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A look at Reeves, Presley ahead of the November 7th General Election

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1 year ago

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Incumbent Republican Governor Tate Reeves and Democratic nominee Brandon Presley are barreling toward the General Election. What separates the candidates?

Mississippi is now a week out from its November 7th general election. The most talked about race this cycle will be at the top of the ballot, as incumbent Republican Governor Tate Reeves is being challenged in his bid for re-election by Democratic gubernatorial nominee Brandon Presley, the current Northern District Public Service Commissioner.

Experience in Elected Office

Both candidates have been on the ballot in Mississippi for 20 years or more.

Reeves first ran for office in 2003, winning the State Treasurer race and becoming the first Republican to hold that position in Mississippi history. After serving eight years as State Treasurer, Reeves ran and won the Lieutenant Governor’s seat in 2011, again serving in that office for two terms before running for Governor. He won his first term as the state’s chief executive in 2019.

From ice storms and floods to tornadoes and hurricanes to a global pandemic, no Governor in Mississippi history faced more natural or man-made disasters during his first term in office than has Reeves.

Presley, a lifelong Democrat, ran for Mayor of Nettleton in 2001 and served his hometown until he won the Northern District Public Service Commissioner race in 2007. He has since served four terms on the three-man Public Service Commission. Despite considerable experience running for office, this is Presley’s first statewide run.

Campaign Messaging

The Reeves’ campaign has focused on accomplishments during his tenure as Lieutenant Governor and Governor, including the largest tax cut in Mississippi history, the largest teacher pay raise in Mississippi history, historic education gains in reading, math and graduation rates, efforts to protect life and traditional family values, and economic growth and job creation.

Playing on those reforms, Reeves has spoken about keeping the “Mississippi momentum” going. He has advocated for the complete elimination of Mississippi’s income tax. In response to concerns over hospitals’ financial stability, the Reeves Administration has requested approval for increased reimbursement rates for Medicaid patients during the course of the campaign.

Presley has never held a strict “policymaking” office, meaning his experience affords him fewer past accomplishments to tout. He has pointed to the expansion of rural broadband during his time on the Public Service Commission.

Presley’s campaign has been disciplined in focusing on just a handful of policies he intends to push if elected: Medicaid expansion, a proposal to eliminate sales taxes on groceries, a proposal to reduce the cost of car tags, and a package of ethics reforms.

The campaigns have not all been positive. Over the course of the 2023 election cycle, both Reeves and Presley have hurled various accusations at each other. Presley has alleged Reeves is culpable in the state’s welfare scandal, which occurred prior to Reeves assuming the Office of Governor. Reeves has alleged Presley took illegal campaign donations from public utilities regulated by the Public Service Commission. Mississippi law makes it a crime for a sitting Public Service Commissioner to do so.

Neither have been charged with any crimes.

Policy Positions

As for the policy positions of Reeves and Presley, it can be easy to get lost in all of the rhetoric and social media traffic as the campaigns go back and forth.

To help clarify where the two gubernatorial candidates stand on the issues, below is a quick guide to what the two have said on the campaign trail and beyond on matters of importance related to Mississippi’s economy, the state’s education system, and the healthcare system.

Given that Reeves has held multiple statewide offices and has been actively involved in the legislative process during his service as a Republican leader, there are far more readily available news articles and comments to draw from than for Presley. Presley’s campaign has largely limited his overall talking points to those matters the Democrat has made central to his campaign and has rarely gone off script even when pressed.

ECONOMY

Tax & Spending Policy

Governor Reeves signed into law the largest tax cut in state history at the end of the 2022 legislative session. It passed the Legislature by a vote of 39-10 in the Senate and 92-23 in the House. Both chambers drew bipartisan support, though all opposition votes came from Democrats. The measure phases out the 4% bracket, cuts the remaining 5% bracket to 4% by 2026 and provides tax relief of roughly $525 million per year by 2026.

“It is a win at the beginning of this fight. It is not the end,” the Mississippi Governor said at the time.

Reeves has since repeatedly voiced his support for the full elimination of the income tax.

“I don’t think there is any doubt that eliminating the individual income tax would make Mississippi more competitive for not only capital investment, but also for people,” said Reeves.

