Kevin Yu, of Taiwan, holds the Sanderson Farms Championship trophy following his win of the 2024 tournament hosted at the Country Club of Jackson on Sunday, Oct. 06, 2024, in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Sarah Warnock)
The 58th Sanderson Farms Championship, the 13th and apparently final with America’s third largest poultry producer as a sponsor, tees off Thursday at 7 a.m at Country Club of Jackson.
Mississippi’s only PGA TOUR Tournament, which faces a cloudy future with no sponsor beyond this year and no assured dates from the tour next year, will feature a strong field of players, including an impressive list of golfers with Magnolia State ties.
With the golf world still buzzing over last weekend’s Ryder Cup matches, the Mississippi tournament will feature several players with Ryder Cup notoriety, including Denmark’s Rasmus Hojgaard, a member of this years victorious European team, and his twin brother Nicolai, who played on the victorious European team in 2023. The twins are the first brothers to ever win back-to-back on the DP World Tour and the first identical twins ever to play in the Masters together. They will be joined by Italian Francisco Molinari, vice captain of the European team and a three-time Ryder Cup standout, who in 2018 became the first European player in history to win all five of his matches.
Otherwise, six-time PGA TOUR winner Max Homa, the top U.S. points winner in the 2023 Ryder Cup with a 3-1-1 record, will play at CCJ, along with Brandt Snedeker, a U.S. assistant coach, and a nine-time winner on the PGA TOUR.
The field will include five of the top 50 players in the world golf rankings, including No. 34 Akshay Bhatia, the top ranked player in the field. Bhatia made his professional debut at CCJ in 2019 at the age of 17.
Defending champion Kevin Wu, who set a scoring record last year, returns, along with a strong contingent of Missisippians, including:
Hattiesburg native Davis Riley, a two time PGA TOUR champion and winner of nearly $11 million in career earnings.
Tupelo’s Hayden Buckley, who has won on both the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA TOUR Canada.
Fulton native and former Mississippi State golfer Chad Ramey, a winner on both the Korn Ferry and PGA tours.
Former Ole Miss golfer Braden Thornberry, who won the 2017 NCAA Championship, and is a rookie on the PGA TOUR.
Former Ole Miss golfer Jackson Suber, a tour rookie already with over $1 million in earnings and three top 10 finishes.
Walnut native Kye Meeks, another former Ole Miss golfer and PGA TOUR rookie.
Ole Miss golfer Michael LaSasso, the reigning NCAA Champion, who is making his sixth PGA TOUR start while still an amateur.
The Sanderson Farms Championship field includes 28 players who have won PGA TOUR tournaments over the past two years.
The Sanderson Farms/Lyle Machinery Pro Am will be played Wednesday beginning at 7 a.m.
Since 2013 when then-Sanderson Farms CEO Joe Sanderson saved the tournament, the event has raised nearly $19 million for Children’s of Mississippi and additional $2.75 million for various Mississippi charities.
Players will be competing for $6 million in prize money and a first prize of $1.08 million.
Editor’s note: This essay is part of Mississippi Today Ideas, a platform for thoughtful Mississippians to share fact-based ideas about our state’s past, present and future. You can read more about the section here.
As a parent with two children in public schools, I attended the recent public hearing of the Select Legislative Committee on School Choice held at the state Capitol.
The meeting was standing room only as the committee heard testimony from researchers who were school choice advocates. I wanted to ask a rather simple question, how is “school choice” a real answer to what the proponents of school choice are saying is the problem they are trying to solve – too many (black and brown) students “trapped” in failing schools?
The presenters posited school choice, such as allowing parents to choose from a variety of educational options by making public tax dollars available to parents to fund their children’s education in any format or context the parents deem is best for their children, as a solution. In this perspective, where is the real solution for children and families in so-called “failing” schools?
Chauncey Spears Credit: Courtesy photo
I am disheartened by the rhetoric around school choice in our state. The support for “school choice” has proven to be little more than an ages-old scheme from some political leaders in our state to funnel public money into private, segregated schools. I wonder if supporters really think that creating educational vouchers and tax credit schemes will really solve the challenge of children being taught in “failing” schools? What are the real choices parents have if their children are “trapped” in a “failing” school?
The presenters suggested that they could take the proposed voucher, which would be worth about $8,000, and hire a tutor or enroll their children in “micro-schools” where a small group of families contract with a teacher to teach children in small classes of five to 10 students
The presenters also suggested private tutors, homeschooling, or even using the voucher to pay full tuition and cost of attendance to a yet to be opened private school that would cater to the needs of these children and only charge about $8,000 per year. I cringe at thinking about the quality of education that could be offered by such a school.
