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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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.
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, T–SHIRT, HOME–MADE MASKS, ETC. MAY BE USED. THEY MUST PROPERLY COVER BOTH A PERSON‘S 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.
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.
State Auditor Shad White on Monday released a study he commissioned to find government waste, saying it identified more than $335 million in government fat that could easily be trimmed without tanking services to taxpayers.
White paid a Massachusetts-based consulting group $2 million for the study. He gave Boston Consulting Group the directive to find at least $250 million in wasteful spending among the 13 state agencies it examined.
It appears White and Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann — who have each indicated they have 2027 gubernatorial aspirations and have sparred with each other politically — will have dueling government fat-trimming initiatives. Hosemann said recently he wants legislation to reorganize and consolidate state government.
In a livestreamed press conference and public presentation Monday, White called his study long overdue and, “A roadmap for a leaner, more modern state government that saves money … to make sure we are getting the biggest bang for our bucks.” He said the study had “No criminal findings … but we found inefficiency.”
Mississippi has more than 200 agencies, boards and commissions, and a more than $7 billion state-support budget.
White’s report recommends the state consolidate its purchasing and look for better deals when it buys goods and services. For instance, the study noted that when the state buys Dell computers, it “pays a higher price than individual consumers could find from Dell’s consumer website” in some cases. It noted state agencies were paying $245 for a computer monitor that the public could buy for $195 and that could be had for $130 through a federal government purchasing deal available to state and local governments.
Much of the Boston consultant’s report for White covers potential savings or overspending that others — including White — have pointed out in the past. This includes spending on state buildings and office space, which some lawmakers and others have questioned over years, and government travel, which media has examined. It also noted potential savings from consolidating purchasing and back-office functions, which others have in the past championed, usually with minimal success.
The report found that, compared to other states, Mississippi government is spending too much on office space and insurance for state buildings and on advertising and public relations for state agencies.
White said some government offices have 800 square feet per employee and, “We are a lot of times leasing space we don’t need to be leasing.”
White also said Mississippi could sell the state’s airplane, do like 18 other states and make officials rely on commercial or charter flights, and save over $1 million a year.
The consultant’s study focused on some of the state’s largest agencies, including the Departments of Education, Corrections, Revenue, Medicaid, Public Safety and Finance and Administration. Most examined are agencies that report directly to Gov. Tate Reeves. White on Monday praised the governor for his cooperation in the study.
Much of White’s proposed savings in the “Project Momentum” report would require legislative action. He said Monday that numerous lawmakers have been anxiously awaiting his report and he is hopeful “they will look at this very closely.”
Neither Hosemann, who oversees the state Senate, nor Speaker Jason White, who oversees the House, immediately responded to a request for comments sent to their offices Monday.
The report recommends the state “operate more like a business,” and that Mississippi leaders “ruthlessly eliminate or alter failing programs” to save taxpayers money.
“The nature of government is people forget what happened yesterday and forget what went wrong yesterday, and that nature of government is to do nothing,” White said.
A “listening session” organized by the Rankin County chapter of the NAACP along with the Department of Justice changed course after attorneys who represent the sheriff’s department and the county sat in, and were asked to leave to prevent victims from feeling intimidated.
The NAACP had organized the session on Thursday, Oct. 25, at Mount Carmel Ministries in Pearl in association with the Justice Department to provide for a safe space for victims of police excesses by Rankin County law enforcement to speak up. The Justice Department opened an investigation into the patterns and practices of policing in Rankin County last month, after six members of a “Goon Squad” of deputies were sentenced for their role in the abuse and torture of three men. An investigation by the New York Times and Mississippi Today had revealed that the abuse spanned decades, and dozens of Rankin County residents had experienced similar brutality at the hands of officers.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland had called the actions of the “Goon Squad” “a betrayal of their community, a betrayal of their profession.”
The invitation to the listening session urged Rankin County residents who felt that they had been affected by any kind of discrimination, harassment or potential civil rights violations to attend.
