Robert Taylor, nativo de Laurel, será el próximo superintendente de educación del estado. Credit: Mississippi Department of Education
El superintendente de educación estatal recién nombrado, Robert Taylor, hizo sus primeros comentarios públicos el lunes desde que fue nombrado para el cargo.
“Espero trabajar con (líderes educativos y funcionarios electos) porque este es nuestro estado, este es nuestro hogar y queremos verlo mejorar continuamente”, dijo. “¿Qué podría ser un regalo más grande para un hijo nativo?”
Hablando con los periodistas a través de Zoom, Taylor habló sobre una variedad de temas:
Prioridades iniciales: quiere conocer al personal del Departamento de Educación de Mississippi y reunirse con los superintendentes locales de todo el estado para comprender las fortalezas y debilidades de sus distritos.
Teoría crítica de la raza: Taylor dijo que la teoría crítica de la raza no se enseña en las escuelas públicas. Él entiende que es una teoría jurídica y que sería inexacto decir que la apoya. “Tuve que decirme a mí mismo: ‘Soy un hombre educado, pero me temo que no puedo hablar inteligentemente sobre lo que es la teoría crítica de la raza’”, ya que no se relaciona con su trabajo. Es responsabilidad de las escuelas ayudar a los estudiantes a convertirse en pensadores críticos, pero no empujarlos en ninguna dirección en particular, dijo.
La escasez de maestros: La escasez de maestros y la inversión en maestros de calidad son algunos de los principales desafíos que enfrenta el estado, dijo. Mencionó soluciones, incluida la creación de relaciones con los programas de formación docente en las universidades, programas alternativos de licencias y más trabajo con las administraciones locales con respecto a cómo supervisan a los docentes. También habló sobre la creación de apoyos para ayudar a los maestros a permanecer en el salón de clases.
Continuar y expandir el progreso de Mississippi en el trabajo de alfabetización.
Trabajar con la cámara estatal: Quiere que el MDE se asocie con la Legislatura para ayudar a informar los proyectos de ley que crean los legisladores en función de lo que muestran los datos y la investigación como exitosos.
Un año escolar continuo: cuando se le preguntó específicamente acerca de pasar a un horario escolar de todo el año, algo por lo que el vicegobernador Delbert Hoseman expresó su apoyo, Taylor dijo que la investigación muestra que la educación de todo el año es beneficiosa y apoyaría una propuesta de este tipo.
Participación de los padres: Taylor cree que los padres deben tener una voz fuerte en la educación pública. Dijo que sabe que quieren lo mejor para sus hijos y quiere que se sientan escuchados y que puedan confiar en sus escuelas. Considera que es su deber hacer que la experiencia de la educación sea lo mejor posible para los estudiantes y maestros de todo el estado.
Regreso a casa: Planea vivir en el área metropolitana de Jackson, pero espera conseguir un terreno donde pueda cavar en la tierra y disfrutar del aire libre. También posee tierras en el condado de Greene con sus hermanos donde cazan.
Representación: “Espero que los estudiantes de color vean que tienen la oportunidad de ascender a una posición como esta. Ciertamente me gustaría pensar que no fui seleccionado por mi color sino por mi cuerpo de trabajo. Reconozco que hay muchos niños y niñas negros jóvenes que se ven a sí mismos en mí, pero les pediría que no solo se vean en mí sino en todos los que se encuentren porque eso es ciertamente lo que me pasó a mí”.
Taylor comenzará en su nuevo cargo en enero de 2023, pendiente de confirmación por parte del senado estatal.
Andrés Fuentes
Andrés Fuentes es periodista de FOX8-TV en Nueva Orleans y traductor de Mississippi Today. Antes de que el nativo de Nueva Orleans regresara, era periodista para WLOX-TV en Biloxi, Mississippi.
