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Op-Ed: Mississippi’s Entergy has its Southwest Airlines moment | Opinion

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www.thecentersquare.com – Jameson Taylor | The Center for Political Renewal – 2023-06-28 11:47:00

When a company fails spectacularly — Bud Light, for instance — it’s difficult not to notice. When a company fails spectacularly in a way that hurts people — Southwest Airlines  — policymakers should notice. And when a company is a public utility with a government-granted monopoly — Entergy, for example — policymakers should not only take notice but do something about it. Mistakes and bad weather happen, but the loss of power for tens of thousands of people in Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas and other states — not once, but twice within almost a week — suggests something is wrong.

As I sit here in the Mississippi heat, again without power, it seems to me Entergy is having a Southwest moment. Recall that Southwest canceled almost 17,000 flights during the 2022 Christmas holidays. My family and I were supposed to be on one of these flights. Our flight — and subsequent rebooked flights — was canceled so many times I lost count. Each of those cancellations represents a failure to deliver what was promised. After so many cancellations, I lost confidence in Southwest. I also lost trust in their customer service, which was slow to acknowledge and respond to the systemwide disruption.

In my experience, Entergy has likewise been slow to respond to a large-scale breakdown in services. Here in Jackson, my family and I lost power on June 16 after a severe thunderstorm. (Not a hurricane, I might add.) In spite of there being a live, downed wire in my yard, Entergy did not show up until June 22. That’s almost seven full days without power – not including the past three days, June 25 to June 27. During that time, Entergy repeatedly stated they would send a team to investigate … remember, we had a live wire in our yard. Day after day passed with no help. After multiple phone calls, we realized we couldn’t trust what customer service was telling us. So, we gave up and hoped for the best.

Hoping for the best has resulted in contemplating another week without power. Instead of just hoping, we all — beginning with the Mississippi Legislature — need to start asking questions. After Southwest cancelled one-third of its flights, the U.S. Senate held hearings.

Punctuating its lack of transparency, Southwest’s response to Congress was uninspiring: “In hindsight, we did not have enough winter operations resiliency.” That much was obvious, but it’s more of an apology than Entergy has offered. In a self-congratulatory press release following the first round of storms, the company said: “Entergy Mississippi’s response was good. However, we always want to work hard to try to make it perfect next time.”

No one is asking for perfection. And, like me, many customers were probably willing to put the first, long round of power outages behind them. After a second round of outages — and, at least here in Jackson, repeated outages over the years — it’s time to start asking questions.

Here are a few to get lawmakers started:

How much has Entergy increased its rates over the years? … According to Bigger Pie Forum, the answer is 32 percent in three years. … How does this increase compare to public utilities in other states, factoring in population size and other variables?

Do Mississippi (and other state) taxpayers subsidize Entergy, either directly or indirectly? If so, how much and for what, exactly?

How did Entergy obtain the legal monopoly it currently enjoys? … When is that monopoly up for reconsideration and what does the bidding process look like?

How much has Entergy invested in less reliable power sources, such as windmills and solar panels? … According to Bigger Pie, the answer is $1.2 billion. … What investments in more reliable power, like natural gas, have been displaced by these gambles? … A related question is whether Entergy is implementing ESG initiatives that compromise reliability or increase consumer costs?

How much, compared to other grid operators, has the company invested in maintenance and upkeep for existing plants and equipment? … From where I sit, as a mere customer and complete non-expert, it seems to me that this is the key question. … Is the company investing in new-fangled projects and ideas while neglecting its meat-and-potatoes operations?

Finally, how resilient and reliable are Entergy’s operations? No doubt, more people are affected when the grid goes down in large states, like California or Texas. But how do we compare to similarly situated states? … According to U.S. News rankings, based on U.S. Department of Energy data, Mississippi is almost last — No. 45 — among all states. Arkansas is No. 44 while Louisiana fares even worse at No. 47.

It’s obvious that having reliable access to electricity is absolutely necessary for a state’s economy to function, much less grow. It’s also vital to protecting public safety, improving health outcomes, and advancing nearly every other quality-of-life measure. Entergy may be doing an almost-perfect job under challenging circumstances. Then, again, they may not. Given the stakes — and the number of people affected — it’s time for lawmakers to take a look.

Jameson Taylor, Ph.D., has a 20-year track record of advancing pro-family and pro-liberty policies in multiple states, including Mississippi’s ban on late-term abortions that overturned Roe v. Wade. He is the director of legislative affairs for American Family Association Action and president of the Center for Political Renewal

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Taxpayers covering California rents over $7,000 near Mexican border | California

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www.thecentersquare.com – Kenneth Schrupp – (The Center Square – ) 2025-03-31 17:01:00

(The Center Square) – According to federal data, taxpayers may now be helping cover California rents of up to $7,030 near the Mexican border.

Under the federal Section 8 housing voucher program, families are expected to dedicate 30% of their incomes to housing costs, while a federal voucher covers the rest. Vouchers are portable, with the Department of Housing and Urban Development aiming to provide tenants with “greater ability to move into ‘Opportunity Neighborhoods’ with jobs, public transportation, and good schools.”

