WLOX – MDOT Executive Director refutes accusations of undue influence on road project
According to a press release from Lt. Governor Tate Reeves, Melinda McGrath, Executive Director of the Mississippi Department of Transportation, states she did not say she had any “inappropriate” communication with a member of the Legislature on a frontage road project in Rankin County in a letter received by the Lt. Governor Wednesday.
“… I have never indicated any inappropriate, unacceptable, or unlawful communication with a member of the Legislature…,” she wrote.
She goes on to say her definition of political pressure is “any legislative prioritization mandate” and points to an appropriations bill passed in 2014.
WLBT coverage of Reeves press conference
Gov. Bryant: Lt. Gov. deserves an apology
The political game is over. Lieutenant Governor @tatereeves deserves more than a few apologies. https://t.co/2uBawwGn1Z
— Phil Bryant (@PhilBryantMS) July 26, 2018
WLOX – Attorney General says gun restrictions signs in courthouse illegal
WLOX.com – The News for South Mississippi
CLARION LEDGER – New auditor could be the first millennial to hold statewide office in the Deep South
Mississippi’s first millennial to hold a statewide office is likely the first from his generation to assume such a post in the Deep South.
The milestone reached by Shad White, who was sworn in on July 17 as Mississippi’s new state auditor, might be seen as a paradox in a state where policymakers and the business community have been fretting over the exodus of the state’s college graduates.
Despite his academic pedigree — White studied as a Rhode Scholar at the University of Oxford in England and later earned a degree from Harvard Law School — the native of Sandersville (population 731) shied away from the bright-lights-big-city path and returned home, a decision that White hopes will spur others to stay.
“You can start your own business, you can run for office,” he said. “There’s so much that can be done. The impact you can have is so much bigger here than it can be in other places, in big cities where you can easily be lost among the crowd.”
Gov. Bryant pens op-ed in support of SCOTUS nominee Kavanaugh
President @realDonaldTrump promised to select a candidate for U.S. Supreme Court who would apply the law and rely on the Constitution in order to deliver justice. With the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh, the President kept his promise. https://t.co/NN0lECpJsh
— Phil Bryant (@PhilBryantMS) July 26, 2018
CLARION LEDGER – Geoff Pender: Senate fireworks, Reeves v. Hood, first timers: A few things to watch for at Neshoba
Hyde-Smith and McDaniel and their forces have been sniping at each other for months in ads, emails and social media. It’s likely they’ll do the same in person, maybe even more so.
But will they focus mainly on each other, or go after Espy as well?
And will Espy try to take a higher road and let the two Republicans continue to bash each other, or will he go on the offensive in his address?…
…While neither Republican Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves nor Democratic Attorney General Jim Hood have announced running for governor next year, both are widely expected to.
They both speak Wednesday morning, likely the highlight of that day’s stumping.
The two have sparred politically over the last couple of years, and Reeves lit into Hood in his Neshoba speech last year, while Hood criticized the Legislature.
WTOK – Mississippi cities approve tax increases for parks, tourism
Voters in Pearl have approved a 1 percent sales tax increase on restaurant bills and a 3 percent tax on hotel bills.
Pearl Mayor Jake Windham said the money will be used for a new pavilion at a city park. Some money will also be used to improve baseball fields and playground equipment. Windham says that will help with economic development.
In Richland, voters approved a 2 percent increase on food and beverages and a 3 percent increase on hotel bills. That money will go to the parks and recreation system and to promote tourism in the area.
Magnolia Tribune