Mississippi Today’s Bobby Harrison reminisces with former Mississippi political reporter Mac Gordon about covering outspoken former Gov. Kirk Fordice and other political figures from state’s past. Gordon, who now lives in Georgia, also talks about the current Senate race in the Peach State involving former football great Herschel Walker.
HATTIESBURG — The Mississippi High School Activities Association State Football Championships rarely disappoint when it comes to drama – the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat, as “Wide World of Sports” Hall of Fame broadcaster Jim McKay famously put it.
The 2022 championship games, played Friday and Saturday at The Rock at Southern Miss, were no exception. The weekend produced shootouts – such as Raleigh’s 55-52 triumph over Noxubee County in the Class 3A game – and defensive struggles, such as Lousville’s 17-14 conquest of Mendenhall in the Class 4 A championship.
We saw some of the state’s most highly recruited college prospects, streamlined physical athletes such as Raleigh’s Suntarine Perkins and Picayune’s Dante Dowdell. We saw magnificent high school players such as Scott Central’s bowling ball of a quarterback, Quez Goss (5-feet, 9 inches, maybe, and 220 pounds). Get this: In back to back state championships, Goss has produced a total of 14 touchdowns, while his Scott Central team has scored 112 points.
Picayune, winning its second straight 5A championship, emerged as the state’s only undefeated team. With seemingly the entire citizenry of Picayune filling the lower deck on the east side at The Rock, the Maroon Tide finished a perfect 15-0 with only one victory coming by fewer than 10 points.
Louisville won its 11th state championship, tying it with West Point for most football state championships among Mississippi public schools.
Starkville’s championship season deserves special recognition. The Yellowjackets, beset by a brutal schedule and key injuries, lost three straight games in September and October before regrouping to win its last eight, including four straight in the playoffs. Asked who made up that brutal schedule, Jones responded, “I did. You don’t get any better playing cupcakes.”
So, let’s recap the games in the order they were played.
Raleigh’s Suntarine Perkins (4) rambles for some of his nearly 400 yards of offense in Raleigh’s 55-52 victory over Noxubee Countyor the MHSAA Class 3A Football Championship Friday, December 2, 2022 at M.M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg. (Photo by Keith Warren)
Class 3A: Raleigh 55, Noxubee County 52
What a way to start the weekend: In Raleigh’s 55-52 Class 3A championship victory over Noxubee County, the two teams combined for a MHSAA playoffs record 107 points – not to mention 14 touchdowns, 45 first downs and nearly 1,000 yards of offense. There were only two punts, both by Noxubee.
Rarely, if ever, has an MVP trophy belonged to a more obvious winner. Suntarine Perkins, Raleigh’s do-it-all superstar, provided 331 yards and four touchdowns rushing. He caught three passes for 56 yards. He kicked off. He led his team in tackles and he made a crucial fourth quarter interception to preserve the victory.
Perkins, a heavily muscled, 6-foot-3, 205-pound player, showed why virtually every college coach in the country would love to have him and why Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin and Alabama defensive coordinator Pete Golding watched the game from field level, just behind the north end zone. Afterward, Perkins confirmed that Ole Miss, to whom he has verbally committed, and Alabama, are the last two suitors he is considering. One or the other is going to get a remarkable athlete – and take a huge NIL hit – when Perkins signs on the dotted line. He said that will happen “sometime in December.”
It took all of Perkins’ heroics to get the victory. Noxubee County, a perennial Mississippi high school powerhouse, fought all the way to the final gun. Keep this name in mind for future reference: Kamario Taylor. Just a 10th grader, the long-limbed, 6-4, 180-pounder kept Noxubee in it, throwing for five touchdowns.
Taylor was marvelous, but Perkins was even better. He sprinted 74 yards for a touchdown, out-running much smaller people, the first time he touched it. He was just getting started.
Asked how he felt afterward, Perkins smiled. “Real good,” he said, “but my legs I gotta admit are a little tired.”