Ultimately, the funding schemes proposed would siphon much needed tax dollars from our already underfunded public schools and into a variety of educational contexts (including private schools that have origins in our dark, segregationist past) with little to no accountability for how those dollars would be spent.
Why would any citizen see this school funding system as a better way forward for our state? None of the alternatives suggested would make much practical sense for the families that are said to be targeted by these “reforms.”
Nor does there seem to be a real citizen demand for a “school choice” reform law that calls for tax dollars to be given directly to parents rather than schools that are proven to be making great gains in educating our children.
Are the public schools perfect? Of course not.
Reforms are needed to help families who are in communities where the schools are rated as “failing.” The most important reform being fully funding the schools in those communities, not subjecting them to less resources for the neediest children.
One glaring reality that was not mentioned one time in the hearing was the impact that poverty has on schooling. What is seen mainly as a failing school cannot be divorced from the concentrated poverty that is evidenced in most of the communities in which failing schools are located.
Poverty’s impact of academic skill development in children is well documented but often overlooked in school policy debates. The assumption is that all children can learn if the schools “just did a better job” with the resources already given to them.
While teaching and learning can always improve, the biggest factor in the academic skill development of children is the social economic class of their family and community.
It is no coincidence that the highest rated schools in Mississippi are in the most affluent communities.This isn’t because they all have better teachers and leaders in schools, or innately “smarter” children, but because the children in these communities are advantaged by access to more resources such as healthcare, more community support, better educated parents and networks, and safe, more stable homes and communities. These social economic factors weigh heavily in the academic skill development of all children.
If a school is over-concentrated with children living in poverty, due mainly to residential segregation, it is much harder to provide children with the educational experiences and support they need to actualize their full potential.
Yes, we all want every child to have access to the best education that works for them and helps them fulfill their dreams and potential. We can disagree on the ways to make this happen, but we cannot step backward as a state and allow for the most advantaged to gain even more resources at the expense of the least advantaged in our communities.
Public schools are a part of the commitment we make to provide all citizens with the tools they need to live the best life they can, with the responsibilities of freedom, as they pursue the happiness that makes life enjoyable. When we do this, we enhance the quality of life and affirm the humanity of everyone.
A “school choice” scheme that further divests in the humanity of some of our children is a pathway to an even more segmented society that history has taught us doesn’t help us grow as a state.
Bio: Chauncey R. Spears is a veteran educator and community champion with two children in the public schools. He is the innovation hub manager at the Beloved Community Partnership with the International museum of Muslim Cultures. He previously worked for the Alluvial Collective and for the Mississippi Department of Education. He says he is a sucker for engaging conversations, Tennessee Titans football and a medium rare, char-grilled T-bone steak.
The mother of Jaylen Lewis, killed by Capitol Police officers in 2022, is now suing them and others in federal court.
In March, a Hinds County grand jury indicted the then-officers Michael Lamar Rhinewalt and Steven Frederick Jr. on a manslaughter charge in the Sept. 25, 2022, death of the 25-year-old. Both were part of the crime suppression Flex Unit.
“Jaylen Lewis should be alive today,” said Bobby DiCello, a partner in the law firm DiCello Levitt, which is representing the Lewis family. “The actions of these officers were not just reckless — they were unconscionable and indefensible. Jaylen was a devoted father with his whole life ahead of him, and his family deserves justice. We are committed to fighting for accountability, transparency and meaningful reform, so that no other family in Jackson has to endure this kind of heartbreak.”
The lawsuit, filed last week in U.S. District Court in Jackson, seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages for “the willful, reckless and malicious conduct of defendants.” The lawsuit, which represents one side of a legal argument, also seeks reforms “to ensure the Capitol Police adopt and enforce policies that prevent future tragedies,” DiCello said.
According to the indictment, Frederick and Rhinewalt said one of them shot Lewis because it “was necessary to protect himself from great bodily harm or death at the hands of Lewis,” but the indictment concluded that was “not a reasonable belief under the circumstances.”
The lawsuit also accuses the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, which oversees the Capitol Police, of permitting “officers who have engaged in excessive force or unreasonable violence toward citizens to avoid the consequences of discipline.”
Spokesperson Bailey C. Martin responded, “We have not yet had the opportunity to review the claims, and the Mississippi Department of Public Safety does not comment on pending litigation.”
An investigation by Mississippi Today has uncovered that Col. Steven Maxwell, then-director of the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, rejected hiring both officers, but Capitol Police, also part of the Department of Public Safety, hired them.
