Thaxton discusses the making of the film, Anderson’s legacy and the joy of getting to work with Walter Anderson’s children and his own (his daughter helped him film some of the artwork and his son wrote the film’s score). It’s a wonderful hour talking about Anderson and his art — and how the Mississippi Gulf Coast shaped it and him.
Northern District Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley cited the red letters in the Bible (those of Jesus) as he spoke of the need to use some of the billions in Mississippi’s federal funds to ensure all Mississippians have access to high speed internet and safe public water systems.
Presley, speaking this week in Jackson, cited studies indicating people suffering from addictions during the COVID-19 pandemic had a much better chance to succeed if they could access online counseling.
Presley said he is not saying a good internet connection will end the problem of addiction, “but I am saying if we believe the red letters in the good book, there ought to be enough of us to say we care about putting those tools in our people’s hands…
“We have to make sure as Mississippians we continue to love and care for the unborn, but care also for the born and those who are struggling in life.”
Presley can relate to the average Mississippian, especially rural residents, like few modern politicians. His father was murdered when he was young, and he’s spoken of periods when his family didn’t have water or electricity because his mother couldn’t afford to pay the bills.
He can speak in everyday terms about complicated public utility regulatory issues he deals with as a Public Service commissioner and how those issues impact people.
Because of those communication skills and his ability to easily win what is likely the most Republican of the three Public Service Commission districts, Presley is often touted as something the Mississippi Democratic Party is short of: an attractive statewide candidate.
In 2019, four-term Attorney General Jim Hood was believed to be that person. Yet he could garner only 47% of the vote in losing to Republican Tate Reeves.
“I think Brandon could be a good candidate,” said former state House Democratic leader David Baria, who ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate in 2018. “But I thought Jim Hood was a good candidate. I’ve been chasing for some time what Democrat could win statewide.”
Presley has toyed with running for a statewide post in the past, but has ultimately returned to the safety of re-election to the Public Service Commission. There will be pressure in 2023 for him to be the Democrat to step forward to challenge the Republican nominee for governor — whether it be Reeves or someone else.
In recent years, some white statewide candidates have struggled to earn the trust and support of Black Mississippians, who make up more than two-thirds of the Democratic Party’s voter base. Presley, however, has worked intentionally for years to build relationships among Black leaders from the local to federal levels.
State Rep. John Hines, D-Greenville, said he believes Presley would have strong support from members of the Legislative Black Caucus if he ran for statewide office.
“If Brandon does run for governor, he would be good. He has the heart, the concerns and compassion for the people of Mississippi. He wants people to have access to opportunities,” Hines said.
In the fall of 2003, Presley, then a 25-year-old mayor, met at the Tupelo airport with Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, his campaign staffers and the small group of reporters covering Musgrove’s ultimately unsuccessful re-election bid.
Presley served as one of the hosts as Musgrove campaigned in various locations in northeast Mississippi.
The political novice, in his second year as mayor of Nettleton, which straddles the Lee and Monroe counties border, regaled Musgrove’s staffers and reporters as he would mimic Musgrove’s high-pitched voice and then the deep, slow southern drawl of Musgrove’s Republican opponent Haley Barbour.
But Presley also would provide political insight saying the election was pivotal as it would determine political control of the state for years to come. He said a Musgrove defeat would spell the end of the line for a long time for Democrats as a ruling party in Mississippi.
The 25-year-old was prophetic. Republicans now control all aspects of state government, holding all eight statewide elected posts and maintaining supermajorities in both chambers of the Legislature. On the state level, there is nothing that Republicans do not control.
Presley, now 233 pounds lighter, no longer does impersonations, at least not in public. On occasion he has displayed a respectable singing voice. After all, he is related to another northeast Mississippi native, Elvis Presley.
“I’m a Merle Haggard Democrat,” Presley has joked.
He also is non-committal when asked about his political future.
“That log will shake itself out between now and election year,” Presley said recently on Mississippi Today’s The Other side podcast.
In the coming months, perhaps when annual campaign finance reports are filed in January, Presley’s political future could become clearer — as well as whether he might be aiming to reverse that political trend he predicted would happen way back in 2003.
Alabama’s Alex McPherson kicks an extra point for in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game Saturday. (Photo bye Marvin Gentry)
HATTIESBURG — If we are lucky, every game produces at least one memory that will last for years.
