Republican Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann on Wednesday unveiled a $326 million tax cut package that reduces the state income tax and the sales tax on groceries and raises the gasoline tax to fund road work.
The plan is more austere than the overhaul the House has proposed. That plan would eliminate the individual income tax in Mississippi over the next decade, raise sales taxes and create a new indexed gasoline tax. The House plan would be a net tax cut of $1.1 billion.
Flanked by Republican senators, Hosemann said the Senate plan would cut taxes over the next four years while allowing the Legislature to spend tax dollars on core government functions such as public education.
“This needs to be sustainable,” Hosemann said. “A conservative approach to tax reform. Now, just to do things for one year doesn’t mean it’s sustainable. This needs to be sustainable.”
Senate leaders at a Wednesday press conference with Hosemann used the terms “measured, careful, cautious and responsible” when explaining details of the Senate plan.
Hosemann said the Senate plan would within four years reduce Mississippi’s individual income tax to 2.99%, one of the lowest rates in the nation of states that collect income taxes.
Legislation for the plan has not yet been filed, but if passed, the proposal would reduce the state’s 7% sales tax on grocery items to 5% in July 2026.
Municipalities currently receive a portion of the state tax collected from grocery sales. Hosemann said the Senate plan would make municipalities whole and allow them to collect the revenue they would typically receive from the state.
The plan also raises the state’s 18.4-cents-a-gallon gasoline excise by three cents each year over the next three years, eventually resulting in a 27.4 cents per gallon gas tax at completion. The gas tax funds highway infrastructure maintenance and new infrastructure projects. The House plan would create a new 5% sales tax on top of the current excise, which at current rates would cost consumers more at the pump than the Senate plan.
Hosemann’s plan reduces the state’s flat 4% income tax to 2.99% over four years, a component that’s likely to set up a major debate with the House.
The announcement comes after the House passed a plan last month that eliminates the income tax over a decade, cuts the state grocery tax and raises sales taxes and gasoline taxes.
House Speaker Jason White, a Republican from West, has made income tax elimination his top priority this legislative session. He told reporters that even though there were a lot of differences between the House and Senate tax plans, he applauded the Senate for introducing a tax cut plan to allow the two chambers to potentially negotiate a final proposal.
Last week, White had criticized Hosemann and the Senate for not having presented a detailed plan, and legislation, with the three-month legislative session nearing the midway point.
“I’m glad they’re in the ballgame,” White said of the Senate plan Wednesday. “They’re in the ballgame, so we’ve got a chance. Mississippians have a chance at a tax cut if the Senate’s in the game, so that’s a positive.”
Hosemann said he and his Senate leadership “took our time, to run proformas and make sure this works the way we intend it.”
If the Legislature passes a final tax cut plan, it will head to Republican Gov. Tate Reeves’ desk for consideration. Reeves has encouraged lawmakers to pass legislation to eliminate the income tax, but it remains unclear if he would sign a tax cut package into law that does not fully eliminate the income tax.
Panola County officials made an unorthodox demand of the county’s ambulance service last month: stop picking patients up from the hospital.
Transfers from Progressive Health Batesville to higher-level care by the county’s ambulance services ground to a halt Jan. 20, as first reported by the Panolian. The Panola Board of Supervisors stopped the services, arguing that numerous transfers to far-off facilities have left county ambulances unavailable to respond to emergencies.
They say the problem began in 2023 when the facility became a rural emergency hospital, a federal designation that gives struggling rural hospitals a $3.3 million federal funding boost but forces them to close their inpatient beds. Average patient stays are limited to 24 hours, necessitating transfers to larger facilities if a patient needs additional care.
Experts say they have not seen the rural emergency hospital program provoke similar disputes in other areas, in part because the hospitals that chose to convert to the status had low inpatient volumes, meaning they likely have few patients to transfer.
But Progressive Health of Batesville had a higher average daily inpatient census – by a factor of two – than any other hospital in the nation that became a rural emergency hospital, according to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid data.
Progressive Health of Batesville provided inpatient care to 12 people a day on average in 2022, according to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid data. Most hospitals that later converted to rural emergency status had an average daily inpatient census of two or fewer patients.
Batesville had a relatively high inpatient volume for a rural hospital, said Harold Miller, the director of the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform. Under the restrictions of the new model, many of these patients would need to be transferred to another facility to receive care.
Facing an ambulance contract increase of nearly a quarter of a million dollars to keep up with service volumes, Panola County officials want the hospital to foot a portion of the bill before they resume paying for transfers from the facility.
This request sets a dangerous precedent for hospitals and could jeopardize patients’ safety, said Quentin Whitwell, the CEO of Oxford-based Progressive Health Group, the company that owns the hospital in Batesville, and five other hospitals across the Southeast.
“We do not believe this policy is warranted, we do not believe this policy is in the best interest of the patients and the community that we serve, and we do not believe this policy is legal,” Whitwell told Mississippi Today.
