Mississippi

Mississippi ruling clears path for private AI power. Prado moves forward

Published

3 weeks ago

June 1, 2026

Press Room

Mississippi ruling clears path for private AI power. Prado moves forward

The Mississippi Public Service Commission ruled that companies can generate power for their own use without being regulated as a public utility.
This ruling allows Gabriel Prado and his company, PraCon Global, to potentially build data centers with their own on-site power generation.
Prado’s plan involves developing AI industrial campuses in areas of Mississippi that currently lack sufficient power grid infrastructure.
Unlike other data centers relying on large utilities, Prado’s projects aim to prevent energy cost increases for Mississippi ratepayers.

The Mississippi Public Service Commission has made a ruling that paves the way for Gabriel Prado and his company PraCon Global investment Group to move forward with plans to potentially build a data center in the Jackson area.

The Public Service Commission’s ruling could transform how energy usage is delivered, particularly for the data center economy in Mississippi and next generation AI industrial development, in theory protecting consumers from long-term energy cost increases.

“PraCon Global investment Group welcomes the decision of the Mississippi Public Service Commission that leaves intact the plain language of Mississippi law and declines to reinterpret or narrow the long-standing statutory exemption that allows companies to construct, own, and operate electric generationfacilities for their own private commercial use without regulation as a public utility,” Prado said. “Asstated in its Request, PRADO AI’s proposed power generation facilities will serve its planned AI data center and AI semiconductor manufacturing campus.

“By declining to issue a declaratory opinion, the commission did not alter, limit or reinterpret the statutory exemption contained in Mississippi Code §77-3-3(d). PRADO AI celebrates that the PSC and Mississippi law continues to operate exactly as written by the Mississippi Legislature, allowing private companies to generate electricity for their own facilities without being classified as a public utility.”

The ruling is also a step for Prado and his company, which plans to jump into the fray to compete in the data center explosion as he intends to add large scale AI industrial infrastructure projects, including “AI semiconductor facilities” and data centers across Mississippi.

Large utilities’ role in Mississippi data center economy

As Mississippi gets deeper and deeper into a data center economy that is going to require copious amounts of energy over the next decade, Entergy Mississippi pushed all its chips in the middle of the table.

Entergy Mississippi made a five-year investment in 2025 into what it called reliable energy to keep rates lower. Those investments, Entergy has said, will be paid for by companies such as Amazon.

Meanwhile, states throughout the nation are pushing back on the data center economy, in part because of fears of rising energy costs.

In May, Maine lawmakers passed the first U.S. statewide moratorium on new, large data centers to study impacts on energy rates and environmental resources.

Last week in Jackson, dozens of Jackson residents — some with signs that read “No Data Centers,” “Can’t Drink Data” and “Jackson is our City” packed shoulder-to-shoulder into the small conference room inside the Warren Hood Building on Wednesday, May 27.

It all goes back to available energy

The one thing that data center developers AWS, Compass Data in Meridian and AVAIO Digital in Brandon have talked about is the ability of the state’s energy companies to deliver at a breakneck speed. In the case of Compass, it has been Mississippi Power, but for AWS, at both Madison campuses and the Warren County campus and then AVAIO, it has been Entergy.

Mark McComiskey, AVAIO Digital CEO2, made that case clear in August, when talking about why his company chose Mississippi, in general and Brandon, specifically.

“The Greater Jackson area is poised to become a new hub for cloud computing and AI development, and we are delighted to partner with the city of Brandon to make a significant investment in expanding the region’s digital and energy infrastructure,” McComiskey said.

Interstate 20 across Mississippi may come to be known as the Data Center Corridor because of availble energy built by Entergy.

Prado’s plan for economic development

Prado, meanwhile, wants to have energy production on site, unlike what Entergy and Southern Company do with grids across the state. Prado’s plan, he said, also would not be like what Elon Musk’s XAI did with turbines that created severe noise pollution in North Mississippi.

Prado said he has identified multiple sites in Mississippi for development of advanced AI industrial campuses, which would have AI semiconductor fabrication facilities and data center campuses.

The projects are structured, he said, so that electricity is not sold or resold, but instead provided as an “incidental component or real estate leasing arrangements”, which Prado said is consistent with Mississippi law.

If he is able to do that, Prado wants to take the data center economy to places that currently don’t have sufficiently built-out grids from Entergy or Southern Company, such as places in the Mississippi Delta or even Southwest Mississippi.

Prado is relying on language in Mississippi Code 77-3-3(d), which says that an entity is not a public utility and will not be treated as such if “it provides electricity to itself or to tenants as an incident of tenancy.”

