Mississippi
Opinion | Mississippi welfare scandal reveals deep flaws in social safety net – The Pitt News
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Mississippi auditors discovered in 2020 that $94 million in federal welfare funds had been topic to fraud, abuse or waste. An impartial audit in 2021 confirmed most of those findings and set the determine at $77 million in misused welfare spending. Due to the tireless efforts of reporter Anna Wolfe and the nonprofit journalism outlet Mississippi At the moment, we all know the place the state funneled this money.
John Davis, the previous director of the Mississippi Division of Human Companies, pleaded responsible to 2 federal prices and 18 state counts of embezzling federal welfare funds. He distributed tens of millions of {dollars} in welfare funds from the Non permanent Help for Needy Households and The Emergency Meals Help Program for his “private use and profit.”
He was additionally indicted within the spring on state prices for misusing welfare cash. In keeping with Mississippi At the moment, prosecutors accused Davis of upping grants to Mississippi Neighborhood Training Middle, a nonprofit run by Nancy New, in change for funds to a luxurious rehab facility the place his pal and retired skilled wrestler Brett DiBiase acquired remedy in 2019. New kicked much more a refund to her and Davis’ family and friends, together with $400,000 to Davis’s nephew to create “coding academies” and $600,000 to his brother-in-law for a nonexistent job. New additionally pleaded responsible in April.
Essentially the most well-known instance of illicit TANF dealing is that of Professional Soccer Corridor of Fame participant Brett Favre, who solicited greater than $5 million from former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant for a brand new volleyball courtroom for the College of Southern Mississippi, the place his daughter performed volleyball.
Castigating these concerned within the fraud as grasping criminals is straightforward, but it misses the larger image. We should dive deeper into the problems surrounding TANF and query how the U.S. can guarantee states spend welfare {dollars} appropriately.
The options to TANF flaws lie in its broad and outdated construction. To keep away from future frauds and abuses of TANF funds, the federal authorities should consider the final 20 years of failures in TANF implementation. Moreover, it should replace this system to mirror the wants of the American poor and erect stricter tips for state utilization of those funds.
TANF is a federal block grant that changed the previous welfare program, which supplied money help to households with kids in poverty. Every state makes use of the funds from the block grant, which has remained at a set price since its enactment in 1996, to function their very own poverty-assistance packages. These packages should serve one of many 4 broad targets of the unique regulation, resembling stopping pregnancies amongst single individuals and selling job preparation and work.
As states decide how their packages meet these targets, the allocation of TANF funds doesn’t at all times go to the “needy,” a time period every state defines subjectively. This lack of a federal customary of “needy” can result in states setting eligibility thresholds too low to exclude sure needy people within the title of retaining caseloads down. Every state can redirect tens of millions of {dollars} to nonprofits that serve functions tangential to TANF targets. States use TANF to fill funds holes, fund anti-abortion clinics and pay for personal school scholarships. Or, in Mississippi’s case, funds can assemble college volleyball courts — as a result of that’s at all times been a confirmed anti-poverty mechanism.
Nationwide, 20% of TANF funds go towards primary help for needy households, with the remainder going to baby care packages, work help and coaching actions and program administration prices. Nevertheless, this share of funding varies from state to state.
In the course of the fiscal yr in 2020, Mississippi spent solely 5% of TANF funds on primary help, which is usually the handiest intervention for poverty discount. In Pennsylvania, solely 12% of TANF funds go towards primary help, nonetheless far under the nationwide common. States decide how a lot month-to-month money help certified households get, which additionally varies tremendously. In 2020, a single mum or dad with one baby in Mississippi acquired $146 a month in help. Price of dwelling in Mississippi is admittedly lower than most states, however even certified TANF recipients in comparable states like Oklahoma and Alabama obtain nearly $100 extra per 30 days.
Even when needy people qualify for TANF advantages, accessing TANF is not any stroll within the park. TANF eligible people typically wrestle with onerous paperwork and necessities to get on and keep on this system. In most states, individuals with felony drug convictions — together with marijauna convictions, although the drug could also be authorized in different states — can’t entry TANF advantages. If candidates qualify for TANF, additionally they danger shedding any baby help from a noncustodial mum or dad. And eventually, TANF candidates should cope with the stigma of asking for and receiving TANF. These limitations to accessing a lot wanted help have contributed to declining TANF caseloads nationally. This isn’t essentially factor.