The Bay Springs defense pitched a shutout, limiting McEvans to only 149 yards of offense. Here, Kamron Beavers, 66, all 330 pounds of him and Demraion Campbell, 54, harass McEvans Omarian Blakes, 6. ( Photo by Keith Warren)
Class 1A: Bay Springs 22, McEvans 0
Mississippi State commit Tyrick Jones rambled for 136 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries but it was the Bay Springs defense, which much included Jones, that sparked the Bulldogs to the school’s second straight state championship. After Friday’s first game produced 107 points, Bay Springs allowed none, serving to reinforce the age-old adage: Defense wins championships.
Bay Springs did not complete a single pass, but ran for 270 yards and allowed McEvans only 149 yards of total offense. Why throw it if you don’t need to?
It was Bay Springs’ sixth shutout of the season and the 11th time the Bulldogs have held an opponent to one score or fewer scores. McEvans had averaged 42 points per game in three previous playoffs victory but couldn’t crack the Bay Springs defense, which did not give up a score in four playoffs games.
Said Jones, a 225-pounder who likely will play on the defensive side of the ball at State, “Our plan was to run the ball down their throat, and that’s what we did. We were going to pound and pound it until they quit.”
Oregon commitment Dante Dowdell, 2, led Picayune to a second straight Class 6A State Championship, running for 190 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Maroon Tide to a 31-21 victory over West Point.( Photo by Keith Warren)
Class 5A: Picayune 31, West Point 21
Defending State 5A Champ Picayune fell behind perennial powerhouse West Point 14-3 Friday night but there was no panic along the Maroon Tide sidelines. When you have a stable of running backs, led by four star recruit Dante Dowdell, why panic?
After running for 190 yards and three touchdowns, Dowdell, the MVP, explained, “We’ve got a lot of guys that have heart. When we get a head of steam and start going downhill, we’re hard to stop.”
Chris Smith also ran for 104 yards for the Maroon Tide, which was playing West Point in the state championship game for the second consecutive year. Dowdell, who stands 6 feet, 1 inch and weighs 215 pounds, displayed a remarkable blend of speed and power against a normally salty West Point defense.
“He’s a great player,” Picayune coach Cody Stogner said of Dowdell. “Sometimes you just gotta let a great player play. We’ve had him for four years, and he’s just gotten better and better every year. We lean on him heavily, and we did again tonight. Like always, he delivered.”
Louisville coach Tyrone Shorter and his Wildcats celebrate an 11th state championship. (Photo by Keith Warren)
Class 4A: Louisville 17, Mendenhall 14
Make that 11 for 11 for the Lousville Wildcats. After defeating Mendenhall 17-14 for the 4A State Championship Saturday, the Wildcats have advanced to a state championship game 11 times. They have won all 11. None could have been any more difficult than the three-point victory over the Mendenhall Tigers.
Junior Ceidrick Hunt booted a 27-yard field goal as time expired to give Louisville the winning margin in a game mostly dominated by the two defenses.
You think there isn’t pressure to win in a tradition-rich program such as Louisville? “I didn’t want to be the first coach (at Louisville) to come down here and lose in the finals,” said Louisville head coach Tyrone Shorter.
It looked like that might happen. Mendenhall was driving late in the fourth quarter when the Wildcats forced the game’s only turnover. Senior Gabe Moore forced a fumble, which was recovered by sophomore Ja’cari Owens at the Mendenhall 43-yard-line with 32 seconds remaining in regulation. Senior quarterback Keyarrion Jackson led a short drive to produce the game-winning field goal.
Louisville is now tied with West Point for most state championships among Mississippi public schools teams. Both have won 11. Said Jackson, “Now we’re part of the legacy.”