Rhinewalt and Frederick at the time of the fatal shooting were conducting a drug narcotics operation when they saw a white Jeep Cherokee turn north on West Street in Jackson driven by Lewis, who had a female passenger.
Jaylen Lewis Credit: Courtesy of Arkela Lewis
After the officers saw the Cherokee run a red light at Stonewall Street, they turned on their police lights and pulled Lewis over and blocked him from going forward with his car.
Lewis wound up reversing his car and bumping into the police cruiser behind his vehicle, according to the lawsuit. “Jaylen does not brandish a weapon, reach for a weapon, make any violent gestures, threaten anyone, or take any other actions that could be reasonably perceived as endangering officers or others.”
After this, Frederick and Rhinewalt opened fire into the Cherokee, shooting Lewis in the head and killing him, according to the lawsuit.
As a result, his family has “endured pain, anguish, embarrassment, humiliation, feelings of powerlessness, harm to self-esteem, emotional distress, fear, anxiety, emotional agony, loss of support, loss of companionship, loss of sense of personal safety [and] dignity,” the lawsuit says.
The state Legislature expanded the jurisdiction of Capitol Police beyond the state Capitol in the city of Jackson. “The shift in jurisdiction drastically altered the role of Capitol Police from limited security to full-spectrum urban policing,” according to the lawsuit. “The expansion coincided with a surge in high-intensity encounters, including pursuits, officer-involved shootings, and use-of-force complaints.”
Within the first six months of the Capitol Police beginning to patrol the expanded area, officers shot at least four citizens. “In each case, there were questions about whether officers followed constitutional standards regarding lethal force and pursuit justification,” according to the lawsuit.
A month before Lewis was killed, Capitol Police officers opened fire on a car, striking a passenger in the head. That victim, Sherita Harris, was taken to the hospital where she had surgery to remove bullet fragments from her head. She survived but now has “permanent neurological and facial injuries,” according to the lawsuit.
A grand jury indicted Rhinewalt and another officer, Jeffrey Walker, for aggravated assault in that case. According to the lawsuit, no weapon was recovered from the car.
Walker also faces federal charges for allegedly violating the civil rights of a handcuffed man by slamming his head into the hood of a car and kicking him in the head and face in July 2022.
Frederick, the son-in-law of Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey, totaled his Capitol Police Ford F-150 on U.S. 49 South in Covington County on March 12, 2023. He flunked the DUI field test with a .15 score, nearly twice the legal limit of .08. He was handcuffed and arrested. He was released without bond into Bailey’s custody.
Five months later, Frederick dodged conviction when a state trooper failed to appear for the court hearing, and the judge dismissed the DUI charge.
State authorities have learned that a prosecutor, who wasn’t from Covington County, said Bailey called him and asked him what would happen if a trooper didn’t show up for a DUI hearing and the prosecutor replied that the case would be dismissed.
Bailey has denied these allegations. “Whoever said that I talked to a prosecutor is a liar,” he told WLBT. “That is a completely false lie.”
The sheriff admitted he spoke to the trooper, Clay Loftin, but denied trying to influence him. He said he spoke to Loftin a “handful” of times and told the trooper to “do his job.”
Authorities have also learned that after the wreck, Bailey reportedly telephoned Frederick’s supervisor at Capitol Police, Porfirio Grimaldo, telling him that he should keep Frederick on the force because “the DUI has been taken care of.”
Contacted for comment, Grimaldo referred all questions to the lawyers for the Department of Public Safety. They wouldn’t comment on it, and neither would Bailey’s lawyer, Jason Dare.
The sheriff told WLBT, “I can swear on a stack of Bibles, I did not ask anyone for any help on that just because I knew the finger would be pointed at me because of that, and you know, let things take their course naturally. I hate that it happened to him (Frederick) because he is a good guy.”
Frederick resigned three days after the wreck “to prevent termination,” according to his certification records. He had worked for Capitol Police less than eight months and paid nothing toward the Ford F-150 he totaled.
A year and a half after Frederick demolished his Capitol Police truck, he wrecked another patrol vehicle, this time as a deputy for Scott County. The sheriff there has said Frederick no longer works there.
WASHINGTON — A majority of Mississippi’s congressional delegation had little say about the vast welfare scandal that rocked the state for years and led to multiple people pleading guilty to state and federal crimes.
Mississippi Today recently interviewed members of the state’s congressional delegation in Washington and asked each of them whether they were satisfied with the Department of Justice investigation, which began during President Donald Trump’s first term and stretched at least into the Biden administration. Congress has oversight of the Justice Department and has the authority to request information about the agency’s investigations.
