Mississippi
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Amazon Web Services Economic Development Director Roger Wehner told a collection of students, faculty and staff at Millsaps College on Wednesday that previously announced investment figures for two new hyperscale development center campuses will be just the tip of the iceberg.
Wehner made those comments as part of the Millsaps’ Tech Week programs.
Amazon Web Services made big news in January when it announced it will occupy two Madison County locations for the historic buildout for hyperscale development centers.
Mississippi lawmakers completed a $259 million incentive package for the Amazon Web Services $10 billion project in Canton and Madison County.
Gov. Tate Reeves said the project represents the single largest corporate capital investment in state history. Amazon Web Services will build two sites, one a 927-acre site and the other a 786-acre site for two hyperscale data centers.
However, Wehner said Amazon expects to invest much more when all is said and done.
“We were lucky to find Mississippi,” Wehner told the audience at Millsaps. “Let me make one thing clear, all of the news articles say we are going to invest $10 billion dollars. That’s actually not true. That is our minimum public commitment. We are going to invest far more than $10 billion. Rest assured it will be tens of billions of dollars.”
More ahead: Expert: Data center announcement could spur more technology development in Mississippi
What is a hyperscale data center? What is a hyperscale data center? How much energy does it take? Is Madison ready? We answer
Wehner also said the 1,000 jobs announced with the project in January is also a false number.
“There will be far more than 1,000 jobs,” he said. “That’s just a number we cannot fall below based on our negotiations. There will be a lot more than 1,000 jobs.”
He said that construction in Madison County will go on for the next 5-to-7 years.
“There won’t be this flurry of manufacturing and then construction jobs go away,” Wehner said. “We will build on both sites simultaneously as needed as we go along. That means we are continuously under construction. So, the thousands of construction jobs. There will be thousands of construction jobs and billions of dollars that will be invested in your community is the No. 1 benefit of us going to a community. We literally will drive a big segment of the economy. … This money will ripple through the local economy.”
In January, Reeves said that once open, the centers will hire 1,000 employees making an average annual salary of about $60,000 per year.
Wehner said that average annual salary for people working at AWS Mississippi will begin at around $80,000.
As for the state incentive package, the legislature approved appropriating $44 million, $32 million of which will go to training grants and educational opportunities, and the rest will go to site development assistance.
The three bills also approved loaning Madison County $215.1 million to assist with infrastructure, including road work, water and sewer lines and also $13 million for a new fire station near the plants. That loan will be paid back through fee-in-lieu agreements with Amazon.
The project also received sales-and-use tax emptions for equipment, 10-year corporate income tax exemptions, among others. However, if the company fails to meet certain hiring or investment benchmarks, the state could take back sales and use tax, as well as corporate income tax breaks.
Madison County Schools
While there are tax breaks for AWS in the deal with the State of Mississippi, Wehner was quick to point out that Amazon is not a company relaying on corporate welfare from the government.
“Let me be clear about this, we are the largest tax payer in every jurisdiction we are in. That’s a fact,” Wehner said. “In fact, our modeling currently predicts that for the school systems in Madison County, we will double their revenues in the first year. So, whatever the current budget is for Madison County schools, there will be a two-x factor in a year and a half or two years.”
He said that in Loudoun County and Prince William County in northern Virginia, two of the wealthiest counties in America, AWS provides 51% of their tax revenues for their schools systems.
“They have the highest-paid teachers in America, and we are providing the tax base for that,” Wehner said. “We take very seriously our partnership in the communities that we serve. We want our communities to grow from an educational perspective and from a workforce development perspective.”
Why Mississippi?
Since January’s announcement of AWS commitment to Mississippi and Madison County, Wehner has been bombarded with questions as to why the company would locate there.
“There were other states that couldn’t believe what little Mississippi did,” Wehner said. “What Mississippi did that beat out everybody else … In Mississippi, there was complete alignment between Entergy Mississippi, the legislature, the governor and regulators.”
He said it also helped that Madison County Economic Development Authority has done its homework over the last several years and were prepared when the opportunity arose.
“They all worked together and were able to remove the bureaucratic inefficiencies,” he said. “If they had not done that, Mississippi would not have won. But Mississippi did and Mississippi won. There are states out there that don’t want to do it and don’t have the will to do it and couldn’t get all the pieces put in place to do it. In Mississippi, it was a joint effort.”
