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The man suspected of setting fire to Mississippi’s largest synagogue allegedly confessed his crimes to law enforcement and referred to the building in northeast Jackson as the “synagogue of Satan,” according to a federal court document filed Monday.

Stephen Spencer Pittman, 19, of Madison – who usually goes by his middle name – is facing federal charges for using fire to maliciously damage or destroy a building involved in interstate commerce, according to a probable cause affidavit in the U.S. Southern District of Mississippi.

The Beth Israel Congregation synagogue also houses the offices of the Institute for Southern Jewish Life, which provides school programs and traveling rabbinical services to Jewish congregations across the South. 

The predawn fire Saturday reduced the historic synagogue’s library and administrative offices to charred ruins and left smoke damage throughout the building, the same one the Ku Klux Klan bombed in 1967 for its rabbi’s support of civil rights. 

In a striking parallel, Pittman is alleged to have set fire to the same part of the octagonal building that burned in the 1967 attack – a wing facing a parking lot exit on Old Canton Road. 

Pittman appeared in federal court on Monday afternoon via video conference, accompanied by a public defender. He affirmed to the judge, Andrew Harris, that he was competent and sober. Pittman appeared to be leaning back in his chair, gazing away from the camera. When the judge asked him if he understood his rights to an attorney, Pittman responded, “Yes sir, Jesus Christ is Lord.”

Both of Pittman’s hands were wrapped in bandages, and he had no visible burns on his face. He is scheduled to be released from the hospital on Wednesday, his attorney told the judge before requesting a Jan. 20 hearing to determine bond. The prosecutor, Matt Allen, moved to have Pittman detained as he awaits trial.

If convicted, Pittman faces five to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Federal court documents did not list an attorney for him and did not include a booking photograph of him.

In a statement Monday, Beth Israel Congregation thanked investigators for swiftly apprehending a suspect and said it is noteworthy that Pittman “appears to have admitted to committing this heinous act out of hatred for the Jewish people.”

“This news puts a face and name to this tragedy, but does not change our resolve to proudly — even defiantly — continue Jewish life in Jackson in the face of hatred,” the congregation’s statement said. “The response and support from our community, both from local churches and from the worldwide Jewish community, has been overwhelming.”

Federal investigators quickly identified Pittman as a person of interest, according to the affidavit, which includes text messages he allegedly sent to his father in the course of setting the fire Saturday. The father pleaded for his son to return home, the affidavit says, but Pittman “replied back by saying he was due for a homerun and ‘I did my research.’” 

Pittman is alleged to have confessed to his father, who later contacted the FBI and provided GPS data showing Pittman was at the synagogue early Saturday morning. 

The son “laughed as he told his father what he did and said he finally got them,” says the affidavit from Nicholas Amiano, an FBI agent in the Jackson division. 

Amiano said Pittman purchased gasoline from Mac’s Gas in Ridgeland, where he also removed the license plate from his truck. Then he drove to the synagogue, used an ax to break through one of the windows, went inside, poured gasoline and lit it on fire with a torch lighter. 

Once at Beth Israel, Pittman also texted his father a photo of the back of the synagogue writing “there’s a furnace in the back,” “Btw my plate is off,” “Hoodie is on” and “and they have the best cameras.” 

Investigators recovered a burnt cell phone believed to be Pittman’s and a hand torch found at the synagogue by a member of the congregation, the affidavit says.  

Security camera video obtained by Mississippi Today shows a hooded person splashing liquid inside the lobby of the synagogue, spraying his legs in the process. A screengrab of the security footage is included in the FBI affidavit. 

Mayor John Horhn said Monday the suspect drove himself to a hospital after he was burned in the course of setting the fire. He added there is a possibility the suspect will be charged with a hate crime. The affidavit states that Pittman sustained burns on his ankles, hands and face. 

“We thought that Mississippi was beyond that sort of thing,” Horhn said on Mississippi Today’s podcast. 

By Monday, news of the arson had drawn an outpouring of local support for Beth Israel. The mayor, multiple city council members, religious institutions and elected officials condemned the attack, which has also caught the attention of top officials at the U.S. Department of Justice. 

In a statement to Mississippi Today, Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, a Republican who has long lived near the synagogue, condemned the attack.

“The burning of Beth Israel Synagogue was an act of religious hatred against a place meant to offer prayerful peace and comfort,” Hosemann said. “This was not only an attack on a house of worship, but also an offense against the religious freedom protected by our Constitution. Such acts threaten all of us, regardless of faith. The perpetrator should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” 

Mississippi House Speaker Jason White said the fire was a “horrible act” that must be condemned.

“It’s awful and terrible,” White said Monday. “It’s also a reflection on where we are as a society. Intolerance finds its way in a lot of different places.”

News of the attack also reverberated internationally over the weekend. Harmeet Dhillon, the Justice Department’s assistant attorney general for civil rights, wrote on the social media site X that she was “personally involved and my team is in touch with the US Attorney’s office locally.”

Other officials who publicly condemned the attack include the Democratic leaders in Congress, Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves issued a statement on Monday afternoon, writing, “this heinous act will never be tolerated, and the perpetrator should face the full and solemn weight of their actions.”

Gov. Reeves’ statement also noted that Pittman was admitted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center and that state charges will be pursued “at the appropriate time.”