Transfer volumes from the hospital have increased just 5% from 2023 to 2024, according to a document Whitwell provided to Mississippi Today.
Two other ambulance services – Priority Ambulance and Pafford EMS – are currently providing transfer services to the hospital. Lifeguard Ambulance Services, the company that contracts with the county, still delivers patients to Progressive Health of Batesville.
The Board of Supervisors and hospital management are in negotiations to resolve the conflict.
Panola Medical Center – later renamed Progressive Health Batesville – was bankrupt in 2019 when Whitwell bought the hospital from Georgia-based Curae Health.
But the hospital could not reach a financially sustainable inpatient census and its psychiatric unit was losing money, said Whitwell. It became a rural emergency hospital in November 2023, closing both services but maintaining an emergency room and outpatient care.
Experts say the choice to convert is a thorny one. It means the loss of acute inpatient care, a valued service that keeps people in their communities when they are sick or injured. But the federal subsidies can create renewed financial stability for hospitals that are struggling to keep their doors open.
Nationwide, 34 hospitals have converted to rural emergency hospital status since 2023. Most of them are located in the Southeast.
Progressive Health of Batesville has become one of the most robust rural emergency hospitals in the nation by operating a “hospital within a hospital”: a separate long-term acute care facility that has taken the place of the shuttered inpatient floor, said Whitwell.
But it isn’t unreasonable for a county to request support from the hospital to cover the costs of ambulance services, especially if the hospital’s lack of inpatient care places a greater burden on the county’s existing emergency transportation services, he said.
The county’s contract with Lifeguard has doubled since the hospital converted to a rural emergency hospital while ambulance services have become increasingly strained, said Panola County Board of Supervisors President Cole Flint.
In the second half of 2024, transfers from Progressive Health of Batesville to larger facilities averaged about three hours, said a spokesperson for Lifeguard.
Medically necessary transfers to higher-level care are typically covered by a patient or their insurer, but the rate an ambulance is paid does not always cover its costs, said Miller.
And there are greater costs to a community if an ambulance is not available when it is needed, he said.
Progressive Health of Batesville has a transfer agreement with North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo 74 miles away, but also transfers patients to hospitals in Oxford, Southhaven or Memphis depending on their condition.
Rural emergency hospitals are required to have a transfer agreement with a Level 1 or Level 2 trauma center. North Mississippi Medical Center is the closest trauma center to Batesville.
Before the hospital converted to a rural emergency hospital, Whitwell said he met with county leaders and did his best to communicate the impact the change would have – both positive and negative.
The hospital provides essential emergency room care to Panola County, said Rep. Josh Hawkins, R-Batesville, who represents the county in the state Legislature. But he said the county, with a population of 30,000 people, is too large to go without inpatient care.
“I would rather have a full-service hospital than just a (rural emergency hospital),” he said.
Charles Huff left the Sun Belt championship Marshall football program to take over the job at Southern Miss, which finished last. He talks about the difficult task ahead of him in his Crooked Letter debut. Also, the Clevelands discuss the Super Bowl, college basketball and the upcoming weekend of college baseball.
This essay is part of an ongoing Mississippi Today Ideas series showcasing first-person perspectives of former Mississippi governors. We asked them to write about their successes while in office and perhaps what they wished had gone a little differently during their tenure.
Reflecting on the years I wore the title of governor, I’m struck by more than what was accomplished. Who contributed to getting it done mattered, too.
Sure, my name was on the ballot. I took the oath of office, swearing to faithfully support the constitutions of this country and this state, to obey the laws of both and discharge the duties of the office.
Only days before taking that oath, I called the state Senate to order as the outgoing lieutenant governor while the House of Representatives took an historic vote to uphold the popular vote from November 1999, in essence, “electing” me to the office of governor. A now repealed archaic and racist provision of the state Constitution required the House to select the governor if no candidate obtained a majority of the popular vote and won a majority of the 122 House districts.
Waiting in the wings as the House voted were a small number of individuals committed to working the many hours it would take over the next seven days to get ready for my inauguration. This was not something I could do alone.
I think about Melody Maxey who headed a team to put together the inauguration itself. They designed and delivered everything associated with the day’s events from early morning gatherings to the swearing in to the grand ball that evening.
Intentionally, we celebrated more than my win. We celebrated who we are as Mississippians, our contributions to this country and the world. We celebrated what it could mean to improve the quality of life for every single person who would call Mississippi home for generations to come.
Donna (Addkison) Simmons headed a separate team tasked with creating a smooth transition into the office – making sure the necessary staff and the most necessary “cabinet level” officials were in place and the outline of a legislative agenda for a session already underway had been built.
