by Margaret Baker, Sun Herald, Mississippi Today
April 29, 2025

LONG BEACH — A retired Long Beach police officer arrested Thursday is accused of assaulting a woman holding a protest sign and threatening a second victim, Long Beach Police Chief Billy Seal confirmed Friday.

Police arrested Craig DeRouche, 64, for allegedly assaulting a woman during an encounter on U.S. 90 at Jeff Davis Avenue. He is charged with a second misdemeanor charge of assault by threat for allegedly threatening a man who reported that he saw the alleged attack and tried to intervene, Seal said.

According to Seal, the protester, identified as a 74-year-old woman, was holding a protest sign supporting the right to due process under the U.S. Constitution for Americans before the assault occurred.

The woman, a Navy veteran, is now in stable condition in a local hospital.

READ THE FULL STORY at the Sun Herald.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Ex-MS Coast police officer accused of assaulting 74-year-old female protester appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

The article presents a factual account of an incident involving a retired police officer accused of assaulting a protester. The tone is neutral, focusing on the details of the event without engaging in overt political rhetoric or bias. The source, Mississippi Today, is known for providing straightforward news coverage, and there is no clear indication of political framing or partisanship in the language used. The article simply reports the incident and includes basic details about the people involved, including the protester’s age, condition, and the charges against the officer. No ideological perspectives are offered, which supports a centrist assessment.

by Rick Cleveland, Mississippi Today
April 29, 2025

On April 28, 2022, the Ole Miss baseball Rebels had won 23 games and lost 17 overall. They were 6-12 in the Southeastern Conference. The various Internet message boards were filled with posts calling for head baseball coach Mike Bianco’s dismissal. Yes, and two months later, Bianco and his Rebels won the College World Series.

Contrast that with this: On April 28 of this year, Mississippi State’s Diamond Dogs had a 25-19 record overall, 7-14 in the SEC. The various Internets boards were filled with posts calling for head coach Chris Lemonis to be fired. He was.

In both those situations, the Mississippi teams were six games over the .500 mark overall. In both those situations, the teams had lost twice as many SEC games as they had won. Ole Miss stayed the course, and it paid off, remarkably so. In sharp contrast, Mississippi State pulled the trigger, and we shall see what happens next.

Another big difference in the two situations: Bianco had never won a national championship in his previous 20 years at Ole Miss. Lemonis won the first national championship in State history just four years ago.

You ask me, that national championship, not even four years ago, should have earned Lemonis, at the very least, the right to finish out this season. I don’t see anything to be gained with firing the man with three weeks remaining in the regular season. Most NCAA Tournament projections have Mississippi State listed as one of the first four teams out. The Bulldogs are ranked 45th in RPI against the nation’s 13th most difficult schedule. They are on the NCAA Tournament bubble, just as Ole Miss was three seasons ago.

This is not to say I believe that Lemonis, given the opportunity, would have done what Bianco did three years ago, But it is certainly within the realm of possibility. We’ve seen it happen. In baseball, more than any other sport, teams run hot and cold. State could have gotten hot, gotten on a roll in May and June and at least made it to the College World Series. It happens for someone nearly every year in college baseball. For that matter, it could still happen for State this year with interim head coach Justin Parker calling the shots.

And I know what many of those calling for the dismissal of Lemonis will say. They’ll say that in firing Lemonis now, State can get a head start on hiring a new coach to turn the program around. Not so. Any coach that the Bulldogs would hire is still coaching a team and will be coaching a team through at least May. 

Traditionally, Mississippi State baseball is one of the nation’s top programs. State baseball facilities are second to none. Fan support is among the nation’s best. 

But it is not, as athletic director Zac Selmon put it “the premier program in college baseball.” It is much more accurate to say State’s is a really good program in the premier conference in college baseball.

LSU, Texas, and Arkansas, all teams in the same conference, have similar fan support, terrific facilities and have enjoyed much more on-the-field success. Tennessee has improved dramatically. Ole Miss, Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Texas A & M have made huge strides in facilities, fan support and baseball emphasis. 

And here’s the deal: Tradition, facilities and fan support, while still important, all have become secondary issues when it comes to ingredients for success in college athletics. You know what really matters most? NIL and the ability to attract players in the transfer portal, that’s what. This is no longer amateur sports. It’s pay-for-play. It’s professional sports in every respect.

The first question recruits ask: What can you pay me? The first question any prospective coach will ask Mississippi State: How much money will I get to pay players? In Monday’s press release announcing the dismissal of Lemonis, Selmon was quoted as saying State’s baseball “NIL offerings” are second to none. There’s no way of knowing for sure, but I have heard otherwise from numerous sources.