Here, on a dreary, damp and gray Saturday at the Mississippi-Alabama High School All-Star Game, Alabama punter/placekicker Alex McPherson produced several. Remember that name — Alex McPherson — because if you are a football fan, you will be hearing it for years and years.
McPherson easily could have been selected the MVP of Alabama’s dominant 20-0 victory. His statistics — impressive as they are — do not tell the story. He punted four times for a 50-yard average. With one minute, 17 seconds remaining to play, Alabama lined up for a 58-yard field goal. McPherson’s kick split the uprights and hit high in the netting behind the goal posts. The kick might have been good from 70. It definitely would have been good from 65. There was little, if any, wind at the time, and, again, the air was damp.
“I didn’t hit it as well as I can, but I got enough of it,” McPherson would later say.
You should know this writer has been coming to this Southern Miss stadium — known as The Rock — for nearly a lifetime. I have seen one other kicker do the kind of things McPherson did Saturday. The other guy’s name is on the stadium: Ray Guy, the only punter ever elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Rick Cleveland
Most amazing about McPherson is that he generates so much power — or leg whip — with his 5-foot, 10-inch, 155-pound frame. By contrast, Guy was a strong, limber, long-limbed 6-3, 195-pounder.
“Yes sir, I know who Ray Guy was, and I saw his name up there,” McPherson said afterward, pointing to Guy’s name of the east side of the stadium. “It’s nice to be compared to him.”
McPherson, who hails from Fort Payne and says he will sign an Auburn scholarship, kicked off five times, all touchbacks, including one that went through the uprights and into the netting. Three of his four punts were downed inside the 20-yard line. One of the punts — a 57-yarder that seemingly went into the clouds — was downed at the Mississippi one-yard line.
In pregame warm-ups, McPherson put two field goals through from 65 yards. He made one 61-yarder in a game this past season and says his longest in practice was a 73-yarder.
Oxford coach Chris Cutcliffe was the Mississippi team’s scout coach this past week, meaning he attended every Alabama practice and reported back to the Mississippi staff.
“He kicked like that every day,” Cutcliffe said. “We’ll be watching him on Sundays one day.”
Asked about McPherson’s kicking after the game, Mississippi head coach Todd Breland shook his head and said, “Man, isn’t he something?”
Breland paused before continuing, “I don’t know if I should say this but I was pulling for him to make that 58-yarder. I mean, the game was over. I wanted him to make it. That’s how much I thought of him.”
Indeed, the game had long been decided when McPherson powered the 58-yarder through. What’s the difference in 17-0 and 20-0? Nothing really, except one more memory.
Other observations:
In a game with few Mississippi highlights, little Malcolm Hartzog of Bassfield and Jefferson Davis County High School was named MVP for the home team. A two-way star for JDC and the Class 3A Mr. Football, Hartzog played only on defense Saturday. He led Mississippi with nine tackles total, including eight solos, and also made a touchdown-saving interception in the end zone. Afterward, Hartzog confirmed that he will be signing with Nebraska on national signing day on Wednesday. It was his only FBS offer, his coach Lance Mancuso said.
There were extremely large teenagers on display. Columbia’s Jeheim Oatis, a four-star recruit committed to Alabama, was the largest of all. He was listed at 6-5 and 320, but my guess is Oatis last tipped the scales at 320 about 60 pounds ago. He was credited with three tackles and one quarterback hurry Saturday. My take: Oatis plays hard only on occasion. He never sprints when he can jog and he never jogs when he can walk. But when he does decide to play hard, he’s a force. It will be intriguing to see if — and how much — that changes when Nick Saban and his staff get hold of him.
Alabama won the game at the line of scrimmage, controlling on both sides of the ball. The Alabamans blocked better on offense and got off blocks better on defense. Braylon McReynolds, a little scatback from McGill-Toolen High in Mobile, was the game’s best offensive player, running for 98 yards on 13 carries and making a lot of people miss along the way. This won’t be his last time to play at The Rock. He is committed to South Alabama — and the Jaguars got a good one.
Much has happened since the last Data Dive, so in this COVID-19 ‘super-update,’ let’s do a progress check on some of the most recent and important developments in the world of variants, vaccines and boosters.
Earlier this week, healthcare reporter Will Stribling reported that the Mississippi Department of Health reported the state’s first case of the omicron variant on Monday, Dec. 6. Omicron is the second most notable variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 after delta, though much still remains to be known about it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC also confirmed omicron likely spreads more easily than the original strain of the virus and continues to urge the tried and true practices against transmission – vaccinations, social distancing, and mask-wearing.