Seven people have pleaded guilty to crimes within the welfare scandal that first came to light in 2020. Millions of taxpayer dollars meant to provide support to the poor in one of the country’s most impoverished states were diverted to the rich and powerful — including pro athletes.
In December 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under Democratic President Joe Biden administration sent a penalty notice to Mississippi, determining the state must pay back nearly $101 million in welfare money it says officials misused. The state asked for an extension and has yet to make any repayment.
It’s unclear with a new Trump administration whether the investigation will ensnare more people or if the federal government will still force the state to repay the millions of dollars it believes were misused.
Prosecutors have suspended sentencing for the seven people until they decide they no longer need the defendants’ cooperation for potential cases against others. Federal authorities have been tight-lipped about the progress of their investigation or who else they might charge in the future.
Another person charged in connection with the scandal has been indicted on federal fraud charges. He has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.
Todd Gee, who was U.S. attorney for southern Mississippi during the Biden administration, resigned once Trump won reelection. Trump has appointed Baxter Kruger as the new federal prosecutor for the district, but the U.S. Senate has not yet confirmed him.
Five years after prosecutors indicted six people in connection with the scandal, and with a new federal prosecutor’s nomination pending, followers of the scandal continue awaiting a resolution — accountability for all perpetrators of the theft. Many are concerned a resolution may never come.
U.S. Rep. Trent Kelly, a Republican who represents northeast Mississippi, said he knew that some of the misspending involved an organization in his district, a reference to the Tupelo-based Family Resource Center. That nonprofit’s former director is one of the people who pleaded guilty to federal charges within the scheme. Kelly, a former district attorney, believes federal and state officials have dealt with the misspending.
“I trust them to dig in,” Kelly said of the U.S. attorney’s office. “We’ve gone through multiple administrations with that. Hopefully, the people are going to be held accountable, or the money is returned if it was taken inappropriately. Or either people are validated in saying they didn’t do anything wrong.”
U.S. Rep. Mike Ezell, a Republican who represents the Gulf Coast and south Mississippi, said he wondered how much political motives have influenced the trajectory of the investigation that has spanned Republican and Democratic administrations. The welfare scandal has at times sparked conflict between state officials, including Republican State Auditor Shad White and Republican Attorney General Lynn Fitch, both of whom are seen as prospective candidates for governor in 2027.
“That’s one of those things that just seems to, you sometimes wonder how much politics are involved in it,” Ezell said. “You know, the attorney general’s in on it, the auditor’s in on it. I know they’ve had some back and forth with each other about it, so I just kind of want to let them folks handle it themselves. But I will say, if anybody’s broken the law, if anybody’s intentionally stolen money, they need to be held accountable.”
The welfare scandal and the issue at its core — the misspending of cash assistance provided through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program — has remained a subject of concern in the state. Just last week, White’s office published a report alleging that a nonprofit that received over $2.4 million from the TANF program had fumbled its financial paperwork.
U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, the state’s lone Democrat in Washington who represents the Delta region and most of Jackson, was the only congressman from the delegation who said he was not satisfied with the Justice Department’s investigation and believes state officials should be held accountable for the misspending that occurred under their watch.
“I think the state of Mississippi should be made and held accountable for its lack of management of those taxpayer dollars because the … intentions of Congress were not met by the expenditure of those funds,” Thompson said.
U.S. Rep. Michael Guest, a Republican who represents central Mississippi, said he had not been briefed on the investigation and referred questions to the Justice Department. U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, a Republican, similarly stated that he didn’t have enough information about the situation to comment on its status.
U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith is the only member of the state’s delegation who did not grant an interview to Mississippi Today in Washington or respond to a request for comment about the welfare scandal.
Since the scandal, the state has spent less TANF money for basic cash assistance to needy families.
In 2023, the latest year for which federal data is available, the state spent about $4.3 million of its welfare funds on basic cash assistance – even less than the state spent during the height of the fraud scandal 2016-2019, when an average of around $8 million was going towards direct cash annually.
But that decline also predates the scandal.
The number of families, children and adults receiving basic cash assistance in Mississippi through the federal TANF program has consistently declined from around 25,000 people in 2010 to an all-time low of under 2,200 in 2023, ticking up slightly to 2,500 in the most recent available data.
The Mississippi Department of Human Services has said that “a request for assistance in the State of Mississippi is a request for help in finding and keeping a job.” But in September 2024, the latest month available, only 310 adults were in the program. The vast majority of families on the program, or 1,143 out of 1,464, were “no parent” families, meaning they did not contain an adult participating in the TANF Work Program.
