Mississippi
Mississippi officials saw the Jackson water crisis coming — and did nothing
In the summer of 2015, officials in Jackson, Mississippi sent the state a series of water samples taken at different locations throughout the city’s public water system. Residents had complained for weeks about the low pressure in their taps, and the city wanted to test the distribution system to check for possible contamination. Sure enough, regulators in the Mississippi State Department of Health, or MSDH, identified elevated lead levels in the water supply. But rather than immediately inform the city about the public health risk, they sat on the data for half a year. Unwittingly, residents continued to drink toxic water.
Officials in the Environmental Protection Agency were unaware of the problem until they inspected the city’s water system in February and March of 2020. While in Jackson, they found a network of pipes plagued by leaks, poor corrosion control, and elevated lead levels. These “persistent and concerning violations” prompted the EPA to issue an emergency order requiring the city to make improvements. As the events of the following years would show, it was already too late: The following winter, Jackson experienced a system-wide failure during a storm, causing several areas of the city to go without water for weeks. Then, in August 2022, the city’s main water treatment plant failed due to heavy flooding, precipitating a high-profile public health crisis that captured the attention of the nation. To this day, some residents don’t feel that they can depend on the system to deliver safe drinking water.
For years, none of the stakeholders with some authority over Jackson’s water system has taken full accountability for the water crisis. The state government has long blamed city officials for mismanaging the system and violating the Safe Drinking Water Act. City office holders have blamed the state for rejecting their repeated requests for funds to improve the failing infrastructure. The EPA has had a role to play as well. In May, a report from the Project for Government Oversight found that EPA regulators had for years turned a blind eye to Mississippi’s routing of federal dollars away from Jackson. Now, a new report from the EPA’s Office of Inspector General, an independent office within the agency, puts the Mississippi Department of Health in the hot seat.
The MSDH’s failure to promptly report the results of Jackson’s lead tests in 2015 is just one example of the communication deficiencies that kept local and federal officials in the dark about the dire conditions of the city’s water system, the report found. Beyond that single incident, the Inspector General reported that MSDH officials repeatedly failed to document financial and technical capacity challenges; address systemic deficiencies like excessive distribution line breaks and boil water notices; or notify the city about any of the issues they identified. These practices “obscured the long-standing challenges of the system, allowed issues to compound over time, and contributed to the system’s failure,” the report read.
Dominic DeLeo, a local clean water advocate and long-time Jackson resident, told Grist that it wasn’t fair to blame city officials for problems they didn’t fully understand. Over the past half century, Jackson has suffered a long period of decline, the result of deindustrialization and white flight that stripped the local government of resources to maintain the city’s aging infrastructure. Last year, the Mississippi newspaper the Clarion Ledger reported that Jackson is the fastest shrinking city in the nation. City officials seem to have had some information about how Jackson’s water system was failing. For years leading up to the water crisis, the city’s Department of Public Works had raised the alarm over persistent budget deficits and staffing shortages that made it impossible to address issues with the water system.
In 2016, Jackson’s city council declined to institute a civil emergency to deal with persistent water issues so as to not raise alarm among the public. “What we don’t want is to have people in the city concerned or any of our customers concerned that there is something wrong with the water supply,” said then mayor Tony Yarber. Then, at a 2021 hearing, the director of the city’s Department of Public Works Bob Miller said, “There’s no other way to say it, but we’re hanging on by our fingertips.” The missing piece for Jackson along the way was the lack of money available to do anything with the information they did have.
Despite the dire conditions in Jackson, the state failed to route funds from the federal Drinking Water State Revolving Fund to the city to diagnose and address its water issues. Had the EPA been alerted of the issues in Jackson sooner, the agency could have taken proactive steps, like providing more oversight to MSDH or making sure emergency federal funds got to Jackson more quickly, to prevent the kind of system-wide failures that rattled Jackson in subsequent years. One of the problems state regulators omitted in their annual reports was the persistent boil water notices that Jackson residents had to contend with in the years leading up to the crisis. The city would post these notices when pressure in residents’ taps fell, the result of leaks throughout the water system. On average, distribution networks should experience no more than 15 breaks per 100 miles of line every year, according to the OIG. In Jackson, the system experienced an average of 55 line breaks per 100 miles between 2017 and 2021.
The findings of the report offer validation to Jackson residents who have long felt abandoned by the state.
“I wish that [the report] did surprise us, but the trust level of the community with the state is so low,” said Makani Themba, a local activist. “The governor tends to attack us when he has a shot. It’s just been hostile.”