Pittman was a multi-year honor roll student and varsity baseball player at St. Joseph Catholic School in Madison, according to previous local news reports. 

After graduating from St. Joseph in 2024, Pittman played baseball at Coahoma Community College. 

“I am blessed to announce I will be commuting to Coahoma Community College to play baseball,” Pittman posted on X in 2023. “Thank you God and everyone who has helped me along the way! Go tigers!”

St. Joseph and the Catholic Diocese of Jackson issued a joint statement Monday saying: “The actions attributed to the accused individual are senseless, reprehensible, and wholly incompatible with the values taught by the Catholic Church and upheld in our Catholic schools. …. We stand in solidarity with Beth Israel Congregation and with the Jewish community.”

The leader of the diocese, Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz also said in the statement: “We reaffirm our commitment to the teachings of Nostra aetate, which call the Church to  reject antisemitism, to honor our shared spiritual heritage, and to pursue mutual respect and  dialogue. In a world marked by rising tensions and hatred, we  recommit ourselves to building understanding and peace among people of all faiths.”

Pittman posted regularly on his X account, often about baseball and Christianity. Many posts pair videos of him practicing his swing in a batting cage with a captioned Bible verse.

Pittman’s most recent post, on Jan. 6, links to a webpage called One Purpose, which describes itself as a faith-based community for men focused on “​​Scripture-backed fitness. Brotherhood accountability. Life-expectancy maxxing.”

He was an outfielder and played in at least 10 games for Coahoma Community College, according to the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference. 

Before law enforcement officials revealed Pittman’s name Monday, Pittman’s name and photograph no longer appeared on the Coahoma Community College’s online roster. The community college did not immediately respond to a phone call requesting comment on Monday.

A gathering of religious leaders across Jackson planned for later this week has shifted its focus to uplifting Beth Israel in the wake of the attack. The citywide prayer service will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday at Thalia Mara Hall, according to a city press release. 

Beth Israel has established a donation fund for rebuilding, with a link on the congregation’s website.

Editor’s note 1/12/2026: This story has been updated with comments from Mississippi House Speaker Jason White.

Republican House and Senate leaders promptly fired the first rounds in a public education policy battle as the 2026 legislative session opened last week, then retreated behind their ramparts.

The Senate passed bills to provide a $2,000 teacher pay raise and only a mild nod to “school choice” — allowing students to more easily transfer between public schools — vowing to stand against more sweeping school-choice measures.

The House dropped such sweeping measures in a 553-page omnibus education bill, including a proposal to allow parents to use millions of tax dollars to pay for private schools, homeschooling or other alternatives to public education. The House has not yet proposed any across-the-board teacher raise.

Legislating is the art of compromise. Will the two sides find middle ground over the next three months of the session?

It’s likely the House’s fall-back position would be to negotiate on a teacher raise, in hopes the Senate would allow more expansive school choice — perhaps for tax credits for private schooling if not direct vouchers. Senate leaders already say they want to negotiate for a larger, more like $5,000, teacher raise. But so far they’ve left no daylight around their opposition to spending tax dollars on private schooling. And House Speaker Jason White has vowed not to use teacher pay as leverage for school choice.

Whatever bargaining or horse-trading is in the offing this year, public school educators and administrators will be closely watching, and perhaps drawn into, the political debate.

Quote of the Week

“I’m very troubled about what we have done. I’m very troubled about what we are doing. I’m very troubled about what we may do in the future.” — Sen. Hob Bryan, voicing his concern over a proposal to pump $1 billion in cash reserves into the state retirement system, without setting up a permanent revenue stream.

In Brief

State revenue up so far for FY’26

The state Legislative Budget Office report for December, the halfway point of fiscal 2026, shows state revenue collections are up $179 million, or 5% compared to the prior year-to-date.

As lawmakers begin their legislative session and prepare to set a more than $7 billion budget for the coming fiscal year, legislative leaders said last week that the state has about $1.5 billion in cash reserves. – Geoff Pender

Black Caucus, faith leaders promote ‘just and equitable’ policies

Members of the Legislative Black Caucus joined faith leaders on Thursday to outline their legislative agenda for the 2026 session, which includes prioritizing public funds for K-12 public education, reforming the criminal justice system, and increasing Mississippi’s workforce participation rate. 

The Rev. Reginald Buckley, pastor of Cade Chapel Missionary Baptist Church in Jackson, encouraged legislators to pass laws that care “for those who are the most vulnerable among us.” 

The caucus is also pushing lawmakers to prioritize policies that strengthen the social safety net, adequately fund historically Black colleges and expand access to affordable health care. – Taylor Vance

Lawmaker targets abortion pills — and speech

Mississippi played a central role in ending constitutional protections for abortion nationwide after the state prevailed in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision that allowed states to ban abortions.

A Mississippi House bill formed the basis for that lawsuit. Even though the state has a near total-abortion ban in effect, some lawmakers are still focused on the issue.

Rep. William Tracy Arnold, a Republican from Booneville, has filed a bill that would introduce harsher penalties on the manufacturing, marketing, mailing and delivery of medications that facilitate abortion. These drugs are already effectively illegal in Mississippi, but this bill would go a step further, criminalizing not just the distribution of these drugs, but even giving “information orally” about them. – Michael Goldberg

Bills would increase minimum wage, unemployment benefits

Among 12 bills referred to the House Workforce Development Committee so far, three would impact a large number of Mississippians.