The state agency has paid nearly $2.1 million to Jones Walker, the law firm representing the state in its civil lawsuit aimed at recouping the misspent funds. Most of it has been categorized as spending under the state’s TANF Work Program since 2022. Though publicly visible work on the state’s civil case against numerous entities alleged to have misspent TANF dollars has slowed to a crawl since last year. Jones Walker has continued raking in funds, nearly $300,000 since the beginning of this year.
The state has spent roughly $100 million in TANF funds since the beginning of fiscal year 2024.
Here are the complete responses from the congressional delegation when asked if they were satisfied with the investigation into the welfare scandal by the Department of Justice.
Trent Kelly
“It had very little impact on me, so I don’t know what’s done. I think a lot of that is for political posturing so to speak, people wanting to run for office. I trust the attorney general, I trust all those folks who were there, the governor, to get to the bottom of where they were.
“I know there were grants and things in my district that I think they addressed. I don’t spend a whole lot of time thinking about it. It’s not something I can impact. I’ve learned in life I impact things I can, and things that are outside of my purview I just don’t worry about a whole lot.”
“I trust them to dig in. We’ve gone through multiple administrations with that. Hopefully the people are going to be held accountable or the money is returned if it was taken inappropriately. Or either people are validated in saying they didn’t do anything wrong.”
Bennie Thompson
“Of course not. It’s, for all intents and purposes, I’m not aware that (the U.S. Attorney’s office is) doing anything at this point beyond those individuals who have pleaded guilty. And … of other ineligible individuals having received TANF money. I’m not aware of anything.
“I think the state of Mississippi should be made and held accountable for its lack of management of those taxpayer dollars because the people — that we did in Washington creating the TANF program – the intentions of Congress were not met by the expenditure of those funds.
“Now HHS obviously is derelict in its oversight responsibilities for the expenditure of those funds, also.”
Michael Guest
“Neither I nor my office has been briefed on the federal investigation into this matter.
“I defer to the Department of Justice to answer any questions as to the status of the investigation and if any additional prosecutions may be forthcoming.”
Mike Ezell
“That’s one of those things that just seems to, you sometimes wonder how much politics are involved in it. I really hadn’t put a lot of thought into that because, you know, my background being a law enforcement officer, I think if there was some cheating and there was some embezzling, if there was any sort of illegal activity, I’m sure that the auditor’s going to find it. And you know, those that need to be prosecuted, they’ll be prosecuted. You know, the attorney general’s in on it, the auditor’s in on it. I know they’ve had some back and forth with each other about it, so I just kind of want to let them folks handle it themselves. But I will say, if anybody’s broken the law, if anybody’s intentionally stolen money, they need to be held accountable.
“On issues with programs like TANF: When you set up a program, you’ve got to have checks and balances. And sometimes the big problem that I have seen in government is that we don’t have enough checks and balances to follow the money, to see where it’s going, to see that the people that need the money are getting the help that they need. And that that is one of one of the things that I have complained about over the years.”
Roger Wicker
“I really don’t know enough to comment on that.
“It’s not something that’s taking my time.”
Cindy Hyde-Smith
She did not sit down for an interview with Mississippi Today in Washington, and her office did not respond to a request for comment.
Mississippi Today editor Anna Wolfe contributed to this report.
Mississippi Today, the state’s flagship nonprofit newsroom, has named veteran journalist Emily Wagster Pettus as its next editor-in-chief.
Pettus, one of the South’s most respected journalists, brings more than three decades of experience covering Mississippi to her new post. As Mississippi Today’s Senior Editor since May, she has helped shape the newsroom’s editorial direction, mentored its journalists and met with stakeholders across the state who believe in the power of strong local journalism.
Pettus succeeds Adam Ganucheau, who has moved into a regional leadership role as Executive Editor & Chief Content Officer of Deep South Today, Mississippi Today’s parent organization. The changes took effect Monday.
“It is thrilling that Emily gets to write Mississippi Today’s next chapter,” Ganucheau said. “She cares so deeply about our state and the Mississippians we serve, and she knows them so well. Her leadership has already proven vital to our newsroom’s incredible staff and our planning for what’s next. Mississippi Today’s future is, without any doubt, in such capable hands, and I can’t wait to see how the newsroom grows from here.”
The dean of the Mississippi Capitol Press Corps, Pettus covered Mississippi for The Associated Press from 2001 until January 2025. She previously reported for The Clarion-Ledger, The Vicksburg Evening Post and The Oxford Eagle. She is a graduate of the University of Mississippi.
