Mississippi

News outlet asks court to dismiss former Mississippi governor’s defamation lawsuit

Published

1 year ago

August 28, 2023

News outlet asks court to dismiss former Mississippi governor’s defamation lawsuit

JACKSON, Miss. — A local news outlet that helped expose a wide-reaching public corruption scandal has filed its defense against a defamation lawsuit brought by former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant, with the news outlet arguing it engaged in constitutionally protected speech.

In Mississippi Today’s first court filings since Bryant sued the outlet and its CEO in the Circuit Court of Madison County on July 26 for allegedly defaming him in public comments on the misspending of $77 million of federal welfare funds, attorney Henry Laird outlined on Friday 19 legal defenses against the former governor’s claims.

The attorney also requested that the ex-governor’s complaint be dismissed.

“We will vigorously defend this case and ensure the people of Mississippi that the press will not be intimidated,” said Mississippi Today CEO Mary Margaret White in a statement. “We stand for press freedom and will always uphold our mission of building a more informed Mississippi.”

In addition to free speech protections, Mississippi Today’s legal defense is built around New York Times Co. v. Sullivan., a 1964 decision in which the U.S. Supreme Court greatly limited the ability of public officials to sue for defamation. It ruled that news outlets are protected against a libel judgment unless it can be proven that they published with “actual malice” — knowing that something was false or acting with a “reckless disregard” to whether or not it was true.

Bryant’s July 26 lawsuit came just over two months after Mississippi Today and one of its reporters, Anna Wolfe, won a Pulitzer Prize for her coverage of the misspending of welfare funds intended for poor Mississippians that were instead diverted to the rich and powerful.

Prosecutors have said the state’s human services department gave money to nonprofit organizations that spent it on projects such as a $5 million volleyball facility at the University of Southern Mississippi — a project for which retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre agreed to raise money.

Mississippi Today reporter Anna Wolfe attends a celebration for winning the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting for her reporting on a sprawling $77 million welfare scandal, the largest embezzlement of federal funds in Mississippi’s history that involved former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant sending federal welfare money to family and friends, including NFL Hall of Famer Brett Favre, May 8, 2023, in Jackson, Miss. On Friday, Aug. 25, Mississippi Today filed its defense against a defamation lawsuit brought by Bryant, with the news outlet arguing it engaged in constitutionally protected speech. Credit: AP/Rogelio V. Solis

Mississippi Auditor Shad White announced in February 2020 that criminal charges were brought against six people, including John Davis, a former Mississippi Department of Human Services executive director who had been chosen by Bryant. The announcement came weeks after Bryant, a Republican, finished his second and final term as governor. Davis and others have pleaded guilty.

Wolfe’s “The Backchannel” series shed light on the embezzlement scheme, winning a Pulitzer in May. An article published on Mississippi Today’s website announcing the honor said the outlet revealed how Bryant “used his office to steer the spending of millions of federal welfare dollars” to “benefit his family and friends.”

That announcement — and an earlier report Mississippi Today published on the impact of its coverage — are the two primary written communications Bryant says are defamatory. Also at the center of his lawsuit are comments White made at a journalism conference that, according to Bryant’s attorney William Quin II, misrepresented Bryant’s connection to the squandered welfare dollars.

In a May 11 letter, Bryant said White made a “false and defamatory” statement about him when, at a journalism conference in February, she said Mississippi Today broke the story that Bryant “embezzled” welfare money. No criminal charges have been filed against Bryant, and he has said he told the auditor in 2019 about possible misspending of money from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families antipoverty program.

Reached by phone Monday, Quin said Mississippi Today’s response “speaks for itself” and declined to comment further.

In an amended complaint filed on Aug. 24, Quin listed nine unnamed clients from whom he claims Bryant lost almost $500,000 in business due to White’s comments at the Knight Media Forum in February. Bryant joined a private consulting firm shortly after leaving public office.

Mississippi Today published an apology from White in May, a week after Bryant threatened a lawsuit, but his attorneys have said the apology wasn’t specific enough.

Favre also has not been charged with a crime, but the Mississippi Department of Human Services, with a new director, filed a civil lawsuit last year against him, along with more than three dozen other people and businesses, to try to recover more than $20 million of the misspent welfare money.

Among the defendants in that civil suit is Nancy New, an ex-nonprofit head who pleaded guilty in April 2022 to state charges of misusing welfare money.

