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Most members of a committee to advise the Mississippi Legislature how the state should spend the bulk of its national opioid settlement share have been finalized days after the appointments were due.

Among the voting council members is James Moore, an addiction recovery advocate in Hattiesburg. He said his local lawmaker, Republican House Medicaid Chair Missy McGee, called him Wednesday and asked him, on behalf of Speaker of the House Jason White, to serve as a voting member of the council. 

Earlier that day, Mississippi Today published a story about how Moore and other parents who’ve lost their children to addiction were upset that local city and county governments were spending opioid settlement money on items not directly related to recovery and without their input. 

Moore said he is looking forward to hearing from others with expertise addressing addiction as a public health problem — like those who’ve struggled with and treated substance use disorder.

“I’ll be reaching out to those folks to try to give me direction, so that I can pass that on to the decision makers,” he said. 

The people tasked with appointing the advisors have submitted 13 of the 15 members who will vote on state opioid settlement grant proposals, and 21 out of 22 nonvoting seats, according to the Mississippi Attorney General’s office. 

State lawmakers passed Senate Bill 2767 in the spring, and Gov. Tate Reeves signed it into law April 10. The law calls for creation of an advisory council that would develop a grant application process to spend an estimated $259 million of national opioid settlement money the state has been receiving. The committee is asked to make recommendations of which grants to approve, and legislators can accept or reject those. 

The law instructed a variety of powerful Mississippians to appoint the council members by last Monday, 60 days after the bill was signed into law. Reeves, who did not respond to questions about the advisory committee, is responsible for assigning the last two unassigned voting members. State Health Officer Dr. Daniel Edney is supposed to nominate the last nonvoting council seat — a representative of the state’s private addiction treatment facilities.

Mississippi State Health Department spokesperson Greg Flynn said that Edney would send his nominee to the attorney general’s office last week, but the seat was unassigned as of Friday afternoon, according to the Attorney General’s office. 

Another member of the voting block, Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones, said he would like to see projects that prioritize addiction prevention education for the general public and overdose response tools for law enforcement officers, like the overdose-reversing drug naloxone. 

“This is something our communities are plagued with,” he said. “By having law enforcement personnel at the table, we have firsthand knowledge of the effects opioids have in the community.” 

As members of the advisory committee, Moore and Jones’ recommendations will still need legislative approval. Moore knows this, and he said people tend to listen to his ideas when he shares his family’s experiences. 

“I’m not speaking about statistics and numbers,” he said. “I’m speaking [as] an individual. I’m speaking by an empty chair at our table.” 

The law says the council’s first meeting must be held by July 9. 

The daughter of the late U.S. Sen. Robert Kennedy Sr. will join the “Daddy’s Daughters” panel on June 26 in Jackson. It’s the first event of a weeklong series aimed at honoring the slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers.

Kerry Kennedy, president of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Foundation, will join Ambassador Attallah Shabazz, Bettie Dahmer and Reena Evers-Everette “in a rare and deeply personal dialogue about growing up as daughters of men whose lives were taken in the fight for justice,” organizers said. “Together, they will honor the legacies of Malcolm X, Vernon Dahmer, Medgar Evers and Senator Robert F. Kennedy — fathers whose leadership and sacrifice shaped history and whose personal love shaped their daughters’ resolve.”

Kennedy called it “a distinct honor” to join these women “whose strength and grace have been forged through profound loss and enduring love, on this panel. Our fathers dedicated their lives to the cause of justice, but they also gave us something even more powerful: the courage to carry forward their hopes and dreams.”

The session, which will anchor the opening night of the “Medgar Evers at 100 Centennial Weekend,” will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Jackson Convention Complex, located at 105 E. Pascagoula St. in Jackson.

The three-day event is honoring the 100th birthday of the legendary civil rights leader, who was assassinated in Jackson in 1963. Shabazz’s father, Malcolm X, was assassinated in Harlem in 1965. A year later, Dahmer’s father, Vernon Dahmer Sr., died defending his family from a Ku Klux Klan firebombing near Hattiesburg. In 1968, Sen. Kennedy was assassinated moments after winning the Democratic presidential primary in California.

Evers-Everette, executive director of the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Institute, called the conversation “a tribute to Senator Robert F. Kennedy, Malcolm X, Vernon Dahmer, and Medgar Evers — not just as giants in the fight for justice, but as devoted fathers who poured love into our lives. We come together not only to remember, but to continue their unfinished work.”

For additional information, contact Chris Fleming at chris@redhorsestrategies.com.