This team ensured that the fledgling staff, the newly appointed department heads, and I would know where the previous governor and staff paused office operations, what was most pressing by department and where my/our attention needed to be focused during the early days of the administration. In addition we needed to handle a variety of tasks and challenges as they arose moment by moment.
In short we had seven days, not the customary 60, to transition into office, to produce an inauguration worthy of the office and the people of this state and to come up to speed on the innumerable things necessary for discharging the duties of the office.
None of which I could do alone.
Add to that making good on my commitments to creating greater public access to me and to the staff, expanding economic opportunity and financial sustainability, opening up health insurance coverage to as many children as possible and moving Mississippi’s public schools to new heights through internet access, technology in the classroom and modernizing facilities while lifting teachers up as professionals deserving of professional compensation.
Again, not something I could do alone.
Qualified individuals, possessing the courage and commitment to doing their best in service to their neighbors from the Gulf Coast to the Tennessee border, had to say yes.
Yes to serving on the 7-day transition team or the seemingly impossible inaugural team.
Yes to working on the governor’s staff.
Yes to heading major departments with life-impacting responsibilities.
Yes to accepting appointments to various boards and commissions, many with terms that would last well beyond my time in office.
Real live human beings with names, faces and families they love and who love them are the “bureaucrats” and “politicos” who said yes. Real people made real sacrifices pulling off an historic seven-day transition, serving a limited number of years leading a department or as a board/commission members or dedicating their entire careers to providing necessary and often overlooked public services.
In 2000 and beyond, men and women from across the state embraced the vision of a better day, one made possible through “Unprecedented Goals” and the realization of “Unparalleled Progress.” As a team, we brought this vision into being.
Who were a few of these courageous and dedicated men and women?
Armerita Tell and Michael Bentley reimagining one-on-one service to Mississippians and outreach statewide.
Michael Boyd and Kelly Riley making recommendations after digging into the details of policy topics, finding best practices and exploring other states’ experiences.
Peyton Prospere providing legal counsel and going beyond to share his expertise in so many areas.
David Huggins leading the state’s public safety efforts along with L.M. Claiborne, the first African-American colonel of the Mississippi Highway Patrol.
Robert Latham expanding our ability to alert residents to hazardous weather and to respond in the aftermath.
James Lipscomb III leading Mississippi’s National Guard offering the leadership necessary to grow the ranks of Guard members.
Marilyn Starks bringing her Corrections experience to the State Parole Board.
Virginia Newton serving with integrity a 12-year term on the IHL Board.
Len Blackwell chairing the Gaming Commission.
Toni Cooley representing the First Supreme Court District on the board of the Mississippi Home Corporation.
Every Mississippian who said yes to serving on the State Flag Advisory Commission or the Computer Technology Task Force.
I’m told it’s dangerous to start listing individuals, knowing that all can’t be named and might be offended by the omission. I hope those not named here will forgive me, knowing their service and contributions are in no way diminished.
It’s important to be aware of some so perhaps we can better appreciate the simple reality of a government that is of the people, by the people and for the people.
One person (singular) may wear the title of an office, but people (plural) work together in service to the whole of the state or nation.
I honored my own commitment to build a staff and a cabinet of talented individuals who were themselves a reflection of the state and the people more broadly. Together, we expanded that commitment to truly reflecting the state, regionally and demographically, through hundreds of appointments of highly qualified individuals to boards and commissions.
After all, it is people (plural) who make, interpret and carry out policy. Only people (plural) dedicated to something bigger than themselves can truly breathe life into slogans like “Unprecedented Goals, Unparalleled Progress.”
Only people working together, with a shared interest in what can make positive differences for the greatest number of people, can deliver on promises of more and better employment opportunities, higher quality schools in every community, safe water to drink and roads to travel.
We may disagree on matters of policy and policy preferences may change over time. Even so, I remain convinced that the group of individuals who came together as a team during my term in office made a difference. Their presence mattered. Their work mattered then and now.
Who a leader surrounds himself with makes all the difference, now and for generations to come.
Ronnie Musgrove served as governor from 2000 until 2004. Before then, he served as lieutenant governor and as a member of the state Senate. A Panola County native, Musgrove lives in Oxford with his 9-year-old son. He also practices law and is involved in various other business ventures. Musgrove also has three grown children.
Another client of former licensed professional counselor Wade Wicht is accusing him of sexual abuse, joining two other women who have already filed criminal complaints with Hattiesburg police.
“Wade saved my life,” she said, “but he also betrayed me.”
Wicht’s lawyer, Michael Reed of Hattiesburg, did not respond to requests for responses regarding the women’s accusations. The Hattiesburg police continue to investigate the complaints and have declined to comment.
Police are also investigating a third criminal complaint filed against Wicht. The Mississippi Child Protective Services has previously investigated the matter.
“My understanding is the allegations reported to CPS were unsubstantiated,” Reed said. “Of course, Mr. Wicht wholeheartedly denies the allegations.”
