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Trump cuts to HHS layoff all workers for US program that helps Mississippi pay light bills

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Trump cuts to HHS layoff all workers for US program that helps Mississippi pay light bills


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  • The entire staff of the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) was laid off, jeopardizing assistance for millions of Americans needing help with energy costs.
  • The layoffs, part of a government-wide mass firing of 10,000 employees, were led by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. under the direction of President Donald Trump.
  • The cuts leave $378 million in cooling and emergency assistance funds in limbo, as the staff responsible for distribution were among those laid off.
  • LIHEAP, which assists approximately 6.2 million low-income households, is crucial for ensuring safe housing temperatures during extreme weather conditions.
  • The impact of the layoffs will be acutely felt in the South, which experiences high electricity rates and a significant number of energy-insecure households.

The entire staff of a federal agency that helps the poor and economically struggling pay their light bills was laid off this week. The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) helps people pay for energy based on income and need and helps millions of Americans with heat and cooling costs.

About 10,000 people were fired from the Department of Health and Human Services. The move, led by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., was in line with plans to cut government spending touted by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, who leads the new Department of Government Efficiency.

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The mass firing hit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; the Food and Drug Administration; and the National Institutes of Health.

Mark Wolfe, executive director of the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, told USA Today that HHS laid off the whole LIHEAP staff Monday, March 31, as part of the purge.

The program helps about 6.2 million people in low-income households keep access to the power needed for staying safe in extreme hot and cold weather. The program can be lifesaving for homes under freeze or extreme heat warnings.

According to the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance, the South has some of the highest electricity rates in the nation paired with some of the highest bills. According to analysis, they found that the four-state region including Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky averaged 11 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) in 2015. The average monthly bill for the region was $138, outpaced only by Alaska and Hawaii. The noncontiguous states paid 28 cents per kWh and about $151 per month.

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Here’s what we know about the federal staffing cuts and how LIHEAP helps people in Mississippi.

What is LIHEAP?

The Mississippi Department of Human Services manages the program in the state. It’s offered in all 82 counties, and the funds are prioritized based on need.

“Vulnerable households include those households with members who are elderly, disabled, or with children age 5 or younger,” the site reads.

According to the 2024 fiscal year plan, the state planned to use about 45% of funds on heating assistance, 40% for cooling and 5% for crisis assistance. Any funds not used for heating would be used for cooling help later in the year.

When will people feel the cuts?

According to Wolfe, About $4.1 million in funds were released to LIHEAP for fiscal year 2025 last year. That accounts for about 90% of the allocated funds.

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The last 10% – about $378 million – is used for cooling and emergency help. That can’t be released, he said, until HHS decides how much goes to each state. That person was fired.

“My concern is that the Administration could say that without an allocation or staff to oversee the funding, they cannot distribute the $378 million to the states,” Wolfe said.

What is energy insecurity? Why is it important to keep your house at a healthy temperature?

According to a 2024 analysis from the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance (SEEA) & Texas Energy Poverty Research Institute (TEPRI), about 15.4 million households across the South have energy insecurity. About 7.5 million are estimated to have received a cutoff notice, and paying a utility bill is a top cause for people taking out payday loans.

Five million households in the South have had to leave their homes at an unhealthy temperature (too hot or too cold). That can lead some people, mostly kids, at a higher risk of health issues like asthma.

About 3.9 million homes in the south lack access to working cooling equipment, which can lead to heat-related illness or death.

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What does LIHEAP help with?

According to DHS, the program can help pay a home power bill, an energy crisis or weatherizing a residence to help cut power costs.

The state was allocated $38,416,289 for fiscal year 2024, according to LIHEAP Clearinghouse. The program helped 30,253 households with heating, 28,668 with cooling and 8,222 with a crisis. Heating help is offered Oct. 1 through April 30, and cooling assistance is available May 1 to Sept. 30.

LIHEAP and the Energy Crisis Intervention Program (ECIP) can help with:

  • Gas.
  • Wood.
  • Electricity.
  • Liquid propane or butane gas.
  • Some other services.

Mississippi makes the payments directly to the energy supplier.

The Mississippi program also can provide items like blankets, fans, space heaters or air conditioners as in-kind or other benefits.

Crisis services can include things like heating and cooling system repair or replacement, buying a wood stove or helping with utility/gas hookups.

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Energy providers work with the state to delay shutoffs on unpaid accounts on days the National Weather Service issues an excessive heat or freeze warning for that county.

