Cold temperatures force time change for Mississippi State’s season opener
Photo courtesy of MSU Athletics Mississippi State’s baseball season will begin a few hours earlier than expected. Due to cold temperatures in the forecast, first pitch at Dudy Noble Field has been moved up from 4 p.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday afternoon. Currently, the high on Friday is 45 degrees with a low of 25 degrees. The Bulldogs begin their quest for a third straight trip to Omaha on Friday as they welcome the 2019 Horizon League regular season champions, Wright State, to Starkville for a 3-game series. Sophomore ace J.T. Ginn has been named the opening day starter for Mississippi State and he’ll be followed by Christian MacLeod on Saturday and Eric Cerantola on Sunday. Saturday’s matchup begins at 2 p.m. and first pitch on Sunday is at 1 p.m. $5 general admission tickets are available for all three games versus the Raiders. The post Cold temperatures force time change for Mississippi State’s season opener appeared first on News Mississippi.
Mississippi Center for Public Policy: Gaming and lottery revenue in good position
(Story written by Steve Wilson with the Mississippi Center for Public Policy) Gaming is in good shape in Mississippi, as revenues are up for casino gaming by 3.32 percent in 2019 and the newly-formed lottery has an ambitious goal of paying back its borrowed seed money by the end of the fiscal year. Officials from both the Mississippi Gaming Commission and the Mississippi Lottery Corporation briefed Mississippi House’s Gaming Commission at a hearing Tuesday. Allen Godfrey, the executive director of the Gaming Commission, told the committee that while statewide gaming revenues are down from a high in 2007 of nearly $3 billion, the numbers improved slightly in 2019. Casinos earned $2.2 billion in revenue, up from nearly $2.13 billion in 2018. The commission divides the state’s casinos into three regions: Tunica (northwest Mississippi), Lower River Region (Greenville, Vicksburg, and Natchez) and the Coastal Region. While revenues for the river cities increased from $293 million in 2018 to $304 million in 2019 and improved from $1.24 billion on the coast in 2018 to $1.31 billion in 2019, revenues from the Tunica casinos declined from $592 million in 2018 to $582 million in 2019. Most recently, Penn National Gaming closed the Resorts Casino Tunica on June 30 as the number of casinos in Tunica shrank from nine to six. The gaming commission regulates more casinos (26) with a smaller staff (110 full-time employees) and a smaller budget ($9.2 million) than Louisiana (20 casinos, 178 employees), Indiana (13 casinos, 218 employees) and Pennsylvania (16 casinos, 305 employees). Since 2010, the number of casinos has declined from 30 to 26 and the workforce declined from 24,000 employees to 19,000. As for the lottery, corporation president Thomas Shaheen said that the lottery was able to start earlier than its planned December launch of scratch-off tickets and has a goal of paying off its starter loan of $15 million by the end of the fiscal year on June 30. He also said the lottery has generated sales of $12.4 million for the week that ended on February 8, with $10.9 million of that coming from scratch-off tickets. Despite only being on sale for a couple of weeks, Mega Millions ($672,677) and Powerball ($818,468) are already off a strong start. Year to date, the lottery has generated $112 million in sales. Shaheen said that the sales of the two will increase considerably when there are large jackpots at stake. He also said lottery tickets are for sale in all but one of the state’s 82 counties, but the lone holdout, Issaquena County, has a retailer application going through the background checks required before approval. The lottery was authorized by an amendment to the state’s constitution in 1994, but it took until the 2018 special session of the legislature for the legislation to make it to the governor’s desk for signature. It is supposed to provide the first $80 million in revenues for the State Highway Fund, with the excess going to the Education Enhancement Fund. Retailers will receive a six percent commission. The post Mississippi Center for Public Policy: Gaming and lottery revenue in good position appeared first on News Mississippi.