Scott Central wide receiver Antreyvious Edwards hauls in one of Quez Goss’s five touchdown passes in the Rebels 42-12 victory over Charleston for the Class 2A State Championship. (Photo by Keith Warren)
Class 2A: Scott Central 42, Charleston 12
Next season, the Class 2A State Championship can be someone else’s playground. Scott Central quarterback Quez Goss won’t be around to show off again. Goss, who accounted for eight touchdowns in Scott Central’s 70-26 romp over Leflore County last December, was responsible for six more in the Rebels’ 42-12 pasting of Charleston Saturday.
Goss plays a lot taller than his 5 feet, 9 inches. He throws the deep ball with uncanny accuracy. And he throws primarily to two senior wide receivers who can go up and get it. Southern Miss commit Javieon Butler hauled in five catches for 131 yards and two touchdowns, while Antreyvious Edwards had three catches for 133 yards and three touchdowns.
“When you’ve got guys like those, it makes my job so much easier,” Goss said. “I just launch it downfield and let them go get it.”
Goss was being overly modest. He finished 9-of-14 passing for 281 yards with five touchdowns and also added a rushing touchdown. He was a clear cut for choice for MVP for a second consecutive season.
Since 1999, Scott Central has won four state championships and been the runner-up twice.
Starkville quarterback Trey Petty, 12, races for yardage through the Brandon defense. (Photo by Keith Warren)
Class 6A: Starkville 48, Brandon 32
Oddsmakers don’t make point spreads for high school football games, but powerhouse Brandon, which entered at 12-1, would have been favored over a Starkville team that started 0-3 in its own region this season. But Starkville took control at the beginning and coasted to the championship victory.
Junior quarterback Trey Petty led the way, throwing for two touchdown and running for three more. He was named the MVP but Starkville coach Chris Jones had another name for him. “He’s a dog,” Jones said. “I’m happy he’s on my team. He does a good job, and has been doing a good job all year. He had a rough patch early in the year when he was struggling and playing through injuries, but he bounced back. That’s what champions do.”
Starkville scored on seven of its 10 possessions and four of its first six. The Yellowjackets led 21-3 at halftime and then 28-3 early in the third quarter. Brandon finally got its offense in gear in the second half, but by then it was too late. Quarterback Landon Varnes passed for 297 yards and halfback Nate Blount powered for 184 yards on 24 carries, but it was not nearly enough.
The championship was the seventh in Starkville history but the first since 2015. Chris Jones has now won state championships at both Kemper County and Starkville.
Tate Reeves, during his nearly 19 years in elective office, has subscribed to the theory that a good defense is best achieved through a bold offense.
His default setting is offense.
On the day last week that an order was made public detailing the takeover by the U.S. Department of Justice of the Jackson Water System, the governor went to social media to proclaim victory. But it was not clear who was keeping score other than Reeves.
“It is excellent news for anyone who cares about the people of Jackson that the mayor (Chokwe Antar Lumumba) will no longer be overseeing the city’s water system,” the governor said on social media. “It is out of the city’s control and will now be overseen by a federal court.”
The beleaguered water system, which has been beset for years with boil water notices and the loss of water pressure, also is out of the control of the state of Mississippi. And, of course, the state of Mississippi is ultimately the responsibility of Gov. Jonathan Tate Reeves.
Make no mistake about it – President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice is taking over the Jackson water system because both the city of Jackson and the state of Mississippi have been unable or unwilling to fix it.
Perhaps the governor should send Biden, whom he often goes on offense against, a thank you note for taking over the problem. After all, the governor made it clear he did not want to deal with the problem.
“It is a great day to be in Hattiesburg. It’s also, as always, a great day to not be in Jackson,” Reeves joked during the height of the most recent shutdown when many city residents had no running water. “I feel like I should take off my emergency manager director hat and leave it in the car and take off my public works director hat and leave it in the car.”
Granted, as the governor and other state officials have often said, it is primarily the responsibility of the city to provide adequate water to the citizens of Jackson.
But ultimately, Jackson, like any municipality in Mississippi, is a creature of the state. All municipalities in the state, from Satartia in Yazoo County with less than 50 residents to Jackson, the capital city, with about 150,000 residents, were created by acts of the Mississippi Legislature.