Her reporting has been widely praised for its fairness, accuracy and depth. In March, the Mississippi Legislature honored her with a resolution recognizing her contributions to journalism and public understanding. She is also a past recipient of the University of Mississippi’s prestigious Silver Em Award.
“Mississippi Today has a strong record of holding public officials accountable and shining light on complex issues that people in our state face on a daily basis,” Pettus said. “We will continue doing that with a newsroom full of smart, talented journalists who care deeply about this place.”
Founded in 2016, Mississippi Today is now the largest newsroom in the state, and in 2023 it won the Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting. Verite News launched in 2022 in New Orleans, where it covers inequities facing communities of color. The Current is a nonprofit news organization founded in 2018 serving Lafayette and southern Louisiana.
With its regional scale and scope, Deep South Today is rebuilding and re-energizing local journalism in communities where it had previously eroded, and ensuring its long-term growth and sustainability.
Deep South Today, a growing nonprofit network of independent newsrooms in Louisiana and Mississippi, has named Adam Ganucheau as its first Executive Editor & Chief Content Officer.
Ganucheau has led Mississippi Today as Editor-in-Chief since April 2020 and began his new position on Monday. He steps into a regional leadership role overseeing Deep South Today’s editorial and content strategy across its growing network of nonprofit newsrooms.
Working closely with Deep South Today President and CEO Warwick Sabin, Ganucheau will support the newsgathering efforts of Deep South Today’s existing outlets, provide essential direction for the launch of new newsrooms across the region and identify impactful editorial collaborations.
“As Deep South Today continues to expand its geographic reach and forge new partnerships, we need to ensure that we have a coherent content strategy and can provide editorial support to our newsrooms,” Sabin said. “Adam Ganucheau is the perfect person to provide that leadership as our first Executive Editor & Chief Content Officer. He has been enormously successful as the Editor-in-Chief of Mississippi Today, he knows our organization intimately and he has the respect of his colleagues and the national journalism community. I am looking forward to working even more closely with Adam as we build a sustainable model to deliver essential local news to the communities we serve across the Deep South.”
Ganucheau is succeeded at Mississippi Today by Emily Wagster Pettus, who has been the newsroom’s Senior Editor since May.
Under Ganucheau’s leadership, Mississippi Today grew into the largest newsroom in the state, earning a reputation for hard-hitting investigative reporting and developing innovative audio, video and community engagement initiatives.
Mississippi Today also was recognized with numerous national journalism awards under Ganucheau’s leadership. The newsroom won one Pulitzer Prize and was named a finalist for a second. It also won two Goldsmith Prizes, a Livingston Award, a Collier Prize and numerous Society of Professional Journalists regional awards. Many of the newsroom’s successes came in the face of one of the most aggressive and notable attacks on the free press in modern U.S. history, leading to Mississippi Today’s receipt of the National Press Club’s highest honor for press freedom.
“It has been the honor of my career to lead Mississippi Today’s newsroom through a period of remarkable growth and impact. I’m incredibly proud of the work our journalists do for Mississippians, and I’m grateful to have been a part of it,” Ganucheau said. “I’m energized by the opportunity to step into this new role at Deep South Today to expand the reach of our mission across the region and keep working hard to shore up a sustainable model for local news.”
Founded in 2016, Mississippi Today is now the largest newsroom in the state, and in 2023 it won the Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting. Verite News launched in 2022 in New Orleans, where it covers inequities facing communities of color. The Current is a nonprofit news organization founded in 2018 serving Lafayette and southern Louisiana.
With its regional scale and scope, Deep South Today is rebuilding and re-energizing local journalism in communities where it had previously eroded, and ensuring its long-term growth and sustainability.
The Jackson Convention Complex was abuzz with activity.
Upstairs, groups of teens got to learn about topics such as starting a business and working at nonprofit organizations. Downstairs, one group of students browsed tables, talking to representatives from local colleges, nonprofits, and more. One table passed out free candy-colored popcorn.
Christopher Steverson, a senior at Jackson’s Callaway High School, was among the many students in attendance.
Christopher Steverson, 18, a student at Jackson’s Callaway High School student, attends the Entrepreneurship and Employability Skills Symposium, an event for high school juniors from across the Jackson metro area, Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025, at the Jackson Convention Complex. The event promoted business and career mindedness, workforce navigation and networking. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today
“I love making money,” Steverson said. “Money’s always there, you just have to find a way to get it.”
Steverson, 18, runs a lawn care business with his father, and is working on his own streetwear line and has two properties from his father.