On Friday, the same day Mississippi Today filed its response to Bryant’s lawsuit, New’s attorneys, Gerald and Carroll Bufkin, filed a motion to quash a subpoena by the former governor. Bryant’s subpoena purports to seek documents relevant to his defamation suit, the Bufkins said.

But as a public figure, Bryant must prove that Mississippi Today and White acted with “actual malice” when they made their allegedly defamatory statements, they argued, referring to the New York Times Co. v. Sullivan legal standard. The former governor “has no legitimate basis” for believing his subpoena could uncover relevant information, they argued.

Source link

Mississippi

The Mississippi State Department of Health first 2025 meeting

Published

2 hours ago

January 8, 2025

Press Room

The Mississippi State Department of Health first 2025 meeting

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – The Mississippi State Department of Health held its first meeting of 2025 on Wednesday, during which it also announced an achievement.

At the state board meeting, the department discussed scheduled items on the agenda and heard from MSDH State Health Officer Dr. Dan Edney.

Edney briefed the state board on current health concerns such as a nationwide increase in cases of pertussis.

Edney also briefed the board on legislative priorities for the upcoming year.

And after an 18-month process, the Mississippi State Department of Health has officially achieved full reaccreditation status.

Edney expressed his gratitude to the MSDH staff and others in attendance.

“The fact that our hard work does not go unrecognized and objectively measured evidence is very important to me,” said Edney.

According to Edney, the reaccreditation status is objective evidence that MSDH is confident in what they do and more than confident that they excel in what they do.

Want more WLBT news in your inbox? Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Please click here to report it and include the headline of the story in your email.

Source link

Mississippi

Parts of Mississippi could see snow, be under freeze warning this week. See where, when

Published

10 hours ago

January 8, 2025

Press Room

Parts of Mississippi could see snow, be under freeze warning this week. See where, when

A winter storm system is set to sweep across the southern U.S. this week and is expected to bring snow and some ice and wintry mix to states along the Gulf coast.

The storm is set to start in Texas on Wednesday night and move toward the eastern seaboard. Parts of the South will get 4 to 8 inches of snow. The National Weather Service expects several inches of snow in the Dallas area, and the weather system will move northeast through the weekend. Nashville and Atlanta also could see hazardous conditions.

The southeast has already been feeling the effects of Arctic air that moved in a few days ago, and the storm is expected to delay travel including affecting road conditions in areas not accustomed to heavy snow and potentially affecting airports.

Parts of Mississippi could see freezing temperatures and some snow, though previous forecasts calling for wintery weather in most of the state have been updated. The latest forecasts look like central and north Mississippi will have the strongest chances for snow, sleet and freezing temperatures.

What will the winter storm bring to Mississippi?

The AccuWeather and National Weather Service forecasts for the Jackson region through Friday have some slight differences. The biggest one is that while AccuWeather calls for a 25% chance of precipitation Thursday and a 99% chance with cold rain on Friday, the NWS says rain and sleet are likely Thursday night with a strong chance of showers on Friday.

Northern areas of the Magnolia State are under a winter storm watch Thursday and Friday. The NWS is predicting rain and snow chances in Greenwood, Oxford and Columbus/West Point/Starkville starting after midnight Thursday night and through Friday evening.

The Hattiesburg forecast now calls for showers Thursday night through Friday night. The overnight low Thursday is 35 degrees. Friday weather has a high of 46 and a low of 31.

The NWS New Orleans office issued a freeze warning Wednesday night for Gulfport. That area is set to get rain Thursday and Friday, but temperatures are expected to stay above freezing.

How should I prepare for extreme cold, winter weather?

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency encourages residents to be ready for winter weather. Extreme cold, snow and ice can lead to power outages and make travel conditions dangerous.

Have non-perishable food and bottled water on hand. (If you have electric appliances, plan meals that can be eaten without using the stove or oven.) Make sure you have enough winter clothing and blankets to stay warm if power goes out. Keep your cellphone charged and have flashlights ready.

Keep an emergency supply kit in vehicles. Be prepared if you have to drive in icy road conditions. (If you hit black ice while driving, take your foot off the pedals and steer into the skid.)

Bring pets inside and make sure animals that can’t be brought in have access to lots of food and water that isn’t frozen.

Check on elderly relatives, friends and neighbors.