‘Real love doesn’t do that’
In a sworn statement, a woman, who asked not to be named for fear of retribution, said Wicht sexually abused her during the time he counseled her.
The young woman went to him in 2016 because she was still reeling from a 28-year-old man sexually abusing her when she was 8. “I was the kid who took a shower with my underwear on,” she said.
Wicht’s counseling helped her immensely, but some of the things he did also disturbed her, she said. He once asked if she looked at child porn and when she angrily replied no, she said he asked, “Why are you reacting like that?”
Wade Wicht Credit: Courtesy of Ramona Wicht
While she was still counseling with Wicht, she called him drunk, she said. “I’m out in the woods. I’m bawling. I’m mad at God.”
He drove to where she was, took her home and insisted she head to the bathroom, she said, but when she did go, he refused to leave the bathroom while she urinated.
He encouraged her to sleep on her parents’ couch, rather than her bedroom, and after she closed her eyes to sleep, she said she felt his hand go down into her jogging pants and underneath her panties.
When she objected, she said he pulled his hand back out and said, “Oh, it’s OK. It’s OK.”
Earlier this year, she said she confronted Wicht about that night, and he said nothing in response.
She had confronted him before, she said, accusing him of being a sex addict. “Your mind is sick, and your heart is seared,” she quoted herself as saying. “You can’t work multiple women over at the same time and call it love. Real love doesn’t do that. You have confused love with something else.”
In response, he wept and spoke of being truly sorry and changed by God, she said.
Artwork by a woman who alleges she was sexually assaulted by longtime counselor Wade Wicht.
She credited God, journaling, counseling from others, expressing her feelings through art and distance from Wicht with helping her heal. “There would have been no healing if God hadn’t given me the courage to go to counseling,” she said. “My faith is central to who I am.”
Unlike the other women, she has no plans to file a criminal complaint against Wicht because she doesn’t want to go through the same agony she did in testifying against her 28-year-old abuser. She said Wicht’s sexual abuse of her could only be prosecuted as a misdemeanor because Mississippi law requires penetration in order to be classified as a felony.
Her past made her an easy target
Jenny Green is going public with what she said Wicht did to her during counseling sessions.
“He’s a free man, and nothing has happened to him,” said Green, who has filed a criminal complaint with Hattiesburg police. “I want to do all I can to help make sure he can’t do anything like that again.”
Her past made her an easy target, she said, because she had been sexually abused as a minor.
A 17-year-old tomboy who bloomed late, she had few friends, she said.
Then a teacher began to stalk her, praised her looks and intelligence, and listened to her share how the only boyfriend she ever had left her for someone else, she said. “He saw someone in a fragile place and pounced.”
At night, he would call and converse, she said, and the words he shared helped fill the emptiness she felt.
One night after returning to school from a track meet, she said the teacher plied her and a girlfriend with wine coolers. It was the first alcohol she had ever had, and she became drunk, she said.
The next thing she knew she was in a bedroom, and he was on top of her, she said. “I was a virgin.”
Afterward, she said, “I asked him, ‘Did we just have sex?’ I was clueless.”
Like a number of other victims, Green suffered disassociation, she said. “It was almost like I wasn’t in my own body. I didn’t feel like I was there.”
Such disassociation is the brain’s way of placing distance between the victim and the traumatic event, scientists say.
She later wrote poems about what happened.
Keep quiet
Don’t cry
We can pretend it didn’t.
We can lie.
Her teacher told her she must never breathe a word about this, and if she did, he would kill himself. She said she believed him.
Your body
It is like none other.
It’s beautiful,
But you must never tell your mother.
Each school day, she sat in his class, and when he gazed at her, guilt and shame washed over her , she said. “I thought what the teacher did was my fault.”
Unable to sleep, she finally woke her mother to tell her what happened. “I didn’t know how to say, ‘My teacher raped me,’” she said. “I didn’t have the verbiage.”
For the first time in her life, she visited a gynecologist, who determined she wasn’t pregnant.
When her family decided against pursuing charges, she blamed herself. “I was told to never talk about it,” she said, “and for 20 years, I didn’t.”
Marriage counseling gone wrong
Jenny Green is waiting for prosecutors to decide if they will pursue her criminal complaint against longtime counselor Wade Wicht, accusing him of sexually abusing her during a counseling session. Credit: Jerry Mitchell/Mississippi Today
In April 2021, Green and her husband walked into Wade Wicht’s office.
She had been pushing for marriage counseling, and Wicht was the only counselor her husband would see.
What the couple didn’t know was that Wicht had already had sex with a client, according to an order from the State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors, which oversees and licenses counselors.
After a few sessions, Wicht suggested separate counseling sessions, she said. Her husband’s sessions lasted 40 minutes or so; hers lasted up to two hours.
In a separate session with Wicht, she said she confessed her nervousness in talking about private matters and joked about needing a drink. She said he poured drinks for both of them — a habit he continued at times.