He said Mississippi proved to be “nimble.”
“It was about about speed to market and Mississippi did a ton of things that others did not and they struck an incredibly sound deal,” Wehner said. “They did everything that needed to be done, protected the rate payers, made the right decisions. They just took the slowness out of it. That was incredibly important.”
Education outside Madison County
While the project is in Madison County, Wehner said the plan is to provide educational opportunities throughout the Metro area, specifically in Jackson.
“We are going to do the same educational programs outside of Madison County that we do in Madison,” he said. “Our goal is to push out farther. We know that the more people we empower with the knowledge of how to work at AWS, the better everyone is, including us. We know that the drive time in Mississippi is around 60 minutes. So, we want to expand to Jackson and even farther.”
Ross Reily can be reached by email at rreily@gannett.com or 601-573-2952. You can follow him on Twitter @GreenOkra1.
Mississippi
Death of Mississippi teen Nolan Wells under investigation
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Mississippi
Where Ace Reese, Mississippi State signees appear in latest MLB mock drafts
STARKVILLE — Mississippi State baseball could have its first position player picked in the first round of the MLB draft since 2020.
That’s where star third baseman Ace Reese is ranked ahead of the 2026 MLB Draft. He has two years of eligibility remaining but is not expected back with the Bulldogs because of his high draft ranking.
There are other draft outcomes that can impact MSU’s 2027 roster for coach Brian O’Connor’s second season. The draft begins July 11 (noon, NBC/Peacock) with Rounds 1-4 and continues July 12 with Rounds 5-20.
Here’s a look at where Mississippi State players are ranked for the draft, including high school signees.
MLB draft rankings for Ace Reese, other Mississippi State players
MLB.com’s list of the top 250 prospects has Reese at No. 18. He’s the highest-ranked third baseman. USA Today’s mock draft predicts the Miami Marlins to select Reese with the No. 14 pick, which has a slot value of nearly $5.5 million.
If Reese is picked in the top 10, he’d be Mississippi State’s first top 10 pick since Paul Maholm in 2003.
The only other Mississippi State player in MLB.com’s top 250 is relief pitcher Ben Davis at No. 232. Davis does not have any college eligibility remaining.
That does not mean there won’t be more MSU players drafted. MSU has two starters in particular, catcher Kevin Milewski and outfielder Aidan Teel, who are draft eligible. If they are drafted, they’ll have to decide whether to sign with the pro team or return to Mississippi State. Relief pitcher Maddox Webb is in the same situation.
None of Mississippi State’s incoming transfers are ranked as top 250 draft prospects.
Mississippi State baseball signees rankings for MLB draft
Mississippi State has the No. 6 recruiting class, according to Perfect Game, and there are many players who are draft risks.
Eight of the signees are ranked inside MLB.com’s top 250 with four in the top 100.
Catcher Will Brick is the top signee at No. 46 after reclassifying to the 2026 class. Shortstop Rocco Maniscalco is just behind him at No. 49, followed by pitchers Landon Brown (No. 77) and Denton Lord (No. 80).
Other signees in the top 250 are pitcher Wilson Andersen (No. 111), outfielder Martin Shelar (No. 175), pitcher Jake Carbaugh (No. 203) and shortstop Noah Danza (No. 239).
Last summer, Mississippi State got signees Jack Bauer and Jacob Parker to turn down the MLB draft and play for the Bulldogs. Bauer was ranked as the No. 44 prospect and Parker, who turned into a freshman All-American, was No. 109.
The deadline for draftees to sign contracts with pro teams is July 27 at 4 p.m. CT.
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
Mississippi
Ben Crump seeks independent autopsy in Nolan Wells death
Mississippi teen found dead on Horn Island. Investigation is ongoing
Authorities ID’d a body found on Horn Island as Mississippi teen Nolan Wells, who went missing on July 4. Deputies are investigating what happened.
Attorney Ben Crump says Nolan Xavier Wells’ family is pursuing an independent autopsy. Investigators continue working to determine what happened to the 18-year-old after his body was found on Horn Island this week.