Presley, on the other hand, has said that while Reeves “brags” on the state’s multi-billion surplus, he has done nothing to benefit taxpayers. Presley has not endorsed income tax elimination. Instead, he has proposed two smaller forms of tax relief. First, he wants to end the application of Mississippi’s sales tax on groceries. Next, he wants the state to subsidize the purchase of car tags, which are taxed at the county level.

Referring to surplus dollars, Presley has said, “How about use that money and put at least some of it back in the hands of taxpayers by getting the sales tax off of groceries and cutting the car tag fees in this state.”

“As governor, I’ll finally axe the grocery tax,” Presley has said in campaign ads and stump speeches, adding, “And how about this? I’ll take a saw to the cost of car tags and cut them in half.”

According to the Department of Revenue in a recent Magnolia Tribune report, sales tax generated from grocery stores in Mississippi in Fiscal Year 2022 was just over $283 million, an amount that is a fraction of the nearly $2 billion in income taxes collected in Mississippi.

Economic & Workforce Development

Governor Reeves has said it is vital that every Mississippian who wants a job can get a job. He’s identified workforce development as one of the most important issues in the state. During his tenure, a new workforce development agency, Accelerate Mississippi, was created.

“The future of Mississippi’s economy is being decided today,” Reeves said in a statement earlier this year. “We’ve made record investment in workforce development and because of that, our state’s unemployment rate is at an all-time low and more Mississippians are working than ever before.”

Reeves has signed into law measures aimed at expanding career coaching programs, increasing technical training programs at community colleges, and appropriated funds for direct career training related to healthcare, logistics, supply chains, and specific populations such as veterans, those currently or formerly incarcerated, and single parents.

In addition, Mississippi has seen record investment in the private sector across the state over the last four years. The largest of these investments came in 2022 when the $2.5 billion corporate investment by Steel Dynamics, Inc., its subsidiaries, and its partners was announced. The project is expected to create 1,000 jobs with an average salary of $93,000 in Lowndes County.

Governor Reeves also signed into law the Broadband Expansion and Accessibility of Mississippi Act and appointed an executive director to the new office that is overseeing federal funding for broadband expansion. Reeves has said this opportunity is a positive for economic development in rural areas and for the families that will benefit most.

“It is my strong belief that one’s zip code should not limit access to these technologies,” Reeves said at the bill signing.

Presley, the current Northern District Public Service Commissioner, has long advocated for broadband expansion. He was among the players that helped secure funding through Congressman Bennie Thompson (D) and the Biden Administration, using his office at the PSC. Presley has criticized Reeves for being “missing in action” when he was Lieutenant Governor and the broadband funds were initially sought.

Presley has pointed out that Reeves didn’t sign bills in 2020 that appropriated the federal funds for broadband.

“The appropriation bill for $75 million for co-ops and companies for broadband, he didn’t even sign, in the middle of a pandemic,” Presley said. “He needs to shut his mouth how he’s been for broadband.”

Presley put forward an economic development plan earlier this year that would create a Public-Private Task Force on Economic Diversity while providing workforce training scholarships. He wants to strengthen Mississippi’s Equal Pay law and provide more access to childcare. Presley also called for more investment in the state’s infrastructure.

Despite the Mississippi Department of Transportation receiving a record level of funding from the Legislature in 2023 and being signed by Governor Reeves, coming in at nearly $2 billion, Presley has been critical of the state’s infrastructure investments. At a recent campaign event in the Delta, the Democrat said the state has neglected the infrastructure needs of the area west of I-55.

“How do you expect to attract industries and create jobs from Natchez all the way up to the Delta without proper investment in infrastructure,” Presley said, as reported by the Natchez Democrat. “You have counties in the Delta that don’t have a four-lane road, and you expect them to recruit an industry? Come on.”

EDUCATION

School Funding & Education Freedom

Both Reeves and Presley have repeatedly called attention to their support for Mississippi teachers and increased investment in the state’s education system.