Legislation coming to move DMV from Public Safety to Secretary of State’s office
Secretary of State Michael Watson has announced upcoming legislation regarding a proposal to transfer functions of the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to the Secretary of State’s Office. The “SIP Plan”, which stands for Service, Information and Professionalism, provides a roadmap to improve the way Mississippians get or renew their driver’s licenses. Related Story The SIP Plan includes a list of proposals aimed to increase DMV efficiency, accessibility and the use of technology. Key changes include an opt-in renewal notification system, a digital license option, an updated user-friendly website, and an increase in the number of locations and functions of kiosks. The SIP Plan also focuses on outsourcing certain operations, such as the written and driven components of testing for both new drivers and Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDL). Secretary Watson believes the CDL portion of the proposal would give Mississippi trucking companies a competitive edge nationwide, and would help bring more jobs to Mississippi. Currently, the Department of Public Safety (DPS) is responsible for all driver’s license services. Secretary Watson, Senator David Parker, and Representative Lee Yancey are in the final stages of drafting the bill that will encourage the legislature to transfer the DMV to the Secretary of State’s Office. “As I promised the voters of Mississippi, I’m proud to roll out our plan to revamp the DMV under our office,” said Secretary Watson. “The fine men and women in the Secretary of State’s Office have an exemplary record of handling administrative/clerical functions by bringing automation and top-notch customer service to the table, and I believe tasking our team with an overhaul of the DMV would yield the same results. I also think it is important to note that our plan relieves the brave men and women charged with keeping us safe from this administrative/clerical duty with which they are burdened, and allows them to focus on their core function of protecting all Mississippians.” The transition from DPS to the Secretary of State’s Office creates opportunity for shorter wait times and more efficient services. Click here for more information on the SIP plan. The post Legislation coming to move DMV from Public Safety to Secretary of State’s office appeared first on News Mississippi.
Tyree’s 40 leads Ole Miss to blowout win over Mississippi State
Photo credit: Joshua McCoy — Ole Miss Athletics In front of his home crowd, Ole Miss point guard Breein Tyree dropped a career-high 40-points while leading the Rebels to a blowout 83-58 win over Mississippi State tonight. SportsTalk Mississippi’s beat reporters Brian Scott Rippee and Brian Hadad were both in attendance at the Pavilion, and below you can check out their coverage of the game from a Rebel and a Bulldog perspective. Tyree goes for 40 as Ole Miss wins third straight in 83-58 rout of Mississippi State Story by SportsTalk Mississippi Ole Miss Beat Reporter Brian Scott Rippee OXFORD — Twenty-five days ago, Breein Tyree sat in front of a microphone inside The Pavilion media room and battled his emotions. The senior guard struggled to articulate the pain of his senior season slipping away. Ole Miss had lost its fifth straight after blowing a double-digit second-half lead to LSU that night. Tyree poured in a career-high 36 points and was 9-9 from the free-throw line. The rest of his team was 0-10 from the stripe in a game that epitomized the team’s overarching flaw — a lack of scoring behind Tyree — amidst a losing streak that spanned six games. The Rebels were drowning amidst lofty preseason expectations, and the thought of his final collegiate season going awry weighed on him. “This is not how I want to go out,” Tyree exclaimed. “This is not how I want Rebel Nation to remember me.. I am just going to keep working and keep going until the wheels fall off.” Nearly a month later, he sat in the same place and flashed a grin when asked if he knew what number he was chasing in the final minutes of an 83-58 thrashing of Mississippi State on Tuesday night. Tyree scored 40 points, 27 of which came in the second half and reset his career-high for the third time in three weeks as the Rebels notched their third straight win. “I have been scoring at a high rate lately,” Tyree said. “That second half, I was pretty locked in.” The senior All-SEC guard scored 20 of the team’s final 25 points and outscored Mississippi State by himself (27-24) in the final 20 minutes. Ole Miss obliterated Mississippi State over the final 28 minutes of this contest. Kermit Davis’ 1-3-1 zone bothered Ben Howland’s group. It shaved seconds off of possessions and made it more difficult for the Bulldogs to get the basketball on the interior to SEC Player of the Year candidate Reggie Perry, who still managed to finish with 24 points and eight rebounds. The Rebels deployed the zone midway through the