Rep. Robert Johnson, the House Democratic leader from Natchez, has again proposed a bill creating a state minimum wage starting at $10 an hour. Mississippi is one of only half-a-dozen states without its own minimum wage. The state follows the federal minimum wage, which is $7.25 an hour and has not changed since 2009.

Reps. John Hines, a Democrat from Greenville, and Donnie Bell, a Republican from Fulton and chairman of the Workforce Development Committee, each introduced bills to change weekly unemployment benefits. Bell is proposing to raise the weekly maximum from $235 to $250. Hines is proposing raising the minimum from $30 to $250 with higher earners having higher weekly minimum benefits.. – Katherine Lin 

Safeguards proposed as welfare scandal trial begins

The trial for Ted “Teddy” DiBiase Jr., the first and perhaps the only criminal case to be brought to jurors in the Mississippi welfare scandal that’s unfolded over the last six years, began last week.

In the Legislature, some lawmakers are still attempting to introduce new safeguards on Mississippi’s welfare spending.

Rep. Robert Johnson filed a bill this session that would direct the Legislature’s watchdog committee to conduct a review of subcontracts and subgrants of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds awarded by the state’s Department of Human Services at least once every two years. TANF money was at the center of Mississippi’s sprawling welfare scandal. – Michael Goldberg

Senate votes unanimously to pump $1 billion into PERS

The full Senate on Wednesday unanimously passed a measure to funnel $1 billion of cash reserves into the state’s public pension system over the next decade. The proposal now heads to the House for consideration. 

The measure would put half-a-billion dollars of the state’s current surplus into Mississippi’s government pension system, then earmark $50 million a year over the next decade into the underfunded system. 

Sen. Daniel Sparks, a Republican from Belmont who authored the legislation, said giving the Public Employees’ Retirement System a large cash infusion is a necessary next step after the Legislature last year overhauled it. – Taylor Vance

By the Numbers

$132 million

Estimated annual cost of a pay raise approved by the Senate last week for public school teachers and assistants, and university and community college professors.

$87.5 million

The cost to provide private school vouchers for 12,500 students, in the House’s “school choice” proposal unveiled last week.

Full Legislative Coverage

What’s in the Mississippi House’s omnibus school-choice education bill?

The House on Wednesday filed a 553-page bill to reshape public education and provide more school choice, including spending taxpayer funds on private schools. The bill also would ease public school transfer regulations, make it easier to open charter schools statewide and expand the literacy act that helped lead Mississippi to nationally noted success in student literacy. Read the story.

Mississippi school-choice battle begins: House unveils omnibus plan. Senate wants teacher raise, opposes vouchers

The two chambers of the Legislature drew lines in the sand Wednesday, setting up a battle in the weeks or months ahead. While the Senate wants a tweak to allow more public-to-public school district transfers, the House is pushing for wide-ranging changes, including letting parents spend public money on private schools. Read the story.

House committee passes certificate of need bill, eyes further changes

The bill would make it easier for medical facilities to make improvements to buildings and equipment and require the University of Mississippi Medical Center to seek state approval for certain expansion plans. Read the story.

Senate panel passes $2,000 teacher raise

The Senate Education Committee on Tuesday, the first day of the 2026 legislative session, voted to raise teacher pay, make it easier for retirees to teach and loosen public school district transfer regulations.. Read the story.

Open government? Not if you’re the Mississippi House speaker

House Speaker Jason White and his staff made a bumble-headed decision by blocking a Mississippi Today reporter from attending White’s pre-legislative session Q&A on Monday – a decision that violates the principles of government transparency. Read the opinion column.

House Speaker Jason White bars Mississippi Today from Capitol press event

The decision by the speaker’s office followed a Mississippi Today exclusive report in April that White, his staff and some of their spouses were treated to a trip to the 2025 Super Bowl by a sports-gambling company. After that story was published, Mississippi Today was removed from the speaker’s press distribution list, and his office stopped responding to requests for comment. Read the story.

Committee approves $1 billion over next decade to shore up PERS

The Senate Appropriations Committee on the first day of the 2026 legislative session voted to put half-a-billion dollars of the state’s current surplus into Mississippi’s government pension system, in addition to putting $50 million a year over the next decade into the underfunded system. Read the story.

What issues will the Mississippi Legislature address in its 2026 session?

This will be the third year of the current Legislature’s four-year term. Over the next three months, lawmakers will likely file 3,000 or more bills, winnow them down to a few hundred that are passed into law, and also set an over $7 billion state budget. Read the story.

Homeownerships is one of the largest investments consumers will make in their lives – and one of the most exciting. But, the housing market has experienced a lot of highs and lows over the past few years, and many buyers are sitting on the sidelines wondering if now is the right time for them to buy.

Here are a few questions and considerations to determine where you are in your homebuying journey and your next steps to securing the keys to your new home.

When is the right time to buy?