In 2022, Reeves signed into law the largest teacher pay raise in state history. Under the law, the average annual teacher pay increased by $5,151 for the 2022-2023 school year. The increase marked an 11 percent pay bump for the average teacher, bringing their salaries from $47,902 in the 2021-2022 school year to just over $53,000 this past school year.

The teacher pay raise marked a $246 million investment in the first year of the program. The Legislature appropriated an additional $100 million for classroom learning in the 2023 legislative session. In recent years, Mississippi has received increased attention for its education gains in reading, math and graduation rates. These improvements are often linked to a package of education reforms that occurred in 2013, when Reeves was then Lt. Governor.

“I want to personally thank all the legislators that played a role in helping to pass those education reforms. I also want to thank all the involved parents and dedicated teachers across Mississippi. We couldn’t have accomplished these goals without you,” Reeves said in his 2023 State of the State Address. “Our state – unlike some others that have been in the news – recognizes that we have a duty to both. We should ensure that parents continue to play an active role in their kids’ education, and we should ensure that teachers are paid what they deserve.”

Reeves said when it comes to education, Mississippi should protect parents’ voices and their right to be involved in the classroom. He has called on lawmakers to pass a Parents’ Bill of Rights. In the past, Reeves has been an outspoken advocate for giving parents more freedom over how and where their children are educated, including support of public charter schools and education scholarship accounts for special needs families to find an education setting that best works for them.

Having never been in a policymaking position that impacts education policy, Democratic candidate Presley has no past accomplishments to herald. He has put all of his emphasis in the education space on public schools and public school funding.

Presley has called for another teacher pay raise and increased funding under the Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP) – a formula that Republican leaders have long held should be revised. He also has called for the creation of a school “infrastructure” program to help school districts refurbish or rebuild aging facilities.

In 2023, the Legislature passed, and Reeves signed into law, The Educational Facilities Revolving Loan Fund (EFRLF). Forty million dollars was initially allocated to the EFRLF. The program is designed to support public education infrastructure by making funds available for school districts to pay down district debt, repair or renovate buildings, or build new Pre-Kindergarten or Career and Technical Education Centers across the state.

Presley has not articulated support for any form of education freedom that would permit families to choose the right school for their children.

HEALTHCARE

Medicaid Expansion

Medicaid is a welfare program that provides taxpayer funded assistance to individuals who cannot afford healthcare. Under the Affordable Care Act, often referred to as Obamacare, states had the option of expanding eligibility and increasing their recipient rolls.

Presley has beat the drum for Medicaid expansion since he kicked off his campaign. He’s promised to expand Medicaid on “day one.” Of course, in Mississippi’s system of government, a governor cannot simply enact policy. The Legislature would have to approve any such proposal.

“Tate Reeves is fiddling while the health care system in Mississippi burns to the ground,” Presley has said.

Reeves has been opposed to what he calls “Obamacare expansion.” Opponents of expansion argue it would add hundreds of thousands of new recipients at a considerable cost to the state, eating into funding for other core functions like education. They also argue it poses a considerable risk to states fiscally if the federal government ever changes the funding formula for the program and reduces its contribution.

“To me, expansion of Obamacare, while it adds a lot of people to welfare does not have the kind of financial impact that many think it will have,” said Reeves in September. He went on to say, “…adding 300,000 able-bodied Mississippians to the welfare rolls I would argue is a bad idea.”

Presley has contended that Medicaid expansion would help save financially at-risk rural hospitals, systems that have seen large losses in population compounded by changing delivery methods away from in-patient care.

During the legislative session, $103 million were appropriated to aid hospitals, but there have been some technical impediments to releasing the funds. Reeves recently announced Medicaid reimbursement reforms estimated to generate nearly $700 million in new revenue for hospitals in Mississippi.

The first proposal would increase Mississippi Hospital Access Program reimbursement rates for Medicaid patients in the managed care delivery system to the average commercial rate. Average commercial rate has long been considered the federal ceiling for Medicaid reimbursements in managed care.

The second proposal would supplement Medicaid base payment rates for hospitals by reimbursing inpatient and outpatient hospital services in the fee-for-service system up to the Medicare upper payment limit. This payment mechanism, known as a UPL, is calculated similarly to the one-time emergency payment of $137 million that hospitals received through the Mississippi Division of Medicaid earlier this calendar year.

