to the mayor’s concerns. Fingerhood denied any connection.

Wingate also used the moment as a chance to call out Lumumba, who the judge has scolded in prior status conferences, saying: “The mayor it seems to me is not a friend of this endeavor to straighten out this mess.”

Sewer pipes are replaced on Lamar Street in Jackson, Miss., July 21, 2020. Credit: Eric J. Shelton/Mississippi Today

Sewer and water system progress

At the start of Thursday’s status conference, Henifin informed the court that JXN Water has already repaired close to 300 sewer line failures around the city since it took over the wastewater system last year. Those include 215 that the court order listed in one of the priority projects. Henifin initially expected that project would take two to three years to finish. He added that JXN Water was able to make the repairs without any federal funds. Most of the lines needing repairs, Henifin said, were collapsed underground pipes, and were causing raw sewage to leak out onto city streets and even on residents’ property.

Henifin added that JXN Water inherited 2,200 service requests dealing with sewer issues around the city, and they’ve since reduced the backlog to under 200.

He said one of the city’s three wastewater treatment plants, the Savanna Street plant, still needs a lot of investment — about $36 million — for capitol improvements, but he added that JXN Water has been able to reduce the number of prohibited bypasses of wastewater into the Pearl River.

On the drinking water side, Henifin explained that by fixing leaks JXN Water has been able to reduce the amount of water it needs to put into the system by 25%, adding though that there is still a 50% loss of what water does get treated and sent out. The hope, he said, is to keep decreasing the amount of water needed to go out — to below 30 million gallons a day, versus the current output of 40 MGD — so that the city can finally close the age-old J.H. Fewell plant and save money on operations. To do that, JXN Water is working with four different contractors to find suspected underground leaks that never show up above the surface, thus making them harder to find.

Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba (left) and water system’s third-party administrator Ted Henifin, answer questions regarding the current state of the city’s water system during a town hall meeting held at Forest Hill High School, Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today

In terms of billing, Henifin said JXN Water will in “the next few weeks” start shutting off connections to single-family homes that are falling behind, starting with the largest balances. Wingate added, “I don’t have very much mercy for those people” not paying their bills.

Public’s feedback

About 50 people showed up to each of the two meetings the EPA held at the Mississippi e-Center on Thursday and Friday. Some, like Jessica Carter, complained about a lack of communication from JXN Water when it shuts water off to make repairs.

“Just three weeks ago, I woke up and the water was off,” said Carter, who lives in northeast Jackson. “No notice, no letters, no nothing. I kept calling, kept calling, asking what’s going on … We went about 36 hours without running water this time. I have a 4-year-old, so I’m trying to figure out what do I have to do? Do we need to get a hotel room?

“I kept calling the hotline, they didn’t have the answers either… then once water came on, I was like, will be there be a reduction in the water charges for the 36 hours that the water was turned off?”

Part of the feedback the EPA asked for was over the long-term future of the system. While some said that the water system shouldn’t return to the city’s control, others noted that the city never had the resources that JXN Water is accessing.

“Before that Jackson didn’t have that money to do that work,” Natt Offiah, who grew up down the street from the meeting but now lives downtown, said about the $600 million Congress appropriated for Jackson after the federal takeover. “Now we got that money to do the work, everyone’s acting like Jackson didn’t care, but we didn’t have those resources to begin with.”

The post Jackson water update: Federal judge questions EPA public meetings, Henifin details system progress appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Southern Miss oral history center launches podcast about Mississippi in World War II

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The University of Southern Mississippi’s Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage launched a new longform podcast about Mississippians in World War II.

The 10-episode first season of the “Voices of Our People” podcast covers World War II from the Pearl Harbor attack to Armistice Day. The podcast consists of oral histories from Mississippians who experienced the war on the homefront and overseas, as well as storytelling from historians at USM’s Dale Center for the Study of War and Society. Mississippi musician and media personality Bill Ellison serves as the host.

“By combining the insights of our state’s leading scholars with the memories of those who lived it, the ‘Voices of Our People’ series attempts to contextualize our shared experiences with the goal of gaining a more grounded view of history,” said Ross Walton, who leads digital production and preservation at the oral history center and hosts its other podcast called “Mississippi Moments.”

“Each season of the series will examine a different historic event that shaped who we are as Mississippians and Americans,” Walton said.

The 20th anniversary of the USM center’s “Mississippi Moments” podcast inspired Walton to create a new podcast using the oral history center’s extensive collection of oral histories from World War II.