Angela English, president of the Rankin County chapter of the NAACP, said that when she asked the attorneys to leave, they refused, insisting the session was a public event. So instead of inviting attendees to share their experiences with the group as planned, the NAACP arranged for private one-on-one sessions in separate rooms of the church.
“When they realized they weren’t hearing anything, they left after like 20, 30 minutes,” English said about the attorneys.
She claimed that a Rankin County deputy and a former officer of the FBI were also present.
In a statement made on Facebook in September, the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department had written that it would “fully cooperate” with all aspects of the Justice Department’s investigation, “while also welcoming DOJ’s input into our updated policies and practices.”
Jason Dare, an attorney who represents the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department, said he was not attending on behalf of the department, but rather in his individual capacity as a member of the Rankin County community. He claimed that he was there to learn.
“That is the most absurd thing I’ve ever heard,” English said.
“I was just sitting in the back. I was not dressed in anything other than attorney attire,” Dare said. He added that he did not have a badge or gun issued by the sheriff’s department.
“I’m not sure anybody even knew who I was until I was introduced [to English] and I was asked to leave.”
Dare said he told two Justice Department officials that he planned to attend the listening session a day in advance, and that they didn’t raise concerns.
Mississippi Today has attempted to reach Neeta Pal of the Department of Justice. This story will be updated if she responds.
Richard Cirilli, an attorney at Brunini Law who attended the session, had not responded to a request for comment at press time. In 2018 and 2019, the Rankin County Board of Supervisors hired the Brunini firm to lobby on their behalf, according to government transparency group OpenSecrets. The story will be updated if and when Cirilli responds.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A conservative federal court on Friday said Mississippi cannot count mail-in ballots that arrive shortly after Election Day, although the decision was not expected to affect the Nov. 5 election.
While the appellate judges firmly asserted that counting late ballots violates federal law, even if those ballots are postmarked by Election Day, the judges stopped short of an order immediately blocking Mississippi from continuing the practice. Their ruling noted federal court precedents have discouraged court actions that change established procedures shortly before an election.
The ultimate outcome may be negligible in most elections in heavily Republican Mississippi, however the case could also affect voting in swing states.
The three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a July decision by U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola Jr., who had dismissed challenges to Mississippi’s election law by the Republican National Committee, the Libertarian Party of Mississippi and others. The appeals court order sent the case back to Guirola for further action, but the issue may wind up at the Supreme Court.
The appeals court said its ruling Friday would not be returned to a lower court until seven days after the deadline for appealing their decision has passed — which is usually at least 14 days. That would put the effect of the ruling well past Nov. 5.
UCLA law professor Richard Hasen wrote on his election law blog that the appeals court ruling was a “bonkers opinion” and noted that “every other court to face these cases has rejected this argument.”
Republicans filed more than 100 lawsuits challenging various aspects of vote-casting after being chastised repeatedly by judges in 2020 for bringing complaints about how the election was run only after votes were tallied.
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley praised the ruling for upholding “commonsense ballot safeguards” and said voters deserve “a transparent election which ends on November 5th.”
Mississippi is one of several states with laws allowing mailed ballots to be counted if they are postmarked by Election Day, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The list includes swing states such as Nevada and states such as Colorado, Oregon and Utah that rely heavily on mail voting.
In July, a federal judge dismissed a similar lawsuit in Nevada. The Republican National Committee is asking the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to revive that case.
Guirola wrote that Mississippi’s law does not conflict with federal election laws. The suit challenging the Mississippi law argued that the state improperly extends the federal election and that, as a result, “timely, valid ballots are diluted by untimely, invalid ballots.”
Guirola disagreed, writing in July that “no ‘final selection’ is made after the federal election day under Mississippi’s law. All that occurs after election day is the delivery and counting of ballots cast on or before election day.”
