JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Last week‘s flurry of federal charges against Jackson’s mayor, Hinds County’s top prosecutor and a former city council president highlighted how alleged bribes can be concealed by exploiting weaknesses in state law.

“Because public officials finance their personal lives through their campaigns accounts, campaign contributions were the most effective way to influence them,” federal investigators wrote in the indictment unsealed Thursday, attributing the statement to Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens.

Owens allegedly made the remarks more than eight months ago, the first mention in federal documents of a method to conceal bribes for votes.

The developers in this deal for a Jackson convention center hotel — who were actually undercover FBI agents — lured Owens and Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba to a Florida yacht where a photo was taken of Lumumba accepting campaign contribution checks, five of them for $10,000 apiece.

It’s unclear if the public ever would have known about it, though.

3 On Your Side dug into the Capital City’s records, finding that Lumumba hasn’t filed any reports of these contributions as required by law since June of 2021.

Lumumba admitted this to reporters when asked about it last month.

“I have not filed my campaign finance report, which unfortunately is not uncustomary for my campaign,” the mayor said at a Oct. 21 press conference.

Secretary of State Michael Watson said the bribery scandal serves as a reminder that the state needs greater campaign finance reform.

“If people aren’t following the law, they need to be held accountable,” Watson said.

Figuring out what agency’s responsible for holding officials accountable, however, isn’t clear in state law.

The most recent campaign finance report Lumumba filed lists the penalty for not filing at the bottom of the page, saying the elected official “shall not be paid a salary unless and until they file all required reports.”

Who’s supposed to keep the official from being paid? That’s not clear in statute, either.

“That’s a great question, again. What the [Attorney General] opinion says is the municipality may not, shall not, pay the individual who is not up to speed on their reports. Look, I know the [state] auditor audits at the state level, municipal level,” Watson said. “I’ve seen prosecutions at different levels, so I would think that would probably fall under the purview of the auditor’s office. That said, I’ve not researched that enough to say yes or no with finality.”

Though it failed last year, Watson plans to push for more robust campaign finance reform in 2025, making sure these reports are filed and spelling out which agency must step in when someone breaks the law.

“This is just another mechanism, in my opinion, to help keep elected officials honest,” Watson said. “When you have the statewide campaign finance system where everyone can go see who’s getting what, how are they spending those dollars from? Who is it coming? Did it change a vote? I just think that Mississippians deserve that, and we aim to deliver that as soon as we can.”

A spokesperson for the State Auditor’s office said enforcing the statute to withhold an official’s salary falls to the Mississippi Ethics Commission, but state law doesn’t mention which agency is responsible for that particular penalty.

3 On Your Side contacted Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s office to see whether it plays a role here, but the office has not officially responded.

Mississippi law doesn’t require cities or counties to notify the state when a candidate fails to file.

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STARKVILLE — Mississippi State basketball concludes its three-game homestand today.

The Bulldogs (2-0) are hosting Southeastern Louisiana (1-1) at Humphrey Coliseum on Tuesday (6:30 p.m., SEC Network). It’s the Bulldogs’ last home game until Dec. 4.

The Lions beat NAIA school William Carey 91-53 in their season opener before losing at UAB 82-72 on Sunday. Guard Jakevion Buckley, a Lamar transfer, is their leading scorer averaging 17.0 points per game.

Follow along here for live updates.

Watch Mississippi State vs Southeastern Louisiana live on ESPN+ (subscribe today)

Mississippi State vs Southeastern Louisiana score updates

This section will be updated when the game begins.

What time does Mississippi State vs Southeastern Louisiana play today? 

• Date: Tuesday, Nov. 12
• Time: 6:30 p.m.
• Location: Humphrey Coliseum

What channel is Mississippi State vs Southeastern Louisiana on today?

• TV channel: SEC Network+
• Streaming: ESPN+ (subscribe here)
• Radio: Mississippi State radio network 96.1 FM

Mississippi State vs Southeastern Louisiana live stream options

Mississippi State basketball vs. Southeastern Louisiana will be broadcast on SEC Network+. Steaming is available via ESPN+.

Mississippi State vs Southeastern Louisiana predictions

Mississippi State 87, Southeastern Louisiana 49: The MSU offense seems legit so far, averaging 98 points in its first two games. Southeastern Louisiana returns only five players from last season and replaced four of its starters, so it’s still unclear exactly what kind of team the Lions are. A 10-point road loss to a good UAB team could mean something, but MSU should be able to coast to another decisive win.

Mississippi State vs Southeastern Louisiana betting odds

Game lines and odds from BetMGM as of Tuesday:

• Spread: Mississippi State -25.5
• Over/under: 147.5
• Moneyline: Mississippi State -5000/Southeastern Louisiana +1500

Mississippi State vs Southeastern Louisiana injury updates

There are no reported injuries for both Mississippi State and Southeastern Louisiana.