The filing to the PSC states any of Prado’s power generation facilities will operate off-grid, serving only on-site electrical demand, with no electricity being sold to the public or third parties.

“By self-generating energy on site, we ensure that 100% of the cost of powering AI semiconductor and AI cloud computing operations is borne by the company and is not passed on to Mississippi rate payers over time,” Prado said.

How is the power generated?

Samsung is doing something similar in Texas with a $17 billion project.

However, Prado has not fully explained the details of his project and how it will work.

“We are building long-term, environmentally responsible AI industrial infrastructure, not short-term fixes,” Prado said. “This is about doing it right from day one, with reliability, sustainability and community impact in mind.”

Who is Gabriel Prado?

To this point, Prado, who lives in Jackson, has only ventured into commercial real estate and development.

In December 2024, Prado helped bring to life Topgolf, as the sports entertainment venue opened in Ridgeland with much fanfare as part of the Prado Vista development just off of I-55.

And while Topgolf is the drawing card for the development northeast of the Renaissance at Colony Park, the project has promise of more with shopping and an array of other options..

One of the outgrowths from Topgolf being the anchor of the 77-acre mixed-use development was to include office, retail and restaurant space, and the potential of homes for sale, among other things.

This new data center economy venture would seem to take the Belhaven University graduate to a different level of commitment in the business world of Mississippi.

This is a developing story.

Charlie Drape contributed to this story.

Ross Reily is a writer for the Clarion Ledger, part of the USA TODAY Network. He can be reached at rreily@gannett.com or 601-573-2952. You can follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter @GreenOkra1.

Source link

Click to comment

Mississippi

Iconic Mississippi foods and top US foodie states

Published

2 hours ago

June 21, 2026

Press Room

Iconic Mississippi foods and top US foodie states

When you think of Mississippi food, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? The state has lots of iconic offerings, including biscuits, tamales and mud pie.

Talker Research surveyed 5,000 Americans for Hello Fresh. They talked to families about how much they cook at home, pride in local recipes and the states they think have the best cuisine in the U.S.

“Food has always been about more than just sustenance — it’s how we connect, share stories and pass down traditions,” said Michelle Doll Olson, senior manager of culinary development at HelloFresh US. “From California shrimp tacos and Minnesota Juicy Lucy, to Louisiana gumbo and New York bagels, the dishes that define each state carry generations of family memories and cultural pride.”

The average American reportedly cooks 12 meals at home every week. That’s three breakfasts, four lunches and five dinners.

Sharing food is a matter of community pride.

Get your groceries easily with Hello Fresh

What does Mississippi taste like?

New Hampshire was proud of its apple cider donuts while Utah bragged about “fry sauce.” Ohio loves its “buckeyes.”

People said the most iconic Mississippi foods are fried catfish and soul food.

Which states have the best food?

The Top 5 foodie states, according to the survey, were:

California
New York
Texas
Louisiana
Florida

Residents of neighboring Louisiana were the most confident (94%) that they had the best cuisine.

What dishes and flavors represent other Southern states?

According to the data, here’s what other Southern states say represents them.

Alabama: banana pudding, pinto beans and cornbread
Arkansas: catfish, country fried chicken
Florida: seafood, key lime pie, fresh orange juice
Georgia: peach cobbler, seafood boils
Kentucky: fried chicken
Louisiana: crawfish, Cajun cuisine, gumbo
North Carolina: barbecue, knoephla soup
South Carolina: soul food
Tennessee: barbecue
Texas: Tex Mex, barbecue
Virginia: ham

Bonnie Bolden is the Deep South Connect reporter for Mississippi with USA TODAY Network. Email her at bbolden@usatodayco.com.

Source link

Mississippi

Mississippi Lottery Mississippi Match 5, Cash 3 results for June 20, 2026

Published

13 hours ago

June 21, 2026

Press Room

Mississippi Lottery Mississippi Match 5, Cash 3 results for June 20, 2026

The Mississippi Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at June 20, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Mississippi Match 5 numbers from June 20 drawing

06-14-22-23-29

Check Mississippi Match 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 3 numbers from June 20 drawing

Midday: 3-3-4, FB: 7

Evening: 9-7-3, FB: 5

Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 4 numbers from June 20 drawing

Midday: 0-2-5-1, FB: 7

Evening: 7-1-0-9, FB: 5

Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from June 20 drawing

Midday: 02

Evening: 13

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Story continues below gallery.

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

Winnings of $599 or less can be claimed at any authorized Mississippi Lottery retailer.