For starters, the variety of households with kids in poverty has remained excessive regardless of lowering caseloads. TANF incentivizes states to maintain case numbers down by way of caseload discount credit and punishes states that don’t meet federal work participation charges. Because of this, states are incentivized to create harsh guidelines on who will get TANF help. Unallocated TANF funds accumulate in state coffers every year because of the disincentivization of offering assist to the poor. At the moment, much less individuals in poverty obtain TANF advantages than they did when the federal government enacted the regulation. That is particularly stark in Mississippi, the place poverty afflicts a fifth of the state.
In 1996, the welfare program in Mississippi served greater than 30,000 adults. In 2020, it served 208. Racial minorities endure probably the most from diminishing TANF caseloads attributable to systemic racial inequalities within the welfare system and since many poor African People reside in states like Mississippi that sit on tens of millions of unused welfare funds every year. There aren’t considerably fewer poor individuals. There are simply considerably fewer individuals getting the assistance they want.
Fixing the failings in TANF is important to restore the protection internet eroded by many years of an excessively broad coverage with restricted oversight. The federal authorities can begin with narrowing the main target of the TANF block grant to focus on anti-poverty options. It may set minimal requirements for the % of TANF funds — say 25% — devoted towards money help so probably the most weak populations can obtain revenue help immediately. Now not would states like Mississippi spend solely 5% of yearly TANF {dollars} on primary help, serving to to make sure that funds should not abused.
The federal authorities ought to outline work necessities and deadlines for advantages. State entities ought to work towards making TANF help extra accessible to the impoverished. Past that, the federal authorities should maintain states accountable to utilizing TANF as meant. It should closely scrutinize funds despatched to nonprofits and contracting companies to keep away from a large fraud of Mississippian proportions. The federal government should stop to incentivize states to maintain caseloads down. This merely doesn’t eradicate poverty or the necessity for welfare — it solely masks it.
The Mississippi welfare scandal reveals harsh but vital realities about our welfare system. Fortunately, auditors and journalists uncovered the abuses of the wealthy on the expense of the poor.
Think about how a lot good that $77 million may have carried out for the poor in Mississippi. Think about how many individuals TANF may assist if funds went on to these in want — both within the type of money help, work helps or baby care providers that affect their each day lives. Think about the nice our state can do, as Pennsylvania sits on practically $500 million in unspent TANF block grant funds. With focused reforms and federal oversight of the TANF program, these modifications can occur. Till then, states will languish on tens of millions of unused welfare {dollars} identical to the “welfare queens” for which they’ve lengthy feared.
Grant Van Robays writes primarily about worldwide affairs, social points and primary human rights. Write to him at [email protected].
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Mississippi
Mississippi deer season 2024-25: Here’s what hunters need to know
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Up-to-date information on deer season 2024-25 in Mississippi including CWD, season dates, bag limits, antler restrictions and more.
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Deer season is almost here and will kick off this month with the early, buck-only archery season followed by the traditional archery season in October then the early primitive weapon season and gun season in November. For thousands in Mississippi, it’s the most exciting time of the year.
But, as has been the case in many years, there have been some changes. Here’s what hunters need to know about chronic wasting disease, bag limits, harvest reporting and season dates for the 2024-25 deer season.
Deer hunting season dates
North Central, Delta and Hills deer management units
- Archery: Sept. 13-15, One legal buck. Special permit, mandatory reporting and CWD sampling required. Private land and authorized state and federal lands.
- Archery: Oct. 1-Nov. 22, Either sex on private land, open public land, and Holly Springs National Forest.
- Youth: Nov. 9-22, Either sex on private lands and authorized state and federal lands.
- Youth: Nov. 23-Jan. 31, Either sex on private lands. On open public lands, youth must follow below legal deer criteria.
- Antlerless primitive weapon: Nov. 11-22, Antlerless deer only on private lands.
- Gun with dogs: Nov. 23-Dec. 1, Either sex on private land and Holly Springs National Forest. Legal bucks only on open public land.
- Primitive weapon: Dec. 2-15, Either sex on private land, open public land, and Holly Springs National Forest. Weapons of choice may be used on private land with the appropriate license.
- Gun without dogs: Dec. 16-23, Either sex on private land and Holly Springs National Forest. Legal bucks only on open public land.