Mississippi Today, in partnership with JPMorganChase, will present All In on Mississippi, a half-day gathering featuring discussions about ideas to build a stronger economy and thriving communities in the state.

The event, which will be free and open to the public, will take place July 28 from noon to 4 p.m. at the Mississippi Museum of Art in downtown Jackson, and will feature a fireside chat with JPMorganChase Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon.

“I look forward to being in Jackson and discussing how we can continue to be a strong partner to lift up Mississippi,” Dimon said. “Business and the government have a responsibility to collaborate and find solutions that work. We’re seeing great things in the state and want to build on the momentum.”

All In on Mississippi will convene local leaders, policymakers, business stakeholders and journalists to dig deep on critical and innovative solutions around community impact, economic development and social change in Mississippi. Plenary and panel sessions will delve into how to reverse brain drain, build a billion-dollar business and revitalize local economies, while spotlighting the talent, resilience and creativity of the region.

“We are excited to serve as a convener in our capital city, and to bring an internationally recognized business leader like Jamie Dimon to Jackson,” said Mary Margaret White, Mississippi Today CEO and executive director. “All In on Mississippi is going to be a gathering unlike any other, where we explore the intersection of economic development, informed communities and the young people spearheading the next great opportunities for our state.”

The event will kick off with lunch and networking, followed by a fireside chat with Dimon and Warwick Sabin, president and CEO of Deep South Today, the nonprofit network of newsrooms that includes Mississippi Today. Additional plenaries and panel sessions will feature Mississippi business mogul Tommy Duff in conversation with Adam Ganucheau, the editor-in-chief of Mississippi Today; a discussion about the state’s first scientific survey on the impact of — and solutions to — brain drain; and a lively conversation about the future of downtown Jackson featuring John Horhn, a state senator who becomes Jackson mayor on July 1.

“Deep South Today is pleased to catalyze conversations among thought leaders to advance and activate ideas that can improve the quality of life for all Mississippians,” Sabin said. “We believe that is a unique role we can play as a trusted provider of news and information in the region, and we want to use our platforms to create more opportunities for civic engagement and dialogue in communities across the state.”

Immediately following the formal program, Mississippi Today will host a public reception at its new office in downtown Jackson to spark collaboration across sectors and celebrate the power of community-driven impact.

Advance registration is required to attend.

Event Details

• Date: Monday, July 28, 2025
• Time: Noon to 4 p.m. CT
• Location: Mississippi Museum of Art, 380 South Lamar St., Jackson MS 39201

Event agenda coming soon.

Stay in touch leading up to the event by following Mississippi Today on social media @mstodaynews and with the hashtag #AllInOnMississippi.

U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate said he will decide Monday whether to delay Richard Jordan’s execution. The 79- year-old death row inmate’s defense argues that the set method of execution might constitute “cruel and unusual punishment.”

Jordan is scheduled to be executed on June 25 by injection of a sedative followed by two lethal drugs.

The sedative administered doesn’t prevent the inmate from feeling pain, Jordan’s defense argues. Prisoners can feel suffocation and cardiac arrest.

“Mr. Jordan and all the other people on death row were sentenced to death to have their lives extinguished,” said Jim Craig, Jordan’s attorney at a hearing Saturday  for a preliminary injunction to halt the execution. “They were not sentenced to be tortured before they die.”

Jordan and fellow death row inmate Ricky Chase are lead plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the drugs used for lethal injection. 

Jordan, at 79 the state’s oldest and longest serving death row inmate, was first convicted in 1976 for kidnapping and killing Edwina Marter in Harrison County. He had four trials until a death sentence stuck in 1998. 

Mississippi Department of Corrections protocol requires execution staff to ensure that inmates are completely unconscious before proceeding with the lethal drugs. The “proposed consciousness check” is a mandated wait time of three minutes between administering the sedative and the lethal drugs.

But the latest two executions in Mississippi – David Neal Cox on Nov. 17, 2021, and Thomas Loden Jr.  on Dec. 14, 2022 – did not follow this protocol: execution staff only waited one to two minutes before injecting the other drugs. Citing a deposition from Corrections Commissioner Burl Cain, the Attorney General’s Office ensured Judge Wingate that protocol would be followed with Jordan.

Execution staff would also rub Jordan’s sternum and monitor his reaction to pressure applied. Wingate asked the Attorney General’s Office how many seconds the test would last, but they could not provide a set answer.