The market is ever-changing, and there’s a lot you can’t control. So focus on what you can control, which is your financial readiness, because the best time to buy is when you’re financially prepared to. Rates aren’t the only thing impacting housing affordability, and educating yourself on the homebuying process  and making informed decisions may help you find additional areas to save.

If buyers are concerned about daily rate fluctuations, consumers might be able to lock in today’s rate while they shop around. For instance, Chase’s Homebuyer Advantage with Lock and Shop program allows borrowers who are eligible to lock in their rate for 90 days while they begin the homebuying process. They also may be eligible for a one time option to lower their rate if rates improve. 

How do I know if I am financially ready for homeownership?

Homeownership is a dream for many, but most people don’t know that their dreams may be within reach. Here are some signs you may be ready to take on homeownership:

            •           Your financial health is sound. This might look like having a regular, dependable source of income, having a good credit score—lenders typically look for a score of 620 and above—and having a low debt-to-income ratio. This allows lenders to better gauge how much you may be able to afford.

            •           You understand the true cost of homeownership: This might look like understanding not only your borrowing capacity but also the monthly payment. You’re also prepared for the additional costs of buying a home, such as closing costs, property taxes, homeowners association fees, among other costs, as well as ongoing maintenance or repairs. Look for financial tools like the Chase affordability calculator to help determine buying power, based on income, and preferred monthly loan payments.

            •           Your personal goals and timelines match up: Think about your upcoming life events and whether it makes sense to own a home, such as retiring, relocating or a growing family.

What else can I do to save on the costs of homeownership?

A big misconception is that you have to put 20% of the total purchase price of the home down, but some loan types offer low down payment options—such as FHA and VA loans. For example, Chase’s DreamMaker Mortgage has flexible credit guidelines and down payments as low as 3%.

Find local assistance programs to help reduce items like closing costs, down payments or interest rates. There are assistance programs at the local, state, and national levels to support homebuyers on their path to homeownership. You can checkout tools like the Homebuyer Assistance Finder that helps you research and find additional assistance programs you may qualify for, such as Chase’s Homebuyer Grant which offers up to $5,000 in qualifying neighborhoods.

Also, don’t be shy to shop around for your loan — make lenders compete for your business. Check in with more than one lender and compare and contrast terms to get the best deal possible.

For more information to prepare you for your homebuying journey, visit chase.com/afford or connect with a local a mortgage professional who can help make recommendations based on your unique financial picture and goals.

Gov. Tate Reeves and Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann may not be lame ducks, but perhaps they could be described as limping ducks going into the 2026 legislative session that begins Tuesday.

Reeves and Hosemann, two of Mississippi’s most prominent politicians, could be nearing the end of long political careers where they have exercised significant influence. Reeves is in his sixth four-year term in statewide office, while Hosemann is in his fifth.

The 2026 session starts the second half of what could be their final four-year term.

Hosemann, 78, presides over the Senate and generally wields substantial power in the Capitol. He has in the past said he is considering a campaign for governor in 2027. But it is hard to believe he will enter the race if billionaire businessman Tommy Duff runs, as he is signaling he will do.

Term limits will prohibit Reeves from running again for governor, though he is only 51.

Lame duck refers to a politician who loses some clout because his term in office is ending. Generally speaking, the closer that prominent politicians, such as governor or lieutenant governor, get to the end of a final term, the less clout they enjoy, especially in the legislative process where power is often the key to getting things done.

Granted, Reeves and Hosemann, who have both been mainstays in Mississippi politics for going on a generation, might not be lame ducks yet, but a slight limp might be detectable. They might need to prove their relevance.

House Speaker Jason White, the third person in the triumvirate that sets the legislative agenda, most likely does not face similar issues.

White is in his first term as speaker, and, regardless, the office of speaker of the Mississippi House is not term-limited.

The fact that White does not face a lame duck situation puts him in a stronger position on what most likely will be the primary issues of the 2026 session, such as whether to expand the opportunities to provide public funds to private schools.

White is a staunch supporter of providing public funds to private schools, as is Reeves for that matter.

Hosemann has been less enthusiastic, but at times he has appeared to try to compromise on key issues instead of taking strong positions in opposition to White and the governor.

The demand by White and Reeves to phase out the income tax is an example where Hosemann was not as enamored with the proposal. Still, it could be argued that during the 2025 session the lieutenant governor essentially capitulated to the wishes of the speaker and of the governor to phase out the income tax.

Many believe Hosemann has been willing to compromise to ensure on some issues, like tax cuts, he would not be harmed in a Republican primary should he run for governor. In general terms, it is believed there are more voters in the Republican primary who favor cutting taxes and providing public funds to private schools.

But perhaps the data is not certain on the issue of school choice. When vouchers have been on the ballot in other states, even conservative states, they have been rejected. At the same time in the 2024 election where Kentucky voters were awarding pro-voucher Donald Trump a higher percentage of the vote than he received in Mississippi, they rejected a voucher proposal.

So, maybe being against providing public funds to private schools would not hurt Hosemann in a Republican primary.

And if Hosemann is ending his political career, he could have nothing to lose by using his influence to block the school choice proposals in the Senate.

Of course, the key then would be for Hosemann to withstand the woes of being a lame duck or at least a limping duck and prove that he still walks strong.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Wake Forest’s Robby Ashford couldn’t have imagined a better way to close out his roller-coaster college career.