The Mississippi Constitution reads, “The Legislature shall pass general laws … under which cities and towns may be chartered and their charters amended.”
Reeves, during his eight years as lieutenant governor presiding over the Senate, or during his three years as governor, could have advocated for legislation to deal with the Jackson water crisis that has been ongoing for years. The water crisis should not be a surprise to anyone in state government. More than once Jackson water woes resulted in portable bathrooms being parked on the grounds of the ornate Mississippi Capitol during sessions of the Legislature.
The governor and Legislature could have acted to deal with the water woes with or without the consent of officials with the city of Jackson. After all, the city, as established by the Mississippi Constitution, is a creature of the state.
And it is not as if state officials have an aversion to getting involved in the business other than water of the city of Jackson.
It was not that long ago – 2016 – that legislation originating in the Senate where Reeves presided at the time as lieutenant governor was passed and signed into law by then-Gov. Phil Bryant stripping from city officials some of the authority over the Jackson Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport. Granted, a federal lawsuit has been filed that is pending trying to block the legislation from being enacted.
But that does not diminish the fact that there were steps the state could have taken earlier to deal with the issues facing the Jackson Water System.
There are multiple other examples of the governor and the Legislature meddling in the business of Jackson and of other cities across the state. Almost on a yearly basis, legislation is considered and sometimes passed to limit the cities’ authority to enact gun safety laws or to limit the cities’ authority to deal with undocumented immigrants as the locally elected leaders see fit.
Does saying all of this mean that there is not blame going way back among Jackson officials for the condition of the city water system?
The answer to that question most likely is no, but with the caveat that people in the highest echelons of state government who live in glass houses perhaps should not throw stones.
The official news came late Saturday night: Colorado has named Deion Sanders as its next football coach.
“Not only will Coach Prime energize our fanbase, I’m confident that he will lead our program back to national prominence while leading a team of high quality and high character,” Colorado athletic director Rick George was quoted in a press release.
In Jackson, we had a strong hint a couple hours earlier. After Jackson State polished off Southern University 43-24 in the SWAC Championship Game Saturday evening, Sanders wasn’t around to answer the questions everyone wanted to ask.
Rick Cleveland
Reporters and photographers jammed into a small media room at the south end of Veterans Memorial Stadium and waited for more than an hour after the game ended. Finally, a SWAC spokesman, seated beside where Sanders was supposed to sit, told reporters that Sanders and his team had left for the JSU campus where there was a team meeting. There would be no press conference.
At the risk of understating matters, that is not usual protocol after a football team completes a perfect season and wins the conference championship. (Much later Saturday night, JSU issued a two-sentence press release: “Coach Prime attempted to enter the interview room. Southern’s press conference was still in progress. Coach Prime then left the stadium to attend official business with the athletic director and the team.”
Whatever, clearly Deion Sanders’ mercurial 26-month run as JSU head football coach was at end. Including an abbreviated 2020 spring season, his JSU teams won 27 games, lost five. Over the past two fall seasons, the Tigers are 23-2 overall and 16-0 in the SWAC. As an athlete, Sanders could do just about anything. Turns out, he can coach, too.
Asked about Sanders’ impact on the SWAC, Southern U. Coach Eric Dooley, who did show up for his turn at the microphone, answered, “He has obviously had a huge impact on Jackson State. Back to back SWAC championships – it’s been a long time since that has happened. He has put Jackson State football back to where it used to be.”
Dooley would not comment on Sanders’ impending departure other than to say, “I love competition. I hope he stays.”
Sanders has achieved so much in 26 months. He has brought JSU fans back by the tens of thousands. That success has translated into millions of desperately needed dollars pumped into the Jackson economy. He not only recruited the No. 1 high school prospect in all of America to Jackson State, he has restocked the Tigers roster with talent that is vastly superior to that of JSU’s conference brethren. He has surrounded himself with outstanding assistant coaches and he lets them do their jobs. He holds his players accountable and they bust their rear ends for him.