After the EPA charged Jackson officials with violating the Safe Drinking Water Act in January 2022, a federal judge revoked the city’s authority to manage its own water system. Ted Henifin, an engineer by training, was appointed to oversee the system until the conditions in Jackson improved. Last year, the Biden Administration secured an unprecedented $600 million in emergency funds for Jackson to repair its treatment plants and distribution network. While some local residents have reported marked improvements in their water pressure over the past year, others continue to report off-colored, smelly tap water. But the main problem with Henifin’s tenure, city advocates told Grist, is the opaqueness of his spending.
Henifin has full authority to decide how to allocate the infusion of federal dollars that Jackson was awarded last year. Shortly after beginning his new role, the engineer created a company called JXN Water to facilitate his overhaul of the system, prompting concerns about privatization. According to Themba and DeLeo, many residents have seen their utility bills spike since the engineer took over the system. Despite repeated requests for information on how the $600 million is being spent, the only information about the water system that local advocates can reliably get is from the quarterly reports that Henifin delivers to the federal judge who appointed him. This lack of transparency compelled a coalition of local advocacy groups to petition the EPA to enter its lawsuit against the city of Jackson. That request was granted earlier this year. And still, Themba told Grist, they have yet to view Henifin’s budget.
The OIG’s report includes a variety of recommendations for the EPA to provide better oversight of the MSDH, including a complete assessment of the state’s process for monitoring municipal water systems and enforcing federal drinking water standards. EPA officials should also train Mississippi regulators on how to better document system deficiencies and enter that information into a federal database, the report said. According to the OIG, the EPA agreed with all seven of its recommendations. The MSDH has not released an official statement on the report, but told the Mississippi Free Press and ProPublica last week that it is reviewing the document.
DeLeo told Grist that the main reason things were improving in some parts of Jackson was not renewed state or federal oversight or the management of Ted Henifin, but the availability of funding that the low-income city desperately needs. Until Biden issued the emergency funding, Jackson had to use the state as a conduit for receiving federal grant money — a dynamic that has rarely worked out in the city’s favor.
“Should Jackson officials have addressed all the problems that the EPA said they should address” prior to the water crisis, DeLeo asked. “Yes. Did they have the means or the resources to? No. At some point the question becomes, whose fault is that?”
As Mississippi grapples with the opioid epidemic, individuals and local organizations are leading efforts to fight addiction using personal experiences and acts of compassion to guide others toward recovery.
Opioid-related overdose deaths in Mississippi in 2022 accounted for 78.4% of all overdose fatalities in the state, claiming 281 lives, according to the Mississippi State Department of Health.
Mississippi pharmacies dispensed over 410,000 opioid doses daily on average, totaling 149 million doses in a year — equivalent to about 50 doses per resident, according to the Mississippi State Department of Health.
While state officials work to bolster prevention and treatment programs, local organizations and those in recovery play a critical role in addressing the epidemic.
For Jody Couch, founder of Inside Out Outreach, the battle against addiction begins with compassion and community support. Her Gulf Coast-based organization focuses on providing food, clothing, toiletries, spiritual support and other essential resources to individuals experiencing homelessness and battling addiction, addressing immediate needs while fostering a sense of community.
Couch’s Christian faith fuels her work, she said.
“Many people I meet feel invisible,” Couch said. “We remind them they’re not. This is more than just providing food or clothes — it’s about showing them a way forward. I believe that with faith and encouragement, people can find the strength to overcome their struggles.”
That’s what she tried to show 47-year-old Jennifer Callais of Louisiana on a Wednesday morning in August in Gulfport. Callais stood before her, tears streaming down her face.
“I just want to get better and change my life,” Callais said as Couch handed her a bag of donated clothes and food for her and her boyfriend. For years, Callais had struggled with opioid addiction and is one of many individuals Couch regularly supports.
Through Inside Out Outreach, Couch spends her days delivering goods to homeless encampments, offering prayer, and helping people envision a path to recovery. Though she has no personal history of addiction, Couch’s work is rooted in empathy and faith. Encounters like Callais’ reaffirm her belief that small acts of compassion can spark hope and transform lives.
Finding recovery through faith
For 43-year-old Casey Wortman of Saltillo, addiction is personal, and she aims to use her lived experiences to help others.
As a teenager, Wortman turned to opioids to escape feelings of loneliness and despair.
“Drugs became my escape from loneliness and those terrible voices in my head,” Wortman said.
Wortman’s challenges began early. Her parents divorced when she was three, creating an unstable home environment. After her father died when she was 11, she entered into a downward spiral of drug and alcohol use, compounded by trauma and family instability.
Wortman’s road to recovery began with a transformative spiritual experience. In 2017, she turned to faith-based treatment, enrolling in Transformation Home for Women in Mississippi. This decision marked a pivotal moment in her life, as she found strength and purpose through her faith, she said.
“I just scream and shout and worship because Jesus set me free,” she said. Through her recovery, she reconnected with her children, rebuilt her family and embraced her role in helping others.
“There were so many times I thought I’d never make it,” Wortman said. “But I did. And if I can, so can others.”