The six-year redshirt senior quarterback threw for 303 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 50 yards and two scores to take MVP honors, Koredell Bartley scored on a 100-yard kickoff return and Wake Forest beat Mississippi State 43-29 in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Friday night.

Ashford, who arrived at Wake Forest this season eager for a chance to start, threw TD passes of 14 yards to Kamrean Johnson, 64 yards to Jack Foley and 62 yards to Ty Clark III and had scoring runs of 2 and 1 yards for the Demon Deacons (9-4).

Wake Forest finished the season winning seven of its final nine games, this one sending coach Jake Dickert to a celebratory mayonnaise bath.

“When I got to Wake Forest, I was in a rough spot mentally and physically,” said Ashford, who transferred from South Carolina after also spending time at Oregon and Auburn. “I was kind of down on myself, almost at a point where I didn’t know if I wanted to keep playing. Man, these guys just instilled just so much in me, and, just helped me in so many ways and instilled that confidence back in me.”

The end result was a nine-victory season for Dickert, the most wins by a first-year coach in Wake Forest history.

The victory also meant having 42 1/2 pounds of mayonnaise dumped over his head. But he had some support, as his three children joined him in the celebration and got doused as well.

“I couldn’t get my wife to do it. She was like, ‘Absolutely not!’” laughed Dickert. “But to share that with my kids is something that is going to be a special memory for us for the rest of our lives.”

Clark finished with 153 yards from scrimmage after taking over the starting role after second-team All-ACC selection Demond Claiborne opted out of the game after declaring for the NFL draft.

Freshman quarterback Kamario Taylor, making his second college start, had a big second half for Mississippi State (5-8) and finished 13 of 22 for 241 yards and a touchdown. He ran for 60 yards and another score before suffering what appeared to be a significant leg injury with 1:46 left in the game. He was carted off the field.

Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby wouldn’t go into detail after the game about the extent of Taylor’s injury, but sounded relieved, saying: “I feel good about the initial reports.”

After the Bulldogs took an 3-0 lead on the game’s first possession, Bartley fielded the ensuing kickoff at the goal line and weaved his way up the field before turning up the speed and outracing five defenders to the end zone for the longest touchdown in bowl history.

Ashford, a sixth-year QB playing for his fourth college, put Wake Forest ahead 30-12 in the third quarter on a 2-yard run to make it a three-possession game and the Demon Deacons seemed in cruise control.

But the Bulldogs came storming back.

Mississippi State finally found the end zone on the last play of the third quarter when Taylor took a shotgun snap, got a running start and leaped over the line and extended the ball over the goal line on his descent.

He added a 2-point conversion toss to cut it to 10 and then found Sanfrisco Magee over the middle for a 42-yard catch-and-run touchdown pass to make it 30-27 with 10:17 left.

Wake Forest appeared to put it away when Ashford ran for his second touchdown with 4:07 remaining, but Navaeh Sanders blocked the extra point and Kelly Jones scooped it up and scored for 2 points for the Bulldogs to make it 36-29.

On the ensuing possession, Mississippi couldn’t manage a first down and Lebby made the curious decision to punt on fourth-and-11 from the Bulldogs 25 with 2:35 left in the game, putting trust in his defense that it would force a three and out and get the offense the ball back.

That backfired, as Ashford dumped a pass off to Clark on a third-and-7 and he raced 62 yards untouched to the end zone to seal the win.

Taylor’s mother, LaQuandra Conner, took to Facebook after the game posting a picture of her and her son, saying “thanks everyone for the prayers it was his ankle but NOTHING is torn or broken GOD had MY BABY covered and for that I say THANK YOU LORD.”

Taylor was making his second career start for the Bulldogs (5-8) after a promising initial appearance in a loss to No. 6 Ole Miss.

He finished 13 of 22 for 241 yards and a touchdown against Wake Forest. He also ran for 63 yards and another score in when he took a shotgun snap, ran forward and dove over a pile of players and extended the ball over the goal line.

“A ton of toughness and there’s a ton of things to be excited about,” Lebby said about Taylor. “… For what he was able to get out of this bowl experience with 15 extra practices, the ability to go play in another game against a really good opponent, to me that is huge for us as we’re continuing to build this thing.”

WIGGINS — What began as a woodturning studio has grown into a coffee shop and gift store that is helping revitalize downtown Wiggins. Southern Turnings, founded by Scott and Jane Ann Maddox, has become a staple for residents and a tourist destination for visitors. 

The business now hosts community events, weekly classes and has expanded to additional locations, playing a significant role in efforts to bring activity back to Pine Avenue.

Starting with a single lathe 

When Southern Turnings opened more than eight years ago, Scott Maddox said downtown Wiggins had “one other struggling business.”  

“When I moved here (in 1997), this was a vibrant community,” he said. “All the buildings were open, there were shops, there were things to do. It was wonderful. Over time, that kind of dissipated, and basically there was nothing here.” 

Originally, the space was intended to be Maddox’s studio — just an air-conditioned space to turn wood. The idea to add a coffee shop and retail area came from Jane Ann Maddox. Still, the first few years showed little promise. 

Maddox remembers asking his wife to buy a soda just to log a transaction for the day.