He has earned his keep – and then some – at Jackson State, where he was reportedly paid about $500,000 a year. Colorado will likely pay him more than 10 times that much, plus his assistant coaches will at least triple their salaries. They will have to earn it. Colorado was 1-11 this year, 5-19 over the last two. Colorado has had one winning season out of the last 15 and has not enjoyed sustained success since the Bill McCartney era (1982-94).
Deion and Shadeur Sanders stand for JSU alma mater after Tigers’ SWAC championship victory. (Photo by Rick Cleveland)
Keep in mind, JSU was 12-22 in the three seasons before Sanders’ arrival. That’s why, despite various published reports of Sanders’ imminent departure, many of the announced crowd of 53,754 Saturday hoped he would have a change of heart.
They cheered wildly and waved their blue and white pompoms as the Tigers zoomed to a 26-0 first quarter lead over a team they had vanquished 35-0 just five weeks ago. Shedeur Sanders, the coach’s quarterbacking son, was his usual brilliant self, completing 31 of 44 passes for 305 yards and four touchdowns. Shedeur Sanders often zipped his passes even before his receivers made their cuts. Just as often, Southern defenders appeared helpless to stop it.
As Jackson State players stood at attention at game’s end, coach and quarterback, father and son, stood side by side, the coach’s arm draped around his son’s shoulders. It was a poignant scene.
Still, we are left with so many questions:
Will Deion Sanders coach the Celebration Bowl on Dec. 17 when Jackson State will play North Carolina Central in Atlanta?
How many of his Jackson State players will join him at Colorado? After all, players can transfer at will these days.
How many of his coaches will join him?
Who is next up at JSU? Deion Sanders was the most important hire JSU athletic director Ashley Robinson ever made, that is, until he makes the next one.
The eight-member Mississippi Ethics Commission voted 5-3 Friday that the state Legislature is not bound by the state’s open meetings law.
The Mississippi Constitution states that “the doors of each house, when in session, or in the committee of the whole, shall be kept open, except in cases which may require secrecy.” The Constitution also says a majority of the House or Senate is a quorum.
The ruling came in a complaint filed by the Mississippi Free Press saying that the House Republican caucus members, which currently consist of 75 of the 122 members, are violating the open meetings law when they meet behind closed doors to discuss policy.
Mississippi Today detailed the activities of the closed door meetings in a story earlier this year during the 2022 session. The story cited reports of various House members and detailed how the caucus meetings were usually the first place rank-and-file House Republicans were informed of details of major policies developed by Speaker Philip Gunn and a handful of other House leaders. And in those meetings, discussions often were held on whether members supported those proposals of the leadership. Caucus members who had questions were urged to speak privately with the relevant committee chairmen — Gunn appointees who are the speaker’s closest allies.
The Senate opted not to have a similar caucus because members expressed concern that it would violate the open meetings law.
Tom Hood, executive director of the Ethics Commission, recommended to the panel that the Legislature did fall under the open meetings law. The commission rejected the findings of its executive director and is scheduled to meet in the coming weeks to finalize its opinion on the issue.
The Hood opinion in part read, “It is essential to the fundamental philosophy of the American constitutional form of representative government and to the maintenance of a democratic society that public business undertaken by a quorum of the House of Representatives be performed in an open and public manner. The formation and determination of public policy by a quorum of the House is public business and must be conducted at open meetings.”
Hood had recommended that the commission schedule a hearing to determine whether the House Republican Caucus did in fact meet in private with more than a majority of the House in present to discuss legislative issues. If so, he argued that would be in violation of the opening meetings law. The commission rejected his reasoning.
Gunn and members of the House leadership argued that a party caucus was not a governmental body that would be covered by the open meetings law.
