Mississippi

Mississippi Wind-Mit Program Now Funded Through Surplus Lines Assn. Revenue

Published

2 years ago

May 28, 2024

Mississippi Wind-Mit Program Now Funded Through Surplus Lines Assn. Revenue

Almost two decades after it was established by the Mississippi Legislature, a storm and flood-mitigation grant program now has some funding – $5 million to be transferred from the Mississippi Surplus Lines Association.

“The Legislature didn’t appropriate the money. I went out and found it,” state Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney said last week after announcing the signing of the bill that authorized the funding.

Mississippi now joins the growing list of Southeastern states that have provided some type of fund mechanism to help property owners fortify their structures against damage from wind and, in Mississippi’s case, flooding, in exchange for insurance premium discounts.

The $5 million for coastal counties in the Magnolia State is a far cry from the $200 million set aside this year by Florida lawmakers for matching grants for the My Safe Florida Home statewide wind-mitigation program. But it’s a start – at a time that some experts have said mitigation programs may be the best way to reduce losses and modulate rates as storms appear to be gaining in frequency and intensity, officials said.

Chaney

Mississippi Lawmakers authorized the fortification program in 2007 but never appropriated any funds for it, Chaney explained. With legislators reluctant to provide tax dollars, Chaney said he was able to tap into funds that had been building up in the surplus lines association for years. The association, a non-profit organization that works closely with the state Insurance Department on surplus lines matters, had accumulated as much as $9 million from the surplus lines tax and the stamping office fees, Chaney said.

“We’ve been planning on this since 2010,” he said.

Officials with the surplus lines association declined to comment about it last week.

This year, Mississippi House Bill 1705 authorized the transfer of the funding from the association to a fortification program trust fund. The governor signed the bill May 13. The program will provide grants of up to $10,000 per recipient, for homes that are retrofitted to standards developed by the Institute for Business and Home Safety. Mitigation work may include building or elevating homes above the flood line; installing hurricane straps for stronger roof-to-wall connections; adding storm shutters; and the purchase of flood insurance for vulnerable properties.

It’s only for the six Mississippi counties closest to the coastline. Chaney said he had hoped for a statewide program, including one that would help poultry farmers retrofit chicken houses to withstand high winds. But he said “politics” in the Capitol had blocked the statewide assistance plan. Perhaps next year the program can be expanded, he noted.

The Insurance Department also will be able to apply for public and private grants to help fortify homes, the bill notes. The department will soon issue a request for proposals on administering the program, and plans to have a web page available with more information on the grant program.

The text of HB 1705 can be seen here. A similar bill died in committee this spring.

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Mississippi

Couple sentenced for selling faulty fire extinguishers to Mississippi daycares, businesses – SuperTalk Mississippi

Published

7 hours ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Couple sentenced for selling faulty fire extinguishers to Mississippi daycares, businesses – SuperTalk Mississippi

The Smith County couple who knowingly sold faulty fire alarms to daycares and other commercial businesses across the state will spend time behind bars.

Daniel and Sherri Finnegan, the owners of Finnegan Fire Safety Equipment, entered guilty pleas on Tuesday in connection with the fraud scheme. Daniel Finnegan will spend seven years in prison, while his spouse will be locked up for one year. Officials report that the plea agreements encompass charges filed in both Rankin and Madison counties, where 12 charges have been filed against each defendant stemming from six different cases.

The Finnegans were arrested in Aug. 2024 for selling and installing used fire suppression systems that did not work and were not tested before being placed into service, putting people at risk in the event of fire. The Mississippi Insurance Department reported that the couple targeted minority-owned businesses and owners who had a language barrier.

Originally, the duo was charged with 41 counts each of false pretense, along with 37 counts each of violations of the Mississippi Fire Prevention Code. Despite the pleas entered in Rankin and Madison Counties, the defendants still face an additional 31 fire prevention code violations and 37 false pretense charges that remain pending in 11 other counties.

“The investigation showed that more than $343,000 was paid directly to the couple by confirmed victims. It is important to note that this figure does not represent the full financial impact, as some financial documentation could not be obtained,” a statement from the Mississippi Insurance Department reads. “Furthermore, many victims incurred substantial additional costs to correct and remediate deficient installations and to bring fire protection systems into compliance.”