“Often unfiltered and raw, these interviews capture the deep, visceral reactions to such an uneasy age,” said Dr. Kevin Greene, historian and director of the oral history center. “They give voice to the voiceless in a way only qualitative interviewing can.”

Listen to Voices of Our People at this link.

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Mississippi Medicaid director Drew Snyder resigns

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Mississippi Division of Medicaid Executive Director Drew Snyder is resigning after nearly seven years serving in the position. He will serve until the end of the month.

Gov. Tate Reeves appointed Cindy Bradshaw, the division’s deputy executive director for eligibility, to replace Snyder.

The Magnolia Tribune first reported the news.

Snyder declined to say where he would go next. He would only confirm it was a job in the private sector.

Snyder has led the division since Dec. 2017, when he was appointed by then-governor Phil Bryant. He previously served as Bryant’s policy director and counsel. 

The Division of Medicaid provides health insurance to over 700,000 low-income Mississippians, including children, pregnant women and disabled adults. 

Bradshaw served as Mississippi’s State Insurance Administrator before joining the Division of Medicaid. 

“Drew Snyder has done a great job as executive director of Division of Medicaid, and I wish him all the best in his future endeavors,” said House Medicaid Chair Missy McGee, R-Hattiesburg.

The Division of Medicaid and Gov. Tate Reeves’ office did not respond to Mississippi Today’s request for comment by press time. 

“Mississippi Medicaid is in the best fiscal shape in its history,” said Snyder at the Joint Legislative Budget Committee Hearing Sep. 26, less than two weeks before announcing his resignation. 

He said today, the agency’s budget represents 9.2% of the state’s total state support appropriation, down from 16% in fiscal year 2016, two years before he was appointed. 

Synder acknowledged that the state’s appropriation would increase in coming years due to reduced public health emergency federal spending and dwindling surplus funds.

Snyder took the helm at the division during a time of conflict between the division and the governor’s office. Prior Medicaid director David Dzielak was asked to resign just weeks before the 2018 legislative session after he requested an additional $47.3 million to close the gap in the agency’s budget and failed to voice agreement with Bryant’s plan for the Mississippi Department of Human Services to take over insurance eligibility determinations.

Snyder joined Mississippi Medicaid as controversy bloomed over the decision to award the division’s lucrative managed care contracts to three for-profit companies over nonprofit Mississippi True, which is managed by Mississippi hospital leaders. Though legislators made efforts to allow Mississippi True to re-bid for the contract, Magnolia Health, United Healthcare and Molina Healthcare ultimately kept the contract. 

He also oversaw the agency through the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw enrollment numbers soar to over 900,000 Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program enrollees in May 2023 and drop to 705,000 by July 2024. During the pandemic, states were not allowed to remove beneficiaries from their rolls. In April 2023, the division was again required to review beneficiaries’ eligibility, beginning the “unwinding” process.

Snyder oversaw the rollout of extended postpartum coverage for Mississippi mothers and the beginnings of a new law allowing pregnant women to access prenatal care that went into effect in July. 

The program is currently on hold as the division works with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which requested to review additional information from the state.

Before joining Bryant’s team, Synder served as an assistant secretary of state for policy and research under Delbert Hosemann.

The director of the division serves at the pleasure of the governor and is required to meet one of three criteria: be a physician with health administration experience, hold a degree in medical administration or have three years’ experience developing policy for Medicaid programs.

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Podcast: All hail Vanderbilt! And, meanwhile, another big Ole Miss-LSU game…

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So much to discuss and dissect this week: Vandy toppling Bama, Ole Miss righting the ship and preparing for LSU, a banner Sanderson Farms Championship that now has new life, and how injuries killed the Atlanta Braves and are ruining a promising Saints season. All that and more…

Stream all episodes here.


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On this day in 2009

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Oct. 9, 2009

Obama accepts the Noble Peace Prize in 2009 Credit: Wikipedia

Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.” 

The Nobel officials praised Obama’s “dialogue and cooperation across national, ethnic, religious and political dividing lines. As President, Obama called for a new start to relations between the Muslim world and the West based on common interests and mutual understanding and respect. In accordance with a promise he made during his election campaign, he set in motion a plan for the withdrawal of U.S. occupying forces from Iraq.” 

Nobel officials also praised his support for a “world free from nuclear weapons.” 