Why are utility bills in the South so high?

Several factors go into the region’s disproportionately high bills, according to the SEEA and TERPI data. That includes housing segregation policies that still keep Black voices out of some conversations on clean, affordable energy and how the power reached rural communities historically.

The fact most houses in the South – about 53% – were built well before current energy codes is also a huge hurdle. According to the analysis half of Southern states are still using a code developed more than 10 years ago, some actively work to roll back policies meant to help maintaining the house more comfortable and affordable.

According to SEEA and TERPI, the high bills hit low-income households and people of color the hardest. More than a third of people in the South struggle, leaving people in a state of energy insecurity.

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Most counties in the region (1,229) have energy burdens that exceed a 6% affordability benchmark. Only 88 counties across the South have energy burden that would be affordable for low-income families.

The review used a few Mississippi counties as examples. In Rankin, a low-to-medium-income household would make about $51,646. At a 6% energy burden, they’d pay $258 per month, or $3,099 per year. In Noxubee, a LMI household would bring in about $28,800 per month. With a 16% energy burden, they’d pay $384 per month or $4,608 per year.

Why do Black people, the elderly pay for for heating and cooling?

According to the SEEA and TERPI analysis, access to less energy efficient housing – like older properties – and fewer resources to cut costs hits minorities across the South. The majority of Mississippi counties have high energy burdens on low-income homes paired with a high percentage of minority residents.

While they might use less energy, a building using more power per square foot than it should can make the cost disproportionate.

Elderly people also can be left footing a higher bill. Mississippi also has significant overlap when looking at a high energy burden on the poorest residents and the rate of people older than 65 by county.

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Summer heat hits Mississippi hard, can be deadly

The National Weather Service ranks 2024 as the hottest year on record for the country and second-warmest year on record for Mississippi.

According to 2023 National Weather Service data, Mississippi had two heat-related deaths. One was in an outside or open area and another was in a mobile or trailer home. About 555 people died as a result of hot weather across the country, most of them (448) in Arizona.

Who qualifies for help from LIHEAP in Mississippi?

According to the Mississippi Department of Human Services, to get assistance, a person would have to:

  • Have a power bill due to a landlord or electric company.
  • Be a a citizen or permanent resident of the U.S.
  • Have a “household income at or below the 60% of the state median income for their household size.”

Applicants have to provide documentation, and they can apply for LIHEAP help at the same time as SNAP and Medicaid.

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Are there other Mississippi programs to help with your light, heat bill?

According to LIHEAP Clearinghouse, there are some help options for low-income Mississippi residents.

Mississippi Power reportedly drops the base charge for “for eligible low-income and elderly customers receiving SSI or TANF.” Call 1-800-532-1502 for more information.

Project SHARE from Mississippi Power is administered by the United Way. It helps the elderly and disabled with energy bills.

Entergy Mississippi’s Helping Hands also works to weatherize about 100 residences per year, including plugging draft, caulking and replacing doors and windows. Call 1-800-368-3749 for information.

The company also has Power to Care which uses donations from customers and the company to help low-income elderly and disabled people and Beat the Heat, an annual fan giveaway for the people who need them most.

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The Salvation Army administers Sharing the Warmth for Atmos Energy. It uses customer and company donations to help people who meet specific criteria pay their gas bills. Learn more at atmosenergy.com/community/sharing-warmth/.

Community Action Agencies across the state might also be able to help with basic needs like education costs, housing, education costs or utility bills. To find CAAs near you, look for your county name at mdhs.ms.gov/community/.

You can find more assistance programs through the Missississippi Public Service Commission at https://www.psc.ms.gov/ubpa.

Contributing: Medora Lee

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

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Mississippi

Langdon and Maude Schuyler Clay capture the culture of Mississippi through the lens of a camera

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Langdon and Maude Schuyler Clay capture the culture of Mississippi through the lens of a camera


  • The two have spent a lifetime documenting the world around them.

Watching documentaries and reading memoirs and other works of creative nonfiction has become almost an obsession with me. My fascination is probably due to the fact that the stories being told are real and true. Learning how people overcome obstacles or create a life for themselves that is vastly different from the expected trajectory ignites my own imagination. That is especially true of creative endeavors or lives that are rooted in the pursuit of creative storytelling in one way or another. 