MORE: How Mississippi State football failed to capitalize on Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava’s injury

Mississippi State basketball schedule

Record: 2-0

Next five games on the Mississippi State schedule:

• Nov. 12: vs. Southeastern Louisiana
• Nov. 17: vs. Utah (in Southaven)
• Nov. 22: at SMU
• Nov. 28: vs. UNLV (Arizona Tipoff)
• Nov. 29: vs. Butler or Northwestern (Arizona Tipoff)

Buy Mississippi State basketball tickets this season via StubHub

Southeastern Louisiana basketball schedule

Record: 1-1

Next five games on the Southeastern Louisiana schedule:

• Nov. 12: at Mississippi State
• Nov. 18: at Louisiana-Monroe
• Nov. 22: vs. Wyoming (Cancun Challenge)
• Nov. 26: vs. Gardner-Webb (Cancun Challenge)
• Nov. 27: vs. Bethune-Cookman or North Dakota (Cancun Challenge)

Mississippi State basketball news

• Mississippi State’s 98.0 points per game are third in the SEC and tied for 20th nationally. The 101 points scored against Georgia State are the second most in the Chris Jans era.
• Mississippi State’s 16.0 steals per game are the most in the SEC and tied for fourth nationally. The 17 steals against West Georgia are the most in the Jans era.
• The Bulldogs are 18-1 against Southeastern Louisiana, with the lone loss coming in 2005. This is the first game between the Bulldogs and Lions since 2013-14.

Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.

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‘It was getting darker and I had four bucks fighting in front of me. When he walked up he was on a march.’

A Mississippi teen first got a particular buck on camera two years ago and although it was a 10-point, it didn’t really stand out. Since the buck appeared to be young, the teen’s father said they should let him grow and two years later that decision paid off with a huge buck that unofficially gross-scored 167 inches.

“He was nothing special,” said Walker Hilbun, 18, of Starkville. “He was 3 1/2 (years old) and my dad said we should let him go and it was a really good thing we did.

“The next year I passed on the deer four or five times. It was extremely hard to do. It was hard to let him go last year.”

When the buck showed up on camera this summer, it was a different story.

“He was just a monster with tons of mass and tons of points on him,” Hilbun said. “I was extremely happy I let him go last year and immediately wanted to kill him this year.”

Acorns make hunting the big buck difficult

Harvesting the buck was easier said than done. Hilbun said Patterning the buck was difficult because the cameras on the Oktibbeha County property where he was hunting were set up on food plots and at a feeder, but the buck wasn’t frequenting those spots.

Instead, the buck appeared to be feeding on the early crop of acorns in wooded areas, so that’s where Hilbun focused his efforts, but the plan wasn’t working. A month into the season, Hilbun had not had an encounter with the buck.

On Nov. 1, the buck decided to eat something other than acorns. While Hilbun was hunting in a wooded area, the buck showed up on camera at a nearby food plot.

That prompted a change. Hilbun said his dad said he should hunt out of a shooting house at the food plot in case the buck came back. The following afternoon, that’s what Hilbun did.

‘This deer was ginormous.’ Mississippi teen bags 150-class trophy buck

A food plot filled with deer

“I got in the stand at 3:15,” Hilbun said. “I saw lots of deer. I ended up seeing about 30 deer in the food plot.”

And soon enough, the big buck decided to join them.

“He did pop out at 5:30, 5:35 and I watched him,” Hilbun said. “He’d feed to me and then feed back.”

The buck continued grazing in the food plot for about an hour, but stayed out of range of Hilbun’s bow. Then something happened the buck couldn’t resist.

“It was getting darker, and I had four bucks fighting in front of me,” Hilbun said. “When he walked up he was on a march.”

Hilbun said he was nervous, but he managed to stay calm until he got a shot.

“It was right before dark,” Hilbun said. “I slowly drew back and when I shot he was at 27 yards, I think. I was really confident in my shot.”

Even though Hilbun was confident in his shot, his nerves finally got the best of him.

“I was really shaken up,” Hilbun said. “I was super nervous.”

Deer hunting: How to make the best venison stew you’ve probably ever eaten

Long, sleepless night ends with buck of Mississippi hunter’s dreams

Hilbun said he didn’t track the deer that evening because he didn’t want to risk jumping the buck before it expired. He didn’t have to worry about the meat spoiling because the temperatures went down into the low 60s that night.

Even so, it was a long night. Hilbun said he didn’t sleep as he replayed the shot in his mind over and over. The following morning, a handler came with a tracking dog to help with the recovery and it wasn’t long before Hilbun put his hands on the buck.

“It was the best moment in my life, probably,” Hilbun said. “He was just as big as I thought he was. I was really shaken up and excited.”

And there was a lot to be excited about. The buck had 11 points plus a kicker on one of his brow tines. The inside spread was 17 3/4 inches. The G3s measured over 7 inches and the other nine points racked up inches as well.

And the mass was, well, massive. Hilbun said the total circumference measurements came to roughly 40 inches with a total rough score of 167.

The buck is the biggest he’s ever taken and he realizes he may never harvest another of that size. However, that doesn’t mean Hilbun won’t try.

“It’s probably not super likely, but I can’t kill one if I don’t hunt,” Hilbun said.

Deer hunting: MS hunter bags buck with massive 175-inch, partially shed velvet antlers

Do you have a story idea? Contact Brian Broom at 601-961-7225 or bbroom@gannett.com.