He was the third African American to win the award. The previous winners were Martin Luther King Jr. and Ralph Bunche.

The post On this day in 2009 appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Powerful lawmaker helped steer millions in state dollars for his neighborhood, golf course

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House Ways and Means Chairman Trey Lamar has helped steer more than $7 million in state money to improve the affluent country club neighborhood and private golf course area where he lives in north Mississippi. 

In the process, he also purchased more property for himself around the projects. 

The state-funded projects included $2.5 million in upgrades to the county road through his neighborhood and another $2.4 million project on and around the golf course. The stated reasoning for the golf course project is that the road project made it flood — a contention that the county engineer and road project contractor disputed in interviews with Mississippi Today.

The work included building a traffic roundabout on Country Club Road — an unusual feature for a rural-suburban street — and 10 speed humps in a 1.6-mile stretch. It also included widening the road so golf carts can more easily travel, according to the county engineer. The work also included building a new lake and concrete golf cart paths and bridges on the private golf course. 

Lamar also helped steer another $200,000 in state money for the nearby city of Senatobia to buy the small water system that serves the Back Acres Country Club neighborhood in Tate County. He then helped steer another $2 million from the state to improve the system, which serves about 200 houses.

Lamar purchased a 4.5-acre piece of property where the roundabout was to be built, and he bought a strip of land bordering his backyard from the water system owner after the city bought the system.

Lamar, as House Ways and Means Committee chairman and former vice chairman, holds great sway over the state’s $7 billion budget. He’s also become the House’s de facto arbiter of “Christmas tree” bills. These are measures full of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of legislators’ pet projects for their districts. As a result, Tate County, Senatobia and his neighborhood have benefited greatly, receiving tens of millions of state dollars — dwarfing spending in similar rural areas across the state.

Lamar in an interview with Mississippi Today defended the spending on his neighborhood. He said the road project was badly needed for safety for a “very dangerous road.” He said the road project then caused flooding on the golf course and surrounding yards and the county was responsible for fixing it.

Lamar said the small water system serving the neighborhood was in terrible shape and the source of many complaints. He noted the state Public Service Commission signed off on Senatobia taking over service.

He said his purchase of property around the state-funded projects was incidental and “like any other sale or purchase … between two private entities.” He insinuated his wife handled the transaction for the roundabout property, although state records indicate he did. 

Lamar cut a second interview with Mississippi Today short, saying he would not answer further questions. But he sent a written statement saying that, “After helping with thousands of projects across the state, this result is inevitable” — that he or his family would own property “in the vicinity of a public infrastructure project.”

He refused to answer any questions about his helping secure an additional $400,000 in state money to improve a quiet, already well-paved cul-de-sac in Northeast Jackson where he also owns a home.

“Any potential innuendo of wrongdoing is baseless and only diverts time and effort away from the real progress that we are making,” Lamar said in the written statement.

Country Club Work

Here is what county officials asked contractors to do on a project to upgrade Country Club Road in Tate County, according to the final plans of completed work submitted by the county engineer: 

  • Widened and overlaid roughly 2 miles of Country Club Road.
  • Constructed a roundabout along the road.
  • Removed and replaced roughly 1,600 square yards of concrete driveways.

After Tate County officials completed the first project to upgrade Country Club Road, they spent roughly $2 million more to improve drainage and flood control on the Back Acres Country Club and homes in the Back Acres subdivision.

According to revised bidding documents that outlined the scope of work for the project, here is some of the work contractors were expected to complete:

  • Clear and grub 22 acres of land.
  • Remove 1,560 square yards of asphalt.
  • Replace roughly 270 square yards of concrete driveway.
  • Remove and replace 6 golf cart bridges.
  • Use 9 tons of commercial fertilizer. 
  • Use 12 acres of seeding.
  • Use 48 tons of vegetative material for mulch.
  • Use 18,000 square yards of solid bermuda sodding.
  • Create 3 retention structures and 1 detention structure.

But there has been debate and questions from local residents about whether the Country Club Road project completed early last year was really needed or whether the project was overkill. They’ve also questioned the work on and around the private golf course and whether the road project really exacerbated country club flooding. 

Locals created a Facebook page called “TateCounty Watchdogs,” with its posts and comments centered on the state-funded county work at the country club.

The watchdog group has questioned why, if the road project caused flooding on the golf course and surrounds, taxpayers funded the more than $2 million fix instead of the county going after surety with the contractor or engineer to cover it.

