Mississippi
Feds fine Mississippi Wingstop stores run by family of rapper Rick Ross
Rapper Rick Ross’ household, which operates a number of Wingstop franchises, owns the 5 Mississippi areas the labor division discovered to be illegally deducting cash from employees’ wages, leaving some with take-home pay lower than $7.25 an hour.
The Division of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division says the Mississippi shops – beneath Boss Wing Enterprises – made their workers illegally pay for uniforms, security coaching, background checks, and even money register shortages.
“Restaurant trade workers work arduous, typically for low wages, and plenty of depend upon each greenback earned to make ends meet,” Jackson’s Wage and Hour Division director, Audrey Corridor, stated in an announcement. “The regulation prevents Boss Wing Enterprises LLC from shifting working prices to employees … or to permit a employee’s pay to fall under the minimal wage fee.”
The rapper and Clarksdale native’s older sister and assistant, Tawanda Roberts, is listed because the registered agent and supervisor of Boss Wings Enterprises LLC in Mississippi, in keeping with enterprise data filed with the state. His mom, Tommie Roberts, can also be listed. Ross’ household has been rising its variety of Wingstop areas for the final decade.
Final yr, the rapper posted to Instagram he gifted his 16-year-old son his first Wingstop franchise.
The DOL says it recovered $51,674 in wages owed to 244 employees and fined the franchise firm $62,753 in civil penalties.
Tawanda Roberts didn’t reply to a request for remark to her enterprise e-mail relating to the DOL’s investigation. A Boss Wing consultant reached by cellphone advised a reporter to contact Wingstop’s company public relations division for remark, regardless that they function independently. In an announcement, Wingstop distanced itself from Boss Wings.
“The eating places investigated by the DOL are owned and operated by a franchisee, not Wingstop Eating places Inc. Our franchise settlement requires all of our franchisees to function beneath our working requirements, which requires compliance with all legal guidelines and rules,” the corporate stated in an announcement. “We weren’t beforehand conscious of the DOL motion in opposition to Boss Wings LLC.”
Throughout its investigation, the Wage and Hour Division discovered minimal wage violations due to improper paycheck deductions; extra time violations when the employer deducted wages for security coaching and background checks throughout weeks employees took further shifts; and violations for failing to take care of correct data of hours employees logged.
Investigators additionally discovered a 15-year-old who illegally labored previous 10 p.m. final June. Federal regulation says younger teenagers can not work previous 7 p.m.
The DOL says it has uncovered greater than $34.7 million for greater than 29,000 employees within the meals service trade over the last fiscal yr. On the identical time, the Bureau of Labor Statistics continues to report report job openings within the service trade as an inflow of service employees start efforts to arrange unions.
READ MORE: Starbucks workers and others making an attempt to unionize in Mississippi face decades-old hardships
“Employers who don’t respect their employees’ rights will possible battle to retain and recruit the folks they should stay aggressive, as employees search for alternatives with employers that do,” Corridor stated.
Ross and his sister have spoken publicly about their entry into the wing enterprise. The rapper – whose 2006 music “Hustlin” launched him to fame – advised Forbes in 2014 that he first considered opening a franchise of his favourite wing spot shortly after his music profession took off.
Tawanda Roberts is an alum of Mississippi Valley State. Boss Wing lists its workplaces based mostly in Southaven in state data. The DOL named the Wingstop areas in Clarksdale, Tupelo, Starkville, Olive Department, and Oxford as a part of its investigation.
Ross lower the ribbon to open the downtown Clarksdale location in 2020.
“This is a chance for jobs in Clarksdale and a possibility for the Black neighborhood,” Ross advised native media through the opening ceremony. “It will convey folks downtown and Clarksdale wants that.”
The rapper had a cluster of areas in Memphis, however Wingstop’s company workplace stated Boss Wings has transferred these areas to a brand new operator. Many of the household’s areas are all through the southeast and Miami, the place Ross lives.
It’s unclear what number of Wingstop areas the household now runs, however a Wingstop weblog stated Ross owned 28 as of 2019.
Here are the candidates for SBLive’s Mississippi high school Athlete of the Week for August25-31. Read through the nominees and cast your vote. The poll will close Sunday at 11:59 p.m. If you would like to make a nomination in a future week, email Tyler@scorebooklive.com. For questions/issues with he poll, email athleteoftheweek@scorebooklive.com.
Editor’s note: Our Athlete of the Week feature and corresponding poll is intended to be fun, and we do not set limits on how many times a fan can vote during the competition. However, we do not allow votes that are generated by script, macro or other automated means. Athletes that receive votes generated by script, macro or other automated means will be disqualified.
Kohl Bradley, DB, George County: Racked up 17 tackles and returned an interception 80 yards for a touchdown in a 33-7 win over East Central.
DaJuan Colbert, DB, Natchez: Recorded 15 tackles, forced one fumble and returned another one 75 yards for a touchdown in a 58-50 win over Hancock.
Garrison Davis, QB, Holmes County Central: Completed 14 of his 21 pass attempts for 375 yards and three touchdowns in a 20-6 win over Vicksburg.