Prizes between $600 and $99,999, may be claimed at the Mississippi Lottery Headquarters or by mail. Mississippi Lottery Winner Claim form, proper identification (ID) and the original ticket must be provided for all claims of $600 or more. If mailing, send required documentation to:

Mississippi Lottery Corporation

P.O. Box 321462

Flowood, MS

39232

If your prize is $100,000 or more, the claim must be made in person at the Mississippi Lottery headquarters. Please bring identification, such as a government-issued photo ID and a Social Security card to verify your identity. Winners of large prizes may also have the option of setting up electronic funds transfer (EFT) for direct deposits into a bank account.

Mississippi Lottery Headquarters

1080 River Oaks Drive, Bldg. B-100

Flowood, MS

39232

Mississippi Lottery prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the drawing date. For detailed instructions and necessary forms, please visit the Mississippi Lottery claim page.

When are the Mississippi Lottery drawings held?

Cash 3: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
Cash 4: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
Match 5: Daily at 9:30 p.m. CT.
Cash Pop: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Mississippi editor. You can send feedback using this form.

Source link

Mississippi

Eight tornadoes confirmed in Louisiana and Mississippi from Post-Tropical Cyclone Arthur storms

Published

23 hours ago

June 20, 2026

Press Room

Eight tornadoes confirmed in Louisiana and Mississippi from Post-Tropical Cyclone Arthur storms

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – The National Weather Service has confirmed eight tornadoes touched down across Louisiana and Mississippi on June 18th, 2026, with damage surveys revealing significant impacts to homes, businesses, and infrastructure.

The survey work continues on several areas, including Eden Isle, where meteorologists are analyzing whether additional weak tornadoes occurred within widespread wind damage.

The NWS has asked for patience as crews complete their analysis, with the next update expected Monday, June 22.

A busy morning of severe weather

The tornado activity began early Thursday morning around 2:49 a.m. and continued through the morning hours, with the last confirmed tornado occurring around 8:12 a.m.

The storms primarily impacted the greater New Orleans area, including parts of Jefferson Parish, Orleans Parish, and St. Tammany Parish in Louisiana, as well as Hancock and Harrison counties in Mississippi.

The damage: eight confirmed tornadoes

Houma area hit hardest

Four of the eight confirmed tornadoes touched down in the Houma area, with a fourth nearby.

The most significant damage in Houma came from an EF-1 tornado that tracked through the city around 3:47 a.m., producing winds up to 95 mph.

This tornado damaged the Lynn Park Shopping Center, where nearly every window was damaged, and interior walls partially collapsed. Four homes sustained partial to significant roof loss, and one home had an exterior wall collapse.

Another EF-1 tornado in the same area tossed a truck 30 feet and caused significant damage. Multiple trees were snapped and uprooted, with several homes sustaining partial roof loss, and at least one carport collapsed.

An EF-1 tornado causes significant roof damage to two homes on Crozier Drive, and at least one exterior wall collapsed on each.

An EF-0 tornado also impacted the McCord area of Houma, damaging trees, several homes, and electrical poles.

Long-track tornado from St. Tammany Parish to Mississippi

The most significant tornado of the day was an EF-1 that traveled 12.42 miles from Treasure Isle in St. Tammany Parish to rural Hancock County, Mississippi. With maximum winds of 105 mph and a width of up to 300 yards, this tornado caused extensive damage across its path.

The tornado flipped a large boat near Treasure Isle and progressed northeast, removing shingles from homes and snapping trees along Bluegill Drive.

As it moved into Avery Estates, the tornado grew in size and strengthened, uprooting numerous trees along U.S. Highway 190 and damaging several outbuildings. A manufactured home had most of its roof removed and was shifted significantly off its foundation.

The tornado maintained strength as it moved over the Pearl River Basin before weakening as it approached Hancock County, where ground survey teams documented widespread tree damage on rural roads.

Additional tornadoes

An EF-1 tornado tracked 7.26 miles from Bridge City through New Orleans to the University of New Orleans area around 5:43 a.m., producing winds up to 95 mph. Damage was primarily tree damage and minor building damage across the city.

A brief EF-1 tornado touched down north of Highway 90 in Avondale, injuring two people. The tornado tracked northeast with home damage and snapped tree branches. One home sustained damage when another mobile home rolled into it. The wind speeds were estimated to be 90 mph.

An EF-1 tornado also tracked across Hancock and Harrison counties in Mississippi, with widespread tree damage, including several large trees uprooted and snapped. Minor damage occurred to several properties along the 6.38-mile path.