Numerous current and past Tate County supervisors declined to answer such questions or did not respond to calls requesting interviews. Others said they know very little about the country club projects.

There was a common theme among many of the dozens of residents and county and state officials including lawmakers Mississippi Today interviewed or attempted to interview: They cited fear of the powerful lawmaker Lamar in declining to comment on the record. 

For fellow lawmakers, Lamar holds the purse strings in the House for projects in their districts. For locals, Lamar’s family is a prominent one. His family law firm serves as legal counsel for Tate County, including the county board of supervisors that approved the projects in question. Lamar’s father served as county attorney before the county contracted the work with the firm. Lamar’s mother is a former state Supreme Court justice and Institutions of Higher Learning college board member.

‘Mother Nature caused the flooding’

Country Club Road and Back Acres Country Club in Tate County.

Tate County Engineer Kevin McLeod, whose firm designed the Country Club Road and golf course projects, said the road “was mainly a safety and maintenance project.”

“Safety in that speed bumps were added, it was repaved and we added a 4- or 5-foot paved shoulder on one side so golf carts could travel safely,” McLeod said. “At public meetings, people were saying golf carts were using the road but it wasn’t wide enough for them to travel safely.”

McLeod said that despite “some residents who think that’s the case,” the road project did not cause flooding.

“The road project did not cause flooding,” McLeod said. “Mother nature caused the flooding.” He said that as the project was nearing completion, the area had two massive rains, “where even the best areas would flood.” He said residents mistook the historic deluges as the project causing more flooding. 

“Soon after that we got phone calls — not many, but a few — from people who said it never did this until the road project started,” McLeod said. He said a retention pond on the front nine holes of the golf course had a bad standpipe. He said two main ditches through the country club, one through the front nine holes and one through the back nine, “had not been maintained in years.”

Bram Billingsley, owner of Ste-Bil Grading that did the Country Club Road project, said he built the road as designed and, “I find it hard to believe that what we did caused all this drainage work on the golf course.”

“All I know is we did the work as designed, or the county wouldn’t have paid us,” Billingsley said. “Now we’re being blamed … If they think it’s the fault of the contractor, then yes, the county should have done something. We’re bonded 100% on performance and payment. If we were outside our lines, then file a claim on our bond. That would be 1-2-3, just like a blank check. But they didn’t do that.”

According to minutes of the Tate County Board of Supervisors, the county received two letters claiming the road project was causing flooding, one from a homeowner and one from the Back Acres Country Club. The letters had identical wording and called for the county to fix the flooding.

But the county did not file a claim against the contractor for the road work. Instead, Lamar and the Legislature stepped in again, with an additional $2.4 million in state dollars for work to fix drainage on and around the golf course.

County Engineer McLeod said he wrote up an estimate for the drainage work, “the county sent it in, it got put on a list and they were lucky enough to get some funding for it.”

Lamar and McLeod said the county received easements for all the work it did at the country club and in neighbors’ yards. McLeod said all of the curbed concrete golf cart paths the county built “were put in to raise them up so they could act as a levy to slow the water down behind them,” not for ease of golfers getting around.

A representative of the contractor that did the golf course work did not return calls for an interview.

Tate County District Attorney Jay Hale, a former Back Acres Country Club board member who still helps the club board with legal issues, said his sister was the homeowner who wrote the complaint letter because her property had severe flooding from the road project.

“We put the county on notice that they had caused a problem,” Hale said. “… My sister and brother-in-law were getting ready to sue the county. There were numerous complaints from residents. They flooded the country club with that project. It’s moving the same amount of water, but much faster. My sister had videos of water flying down her property. At one point her pool was about to go underwater.”

Hale said Country Club Road was in bad shape and he believes the initial project was needed, though he added, “I guess that’s probably up for debate.” But he said the county was responsible for fixing the drainage afterward.

“None of the country club members wanted (the drainage project),” Hale said. “They understood it was needed for drainage, but it shut down the golf course, at least nine holes at a time, for a year.”

Jason Carter, current Back Acres Country Club board president, said, “This wasn’t a beautification project.”

Hale and Carter said the concrete golf cart paths the county built with state funds — about $200,000 worth — were to replace paths the county destroyed with its drainage work. They said the club liked the way the new paths looked, so it shelled out about $30,000 of its own money to rebuild others on the course to match. They said residents questioning the work could have confused the club’s work with the taxpayer-funded work.