“I just thought we’d lost our minds. I mean, there was just no business,” he said.  

They stuck with it through the COVID-19 pandemic, and eventually, the tide turned. 

“Pretty soon we were sitting here going, ‘This is crazy!’” Maddox said. “I give credit to our community for making that (growth) happen, because obviously, if they wouldn’t come through that door, we wouldn’t be growing.” 

He said there’s no secret to success — much of the credit goes to their employees and patrons. 

“I don’t think I’ve done anything different than anybody else could have done, but I am told that people hope we never leave,” he said. 

Teaching the next generation

As Southern Turning continues to grow, it offers new opportunities to connect with the community — including weekly hands-on woodworking classes.  

Maddox first learned about woodturning — using a lathe to shape wood into symmetrical items like bowls and cups — during a trip to Silver Dollar City in Stone County, Missouri. He was fascinated by the craft, watching a young ex-Marine with PTSD turn wood for three hours.  

A retired high school teacher, Maddox said he envisioned his studio as an extension of the classroom. Over the years, he has taught students who have gone on to sell their pieces to help pay for college. Today, his students range from age 11 to 92. 

While Maddox may be one of the only practicing woodturners in the area, he’s part of a broader community that stretches across Mississippi and into Memphis.

“There’s something about making something,” he said. “I would hope that kids would get more involved because that’s something that will last forever, but once people like me pass away and are no longer turning, it’s a craft that’s going away.” 

A vision for what comes next

Southern Turnings’ success has grown alongside renewed efforts to revitalize downtown. Maddox said local business owners formed the Pine Avenue Business Association, which now hosts events on the first Saturday of each month to bring more people to the area.

That momentum has inspired the Maddoxes to expand. Two and a half years ago, they opened a drive-thru coffee hut, which has thrived like the original location. A third location — a coffee shop at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College — is expected to open Jan. 5. 

The Maddoxes have also begun thinking about the future. With retirement on the horizon, they’ve considered eventually selling the business — but for now, they say they’re focused on staying connected to the community. 

When she is not caring for her 6-year-old daughter and 1-year-old son, Amaya Jones is working full time at Kroger. Jones wants to go back to school in January to study social work, so she can help young women like herself navigate complicated programs designed to help – but which often trap – poor people. 

“I know what it’s like to be homeless, to apply for (food stamps) and be denied even though you need it, to be looked at as just a number – I know how it all feels,” Jones said. “I want to help mothers and kids and young women.”

Returning to school will only be possible if Jones regains vouchers she lost in June that made child care affordable, she said. 

Jones’ family is one of more than 19,000 Mississippi families who lost access to child care vouchers and is now on a growing waitlist after pandemic-era funding that boosted the program dried up, according to the Mississippi Department of Human Services. 

The extra funding didn’t expand eligibility. The voucher program has historically only received enough funding to cover 1 in 7 eligible children. The additional pandemic funds allowed the program to reach more eligible families – who are now on the hook for hundreds of dollars each month. While thousands of families sit on a waitlist for the voucher, some child care providers are eating the cost and risk closure. 

Mississippi receives nearly $90 million a year from a federal block grant called Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. States are allowed to transfer up to 30% of those funds to a separate federal grant, the Child Care and Development Fund, that supports Mississippi’s child care voucher program. In recent years, Mississippi has elected to make this maximum transfer. But states are not prohibited from using the remaining TANF funds on other child care expenses.

This has been the rub between state leaders and child care advocates lately: Advocates want the state to spend more – including some of its $156 million in stockpiled TANF funds – on the child care voucher. But the agency says that’s not doable.

Mark Jones, director of communications at the Mississippi Department of Human Services, said the agency is pursuing other solutions for child care that will become clearer in 2026. 

“Plugging long-term holes with non-recurring funds is not feasible nor responsible,” Mark Jones said about feeding unspent TANF funds into the voucher program. 

Meanwhile, advocates have argued it’s not responsible to be sitting on millions of unspent TANF dollars. 

“Mississippi gets a new TANF grant, $86 million, every year,” said Carol Burnett, director of the Mississippi Low-Income Child Care Initiative, which has been advocating on behalf of child care access for decades. “We rarely spend it all, which is how we ended up with a huge unspent balance in TANF. So, TANF is not one-time money because we get the grant every year and we don’t ever spend it all.”

Mississippi Today spoke to four national TANF experts who weighed in on the situation. They agreed  Mississippi can use more TANF dollars than it is already using toward child care subsidies. The issue can be complicated, but not as much as Mississippi is making it, said Elizabeth Lower-Basch, deputy director for policy for the Center for Law and Social Policy and a national TANF expert. 

“Mississippi is making this harder than it needs to be, I think, is the bottom line,” Lower-Basch said. 

While TANF funds are flexible and can be used on a wide range of services, the system is inherently labyrinthine. Part of that, experts say, is to safeguard against misuse – something Mississippi is well known for. 

“I’m guessing since Mississippi has gotten so much blowback for some of the ways it used TANF in the past, it’s gotten a little gun-shy,” said Lower-Basch.

While Mississippi may not be able to push more than 30% of its TANF funds through a transfer to the Child Care and Development Fund, experts say there are other ways to use TANF to supply more child care vouchers.

