Mississippi
Will Shad White, Delbert Hosemann run for Mississippi governor in 2027? See what they said
PHILADELPHIA, Mississippi — At least two statewide officials are now publicly considering running for higher office in Mississippi.
After giving stump speeches at the Neshoba County Fair Wednesday, Mississippi State Auditor Shad White and Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, two of the state’s high-ranking Republicans, told reporters they have no intentions of leaving the political arena after completing their current terms.
White, who took his time at the podium to discuss an upcoming report now said to detail more than $300 million of waste in state government, denounce Diversity Equity and Inclusion education and throw shade toward state lawmakers for not passing related legislation, said he is considering running for the state’s highest office.
“I am seriously considering running for governor,” White said briefly.
Hosemann did not so concretely state his intentions but said he does in fact have plans for a political office after his current term is over, and that he plans to stay in Mississippi.
“I have been honored to be here, and we’re not tired,” Hosemann said. “The state is going in the right direction. I’ve got a vision for where my grandchildren ought to be. Me and my wife Lynn, we have two special-needs kids, and she wants to work on special needs matters. So, we’re not ready to retire yet, and given the opportunity by the good Lord and the people of Mississippi, we’re going to keep working.”
Other than Hosemann and White, Democratic Senate candidate Ty Pinkins, Public Service Commissioner De’Keither Stamps and Mississippi Transportation Commissioner Willie Simmons spoke about the roles of both state and national politics in Mississippi and beyond.
More on Neshoba political speakers Neshoba County Fair again full of state leaders, political candidates stumping. See lineup
Here is what those speakers said.
Mississippi State Auditor Shad White
White told event goers he is soon to release a $2 million report that will detail at least $300 million in state government waste.
Of that sizeable figure, White said he has found thousands of dollars wasted on government cellphones that have never been turned on and found that some people in Mississippi had been receiving healthcare from the state’s Medicaid program.
“We identified about $144 million worth of payments to people who looked like they were making too much to be on Medicaid,” White said.
White later told reporters that waste within the Mississippi Division of Medicaid makes up a sizeable portion of the report.
That report was compiled through a $2 million contract with Boston Consulting Group, and White’s office is working to finalize that report. The Clarion Ledger submitted a public records request to obtain a copy of that report, but the office denied it, citing it could not release “work papers” related to a state audit, per state law.
“The statute says that work papers shall be confidential,” White said to a group of reporters Wednesday. “We’ve always treated all audit work papers as confidential.”
White also took up a long-held position of his in denouncing DEI education in Mississippi colleges, calling out a program that taught what he called “equity yoga” to children.
“We are in a fight for young America,” White said.
White went as far as to blame the Mississippi Legislature for not passing legislation to remove DEI programs at state universities, specifically calling out Hosemann and other senators for not pushing the bills forward.
Mississippi Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann
Up on the podium, Hosemann touted the Legislature’s efforts to increase K-12 education funding, which happened through a rewrite of the state’s K-12 education funding formula, economic developments and efforts to lower the cost of prescription drugs in Mississippi.
Hosemann said one of his top priorities is still to improve the state’s lackluster job participation rate. One of the ways he thinks that can get done is through expanding Medicaid. He also hopes to work on cutting the state’s 7% grocery sales tax, which is among the highest in the nation.
The Legislature for the first time ever considered expanding Medicaid this past session, but the effort failed because of differing approaches to the number of people that would be covered, whether there should be a work requirement and what that would look like.
“We can (still) do that,” Hosemann said.
When asked what Hosemann thought of White’s comments, he said he did not hear them.
“I thought he would be on a book tour,” Hosemann joked.
Senate candidate Ty Pinkins
Pinkins told attendees that if they elect him to the United States Senate, he promises to work for all Mississippians and focus on issues that impact its people.
Other than attacking Republican incumbent Sen. Roger Wicker for not working to address what Pinkins says is his responsibility, he said he hopes to increase healthcare access in Mississippi and support women’s rights to have an abortion.
Public Service Commissioner De’Keither Stamps and Transportation Commissioner Willie Simmons
Stamps, a first-year Public Service Commissioner, called on 81-year-old President Joe Biden to step down and for Vice President Kamala Harris to assume his role.
In his own words, he said that move would further unite the country.
Simmons on the other hand, who has publicly endorsed Harris as the Democratic nominee for president, called on state lawmakers to establish more recurring funds for the Mississippi Department of Transportation.
“I don’t see Republican or Democratic highways,” Simmons said.
If the state were to establish a larger and more consistent budget for MDOT, Simmons said the effort could reduce the long-term cost of road and bridge maintenance.
read about US Court decision US Court rejects RNC challenge to MS mail-in absentee ballot counting, GOP to appeal
Grant McLaughlin covers state government for the Clarion Ledger. He can be reached at gmclaughlin@gannett.com or 972-571-2335.
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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Mississippi
Mississippi farmers struggle through years without profit as war with Iran deepens crisis
YAZOO COUNTY, Miss. — Mississippi Delta farmers are facing another expensive planting season as fertilizer and fuel costs continue to climb.
Farmers in Yazoo and Sharkey counties, Clay Adcock and Jeffrey Mitchell, said it has been years since their crops turned a real profit.
“I guess it would be since 2022,” Adcock said.
“Last 2.5 to three years since we had a very profitable year,” Mitchell said.
Rising input costs squeeze farmers
Adcock said he was paying $300 per ton of fertilizer before the war with Iran broke out. He is now paying double for the same amount. Mitchell saw similar spikes.
“Fertilizer was up 25% before the Iranian conflict already,” Mitchell said. “Then since that started Diesel fuel is up 40% in the last six months.”
Survey and research from the American Farm Bureau show they are not the only ones feeling the pinch.
“We’ve got trouble with the farming community,” Adcock said. “And you can see that with the bankruptcies that are there and no young farmers that can afford the capital to get started.”
Mitchell said today’s farmers face a shrinking industry of suppliers. 75% of all fertilizer in the U.S. comes from four companies: Yara USA, CF Industries, Nutrien and Koch Industries.
“With the world market on fertilizer, pretty much everyone has the same price,” Mitchell said. “It’s not like you can go to store B, get a better price.”
forces
Oil and natural gas cut off in the Strait of Hormuz forces energy companies worldwide to compete for less supply. The spike in costs passes on to fertilizer producers, who pass higher prices on to distributors, leaving family farms at the end of the line with the most expensive bills.
“They deliver it to us and we’re at their mercy,” Adcock said.
Adcock said he would like to see more regulation to even the playing field among fertilizer companies and prevent potential price gouging.
“There should be guiderails in place to keep fertilizer producers within a range and if they get out of that range it throws up red flags as they do in the SEC with stocks,” Adcock said. “Have some consistency in our business.”
Mitchell said the costs will circle back to consumers at the store. The spike in diesel also increases the cost of transporting finished crops after harvest to stores.
“Everything will be higher once it gets to Kroger or Wal-Mart or wherever,” Mitchell said. “They’ll just pass it onto consumers.”
It is too early to tell what the final prices will look like once harvest season is over. Each farmer said one way consumers can help is to buy as much produce as possible directly from farmers at markets and buy American items.
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