With three new faces joining the Mississippi Public Service Commission, lawmakers are mulling some major changes to the agency in charge of utilities. State Rep. Scott Bounds, a Republican who chairs the House Public Utilities Committee, said on Monday’s episode of The Gallo Show that the more drastic of two changes that could be considered would be amending state law to change commissioner positions from elected to appointed. “I’ve always heard the conversation and chatter around the capitol that we need to do away with that election and let that be an appointed position staggered,” Boun ..read more

One Mississippi lawmaker has received probation after being issued federal criminal charges for allegedly submitting false tax information and evading paying federal income taxes five years ago. According to court documents, Representative Earle Banks, D-Jackson, reported that his adjusted gross income was $38,237 on his federal tax returns in August of 2018, while simultaneously receiving over $500,000 in profits from real estate sales. “Mr. Banks made a mistake on his tax return in 2018 and failed to include a capital gain,” Banks’ attorney, Rob McDuff, said in a statement. “We have coo ..read more

Tomorrow is run-off election day for voters in seven Mississippi counties. With no House and Senate races going to a run-off, ballots will consist of local elections in the following counties: Claiborne Grenada Hinds Montgomery Pontotoc Sharkey Tate As always, the polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Make sure to have a photo ID and to download a sample ballot, click here. The Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office has released the following reminders for voters who are planning to cast a ballot during the runoff elections: In-Person Absentee Voting Deadline: The last day to absentee v ..read more

Mississippi Congressman Michael Guest is leading the charge to expel controversial Representative George Santos from the House after proof emerged he used campaign funds for personal expenses. The House Ethics Committee, chaired by Guest, on Thursday, released a 56-page report detailing that the New York congressman had filed multiple false reports with the Federal Election Commission. Santos is accused of using money intended for his campaign for expenditures on trips to a spa, at luxury stores, and even on OnlyFans — an internet content subscription service used primarily by sex workers ..read more

Mississippi residents who are planning to submit an absentee ballot for upcoming runoffs will be able to cast their votes in person over the next two Saturdays. Circuit clerk offices will be open on November 18 and November 25 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. If you plan on voting absentee through the mail, all ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and received by county circuit clerk offices by 5:00 p.m. on December 5 to count. The following counties will have a runoff election on Tuesday, November 28: Claiborne Grenada Hinds Montgomery Pontotoc Sharkey Tate My Election Day Tool Secre ..read more

Democrat candidate De’Keither Stamps has been elected to the position of public service commissioner for Mississippi’s central district over incumbent Republican Brent Bailey. The outgoing state representative secured approximately 2,000 more votes than his opponent, according to the 97 percent of ballots that had been counted when the election was called by the Associated Press. Stamps, a combat veteran and former Jackson city councilman, announced earlier this year that he would be challenging Bailey to a rematch following a close 2019 election that was decided by less than a one-point margi ..read more

In 1945, when Allied troops liberated the concentration camps in Germany and they witnessed firsthand the horrors of the Holocaust, the world cried, “Never again.” The Holocaust led to the tragic ending of six million innocent lives. Men, women, and children suffered and died only because they were Jews. The horrors of the Holocaust were detailed by those who survived and evidenced by those who lost their lives. Shock waves reverberated around the world at the massive destruction and death. In 1933, only 9.5 million Jews lived in Europe, and the Holocaust brought that number to a devastating l ..read more

As election issues in Mississippi’s most populous county continue to cause uproar, Secretary of State Michael Watson is defending his office after multiple precincts ran out of ballots during Tuesday’s general election. Watson, who was reelected to a second term, said printing issues in Hinds County can be blamed on local election officials. According to him, they were not prepared for the expected influx of voters that he warned them about heading into Election Day. “Leading up to Election Day, our team conducted weekly conference calls and distributed weekly memos for all local election offi ..read more

Wednesday night’s Republican presidential debate in Miami showcased the deep-seated ideological divisions that are currently tearing at the fabric of the GOP. Gone are the days of Ronald Reagan’s famed admonition, “Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican.” This week’s debate, with its vibrant clash of personalities and policies, laid bare a national party at a crossroads, struggling to define its identity in what the candidates on stage hope will soon be the post-Trump era. The debate stage in Miami was a battleground of conflicting visions for the party’s future. The stark departure ..read more

Established in 1952 by the Mississippi Legislature, the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) is a defined benefit plan designed to provide benefits to the state’s public sector workforce. PERS provides benefits to eligible employees of state agencies, municipalities, counties, universities, community colleges, public schools, and other participating public entities. There are two categories of pension programs: defined benefit plans and defined contribution plans. Defined contribution plans, such as traditional 401(k) accounts, are widely used in the private sector. Typically, both the em ..read more