Mississippi
Court affirms sex abuse conviction of ex-friar who worked at a Catholic school in Mississippi
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The Mississippi Court of Appeals has affirmed the 2022 conviction of a former Franciscan friar in the 1990s sexual abuse of a student at a Catholic school.
In a split decision Tuesday, a majority of the court found “no reversible error” in the conviction of Paul West, 63, who is Central Mississippi Correctional Facility.
Leflore County jurors in April 2022 found West guilty of one count of sexual battery and one count of gratification of lust. A judge sentenced him to 30 years on the first count and 15 years on the second count, to be served at the same time.
As first reported by The Associated Press in 2019, La Jarvis Love and his cousin, Joshua Love, had accused West of numerous instances of sexual abuse while they were students at St. Francis of Assisi School in Greenwood. The AP usually does not identify victims of sexual abuse, but the cousins agreed to be identified.
West’s attorneys argued on appeal that prosecutors failed to prove La Jarvis Love was younger than 18 when the abuse occurred. A majority of the appeals court judges wrote that West’s attorneys should have raised that challenge during the trial.
Appeals Court Judge Latrice Westbrooks disagreed with the majority.
“West’s charged offenses are deeply disturbing, but that does not overshadow the fact that this Court must make sure that if a person is going to be convicted — no matter the offense — that every element is to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt,” Westbrooks wrote.
La Jarvis Love and Joshua Love testified during West’s trial of repeated abuse by West beginning when they were in the fourth grade. They testified the abuse occurred both at the school and on trips to New York and to Wisconsin, where the Franciscan Friars of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary are based. West was a member of the religious order.
West left Mississippi in the late 1990s. He returned to his home state of Wisconsin and left the Franciscan order. In September 2020, he was extradited from Wisconsin to Mississippi to face criminal charges in the sexual abuse case.
St. Francis of Assisi School primarily served Black and Hispanic families in Greenwood. About a month after West was convicted, the school announced it was closing after more than 70 years. The decision came after the sex abuse scandal, declining enrollment and a steep decrease in donations.
BATON ROUGE, La. – The start time of the LSU-Mississippi State baseball game Friday night has been delayed by inclement weather.
The game was scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. CT, but rain and lightning in the Baton Rouge area have forced the start time to be moved to later in the evening.
The Tigers are coming off of a Game 1 win on Thursday night with the chance to capture the series victory on Friday night in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field in Game 2.
LSU roared back from a 6-2 deficit Thursday night with a five-run fifth inning, as the Tigers recorded an 8-6 win over Mississippi State in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field.
LSU improved to 24-3 overall, 5-2 in the SEC, while Mississippi State dropped to 16-10 overall and 1-6 in conference play.
LSU right-hander Zac Cowan pitched brilliantly over the final 4.0 innings, blanking the Bulldogs on just one hit to earn his third save of the season. Cowan recorded no walks and seven strikeouts while firing 59 pitches.
“I’m proud of the team,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson. “One of our sayings is ‘there’s no clock in baseball,’ and that was a good thing for tonight, down 6-2. Our guys just stayed with it, and I’m proud of them for that. We had some really good at-bats with some walks there in the middle of the game and really big homers by Danny and Steven.
“We turned it over to Zac, and he just did what he does every time out. The guy is a strike machine, and his fastball, slider and change are elite. He tunnels the ball really well, so every pitch looks the same coming out of his hand. We’re really glad he’s on our team, and you’re not going to find a better person than Zac.”
Now, the new start time has been revealed for Friday night in Baton Rouge.
DATES/TIMES
• Friday, March 28 at 8:15 p.m. CT
STADIUM
• Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field in Baton Rouge, La. (10,718)
RANKINGS
• LSU – No. 5 Baseball America; No. 6 USA Today; No. 8 D1 Baseball
• MSU – unranked
RADIO
• LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates
• Live audio at www.LSUsports.net/live; Live stats at www.LSUstats.com
TV/ONLINE
• Friday and Saturday games will be streamed live on SEC Network +
Friday’s Pitching Matchup:
LSU – Jr. RH Anthony Eyanson (3-0, 4.50 ERA, 32.0 IP, 8 BB, 46 SO)
MSU – Sr. LH Pico Kohn (4-0, 2.52 ERA, 35.2 IP, 7 BB, 53 SO)
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Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and LSU Tigers On SI: @LSUTigersSI for all coverage surrounding the LSU program.
