Mississippi News
Caldwell postpones $100M emergency funds
Caldwell holds up $100M emergency road, bridge money for cities and counties
Northern District Transportation Commissioner John Caldwell postponed the disbursement of $100 million to cities and counties for emergency road and bridge needs Tuesday saying he wanted more details on how the funds were being divvied.
Caldwell said he had told Mississippi Department of Transportation staff he wanted data on how the projects were selected before voting on them. Because he said he did not have that information, he voted against approving the list of projects Tuesday at the monthly Transportation Commission meeting.
The other two commissioners – Tom King of the Southern District and Willie Simmons of the Central District – voted to approve the funds, but the law creating the Emergency Road and Bridge Fund in a 2018 special session mandated a unanimous vote of the commission to spend the money.
“We will get it worked out,” Caldwell said after the meeting. “I asked them (staff members) not to put it on the agenda if they did not have the data. I did not think they were.”
The Legislature appropriated $100 million for the fund during the 2022 session. The commission was voting Tuesday in an attempt to disburse the funds before the new fiscal year begins July 1.
“We told them in April not to put this out at the last minute,” Caldwell said. He said the hoped to have the list of projects finalized by early June so that it could presented to the Mississippi Municipal League and the Supervisors Association during their annual conferences and then the commission could vote on it at the Tuesday meeting.
The Legislature created the Emergency Road and Bridge Fund in a 2018 special session focused on fixing the state's crumbling infrastructure, and helping local governments that were facing widespread emergency bridge closures because of disrepair.
In earlier rounds of funding for the program, MDOT was able to use some of the money — about a third — on state projects. But in this year's session the Legislature, flush with money, provided more direct funds to MDOT and decreed that the entire $100 million it allocated to the emergency fund go only to county and city projects.
The Emergency Road and Bridge Fund has an advisory board, but the three-member elected state Transportation Commission must officially – and unanimously – sign off on projects. MDOT staff vets and analyzes the projects and makes efforts to spread them evenly through the three state transportation districts.
White said the plan initially was to use an existing list of approved city and county projects, but that because of inflation and other issues, the advisory council and MDOT staff decided to reopen the application process for the $100 million.
“The law (providing $100 million) was passed in April, and we opened the applications in mid-April to May for locals to apply,” White said. “… In keeping with what we've done since 2018, we used computer data analytics, had staff manually go through each application, and also followed the legislative intent that we have equity in projects across the state.”
White said the vetting took some time, and the recommended list was presented to the advisory council a little over a week ago. The council approved the list, White said, then it was provided to the Transportation Commission a week ago.
White said he intends to present the list again for ratification at the commission's next meeting on July 12, and hopes that Caldwell will have had enough time to review it and the panel will vote unanimously. But under the law, White said, the money sits in limbo until the commission unanimously approves projects.
White said counties and cities presented more than $700 million worth of projects for the $100 million available. He said there were 378 applications, including 297 from counties and 81 from cities or towns. Of those, he said, 54 county projects and seven city or town projects were chosen to present to the commission for the $100 million.
This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Mississippi News
Two injured after being shot multiple times in McComb
SUMMARY: Two men were shot multiple times in McComb near the intersection of 14th Street and Nelson Drive. The victims were identified as 27-year-old Marlik Harvey and 28-year-old Domonique McBride, both with multiple gunshot wounds. One victim was airlifted to UMMC in critical condition, while the other was treated and released from a local hospital. No suspects have been identified at this time. Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to contact McComb Police at 601-684-3214.
The post Two injured after being shot multiple times in McComb appeared first on www.wjtv.com
Mississippi News
Governor signs bill enacting more protections for children online
SUMMARY: Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves signed the Walker Montgomery Protecting Children Online Act into law in response to the death of a Starkville teen. The law requires parental permission for minors to create social media accounts and places restrictions on social media platforms, such as not sharing a minor's location, displaying inappropriate ads, or selling personal information. The law will go into effect on July 1 and aims to protect children online. It passed both houses of the Legislature without opposition.
The post Governor signs bill enacting more protections for children online appeared first on www.wcbi.com
Mississippi News
Medgar Evers to posthumously receive Presidential Medal of Freedom
SUMMARY: Medgar Wiley Evers, a civil rights leader and World War II veteran, will posthumously receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his meritorious contributions to the United States. Evers was assassinated in 1963 in Mississippi. He played a crucial role in the Civil Rights Movement by leading demonstrations and voter-registration drives. Mississippi delegates expressed their support for Evers' recognition, highlighting his lasting impact on the state and nation. Previous Mississippi natives who have received the award include civil rights activist James Earl Chaney and media mogul Oprah Winfrey. Evers' legacy continues to inspire future generations, as evidenced by this prestigious honor.
The post Medgar Evers to posthumously receive Presidential Medal of Freedom appeared first on www.wjtv.com
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