Other states have successfully conjoined funding streams so that extra TANF funds can be used on child care vouchers without technically being considered “transferred funds,” explained Stephanie Schmit, director of Child Care and Early Education at the Center for Law and Social Policy. It can sometimes be complicated. 

“States do ‘marry them’ in ways that work well in their state, but states use different mechanisms to make that happen. There’s often memorandums of understanding or contacts,” Schmit said. “… It’s not as straightforward as ‘direct dollars can be spent through the existing system – done.’ It’s layers, and it’s very much dependent on the state.”

The department is going a different route, Mark Jones said. The agency opened a request for proposals for work supports, or programs that help people in low-income jobs to remain employed. Proposals may include child care, along with 11 other areas – such as transportation and job search assistance – according to the department’s application. 

There’s no guarantee the state will select proposals that include child care – or that the eligibility would resolve the current waitlist. But if the winning proposals include child care, the subgrantee would supply child care for the program participants by paying the child care provider directly, Mark Jones explained. 

“In early 2026, once we announce the TANF subgrantees, we will have a clear picture of the future,” he said. 

The child care crisis

Experts have long-considered the state of U.S. child care a crisis. But that’s indicative of a deeper problem: the devaluing of caregiving and early education nationwide. The system doesn’t work for anyone involved, experts say. Parents can’t afford to buy into it, and child care employees can’t afford to work in it. 

The only solution would be to provide public dollars “in a very significant way,” explained Ruth Friedman, who previously directed the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Child Care during the Biden administration. Except for New Mexico, which recently made child care free for everyone, state and federal governments have been unwilling to make that type of investment, she said.

“Child care is expensive because it’s inherently labor-intensive,” Friedman explained. “Children need adult attention and interactions to be safe and to support their healthy development in child care. But child care programs know parents can’t afford the true cost of care, so the only way they can actually make any profit is to underpay their staff … which just exacerbates the supply problem.”

Friedman worries that H.R.1, the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act that U.S. Congress passed in law in July, will worsen the crisis since it shifts hundreds of millions of dollars in health care and food aid costs to states, leaving less room in state budgets for child care. 

Mississippi is already seeing that play out. After the Legislature appropriated a historic $15 million toward child care last year to make a dent in the voucher waitlist, advocates hoped the welfare agency would request the same this year. 

Instead, the Mississippi Department of Human Services Director Bob Anderson asked the Legislature to put $15 million toward SNAP and made no mention of child care. Agency spokesperson Jones said the agency had to make “tough decisions” since about $140 million in food aid costs previously covered by the federal government are now shifting to Mississippi. 

Later, during a December meeting of the Senate Study Group on Women, Children and Families, Anderson said the department would need $60 million to address the child care voucher waitlist – but clarified that he was not asking the Legislature for that money. 

The federal changes to Medicaid and SNAP will also affect how low-income families and child care workers balance their budgets. In Mississippi, more than a third of child care workers rely on Medicaid or food aid to make ends meet. 

“Since the child care workforce relies heavily on Medicaid and SNAP because their jobs pay so little, OBBBA’s massive cuts to the Medicaid and SNAP programs is likely to cause child care workers to leave the profession,” Friedman said. “Of course families’ child care bills will get harder to pay as their own health insurance and food costs rise as a result of the new law.”

Meanwhile, the thousands of eligible families without vouchers are piecing together haphazard child care with family, or going into debt with their child care providers. 

Jones says she’s lucky her mother can care for her children most days, but she worries about the toll it’s taking on their grandmother, who has heart failure. 

“She’s in and out of the hospital, as well,” Jones said. “One day she can be doing fine, the next day she’s not feeling well. If my baby gets sick, I don’t want him to get her sick. It’s extremely scary trying to live this day by day.”

NEW ORLEANS — Notes, quotes and an opinion or two from a Crescent City still buzzing Friday morning from Thursday night’s instant college football classic in the Sugar Bowl:

• Las Vegas oddsmakers have made Miami a three-point favorite over Ole Miss for next Thursday’s Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Arizona. Oddsmakers set the over-under point total at 51.5. Undefeated and top-seeded Indiana is a four-point pick over Oregon in the Peach Bowl.

• Coaches and commentators are always talking and sports writers are forever writing about how crazy college football has become with pay-for-play and the transfer portal. Perhaps the most crazy example might be this: LSU now owes Lane Kiffin half a million dollars because the Ole Miss Rebels have advanced to the semifinals of the College Football Playoffs. Should Ole Miss beat Miami, that total rises to $750,000. If Ole Miss wins it all, Kiffin will make a million. Crazy, no?

• Ole Miss improved to 7-4 all-time in Sugar Bowl appearances, with wins this year and in 2016, 1970, 1963, 1961, 1960 and 1958. Only Alabama, with 10 victories, has won more Sugar Bowls.

• The win over Georgia puts the Rebels’ record at 4-1 against this season’s 12-team College Football Playoffs field. That’s most victories of any team in the tournament.

• All the unusual off-field circumstances (Kiffin leaving, etc.) during this Ole Miss post-season run continue to be regurgitated in the national media. An emotional Ole Miss Chancellor Glenn Boyce, speaking to Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger on the field amid the post-game Ole Miss celebration, tried to put the focus where it belongs.  “It’s incredibly hard to put it in words,”  Boyce said. “The way you hold something like this together is, sure, leadership and leadership matters, but here’s the other way: these players.”