Presley says these reforms are too little, too late.

“If Tate Reeves really cared about ending the hospital closure crisis he created, he would call a special session and expand Medicaid so working families can get the healthcare they need,” the Democrat said.

Certificate of Need Laws

Certificate of Need programs (CON) have been used to regulate resources within the healthcare industry. These laws are tools by which states require hospitals and healthcare system providers to prove a community need before opening a new facility or expanding in an area. Critics say it hurts competition in the healthcare marketplace and results in less opportunities for care for patients.

Governor Reeves supports reforming CON laws to encourage innovative healthcare delivery models to grow in Mississippi.

“By reforming Mississippi’s certificate of need laws, we can root out anticompetitive behavior that blocks the formation of medical facilities and prevents the delivery of life saving healthcare for our fellow Mississippians,” Reeves has said.

The hospital lobby, namely the Mississippi Hospital Association, has actively worked to kill any reforms considered at the Capitol for years. Their PAC voted to back Democratic nominee Presley during this election cycle, donating $250,000 to his campaign. The move sparked a division among the MHA member hospitals, resulting in some of the largest systems to leave the organization and the eventual parting of ways with their longtime President.

Presley has expressed an openness to reforming CON laws but has stopped short of backing efforts that would accomplish such a goal. Instead, he and his campaign have routinely circled back to the Democrat’s want of Medicaid expansion to buoy the hospitals the state currently has, even if such relief doesn’t cure all of their financial struggles.

Reproductive Rights

Both candidates have indicated that they are “pro-life.”

Reeves presided over the Mississippi Senate when the “heart beat” law was passed which became the foundation of the Dobbs case, which overturned Roe v. Wade.

Gender Issues for Minors

In 2021, Reeves signed into law The Fairness Act, a law designed to prevent biological boys from playing girls’ sports. In March, Reeves signed the REAP Act into law. The law establishes a medical standard of care that precludes physicians from performing gender reassignments on minors, or supplying medicinal treatment that would have the same effect.

Speaking on the REAP Act, Reeves said in a statement: “At the end of the day, there are two positions here. One tells children that they’re beautiful the way they are. That they can find happiness in their own bodies. The other tells them that they should take drugs and cut themselves up with expensive surgeries in order to find freedom from depression. I know which side I’m on. No child in Mississippi will have these drugs or surgeries pushed upon them.”

Activists in the LGBTQ community and on the Democratic side of the aisle heavily opposed the law. Yet, when asked what he thought of the bill by the Clarion Ledger, Presley initially gave a non-answer and referred back to Medicaid expansion.

However, in May, Presley said he would not seek to reverse such laws as the REAP Act, calling the issue “settled” even as the Mississippi Democratic Party voiced their opposition to the law saying it was a “clear violation of human rights.”

Then, in June at the Mississippi Press Association, Presley was asked about his position on the new law.

“I trust families, I trust mommas, and I trust daddies to deal with the health care of their children first and foremost, period,” Presley responded. This statement led some to speculate that Presley would not have signed the REAP Act. The statement occurred in close proximity to Louisiana’s Democratic governor John Bell Edwards vetoing similar legislation. Edwards’ veto was ultimately overridden by the Louisiana Legislature.

Again, in August, Presley felt the need to respond to rhetoric swirling around the issue. His campaign sent out a statement saying, “As a man of faith who is pro-life, I’ve never had an issue disagreeing with my party when they’re wrong, so I’ll be clear. I don’t think boys should be playing against girls, and girls shouldn’t be playing against boys. I don’t think minors should be getting surgery to change their gender.”

The post A look at Reeves, Presley ahead of the November 7th General Election appeared first on Magnolia Tribune.

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By: Frank Corder
Title: A look at Reeves, Presley ahead of the November 7th General Election
Sourced From: magnoliatribune.com/2023/10/30/a-look-at-reeves-presley-ahead-of-the-november-7th-general-election/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=a-look-at-reeves-presley-ahead-of-the-november-7th-general-election
Published Date: Mon, 30 Oct 2023 13:14:33 +0000

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Staring mortality in the face at Christmas

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1 year ago

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December 16, 2023

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My friend Jarrod is dying after an eight year battle with cancer. He’s lived a life worth celebrating, one that has drawn people to Christ.