7-day Jackson weather forecast

According to AccuWeather, as of Jan. 8, the Jackson area can expect the following for the next week:

Jan. 8: High 43°F, low 24°F.
Jan. 9: High 43°F, low 35°F.
Jan. 10: High 39°F, low 30°F, 99% chance of precipitation with cold rain.
Jan. 11: High 44°F, low 26°F.
Jan. 12: High 55°F, low 32°F.
Jan. 13: High 52°F, low 29°F.
Jan. 14: High 50°F, low 31°F.
Jan. 15: High 52°F, low 28°F.

In the National Weather Service forecast, Mississippi is expected to have below-average temperatures and precipitation Jan. 13-17. From Jan. 15-21, temperatures are expected to stay below average while rain changes will be about average.

Mississippi weather radar

January average temperatures in Mississippi

These are the average temperatures for the Jackson, Hattiesburg, Tupelo and Gulfport areas for 2020-24, according to data from the National Weather Service.

Jackson

2020: 50.9°F.
2021: 48°F.
2022: 45.4°F.
2023: 53.8°F.
2024: 44.5°F.

Hattiesburg

2020: 52.6°F.
2021: 49.7°F.
2022: 47.5°F.
2023: 55.8°F.
2024: 48.2°F.

Tupelo

2020: 48.6°F.
2021: 45.1°F.
2022: 42°F.
2023: 50.6°F.
2024: 39.5°F.

Gulfport

2020: 55.3°F.
2021: 51.7°F.
2022: 49.4°F.
2023: 58.2°F.
2024: 51.2°F.

What are the next winter storm names for 2025?

The Weather Channel names winter storms based on scale. So far the 2024-25 season already has seen Anya and Blair. They do not name “pure arctic cold outbreaks.”

Other planned names are:

Cora.
Demi.
Enzo.
Freya.
Garnett.
Harlow.
Iliana.
Jett.
Kingston.
Lola.
Marisol.
Nyla.
Omari.
Pascale.
Quentin.
Roman.
Spencer.
Theo.
Usman.
Vincenzo.
Wilhelm.
Xia.
Ygenny.
Zahir.

Contributing: Christopher Cann and Doyle Rice

Bonnie Bolden is the Deep South Connect reporter for Mississippi with Gannett/USA Today. Email her at bbolden@gannett.com.

Source link

Mississippi

RJ Melendez scores 19 as No. 14 Mississippi State beats Vandy 76-64 for 8th straight win

Published

18 hours ago

January 8, 2025

Press Room

RJ Melendez scores 19 as No. 14 Mississippi State beats Vandy 76-64 for 8th straight win

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — RJ Melendez scored 19 points and No. 14 Mississippi State beat Vanderbilt 76-64 on Tuesday night for its eighth straight victory.

The Bulldogs (14-1, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) came in with their highest ranking yet under coach Chris Jans. They leave having won six of eight in this series.

Cameron Matthews added 16 points and Claudell Harris Jr. had 13 for Mississippi State.

Vanderbilt (13-2, 1-1) was trying to start 2-0 in league play for the first time since 2016-17. Mississippi State snapped the Commodores’ seven-game win streak under first-year coach Mark Byington.

AJ Hoggard scored 11 of his 16 points in the second half trying to rally Vandy. Grant Huffman added 14 and Tyler Nickel had 10.

Takeaways

Mississippi State: The Bulldogs know how to get inside, dominating with a 42-30 scoring difference in the paint. They also hit their first 12 free throws, finishing 16 of 19 at the line.

Vanderbilt: The Commodores were ice cold for too much of the game. They missed 11 of their final 12 shots to end the first half and made one of their first 11 to start the second. That helped the Bulldogs lead 39-28 at halftime and by as much as 56-34 within the first six minutes of the second.

Mississippi State forward Cameron Matthews (4) shoots the ball past Vanderbilt guard Jaylen Carey (22) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025 in Nashville, Tenn. Credit: AP/George Walker IV

Key moment

Hoggard’s layup pulled Vanderbilt to 65-60 with 4:19 left, but then the Commodores had another scoring drought. Harris hit a 3-pointer and Matthews dunked with 2:04 left to seal the win.

Key stat

Jason Edwards, Vanderbilt’s leading scorer at 18.3 points per game, went scoreless in 11 minutes. He missed all eight shots, including five inside the arc.