To date, 23 states have one or more cases of omicron, including Mississippi. The other states include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin.
View the downloadable and sharable map below:
As the virus continues to spread, more children ages five to 11 are getting vaccinated against the virus, with more than 15,000 having at least one dose so far and almost 6,000 being fully vaccinated.
View the data:
Finally, after boosters being restricted to only certain at-risk groups, the CDC now says anyone 16 or older is eligible for a booster shot of a COVID-19 vaccine. However, note that only Pfizer's booster is currently approved for 16 and 17-year-olds. Adults may choose whichever booster is available regardless of their original vaccine.
View the most recent progress on booster administration by age group:
The financial impact of Jackson State University’s hiring of football coach Deion Sanders — and his team’s success — keeps rising.
Visit Jackson, the city’s official marketing organization, calculated an economic impact of over $30 million dollars for the Tigers’ 2021 fall football season. This is nearly double the sixteen million dollar impact of the 2019 season.
The number is attributed to a record-breaking Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) team average of 42,293 fans in attendance for the team’s home games. More than 50,000 fans packed the stadium during last week’s SWAC Championship game. Two weeks earlier, Jackson State’s matchup with in-state rival Alcorn State drew more than 60,000 fans.
The clout brought in by Sanders’ hiring and the team’s successful season has provided a boon to the city and local businesses.
“I’ve had some good days and I’ve had some bad days but right now, we cannot keep enough of JSU apparel in supply,” Richard Shaw, a 1977 graduate of JSU and owner of Dynastics Screen Printing, told Sports Illustrated. “With Deion [Sanders] coming here, I wish I could keep up with everything. But, my business has doubled and I thank God for it.”
The Jackson State football team’s fiscal impact on the city has been noted nationally.
“This program has to be, and is historically connected to the city,” C. Daryl Neely, a Jackson State graduate and donor, told the New York Times. “And when you get 60,000 people in the stands, that’s when you know you’re back to it being the program of the city.”
Over the nine days following the announcement of Sanders’ hiring, the Tigers’ athletic department’s marketing and promotional value increased by an estimated $19 million, JSU communications and marketing representatives told the Clarion Ledger. That value has certainly gone up over JSU’s successful season, where they won 11 games and their first SWAC championship since 2007.
Earlier this year, Sanders said that he hopes to expand the Tigers’ success and leverage it to help the city.
“I wish we could get to the point where 53,000 (fans in attendance) is the expectation week in and week out, ” Sanders said. “That affects the economy, that affects so much. Hotels are all packed, restaurants all packed, the shopping plaza all packed. For the state and city makes so much more revenue. Now we can have a ‘say so’ in where that’s distributed. Now, our roads are paved much better. The inner-city is looking much better because of what we’re bringing to the table… I just wish we can have consistency in these types of numbers, not just for Homecoming.”
Mississippi Today is pleased to announce that Bethany Atkinson has joined the Mississippi Today Audience Team.
Bethany Atkinson
Atkinson, a native of Madison, will serve as Mississippi Today’s community manager. She will work to help build and cultivate a diverse community of Mississippi Today readers by designing community-driven content and products across all Mississippi Today platforms with an emphasis on membership, community engagement and branding.
Atkinson served as an engagement intern at Mississippi Today in 2019 and has since worked on contract providing design through resources, such as reader guides, marketing materials, infographics and merchandise to help strengthen our brand and reach.
In her new role, Atkinson will also manage and grow our membership program.
“Bethany brings a unique perspective and dynamic set of skills that will allow us to further our mission of reaching and engaging with more Mississippians,” said Mississippi Today Audience Development Director Lauchlin Fields. “She will work closely with everyone in our organization as we work collaboratively to grow our community of readers and strengthen our reader revenue program.”
Atkinson is a 2019 graduate of the University of Mississippi School of Journalism and New Media, where she graduated with a degree in integrated marketing communications. She has worked as a communications intern for the Mississippi Arts Commission and most recently was the administrative coordinator for Hospice Ministries.
As community manager, she will use her designs to bring new readers to our journalism, build a community of loyal readers and enhance our member community.
“Reaching and engaging with the diverse audience of Mississippi Today ensures that all Mississippians will receive free, accurate and nonpartisan news,” Atkinson said. “The Audience Team is vital in connecting our reporting to the people of the state and helping their voices be heard.”