• Biggest football win in Ole Miss history? Old-timers might opt for the 21-0 victory over LSU in the 1960 Sugar Bowl – and it was huge – but given the stakes, surely this Sugar Bowl victory 66 years later becomes the biggest ever.

• Trinidad Chambliss, asked post-game about his pending appeal to the NCAA, said he expects an answer soon. “The NCAA has been closed now, but I’m pretty sure it opens tomorrow, so maybe we’ll get an answer soon,” he said. “I’ve got people working on it. I’m not the one that’s working on it. My job right now is to focus on football and to focus on this team and to focus on being 1-0 in the next game, so that’s my main focus right now.”

• Pete Golding’s signature victory as a head coach came less than an hour’s drive from his hometown of Hammond, Louisiana. “Yeah, it’s definitely special, being 35 miles away,” Golding said. “My brother lives in New Orleans, a bunch of family. A bunch of Hammond High boys here tonight.”

• The Sugar Bowl ended about one hour before college football’s transfer portal opened. Golding, with that in mind, said he has courted junior placekicker Lucas Carneiro in recent days. Carneiro, a transfer from Western Kentucky, is one of the nation’s best placekickers, as he showed in the Sugar Bowl with three long and clutch field goals. “I think a lot of people think Lucas is the best kicker in the country, so a lot of people want Lucas,” Golding said. “So I’ve been meeting with Lucas a lot lately. We’ve had a lot of good meetings here, and especially this week. I got to spend a lot of time with him one-on-one and just getting to know him a little more and figuring out what he wants in the future. … We felt like he was the best kicker in the country coming out of Western Kentucky last year. He’s done an unbelievable job this year.”

• Georgia coach Kirby Smart was gracious in defeat, praising Golding, the Rebels players and even the Ole Miss crowd. Smart said Ole Miss deserved the victory, but added: “I enjoyed that game and that atmosphere. I am proud of our team. I’m sick that we lost, and there’s things I would love to go back and do differently. But I’m just so proud of the way our guys competed when down 10, and just didn’t finish it.”

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.

Whether you call it “school choice” or vouchers, privatization of education socializes all the costs of education, but privatizes all the benefits.

So under “school choice,” all Mississippi taxpayers will pay for wealthy kids to go to private schools, even though those private schools won’t accept all Mississippi taxpayers’ children as students.

If “school choice” keeps being pushed on Mississippi taxpayers, we will continue to be saddled with an even greater financial burden that doesn’t benefit the majority of Mississippi families nor Mississippi communities. In fact, it actively harms most families, businesses and communities because it starves the public schools, which are the only schools responsible for educating every child who walks through their doors.

We will all end up paying even more for education and getting far less in return because private schools are private for a reason – because they don’t want the responsibility nor the accountability of educating all children. Most private schools are set up to educate a select few and the select few does not include poor children, children with special needs and children who don’t speak English.

Educating all children well and equitably comes with a cost. With public schools, taxpayers not only share the costs, they also reap all the benefits that come with a well-educated citizenry.

I don’t know of any private school that wants to accept the responsibility and accountability of educating all children in their community, but they would gladly accept the generous gift of Mississippi taxpayer money to continue educating a select handful of already-enrolled private school students.

Folks already using private schools would benefit above all others in Mississippi. Where “school choice”/vouchers have passed in other states, we’ve seen private schools increase their tuition once vouchers are available because they know which families can still afford it and it keeps out students that most private schools would rather not serve.

Mississippi legislators have rarely kept their promise to Mississippi taxpayers, families and communities to be responsible stewards of our public schools. Every time the state Legislature breaks its promise to the people who elected them, they increase the financial burden of their own local communities. The Mississippi Legislature ties the hands of the local community by telling them how much they can tax at the local level and what that money can and can’t be used for.

Plus, many of our communities are at or near the maximum percentage they can tax at the local level. And whether they are at or near that maximum local tax percentage allowed by the Legislature, the vast majority of Mississippi communities don’t have the economic capacity to make up for – at the local level – the amount of financial support they’re supposed to be getting from the State. 

“School choice” is a lie built on a false promise. Mississippi has tried vouchers or “school choice” before, and the only people who could receive them were people who had the same skin color as me. Mississippi, like some other Southern states, used vouchers to prop up segregation. Vouchers weren’t intended to be available for all children then, and they won’t be this time either.

“School choice” doesn’t just hurt individual children or families or communities. “School choice” will hurt our cost of living, our overall quality of life, our state’s economic capacity to succeed and, ultimately, the cornerstone of our representative democracy. 

Public education is an American value. Investing in public schools is not only investing in Mississippi’s people, it’s also the most common sense approach to strengthening our economy not only at the state level, but also at the levels of our local communities, families and individuals.

Mississippi would be wise to elect legislators and congressional representatives who are committed to strengthening the single most important factor to improving every community’s capacity to succeed economically – America’s public schools.

Bio: Becky Glover is a retired policy analyst and community organizer for Parents for Public Schools Inc. She is a proud product of the Tupelo Public School District and lives in Meridian. She can be reached at: becky.glover4ms@gmail.com