Mississippi
Opinion: Wildlife commission needs more sunshine as transparency concerns grow – SuperTalk Mississippi
The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks is entrusted with the responsibility of conserving and managing our state’s diverse wildlife, fisheries, and parks. Their work impacts not only the environment but also the economy, tourism, and the overall well-being of our communities. It is vital that the decisions and accompanying discussions made by the five-member commission be transparent and open to public scrutiny. Fundamentally, the work of the commission is a sacred trust. When public institutions like our wildlife commission operate in secrecy – which it appears, as I will highlight, too much of the commission’s work these days is discussed in backroom meetings out of the public view and is influenced too often by politics and the rich and powerful – it erodes the trust citizens have in their government.
In Mississippi, a violation of open meetings laws by a public body occurs when the public body (commission) fails to comply with the requirements set forth in the Mississippi Open Meetings Act. Let me discuss briefly Mississippi’s sunshine laws.
A “meeting” is deemed to occur when a quorum or majority of the members of that public body are gathered and discuss anything under their authority or jurisdiction (in this case, all wildlife, fisheries, and parks – including hunting, fishing, and conservation). The wildlife commission must provide proper, advance notice of ALL meetings, including the date, time, location, and agenda. According to sources, the wildlife commission routinely holds “meetings” before their official monthly public meeting. This is widely known by those close (and not so close) to the commission and has gone on for years. And it has been confirmed by former commissioners. There is a culture of discussing and debating issues as a group and one-on-one outside the public eye and, at times, coming to a decision or consensus prior to the public meeting. This is illegal.
A closed meeting cannot be held without a valid legal reason such as discussing personnel matters, pending litigation, or certain economic development issues. While in executive session, discussions unrelated to the stated reason cannot legally occur, and a member of the staff from the attorney general’s office must be present during these sessions.
The commission can’t prohibit or restrict public attendance and participation in their public meeting without proper justification. I have heard, but don’t have definitive proof, that some in the public have been denied opportunities to speak. I was told this in a text from MDWFP executive director Lynn Posey: “You can call or email the office and we will put you on the agenda or anyone can sign up at the meeting and be added. They usually limit comments to five minutes.” In terms of the five-minute rule, I have seen some politically connected members of the public and their friends be given unlimited time.
The commission must keep accurate and detailed minutes of ALL meetings. They are supposed to be recorded, but they have never had a court reporter or other person taking dictation. Intentionally omitting information can be a violation of law. Here’s an important point: If the commission regularly discusses topics that are part of the public trust offline, there is no record. Of important note, they did start videoing and publicly live-streaming their monthly public meetings after much outcry from the public and thanks in large part to Commissioner Billy Mounger’s insistence. You can watch most past meetings on their YouTube channel.
The commission should conduct their discussions and make decisions during open meetings. Making decisions through private communications or informal gatherings without public knowledge and input is a violation of law. But here’s another important point: By saying the commission should conduct discussions in open meetings, the law is protecting the public trust. This doesn’t mean a quorum of commission members has to be present for there to be an issue. All discussions involving matters of the public trust and wildlife, fisheries, and parks should be held in open meetings even if those discussions are one-on-one between commissioners. This point has been successfully litigated in Mississippi.
While there are legal and ethical considerations that are significant, operating in secrecy erodes and undermines public trust. The legitimacy of commission decisions will be challenged and should lead to a public outcry and demands for accountability, resulting in the reputation of the institution being tarnished. Mississippi’s outdoors deserve much better.
I watch commission meetings. As a former newspaper publisher, my radar locks on when commission chairman Bill Cossar says during a commission meeting, “Weren’t you going to second that?” I have seen, and others have confirmed, that there are many instances of the commission referencing pre-determined actions on the record. A lawyer interested in commission proceedings told me, “It would be a cinch to prove it in court.”
By ensuring transparency within the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks Commission, we can hold them accountable for their actions and decisions. Transparency allows the public to understand the reasoning behind policies, expenditures, and management practices, fostering a sense of ownership and participation in the general public. Citizens can then know they have a voice. When the preservation and protection of the public trust is seen as a paramount responsibility, those in power must honor and protect it.
Transparent, accountable, and ethical leadership by the commission, combined with citizen engagement, are vital in maintaining this trust. It is our collective duty to cherish and safeguard it. By doing so, we can protect Mississippi’s wildlife legacy, and we, the public, can know it was built on integrity, fairness, good science, and the common good. I am humbled and accept fully the responsibility I have as the host of SuperTalk Outdoors to be a critical watchdog of this state’s conservation efforts, holding those in power accountable and shining a light on potential abuses or mismanagement. I have a deep understanding of this role. And while they may not like it and have taken extraordinary steps in the recent past to silence my voice, I intend to play a crucial role in reporting and discussing the actions of our wildlife commission. I intend to uncover any discrepancies, conflicts of interest, or unethical or illegal practices that may undermine public trust. And I will celebrate their actions when they do good work.