first half and rode it the rest of the way. Davis has been running that concept for nearly two decades. It flustered Mississippi State’s guards and helped neutralize Perry before he possessed the basketball. “We kept a really good offensive team off-balance,” Davis said. The first 11 minutes of this one had Ole Miss teetering on the brink of disaster. Tyree picked up two fouls in less than three minutes and was confined to the bench. Mississippi State was hammering Ole Miss on the glass and the Bulldogs led by as many as 13 points at 31-18. This group isn’t equipped to withstand long stretches with Tyree on the bench and it appeared as if Mississippi State was going to overwhelm with its size and put the game away early on. Enter Khadim Sy. The much-maligned center scored 18 points and snared eight rebounds. It was his best game in an Ole Miss uniform and kept the Rebels in the game when things got dicey midway through the first half. Sy scored 12 of his 14 first-half points in about an eight-minute stretch and helped Ole Miss close the half on a 15-3 run that altered the trajectory of this game and shaved the margin to 34-33. “The critical part of that first half was Khadim,” Davis said. “He kept us arm’s length. He kept at eight or 10 when it could have gotten out there..He made some really nice post moves with someone on his back.” The 1-3-1 continued to net empty Bulldog possessions. State was 7-23 from the field in the second half. That paved the way for Tyree to dominate on the offensive end as the lead swelled to double digits. The 40 points came on 13-22 shooting. He was 9-15 in the final 20 minutes and was serenaded with an ovation when he exited the game in the final minute. It was a jovial moment in a year of frustration. “Man, Breein Tyree the last couple of weeks has been as good as any guard in college basketball,” Davis said. “I have never really had a guy like that, one that just goes and gets 40. Not at all three levels like that. He scored at every level, setback step-back threes, driving to the rim. That’s as good as I have ever seen.” Tyree met with Kermit Davis before a Monday practice 15 days ago. That meeting covered a wide variety of topics and lasted over 45 minutes. Davis encouraged Tyree to forge onward, forget about a dreadful month of January that torpedoed postseason hopes, but instead focus on winning the month of February and enjoying the remainder of the season. There are a finite number of days left in his career. That mantra has seemingly freed up not only Tyree, but the entire team. Ole Miss is 3-0 since adopting that mindset. “We still want to play in the postseason,” Tyree said. “A lot of people are counting us out and we are the only ones counting us in. We just have to continue to play hard.” This victory was the third straight top-100 NET win, a mark the program hasn’t hit since the 2013 season in which it made the NCAA Tournament (RPI was used as the metric then). Ole Miss is now 13-11 (4-7). It has a long way to climb before
Southern Miss announces future matchup with Florida State
Graphic courtesy of USM Athletics Southern Miss has announced a future matchup with an ACC opponent. The Golden Eagles will travel to Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee on Sept. 9, 2023, for a matchup with Florida State. The two teams last met in the 2017 Independence Bowl – a 42-13 win for Seminoles. This will be USM’s first trip to Tallahassee since 1996. USM and FSU first met in 1952 and Southern Miss trails the all-time series 14-8-1. In addition to the FSU game, the Golden Eagles’ 2023 non-conference schedule now includes a home game against Tulane and a short trip to Starkville for a matchup with Mississippi State. The post Southern Miss announces future matchup with Florida State appeared first on News Mississippi.
Senate Recap: 2/11/2020
Today was a full day in the Senate. It started out strong with Senator Harkins, Chairman of the Finance committee, who brought up the bill, SB 2257. This is a bill that essentially will give the State Auditor the power to audit tax returns of people receiving state benefits to see if they should be able to receive federal benefits. The auditor can not take people off of these benefits or state help but could give a report on their findings. This bill was brought to the Senate finance committee, coincidentally the same day as Shad White, State Auditor, revealed the biggest embezzlement scheme in Mississippi State history. As it was talked about in the Senate today, as one can imagine, there were many opinions and questions flying around the room. Senator John Harkins gave a brief description of the bill and what will happen if this is passed and what exactly the bill is asking for. The bill was passed as amended and was then held on a motion to reconsider by Senator Horhn. The vote for SB 2257 was 35 Yes and 15 No with Senator Kevin Blackwell and Senator Hob Bryan being absent. The post Senate Recap: 2/11/2020 appeared first on News Mississippi.