He steered conversations to the sexual, discussing the size of her breasts and asking if she had implants, she said. When she came to one counseling session after a workout, he questioned why she had a jacket tied around her waist, she said.
“Covering up a little bit,” she replied.
“Why are you doing that?” she recalled him asking.
Another time, she said he told her, “You need to be careful where your gaze goes. You stare at my crotch.”
His words mortified her, she said, because it was a ridiculous lie.
After each session, he tried to hug her, and she recoiled. “He said I needed to be comfortable hugging,” she said. “He said I was stiff and uncomfortable.”
When she showed up one day with coffee, he told her to get him a coffee next time. “He mentioned that again and again,” she said. “I realize now he was seeing what he could get me to do.
“He eventually did get me to bring him a coffee. He did eventually get me to hug him.”
She said this was reminiscent of what her teacher did, getting her to bring him a Snickers candy bar and a Coke during each break.
The torment exhausting
The self-doubt to no end
The shame a coat of many colors
The secrets all held within.
‘It devastated me’
In October 2021, when her husband talked of possible harm to himself or others, Green said she felt scared and hopeless. She called Wicht’s office, and he rushed to their house.
After that, her trust and dependence on the counselor “went through the roof,” she said.
In her sessions, she said she confessed to Wicht that she was experiencing some transference, that is, redirecting her feelings from her husband to him.
He responded this could be beneficial for her therapy, she said. “Instead of passing me off to someone else, he used that to his advantage.”
The hugging progressed, she said. He began to hug her from behind and tell her it was therapeutic, she said.
He also put his hand on her knee and told her she needed to learn to say no, and in each session that followed, he touched her knee higher, she said. “Every time he touched me, I froze. I didn’t give consent.”
Studies show that many victims of sexual abuse or assault report “freezing.” That’s because fear can block the neural circuits that signal the body to move, scientists say.
Green said Wicht urged her to quit initiating sex with her husband and falsely claimed she suffered from sex addiction. “It devastated me,” she said.
When Wicht suggested she spend weeks at a treatment center, she said she balked, saying she couldn’t leave her husband and children.
He offered an alternative approach. He said he was a certified sex therapist, and she could do that therapy with him, she said.
In his 2018 letter to the licensing board, Wicht listed Chemical and Process Addictions as an area of certification, but not sex therapy.
Green said Wicht asked her to share intimate details about her past abuse, including whether she bled, she said.
When she wouldn’t share details about what she liked sexually, he urged her to masturbate so he could observe, she told police in her complaint. She refused.
Lie to myself or subconscious
Should I say?
Lie like a good girl.
Be the perfect prey.
‘I became a scared little girl’
Four days after Christmas, Green suffered a meltdown. Three family members suffered from serious illness, and memories of her teacher’s abuse haunted her, she said. “I was crying uncontrollably.”
In desperation, she telephoned Wicht, who called her to his office.
This time, when he hugged her from behind, he began to caress her breasts over her clothing, she said. “He said, ‘This is loving touch,’ and I’m just sobbing.”
She continued to reel from depression. In a March 2022 session, she said he asked her to remove her clothes. She had refused to do this before, but this time she said she broke down and gave in, crying the whole time.
The commands he gave her echoed some of the same commands she had been given as a child, she said. “That day at the office, I became a scared little girl. I had no choice but to be compliant. I was the perfect prey.”
Wicht made her put a blindfold on, made her lie on her stomach and spread her bottom cheeks, and “he proceeded to penetrate me with his fingers,” she told police. When he finished, “he held me and acted as if it had been a caring moment,” she told police. “That was the last time he touched me.”
She froze, just as she had before, she said.
One study showed that 70% of 298 women who came to a rape clinic for treatment reported “paralysis” or an inability to resist during the assault.
Throughout Wicht’s abuse, Green told police, “He would remind me I could never in my life breathe a word of it. Said someone could die or be killed if I did. This was triggering as my abuser from teen years threatened to kill himself if I told anyone.”
After this abuse, she said thoughts of self-harm flooded her mind. She posted the suicide prevention hotline number on her wall, and sometimes slept in the closet.
The stillness. The peace.
The madness. The dire.
When will it end?
I long to expire.
After the alleged abuse, Green sought treatment from another therapist, whom she said helped rescue her from her despair.
She has since spoken to other of Wicht’s alleged victims, some of whom have yet to file complaints, she said. “He convinced women that they’re damaged, and you’re going to be beholden to him so that you don’t tell anybody,” she said.
Counselors have power over their clients, she said. They can groom, lie, manipulate and coerce those they treat into obeying their commands because “we believe we must do as we are told,” she said.
It’s bad enough for a trusted person to exploit you, but when it’s a counselor, who knows so many intimate details about your life, she said, “It rapes every part of your soul and mind.”