I was going about my business this week when I received a text that stopped me in my tracks. A college friend was being moved to hospice care.

Jarrod Egley was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in early 2017. In the fall of 2018, tests revealed the cancer had spread to his lungs and Jarrod’s cancer was classified as Stage IV.

For almost eight years from the date of the original diagnosis, he’s fought. Through surgeries, radiation, endless rounds and cycles of chemotherapy, and experimental immunotherapies, he’s fought.

Last year, I flew out to California and spent some time with Jarrod and his wife, Emily. We sat outside one night. He acknowledged to me that it was not a question of ‘if’, but ‘when’ the cancer would claim his life. I told him I was sorry, because what else is there to say?

We talked about our faith, about the trials of Job, about Jacob wrestling with God, about Paul’s affliction. But mostly we reflected on our time together in school, on the good things, and the mundane things, that happened since.

Jarrod and I met at Tulane University. One Sunday morning in the Spring of my freshman year, I rose from my dorm room bed, dressed, and began walking down Saint Charles Avenue in New Orleans with no particular agenda. I walked until I came across First Baptist Church and the thought flickered in the vacuous recesses of my brain to enter.

Some would say it was a lark. The Calvinist in me says providence. The walk that morning changed the trajectory of my time at Tulane and my life on the whole. Intervarsity Christian Fellowship and the Baptist Collegiate Ministry became central to my life and put me in regular league with Jarrod. I met him first at the BCM and we ultimately ended up attending church together.

Jarrod was a faithful servant on and off campus. He helped organize a group of us that would weekly make our way down to the Esplanade seawall on the backside of the French Quarter to feed the homeless. On Friday nights, he could be found at chapel with a small cadre of students foregoing Bourbon Street for early 2000s worship music.

Jarrod was a loyal friend in those years. Never rude or biting. Not prone to an insult for an easy laugh. Persistently encouraging. An engineering student, his mind worked linearly and was oriented to problem solving. There were never a lot of wasted words — always a lot of deliberative questions when he disagreed or did not understand a point. He exhibited intelligence, empathy, and the kind of moral conviction that sets someone apart.

He also had a wry and dry sense of humor and a penchant for beating people at Madden football. He was fair-to-midland on the ultimate frisbee pitch. Along the way, there were crawfish boils, Mardi Gras outtings, poorly attended Tulane football games, and more than a decent amount of wing eating.

After college, I lost touch with Jarrod. He moved back to his home state of California. He got married to his college sweetheart, who could not have anticipated her husband’s journey, but has been a steady and constant helpmate throughout. Jarrod became a very successful engineer and a bourbon connoisseur. One of his bucket list trips took him to Kentucky, where he got to meet and became friends with bourbon “Hall of Famer” Freddie Johnson of Buffalo Trace acclaim.

Jarrod at Buffalo Trace Distillery (Spring 2022).

Sitting in his backyard nearly 20 years after graduating from Tulane, I saw many of the same qualities I had grown to admire when we were students together. I saw a husband who doted on and supported Emily’s passions. But I also saw someone whose body had been beaten to hell and back, who was tired, and who, like Jacob, had been wrestling with God. We quickly fell back into friendship, which perhaps is the mark of good friendship.

We all have aspirations in our youth — for the kind of spouse or parent we might be, for what we might accomplish, for what we might experience. Along the way, dreams are satisfied, modified, or they die on the vine. The clock inevitably works against all of us. That night in Oceanside, California, Jarrod, a numbers guy, saw that time was not on his side. He believed, as we all would, that he still had more to give, more impact to be made, and more things to see and experience.

After that trip, Jarrod and I stayed in touch, most frequently triggered by news of his cancer. It has been mostly the bad variety in recent months. Now spread throughout his body, down to his bones, he has lived in constant pain for months. Not even a steady diet of morphine and an implanted pain pump solve for it. Jarrod’s been hospitalized twelve times just in 2023.

But his matter of fact sense of humor and way of seeing the world remains in tact. So too does his faith that despite these trials, he has always been safe in the hands of Christ.