$46.5 million for Army Corps work, including $7.5 million for Yazoo Backwater Area flooding
U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith has announced an additional $46.5 million in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers funding will be allocated for work on 27 projects in Mississippi, including $7.5 million to advance efforts to address Yazoo Backwater Area flooding. Hyde-Smith, who serves on the Senate appropriations subcommittee that funds the Army Corps, said the additional FY2020 funding will support flood control structures, six wastewater projects in Clinton, Gautier, Oxford, Sardis, and Jackson and DeSoto counties, and harbor dredging in Gulfport and Pascagoula. “Congress gives the Army Corps the discretion to allocate funding to projects that are underfunded but would have a near-term positive impact on public health and safety. This is the case for the projects in Mississippi getting additional funding,” Hyde-Smith said. “I am particularly pleased the Army Corps is dedicating funding to the Yazoo Backwater Area, which signals it understands the critical situation in the South Delta,” she said. The additional Mississippi project funding derives from the FY2020 appropriations legislation signed into law in December. The Army Corps FY2020 Work Plan outlines the projects that will receive additional resources this year. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers FY2020 Work Plan (Mississippi) Total of additional $46.5 million for 27 Mississippi projects Construction Account – Environmental Infrastructure: $13,752,500 total (new funding) $4.0 million for an ongoing project to reclaim treated wastewater effluent from points in southern Jackson County $3,922,500 to complete construction of the Lower Camp Creek Force Main pipeline portion of the DeSoto County Wastewater Treatment Project $2,500,000 for a nano filtration water treatment plant for the City of Gautier $1.700,000 to initiate and complete construction of new sewer and water rehabilitation work in the City of Oxford $750,000 to initiate and complete construction of new sewer and water rehabilitation work in the City of Sardis $700,000 to initiate and complete construction of new sewer and water rehabilitation work in the City of Clinton Operation & Maintenance Account: $12,961,000 total Additional $6,029,000 for channel dredging and activities at Whitten Lock on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway (FY2020 total: $43,698,000) Additional $5,130,000 for Gulfport Harbor dredging (FY2020 total: $9,485,000) Additional $1,700,000 for Pascagoula Harbor dredging (FY2020 total: $5,560,000) Additional $39,000 for Yazoo River navigation maintenance clearing and snagging activities (FY2020 total: $150,000) Additional $23,000 for Mouth of the Yazoo River dredging activities (FY2020 total: $330,000) $40,000 for Water and Environmental Certification Mississippi River and Tributaries – Construction: $13,192,000 total (new funding) $7,500,000 million for the Yazoo Backwater Area to continue environmental documentation and the acquisition of mitigation necessary to advance revived efforts to complete the last remaining unconstructed feature of the project—pumps $2,942,000 for Big Sunflower River to complete the design and construction of two sediment reduction structure projects $2,750,000 for Upper Yazoo Projects for ongoing channel improvement and bank stabilization efforts Mississippi River and Tributaries – Operation and Maintenance: $6,819,000 total Additional $1,655,.000 – Arkabutla Lake (FY2020 total: $7,186,000) Additional $1,322,00 – Grenada Lake (FY2020 total: $6,151,000) Additional $826,000 – Sardis Lake (FY2020 total: $6,116,000) Additional $800,000 – Yazoo Backwater Area (FY2020 total: $1,204,000) Additional $743,000 – Tributaries (FY2020 total: $1,418,000) Additional $655,000 – Enid Lake (FY2020 total: $5,318,000) Additional $560,000 – Main Stem (FY2020 total: $1,695,000) Additional $107,000 – Inspection of Completed Works (FY2020 total: $259,000) Additional $100,000 – Whittington Auxiliary (FY2020 total: $380,000) Additional $45,000 – Yazoo City (FY2020 total: $559,000) Additional $4,000 – Greenwood (FY2020 total: $751,000) Additional $2,000 – Vicksburg Harbor (FY2020 total: $942,000) The post $46.5 million for Army Corps work, including $7.5 million for Yazoo Backwater Area flooding appeared first on News Mississippi.