In Mississippi, a couple living in Sumner, Mississippi, has created a life that is full, and rich, and filled with stories they’ve collected in their forty-plus years of marriage. Langdon and Maude Schuyler Clay are professional photographers who have spent a lifetime documenting the world around them, whether in an ancient cemetery in the middle of Paris or a dog on a log in a cypress swamp deep in the Mississippi Delta. 

Thanks to mindless scrolling on Facebook recently, I came across a post by Maude where she mentioned that several people had asked her where they could watch Thad Lee’s documentary about them called “Two Lives in Photography.” It seems Thad is set to get a special award from the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters for the film on June 14. Maude also included a link to the documentary, which can be viewed on YouTube. 

I have been a fan of Maude Schuyler Clay since I interviewed her years ago for an article I wrote on photographer William “Bill” Eggleston. I was somewhat familiar with Eggleston’s work. My editor gave me a list of contacts, and Maude was on that list. During our conversation, she realized I had no idea she and Eggleston were first cousins – their mothers were sisters. She explained their relationship and gave me wonderful insight for my article. 

Curious, I clicked the link to the documentary and spent the next hour and a half transfixed. “Two Lives in Photography” showcases not only the work of Langdon and Maude but also the love of place that is reflected in their work as well as their love for each other. 

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Oxford Film Festival veteran Thad Lee directed the film, which focuses on a photography retrospective by the same name at the Mary Buie Museum on the campus of the University of Mississippi in Oxford. The exhibit was curated by Melanie Munns Antonelli. The pieces in the exhibit feature photographs taken by the couple over a span of decades, including some taken before they married. 

(Photo: Langdon and Maude Schuyler by Thad Lee)

In the film, Langdon says the couple met in 1976 at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

“We were at a show for Bill Eggleston – his first ever color photography show.”

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Maude had spent time in New York interning for Eggleston.

Lee spent three years producing the film. It begins in 2020, with Landon and Maude walking through the gallery, each relaying the stories behind the photographs, as well as describing how they, as photographers, were able to capture the photos with their respective cameras.

“Somehow you see something and you snap it, and you know you’ve got the prize,” says Langdon. “Other times you’re on a hunt. It could be for months or even years. Then you’ll see a special thing.”

Langdon is a master at seeing the symbolism in seemingly ordinary things, and that adds an interesting dynamic to his work. Maude says she has always been a proponent of photography being very much connected to literature.

“All these photos are stories,” she says in the film. “I like the idea of marrying words and images.”

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She had three prominent Mississippi writers write the foreword to her books. Lewis Nordan wrote the foreword to Delta Land, Brad Watson wrote the foreword to Delta Dogs, and for Maude’s portrait book called Mississippi History, the foreword was written by Richard Ford. 

The film was artfully shot by cinematographer Gregory Gray, and the hauntingly beautiful score was by Delta native Jim “Fish” Michie, best known in these parts for being one of the founders of The Tangents. 

At the end of the film, Maude says, “As freelance photographers and artists, we set out without any real guarantee that our work was ever going to be shown or any of it was ever gonna be published. I think one of the commonalities that Langdon and I have is that we believed that was what we were going to do, no matter what. It has paid off, because, you know, it’s kept us occupied for the past forty years.”

For a teaser to the film, take a moment to watch this trailer. If you’re a person who enjoys learning about the stories behind the artist and their work, you will probably enjoy “Two Lives in Photography” as much as I did.

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Virginia outfielder Aidan Teel transferring to Mississippi State baseball, Brian O’Connor

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Virginia outfielder Aidan Teel transferring to Mississippi State baseball, Brian O’Connor


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STARKVILLE — Another player from Virginia is transferring to Mississippi State baseball.

Aidan Teel, who was a Third Team All-ACC selection in 2025 as an outfielder, committed to the Bulldogs on June 7, according to his Instagram bio.

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Teel, who’ll be a senior next season, started all 50 games in center field with a .317 batting average, seven home runs, 51 runs and 40 RBIs.

He’s following new MSU coach Brian O’Connor, who was hired on June 1 after 22 seasons at Virginia. O’Connor was formally introduced on June 5 at Dudy Noble Field.

Teel is the fourth Virginia player to transfer to Mississippi State, joining All-ACC Freshman Team pitcher Tomas Valincius, outfielder James Nunnallee and designated hitter Chone James. MSU also landed Illinois Second Team All-Big Ten outfielder Vytas Valincius in the transfer portal. All four of them committed on June 6.