- Gun with dogs: Dec. 24-Jan.22, Either sex on private land and Holly Spring National Forest. Legal bucks only on open public land.
- Archery, primitive weapon: Jan. 23-31, Either sex on private land and Holly Springs National Forest. Legal bucks only on open public land. Weapons of choice may be used on private land with appropriate license.
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Southeast Deer Management Unit
- Archery: Sept. 13-15, One legal buck. Special permit, mandatory reporting and CWD sampling required. Private land and authorized state and federal lands.
- Archery: Oct. 15-Nov. 22, Either sex on private or open public land.
- Youth: 15 years and under, Nov. 9-22, Either sex on private land and authorized state and federal land.
- Youth: 15 years and under, Nov. 23-Feb. 15, Either sex on private land. On open public land, youth must follow legal deer criteria.
- Gun with dogs: Nov. 23-Dec. 1, Either sex on private land. Legal bucks only on open public land.
- Primitive weapon: Dec. 2-15, Either sex on private or open public land. Weapons of choice may be used on private land with appropriate license.
- Gun without dogs: Dec. 16-23, Either sex on private land. Legal bucks only on open public land.
- Gun with dogs: Dec. 24-Jan. 22, Either sex on private land. Legal bucks only on open public land.
- Archery, primitive weapon: Jan. 23-31, Either sex on private land. Legal bucks only on open public land. Weapon of choice may be used on private land with the appropriate license.
- Archery, primitive weapon: Feb. 1-15, Legal bucks only on private and open public land. Weapon of choice may be used on private land with the appropriate license.
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Deer bag limits
- Delta DMU: The bag limit for antlered deer is one per day, three per annual season. The antlerless bag limit is five.
- Hills DMU: The bag limit for antlered deer is one per day, three per annual season. The antlerless bag limit is five.
- North Central DMU: The bag limit for antlered deer is one per day, four per annual season. The limit for antlerless deer is 10 on private lands.
- Southeast DMU: The bag limit for antlered deer is one per day, three per annual season. The bag limit for antlerless deer is one per day, three per annual season.
- U.S. Forest Service National Forests: The bag limit for antlered deer is one per day, three per annual season. The bag limit for antlerless deer is one per day, five per annual season except in the Southeast DMU where the antlerless limit is one per day, three per annual season.
Antler requirements
- Delta DMU: 12-inch inside spread or 15-inch main beam
- Hills DMU: 10-inch inside spread or 13-inch main beam
- North Central DMU: No antler restrictions apply to this zone. Hunters may harvest bucks with any hardened antler.
- Southeast DMU: 10-inch inside spread or 13-inch main beam
- Youth hunters: For youth hunters 15 years of age and younger, hunting on private land and authorized state and federal lands, all of the buck bag limit may be any antlered deer.
- Buck of choice: In the Delta, Hills and Southeast DMUs, hunters may harvest one buck that does not meet antler requirements on private land and Holly Springs National Forest.
- Public lands: Antler requirements vary among public lands. Hunters should check regulations for the specific public land they plan to hunt before hunting.
Blaze orange
Hunters have traditionally been required to wear 500 square inches of unbroken blaze orange while deer hunting as a safety measure, but this year they have an alternative. A bill passed in the 2024 Legislative session allows hunters to choose between blaze orange or pink.
CWD testing
Testing deer for CWD, a disease that is considered always fatal for deer, is not mandatory other than during the early archery season, but the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks urges hunters to provide tissue samples of harvested deer for testing.
According to the department, knowing where the disease exists and how prevalent it is helps in managing and slowing the spread of the disease.
Although there has been no known case of it spreading to humans, the CDC warns against consuming infected deer. So hunters should know if their deer is infected as well.
Since the disease was first detected in Mississippi in 2018, there have been 318 cases found in the state as of September 2024.
For convenience, MDWFP has provided freezers at locations across the state where hunters can leave deer heads with six inches of neck attached for testing. The agency has also partnered with a number of taxidermy businesses that will have deer tested at the customer’s request.
CWD management zones
Counties in CWD management zones have changed with some added and a zone added this year. Within these zones, special regulations are in place to slow the spread of the disease such as a supplemental feeding ban and carcass transportation restrictions.