There are people in the world who believe that life is random, disordered, and without reason. I am not among them. I think my friend is staring mortality in the face at Christmas for a reason.

For thousands of years before Christ came, there was darkness and despair. Sin and shame gripped the hearts of men. Until one holy night, God, in His infinite love, mercy and wisdom, sent His son to save. Jesus is the light of the world and the hope of man. He has won victory over death and Jarrod’s will not be the exception. Jesus came for Jarrod, and for you.

For thousands of years since Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection, His disciples have been used as divine instruments to point the way to God. Jarrod is among them. If life expectancies were the measure, Jarrod would be at the midway point for most people. He’s made a lifetime of impact for the Kingdom and on other people.

So, to my friend Jarrod, you were placed here with a purpose. You have run your race. You are loved. And when this chapter closes, you will hear “well done, my good and faithful servant.” There is no greater evidence of a life well lived.

While Jarrod and Emily have been fortunate to have health insurance, their portion of the medical bills so far in 2023 have eclipsed $30,000, and Emily is facing additional uncovered expenses during Jarrod’s hospice care, including a night nurse that costs over $400 a night. If you would like to help defray the cost, a contribution can be made at their Go Fund Me page.

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Title: Staring mortality in the face at Christmas
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Magnolia Mornings: December 15, 2023

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December 15, 2023

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Important state and national stories, market and business news, sports and entertainment, delivered in quick-hit fashion to start your day informed.

In Mississippi

1. Laurin St. Pe’ named CEO of Singing River Health System

Laurin St. Pe

The Board of Trustees of Singing River Health System announced the immediate appointment of Laurin St. Pe’ as the Chief Executive Officer on Thursday.

“We are thrilled to announce Laurin St. Pe as the new CEO of Singing River,” said Steve Ates, Board President in a statement. “His wealth of healthcare experience and proven track record make him the ideal leader to steer our health system toward its next phase of growth and success.”

St. Pe’, who has been serving as Interim CEO since July 2023, said he is honored to assume the role of CEO at Singing River. He has worked at Singing River as Administrator of Singing River Health System’s Pascagoula Hospital and Gulfport Hospital, in addition to overseeing program service lines throughout the entire system to his subsequent appointment as Chief Operating Officer of Singing River.

The health system says St. Pe played a crucial role in the financial revitalization of Singing River Health System while steering the organization toward financial stability.

2. Gulfport-Biloxi airport, Stennis evacuated after threats

The Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport was evacuated on Thursday morning “out of an abundance of caution,” airport officials said, after receiving an emailed threat to certain transportation entities across the state.

The airport was thoroughly security swept, cleared and reopened in just over two hours. Gulfport-Biloxi is now operating regularly.

The threat was also sent to Stennis International Airport. Their staff and personnel were also evacuated until the facilities could be swept and cleared.

Any passenger whose travel was affected by the evacuation is encouraged to contact their respective air carrier.

3. Cassidy arrested in Iowa for beheading Satanic Temple statue

Former Mississippi congressional and legislative candidate Michael Cassidy was arrested this week in Iowa for beheading a statue at the state’s Capitol erected by The Satanic Temple.

Cassidy reportedly decapitated the statue and turned himself to police on Thursday. He was charged with fourth degree criminal mischief. He then started an online legal defense fund where he’s raised upwards of $20,000 as of Thursday night, according to his X account.

4. “Serial fraudster” ordered to cease offering investments into companies

According to the Mississippi Secretary of State’s office, on October 26, 2023, Secretary Michael Watson and the Securities Division issued an order against Stephone N. Patton. The SOS says Patton is a serial fraudster with multiple criminal convictions in Mississippi and Florida.

Through business filings with the SEC and Mississippi, Patton has held himself to be the CEO of various companies, including Star Oil and Gas Company, Inc., North Gulf Energy Corporation, Inc., Patton Oilfield Services, Inc., and Patton Farms, LLC.