Teel has played his entire career at Virginia. The Mahwah, New Jersey, native missed the 2023 season with an injury, but returned in 2024 as an outfielder and pitcher. He did not pitch during the 2025 season. MLB.com has Teel ranked as the No. 177 prospect in the 2025 MLB draft.

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Teel’s older brother, Kyle, made his MLB debut on June 6 with the Chicago White Sox.

Twelve Mississippi State players have entered the transfer portal as of June 7, with freshman infielder Lukas Buckner the latest to do so.

Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.

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'Sinners' Puts 'Truth on Screen' For The Mississippi Choctaws

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'Sinners' Puts 'Truth on Screen' For The Mississippi Choctaws


CHOCTAW, Miss. (AP) — It’s a small part in a big movie, but for the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, their scene in “Sinners” is a huge deal.

The horror movie blockbuster, starring Michael B. Jordan as a gangster turned vampire slayer, paints a brief but impactful portrait of the tribe using Choctaw actors and cultural experts. For some, it’s the first time they’ve seen the Choctaw way of life accurately portrayed on the big screen.

In the scene, a posse of Choctaw, riding on horseback and in an old truck, arrives at a small farmhouse to warn the couple that lives there of coming danger. When the couple refuses their help, a Choctaw man wishes them luck in his native language before riding off.

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“I’ve not seen another movie that has our language spoken correctly,” said Cynthia Massey, a cultural consultant for “Sinners.”

Massey runs the tribe’s Chahta Immi Cultural Center alongside Sherrill Nickey and department director Jay Wesley. All three were hired as cultural consultants to ensure a genuine depiction of the tribe in the film. Together, they sifted through archives, researching how their ancestors would have dressed, spoken and acted in the 1930s, when “Sinners” takes place.

“I was honored and humbled by the fact that they wanted a true representation,” said Wesley, who also acted in the movie.

Wesley connected the filmmakers to Choctaw actors and artifacts like the beaded sashes the Choctaw characters wear in the movie. Those sashes are now part of a “Sinners” display at the cultural center.

The movie’s introduction also features a short snippet of a Choctaw war chant, performed by Wesley’s daughter, Jaeden Wesley, who is a student at the University of California, Los Angeles. While recording, Jaeden Wesley said the filmmakers told her they wanted the Choctaw people to hear their music in the movie.

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“We were catering to our own people, even in that short little second,” Jaeden Wesley said.

Shining a spotlight on often overlooked cultures and topics, like the Choctaw people, is part of the mission at Proximity Media, which produced “Sinners.” The company was founded by “Sinners” director Ryan Coogler, his wife and film producer, Zinzi Coogler, and producer Sev Ohanian.

“It was never a question for us that if we were going to portray the Mississippi Choctaw, we got to have the right people who can tell us, who can tell Ryan, what we’re not knowing, what we’re not thinking,” Ohanian said. “It was all because we’re trying to serve Ryan’s story of like putting truth on screen.”

A display of choctaw artifacts from the movie Sinners
The Chahta Immi Cultural Center displays artifacts characters wore in the movie “Sinners” on Thursday, June 5, 2025, in Choctaw, Miss. Jay Wesley via AP

Ohanian and his co-founders didn’t stop with Choctaw consultants; they enlisted a small army of experts who advised on the confluence of cultures mingling in the Mississippi Delta, where the film is set. The resulting cinematic world was so well received, community organizers penned an open letter, inviting Coogler and his fellow filmmakers to visit the Delta. Last week, the Cooglers, Ohanian and others took up the offer, attending a “Sinners” screening in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Clarksdale is where the film’s events unfold.

“I hope this encourages other filmmakers to find opportunities to be authentic in their storytelling and to look at this rich tapestry of culture that’s right here in America,” Ohanian said, noting the film industry has historically misrepresented nonwhite groups.

Wesley and his fellow consultants hope the film will cultivate curiosity in audiences, encourage them to learn more about Choctaw culture and visit the Chahta Immi Cultural Center.

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“It’s important to be connected to this culture because this was here before the public was here,” Massey said. “Probably three-quarters of Mississippi was Choctaw land, and now we only have 350,000 acres.”

They say Choctaw participation in the film has cultivated a sense of pride among tribe members. Nickey hopes it will encourage a sort of cultural renaissance at a time when she says fewer and fewer Choctaw speak their native language.

“I know for a fact that there are a lot of kids out there that don’t even know how to speak our language. They only speak English,” Nickey said. “I hope they know it’s okay to speak our language.”

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