If the sedative fails, no protocol is in place. At that point, the decision to proceed with the execution lies in Cain’s hands.

Wingate floated an idea that Cain would no longer make this call if the sedative fails. In 2022, a state law gave the commissioner sole discretion to decide the method of execution of incarcerated people.

He set a deadline of Monday noon for an answer from Cain.

The U.S. Supreme Court distributed Jordan’s petition for a writ of certiorari at a May 29 conference and is expected to discuss it again at a June 18 conference – a week before the execution. 

Thousands of people in Mississippi protested Saturday against President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdowns and other policies as part of a series of “No Kings” events across the U.S.

The protests happened on Trump’s 79th birthday – the same day a military parade was planned in Washington to mark the Army’s 250th anniversary.

The protest outside the Mississippi Capitol was largely peaceful. Capitol Police officers quickly stopped two small confrontations. Hundreds of demonstrators carried signs with slogans including “Make racism wrong again” and “Felon 47 is not a king despite SCOTUS.”

Counter-protesters at the Capitol carried signs proclaiming they oppose abortion and support Jesus.

As some of the protests were happening in the state, Republican Gov. Tate Reeves posted a happy birthday wish to Trump, adding: “Make America Great Again!”

In Gulfport, Lea Campbell of the Mississippi Rising Coalition said the protests are a way “to say no to fascism in our streets and to demand dignity, safety, liberty and justice for all,” according to The Sun Herald. Campbell said people of color, the LGBTQ community, poor people, unhoused people and workers “are not our enemy.”

“I know that fascism and white nationalism are the enemy of our democracy,” Campbell said.

The Sun Herald also reported a few Trump supporters stood across the street from the rally. One of them, retired Seabee Robert Charles Hall Sr., held a “Don’t Tread on Me” flag and said he was carrying a pistol. He said he brought the gun in case police needed help and would use it to defend anyone in the crowd if the protest turned violent.

In Oxford, slogans on signs included: “This is the government our founders warned us about,” “Democracy dies when we stay silent” and “Hate never made any nation great.”

The University of Mississippi Medical Center has acquired Canton-based Merit Health Madison and is preparing to move a pediatric clinic to Madison, continuing a trend of moving services to Jackson’s suburbs. 

The 67-bed hospital, now called UMMC Madison, will provide a wide range of community hospital services, including emergency services, medical-surgical care, intensive care, cardiology, neurology, general surgery and radiology services. It also will serve as a training site for medical students, and it plans to offer OB-GYN care in the future. 

“As Mississippi’s only academic medical center, we must continue to be focused on our three-part mission to educate the next generation of health care providers, conduct impactful research and deliver accessible high-quality health care,” Dr. LouAnn Woodward, UMMC’s vice chancellor of health affairs, said in a statement. “Every decision we make is rooted in our mission.” 

The new facility will help address space constraints at the medical center’s main campus in Jackson by freeing up hospital beds, imaging services and operating areas, said Dr. Alan Jones, associate vice chancellor for health affairs. 

UMMC physicians have performed surgeries and other procedures at the hospital in Madison since 2019. UMMC became the full owner of the hospital May 1 after purchasing it from Franklin, Tennessee-based Community Health Systems. 

The Batson Kids Clinic, which offers pediatric primary care, will move to the former Mississippi Center for Advanced Medicine location in Madison. This space will allow the medical center to offer pediatric primary care and specialty services and resolve space issues that prevent the clinic from adding new providers, according to Institutions of Higher Learning board minutes.

A UMMC spokesperson did not respond to questions about the services that will be offered at the clinic or when it will begin accepting patients.

The Mississippi Center for Advanced Medicine, a pediatric subspecialty clinic, closed last year as a result of a settlement in a seven-year legal battle between the clinic and UMMC in a federal trade secrets lawsuit. 

The changes come after the opening of UMMC’s Colony Park South clinic in Ridgeland in February. The clinic offers a range of specialty outpatient services, including surgical services. Another Ridgeland UMMC clinic, Colony Park North, will open in 2026.

The expansion of UMMC clinical services to Madison County has been criticized by state lawmakers and Jackson city leaders. The medical center does not need state approval to open new educational facilities. Critics say UMMC has used this exemption to locate facilities in wealthier, whiter neighborhoods outside Jackson while reducing services in the city. 

UMMC did not respond to a request for comment about its movement of services to Madison County. 

UMMC began removing clinical services this year from Jackson Medical Mall, which is in a majority-Black neighborhood with a high poverty rate. The medical center plans to reduce its square footage at the mall by about 75% in the next year. 

