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In TANF welfare scandal, media pushes guilt by innuendo

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2 years ago

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Determining who goes to jail is a question for prosecutors, courts, and juries—based on evidence. It will not be decided by reporters on the back of cleverly constructed innuendo.

On June 21, 2019, Gov. Phil Bryant was alerted to possible irregular spending at the Mississippi Department of Human Services (MSDH) by then-Executive Director John Davis.

Bryant informed State Auditor Shad White’s office that day, according to White. Bryant’s tip triggered an investigation by the Auditor’s office that would uncover a sprawling conspiracy to embezzle Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) welfare money intended to aid Mississippi’s poor.

Bryant would ask for the resignation of Davis and bring in a former FBI agent, Chris Freeze, to help clean up MSDH.

In the wake of the investigation, both state and federal criminal proceedings ensued. Multiple charged parties have pled guilty. A civil lawsuit was filed by MDHS to recoup some of the ill-spent money. Forty-six separate defendants have been named in that case.

Phil Bryant is not among them. He has not been charged with any crime. He’s not been named in any lawsuit. But he has been tried in the court of public opinion for the better part of two years by zealous advocates in the media. This week he pushed back, releasing a video and text messages in his possession.

The TANF welfare scandal unquestionably marks a gross breach in public trust. What occurred was criminal and people will go to jail for it. Determining who goes to jail, however, is a question for prosecutors, courts, and juries—based on evidence. It will not be decided by reporters on the back of cleverly constructed innuendo. Guilt by innuendo is reckless and dangerous.

Media Framing of Narrative

Dozens of outlets across Mississippi, and many more nationally, have covered the TANF scandal. No outlet has made a more concerted effort to “own” the story, though, than Mississippi Today. Their coverage, particularly the investigative reporting of Anna Wolfe, has drawn both rave reviews and a fair amount of criticism. Wolfe’s reporting has also been used as source material by countless other publications and outlets, meaning it has largely framed public awareness of the scandal.

Mississippi Today’s CEO Mary Margaret White appeared as a panelist at a Knight Foundation conference in February of 2022. The Knight Foundation funds non-profit news organizations like Mississippi Today. These types of events are frequently “show and tell” opportunities. In a wide-ranging interview, White gave her outlet credit for both changing the Mississippi flag and breaking the story on the TANF welfare scandal.

The Mississippi flag was changed because of the courageous leadership of people like House Speaker Philip Gunn, who had advocated for it for years, bipartisan cooperation in the Legislature, and a strong coalition of business and faith groups. It was not changed because an outlet reported on it, but White’s commentary on the flag is reflective of how Mississippi Today sees itself—as an advocacy organization.  

How White characterized the TANF welfare scandal speaks to how Mississippi Today has approached the story. “We’re the newsroom that broke the story about $77 million in welfare funds intended for the poorest people in the poorest state in the nation being embezzled by a former governor and his bureaucratic cronies,” she boasted from the stage.

Only no one has accused Phil Bryant of embezzlement, which has a very specific legal meaning. There is no evidence that Phil Bryant embezzled, or that he benefitted personally in any way from the TANF fraud. He’s certainly not been charged with embezzlement.

But support for the claim aside, White’s perspective permeates her newsroom’s coverage. It’s simply sexier to contort the public record and paint Bryant as a criminal mastermind than to withhold judgment until the legal process is complete. Bryant buys clicks. Focusing on him also conforms to a pervasive anti-Republican sentiment in the midst of an election cycle.

The Heart of the Scandal

But there is a reason audits performed, criminal prosecutions brought, and lawsuits filed have instead focused on former MDHS Executive Director John Davis, Mississippi Community Education Center head Nancy New, and Family Resource Center head Christi Webb. They are at the heart of the scheme—uniquely positioned to pull it off and with clear evidence they derived benefit from it.

Both MCEC and FRC were already subgrantees for administering MDHS’s TANF State Plan prior to Davis assuming his post in January of 2016. However, after becoming Executive Director, Davis dramatically ramped up the TANF funding pouring into both organizations.

Nancy New, who with her son, Zachary, ran a private education company in Mississippi, pleads guilty to state charges of misusing public money that was intended to help some of the poorest people in the nation, April 26, 2022, at Hinds County Circuit Court in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

In exchange for the increased funding, New and Webb spent lavishly on Davis, his family, and his favored friends. There is a massive web of people who benefited from this scheme by receiving unallowed TANF expenditures. Davis directed both MCEC and FRC to pay family members for phony leases on non-existent buildings, and to pay family and friends millions of dollars in consulting contracts for services they were unqualified to offer. Millions, for instance, were spent a family of wrestlers, the DiBiases, to provide services they had no special skills to provide. It appears Davis just had some peculiar fascination with them.

There is evidence that New and her family also benefitted personally from the scheme, treating the TANF funds flowing through MCEC like a piggy bank to support family-owned ventures.

Davis, New, and Webb have all pled guilty.

Is there hard evidence against Phil Bryant?

There is zero forensic evidence that Phil Bryant knew anything about the scheme between Davis, New, and Webb prior to June 21, 2019, when he was alerted by Jacob Black, a then-MDHS Deputy Director who has since been added to MDHS’s lawsuit as a defendant. It’s not even clear what Bryant was alerted to that day. Emails uncovered in an audit from the same time period suggest the tip could have been limited in scope to unauthorized luxury travel.

While others walked away with millions, there is zero evidence that Phil Bryant reaped any personal benefit from the scheme.

Instead, the information used against Bryant in the media comes from text messages, primarily with Brett Favre, about two projects that Favre was pushing—the construction of a volleyball facility at Southern Miss and a concussion drug named Prevacus, for which Favre was an early investor.