How sick
And how twisted and who
The f— let that happen?
Keep quiet
Don’t cry
We can pretend it didn’t.
We can lie.
‘The law protects the guilty’
Wicht has already admitted to having sex with two women he counseled, a violation of the ethical code that prompted the loss of his counseling license.
One of those was Kimberly Cuellar, who has filed a criminal complaint against Wicht. She told police that in one counseling session, he had her lay on the floor, pulled down her pants and digitally penetrated her without her consent, claiming it was for his research. She said he continued to touch her sexually in sessions, claiming it was therapeutic.
Kimberly Cuellar says her journey dealing with Wade Wicht has taught her, more than ever, about God’s amazing grace. Credit: Jerry Mitchell/Mississippi Today
In addition to those allegations, she said he tried to rape her while she was sleeping in her parents’ home in 2023. She said she awoke to him on top of her. “You moved my shorts, and you absolutely tried to get inside me,” she wrote in text exchanges she shared with Mississippi Today.
“Omgoodness, what??!! … What you’re accusing me of is criminal, Kimberly! … I touched you with my fingers, and I was touching myself,” he responded. “I was NOT trying to have sex with you while you were sleeping.”
She told him “no” multiple times, but he refused to stop, she wrote. “You then touched me without consent while you ejaculated on my body after all the no’s I had given. Attempted rape? Absolutely.”
In April, another licensed professional counselor in Mississippi, Dr. Philip Raymond Baquie of Oxford, surrendered his license after he admitted having sex with a female client during a counseling session in December 2023.
More than half the states consider sex between mental health professionals and their patients a crime. Mississippi isn’t one of those states.
In 2023, the Mississippi House passed a bill that would have made it a crime for therapists, clergy, doctors and nurses to have sexual contact with those they treat or counsel.
But the bill died in the Senate Judiciary B Committee after some senators questioned the need for a law. Committee Chairman Joey Fillingane has said if something like this happens in a church-affiliated organization, the church can fire that person.
Brad Eubank, a pastor for First Baptist Church in Petal who serves on the Southern Baptist Convention’s sex abuse task force, said firing those guilty of sexual abuse isn’t enough.
“We must stop this scourge of sexual abuse and put a stop to any counselor, medical professional, social worker or clergy who would take advantage of an individual who finds themselves in a vulnerable state seeking help,” said Eubank, a victim of sexual abuse himself. “We need clear laws with stiff penalties to be a severe deterrent to stop this from ever happening as well as providing justice for those victims when it does happen.”
Green said she’s willing to testify to lawmakers to let them know that when counselors use their power to sexually abuse their clients, they deserve to be punished.
Because there is no videotaping of sessions, the counselor’s office provides “the perfect setting for that crime,” she said. “That’s why there needs to be protection.”
This crime damages victims for life, she said. “Sexual abuse distorts, if not destroys, the victims’ ability to express romantic love in a healthy way. Stealing that part of us should not go without consequences.”
Under Mississippi’s current statute, “the law protects the guilty,” she said. “We as sexual abuse victims don’t stand a chance.”
Myrlie Evers and Reena Evers-Everette cheer the jury verdict of Feb. 5, 1994, when Byron De La Beckwith was found guilty of the 1963 murder of Mississippi NAACP leader Medgar Evers. Credit: AP/Rogelio Solis
The Mississippi Supreme Court upheld the conviction of white supremacist Byron De La Beckwith for the 1963 murder of Medgar Evers.
In the court’s 4–2 decision, Justice Mike Mills praised efforts “to squeeze justice out of the harm caused by a furtive explosion which erupted from dark bushes on a June night in Jackson, Mississippi.”
He wrote that Beckwith’s constitutional right to a speedy trial had not been denied. His “complicity with the Sovereignty Commission’s involvement in the prior trials contributed to the delay.”
The decision did more than ensure that Beckwith would stay behind bars. The conviction helped clear the way for other prosecutions of unpunished killings from the Civil Rights Era.
About the time people ring in the new year next week, the digital tracker on Mississippi Today’s homepage tabulating the amount of money the state is losing by not expanding Medicaid will hit $1 billion.
The state has lost $1 billion not since the start of the quickly departing 2024 but since the beginning of the state’s fiscal year on July 1.
Some who oppose Medicaid expansion say the digital tracker is flawed.
During an October news conference, when state Auditor Shad White unveiled details of his $2 million study seeking ways to cut state government spending, he said he did not look at Medicaid expansion as a method to save money or grow state revenue.
“I think that (Mississippi Today) calculator is wrong,” White said. “… I don’t think that takes into account how many people are going to be moved off the federal health care exchange where their health care is paid for fully by the federal government and moved onto Medicaid.”
White is not the only Mississippi politician who has expressed concern that if Medicaid expansion were enacted, thousands of people would lose their insurance on the exchange and be forced to enroll in Medicaid for health care coverage.
