JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – The Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC) awarded $4 million to 17 organizations across the state through the Building Fund for the Arts (BFA) grant.

The funding will help support the repair, renovation, expansion, or construction of Mississippi facilities that serve as sites for year-round arts programming in their communities.

“MAC and our grantees are grateful to the Mississippi Legislature for prioritizing funding for the Building Fund for the Arts grant each year,” said David Lewis, executive director of the mac. “Mississippi communities continue to demonstrate a strong need for this type of support, while maintaining the ability to execute projects at a high level and with high impact. We are excited to see these grant dollars put to good use through the investment in Mississippi’s creative communities.”

MAC has awarded the following arts organizations funding through the BFA grant:

• University of Mississippi Research Foundation (Lafayette) – awarded $500,000 to construct a writer’s studio at Greenfield Farm Writers Residency.
• Yoknapatawpha Arts Council, Inc. (Lafayette) – awarded $500,000 to construct the Humanities Hub.
• Foundation for Mississippi History (Hinds) – awarded $500,000 to support phase one construction of Crigler Park.
• Arts Foundation of Kosciusko (Attala) – awarded $415,530 to complete the final phase of renovations to the L.V. Hull Legacy Center.
• Hattiesburg Tourism Commission dba Hattiesburg Alliance for Public Art (Forrest) – awarded $400,000 to make ADA upgrades and renovate a flexible arts program space in the Hattiesburg Welcome Center.
• Kosciusko Foundation for Excellence in Education (Attala) – awarded $324,000 to rebuild accessible restrooms in the Skipworth Performing Arts Center.
• Walter Anderson Museum of Art (Jackson) – awarded $300,000 to support the Walter Anderson Mural Preservation Project.
• Byhalia Area Arts Council (Marshall) – awarded $270,000 to install a sound system, renovate restrooms, and restore classrooms in the Byhalia Old School Commons.
• Harrisburg Cultural and Social Services Center Inc., dba Link Centre (Lee) – awarded $225,000 to repair and preserve the Concert Hall.
• Cleveland Music Foundation dba GRAMMY Museum Mississippi (Bolivar) –awarded $172,313 to upgrade interactive technology and replace tiles on the front porch.
• Northwest Mississippi Community College Foundation (Tate) – awarded $150,000 to update sound and lighting systems for the Fine Arts Auditorium and the Black Box Theatre.
• Center Stage, Inc. (Harrison) – awarded $82,327 to replace the roof and correct the tech booth stairs.
• Land Trust for the Mississippi Coastal Plain (Harrison) – awarded $60,000 to replace electrical systems, make sustainability improvements, and improve accessibility at the Twelve Oaks Property.
• Brookhaven Little Theatre (Lincoln) – awarded $48,000 to continue renovations to the auditorium, sound system, and roof.
• Friends of Lexington Preservation, Inc. (Holmes) – awarded $48,000 to continue the restoration of the historic Lundy House.
• ArtPlace Mississippi (Leflore) – awarded $25,650 to repair bathrooms in the ArtPlace facility and the Elforts Building.
• The Arts Hancock County (Hancock) was awarded $25,080 to improve the functionality of the facility.

Those awarded the grant this year will have two years to complete their projects.

For just the second time ever, the Mississippi State Bulldogs head to Columbia to face the Missouri Tigers. Not a matchup we have seen too frequently since Mizzou joined the SEC due to divisions within the conference. Now, this will be the back-end of consecutive games between them.

Before taking the field, there are some injuries to deal with. Availability reports were released on Wednesday night, being the first of a few. Players can be listed as probable, questionable, doubtful, or out. Usually, changes do take place throughout the week.

Mississippi State and Missouri both have some key names popping up a few days before kickoff. You can check out the full injury report here.

Mississippi State Bulldogs

Questionable:
QB Blake Shapen
OL Albert Reese IV

Out:
S Isaac Smith
CB Jett Jefferson
DL Will Whitson
OL Brennan Smith
OL Blake Steen

Missouri Tigers

Questionable:
TE Brett Norfleet

Doubtful:
QB Beau Pribula

Out:
DE Langden Kitchen
K Blake Craig
QB Sam Horn

Kickoff from Faurot Field is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. CT. Missouri enters with a 6-3 overall record but 5-2 in SEC play. The Tigers have dropped three of the last four, effectively ending any chance of making the College Football Playoff. As for Mississippi State, Jeff Lebby‘s bunch is 5-5 and one win away from bowl eligibility. Getting a second SEC win of the season would tick off a box for the program.

Eli Drinkwitz discusses ‘playoffs or bust’ mentality

Eli Drinkwitz apparently has had enough with how some fans viewed college football seasons. Of course, the College Football Playoff is what everyone wants to achieve. But Drinkwitz spoke on the mindset of that being the only way to determine success.

“I talked about this at SEC Media Days, we gotta get out of this ‘Oh man, it’s playoffs or bust,’” Drinkwitz said on Tuesday night’s Tiger Talk radio show, via Joey Van Zummeren. “Yes, again, we’re shooting for the moon, we’re going to put our whole self into that, but only 12 teams make the Playoffs and we put ourselves in position in November to be there. Didn’t get it done, I got that. But if the season only counts for 12 football teams, and we got a 127 D1 football teams, that math’s not gonna math very well.

“Football is more than just the Playoff potential, and again, we were there, we didn’t get it done. But there’s a whole heck of a lot to be proud of, there’s a whole heck of a lot to play for. When I took over, we didn’t go to a bowl game, we (were under) NCAA probation, and ever since then, we’ve been going to bowl games. And there’s a lot of programs right now that would trade us spots. … So (we’ve) just got to keep on fighting, keep on believing, and we’re going to get ourselves back there. We’re going to bust through.”