Restitution ordered for Daniel Finnegan totals $67,853.95, while Sherri Finnegan has to pay out $20,000.

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Mississippi

Former federal attorney faces arson charge after two fires in Fondren

Published

19 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Former federal attorney faces arson charge after two fires in Fondren

A former federal attorney was arrested and charged with arson for two fires in Jackson, Mississippi.
The fires damaged a building and a dumpster at the Yana Club of Mississippi, a recovery community nonprofit.
The suspect, George McDowell Yoder III, has a history of previous arrests and was suspended from practicing law in 2022.

A former federal attorney was arrested and charged with arson after a building and dumpster were set on fire Friday, Feb. 27, in the Fondren area of Jackson, authorities said.

Jackson Fire Department Chief of Investigations Charles Felton said firefighters responded around 12 a.m. Friday in reference to a reported building fire and dumpster fire at Yana Club of Mississippi located at 555 Hartsfield Street.

Felton said fire crews arrived and found two separate fires in the Fondren neighborhood that caused damage to the Yana Club and the dumpster.

No injuries were reported.

After the fires were extinguished, a fire investigator was called to the scene. Investigators spoke with Capitol Police, who had a suspect detained.

Felton said the Jackson Fire Department Arson Division arrested George McDowell Yoder III, a former federal attorney, and charged him with first-degree arson of Yana Club and third-degree arson of the dumpster.

In 2021, WDAM TV reported Yoder had been a special assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi from 2009 to 2011. Yoder also ran unsuccessfully as a candidate for the Mississippi Court of Appeals in 2016.

According to a 2023 article by the Laurel Leader Call, Yoder was arrested in 2021 for residential burglary and faced multiple charges from 2021 to 2023. Yoder was also arrested in 2023 for arson charges, the outlet reported.

Documents from the Supreme Court of Mississippi also indicate that Yoder was admitted to the practice of law in the state in 1999 but later suspended in 2022 from practicing law for three years.

Court records show Yoder was found to be accepting fees from clients, abandoning them and then failing to deposit their retainers into a trust account. Yoder “commingled” his personal money with those of his clients and performed little to no work on a Madison County criminal case he was hired to resolve.

Jackson fire officials also said that a fire did not occur Friday morning at The Pig & Pint, a barbecue business located next to Yana Club.

Yana Club of Mississippi, a nonprofit organization, is described via their Facebook page as a “recovery community” that serves individuals seeking help with addictions.

The organization confirmed at 10:23 a.m. Friday via a social media post that the Yana Club building will be closed due to damages sustained from the fire.

“Due to the safety of our members, we will be closed through the weekend,” the organization stated. “We are working with [the] fire department and insurance to determine the best course of action. The building is currently deemed unsafe for meetings to be held. We will be in touch with updates when we have them.”

Pam Dankins is the breaking news reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Have a tip? Email her at pdankins@gannett.com.

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Mississippi

Renowned New York dance instructor visits Mississippi to recruit for summer program

Published

1 day ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Renowned New York dance instructor visits Mississippi to recruit for summer program

LAUREL, Miss. (WDAM) – A world-renowned dance instructor from New York visited Laurel Thursday to conduct a special class and do some recruiting for a prestigious summer dance program in the Big Apple.

Melanie Person, who is co-director of the Ailey School in New York, taught a master ballet class Thursday morning at Laurel Middle School.

It’s part of a three-day residency in the Magnolia State, organized by the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience in Meridian.

She’ll teach two other classes Friday in Meridian before hosting an audition Saturday for a prestigious summer dance program at the Ailey School.

“I typically tour in about six to eight cities in the U.S., and I recruit dancers to come to our summer intensive, so part of this weekend, in one of the classes, I will be accepting students to come to New York for our five-week summer intensive,” Person said.

“We accept the dancers we like, and we see if they are able to come. The decision to come to New York for the summer is a big undertaking for families, so we just hope that they can do it.”

Registration is required for that audition, which will be held at the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience.

To do that, click HERE.

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