Although the Mississippi challenge was led by Republicans and Libertarians, there is bipartisan support for the Mississippi practice. Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch is defending the state’s top election official. Secretary of State Michael Watson a defendant in the case. Both are Republicans.
The members of the appellate panel that reversed Guirola were judges James Ho, Stuart Kyle Duncan and Andrew Oldham, all nominated to the 5th Circuit by former President Donald Trump.
Annette Olowo-Ake at Perfect-Fit Alterations, the business she and her husband Mike have operated in Fondren for 34 years, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Jackson. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today
There are adages about sewing that make one smile.
“Sewing isn’t just a hobby, it’s a way of life.”
“Sewing is my happy place.”
“Sewing is like magic, but with fabric.”
All true for Annette Olowo-Ake, who with her husband Mike, owns and operates Perfect-Fit Alterations, located in the Fondren District in Jackson. The business sits tucked just west of North State Street on Mitchell Avenue.
For 34 years, Olowo-Ake has made magic with needle, thread and fabric, whether she brings a teenager’s glam dress dream come true from a photograph to altering the length of a tee shirt to an emergency popped zipper fix or broken button. She admits, she really is in her happy place.
Jasmine Epps stopped by Perfect-Fit Alterations for party dress measurements by Annette Olowo-Ake, Jackson, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. Olowo-ake and her husband Mike have operated their alterations business in the Fondren District for 34 years. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi TodayAnnette Olowo-Ake at Perfect-Fit Alterations selects threads she will use to hem a customer’s slacks at the business she and husband Mike have operated in the Fondren District for 34 years, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Jackson. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today
Walk into her alteration shop and be immediately greeted with a smile.
Annette Olowo-Ake at Perfect-Fit Alterations, shares a laugh with a customer who stopped by to say hello as she replaces buttons on a customer’s slacks at the business she and husband Mike have operated in the Fondren District for 34 years, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Jackson. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today
“My grandmother taught me to sew,” said Olowo-Ake. “I was an accounting major. And yes, I had an accounting job,” she shares with a slight eye roll. “But I kept drifting back to sewing. I realized I loved my sewing more. So, here I am.”
“One thing accounting taught me, though, was how to manage money.”
“My husband and I started out with no loans of any kind. You know what we did? We saved our income tax checks and each time, we would buy one piece of equipment. We paid ourselves a salary. But that was it. No dipping into the bank account for frivolous things.”
Annette Olowo-Ake at Perfect-Fit Alterations threads her vintage Tacsew T175 blind stitch hemmer sewing machine, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi TodayThe hands of Annette Olowo-Ake, owner of Perfect-Fit Alterations, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Jackson. Olowo-Ake learned her craft from her grandmother. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today
“Over time and different locations, we built up a following. We built up a business,” she says proudly. “This place here was originally my husband’s shop. I was over on Old Canton Road. But as the years passed, as we got older, we simply decided to just have this one. And it’s been a blessing.”
Covered in bits of thread and wearing more varied sizes of pins in her work smock than a pin cushion, Olowo-Ake doesn’t miss a beat, from taking measurements for a party dress, writing up a customer’s requests, answering the phone and shouting out a greeting to a previous customer who “didn’t want to hold you up, I just stopped by to say, hi.”
“I can do it all, and I do it all,” said Annette Olowo-Ake, as she shortened an oversize t-shirt for a customer at her Perfect-Fit Alterations shop in the Fondren District, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi TodayAnnette Olowo-Ake, owner of Perfect-Fit Alterations, describes how she will use a “blind hem” to lengthen slacks, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Jackson. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi TodayAnnette Olowo-Ake at Perfect-Fit Alterations shows what a “blind hem” looks like, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. The stitching does not show on the outdside of a pant leg. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today
“She’s good people and a good, good friend,” said Dr. Jim Aron, checking on clothing he’d previously dropped off and needing broken buttons replaced on a pair of slacks.