The movement of health care services from Jackson to the suburbs is a “very troubling trend” that will make it more difficult for Jackson residents to access care, Democratic state Sen. John Horhn, who will become Jackson’s mayor July 1, previously told Mississippi Today. 

Lawmakers sought to rein in UMMC’s expansion outside Jackson this year by passing a bill that would require the medical center to receive state approval before opening new educational medical facilities in areas other than the vicinity of its main campus and Jackson Medical Mall. Republican Gov. Tate Reeves vetoed the legislation, saying he opposed an unrelated provision in the bill.

Nationally known comedian Rita Brent will host the Medgar & Myrlie Evers Institute’s “Medgar at 100” Concert on June 28.

Tickets go on sale Saturday, June 14, and can be ordered on the institute’s website. 

The concert will take place at the Jackson Convention Complex and is the capstone event of the “Medgar at 100” Celebration. Organizers are calling the event “a cultural tribute and concert honoring the enduring legacy of Medgar Wiley Evers.” 

“My father believed in the power of people coming together — not just in protest, but in joy and purpose, and my mother and father loved music,” said Reena Evers-Everette, executive director of the institute. “This evening is about honoring his legacy with soul, celebration, and a shared commitment to carry his work forward. Through music and unity, we are creating space for remembrance, resilience, and the rising voices of a new generation.”

In addition to Brent, other featured performers include: actress, comedian and singer Tisha Campbell; soul R&B powerhouse Leela James; and Grammy award-winning artist, actor, entrepreneur and philanthropist Q Parker and Friends.

Organizers said the concert is also “a call to action — a gathering rooted in remembrance, resistance, and renewal.”

Proceeds from the event will go to support the Medgar & Myrlie Evers Institute’s mission to “advance civic engagement, develop youth leadership, and continue the fight for justice in Mississippi and beyond.”

Residents at Chapel Ridge Apartments in Jackson are left wondering what to do next after months dealing with trash pileups, property theft and the possibility of water shutoffs due to the property owner skipping out on the bill.

On Sunday, Ward 5 Councilman Vernon Hartley, city attorney Drew Martin and code enforcement officers discussed next steps for the complex, which, since April 30, has been without a property manager. 

“How are you all cracking down on other possible fraudulent property managers around Jackson?” one woman asked Martin. 

“ We don’t know they’re there until we know they’re there, and I know that’s a terrible answer, but I don’t personally have another one I’m aware of right now,” Martin said. “These individuals don’t seem to have owned another apartment complex in the Metro Jackson area, despite owning a whole bunch nationwide.”

Back in April, a letter was left on the door of the leasing office advising residents to not make rental payments until a new property manager arrives. The previous property managers are Lynd Management Group, a company based in San Antonio, Texas. 

The complex has been under increased scrutiny after Chapel Ridge Apartments lost its solid waste contract mid-March due to months of nonpayment. The removal of dumpsters led to a portion of the parking lot turning into a dumping site, an influx of rodents and gnats, and an investigation by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality. Local leaders pitched in to help remedy the situation, and in May, Waste Management provided two dumpsters for the complex. 

However, the problems persisted. In May, JXN Water released the names of 15 apartment complexes that owe more than $100,000 in unpaid water fees. Chapel Ridge was on the list. JXN Water spokesperson Aisha Carson said via email that they are “pursuing legal options to address these large-scale delinquencies across several properties.”

“While no shutoffs are imminent at this time, we are evaluating each case based on legal feasibility and the need to balance enforcement with tenant protections. Our focus is on transparency and accountability, not disruption—but we will act when needed to ensure the integrity of the system,” Carson said. 

And earlier this week, Chapel Ridge Apartments was declared a public nuisance. Martin said this gives the city of Jackson “the authority to come in, mow the grass and board up any of the units where people aren’t living.”

Martin said the situation is complicated, because the complex is owned by Chapel Ridge Apartments LLC. The limited liability corporation is owned by CRBM Realty Inc. and Crown Capital Holdings LLC, which are ultimately owned by Moshe “Mark” Silber. In April, Silber was sentenced to 30 months in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud affecting a financial institution. Earlier this month, both companies filed for bankruptcy in New Jersey.

Now, Martin said the main goal is to find someone who can manage the property.

“Somebody’s got to be able to collect rent from you,” Martin said. “They got to be able to pay the water. They got to be able to pay the garbage. They got to be able to pay for the lights to be on. They got to maintain the property, so that’s our goal is to put that in place.” 