But let’s be clear here, continued violations of Mississippi’s open meetings laws will almost certainly lead to formal complaints, litigation, and further degradation of the public trust. Let’s put the public trust back on the front burner. Our kids and our kid’s kids are counting on us.
The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the views of SuperTalk Mississippi Media.
Mississippi
GPS data tracks boat Mississippi teen Nolan Wells was on before he went missing
GPS data from the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, obtained by CBS News, tracks the movements of the boat that carried Nolan Wells to Horn Island on July 4. Wells was found dead after going missing following an outing on the island.
The vessel left a dock at approximately 9:56 a.m. that morning and arrived at Horn Island at 11:14 a.m. CBS News has previously reported that Wells was not on the boat when it departed the island.
According to the GPS data, the boat left Horn Island at 4:31 p.m. and returned to its original departure dock. It then traveled into Fort Bayou around 5:52 p.m. before returning to the dock at 6:06 p.m.
Later that evening, the boat went to the Fort Bayou boat launch at 7:19 p.m., according to the MSDMR report. From there, it traveled over land — presumably towed by a vehicle — to the Biloxi, Mississippi, residence of the boat’s owners.
The MSDMR report indicates that the boat’s owner, his mother and one other individual who was reportedly with Wells on the day of the incident have cooperated with the investigation.
The department’s report ends on July 5, following notification that the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office would take over as the lead investigative agency.
Wells, 18, was last seen on July 4 on Horn Island, where he had taken a boat trip with friends to celebrate the holiday, officials said. Wells traveled to the island with his friends but did not return to the mainland with them that afternoon, Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter has said.
He was last seen on the island at 3 p.m., according to attorney Ben Crump’s office. His mother reported him missing later that night and a search began.
His body was discovered July 6 off the coast of the island, which is about 10 miles south of the Mississippi mainland, following a search that involved the U.S. Coast Guard, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources and the National Park Service.
Dental records confirmed the body was Wells, Jackson County coroner Bruce Lynd told CBS News. An autopsy took place on July 7, Lynd said, but the results were not immediately made public. Wells’ body was flown to Washington, D.C., for an independent autopsy, according to Crump.
Wells’ parents have said they don’t believe their son would’ve stayed behind on the island by choice when his friends left by boat.
“No, he wouldn’t. Nolan always stays with the group,” Elmore Wonsley, Nolan’s father, told “CBS Mornings” last week. “If you be with me, you come back with me. So that I don’t understand, and with me being a parent, if I was in that situation, I would have told them, ‘You’re going to get back on this boat with me because I don’t want to answer to your parents if something happens to you.’”
When directly asked if he believed Nolan was left behind on the island, his father responded, “Yes. I don’t believe he decided to stay on the island by himself. It just doesn’t — that’s not his character.”
Wells went to Ocean Springs High School and was a rising sophomore on Southwest Mississippi Community College’s football team. Crump said Wells was a good swimmer.
Mississippi
How permanent daylight saving time would impact Mississippi
Permanent daylight saving time in New Jersey
House approves permanent DST: NJ gets later sunsets year-round but darker winter mornings; sunrise could be ~8:25 a.m.
Are Americans finally done changing the clocks twice a year? Congress moved a step closer to ending the ritual after the U.S. House passed legislation that would make daylight saving time permanent.
It hasn’t been approved by the Senate yet, but it did pass the House with broad support (308-117). If it passes the Senate, it could be signed by President Donald Trump or become law without his signature, unless he vetoes it.
Trump has previously backed ending twice-a-year time changes.
“I am going to work very hard to see The Sunshine Protection Act signed into Law. It’s time that people can stop worrying about the ‘Clock,’” he wrote in a May Truth Social post.
A few versions of the Sunshine Protection Act were introduced in Congress. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Florida, introduced the one that’s gaining ground last year.
Here’s what to know about daylight saving time and the move to change it.
What is daylight saving time and why do we use it?
Daylight saving time is the practice of setting clocks forward an hour from March until November in an effort to gain more sunlight during the summer months.
According to the Library of Congress, it was first enacted in 1918 as a fuel cost-saving measure during World War I.
Daylight saving time became federal law under the Uniform Time Act of 1966. Under the law, some states can opt to exempt themselves from daylight saving time.
Would Mississippi keep daylight saving time year-round?