Xzavion Gainwell, DB, Yazoo County: Recorded nine tackles, an interception and an 80-yard interception return for a touchdown in the Panthers’ 20-16 win over South Delta.
Elijah Jones, RB, West Jones: Had 24 carries 226 yards and four touchdowns in a 34-6 win over Laurel.
Kingi McNair, WR, Pearl: Caught four passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns in a 26-20 win over Neshoba Central.
Ashton Nichols, DB, Clinton: Recorded six tackles to go with two big pass breakups, a blocked punt and a return for a touchdown in a 26-20 win over Warren Central.
Ethan Prater, RB, Pisgah: Rushed for 132 yards on 27 carries with three scores and caught a 60-yard touchdown pass in a 33-32 win over North Forrest.
Glen Singleton, RB, Madison Central: Rushed for 174 yards on 18 carries with all four touchdowns in a 27-20 win over Ocean Springs.
Damarius Yates, RB, Kemper County: Rushed for 193 yards on 17 carries and returned a kickoff 75 yards for a touchdown in a 38-15 win over Kosciusko.
Mississippi
‘If they cannot play Thalia Hall, they cannot play in Mississippi at all’: Broadway in Jackson speaks out about possible show cancellations
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – It’s been one month since Thalia Mara Hall closed its doors due to a mold outbreak.
Innovation Arts and Entertainment is the company responsible for bringing Broadway productions to Jackson.
Representatives from the company visited Jackson after hearing the building had been closed.
CEO Adam Epstein says the City of Jackson did not inform them of the news.
“We did not find out from anybody within the city. We found out by reading news clippings forwarded to us by other people in Jackson,” Epstein said.
Certified Industrial Hygienic Testing reported visible dirt, debris, and suspected mold growth on many surfaces.
Epstein fears this could change the possibility of bigger shows coming to the capital city.
“They’re going to skip over us because of this mess. We need to show as a community that Jackson cares about this valuable asset and that we demand our elected leaders to support and treat this really, incredibly valuable asset with the TLC it deserves,” he said.
Thalia Mara Hall is the only venue in the state that can host a Broadway production due to the technical needs and accommodations required.
“Touring theatrical shows. If they cannot play Thalia Hall, they cannot play in Mississippi at all,” he said.
Broadway in Jackson is not only a great source of entertainment in the city, but it’s also beneficial economically.
“Those other businesses don’t benefit. The city doesn’t earn tax revenue from events that we present. They don’t earn rental income from the events we present. They don’t earn facility fees from the events we present. This is a real tragedy. It’s unacceptable.”
The well-being of the potential audience is the company’s main priority.
“I will not risk our ticket buyers’ health and safety and comfort. Our shows can and will cancel before we’d ever put somebody in jeopardy. We’ve issued a 100% guarantee of a full refund if the venue is not given a clean bill of health,” Epstein said.
All shows will be canceled on a case-to-case basis.
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Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board are conducting a probe into Saturday’s crash that killed seven and injured 36 people.
The deadly bus crash in Mississippi that killed seven people and injured dozens of others early Saturday occurred after the vehicle experienced a tire failure, causing it to run off the road and overturn, officials and authorities said.
Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board, in coordination with the Mississippi Highway Patrol, are conducting a probe into Saturday’s crash that left seven people dead and another 36 people injured. The collision occurred at about 12:40 a.m. on Interstate 20 near Vicksburg, Mississippi, when the bus left the roadway and overturned.
The bus, which authorities described as a 2018 Volvo commercial passenger bus, traveled westbound when its left front tire failed, NTSB member Todd Inman said at a news conference Sunday. The bus then moved onto an embankment and rolled over on its left side.
Inman added that investigators will be at the scene for at least another week and are looking into several factors of the crash, including the vehicle’s mechanical condition, motor carrier safety, the condition and experience of the driver, and environmental factors.
According to U.S. Department of Transportation records, the bus was operated by Autobuses Regiomontanos. Records show that in the 24 months before Saturday, the transit company’s vehicles were involved in one fatal crash, two injury collisions, and a crash requiring a tow truck.
The transit company has over 20 years of experience and provides trips between more than 100 destinations throughout Mexico and the United States, according to Autobuses Regiomontanos’ website.
“Everyone at the NTSB sends their expressions of sorrow for everything that the survivors and victims of this crash went through,” Inman said.
7 killed, 36 injured in bus crash
The bus carried a total of 41 passengers and two drivers, according to authorities. It was traveling from Atlanta to Dallas when the incident occurred.
No other vehicles were involved in the crash, according to Master Sergeant Kervin K. Stewart with the Mississippi Highway Patrol. Six people were pronounced dead at the scene and another person died later at a hospital, Stewart said.
Another 36 people were transported to area hospitals.
Warren County Coroner Doug Huskey said two victims killed in the crash were identified by their mother as a 16-year-old girl and an 8-year-old boy, according to The New York Times. Authorities were working to identify the other victims.
Contributing: Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY
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