Chapel Ridge offers a rent scale based on household income. Those earning under 50% of the area median income — between $21,800 and $36,150 depending on household size — for example, pay $480 for a two-bedroom and $539 for a three-bedroom unit. Rent increases between $20 and $40 for those earning under 60% of the area median income.

Valarie Banks said that when she moved into Chapel Ridge nearly 13 years ago, it was a great community. The disabled mother and grandmother moved from West Jackson to the complex because it was neatly kept and quiet. 

“It was beautiful. I saw a lot of kids out playing. There were people that were engaging you when you came out. They were eager to help,” Banks said. “ I hope that they could bring this place back to the way it once was.”

But after months of uncertainty, Banks is preparing to move. She said she’s not the only one.

“I have somewhere to go, but I’m just trying to get my money together so I can be able to handle the deposits and the bills that come after you move,” she said. “All of my doctors are around here close to me. In 12 years, I made this place home for me. … I’ve been stacking my rent, but it’s still not enough if I want to move this month.”

While she said she’s holding onto her rent payments for the time being, she realizes that many of her fellow residents may not be as lucky. Without someone to maintain the apartments, some residents are finding themselves without basic amenities.

“Some people are in dire straits, because they don’t have a stove or a fridge or the air conditioner,” she said. “Their stove went out, or the fridge went out, or they stole the air conditioner while you’re in the apartment.”

Banks isn’t the only one who is formulating a plan to leave. One woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said she’s been trying to save money to move, but she already has $354 wrapped up in a money order that she’s unable to pass off for her rent, due to the property manager’s recent departure. 

“It really feels like an abandonment and just stressful to live where I’m living at right now. This just doesn’t happen. It just feels stressful. It doesn’t feel good at all,” she said. 

She’s trying to remain optimistic, but as each day passes without someone to maintain the property, she’s losing hope.

“ I just hope that things get better some day, somehow, hopefully, because if not, more than likely I’m going to have to leave because I can only take so much,” she said. “I can’t continue to deal with this situation of hoping and wishing somebody comes, and they don’t.”

Two weeks after it was forced to lay off half its staff, the nonprofit group that administers federal family planning money in Mississippi has yet to hear back about an obscure investigation that paused its funding. 

Title X, a federal program that has been providing money for family planning services to states for over 50 years, flows through Converge to 91 clinics around the state. On March 31, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services told Converge it was withholding $4.5 million intended for Mississippi’s Title X program indefinitely during an investigation into the organization’s diversity, equity and inclusion practices. 

On Monday, nonprofit Converge signed a joint letter with the six other states whose Title X funds had been withheld requesting that HHS update grantees on the status of their funding. 

“Three months into HHS’ withholding, we remain frustratingly in the dark about the agency’s plan,” Audrey Sandusky, vice president of communications and marketing at Converge, told Mississippi Today. “The consequences of inaction are real and dangerous, from rising rates of cervical cancer and unplanned pregnancy to a surge in congenital syphilis.”

The grantees’ letter, addressed to HHS Deputy Director Amy Margolis, said all the recipients had met the 10-day deadline imposed on them by the federal agency to submit information, but had not heard so much as a confirmation in the 60 days since then. 

“In light of the harmful impacts of our Title X funding being withheld, we request that you share information about your process and timeline for releasing the funding by June 20th and releasing the funds as soon as possible,” the letter read. 

HHS has not responded to Mississippi Today’s request for comment about why it withheld Converge’s funding. 

In its original letter to Converge, HHS alleged the nonprofit “could be in violation” of the terms of the award and parts of the federal civil rights law. The allegation referenced a 2020 statement the nonprofit made committing to diversity in health care amid the George Floyd protests. 

In the two months since their federal funding stopped flowing, Converge leaders have focused all efforts on fundraising and expanding access to low-cost care through telehealth and pop-up clinics. 

The next pop-up clinic will take place July 26 at the Jackson Medical Mall and will include physical exams, testing for sexually transmitted infections, pregnancy tests and preconception counseling, and prescriptions for birth control. All services will be available on a sliding scale. 

“A month delay may not sound like a huge deal to some people, but when you’re talking about women’s health care, one month could be a huge deal,” said Converge co-executive director Jamie Bardwell. “You could be missing your prescription for birth control, (and) perhaps it results in an unplanned pregnancy. Perhaps you don’t get screened for an STD, STI. Congenital syphilis is very high in Mississippi. These are things that just have a very negative effect for women and their children.”