He’s one of about 200 high school students from the Jackson metro area who attended workshops and received hands-on experience on college and career readiness, financial literacy and business skills Wednesday at the Entrepreneurship and Employability Skills Symposium.
United Way of the Capital Area and Jackson State University TRIO Talent Search partnered to put on the event. Tiffany Anderson, the United Way affiliate’s economic mobility coordinator, said young people are working in the gig economy.
“They’re doing braids. They are doing makeup. They are influencers. They’re Ubering,” Anderson said. “They’re doing all the things, so we just want to set them up for success and to do things the right way.”
Tiffany Anderson, United Way economic mobility coordinator, at the Entrepreneurship and Employability Skills Symposium, an event or high school juniors from across the metro Jackson area, Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025, at the Jackson Convention Complex. The event promoted business and career mindedness, workforce navigation and networking. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today
Steverson attended to network and explore his interests. He learned about improving his credit score and investing in an individual retirement account. He hoped his peers at the event learned new ways to make money.
“I feel like with money, I have the opportunity to change things that not too many people will be able to without,” Steverson said.
At lunch, students listened to a speech from Nick, Khaliq and Kareem Brown from Boss Brothers Universe, a Jackson-based company that publishes books and online videos teaching children about financial literacy and entrepreneurship.
Young entreprenuers and authors, the “Boss Brothers, from left, 14-year-old Nick Brown and 11-year-old twins Khaliq Brown and Kharim Brown were keynote speakers at the Entrepreneurship and Employability Skills Symposium, an event for high school juniors from across the Jackson metro area, Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025, at the Jackson Convention Complex. The event promoted business and career mindedness, workforce navigation and networking. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today
Kymora Dorsey, who attended last year, was excited to volunteer this year as a youth ambassador for United Way. Dorsey, 17, is a senior at Callaway High School.
“I realized that it was a great idea for people to understand what it means to have a business and get an understanding of financial literacy as well as the opportunity to earn $200 as a reward for their ideas,” Dorsey said.
To cap off the day, teams of students competed in a “Shark Tank”-style competition for cash prizes. Each team was coached by a local business owner. This year, two teams won, and each participant earned $250. The students could choose whether to start a bank account with the money or invest it in their business.
Jackson State University Talent Search reps Jada Walker, second from left, and Ariel Jones speak with students during the Entrepreneurship and Employability Skills Symposium, an event for high school juniors from across the Jackson metro area, Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025, at the Jackson Convention Complex. The event promoted business and career mindedness, workforce navigation and networking. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today
United Way of the Capital Area is a nonprofit organization that works to improve local communities. Jackson State University TRIO Talent Search provides support and resources to help Jackson Public Schools students graduate from high school and college.
“I hope that they learned today, if nothing else, that you have a voice and that you can use your voice,” said Teresa Palmer-Jones, director of TRIO Talent Search.
A Mississippi infant recently died from pertussis, or whooping cough, the State Department of Health announced Monday.
It is the first whooping cough death reported in Mississippi since 2012 and the third since 2008.
Whooping cough cases in Mississippi are the highest they have been in at least a decade.
The infant was not eligible to be vaccinated against the disease due to his or her age, the agency said in a statement.
State Health Officer Dr. Dan Edney has repeatedly said that vaccines are the best defense against diseases like pertussis.
Because infants are not eligible for the pertussis vaccination until they are two months old, the health department recommends that pregnant women, grandparents and family or friends who may come in close contact with an infant get booster shots to ensure they do not pass the illness to children.
This year, 115 pertussis cases have been reported to the health department, compared to 49 total last year.
Over 20,000 whooping cough cases have been reported across the U.S. this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The highly contagious respiratory illness is named for the “whooping” sound people make when gasping for air after a coughing fit. It may begin like a common cold but can last for weeks or months and make it difficult to breathe. Babies younger than 1 year are at greatest risk for getting whooping cough, and can have severe complications that often require hospitalization.
Mississippi for many years had the highest child vaccination rates in the nation. But rates have fallen since 2023, when a federal judge ruled that parents can opt out of vaccinating their children for school with a religious exemption.
HOLLY RIDGE, La. — In a rural corner of Louisiana, Meta is building one of the world’s largest data centers, a $10 billion behemoth as big as 70 football fields that will consume more power in a day than the entire city of New Orleans at the peak of summer.
The colossal project is impossible to miss in Richland Parish, a farming community of 20,000 residents, about 50 miles west of Vicksburg, Mississippi. But not everything is visible, including how much the social media giant will pay toward the more than $3 billion in new electricity infrastructure needed to power the facility.