Today, Wortman is married, a mother, and works at Anchor Church in Tupelo, helping others discover the strength that faith and community can provide. Her life now stands in stark contrast to the struggles she faced during her addiction.
“I have both of my children back, and I’ve been married for five years to the most hardworking, loving, selfless, caring man I know,” Wortman said. “Recovery gave me more than sobriety — it gave me a life I never dreamed was possible.”
‘A turning point’
Patrick Davis of Tupelo said he found recovery through resilience, purpose and the support of his community. The 22-year-old’s addiction began as a way to escape fear and anxiety, but the toll it took on his relationships and self-worth eventually pushed him to make a change.
“I got tired of being embarrassed, detoxing constantly, just trying to survive,” Davis said. “I wanted to look myself in the mirror again and be OK.”
Davis struggled with how his addiction affected his family. While they wanted him around, he often kept his distance, ashamed of the burden he placed on them.
“My family loved having me around, but when I was there, I wasn’t really there,” Davis said. “It was hard for me to show up for anything. I was always late, or I just wouldn’t come. I was stressful to be around, and I gave it all away. Today, it’s different. They can trust me now, and it feels good to be wanted again.”
At 19, Davis entered recovery, tired of the cycle of addiction and seeking something more meaningful. The decision to pursue sobriety was rooted in wanting to reclaim his life.
“It wasn’t easy, but I had to relearn how to live,” Davis said.
Richard Morris, who has been Davis’ best friend since fifth grade, saw the toll addiction took on him.
“The Patrick that was around back then was barely a person,” Morris said. “He couldn’t exist without the stuff. To imagine back then that he would have even been in my wedding — it’s impossible to imagine. When I first saw him after rehab, it was like the first time I’d seen him alive in five years.”
Now, Davis is studying social work and channels his experiences into his job as a community outreach representative at Heale Counseling in Tupelo, finding fulfillment in helping others.
“I love my job. I love its culture,” Davis said. “We lead with honesty and integrity, and you don’t find many companies like that. I’m proud of all the work we’ve done and the staff’s reputation.”
Morris, who has been sober for nearly three years, said he’s proud of his friend’s transformation.
“Patrick was rough, and it started really young,” Morris said. “But to see him get better, it’s incredible. He’s like a brother to me, and I couldn’t be prouder.”
-PHOTO GALLERY-
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Jody Couch, an Inside Out Outreach board member, prays with Robert Expose, left and Diane Banks after giving them food and clothes in Gulfport, Miss., on Wednesday, August 21, 2024. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today -
Jody Couch takes a call from a social worker on Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2024, regarding a homeless person she frequently visits in Gulfport, Miss. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today -
Jody Couch looks for a homeless encampment to deliver supplies in Gulfport, Miss., on Wednesday, August 21, 2024. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today -
Jody Couch prays with a homeless man after giving him food in Gulfport, Miss., on Wednesday, August 21, 2024. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today -
Jody Couch, far right, gives food and clothes to Roth Rouse, from left, Asia Stell, Brittany Necaise, and Dorothea Necaise in Gulfport, Miss., on Wednesday, August 21, 2024. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today -
Diane Banks reaches for fruit inside Jody Couch’s SUV in Gulfport, Miss., on Wednesday, August 21, 2024. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today -
Jody Couch drops off food to Ron Wetmore in Gulfport, Miss., on Wednesday, August 21, 2024. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today -
Jody Couch prays with a homeless man after giving him food in Gulfport, Miss., on Wednesday, August 21, 2024. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today -
Jennifer Callais, left, and her boyfriend, Grand Armstrong, receive food, bandages, and other supplies from Inside Out Outreach board member Jody Couch in Gulfport, Miss., on Wednesday, August 21, 2024. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today -
Jody Couch treats Grand Armstrong’s wound in Gulfport, Miss., on Wednesday, August 21, 2024. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today -
Jennifer Callais, right, tells Jody Couch that she is ready to kick her drug habit, as her boyfriend, Grand Armstrong, listens in Gulfport, Miss., on Wednesday, August 21, 2024. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today -
Jody Couch embraces Jennifer Callais as she talks about her drug addiction in Gulfport, Miss., on Wednesday, August 21, 2024. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today -
Jody Couch, an Inside Out Outreach board member, prepares a bag of food and other items for homeless people in Gulfport, Miss., Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today -
Jody Couch gives food and water to a homeless man in Gulfport, Miss., Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today -
Jody Couch, an Inside Out Outreach board member, prepares a bag of food and other items for homeless people in Gulfport, Miss., Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today -
Jody Couch looks for a homeless encampment to deliver supplies in Gulfport, Miss., on Wednesday, August 21, 2024. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today -
Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today -
Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today -
Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today -
Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today -
Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today -
Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today -
Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today -
Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today -
Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today -
Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today -
Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today -
Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today -
Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today -
Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today
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Mississippi
Claudell Harris Jr., Michael Nwoko help Mississippi State post 83-59 victory over Central Michigan
JACKSON, Miss. — Claudell Harris Jr. made five 3-pointers and scored 19, Michael Nwoko had 18 points and Mississippi State breezed to an 83-59 victory over Central Michigan at Magnolia Madness on Tuesday night.