“I’ve known him since he was a med student driving a beat up old truck,” said Olowo-Ake, taking a pair of slacks from the doctor. “It’s a little over 30 years, ’bout as long as I’ve been here. All of his children are doctors now. That’s how long we’ve known each other.”
“I’ve known him since he was a med student. Now his kids are doctors,” said Perfect-Fit Alterations owner Annette Olowo-Ake of long-time friend Dr. Jim Aron, a 30-plus year customer, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today
The two hug and the doctor heads on his way as another customer enters the shop, and is greeted by name.
It’s obvious Olowo-Ake is truly wielding magic with fabrics and threads. She’s creating, making memories, friends and repeat business.
“I like making these baskets. Of course, I make the ribbons and every basket I make has a litlle something different,” said Annette Olowo-Ake, owner of Perfect-Fit Alterations, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today“She brought me a picture. I stitched and glued on every last one of those feathers,” said Annette Olowo-Ake, owner of Perfect-Fit Alterations regarding a prom dress she re-created for a customer, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. Credit: Photo courtesy of Annette Olowo-AkeAnnette Olowo-Ake, owner of Perfect-Fit Alterations, shows a photograph of a customer’s prom dress she created, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. Credit: Photo courtesy of Annette Olowo-Ake
“This is an art I learned from my grandmother. It’s kind of sad really, because it’s a dying art. Kids today seem to be more interested in their phones. It’s a new age, though. I don’t fault them. Times change.”
Perfect-Fit Alterations is located at 538 Mitchell Ave. in the Fondren District in Jackson.
“We’re open for business,” Northern District Public Service Commissioner Chris Brown said, a sentiment he repeated throughout the PSC’s “Nuclear Summit” on Tuesday.
Brown and his colleagues – Central District Public Service Commissioner De’Keither Stamps and Southern District Public Service Commissioner Wayne Carr – are in their first term after last year’s statewide elections saw a complete turnover in the PSC. The PSC oversees a broad range of public utility issues, such as electric generation, power bills, water infrastructure, among many others.
As the world looks towards alternative energy forms to balance an increased demand with the need to limit carbon emissions, the PSC is hoping to move Mississippi ahead of the curve.
The Grand Gulf Nuclear Power Plant is pictured with the flooding Mississippi river in the background in Grand Gulf, Miss. on May 17, 2011. Credit: Dave Martin, AP
“We think nuclear’s our future,” Brown said during a Wednesday Senate hearing.
The PSC’s “Nuclear Summit” hosted several speakers from the industry as well as representatives from utilities serving the state that are looking to expand nuclear generation.
“Economic development in the future is going to go to places where you have affordable and reliable power,” Stamps said during the summit. “And one of the most affordable and reliable power sources is nuclear.”
One speaker, Kirk Sorenson of Flibe Energy, talked about the prospects of opening a new nuclear plant in Tishomingo County at the Yellow Creek site. The Tennessee Valley Authority started, and later abandoned, work on a nuclear plant there in the 1970s. Sorenson said Flibe has been leasing the site for the last five years and has spent a quarter of a billion dollars on improvements, although it’s unclear what the timeline for a Yellow Creek nuclear plant would be (getting approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission can take up to five years, although Congress recently passed a bill to speed up the review process).
Mississippi Public Service Commission Northern District Commissioner Chris Brown, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024 in Jackson. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today
In 2023, 76% of Mississippi’s generated energy came from natural gas, much higher than the 43%for the country as a whole. The state’s two largest power producers are the Grand Gulf nuclear plant in Port Gibson, owned by Entergy, and the Victor J. Daniel plant in Moss Point, owned by Mississippi Power, which uses both coal and gas.
Mississippi Power initially planned to close Plant Daniel’s coal units in 2027, a move clean-energy advocates celebrated, because the plant was producing excess power. However, the company is now delaying the closure to sell energy to Georgia. At Grand Gulf, Entergy upgraded the plant’s power in 2012 to make it the country’s largest single-unit nuclear power plant in the country. The plant is licensed to run until 2044.