• Twenty people, including 14 current and former law enforcement officers, have pleaded not guilty to charges in a Mississippi drug trafficking scheme.
• The accused, which include two Mississippi sheriffs, allegedly took bribes to provide armed escort for what they believed were cocaine shipments.
• The yearslong investigation involved an undercover FBI agent posing as a member of a Mexican drug cartel.

Twenty people, including 14 current and former law enforcement officers, have each entered a plea of not guilty to charges in a drug trafficking scheme spanning across multiple counties in the Mississippi Delta region of Mississippi and Tennessee.

Two Mississippi sheriffs, Washington County Sheriff Milton Gaston and Humphreys County Sheriff Bruce Williams, were among those arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

In addition to the two sheriffs, those charged include: Brandon Addison, Javery Howard, Truron Grayson, Sean Williams, Dexture Franklin, Wendell Johnson, Marcus Nolan, Aasahn Roach, Jeremy Sallis, Torio Chaz Wiseman, Pierre Lakes, Derrik Wallace, Marquivious Bankhead, Chaka Gaines, Martavis Moore, Jamario Sanford, Marvin Flowers and Dequarian Smith. All were charged with drug distribution.

Of the 20 individuals charged, 19 are accused of illegally carrying a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime.

During this yearslong investigation, officers allegedly took bribes to allow or facilitate the transport of drugs. Some bribes were as large as $20,000 and $37,000. Federal authorities announced the indictments last week.

According to indictments, law enforcement officers provided armed escort services on multiple occasions to an FBI agent posing as a member of a Mexican drug cartel.

The indictments allege the officers understood they were helping to transport 25 kilograms (55 pounds) of cocaine through Mississippi Delta counties along U.S. Highway 61 and into Memphis. Some of the officers also provided escort services to protect the transportation of drug proceeds, according to the indictments.

Federal officials said the investigation began when people who had been arrested complained about having to pay bribes to various individuals.

“It’s just a monumental betrayal of public trust,” U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner said at an Oct. 30 news conference.

Charges against two people — Amber Holmes and Tyquana Rucker — who were initially named in the indictments, were dropped/dismissed.

According to court records, all of those accused have waived their appearance for an arraignment and entered a plea of not guilty to all counts against them. Below is a list of those arrested and the number of counts each face as well as their employment locations at the time of the alleged crimes:

Multiple arrests in JSU homicide: Two years after Jaylen Burns murder, 4 suspects arrested in Jackson State student’s death

One lengthy indictment shows:

1. Brandon Addison — employed first with Hollandale Police Dept. and later with Humphreys Co. Sheriff’s Office, faces 10 counts
2. Javery Howard — employed first with Metcalf Police Dept. and later with Hollandale Police Dept., faces 12 counts
3. Milton Gaston — employed as Washington County Sheriff, faces 3 counts
4. Truron Grayson — employed with Humphreys Co. Sheriff’s Office, faces 8 counts
5. Bruce Williams — employed as the Humphreys County Sheriff, faces 3 counts
6. Sean Williams — employed with Yazoo City Police Dept., faces 8 counts
7. Dexture Franklin — employed with Washington Co. Sheriff’s Office, faces 8 counts
8. Wendell Johnson — employed with Bolivar Co. Sheriff’s Office, faces 6 counts
9. Marcus Nolan — faces 4 counts
10. Aasahn Roach — faces 4 counts
11. Jeremy Sallis — faces 4 counts
12. Torio Chaz Wiseman — faces 4 counts
13. Pierre Lakes — faces 2 counts
14. Derrik Wallace — faces 2 counts

Another indictment shows:

1. Jamario Sanford — employed with Greenwood Police Dept., faces 3 counts
2. Marvin Flowers — employed with the Sunflower Co. Sherriff’s Office, faces 3 counts

A scheduling order filed in court records state trials for both Sanford and Flowers are set for 10:30 a.m. Dec. 15, 2025, in Greenville before District Judge Debra M. Brown.

A motion to continue the trial for Sanford was filed, but no order had been filed by a judge at the time of this publication.

Other indictments, filed separately from each other, show:

1. Martavis Moore — employed with Greenville Police Dept., faces two counts
   • Moore faces two counts in connection with protecting the transport of illegal narcotics through Greenville. In exchange, he allegedly received $5,000 in bribe money.
   • A scheduling order filed in court records state trial for Moore is set for 10:30 a.m. Dec. 15, 2025, in Greenville before District Judge Debra M. Brown.
2. Marquavious Bankhead — employed with Mississippi Highway Patrol, faces one count
   • Bankhead allegedly was hired by a former State Trooper, to ensure “the road was clear of MHP Interdiction Units” and others as cartel members were traveling through Greenwood and surrounding areas. He received a $5,000 bribe for his efforts.
   • A scheduling order filed in court records state trial for Moore is set for 9:40 a.m. Dec. 15, 2025, in Oxford before Senior Judge Michael P. Mills.
3. Chaka Gaines — employed with Greenville Police Dept., faces two counts
   • Gaines allegedly received $5,000 to protect FBI agents posing as cartel members when they passed through Greenville.
   • A scheduling order filed in court records state trial for Gaines is set for 9:40 a.m. Dec. 15, 2025, in Oxford before Senior Judge Michael P. Mills.
4. Dequarian Smith — employed with Humphreys Co. Sheriff’s Office and the Isola Police Dept., faces one count
   • Smith allegedly received a $500 to protect drug runners in LeFlore, Sunflower and Washington counties.
   • A scheduling order filed in court records state trial for Smith is set for 10:30 a.m. Dec. 22, 2025, in Greenville before District Judge Debra M. Brown.

Pam Dankins is the breaking news reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Have a tip? Email her at pdankins@gannett.com.