In San Diego County, there are three ZIP Codes where fair market rents covered by Section 8 exceed $7,000 per month for a four-bedroom home: swanky coastal Del Mar, whose notable homeowners include Microsoft founder Bill Gates and football star Aaron Rodgers, and neighboring Rancho Sante Fe, whose residents include Bill Murray and Phil Mickelson, is joined by Chula Vista, a more modest community that adjoins the California-Mexico border.

The San Diego County income limit for a family of five to qualify for Section 8 is $49,500, meaning that family would be expected to contribute up to approximately $1,237.50 per month towards the up to $7,030 fair market rent authorized for Section 8 vouchers of up to $5792.50 per month. 

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which administers the Section 8 program, FMR is set by the 40th percentile rent, as determined by the results of the American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. 

As of March 31, there are four four-bedroom homes for rent in Chula Vista’s 91914 ZIP code listed on Zillow, ranging from $3,800 per month to $10,000 per month, with two of the rentals under the $7,030 threshold. 

According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities’s January 2025 report, 2.3 million households receive Section 8 vouchers, which are expected to cost federal taxpayers $32.8 billion in fiscal year 2025.

Because maximum voucher amounts are set by local rents, expensive, densely-populated coastal regions receive a disproportionate share of voucher funding.

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News from the South - Louisiana News Feed

Town of Montgomery fails audit, lacking payment documentation, budget | Louisiana

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www.thecentersquare.com – By Emilee Calametti | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-03-31 15:37:00

(The Center Square) — A recent audit showed the town of Montgomery lacked several supporting documents, including vendor payments, operating losses, and meeting minutes for the Board of Aldermen.

After failing to complete an audit report before the deadline and reconcile financial accounts, the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Office released an audit summary on March 26 detailing its findings for Montgomery’s 2023 fiscal year.

The independent auditor did not provide an opinion due to the findings.

“We do not express an opinion on the accompanying financial statements of the governmental activities, business-type activities, and each major fund of the town,” the report said. “Because of the significance of the matter described in the Basis for Disclaimer of Opinion section of our report, we have not been able to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence to provide a basis for an audit opinion on the financial statements.”

The auditor could not perform necessary procedures due to the lack of documentation concerning transactions and bank reconciliations. An analysis by management showed that the town overlooked adopting a budget for the audited period.

No meeting minutes for the Board of Aldermen were recorded, for the year ending Dec. 31, 2022, concerning budget. The lack of minutes is reported by the auditor to be an administrative oversight. Failing to adopt a budget violates state law and the Home Rule Charter.

The schedule of findings provided by the independent auditor states no documentation was available to support various vendor payments for the first quarter of 2023.

Findings also showed the utility system reported substantial operating losses, which resulted in a depletion of finances. Rates were not adjusted to offset costs, resulting in a significant decrease in funds. Montgomery officials submitted the audit late in violation of state law.

There were also cases of reconciliation issues and payroll documentation. According to the auditor, the bank accounts operated by the town had not been properly reconciled. As for payroll, employees recorded their timesheets but there is no record of supervisor approval for some. 

The different findings were originally reported in 2021, some in 2022, and now again for the 2023 audit. 

Montgomery, population 620, is located in north central Louisiana on the west bank of the Red River. 

Emilee Ruth Calametti serves as staff reporter for The Center Square covering the Northwestern Louisiana region. She holds her M.A. in English from Georgia State University and soon, an additional M.A. in Journalism from New York University. Emilee has bylines in DIG Magazine, Houstonia Magazine, Bookstr, inRegister, The Click News, and the Virginia Woolf Miscellany. She is a Louisiana native with over seven years of journalism experience.

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News from the South - North Carolina News Feed

Carolinas wildfires battle helped by rain | North Carolina

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www.thecentersquare.com – By Alan Wooten | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-03-31 15:21:00

(The Center Square) – Wildfires continued to burn Monday in the Carolinas, though a sign of optimism arose with a burning ban lifted in 41 South Carolina counties and measured rainfall in both states.

Largest of the fires is Table Rock in Pickens and Greenville counties of South Carolina. The Black Cove fire is burning in North Carolina’s Polk and Henderson counties, the Rattlesnake fire is burning Haywood County, and the Alarka 5 fire is in Swain County.

South Carolina’s Horry County at the Atlantic Ocean and North Carolina border, and the northwestern counties of Spartanburg, Greenville, Pickens and Oconee remain under a burning ban. In North Carolina, all 100 counties have a ban in effect.

The Table Rock fire size is about 13,191 acres in South Carolina and 574 in North Carolina, the Forestry Commission of the former said. Containment is about 30%.

The Persimmon Ridge fire is 2,078 acres in size with 64% containment. Rain Sunday into Monday measured nearly 1 inch.

The Covington Drive Fire in Myrtle Beach is about 85% contained and in mop-up and strengthened firebreaks stage.

In North Carolina, the Black Cove complex of fires are 7,672 acres in size. It includes the Black Cove (3,502 acres, 36% contained), Deep Woods (3,971 acres, 32% contained) and Fish Hook (199 acres, 100% contained) fires. Rainfall overnight into Monday helped the battle.

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