On this day in 1870

by Jerry Mitchell, Mississippi Today
February 26, 2025

Feb. 26, 1870

Wyatt Outlaw, a Union veteran and the first Black town commissioner of Graham, North Carolina, was seized from his home and lynched by members of the Ku Klux Klan known as the White Brotherhood, which controlled the county. 

Outlaw served as president of the Alamance County Union League of America, which opposed the White Brotherhood and had advocated establishing a school for Black students — something Klansmen had vowed to burn down. 

When the Klan tried to terrorize the town’s Black citizens, Outlaw and two other Black constables opened fire on the hooded men. Sometime later, more than 60 hooded Klansmen invaded his home with torches, swords and pistols. They beat down Outlaw’s door with axes. 

When his 73-year-old mother confronted them, they knocked her down and kicked and stomped her. As the mob dragged Outlaw away, his 6-year-old son screamed, “Oh, Daddy! Oh, Daddy!” 

The Klansmen walked Outlaw bare-chested and barefoot to the Alamance County Courthouse, where they lynched him and placed a note on his chest: “Beware! Ye guilty parties — both white and black.” 

Eighteen Klansmen were indicted for Outlaw’s murder, but charges were later dropped. Other Klan violence led to other deaths and injuries. Outlaw’s lynching, followed by the assassination of state Sen. John W. Stephens at the Caswell County Courthouse, prompted Gov. William Woods Holden to declare martial law in the area. As a result of his stand, the governor was impeached. 

Decades later, in 1914, officials gathered to commemorate a new Confederate monument. Jacob Long, a longtime lawmaker, praised “the achievements of the great and good of our own race and blood” just steps from where he and other Klansmen reportedly lynched Outlaw. The monument still stands. 

There is no monument to honor Outlaw. A play telling his story debuted in nearby Burlington in 2016.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

House panel approves casino tax increase, a shot over bow on blockage of online sports betting

by Geoff Pender, Mississippi Today
February 25, 2025

In an obvious shot at the Senate and at least part of the casino lobby for the state not legalizing online gambling, the House Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday approved a tax increase on casinos.

Ways and Means Chairman Trey Lamar said his bill, which would increase taxes on Mississippi casinos from 12% to 16%, is to recoup the tens of millions of dollars a year Mississippi is “losing” from not legalizing online betting. He said, “if everybody’s honest with themselves, online sports betting is already going on” illegally, but the state is not generating any taxes from it.

He said his bill, which now heads to the full House, is also aimed at shedding light on why the online betting bills the House has passed in recent years die in the Senate. Some Mississippi casinos, particularly smaller ones that might struggle to contract or build online betting infrastructure, have opposed the move.

“The goal post continues to be moved on the other end of the building (the Senate),” Lamar told committee members. “We’re going to tax it appropriately. There needs to be some further light shed on this topic … (Illegal online gambling) has reached pandemic level … It’s my understanding that a small handful of casinos are standing in the way of that legislation. “

Lamar said he’s been given estimates ranging from $26 million a year to $80 million a year the state could generate in revenue from online gambling — so he estimates it at about $50 million. Neighboring Tennessee, which legalized online gambling, is making about $140 million a year.

Currently Mississippi casinos pay 12% in taxes, 8% going to the state and 4% to local governments and schools. Lamar said increasing the state’s share to 12% would generate an estimated 50% a year.

Senate Gaming Committee Chairman David Blount criticized Lamar’s tax increase on Tuesday, and the House’s major tax overhaul proposal, which would eliminate the income tax, but raise gasoline and sales taxes.

“The House is fixated on raising sales taxes, increasing the gasoline tax and raising taxes on Mississippi businesses,” Blount said. “I don’t support a 50% tax increase on Mississippi businesses (casinos) that are vital to our state. The House wants to raise taxes on everything Mississippians buy and every time they go to the gas station, and they want to raise taxes on one of the largest employers in our state.”

The move marks the first time in at least a decade that there’s been serious talk of raising the casino tax in Mississippi. The state’s relatively low and stable tax rate on gambling has been credited with helping the industry grow over years. However, some in the industry say gross gambling revenue growth has been stagnant in recent years because of illegal online gambling in Mississippi or legal online gambling in neighboring states.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Handling of child care revisions ‘alienates’ providers, one owner says

by Simeon Gates, Mississippi Today
February 25, 2025

Members of the Child Care Advisory Council and child care providers, who had raised issues earlier about new proposed regulations, are voicing more concerns after the state Department of Health shared revisions.

Over 200 child care providers attended a meeting Friday of the Child Care Advisory Council along with members of the advisory council and Nicole Barnes, director of the child care bureau at the Health Department, to discuss the new proposed revisions to child care regulations in the state.

The advisory committee had a week to review the new proposed revisions, which have not been released to the public. They also weren’t shown during the meeting.

Advisory council members Vincent Burke and Roberta Avila spoke on the need for a clearer process for discussing and passing changes to child care regulations. Burke suggested giving council members at least 30 days to review regulation changes. “We feel uninformed as an advisory board,” he said.

Avila explained her point in an email after the meeting. “There is a need for clarity of the process in discussing and approving changes to the Licensure Regulations,” she said.

The council voted to meet again in March to further discuss the new regulations.
During the open comment period, several providers raised concerns about the licensing agency’s conduct. Debbie Ellis, who owns and operates The Learning Center in Greenwood, criticized the licensing agency’s handling of the regulation changes, saying that it was “disrespectful” and “alienates” child care providers.

Two other providers who are also part of the advisory council, Regina Harvey and Lesia Daniel, spoke before the meeting about the advisory council’s role.

“Regulations should not be released to the public until the advisory board has had a chance to read them and advise,” said Harvey, who runs SMART Beginnings Preschool in Ocean Springs. “This is what the board is supposed to be — made up of industry leaders and providers. My experience so far is that this is not happening.”

Daniel, owner of Funtime in Clinton, said that having a week to look at all the new revisions wasn’t practical. “The document is hundreds of pages and so taking the time to compare each section to the current regulations to identify the proposed changes is a waste of everyone’s time. To me, that communicates a lack of respect to providers.”

Barnes explained in the meeting that the revisions were done to comply with the Child Care and Development Block Grant’s health and safety standards. There are no federal child care regulations.

The licensing agency filed its first round of proposed regulation changes in November. Many child care providers criticized the previous revisions and how the licensing agency debuted them. They also felt the licensing agency wasn’t considerate of their perspectives.

The licensing agency acknowledged they did not get input from the Child Care Advisory Council or the Small Business Regulatory Committee. Providers said they were not notified of the revisions until weeks after they were filed, when they should’ve been notified three days after they were filed. The licensing agency maintains that it followed the Mississippi Administrative Procedures Act. 

The controversy over regulations comes at a crucial time for the child care industry. Labor shortages, high prices, and more are contributing to a child care crisis in the U.S.

The licensing agency is set to bring the proposed revisions to the Board of Health in April, as well as all public comments from providers. According to Barnes, the new regulations would take effect in May if the Board of Health approves them.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.