Mississippi Today’s projections used for the tracker are based on studies conducted by the Institutions of Higher Learning University Research Center. Granted, there are a lot of variables in the study that are inexact. It is impossible to say, for example, how many people will get sick and need health care, thus increasing the cost of Medicaid expansion. But is reasonable that the projections of the University Research Center are in the ballpark of being accurate and close to other studies conducted by health care experts.
White and others are correct that Mississippi Today’s calculator does not take into account money flowing into the state for people covered on the health care exchange. But that money does not go to the state; it goes to insurance companies that, granted, use that money to reimburse Mississippians for providing health care. But at least a portion of the money goes to out-of-state insurance companies as profits.
Both Medicaid expansion and the health care exchange are part of the Affordable Care Act. Under Medicaid expansion people earning up to $20,120 annually can sign up for Medicaid and the federal government will pay the bulk of the cost. Mississippi is one of 10 states that have not opted into Medicaid expansion.
People making more than $14,580 annually can garner private insurance through the health insurance exchanges, and people below certain income levels can receive help from the federal government in paying for that coverage.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, legislation championed and signed into law by President Joe Biden significantly increased the federal subsidies provided to people receiving insurance on the exchange. Those increased subsidies led to many Mississippians — desperate for health care — turning to the exchange for help.
White, state Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney, Gov. Tate Reeves and others have expressed concern that those people would lose their private health insurance and be forced to sign up for Medicaid if lawmakers vote to expand Medicaid.
They are correct.
But they do not mention that the enhanced benefits authored by the Biden administration are scheduled to expire in December 2025 unless they are reenacted by Congress. The incoming Donald Trump administration has given no indication it will continue the enhanced subsidies.
As a matter of fact, the Trump administration, led by billionaire Elon Musk, is looking for ways to cut federal spending.
Some have speculated that Medicaid expansion also could be on Musk’s chopping block.
That is possible. But remember congressional action is required to continue the enhanced subsidies. On the flip side, congressional action would most likely be required to end or cut Medicaid expansion.
Would the multiple U.S. senators and House members in the red states that have expanded Medicaid vote to end a program that is providing health care to thousands of their constituents?
If Congress does not continue Biden’s enhanced subsidies, the rates for Mississippians on the exchange will increase on average about $500 per year, according to a study by KFF, a national health advocacy nonprofit. If that occurs, it is likely that many of the 280,000 Mississippians on the exchange will drop their coverage.
The result will be that Mississippi’s rate of uninsured — already one of the highest in the nation – will rise further, putting additional pressure on hospitals and other providers who will be treating patients who have no ability to pay.
In the meantime, the Mississippi Today counter that tracks the amount of money Mississippi is losing by not expanding Medicaid keeps ticking up.
Homeownership has long been a reliable and valuable investment for many Americans. Mississippi’s housing market is witnessing a subtle uptick, as evidenced by a 0.6% annual rise in home prices. However, this growth is tempered by a 12% decline in home sales and a 12.4% increase in housing inventory, according to data from Redfin.
Edgar David, a National Community Lending Manager at JPMorgan Chase & Co.
A lack of access to credit, a lack of understanding about the home buying process, and coming up with the upfront cash needed for a down payment and closing costs are among the barriers many Americans face on their journey to homeownership. That’s why it’s important to consider your options and seek out resources to help navigate the home buying process.
Here, Edgar David, a National Community Lending Manager covering the Mississippi area, shares five important things to consider before purchasing a home in Mississippi:
1. Come prepared and don’t stress about rates. The best time to buy a home is when you’re financially ready. Worry less about the current economic environment and more about your own preparedness for homeownership, including fully knowing and understanding your financial situation, debt level, credit score, savings and investment positions.
2. Understand your down payment options. A down payment is what you pay upfront toward the cost of your new home; it’s the difference between your mortgage amount and your purchase price. The more you can put down, the less you’ll be borrowing from a lender. However, it is a myth that you must put down 20% of the purchase price—low down payment loan options are available—in some cases, as low as 3%. Keep in mind that if you put less than 20% down, you may be required to pay private mortgage insurance. Make sure to speak to a Home Lending Advisor to understand the options that may work for you.
3. Evaluate loan types and shop around. There are many different types of home loans available, and having an experienced mortgage professional on your side can help you make the right decision for you. Here are the most common types of loans:
A conventional loan typically calls for a higher credit score to qualify and can be accessed through private lenders, including banks, credit unions, and mortgage companies.
An FHA loan is backed by the federal government. These loans can help potential buyers with lower credit scores who wish to keep their down payment costs low. Buyers using an FHA loan are required to pay monthly mortgage insurance premiums, regardless of the down payment amount.
A VA loan is a mortgage the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs offers to service members, veterans and surviving spouses. VA loans can have favorable terms, including no down payment. Active-duty service members and veterans who choose Chase for their VA Loan will receive a $2000 Chase VA Purchase Closing Cost Benefit.
