Mississippi
MS Secretary of State sets sights on campaign finance transparency
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Secretary of State Michael Watson has been proposing a campaign finance database for years. Now, as corruption scandals unfurl into investigations and trials throughout Mississippi, he thinks he has the support to enact his vision into law.
Watson told reporters Wednesday that he was working alongside Sen. Jeremy England, R-Vancleave, to develop a database that would streamline campaign finance reporting and searching.
“We want to make sure that we hold our elected officials accountable,” he said. “Who’s getting a $100,000 check here and changing their vote the next month or next week?”
Candidates for office at all levels would have to submit their campaign finance information digitally to a website run by the Secretary of State’s office, which would be searchable. The idea, Watson said, is to provide a candidate’s campaign finance information for every available election cycle with a single search.
“I think we can tell Mississippians, ‘We want you to hold us accountable, because when you hold us accountable, you get better government,’” he said. “If you want to take a trip or have a steak, that’s fine. Mississippians should know about it.”
The bill would close some loopholes in the campaign finance system, Sen. England said, and restrict cash donation amounts to avoid corruption scandals such as the looming case facing former Jackson city leaders Chokwe Antar Lumumba, Jody Owens and Aaron Banks.
“Every elected official, as we say, from dogcatcher on up to governor, is very important,” he said. “We handle important ideas and we make policy that affects everyone’s lives, so it’s important to be as transparent as possible.”
Officials would have to register a bank account and file campaign finance documents before they could take any contributions or spend any money, England said. He said there is consensus on the bill and he feels “very confident” that it will pass the Senate and House.
Watson estimated that the new rules and system could be in place as early as May, if England’s bill becomes law.
“The feds have been doing this for over 20 years,” he said. “It makes zero sense for Mississippi not to have this.”
Mississippi College baseball has won the series against West Florida for the first time ever
The Choctaws have been playing UWF since 2015
MC won the first two games and put on a bit of a comeback in game 3
Next: GSC at Delta St., then Conference Tournament
GEORGE COUNTY, Miss. (WLOX) — A George County High School senior is dead after an SUV hit him while bicycling on Highway 26 Friday night.
Mississippi Highway Patrol (MHP) officials said at 8:15 p.m. the MHP responded to a fatal crash on Highway 26 in George County.
Those officials said a Ford SUV traveling west on Highway 26 collided with 18-year-old Tyree Bradley of McLain, Mississippi, who was bicycling.
Bradley was fatally injured and died at the scene, MHP officials said.
The crash remains under investigation by the MHP.
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Some losses feel like they drag on longer than the box score suggests, and Mississippi State’s 3-1 opener at Texas A&M fits that category.
It wasn’t a blowout. It wasn’t a game where the Bulldogs looked outmatched.
It was just one of those nights where the early mistakes stuck around and the offense never quite found the swing that could shake them loose.
The frustrating part is how quickly the hole formed. Two solo homers and a wild pitch in the first two innings put Mississippi State behind 3-0, and that was basically the ballgame.
Against a top tier SEC team on the road, spotting three runs that early is a tough ask. The Bulldogs didn’t fold, but they also didn’t cash in when the door cracked open.
“I liked our fight. I think we’re really just working through some things offensively, and trying to stay together,” Mississippi State coach Samantha Ricketts said. “This team still believes, and we’re going to battle and fight every chance we get, and I think I saw a lot of that. I’m encouraged for what that means for us moving forward, but, you know, they’re a good hitting team, and we’ve got to be able to shut them down early. I don’t think Peja [Goold] had her best stuff, but she continued to battle out there and find ways to get outs.”
They had chances. Two runners stranded in the fifth. Two more in the sixth. Another in the seventh. Des Rivera finally got the Bulldogs on the board with an RBI single, but the big hit that usually shows up for this lineup never arrived.
It wasn’t a lack of traffic. It was a lack of finish.
If there was a bright spot, it came from the bullpen. Delainey Everett gave Mississippi State exactly what it needed after the rocky start.
“That was just a huge relief appearance by Delaney to keep us in it,” Ricketts said. “It’s really good to have her back and healthy these last few weeks because these are the moments where we really need her and rely on her. We know that she’s going to be a big part of the remainder of the season going forward as well.”
Three hitless innings, one baserunner, and a reminder that she’s quietly putting together a strong stretch.
There were individual positives too. Nadia Barbary keeps climbing the doubles list. Kiarra Sells keeps finding ways on base.
But the bigger picture is simple. Mississippi State is now 6-10 in the SEC, and the margin for error is shrinking. Nights like this one are the difference between climbing back into the race and staying stuck in the middle.
They get another shot this morning with the schedule bumped up for weather. The formula isn’t complicated.
Clean up the early innings, keep getting quality relief, and find one or two timely swings. The Bulldogs didn’t get them Friday. They’ll need them today.
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