Earlier this month, state lawmakers advocated for bringing more nuclear power to the state during a Senate committee hearing, the Clarion Ledger reported. Industry representatives advised lawmakers tax incentives were one of the ways to attract more nuclear development in the state.
Nuclear power isn’t considered renewable because its required fuel, such as uranium, is a finite resource, but its generation doesn’t yield any carbon emissions. Compared to renewable energy like wind and solar, nuclear plants can run more consistently and use up less space. However, nuclear power comes with much higher upfront costs and more government restrictions because of safety concerns. On top of that, the United States doesn’t have any permanent storage facilities for nuclear waste.
‘We’re not anti-solar’
During interviews with Mississippi Today, all three commissioners maintained that they weren’t against solar power, saying they believe in an “all of the above” approach to sourcing energy.
Mississippi Public Service Central District Commissioner De’Keither Stamps, discusses current agency operations across the state during an interview at district headquarters, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, in Jackson. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today
Brown, a former state lawmaker and the current PSC chairman, took exception to media and advocacy groups painting the commission as “anti-solar.”
“We’ve approved every solar generation plant (that’s come before the PSC),” he said. Electric generating facilities in the state have to get approval from the PSC. “Just because you ask questions doesn’t make you anti-anything. Our goal is just to ask questions our constituents are asking.”
Brown referenced a “Solar Summit” the PSC held in August, similar to other fact-finding sessions the agency has held around certain topics. The “Solar Summit,” though, didn’t include any speakers from the solar industry, as the outlet Floodlight reported. And unlike the “Nuclear Summit,” much of the session’s airtime was instead filled with skepticism around what the industry might mean for Mississippi.
One of the speakers, for instance, was state Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner Andy Gipson, who has no background in the energy field. Gipson spoke for about an hour and theorized over the threat that new solar facilities could pose to farmland.
“How much solar do we need as a state?” Gipson asked.
As of 2023, solar power made up less than a percent of the state’s electric generation, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, compared to 4% nationally. Overall, when including sources like wind and hydropower, renewables made up 21% of the country’s energy mix, compared to under 3% for Mississippi.
Solar panels on the central office building of the Ocean Springs School District. Credit: Ocean Springs School District
A major point of disagreement between the PSC and solar advocates is that of incentives. The last PSC, led by former commissioners Brandon Presley and Brent Bailey, added incentives under the state’s net metering rule, which requires the two state-regulated energy companies – Entergy Mississippi and Mississippi Power – to reimburse customers for self-generated renewable energy. Gov. Tate Reeves criticized the move, calling on state lawmakers to reverse the rule.
This spring, just over a year after the new rule went into effect, commissioners Brown and Carr voted to suspend incentives for low-income customers as well as for schools looking to put in solar panels.
The two commissioners argued that such incentives create a cost shift against people without solar panels, although it’s unclear whether that’s come close to happening in Mississippi, a state with relatively few net metering customers.
“No one has ever given me anything my entire adult life,” Carr told Mississippi Today, also panning recent federal programs pushing for more solar generation. “I don’t feel like that because ‘Big Brother,’ so to speak, says that we should be helping out an industry, I don’t agree with that… We’re not against solar. If you want to do it, pay for it.”
Mississippi Public Service Commission Southern District Commissioner Wayne Carr, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024 in Jackson. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today
Renewable advocates like Monika Gerhart pushed back on that point. Gerhart, executive director of the Gulf States Renewable Energy Industries Association, argued that the state government gives out economic incentives to different industries all the time, including recently for Amazon as well as an electric car battery plant.
“Mississippi has historically provided a pretty good economic incentive for industries that it was interested in,” she said. “I don’t see this as being that different, that you attract a developing industry because you know there will be dividends.”