Hale said some of the questions and complaints about the work could be simply because it was done for a country club neighborhood.

“There are about 300 members, out of 28,000 people in the county,” Hale said. “I guess people don’t like seeing money put into where it went.”

Watchdogs take note of ‘Trey Way’

Lamar’s scoring lots of tax dollars for his neighborhood and district has in recent years drawn the ire of some fellow lawmakers. But it has also raised questions and attracted scrutiny from his own constituents.

The TateCounty Watchdogs Facebook page was formed in June, about the same time Mississippi Today started receiving messages and questions about the work.

Some locals have nicknamed Country Club Road “Trey Way.” They’ve questioned the government doing work in and around Back Acres Country Club and whether work on the golf course was more about golfing than drainage.

“This project is spending just over $2.1 million dollars on the Back Acres Country Club private golf course,” the initial Watchdog post said. “Over $200,000 is being spent on golf cart paths per itemized listing.” 

A later post said: “The next step is to inspect the premise under which all this Tate County money was spent on a private golf course, rather than the abundance of the public property issues we have … Who is the responsible contractor, and why was his bond against surety company not pursued?”

Another post said: “It is common knowledge the back 9 flooded before the road project. If the damage was caused by the county road project, why can’t the county explain which contracted party is responsible?” One local commenter on the page said, “Country Club road was the best road in the county before they did the work.”

But the administrator of the TateCounty Watchdogs page, contacted through private message, declined to identify themselves or speak about the issues on the record. Numerous other residents contacted shared that trepidation.

Residents early last year did publicly voice complaints and sign a petition to the county about the large number of large speed humps on the improved Country Club Road – 10 in less than two miles. They said the speed humps, roundabout and two three-way stops were ridiculous and could impede first responders trying to traverse the road. Lamar addressed residents at a hearing about the speed humps and said they were needed for traffic safety. But after the complaints, the county came back and milled off half of the speed humps.

The roundabout at the entrance of Country Club Road — the first of three state-funded roundabouts for the Senatobia area.

Residents have had trouble getting answers from county leaders. Several present and past county leaders contacted by Mississippi Today brushed off questions, claimed they knew little about the projects or didn’t return calls and messages. About a month after Mississippi Today submitted written questions, the county supplied some written statements but did not answer some main questions.

Tate County Supervisor Leigh Ann Darby represents the area. She notes she took office in January and “this project predates me.”

Darby said she knows little about the projects, but is aware of the questions being asked about them, including why the county didn’t go after contractor surety if the road caused flooding.

“I would say, yes, a lot of money was funneled into that project for a public road, then was rolled over into the golf course,” Darby said. “I know that question has been posed numerous times. I have not heard a definitive answer to that.”

Darby said she joined the Back Acres Country Club long ago but has not been an active member for years.

“I was not involved in any aspect of obtaining that money,” Darby said. “I don’t play golf. My family doesn’t, and I don’t even travel that road often … But I am for complete transparency, and I am raising questions, too … I saw the public records request you sent up here … I am for complete transparency and I don’t want Tate County hiding anything.”

Current Tate County Board President Tony Sandridge was a supervisor when the projects were approved, but he said he also knows very little about them.

“If it’s not in District 3, I’m really not sure about it,” he said. 

Supervisor George Stepp said he is new to the board and knows little about it other than, “It was all state funded, no money from the county – I can tell you this … I try to stay away from some of this. I don’t get too involved.”

About a month after receiving written questions from Mississippi Today, the Tate County Board of Supervisors responded in writing with a letter signed by Sandridge, but the responses left much unanswered.

“Current elected officials and staff do not have the knowledge to answer questions surrounding the history of this project other than what is recorded on the county’s official minutes,” the written response said. “… Tate County, to our knowledge, has never made a finding as to the cause of the flooding. Whether the flooding existed prior to the road project, worsened after the road project, or was caused by extreme weather events that are the acts of God, the Tate County Board of Supervisors realized a problem existed …”

The statement said the two letters received about flooding “are the only two formal complaints ‘as a result of the project’ made to the county and spread on the minutes” but one other nearby neighbor in 2022 complained to the board about drainage.

The statement did not answer why, if the project caused or exacerbated flooding, the county did not hold the contractor or engineer accountable. Instead, Sandridge wrote, the county was doing work “necessary to promote the health, comfort and convenience of the inhabitants of Tate County.”