Wells, 18, went missing on Saturday, July 4, after taking a boat to the island with friends. A body was found Monday, ending a two-day search.
Jackson County Coroner Bruce Lynd told the Sun Herald on Tuesday that the body was identified as Wells. The State Medical Examiner’s Office used dental records to confirm his identity. Officials did not release his cause of death.
In an exclusive interview with Don Lemon on Wednesday, Crump said the body was being flown to Washington, D.C., for a medical examiner to study.
Wells’ disappearance led to an outpouring of prayers, volunteer efforts and community support. By Wednesday morning, a GoFundMe to help the family had raised more than $237,000.
There are still many questions about why Wells was on the island after the boat with his high school friends left. What happened before his death remains unclear.
On Tuesday, his family hired nationally known civil rights attorney Crump and his team to help them find answers in the case.
What was Nolan Wells’ cause of death?
Crump said the second autopsy will find out “if he had any physical injuries to his body beyond drowning.” He was unaware of the physical condition of the body at the time of the interview.
The remains were being flown to Washington on Wednesday. Crump said his team expects the results on Friday.
Crump said investigators in Mississippi have not given them information about the state’s autopsy.
Crump says family is living in a nightmare
Crump told Lemon the family is living in a nightmare, and they still have many questions about the young man’s death.
He was clear, however, that his investigation is still in very early stages and they are not sure yet if they will find signs of foul play. If they do, he said, they will work with local law enforcement and the state if there’s anyone who should face criminal charges.
According to the attorney, the sheriff’s office has not shared information with the family about what happened and whether the sheriff’s office suspects criminal behavior.
“There’s no information that we have right now that would lead us to believe that a crime has occurred,” Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter told ABC News earlier this week.
He said the family has concerns about “inconsistencies” including texts deleted from Wells’ phone. They don’t want Wells’ death to be called an accident and swept under the rug if it wasn’t.
Crump said Wells had a tryout to play Division I football on Monday. The teen was reportedly avoiding substances that could affect his performance. His family said he was an extraordinary athlete and strong swimmer.
There was allegedly an argument on the island, Crump said. Now, Wells’ family isn’t accepting that his death could be a coincidence.
Lemon asked if they knew what the argument was and if Wells and his group were involved. Crump said they have an investigator talking to Wells’ friends. He plans to share the information when the issue becomes clear.
Crump said investigation, not speculation, is the goal.
Questions remain after Horn Island death
Ledbetter said the county’s investigation is still active.
According to reporting from TMZ, the sheriff’s office was investigating a video shared on social media that appears to show people arguing on Horn Island on the holiday. It’s unclear if the footage, which shows a crowded beach, is related to the case.
Crump and his legal team are planning their independent review. They have committed to urging “the timely release of all records, witness accounts, and autopsy findings.”
What investigators know so far
Wells was reported missing over the holiday weekend after traveling to Horn Island with friends on July 4. The barrier island is part of Gulf Islands National Seashore.
Wells, who also went by Nono, was last seen on the northwest tip of Horn Island on the afternoon of Saturday, July 4. He did not come back to the mainland with his group, and his mom reported him missing that night.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office led a search on land and water Sunday and Monday. The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, National Park Service employees and the U.S. Coast Guard helped with the search. The United Cajun Navy and other volunteers also worked to find Wells.
His mother, Christine Wonsley, said during the search that she and his father had received Wells’ phone. Location tracking wasn’t an option while they looked for him.
A park ranger found the body Monday morning. The identification was confirmed Tuesday following an autopsy.
Investigators are still trying to determine why he didn’t leave the island and who he was with. They’re limiting the information released at this time as deputies work to find witnesses and collect evidence.
Authorities seek witnesses, photos and video
Ledbetter issued a statement saying rumors, commentary and unchecked information spreading on social media have been a challenge in the investigation.
Deputies need to speak to people who were at Horn Island. They’re also looking for original photos, video or sound recordings.
They are asking anyone who saw or heard an “argument, disturbance or other unusual activity” on the island to come forward.
Call 228-769-3065 during regular business hours or 228-769-3063 after hours if you have firsthand information about the case.
Bonnie Bolden is the Deep South Connect reporter for Mississippi with USA TODAY Network. Email her at bbolden@usatodayco.com.
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