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Mississippi session: Yes to moms’ Medicaid, no to tax cuts

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Mississippi session: Yes to moms’ Medicaid, no to tax cuts


JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — In the course of the three-month session that ended early Saturday, Mississippi lawmakers assured a 12 months of Medicaid protection for ladies after beginning however ignored broader Medicaid growth for working folks whose jobs don’t present medical insurance.

The bulk-white and Republican-controlled Legislature voted for a bigger state police presence within the capital metropolis of Jackson beginning in July 2024, regardless of objections from Black lawmakers who known as it an influence seize over the majority-Black metropolis ruled by Democrats. Supporters of Capitol Police growth stated they’re attempting to cut back crime within the metropolis of practically 150,000 residents, which had greater than 100 homicides every of the previous three years.

Right here’s a glance different points:

TAXES: Republican Home Speaker Philip Gunn isn’t looking for reelection this 12 months, and certainly one of his primary targets was to part out the state earnings tax. He stated doing so would make Mississippi extra aggressive with fast-growing Texas and Florida, which don’t tax earnings. Opponents of the tax elimination cautioned that Mississippi mustn’t jeopardize its skill to pay for colleges and different providers. Though legislators enacted a the state’s largest-ever tax minimize in 2022, Gunn’s proposal died with little dialogue this 12 months.

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ELECTIONS: Republican Gov. Tate Reeves signed a legislation setting tighter restrictions on absentee ballots. The legislation, beginning July 1, units a brief listing of people that can “gather and transmit” a poll mailed to a different individual. That listing consists of workers of the U.S. Postal Service or different mail carriers, plus any “member of the family, family member or caregiver of the individual to whom the poll was mailed.” Reeves stated it will stop fraud by political operatives. Opponents stated the brand new restrictions might harm nursing residence workers or others who make good-faith efforts to assist folks receive and mail absentee ballots.

EDUCATION: Republican Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and different Senate leaders sought to revise and totally fund the Mississippi Ample Schooling Program, a funds components designed to present colleges sufficient cash to fulfill midlevel tutorial requirements. MAEP was put into legislation in 1997 however has been totally funded solely two years. Home leaders rejected the Senate proposal. Legislators voted to extend schooling spending by greater than $100 million throughout the 12 months that begins July 1, however they nonetheless left MAEP in need of full funding.

INITIATIVES: Legislators didn’t revive an initiative course of to let folks petition to place points on statewide ballots. Mississippi allowed initiatives for about 30 years, however the state Supreme Court docket dominated in Might 2021 that the method was invalid as a result of it required folks to assemble signatures from 5 outdated congressional districts relatively than 4 districts the state has had because the early 2000s. The Home voted this session to permit initiatives on many points however not for proposing adjustments to abortion legal guidelines. That proposal died within the Senate, the place Accountability, Effectivity and Transparency Committee Chairman John Polk stated he preferred the abortion restriction however wished to considerably improve the variety of signatures over what the earlier initiative course of required.



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The United States Department of Justice and the Mississippi Attorney General move to prevent needed water rate relief to 40,000 residents of Jackson, Mississippi

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The United States Department of Justice and the Mississippi Attorney General move to prevent needed water rate relief to 40,000 residents of Jackson, Mississippi


Actions by the US Department of Justice will delay or potentially eliminate the ability to provide water rate relief to the estimated 15,000 households served by JXN Water which currently receive SNAP benefits.

JACKSON, Miss., June 15, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — The US Department of Justice (US DOJ) and the Mississippi Attorney General filed notices of appeal from the order issued by US Federal District Judge Henry T. Wingate’s on April 16, 2024, directing the United States and the State of Mississippi to confidentially disclose Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) information to the Interim Third-Party Manager (ITPM).

The SNAP data is needed by the ITPM to identify customers that are eligible to be included in the new SNAP Customer Classification implemented with the new rate structure effective on February 1, 2024. The rate for customers in the SNAP Customer Classification includes a reduced availability fee, ensuring water and sewer bills can be paid by all. It will also allow the ITPM to avoid spending significant amounts of ratepayer money seeking to collect bills which these customers are simply unable to pay.

Judge Wingate’s order found the rate structure associated with the ITPM’s SNAP Customer Classification satisfied the criteria under federal statute for the confidential release of the SNAP recipients’ names and addresses so that they could be categorically placed in the SNAP Customer Classification without the need for extensive administrative efforts on the part of the ITPM and without requiring customers endure an additional burdensome application process to be appropriately included in the SNAP Customer Classification.

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For reasons we simply don’t understand, the US Department of Justice disagrees that the ITPM’s rate schedule constitutes a federal assistance program under the SNAP statute and, accordingly, object to the State of Mississippi giving the ITPM the list (to be used in strict confidence).

The US Department of Justice has doubled down by threatening to withdraw SNAP benefits for the entire state if the State complies with Judge Wingate’s order. That threat has forced the Mississippi Attorney General to also appeal Judge Wingate’s order. The ITPM is an officer of Judge Wingate’s court, and his January 2024 rate schedule (including the SNAP Customer Classification rate schedule) easily qualifies as a federal assistance program. There is no good reason that DOJ can’t acquiesce and allow the State to share the list with the ITPM.