North CWD Management Zone
The North CWD Management Zone includes all portions of the following counties:
- Alcorn County
- Benton County
- Desoto County
- Lafayette County
- Marshall County
- Panola County
- Prentiss County
- Tate County
- Tippah County
- Tishomingo County
- Union County
Portions of Coahoma, Quitman, and Tunica counties are also included and are defined as:
- Areas south of MS 4
- Areas east of Old Highway 61 to the intersection of US 49
- Areas east of US 49 to the intersection of US 278
- Areas north of US 278
- Areas west of MS 3
Issaquena CWD Management Zone
- Claiborne County
- Sharkey County, east of the Mississippi River and south of MS 14
- Warren County
Harrison CWD Management Zone
Portions of Hancock and Harrison counties are included and defined as:
- All portions of Harrison County west of US 49
- All portions of Hancock County east of MS 53, MS 603 and MS 43
- All portions of Hancock County east of Nicholson Avenue
What is banned in a CWD management zone?
- Salt licks
- Mineral licks
- Supplemental feeding
- Transportation of deer carcasses outside the zone
What parts of a deer can be taken out of a CWD zone?
- Cut/wrapped meat
- Deboned meat
- Hides with no head attached
- Bone-in leg quarters
- Finished taxidermy
- Antlers with no tissue attached
- Cleaned skulls or skull plates with no brain tissue
- Hunters may transport deer heads to permitted taxidermists participating in the CWD collection program. A CWD sample number must be obtained from a participating taxidermist prior to transporting a deer head outside of the CWD management zone.
Do you have a story idea? Contact Brian Broom at 601-961-7225 or bbroom@gannett.com.
Mississippi
Mississippi High School Football Rankings: Top 25 Teams – September 2
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The Mississippi high school football rankings saw some drastic changes after an opening week which saw multiple ranked matchups in the Magnolia State.
Brandon, Madison Central and Louisville each won top-10 games while Oak Grove, West Jones, Clinton and Germantown also picked up ranked wins.
Below is the updated Mississippi On3 Massey Ratings top 25, as of Sept. 2.
The On3 Massey Ratings — which were officially used during the BCS era and have generated college high school sports team rankings since 1995 — rank sports teams by analyzing game outcomes, strength of schedule and margin of victory.
CLICK HERE to watch high school games on NFHS Network now!
Previous Ranking: No. 4 (+3)
Madison Central opened the season in style with a 27-20 top-10 win over Ocean Springs. Ocean Springs shut out Madison Central for nearly the entire first half — until Madison Central running back Glen Singleton rattled off four consecutive rushing touchdowns. The Jaguars are on the road again Friday in the Mississippi game of the week as they travel to face No. 2 Brandon.
Previous Ranking: No. 3 (+1)
Brandon featured in another Mississippi top-10 game in week one, thrashing then-No. 7 Picayune Memorial 60-34. Star junior defensive back Preston Ashley recorded a 45-yard scoop-and-score touchdown, Logan Drummond returned a punt 61 yards to the house and Trey McQueen returned an interception 38 yards for a score in a night filled with unconventional scoring for the Bulldogs. Brandon will host No. 1 Madison Central on Friday.
Previous Ranking: No. 2 (-1)
Starkville took down Noxubee County 43-22 in week one. Tyson Knox picked off Mississippi State commit KaMario Taylor on Starkville’s own 1-yard line to keep the Yellowjackets’ 14-point lead in the second half. Two plays later, quarterback Jaylen Ruffin hit Jaheim Deanes for a 97-yard touchdown. Starkville now gets to look forward to hosting No. 20 West Point this week.
Previous Ranking: No. 1 (-3)
Oak Grove fell in the rankings this week simply by virtue of other teams’ impressive performances — as the Warriors won their game over No. 15 Grenada 38-24. Oak Grove quarterback Kellon Hall was 19-of-27 passing for 306 yards with a touchdown. Next up is No. 11 Ocean Springs at home.
Previous Ranking: No. 5
Tupelo escaped upset-minded Whitehaven last week with a 26-19 opening win. Quarterback Noah Gillon and running back J.J. Hill each accounted for two touchdowns as the Golden Wave came away with an ugly win in ugly conditions following a 90-minute weather delay. Tupelo will play Southaven on the road next.