Milwaukee Tool expands Mississippi footprint, creates 100 jobs
Milwaukee Tool is expanding its footprint in Mississippi. The company has announced the location of a third distribution center in Olive Branch to meet a need for increased distribution capacity. According to the Mississippi Development Authority, the $8.7 million corporate investment has created 100 new jobs in preparation for the distribution center’s opening this spring. “Milwaukee Tool is a long-valued member of our state’s business community, continually investing capital and creating jobs for our great state,” Governor Tate Reeves said. “We are honored that they chose Mississippi for this major investment. The company’s decision to expand and build another distribution center in Olive Branch once again creates opportunities for continued economic growth and prosperity for DeSoto County, the local community and Milwaukee Tool’s 100 new employees and their families.” The power tool manufacturer last expanded in Mississippi in 2017. At the time. the company announced a $33.4 million investment which created 660 new jobs among its three Mississippi locations: 60 new jobs in Jackson, 300 in Greenwood and 300 in Olive Branch. “As we grow, it is important to do our due diligence and look at all options for expansion,” said Ty Staviski, CFO of Milwaukee Tool. “We are grateful for all the state and local authorities have done to help make staying in Mississippi a financially viable decision.” The Mississippi Development Authority is providing assistance for equipment relocation and installation. MDA also has approved the company for the Advantage Jobs Rebate program, which provides a rebate to eligible businesses that create new jobs that exceed the average annual wage of the state or the county in which the company locates or expands. “Milwaukee Tool’s investment in a new distribution center and the creation of 100 additional jobs speak volumes about North Mississippi’s ideal transportation network, strong business environment and dedicated workforce,” said MDA Deputy Director Mike McGrevey. The city of Olive Branch and DeSoto County will offer partial property tax exemptions. The post Milwaukee Tool expands Mississippi footprint, creates 100 jobs appeared first on News Mississippi.
Blood drive for our “Brother in Broadcasting”
News Mississippi and SuperTalk Radio are a part of the TeleSouth Media group of broadcasting entities. We work together as a family each and every day. On Friday, January 28th, our friend, coworker, and talk show host, J.T., announced that he was recently diagnosed with lymphoma. On Monday, February 2nd, while preparing to begin treatment for the lymphoma, J.T. experienced unexpected complications and is currently hospitalized in intensive care. “We are so very grateful for the outpouring of prayers and support from people all across Mississippi for our longtime colleague and friend,” said Kim Dillon, CEO and President of TeleSouth Media. “Our love for J.T. extends beyond work. We are a family, and the compassion expressed by his listeners shows they are a part of his family too. We ask for your continued prayers for J.T. and his loved ones as they go through this difficult time.” For those of you looking for ways to help our friend JT of SuperTalk Mississippi, a code has been created for him with MS Blood Services. You can donate at any MBS location or blood drive, just let them know you are there to donate for JT Williamson (DW76). A blood drive is being held in his honor today (Tuesday, 2/11) at Broadmoor Baptist Church in Madison until 3 this afternoon. If you would like to send a card of encouragement, please send it to SuperTalk Mississippi, care of J.T., 6311 Ridgewood Road, Suite 200N, Jackson, MS 39211. The post Blood drive for our “Brother in Broadcasting” appeared first on News Mississippi.
Bill of the Week: HB 713
House Bill 713 is one that will make registering to vote online available to first-time voters. This bill was introduced and authored by House of Representatives member, Zakiya Summers of District 68 on February 10th, 2020. The main caption for this bill reads, “TO AUTHORIZE ONLINE VOTER REGISTRATION FOR FIRST-TIME VOTERS.” This would allow people who are eligible to register and have a current Mississippi license or photo ID can register to vote online. This bill was referred to the House Apportionment and Elections committee where Summers is a member. If the bill makes it out of the committee, it will go to be voted on the House as the next step. The post Bill of the Week: HB 713 appeared first on News Mississippi.