The Hood opinion did not broach the issue of the constitutional provision that seems to mandate the Legislature meet in public. The Ethics Commission is charged in state law with ruling on issues regarding the state’s public records and public meetings laws, but not constitutional matters.
The Ethics Commission is comprised of appointees of the governor, Supreme Court chief justice, speaker and lieutenant governor.
Sheldon Timothy Herrington, Jr., the Ole Miss graduate charged with murdering Jimmie “Jay” Lee, was released on a $250,000 bond Thursday after his lawyer made an agreement with the Lafayette County District Attorney’s Office.
The agreement – made without a hearing – shocked the LGBTQ+ community in Oxford who thought Herrington would stay in jail through the remainder of the court proceedings with a grand jury hearing pending early next year because he was originally denied bond.
Justice for Jay Lee, a group of students and friends of Lee’s, condemned Herrington’s release in an Instagram post and called on several public officials in Oxford – including the mayor and the chancellor of University of Mississippi – to speak out “during the scariest time in our community.”
“They kept his possible release a secret out of fear of us protesting and advocating for Jay Lee,” the post, written in all-caps, reads. “Our biggest nightmare just came true. We warned them this would happen. Our officials should have advocated for the courts to not release Timothy.”
Lee was well-known on campus for his involvement in the LGBTQ community. Credit: Courtesy Oxford Police Department
Herrington was arrested two weeks after Lee went missing on July 8. Police later determined that he had a sexual relationship with Lee and that his apartment was the last place Lee went. That night, a few minutes after Lee messaged that he was coming over, Herrington Googled “how long does it take to strangle someone gabby petito,” then “does pre workout boost testosterone.”
In August, a Lafayette County Circuit Court judge denied Herrington bond on the grounds that he is a flight risk because he searched for flights from Dallas to Singapore the day before Lee went missing.
But in the agreement signed Thursday, Herrington was permitted to post bond if he agreed to wear and pay for an ankle monitor and surrender his passport to the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department. Kilpatrick agreed these conditions would “satisfactorily relieve any fears” that Herrington would flee the state before trial, according to the order.
Earlier this week, Kilpatrick was elected the first County Court Judge in Lafayette County history following a runoff.
Herrington’s attorney, state Rep. Kevin Horan, did not respond to a request for comment before press time; neither did a member of Herrington’s family. Ben Creekmore, the Lafayette County District Attorney, could not be reached but Action 5 News reported that he said the agreement was made in exchange for Horan dropping a petition he filed in October that claimed Herrington was being held in jail illegally.
Lee’s body has been missing since he disappeared on July 8. He was last seen leaving Molly Barr Trails, a student apartment complex in Oxford, but police believe his body is somewhere between Lafayette or Grenada counties based on Herrington’s movements that day.
According to evidence at the preliminary hearing in August, Lee had gone to Herrington’s house early in the morning on July 8, left and returned a few hours later. Later that day, Herrington drove a moving truck to his parents’ house outside of Grenada where he was seen on video footage retrieving a shovel and long handled wheelbarrow.
For members of the LGBTQ+ community across the state, Lee’s murder is emblematic of the disproportionate violence that LGBTQ+ people in Mississippi face as well as law enforcement’s routine failure to properly investigate or prosecute these cases. In Lee’s case, members of the community say that failure is evident in Herrington’s surprise release and because police have yet to find Lee’s body.
Justice for Jay Lee has been urging people to write letters on behalf of Lee to the Lafayette County Courthouse as dozens of people in Grenada, including powerful officials like the sheriff and superintendent, had advocated for Herrington’s release.
A former corrections officer and case manager at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility have been indicted on a charge of using excessive force against a prisoner.
A federal grand jury in the Southern District of Mississippi charged officer Jessica Hill and case manager Nicole Moore with deprivation of rights of an inmate under color of law, which are acts and duties performed as part of official duty.