Harris made 7 of 13 shots — 5 of 8 from beyond the arc — for the Bulldogs (10-1), who upped their win streak to four. Nwoko sank 8 of 12 shots and added seven rebounds.
Josh Hubbard had 11 points for Mississippi State. Cameron Matthews went scoreless but led all rebounders with 10 and added a game-high seven assists.
Jakobi Heady totaled 18 points and six rebounds to pace the Chippewas (5-5). Anthony Pritchard made three 3-pointers and scored 15.
Harris made four of his 3-pointers and scored 14 to help Mississippi State take a 32-25 lead into halftime. Heady had eight points at the break to keep Central Michigan within striking distance.
Heady’s 3=pointer started a 7-0 run for Central Michigan after Nwoko opened the scoring by making 1 of 2 free throws. Hubbard answered with a 3-pointer for Mississippi State and Harris followed with two more in an 11-0 run and the Bulldogs led the rest of the way.
Nwoko had seven points in a 20-6 spurt to begin the second half and Mississippi State cruised from there.
Central Michigan guard Cayden Vasko (2) protects a rebound from Mississippi State forward KeShawn Murphy (3) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024, in Jackson, Miss. Credit: AP/Rogelio V. Solis
Mississippi State outscored the Chippewas 44-16 in the paint and the Bulldogs’ bench outscored their counterparts 29-9.
Mississippi State travels to play No. 21 Memphis on Saturday. Central Michigan travels to play Arizona on Saturday.
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Mississippi
Officials: Operation Safe Neighborhoods going successfully – Mississippi's Best Community Newspaper
Officials: Operation Safe Neighborhoods going successfully
Published 3:32 pm Tuesday, December 17, 2024
- Over 20 individuals arrested over the last two weeks as part of Operation Safe Neighborhoods.
NATCHEZ — In recent weeks, Adams County Sheriff’s Office and the Natchez Police Department have been saturating arrest logs with at least 22 new arrests and counting as part of Operation Safe Neighborhoods, a joint collaboration of the police and sheriff’s office to get wanted individuals off of the streets.
Over the last two weeks, they have arrested 13 people with outstanding warrants including one person for attempted murder, one person for shooting into a dwelling, and one on Adams County’s “Most Wanted” list.
They have encountered an additional eight people carrying weapons, one of which was arrested for felon in possession of a firearm. There have been six drug arrests and three other people arrested for other charges.
“Most of the arrests have been people with warrants or indictments,” said Natchez Police Chief Cal Green, adding without knowing the suspects’ locations, having additional manpower patrolling the streets has helped serve the warrants. “Once officers were in the area and saw them, they were able to make arrests. I believe it’s been going well. People who we have seen in the neighborhoods have for the most part been happy to see us out there.”
Sheriff Travis Patten said he is very proud of the cooperation and communication between the two agencies. As the holidays approach, Adams County citizens can expect more operations to help ensure the safety of families and citizens in the public areas attending the many upcoming events, he added.
Since the launch of Operation Safe Neighborhoods, authorities have made the following arrests:
Barney Hawkins: Possession of a controlled substance
Samitilius Mason: Indictment for accessory to drive-by shooting
Brandon Colenberg: NPD warrant for failure to appear
Terrance Thomas: Disorderly conduct
Nikki Jackson: Justice Court bench warrant
Derrick Coleman: Possession of a controlled substance
Tina McDonald: Possession of a controlled substance
Trevionta Carter: Possession of a controlled substance
Tyrell White: NPD warrant for attempted murder and shooting into an occupied vehicle.
Shonkeith Calvin: Indictment for fleeing law enforcement and possession of a controlled substance
Adrian Brown: Two Justice Court bench warrants
Bennie Jones Williams: NPD warrants for felony possession of Marijuana, fleeing or eluding law enforcement and possession of a controlled substance
Micheal Johnson: Felon in possession of a firearm
Johnnie Lynn Anders: Possession of schedule II methamphetamine with intent to distribute
Savannah Hammers: Two bench warrants and grand larceny
Alexander Johnson: Indictment for armed robbery
Jdarrius Holt: Indictment for rape
Michelle Williams: NPD warrant for simple assault
Zachariah Combs: Resisting arrest
Sam Mason: Burglary warrant
Kim Watkins: NPD warrant for two counts of felony shoplifting and trespassing
Carell Jones: Contempt of Court
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