Phil Bryant in a released video defending himself against claims made in media.

Bryant was encouraging of both projects in his texts with Favre and both projects eventually received TANF funding. If the analysis stops there, the optics are bad. But a closer look provides important context.

In none of Bryant’s texts does he suggest that these projects should be funded with TANF dollars. What you actually see in both cases is a governor offering to use his connections to privately fundraise for both projects. Take for example this exchange on April 20, 2017:

  • Brett Favre: “Deanna and I are building a volleyball facility on campus and I need your influence somehow to get donations and or scholarships. Obviously Southern has no money so I’m hustling to get it raised.”
  • Phil Bryant: “Of course I am in on the Volleyball facility…We will have that thing built before you know it. One thing I know how to do is raise money.”

This theme around helping to make fundraising connections persists throughout Bryant’s released texts. Bryant helped find a contractor to build lockers for the facility and even sent a personal donation.

Two Paths for Funding

What has not been considered in media coverage of these two projects is the potential of two sets of conversations being pushed by Brett Favre—one set with Bryant that focused on fundraising, and another set with Davis and New that focused on public funding. That dichotomy is actually supported by the available communications and goes a long way to explaining Bryant’s state of mind in his conversations with Favre.

The impression created in coverage to date is that Bryant was the nexus between Favre, New and Davis. But all three ran in the same circles as Southern Miss alumni. Favre and New sat on USM’s Athletic Foundation Board together. New had been approached by Jon Gilbert, then-Athletic Director at USM, about help in building the volleyball facility, and was ultimately introduced by Gilbert to Favre, for the purpose of helping.

A considerable body of meetings and communications between USM officials, Favre, MSDH personnel, and New to determine how to arrange payment for the facility took place. There is no evidence that Phil Bryant was a party to these discussions.

The structure to fund the stadium was ultimately devised by MSDH personnel—a sublease arrangement to get around a TANF prohibition on brick-and-mortar spending. This arrangement was ultimately signed off on by USM, Special Assistant Attorney General Stephanie Ganucheau, and the Institute for Higher Learning. Minutes from an IHL meeting on October 17, 2017 read:

This lease and subsequent sublease are being funded through the lease of athletic department facilities by the Mississippi Community Education Center (MCEC), a 501(c)(3) organization designed to provide schools, communities and families with educational services and training programs in South Mississippi. MCEC will use the subject facilities to support their programming efforts for South Mississippi. MCEC’s funding for the project is via a Block Grant from the Mississippi Department of Human Services. The funding from MCEC shall be prepaid rent to the Foundation in the amount of Five Million Dollars ($5,000,000).

There is no evidence that Phil Bryant was involved in devising the structure of the deal. He had no authority to approve this expenditure. It was approved in plain sight by the people who had the authority. It also bears noting that most governors are not in the weeds of the day-to-day operations of agencies. The scope of their work is simply too broad.

A similar pattern to that of the volleyball facility emerges with respect to Prevacus. Favre and New having one set of conversations, and Favre and Bryant having another. Bryant’s offer of help in texts is to connect Favre to donors and people within the Trump White House who might be able to help with the FDA.

It is possible that reporters know more than the prosecutors in this case, or the lawyers who have filed to recoup stolen funds. Possible, but not probable.

Caution with the Court of Public Opinion

In examining anything as complex as the TANF welfare scandal, healthy skepticism is warranted. The sheer volume of players and schemes involved will one day fill books. Even for honest reporters, distilling the scandal down into bite-sized pieces is difficult and can be misleading.

The risk is amplified when you consider that the information circulating could be incomplete, or worse, calculated to advance an agenda. Much of the information reported about the TANF investigation to date has been gleaned from audits, legal proceedings, and anonymous sources, then seasoned with opinion.

Because of the nature of an ongoing investigation and litigation, a complete body of evidence is elusive. Sources, both anonymous and public, often act out of self-interest in sharing information. An attorney for a person charged, for instance, might have motive in communicating with media to deflect blame from his or her client onto others. In furtherance of that motive, they might selectively share or frame information.

Likewise, a government official who communicates covertly with reporters might be doing so to escape personal scrutiny, remove political competitors, or advance their own careers. Reporters must weigh those factors, and the nature of their relationships with sources, in checking bias and deciding what is credible to report.

In court cases, claims must be backed by evidence. Evidence is filtered through rules to ensure it is relevant and reliable. People charged with crimes or named in civil lawsuits are given a fair chance to challenge evidence.

Unfortunately, the rules of evidence and the right to challenge that evidence through the crucible of trial do not apply in the court of public opinion. A reporter who wants to drive a narrative can selectively omit evidence, editorialize, and exclude voices that would offer challenge.

Guilt by innuendo is a dangerous thing. Caution in accepting it.

The post In TANF welfare scandal, media pushes guilt by innuendo appeared first on Magnolia Tribune.

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By: Russ Latino
Title: In TANF welfare scandal, media pushes guilt by innuendo
Sourced From: magnoliatribune.com/2023/05/07/tanf-welfare-scandal-guilt-by-innuendo/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tanf-welfare-scandal-guilt-by-innuendo
Published Date: Sun, 07 May 2023 12:45:45 +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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By: Russ Latino
Title: Staring mortality in the face at Christmas
Sourced From: magnoliatribune.com/2023/12/16/staring-mortality-in-the-face-at-christmas/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=staring-mortality-in-the-face-at-christmas
Published Date: Sat, 16 Dec 2023 15:05:22 +0000

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Magnolia Mornings: December 15, 2023

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1 year ago

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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.

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Title: Magnolia Mornings: December 15, 2023
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Published Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2023 13:00:00 +0000

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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.

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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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