In 2021, the Mississippi Legislature passed a law saying the state plans to stick with daylight saving time year-round. But that only takes effect if Congress changes the federal law to let states adopt it all the time. A bill updating the effective date died in committee in the 2026 session.
Nineteen states, including Mississippi, are ready to make daylight saving time permanent if Congress changes the law to make the twice-a-year time shift optional, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL).
How later sunrises would affect Mississippi
Sunrise and sunset times in summer would look the same.
But the period from November to March would be different. The amount of daylight would be the same, just shifted an hour later than usual.
Mississippi could expect the latest winter sunrises around 7:59 a.m. in mid-January. The earliest sunsets would shift from about 4:46 p.m. in early December to 5:46 p.m., according to timeanddate.com.
Why permanent daylight saving time failed before
Yes. Congress did drop Daylight Saving Time before.
The move failed in 1974 after parents worried about kids going to school before dawn, risking more vehicle crashes.
Some parts of the country, like Michigan or Indiana, don’t see sunrise until after 9 a.m. with the permanent daylight saving time.
When clocks fall back in 2026
Clocks will “fall back” from 2 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, unless Congress changes the law.
Daylight saving time ends on the first Sunday in November each year, under current law. That’s when we get back that missing hour of sleep from the spring time change.
Does Mississippi change clocks twice a year?
Yes. Mississippi, which is in the Central time zone, observes daylight saving time.
What time is it in Mississippi?
Visit timeanddate.com to see the current time in Jackson.
Which states don’t observe daylight saving time?
Most of the U.S. participates in daylight saving time except for Hawaii and most of Arizona. The Navajo Nation in the northeast corner of the state does participate.
Bonnie Bolden is the Deep South Connect reporter for Mississippi with USA TODAY Network. Email her at bbolden@usatodayco.com.
Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. Keep up with her on X @melinakh and Instagram @bymelinakhan.
Mississippi
Mississippi teen accused of killing elderly couple had worked for them before shooting: family
A teenager in Mississippi knew the elderly couple he’s accused of killing before sparking a standoff with law enforcement, according to new testimony in court.
Cordarius Hobbs, 17, is charged with killing 74-year-old Billy Blair and his 71-year-old wife Virginia Carol Blair during a home break-in on June 3 in Mendenhall, Mississippi.
Family members of Hobbs testified during the Thursday preliminary hearing that he knew the couple.
Family members testified that Hobbs did work for the Blairs for things like cleaning around the house before the alleged shooting, according to WAPT.
Billy Newsome, Hobbs’ grandfather, said he believes his grandson was called to work on the day of the alleged shooting but believes he’s innocent.
“My grandson used to work for the man, why you gone rob a man that you work for,” Newsome said. “Why you gone stay there that long and you know the police out there, and then you gone wait until everybody gets there to run, it just ain’t adding up, something just ain’t right here.”
On June 3, three contractors installing a generator at the Blairs’ home discovered Carol Blair’s car door open with several guns on the seats around 10 a.m., prompting them to call the Simpson County Sheriff’s Department for a welfare check at 11:30 a.m, according to a Mississippi Bureau of Investigation investigator.
By noon, the investigator said that officers arrived and were met with shots fired at them, starting a nearly two-hour-long standoff.
Hobbs was captured after trying to run away from officers, the official said, adding that the teen was unarmed when he was caught.
Carol Blair was found in a bedroom curled in the fetal position and had three gunshots to the back of her head. Bill Blair was found lying on his back in the kitchen with three gunshot wounds to his face.
The state investigator said three firearms were found inside the home as well as 280 shell casings, all owned by Bill Blair.
Hobbs’ defense attorney, Zachary Vaugh, argued that there’s a lack of direct forensic evidence connecting the teenager to the shooting.
“There was nothing to say he’s a principal, he’s the one that pulled the trigger on these things,” Vaugh said. “One of the things alone was, one of the victims was shot twice on one side of the head and once on the other. I think that’s pretty compelling that somebody else may have been in there. There’s a lot of things that are possible, just a tremendous amount of things.”
“When you have an officer say there’s no one that can identify him at the time of the shooting, I just don’t see how that adds up,” he said.
Hobbs is charged with two counts of capital murder and one count of burglary, in addition to 10 other charges. He was denied bond.
In a statement on Facebook, the couple’s family previously said, “We are crushed in spirit, bruised, and brokenhearted, but we are not alone.”
Jason Busby, who was friends with the couple, remembered them as being extremely selfless when speaking with WLBT.
“The man would’ve given you the shirt off his back, his wife is the same, and they’re just great people. It’s just a tragedy,” Busby said. “Everybody around here is still in shock. They were just good people.”
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