Tag Archives: Mississippi

Mississippi Youth Pastor Arrested On Child Sex Charges

The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reports: An east Tupelo youth pastor accused of having sex with a 16-year-old church member was ordered held without bond Thursday. Alexander Blackwelder, 26, of Tupelo, is charged with two counts of sexual battery and enticement of a child to produce visual depictions of adult sexual conduct. Tupelo police detective Hal Veal said authorities received …

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Six Dead In MS Mass Shooting, Suspect In Custody

The Washington Post reports: Six people were killed in a series of shootings in Tate County, Miss., on Friday, according to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety. The suspect has been apprehended, according to the Tate County sheriff’s office. Authorities have not identified the suspect or the victims. The shootings occurred in Arkabutla, a community of about 300 in Tate …

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Favre Files Defamation Suit Over Welfare Fraud Claims

The Daily Mail reports: Brett Favre is suing ex-NFL players and current media personalities Shannon Sharpe and Pat McAfee, as well as Mississippi Auditor Shad White, for ‘defamatory allegations’ made over the Packers legend’s involvement in a $77 million welfare fraud scheme, DailyMail.com has learned. ‘Shannon Sharpe and Pat McAfee tried to further their careers by making baseless defamatory allegations …

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DEA Raids Mississippi Home Of GOP House Candidate

The Biloxi Sun Herald reports: The home and businesses of Biloxi Councilman Robert Deming III were raided Thursday by the Drug Enforcement Administration and other law enforcement officers. Locations of The Candy Shop & Kratom in Biloxi, Gulfport and Ocean Springs also were searched. “We had complaints at the businesses in and around the Gulf Coast of products that were …

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Anti-Vax Doctor Launches Bid For Mississippi Governor

The Associated Press reports: A Mississippi doctor who leads a group of physicians opposed to COVID-19 vaccine mandates has filed paperwork to challenge Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves in the state’s Republican primary. Dr. John Witcher is the only Republican other than Reeves who has entered the gubernatorial primary so far. He’s best known for founding Mississippi Against Mandates, a group …

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MS House Passes Transgender Youth Healthcare Ban

The Mississippi Free Press reports: A bill that would prohibit transgender minors from accessing trans-inclusive health care could become law after the Mississippi House passed it by 78-28 vote. The bill, known as the “Regular Experimental Adolescent Procedures (REAP) Act,” would prohibit standard treatments such as hormone therapy and puberty-blocking drugs by barring public funds from going to “any entity, …

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MS Youth Pastor Gets 7 Years On Grooming Charges

Mississippi crime blog the Dark Horse Press reports: A former Rankin County youth pastor pleaded guilty to child exploitation Tuesday morning. Tyler Swaggard, 22, was arrested by Flowood Police Department on two felony counts of child exploitation in December of 2021. Authorities said he solicited explicit photos from youth group members. The arrest came after several complaints from the teens. …

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Alabama And Mississippi Celebrate Robert E. Lee Day

Axios reports: Alabama and Mississippi celebrate MLK and Robert E. Lee, the losing Confederate general and slaveholder, on the same day. Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas all have at least one day commemorating the Confederacy on other days of the year, the Axios analysis found. Mississippi and Alabama each celebrate a total of three …

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Mississippi Capital Hit With Another Boil Water Order

ABC News reports: City officials in Jackson, Mississippi, on Christmas Day announced that residents must now boil their drinking water due to water lines bursting in the frigid temperatures. “Please check your businesses and churches for leaks and broken pipes, as these add up tremendously and only worsen the problem,” the city said in a statement, adding: “We understand the …

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Mississippi Gov Drawn Into Brett Favre Welfare Scandal

The Mississippi Free Press reports: Brett Favre sought Gov. Tate Reeves’ help to get state funds to pay for volleyball facilities that the former NFL star had vowed to personally fund at his alma mater, according to text messages the Mississippi Free Press obtained through a public-records request to the governor’s office. In 2017, before Reeves was governor, the Mississippi …