 I hate that we have reached this point in college athletics, but we most assuredly have. I also hate that Lemonis, a good man and a good coach, doesn’t get the chance to finish the season. I thought he had earned that.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Chris Lemonis had at least earned the right to finish season appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

The article presents an opinion focused on the dismissal of Mississippi State baseball coach Chris Lemonis, highlighting the contrast between the treatment of Lemonis and Ole Miss’ coach Mike Bianco. The writer criticizes the decision to fire Lemonis prematurely, arguing that his past success, including a national championship, warranted the opportunity to finish the season. The piece does not lean heavily toward any political or ideological position, instead focusing on the dynamics within college athletics and coaching decisions. While the critique of the decision might appeal to readers who value stability and tradition, it does not show a clear partisan or ideological bias.

by Mina Corpuz, Mississippi Today
April 29, 2025

Mississippi nonprofit centers that serve survivors of domestic violence, dating violence and sexual assault have been unable to apply for crucial federal grants, creating uncertainty and potentially jeopardizing services and staffing.   

The U.S. Department of Justice awards tens of millions of dollars yearly through the Violence Against Women Act, but in February, grant information was taken down from the Office on Violence Against Women’s website right before the usual application deadline.

As of the end of April, the information hasn’t returned, and the office’s website announcing funding opportunities was last updated Feb. 6, telling applicants not to finalize any applications.

“So many times when you’re utilizing federal funds to pretty much run your organization, when those federal funds are cut, you have to start looking at cutting staff and services,” said Joy Jones, executive director of the Mississippi Coalition Against Domestic Violence, which receives VAWA funding. 

“That is detrimental to victims of crime,” she added. 

Since 2017, the U.S. Department of Justice has awarded nearly $50 million to Mississippi nonprofit centers, the State Department of Health and the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. That’s money that has supported the operation of shelters, transitional housing, victim advocacy, education and more. 

Other funding through VAWA includes training for law enforcement officers and prosecutors as well as support for rural communities and college campuses. 

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Meridian’s Care Lodge serves nine counties in the east central part of the state. Its executive director, Kim Neal, said federal grants support the organization’s emergency shelter, where over 200 women, men and children turned to last year. 

She said a lot of the funding is to ensure people have basic needs like clothing, food and a safe environment, in addition to advocacy, like when survivors want to file charges or to seek a protective order. 

Tupelo-based S.A.F.E., Inc. serves nine counties in northeast Mississippi. A rural grant has allowed the organization to do work at its domestic violence shelter and in the community, including throughout April – Sexual Assault Awareness Month. 

Through federal and state grants, S.A.F.E, housed 55 people last year, including those who are homeless as a result of domestic violence and sexual assault, said Zowee Shanks, S.A.F.E’s executive director. 

“When people are making these decisions to pull the grants out, they are not understanding these shelters do more work than at our 19-bed facility,” she said. 

Another federal funding source for domestic violence and rape crisis centers is through the Victims of Crime Act. That act created the Crime Victims Fund, which collects fines and penalties from people convicted of federal crimes and distributes the money to states. 

In October, the start of the federal government’s fiscal year, the crime fund is expected to be cut by $700 million, meaning less funding for states and victim service programs.

The Mississippi Department of Health uses VAWA and VOCA grants along with $12 million from the State Legislature to support victim services that many shelters provide, said Gregory Flynn, a spokesperson for the department. 

Currently, the Health Department funds support ten of the 11 domestic violence shelters across the state, including Care Lodge and S.A.F.E, Inc. 

At the same time as VAWA grants were frozen, the Justice Department cancelled funding for 365 grant programs for nonprofit organizations across the country working with crime victims. Some of the grant recipients were notified that their projects no longer “effectuate” the DOJ’s agencies, CBS News reported. 

“It certainly concerns us,” Neal said about the wait for answers about the federal grants.  

“Domestic violence doesn’t stop even though they may freeze the funding.”

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Federal funding loss puts help for domestic violence, crime victims at risk appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Center-Left

This article discusses the impact of federal funding cuts on domestic violence and crime victim services, with a particular focus on how such cuts could harm vulnerable populations. The tone is critical of the funding freeze and the delay in grant processing, reflecting concern about the potential harm to victims of crime. The sources quoted, including nonprofit leaders, emphasize the importance of these federal funds for maintaining essential services. The language used is empathetic toward those affected and suggests that halting funding without alternative support could lead to significant negative consequences, particularly for marginalized communities. The piece does not explicitly advocate for any political party but highlights the consequences of budgetary decisions that disproportionately affect vulnerable groups, which is a viewpoint often associated with Center-Left political leanings.