“While we would have preferred that Mississippi’s Attorney General not appeal Judge Wingate’s order, we recognize that the US DOJ has put them between a rock and a hard place given their threat to punish all SNAP recipients in Mississippi if the State gives the ITPM the Jackson area SNAP list,” said ITPM Ted Henifin.

These actions by the US Department of Justice will delay or potentially eliminate the ability to provide water rate relief to the estimated 15,000 households served by JXN Water which currently receive SNAP benefits. Under the ITPM’s rate structure, SNAP recipients would save $30 per month and save the ITPM untold collection costs.

The DOJ’s misguided opposition to the confidential use of SNAP recipient’s names and addresses to provide significant water rate assistance is inexplicable and disheartening given the economic challenges the beneficiaries face (Mississippi has the lowest per capita income in the nation and this rate relief is for residents of the City of Jackson, a community with a minority population of over 80 percent).

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DOJ’s ill-advised and unnecessary opposition is particularly troubling given the water-related suffering these residents have endured for years.

ABOUT JXN WATER

Committed to providing safe, reliable drinking water and collecting and cleaning wastewater before it returns to our local waterways, JXN Water is the Mississippi corporation led by an Interim Third-Party Manager to achieve the objectives of the federal stipulated orders that re-establish the entire water system.

Media Contact

Ameerah Palacios, JXN Water, 1 5022435803, [email protected], www.JXNwater.com

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SOURCE JXN Water



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2nd suspect arrested after abducted child found dead in Mississippi | WKRG.com

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2nd suspect arrested after abducted child found dead in Mississippi | WKRG.com


JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade said a second suspect has been arrested in connection to the abduction and death of a four-year-old girl in Mississippi.

Wade told WJTV 12 News that the female suspect, 32-year-old Victoria Cox, is an acquaintance of 36-year-old Daniel Callihan, who was captured on Thursday, June 13 in Jackson.

“She was arrested at 3880 I-55 South, the OYO hotel, here in South Jackson. Of course, it was a collaborative effort, again, between the FBI Task Force, Jackson PD, U.S. Marshal’s and Rankin County Sheriff’s Department,” the police chief said.

Jackson police said Cox was charged with capital murder and sexual assault. She was transferred to the Hinds County Detention Center in Raymond. Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Daniel Edwards said his investigators plan to question Cox.

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Callihan was the suspect at the center of an Amber Alert in Louisiana before he was arrested on Boozier Drive.

According to Wade, 4-year-old Erin Brunett was found deceased in a wooded area. Her sister, 6-year-old Jalie Brunett, was taken to a Jackson hospital for treatment.

The Jackson police chief said there was evidence of possible human trafficking at the location on Boozier Drive, including small animal cages. Wade said Jackson police have contacted the Human Trafficking Divisions of the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) and Hinds County to assess the scene.

Authorities said the Amber Alert was issued for the two girls, who were abducted after their mother was killed in Loranger, Louisiana, on Thursday.

Edwards said 35-year-old Callie Brunett was found dead by her father on the floor of her bedroom inside her locked mobile home on North Cooper Road after having been reported missing by her parents 24 hours earlier. They had last spoken to her Tuesday morning.

Callihan is suspected of killing Callie Brunett. Investigators told the Associated Press the two had dated.

Wade said he did not believe Callihan was the father of the two children. Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey said Callihan is being held in the Rankin County Jail on a courtesy hold.

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WJTV 12 News reached out to the FBI in Jackson about the case. They said, “The FBI is dedicating all available resources and tools at its disposal to this investigation, including Victim Services personnel, who are working closely with the survivors of this unspeakable tragedy.”

Anyone with additional information about the incident can contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.



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3 arrested after Southern Mississippi cornerback's shooting death: Police | WKRG.com

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3 arrested after Southern Mississippi cornerback's shooting death: Police | WKRG.com


HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WKRG) — Multiple arrests have been made in connection to the shooting death of Southern Mississippi cornerback Marcus “MJ” Daniels Jr., according to the Hattiesburg Police Department.

The HPD shared on Facebook that they have arrested and charged three individuals with capital murder. This comes after Daniels was found shot to death in his car Tuesday night.

Among those arrested was 18-year-old Orlando May of Hattiesburg. News 5 cannot name the other two individuals, identified as a 17-year-old and a 16-year-old, due to their minor status.

Orlando May (Hattiesburg Police)

The post said that May was charged with one count of capital murder, one count of attempted armed carjacking, one count of felony eluding, and two counts of grand larceny auto.

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Both the unnamed 17-year-old and the unnamed 16-year-old were charged as an adult with one count of capital murder and one count of attempted armed carjacking, according to the post.

Hattiesburg police say this is an ongoing investigation, although arrests have been made.

Anyone with additional information on this case can contact Hattiesburg Police Detectives at 601-545-4971 or Crime Stoppers at 601-582-STOP.

Anonymous tips can also be submitted at www.p3tips.com.

News 5 will update this story as more information becomes available.

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