The county’s response noted that when the initial, partial state funding for the project was secured, the county was under the “beat system” where each supervisor manages roads in his or her district, and that former Supervisor Cam Walker who retired in 2019 was in charge of that district.

Walker, whom Mississippi Today had been unable to reach for comment, provided a brief written statement as part of the county’s response. He said the road was dangerous and he had been working to improve it since at least 2006, but was unable to secure funding. He said he attended at least two public hearings when he was in office where citizens demanded the road be “improved and made safer.”

‘That’s a private transaction’ 

Rep. Trey Lamar’s house on Country Club Road in Tate County.

Lamar built his home on Country Club Road on the outskirts of Senatobia in 2015. 

In 2018, as the Legislature struggled to find money in austere times for badly needed infrastructure improvements statewide, Lamar helped secure $1 million for overhauling Country Club Road. The money sat in the county’s bank account for a while. In 2020, Lamar helped steer another $1.5 million to the road.

In 2018, Lamar defended funding for the project after it was temporarily axed from the legislative spending bill and a reporter asked about it being the road on which he lives. He said it’s a main thoroughfare that badly needed safety improvements and at least two people had been killed on it. Records show there were two traffic deaths on Country Club Road – one in 2004 and one in 2016.

Lamar said at the time, “I don’t apologize for working to help my people. That is my job.”

In 2022, Lamar helped create the Tate County Erosion Control and Repair Fund with state legislation. To date, the country club golf course area work is the only project that has been completed through the fund.

Lamar said there is nothing untoward about him buying property related to the Country Club Road project or the city takeover of the neighborhood water system after helping fund them with state dollars. 

JT Delta Company LLC bought the 4.5 acres on the north of what was to become the new roundabout on the road after the state funding was approved. Lamar said, “My wife owns that LLC … and it’s a real estate company.” But state records show Trey Lamar as the only officer and registered agent of the LLC, and it appears he handled the paperwork for the purchase.

“That’s a private transaction,” Lamar said. “It had nothing to do with the county, so it’s like any other sale or purchase of real estate between two private entities … That project was already decided on when that purchase was made. I don’t design roundabouts or design intersections. So that’s something that would have been done by the county and the county’s engineer.”

Lamar said that after the city of Senatobia bought the small New Image water system serving the country club neighborhood, it hooked the area up to the city system and didn’t need the small strip of property the small system owned adjacent to Lamar’s backyard. 

“It’s, I don’t know, a tenth of an acre,” Lamar said. “So when the city purchased that system, they abandoned that well, and I think they sold the equipment that was there … That system was owned by one gentleman … and left him owning a tenth of an acre or whatever … I purchased that in a private transaction … that had nothing to do with the water system.

“I’m not on city water,” Lamar said. “I wasn’t on the New Image system … I’m on a private well.”

Lamar said he made the land purchases after the state funding and projects were approved.

State law prohibits public officials from using their official positions to obtain, or attempt to obtain, financial benefit for themselves.

State Ethics Commission Director Tom Hood, speaking generally and not about Lamar or the country club projects and land deals, said a public official helping secure improvements to his neighborhood or street would not necessarily pose a legal issue. He noted a past Ethics Commission ruling that said a city could extend its water system to land owned by a mayor.

“If you’ve got to speculate about something affecting property value, then that’s not enough,” Hood said. “If there’s no pecuniary benefit, then there’s no violation. You have to prove monetary benefit to somebody caused by the government action … Even going from a gravel road to a paved road, if the only benefit is you don’t have to wash your car as much — those are difficult questions.”

Hood said a public official purchasing property around a public project also wouldn’t automatically pose an ethical question.

“That could be a problem if they were using nonpublic information for the purchase,” Hood said. “But if the information was already public, that statute wouldn’t apply … The short answer on these situations is: it depends.”

Meanwhile, TateCounty Watchdogs, which recently had more than 2,200 followers, posted: “In our opinion, even if it was all ‘State money,’ that is no justification to use public monies in this way. Every working Tate Countian pays income tax in to the state of Mississippi. The state then allocates some of that money back out to the counties for roads, infrastructure and whatnot. If our County is placing these dollars into private properties, it will require that much more in County taxes for Tate County to meet her obligations.

“Stay tuned to avoid being taken advantage of as you live your life in and around Tate County,” the post concluded.

READ MORE: Click here to return to the series summary

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