The SOS says using these business filings and company websites, Patton claimed to have raised hundreds of billions of dollars through investment opportunities. Through investigative efforts and collaboration with the SEC, the SOS discovered none of Patton’s companies are operational, have any assets, or generate any revenues. Account records show Patton spent investors’ funds almost as soon as he received them on personal expenses. The total amount of known investments made to Patton’s fraudulent companies is over $80,000. Further, none of Patton’s investment offerings have been registered or notice filed with the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office.

The SOS order requires Patton to cease and desist from offering investments with his companies, requiring Patton to permanently deactivate his companies’ websites to prevent any further dissemination of his false or misleading information. Patton is also ordered to pay an administrative penalty of $25,000 to the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office for these violations, in addition to restitution owed to all his Mississippi investors.

National News & Foreign Policy

1. Congressional retirements mounting as 2024 election cycle nears

Retirement and departure announcements are piling up ahead of the start to the 2024 election cycle. The New York Times has developed a Retirement Tracker that currently shows 22 Democrats and 11 Republicans who are in Congress now will not be seeking re-election next year.

“Dozens of members of Congress have announced plans to leave their seats in the House of Representatives, setting a rapid pace for congressional departures, with more expected as the 2024 election draws closer,” the NY Times reports. “Given Republicans’ razor-thin House majority, the wave of exits has the potential to lead to a significant shake-up next year.”

You can find the tracker here.

2. Texas, Daily Wire, The Federalist sue U.S. State Department over media censorship

The U.S. State Department’s Global Engagement Center has come under fire as Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton along with The Daily Wire and The Federalist have filed a federal lawsuit alleging that the department funded technology that could “render disfavored press outlets unprofitable.” They claim that the department has helped social media – Facebook, YouTube and X (formerly Twitter) – to censor free speech while funding technologies used to censor right-leaning news outlets such as theirs.

New Civil Liberties Alliance is representing The Daily Wire and The Federalist. Paxton and the outlets claim the Global Disinformation Index (GDI), a British think tank, received a $100,000 grant from the State Department in 2021, and NewsGuard, which rates the “misinformation” levels of news outlets, received $25,000 from the State Department in 2020, according to the lawsuit.

According to the State Department’s website, the Global Engagement Center’s mission is to direct, lead, synchronize, integrate, and coordinate U.S. Federal Government efforts to recognize, understand, expose, and counter foreign state and non-state propaganda and disinformation efforts aimed at undermining or influencing the policies, security, or stability of the United States, its allies, and partner nations.

As reported by Reuters, the lawsuit cited a GDI-produced list from December 2022 that ranked The Daily Wire and The Federalist as among the 10 “riskiest sites” for news while the least-risky included The New York Times, Associated Press and NPR. Reuters notes that the lawsuit alleges such “blacklists” are reducing revenues to The Daily Wire and The Federalist along with their visibility on social media and ranking results from browser searches.

Sports & Entertainment

1. SEC releases 2024 schedules

Wednesday evening, the Southeastern Conference released the 2024 football schedules for its member schools, including of interest in the Magnolia State the schedules for Ole Miss and Mississippi State.

It is the first schedule that includes new conference members University of Oklahoma and University of Texas, bringing the conference to 16 schools. Each SEC team will play eight conference football games plus at least one required opponent from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac 12 or major independent, each team will have two open dates.

The 2024 season will be the first year the SEC will play a schedule without divisional competition since 1991. The top two teams in the league standings based on winning percentage will play in the 33rd SEC Football Championship Game in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Saturday, December 7.

2. White, Jesiolowski, Jones honored by MAIS

John White

The Midsouth Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) in Mississippi, comprised of non-public schools, announced this week that Madison-Ridgeland Academy’s senior quarterback John White was named the 6A Player of the Year while Hartfield’s Reed Jesiolowski and Hartfield Chris Jones were named the MAIS 6A Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, respectively.

All three have committed to play college football at the University of Mississippi.

White is Mississippi’s all-time leader in career passing yards with 15,259 yards, a record he broke during the 2023 season.

MAIS, like the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) for public schools, is broken down into classifications, from 1A to 6A. However, MHSAA added a 7A this season.

Markets & Business

1. Consumer retail sales up as energy, gas prices move down

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported this week that the Consumer Price Index rose 0.1% in November after being unchanged in October. Retail sales rose 0.3% in November after rising 0.2% in October, meaning consumers continue to spend at the start of the holiday season.