Your financial institution may also offer additional loan options. An example is Chase’s DreaMaker mortgage, which has flexible credit guidelines and requires as little as 3% down.
4. Use tools to help. It’s important to look into the financial resources available to help you purchase a home. Chase offers a homebuyer grant of up to $5,000 to buyers purchasing homes in eligible areas, including eligible areas in Mississippi. These grants are offered in low- to moderate-income communities and neighborhoods that are designated by the U.S. Census as majority-Black, Hispanic and/or Latino. The grant can be used to lower the interest rate and/or reduce closing costs or down payment and can be stacked with additional homebuyer assistance programs. You can check grant eligibility online with the Chase Homebuyer Assistance Finder and also discover other financial assistance that may be available.
For added confidence during the closing process, Chase also offers a Closing Guarantee, which promises an on-time closing for eligible customers in as soon as three weeks, or the customer will receive $5,000 if they qualify.
5. Get educated. Buying a home can be the achievement of a lifetime, but being able to sustain homeownership over time is equally, if not even more, important. For the best chances of success, homebuyers should not only get educated about the buying process, but also understand the ins and outs of homeownership after the home is purchased. Chase’s Beginner to Buyer podcast and its Homebuyer Education Center offers tips and first-hand experiences on home buying, selling, and ownership.
Homeownership offers many benefits beyond just a place to live—it’s a time-tested way to start building personal and generational wealth. That’s why it’s never too early to start working toward your dreams of homeownership. After all, it’s an investment in your future.
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For informational/educational purposes only: Views and strategies described in this article or provided via links may not be appropriate for everyone and are not intended as specific advice/recommendation for any business. Information has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but JPMorgan Chase & Co. or its affiliates and/or subsidiaries do not warrant its completeness or accuracy. The material is not intended to provide legal, tax, or financial advice or to indicate the availability or suitability of any JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. product or service. You should carefully consider your needs and objectives before making any decisions and consult the appropriate professional(s). Outlooks and past performance are not guarantees of future results. JPMorgan Chase & Co. and its affiliates are not responsible for, and do not provide or endorse third party products, services, or other content.
A former Capitol Police officer has been accused of violating the civil rights of a handcuffed man whose head he slammed into the hood of a car and kicked in 2022.
Jeffery Walker, a former officer with the Flex Unit, was in federal court Wednesday. He faces up to 10 years in federal prison for one charge of deprivation of rights under the color of law.
The person Walker is accused of injuring is identified in court records as E.S.
On July 27, 2022, Walker was on duty and driving an unmarked car when he tried to stop E.S.’s car, but E.S. did not pull over and led Walker on a chase, according to an indictment unsealed Wednesday.
Three unnamed Jackson Police Department officers joined in the chase until Walker cut E.S. off, which caused Walker to hit a tree and E.S. to swerve into a yard. Walker and the JPD officers approached E.S.’s car, pulled him out, put him on the ground and handcuffed him.
The indictment states Walker grabbed E.S. by the back of the neck and slammed his head into the car hood, before putting him back on the ground and kicking him in the head and face.
Magistrate Judge Andrew Harris approved an unsecured $10,000 bond for Walker.
Walker’s trial is scheduled for Feb. 10, 2025 with U.s. District Judge Henry Wingate.
The former Capitol Police officer also faces an excessive force lawsuit filed last year stemming from an incident that happened weeks after the 2022 incident.
On Aug. 14, 2022, Sherita Harris was a passenger in a car driven by her friend. As the car waited for a traffic signal to turn green on State and Amite streets, the lawsuit alleges Walker and Capitol Police Officer Michael Rhinewalt approached the car from behind, turned on its emergency lights and directed the car to pull over.
Shortly after the driver pulled over, Rhinewalt began to shoot into the car, according to the lawsuit. The driver fled to avoid bullets, but Harris was hit in the head and slumped over in her seat.
She was taken to the hospital where she had surgery to remove bullet fragments from her head, according to the lawsuit. The injuries left her with lingering issues including with her speech and cognitive abilities.
As of December, the lawsuit remains active. The lawsuit seeks $3 million in damages, and the case is expected to go to trial in October 2025.
The officers offered a different account.
Walker was called as a witness in a September 2022 preliminary hearing for Sinatra Jordan, the driver of the car, who has been charged with fleeing law enforcement, assault of a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest and possession of marijuana.
NBC News reported about Walker’s testimony in which he said the car ran a red light and took off after the officers got out of their cruisers. Walker and Rhinewalt chased the car and said they heard gunshots coming from it and saw items thrown out of the window.
The car crashed into a curb and they saw the driver with a black object in his hands, prompting them to return fire.
Jordan remains at the Raymond Detention Center and is expected to go to trial in March 2025.