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MS Man Pleads Guilty To Hate Crime In Cross Burning

Law & Crime reports: A Mississippi man pleaded guilty to a federal hate crime after burning a cross in his front yard to intimidate his Black neighbors. Axel Charles Cox faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, or both. Nearly two years ago on Dec. 3, 2020, Cox made threatening and racially derogatory remarks toward …

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Favre Under New Scrutiny In Mississippi Welfare Case

NBC News reports: Four years ago, Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre joined forces with a Florida neuroscientist to promote an experimental drug — a nasal spray designed to quickly treat brain injuries from a concussion. Favre, a major investor in the company, touted the substance on podcasts, radio interviews and national television, including on NBC. And he did more …

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Ex-MS Gov Subpoenaed In $77M Welfare Fraud Case

CNN reports: Former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant has again been subpoenaed amid an ongoing civil suit in a multimillion-dollar welfare fraud scandal, and this time attorneys want to see communications between the ex-governor and former NFL and Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre. Attorneys for one of the defendants in the state of Mississippi’s suit issued the subpoena Friday, asking …

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Favre: Welfare Fraud Claims Are “Smear By The Media”

Fox News reports: “I have been unjustly smeared in the media,” Favre said in a statement provided exclusively to Fox News Digital. “I have done nothing wrong, and it is past time to set the record straight. “No one ever told me, and I did not know, that funds designated for welfare recipients were going to the University or me. …

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Trump Lawyer To Represent Favre In Welfare Scandal

Axios reports: Eric Herschmann, a top White House lawyer to President Trump, confirms to Axios he is now lead counsel to NFL legend Brett Favre, who is embroiled in a welfare-funds scandal in his home state of Mississippi. The former Green Bay Packers quarterback is at the center of Mississippi’s biggest-ever public corruption case. What’s happening: Herschmann confirmed his new …

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Ex-Mississippi Gov Accused Of Cutting Welfare Funding Of Nonprofit Because It Supported His Dem Challenger

Mississippi Today reports: A former professional wrestler and defendant in the Mississippi welfare scandal is alleging that he personally witnessed Republican Gov. Phil Bryant instruct an appointee to cut welfare funding to a nonprofit because its director supported Democrat Jim Hood in the 2019 governor’s race. The allegation that Bryant leveraged his control of welfare spending to punish a political …

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Favre Also Wanted Welfare Dough For Football Venue

The Jackson Clarion-Ledger reports: After Mississippi spent millions of dollars in welfare money on Brett Favre’s pet project, a university volleyball arena, the retired NFL quarterback tried two years later to get additional cash from the state’s welfare agency for another sports facility, new court documents show. The governor at the time, Republican Phil Bryant, texted in 2019 with Favre, …

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Ex-MS Gov Moves To Shield Texts In Welfare Scandal

Mississippi Today reports: Former Gov. Phil Bryant has publicly produced dozens of text messages in an attempt to prove he was unaware that former NFL quarterback Brett Favre was using welfare money for his volleyball project. The court documents filed Friday come within a court battle between Bryant and the attorney for nonprofit founder Nancy New over whether Bryant should …

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MS Man Charged With Hate Crime In Cross Burning

Law & Crime reports: A 23-year-old Mississippi man accused of burning a cross in his front yard to intimidate a Black family who lived nearby has been charged with a federal hate crime. Axel Charles Cox was arraigned Friday after prosecutors obtained a warrant for him to be brought into court from state prison, where he’s serving eight years for …

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Mississippi Gov: “It’s A Great Day To Not Be In Jackson”

Jackson’s NBC affiliate reports: A day after declaring victory in helping to restore clean water to tens of thousands of people in Jackson, Gov. Tate Reeves took a swipe at the capital city at a groundbreaking ceremony in Hattiesburg. “It is a great day to be in Hattiesburg. It’s also, as always, a great day to not be in Jackson,” …

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