The CPI or inflation rate is 3.1%, higher than the Federal Reserve target of 2% but below the 9% peak in 2022 which reached a 40-year high.

As for the energy index, BLS reported that it fell 2.3% in November after decreasing 2.5% in October. The gasoline index decreased 6% in November, following a 5% decrease in the previous month.

The index for fuel oil fell in November, decreasing 2.7%. However, the natural gas index rose 2.8% over the month after rising 1.2% the previous month. The index for electricity also rose 1.4% in November, after increasing 0.3% in October.

The energy index fell 5.4% over the past 12 months. The gasoline index decreased 8.9%, the natural gas index declined 10.4%, and the fuel oil index fell 24.8% over this 12-month span.

2. Week’s market rally continues into Friday

At close of trading on Thursday, the U.S. markets continued the week’s rally, pushing the Dow up 158 points to 37,248 while the Nasdaq and S&P also made gains, 27 points and 12 points, respectively, to close at 14,761 and 4,719.

The record high for the Dow on Thursday moved futures up 102 points.

According to CNBC, the major averages are headed for their seventh straight positive week. As of Thursday, the Dow is higher on the week by 2.8%. The S&P 500 is up by 2.5%, while the Nasdaq Composite rose 2.5% this week.

Stocks rallied after the Federal Reserve left rates unchanged this week while members look towards cuts in the new year and beyond.

The post Magnolia Mornings: December 15, 2023 appeared first on Magnolia Tribune.

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By: Magnolia Tribune
Title: Magnolia Mornings: December 15, 2023
Sourced From: magnoliatribune.com/2023/12/15/magnolia-mornings-december-15-2023/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=magnolia-mornings-december-15-2023
Published Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2023 13:00:00 +0000

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Magnolia Tribune

New water rates expected in Jackson come 2024; those who don’t pay face shut off

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1 year ago

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December 15, 2023

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Interim Third-Party Director Ted Henifin said this week that only about 59% of the City of Jackson’s water customers are paying their bills.

JXN Water has announced new rates and fees coming in 2024. Those who are not paying will be at risk of shut offs.

The company, which was established by federal appointed interim Third-Party Director Ted Henifin, has been overseeing the city’s water system for the better part of a year.

Officials estimated that the average cost for water in the city was $76 per month for residents. Henifin clarified that JXN water will not attempt to recoup any charges prior to November 29, 2022, and will work with those who have failed to pay since that time.

He said only about 59 percent of the city’s water customers are paying their bills.

“You can’t forgive bills, so we have to be creative in how we part that,” said Henifin in reference to Mississippi’s laws that prevent giving away water.

According to a release by JXN Water announcing the rate changes, residents in single family households with small meters that use up to 748 gallons daily would see a bill increase of roughly .30 cents per day. Research indicates that the average U.S. family uses 300 gallons per day.

SNAP customers will have a new rate tier that could lower their bill by up to .69 cents per day, on average.

“Those who need to save the most benefit from saving money by drinking tap water. This new rate structure makes water affordability possible for 12,500 JXN Water customers who receive SNAP benefits,” said Henifin in the release.

Read more about the anticipated rate changes here.

New fees will also be implemented, including a new service fee of $50, service deposit of $100, returned check fee of $25, service restoration fee of $100, and meter tampering charge of $500. 

JXN Water has continued to encourage residents to use the water, with Henifin going on the record in a federal status hearing saying that the water “was safe to drink.”

More conversation regarding the billing process is expected to come at next week’s Jackson City Council meeting.

The post New water rates expected in Jackson come 2024; those who don’t pay face shut off appeared first on Magnolia Tribune.

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By: Sarah Ulmer
Title: New water rates expected in Jackson come 2024; those who don’t pay face shut off
Sourced From: magnoliatribune.com/2023/12/15/new-water-rates-expected-in-jackson-come-2024-those-who-dont-pay-face-shut-off/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new-water-rates-expected-in-jackson-come-2024-those-who-dont-pay-face-shut-off
Published Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2023 20:00:00 +0000

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