LSU baseball returns to action on Friday night for game two of a three-game set with Mississippi State. LSU kicked the series off with a 8-6 win on Thursday night.
Mississippi State led early in the game, but Tigers’ shortstop Steven Milam put LSU in front with a home run in the fifth inning. LSU tallied five runs that frame. LSU starter Kade Anderson didn’t have his best stuff, but he didn’t let it spiral out of control.
On Friday, Anthony Eyanson gets the start for LSU. Through six games, the transfer is 3-0 with a 4.50 ERA. Eyanson has struck out 46 batters in 32 innings pitched.
With the short week, the Bulldogs saved their ace for Friday night. Pico Kohn will get the ball for Mississippi State. He’s 4-0 with a 2.52 ERA on the year.
Here’s how to watch the LSU baseball vs. Mississippi State game today, including time, TV schedule, and streaming information:
What channel is LSU Baseball vs. Mississippi State on today?
TV Channel: STREAMING ONLY
Livestream: ESPN+ AND SEC Network+
Watch LSU baseball vs. Mississippi State live on ESPN+
LSU baseball vs. Mississippi State will be streaming only on Friday night. Fans will need ESPN+ to watch the game.
LSU baseball vs. Mississippi State time on Friday
- Date: Friday, March 28
- Start time: 6:30 PM CT
The LSU Tigers baseball vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs game starts at 6:30 PM CT from Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
LSU baseball vs. Mississippi State predictions, picks
LSU 9, Mississippi State 7: LSU will give up its fair share of runs and the bullpen will be tested, but the Tigers will score enough to get the win. The Bulldogs have the pitching advantage in this one, but I trust LSU’s veteran bats to get some clutch hits.
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Mississippi
Reeves signs legislation eliminating Mississippi’s individual income tax – The Vicksburg Post
Reeves signs legislation eliminating Mississippi’s individual income tax
Published 6:02 pm Thursday, March 27, 2025
- Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves signs legislation eliminating the state’s individual income tax during a ceremony Thursday at the governor’s mansion. (Submitted photo)
JACKSON, Miss. – Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves today signed legislation that eliminates the individual income tax in Mississippi. House Bill 1, or the “Build Up Mississippi Act,” empowers the state workforce by not taxing their hard-earned wages and gives Mississippi another competitive advantage when competing for new economic development projects and private capital investment, Reeves’ office said in a statement Thursday.
“I am proud to sign into law a complete elimination of the individual income tax in the state of Mississippi,” Reeves said. “Let me say that again: Mississippi will no longer tax the work, the earnings, or the ambition of its people. The legislation I’m signing today puts us in a rare class of elite, competitive states. There are only a handful of states in the country that do not tax income. Today, Mississippi joins their ranks – and in doing so, we plant our flag.”
House Bill 1 builds upon House Bill 531, which was the biggest tax cut in Mississippi history at that time. House Bill 531 was signed into law by Reeves in 2022 and returned half a billion dollars to taxpayers, a spokesperson said. The new legislation, House Bill 1, cuts the individual income tax rate to 3% by calendar year 2030, with future annual decreases until it ultimately falls to 0%. Additionally, the legislation signed by Reeves decreases the tax on grocery sales from 7% to 5%.
“This is more than a policy victory,” Reeves said. “This is a transformation. And it’s a transformation that I have believed in, fought for, and worked toward for many years. From my days as lieutenant governor to my first campaign for this office – and every legislative session since – I have made this my mission. Because I believe in a simple idea: that government should take less so that you can keep more. That our people should be rewarded for hard work, not punished. And that Mississippi has the potential to be a magnet for opportunity, for investment, for talent – and for families looking to build a better life.
“The work of your hands belongs to you. It is yours – to feed your family and invest in your home and your community. Because that’s what this is ultimately about. Not just numbers on a balance sheet, but lives. Generations from now, when our kids are raising families of their own in a stronger, more prosperous Mississippi, they will look back on this moment and say: this is when we took our shot. To the people of Mississippi: you are the real winners today.”
Reeves thanked legislators, including Speaker Jason White and Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann, for their efforts on this legislation and for being good partners in the process.
Reeves’ office said House Bill 1 is yet another major victory for the state of Mississippi during the Reeves administration, also citing “record levels of new private sector investment, the largest economic development projects in Mississippi history, and nation-leading education gains.”
Reeves signed House Bill 1 during a signing ceremony at the Mississippi Governor’s Mansion. The full signing can be viewed here.
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