Previous Ranking: No. 9 (+3)
Yet another top-10 matchup on opening night in Mississippi. Louisville took down then-No. 10 West Point 15-14 in a nailbiter. Louisville scored the only points of the second half — a 21-yard field goal to put the Wildcats on top. Louisville will hit the road again this week at Neshoba Central.
Previous Ranking: No. 8 (+1)
West Jones knocked Laurel out of the Mississippi top 25 with a dominant 34-6 win on Friday. Senior running back Elijah Jones was unstoppable on the ground with 226 yards and four touchdowns on 24 carries. West Jones will play Northeast Jones on the road this Friday.
Previous Ranking: No. 21 (+13)
Clinton pulled off the upset in week one with a 26-20 win over then-No. 11 Warren Central in the ‘Red Carpet Bowl’. Jakobe Williams rushed for two touchdowns while the Clinton special teams and defense scored on a blocked punt and recovered three fumbles. A road game against Northwest Rankin is on deck.
Previous Ranking: No. 16 (+7)
Oxford owned one of the few week one blowouts on this list, beating Lafayette 45-0 in the ‘Crosstown Classic.’ All six of the Chargers’ touchdowns came on the ground. Oxford will play No. 22 South Panola at home this Friday.
Previous Ranking: No. 12 (+2)
Madison-Ridgeland moved to 3-0 on the season after a 50-6 win over Oak Forest Academy that was never in question. Pulaski Academy — The No. 9 team in Arkansas — is on deck for the Patriots.
11. Ocean Springs (-5)
12. Gulfport (+2)
13. Pearl (+4)
14. Germantown (+10)
15. Hartfield Academy (+3)
16. Grenada (-1)
17. Picayune Memorial (-10)
18. Hattiesburg (NR)
19. Jackson Prep (+3)
20. West Point (-10)
21. D’Iberville (NR)
22. South Panola (-9)
23. Poplarville (NR)
24. Warren Central (-13)
25. Gautier (NR)
Dropped from rankings: Northwest Rankin, Meridian, Columbia, Laurel
Mississippi
MPCA testing the entirety of the Mississippi River within Minnesota
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MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. —It winds 650 miles, rushing past the cities, industries and landscapes that make up Minnesota.
However, the Mississippi River has never gotten this type of attention from water quality professionals.
For the first time ever, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is testing the entirety of the river, from Itasca to Iowa, in a single year.
The governor’s office wants the river to be swimmable and fishable, but right now, parts of the river are polluted.
The MPCA says the upper Mississippi is largely healthy up north, but quality drops south of St. Cloud where metro development and tributaries from agriculture muddy the waters. The National Park Service says stretches of the river exceed water quality standards for things like mercury, bacteria and sediment.
Think of the testing like a checkup for one of our state’s most valuable and powerful resources. Researchers will check temperature, transparency and levels of pollutants like phosphorus, nitrogen and ammonia.
Crews also check fish for those contaminants and collect insects to test in a lab to identify any concerning trends.
“If we find the fish community is suffering — maybe the water is too warm and maybe there’s a thermal pollution source upstream or maybe it’s too much runoff — that sort of stuff. Temperature is an important indicator especially for sensitive species,” Isaac Martin with the MPCA said.
Also for the first time, the agency is looking for PFAS contamination with money from an Environmental Protection Agency grant to identify and stop the forever chemicals from streaming into the Mississippi.
PFAS are a group of manufactured chemicals for industry and consumer products that don’t break down in the environment. While research is ongoing, the EPA says exposure to the chemicals can cause human health issues. It’s why the federal agency just lowered the amount allowed in drinking water.
“They go to parts per trillion, which is incredibly sensitive. You get that low, you’re talking drops in an Olympic swimming pool,” Martin said. “Part of the reason why it was chosen is because it’s a primary drinking source or potentially could be a primary drinking source. We’re just finding them in places we never expected to find them. We’re finding them almost everywhere and being that it is new, there’s just a lot of ‘I don’t know’ that goes with it.”
It’s too early to know what this complete snapshot will reveal, but we know this powerful river is part of our community, economy and health.
“Maybe you don’t use the resource yourself, but maybe you know someone who does or future generations of your own will,” Martin said. “In Minnesota, we’re just trying to be the best stewards we can be.”
The data from this testing will be available early next year. Researchers will use that data and compare it to 10-year pollution averages to determine which parts of the river are improved or impaired.
A full report will be released in 2026.
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