Mississippi Today is pleased to be awarded with a $25,000 matching challenge grant from the Maddox Foundation for donations made during NewsMatch 2021. The Maddox Foundation announced this week that they will match all donations dollar-for-dollar made to Mississippi Today during its year-end NewsMatch campaign, up to $25,000.
“A nonpartisan news source is absolutely vital in today’s world,” said Maddox Foundation CEO Robin Hurdle. “It encourages public dialog leading to true civic engagement which is the backbone of healthy communities. We are pleased to continue to support Mississippi Today as they provide this powerful resource for free to the public.”
Maddox Foundation was founded by Dan Maddox in 1968. He and his wife, Margaret Maddox, had a commitment to young people, a love of nature and a vision for making their corner of the world a better place. They chose Robin Hurdle to continue their legacy, which lives on through the current work of the foundation.
Maddox Foundation, located in Hernando, has made many signature investment grants into youth development. These investments include renovating and supporting the Margaret Maddox Family YMCA; putting an internet-connected computer in every public classroom in Mississippi; creating innovative places for children to learn and play; establishing the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi; and funding the Education Director position and the MTV exhibit at the Grammy Museum Mississippi.
“We are grateful to the Maddox Foundation for this generous challenge grant that doubles the impact of donations made by our reader members,” said Mary Margaret White, Mississippi Today CEO. “Nonprofit news puts the power where it belongs, with the people, and this matching grant from the Maddox Foundation catalyzes donations of all sizes that are made to Mississippi Today, the state’s flagship nonprofit newsroom.”
Mississippi Today was founded in 2016 to keep close tabs on the state legislature and regulatory agencies where decisions are being made that affect many aspects of daily life for Mississippians: health care policy, school funding, economic development and social justice.
State Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley has renewed the call for the Federal Communications Commission to investigate whether AT&T really provided broadband service to over 133,000 locations in Mississippi with federal money it received.
Presley has written new Biden administration FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, asking the FCC for a “complete compliance audit of AT&T Mississippi” on whether it met its obligations for more than $280 million in federal Connect America funds for broadband expansion.
Last year, all three elected state PSC commissioners wrote a similar letter to the FCC asking for an audit and claiming a PSC investigation “found concrete, specific examples that show AT&T Mississippi has reported location addresses … as being served when, in fact, the addresses are without service.”
Presley in his latest letter said, “They have submitted false data for years, and I am convinced that you will act appropriately to send a message that there is ‘a new sheriff in town.’” He also told Rosenworcel, who served on the FCC during the Obama administration, “on a personal note, I am thankful for your friendship.”
An AT&T corporate spokesperson in a written statement denied the claims.
“We have invested billions of dollars, building out our wired and wireless networks across Mississippi, and we are proud of the work we have done as a company to keep communities connected and help fuel Mississippi’s economy,” the statement said. “We are also proud of the work we have done through federal and state programs that help expand critical connectivity in underserved and unserved areas, including the FCC’s Connect America Fund Phase II program. We have worked closely with the FCC and USAC on this program and any suggestion that we filed false data is patently incorrect.”
The issue comes as Mississippi has received hundreds of millions of federal dollars in recent years to expand broadband internet access and federal funds continue to flow. Large cable and telecom companies such as AT&T are sparring with rural electric cooperatives for the funding, particularly $162 million the state is expected to receive for broadband as part of the American Rescue Plan Act.
With Presley leading the movement, the state Legislature in 2019 passed a law allowing electric cooperatives to provide internet service — an effort to expand broadband access in a poor, rural state where an estimated 40% of the state lacked access. The effort has been likened to providing electricity to rural Mississippi in the 1930s. Proponents said large cable and telecom companies were failing to expand service into rural areas because it wasn’t profitable enough.
Presley recently said: “If there is any idea circulating that somehow companies like AT&T can gobble up this $162 million intended for cooperatives and non-profits, I think that idea will be dead on arrival at Treasury based on their own guidance. Cooperatives and nonprofits who put people above profits are who these funds are designated for and that’s who should get them under any plan sent in by the governor. To try and please the AT&Ts of the world with these funds will only delay broadband expansion. I would fight that tooth, nail and claw.”
But cable and telecom providers say they have spent millions in private funds expanding internet service in Mississippi, and that they shouldn’t be cut out of government funding for expansion.