On July 11, 2019 at the Pearl facility, the indictment alleges Hill struck an incarcerated person named L.C. with a pepper spray canister and punched the inmate, and Moore kicked L.C., who did not resist, resulting in bodily injury, according to court documents.
The indictment also alleges Hill and Moore aided and abetted each other during the use of excessive force against L.C.
Court documents did not provide a reason why force was used against L.C.
Arrest warrants were executed for Hill and Moore Wednesday, and both had an initial appearance and arraignment at the federal courthouse in Jackson, according to court documents.
If convicted, they could each face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
A spokesperson from the Mississippi Department of Corrections declined to comment because the alleged incident happened under a previous administration.
Joe Paul is being paid an annual salary of $650,000 as the 11th president of University of Southern Mississippi, according to a copy of his contract the Institutions of Higher Learning provided to Mississippi Today.
The salary makes Paul the third-highest paid college president in Mississippi and represents a $50,000 raise over that of his predecessor, Rodney Bennett, the university’s first Black president who departed earlier this year.
Paul’s contract, which ends on Oct. 31, 2026, shows he is making $450,000 in state funds, the same amount he was making as interim president. He is also receiving a $200,000 supplement from the University of Southern Mississippi Foundation, a decrease in the supplement the foundation paid to Bennett.
In Mississippi, the presidents of the state’s eight public universities are permitted by the Board of Trustees to boost their taxpayer-funded salaries with private, foundation-funded dollars. They are also allowed to receive income from “outside employment” as long as they request prior approval from the board in writing.
Other details from Paul’s nine-page contract include a hefty payout if the board terminates him in the next two years – $900,000, equal to two years’ salary. After October 2024, Paul would receive the remainder of his salary. He is also required to live on campus and was provided up to $15,000 in moving expenses to relocate, a standard benefit that other college presidents receive.
Paul was originally supposed to lead USM in the interim as the board looked for a new president – a short-term charge that was reflected in his initial 7-month contract the board approved in executive session in June.
At that same June meeting, the board also voted to raise the state-funded salaries of all eight college presidents. When the board voted to pay Paul $450,000, it also increased the state-funded portions of the salaries of Mark Keenum (Mississippi State University), Glenn Boyce (University of Mississippi) and Thomas Hudson (Jackson State University) to $450,000.
Though the board has in the past announced changes to presidential salaries in press releases, this information was not made publicly available until minutes of the executive session were published in August, two months after the raises were granted, because the board did not meet in July.
Hudson, who was previously making $375,000 as president of Jackson State University, now makes $455,000 with his foundation supplement. Keenum and Boyce now make $850,000, up from $800,000 last year.
IHL also approved across-the-board reductions in the amount that university foundations can pay presidents – figures that vary dramatically. Keenum and Boyce are now permitted to take $400,000 from their university foundations, but Hudson can only receive $5,000, per the June meeting minutes. Previously, Hudson received a $75,000 supplement from JSU’s foundation.
The state’s two other historically Black colleges – Mississippi Valley State University and Alcorn State University – as well as Mississippi University for Women also had their foundation supplements limited to $5,000. (The board did not approve a foundation supplement for Delta State’s interim president.)
The state-funded salaries of Jerryl Briggs (MVSU), Nora Miller (MUW) and Felecia Nave (ASU) were increased to $300,000.
As the board has granted raises for the university presidents, faculty and staff have barely seen their pay increase in the last decade, according to data from the U.S. Department of Education. The average faculty member in Mississippi took home $65,827 in 2020, up from about $58,000 in 2012. The average staff member made $47,612 that same year, an increase of a little more than $6,000 since 2012.
The board also approved a “retention” pay plan for Boyce at the meeting in June. If he stays on as chancellor at UM through the end of his contract in June 2024, the university foundation is now permitted to pay him a bonus up to $400,000.
When the board granted Keenum the opportunity for a similar bonus last year, he wrote to MSU’s foundation that he would like “a majority, if not all” of the retention funds to go to student scholarships.