The PSC is also looking to create an “overarching state law” around approving solar facilities, Stamps said during the summit, to create a consistent process for every county to follow. During Wednesday’s Senate hearing, Brown said that the agency will be asking for new regulations dealing with solar plants, including around decommissioning facilities.
“I think that solar is a useful tool, but it does need some guardrails,” he told the lawmakers.
Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Wednesday shared with members of the Mississippi Senate’s Government Structure Committee that he was able to successfully streamline some of Arkansas’ government services without firing or laying off workers.
Hutchinson, who served as governor of Arkansas from 2015 to 2023, said he wanted to make restructuring state government a component of his legacy when he left office, and the reforms he made to the system have largely remained intact.
The two-term GOP governor recalled a recent conversation he had with an Arkansas lawmaker about the restructuring. Hutchinson asked the senator what the reaction has been to the reforms, and the legislator replied that it’s largely flown “under the radar.”
“And I said, ‘That’s the best answer I could ever have,’” Hutchinson said. “That means nobody’s trying to dismantle it. They’re accepting it as the way we do business in government today and I’m hopeful that it’ll be a lasting impact.”
When he began the effort to consolidate government functions, Hutchinson said he formed an advisory board to make recommendations. When he formed the board, he gave it three goals: promote efficiency and savings, increase managerial control and improve the delivery of services to taxpayers.
When he adopted the board’s recommendations, Hutchinson said he was able to reduce the state government workforce by 5,000 employees by instituting a flexible hiring freeze and deciding not to replace the jobs of certain positions once workers retired.
Hutchinson also consolidated various state boards and commissions, which he believes reduced the amount of money taxpayers were spending on rent for government offices.
Hutchinson mounted a brief, unsuccessful presidential bid earlier this year. He dropped out of the Republican primary in January. His testimony was part of a hearing the Senate Government Structure Committee conducted on restructuring Mississippi’s government.
The University of Mississippi’s plan to replace an administrative division dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion with one focused on access won approval by its governing board last week.
The formal OK from the Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees came two months after Chancellor Glenn Boyce announced the Division of Access, Opportunity and Community Engagement in a campus-wide email.
Boyce wrote the goal was to redouble the university’s efforts to help more students attend and graduate college amid the looming enrollment cliff facing Mississippi’s institutions of higher learning.
“We are steadfast in our commitment to the transformative power of higher education, and now is the time to prioritize our efforts to broaden access to higher education,” he wrote on Aug. 16.
The new division takes the place of the university’s Division of Diversity and Community Engagement. It will cost $1.5 million to implement and bring together four different campus offices that focus on community engagement, inclusion and cross-cultural engagement, disability services, and equal opportunity and regulatory compliance, according to the IHL board book.
A university spokesperson said Ole Miss did not have an additional comment on the changes beyond Boyce’s August statement.
In the last year, most universities in Mississippi have made similar changes to their diversity offices, even though state lawmakers have yet to pass a ban on state spending on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Unlike its counterparts, Ole Miss ran its changes through IHL, which oversees all eight of the state’s public universities.The University of Southern Mississippi renamed its diversity office the “Office of Community and Belonging.” Last November, Mississippi State University opened its new Division of Access, Opportunity and Success.
In higher education, DEI traditionally refers to a range of administrative efforts to comply with civil rights laws and foster a sense of on-campus belonging among those populations.
During the IHL meeting, Casey Prestwood, the associate commissioner for academic and student affairs, read a description of the new division. Earlier in the meeting, the IHL board had approved the diversity division’s closure when it voted on the consent agenda.
“UM’s goal is to better align resources to prioritize student persistence, success, and graduation,” Prestwood read. “To achieve this, UM needs to enhance its focus on expanding access to higher education, particularly for students facing limited resources, minimal family experience with higher education, and other barriers.”
So much to discuss with the great Mo Williams: His JSU basketball team, his marvelously talented sons, growing up in Jackson, his NBA basketball career, playing with Lebron, playing against Allen Iverson, NIL, the transfer portal … and so much more.