Watchdogs have warned that in the rush to capitalize on the AI-driven data center boom, some states are allowing massive tech companies to direct expensive infrastructure projects with limited oversight.
Mississippi lawmakers allowed Amazon to bypass regulatory approval for energy infrastructure to serve two data centers it is spending $10 billion to build. In Indiana, a utility is proposing a data center-focused subsidiary that operates outside normal state regulations. And while Louisiana says it has added consumer safeguards, it lags behind other states in its efforts to insulate regular power consumers from data center-related costs.
Kathy Lampley stands in front of her trailer in Delhi, La., Monday, Aug. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Sophie Bates)
Mandy DeRoche, an attorney for the environmental advocacy group Earthjustice, says there is less transparency due to confidentiality agreements and rushed approvals.
“You can’t follow the facts, you can’t follow the benefits or the negative impacts that could come to the service area or to the community,” DeRoche said.
Private deals for public power supply
Under contract with Meta, power company Entergy agreed to build three gas-powered plants that would produce 2,262 megawatts — equivalent to a fifth of Entergy’s current power supply in Louisiana. The Public Service Commission approved Meta’s infrastructure plan in August after Entergy agreed to bolster protections to prevent a spike in residential rates.
Nonetheless, nondisclosure agreements conceal how much Meta will pay.
Consumer advocates tried but failed to compel Meta to provide sworn testimony, submit to discovery and face cross-examination during a regulatory review. Regulators reviewed Meta’s contract with Entergy, but were barred from revealing details.
Meta did not address AP’s questions about transparency, while Louisiana’s economic development agency and Entergy say nondisclosure agreements are standard to protect sensitive commercial data.
Davante Lewis — the only one of five public service commissioners to vote against the plan — said he’s still unclear how much electricity the center will use, if gas-powered plants are the most economical option nor if it will create the promised 500 jobs.
“There’s certain information we should know and need to know but don’t have,” Lewis said.
Additionally, Meta is exempt from paying sales tax under a 2024 Louisiana law that the state acknowledges could lead to “tens of millions of dollars or more each year” in lost revenue.
Meta has agreed to fund about half the cost of building the power plants over 15 years, including cost overruns, but not maintenance and operation, said Logan Burke, executive director of the Alliance for Affordable Energy, a consumer advocacy group.
Public Service Commission Jean-Paul Coussan insists there will be “very little” impact on ratepayers.
But watchdogs warn Meta could pull out of or not renew its contract, leaving the public to pay for the power plants over the rest of their 30-year life span, and all grid users are expected to help pay for the $550 million transmission line serving Meta’s facility.
Buddy McCartney watches hundreds of trucks pass by his home in Holly Ridge, La., on their way to what will become Meta’s largest data center, Monday, Aug. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Sophie Bates)
Ari Peskoe, director of Harvard University’s Electricity Law Initiative, said tech companies should be required to pay “every penny so the public is not left holding the bag.”
How is this tackled in other states?
Elsewhere, tech companies are not being given such leeway. More than a dozen states have taken steps to protect households and business ratepayers from paying for rising electricity costs tied to energy-hungry data centers.
Pennsylvania’s utilities commission is drafting a model rate structure to insulate customers from rising costs related to data centers. New Jersey’s utilities regulators are studying whether data centers cause “unreasonable” cost increases for other users. Oregon passed legislation this year ordering utilities regulators to develop new, and likely higher, power rates for data centers.
And in June, Texas implemented what it calls a “kill switch” law empowering grid operators to order data centers to reduce their electrical load during emergencies.
Locals have mixed feelings
Some Richland Parish residents fear a boom-and-bust cycle once construction ends. Others expect a boost in school and health care funding. Meta said it plans to invest in 1,500 megawatts of renewable energy in Louisiana and $200 million in water and road infrastructure in Richland Parish.
“We don’t come from a wealthy parish and the money is much needed,” said Trae Banks, who runs a drywall business that has tripled in size since Meta arrived.
In the nearby town of Delhi, Mayor Jesse Washington believes the data center will eventually have a positive impact on his community of 2,600.
But for now, the construction traffic frustrates residents and property prices are skyrocketing as developers try to house thousands of construction workers. More than a dozen low-income families were evicted from a trailer park whose owners are building housing for incoming Meta workers, Washington says.
“We have a lot of concerned people — they’ve put hardship on a lot of people in certain areas here,” the mayor said. “I just want to see people from Delhi benefit from this.”
The Associated Press’ Sophie Bates reported from Holly Ridge, Louisiana, and Jack Brook reported from New Orleans. Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
