Mississippi Today
Mills says he might take band on road when his U.S. District judge replacement named
Even though federal judge Michael Mills has taken senior status, he says he still plans to be an active judge, though might take his band “on the road” when his replacement is finally named in the Northern District of Mississippi.
In theory, Mills would have more time with a band because of his decision to take what is known as senior status. Senior status for a federal judge normally equates to semi-retirement, or at least a reduced caseload. But Mills says he has continued to have essentially a full-time caseload, in part because of the delay in his replacement being confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
Mills announced in 2021 his intention to take senior status, opening up a coveted post in the Northern District where President Joe Biden eventually nominated Lowndes County District Attorney Scott Colom. But Colom's confirmation process in the U.S. Senate has been stalled by Mississippi Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, who has refused to approve Colom's nomination. Under a sometimes-honored Senate tradition, the home state senator is allowed to block the nomination.
It is not clear whether Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, might advance the nomination despite Hyde-Smith's objections. Colom's nomination has been praised by diverse groups. Mississippi's senior senator, Roger Wicker, a Tupelo Republican, has voiced support for Colom's nomination.
Mills had no comment on Colom's confirmation process. He did say that he wished his post was filled as well as the U.S. attorney's spot for the Northern District.
Biden has not announced a nominee for U.S. attorney for the Northern District.
“I would like to see it filled, then I could slow down a little if I wanted to,” he said, adding if his replacement was confirmed, “I might take my band on the road.”
The 66-year-old federal judge, said of the band, “I am trying to stay young foolish and happy.”
Mills was joking, perhaps, about a band he helped form that includes politicians as well as professional musicians. The band performs on a sporadic basis, playing popular songs ranging from rock to country.
The group was created as part of “June Bug,” an annual event in June centered at least in part on June 3 – the day fictional character Billy Joe McAllister took his life by jumping off the Tallahatchie Bridge in the “Ode to Billy Joe” song that was written and sung by Mississippi native Bobbie Gentry.
The June Bug recently held its annual event in Lafayette County where Mills now resides. Members of June Bug include Wicker as lead singer, and some professional musicians affiliated at least in part with the recording studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Will McFarlane from the Bonnie Raitt band is the lead guitarist while Mills is the rhythm guitarist. Billy Earheart of the Amazing Rhythm Aces plays piano.
Mills is a former state House member from Itawamba County and later served on the Mississippi Supreme Court.
Mills was nominated for the federal judiciary in 2001 by then-President George W. Bush. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate later that year.
Even when his replacement is named, Mills said he plans to remain active hearing cases in the Northern District even though he now has the title senior judge before his name.
It is not clear how Mills' music might impact those plans.
This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Did you miss our previous article…
https://www.biloxinewsevents.com/?p=247727
Mississippi Today
Renada Stovall, chemist and entrepreneur
Renada Stovall sat on the back deck of her rural Arkansas home one evening, contemplating life when she had a life-altering epiphany…
“I gotta get out of these woods.”
She heard it as clear as lips to her ear and as deep as the trees surrounding her property. Stovall's job as a chemist had taken her all over the country. In addition to Arkansas, there were stints in Atlanta, Dallas and Reno. But she was missing home, her parents and friends. She also knew, she needed something else to do.
“I thought, what kind of business can I start for myself,” said Stovall, as she watered herbs growing in a garden behind her south Jackson home. Some of those herbs are used in her all-natural products. “I know when I lived in Reno, Nevada, where it's very hot and very dry, there really weren't products available that worked for me, my hair, and my skin suffered. I've got a chemistry degree from Spelman College. I took the plunge and decided to create products for myself.”
In 2018, Stovall's venture led to the creation of shea butter moisturizers and natural soaps. But she didn't stop there, and in December 2022, she moved home to Mississippi and got to work, expanding her product line to include body balms and butters, and shampoos infused with avocado and palm, mango butter, coconut and olive oils.
Nadabutter, which incorporates Renada's name, came to fruition.
Stovall sells her balms and moisturizers at what she calls, “pop-up markets,” across the state during the summer. She's available via social media and also creates products depending on what of her ingredients a customer chooses. “My turmeric and honey is really popular,” Stovall added.
“The all-natural ingredients I use are great for conditioning the skin and hair. All of my products make you feel soft and luscious. The shea butter I use comes from West Africa. It's my way of networking and supporting other women. And it's my wish that other women can be inspired to be self-sufficient in starting their own businesses.”
This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Mississippi Today
On this day in 1954
MAY 17, 1954
In Brown v. Board of Education and Bolling v. Sharpe, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the “separate but equal” doctrine in Plessy v. Ferguson was unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment, which guaranteed equal treatment under the law.
The historic decision brought an end to federal tolerance of racial segregation, ruling in the case of student Linda Brown, who was denied admission to her local elementary school in Topeka, Kansas, because of the color of her skin.
In Mississippi, segregationist leaders called the day “Black Monday” and took up the charge of the just-created white Citizens' Council to preserve racial segregation at all costs.
This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Mississippi Today
Every university but Delta State to increase tuition this year
Every university in Mississippi is increasing tuition in the fall except for Delta State University.
The new rates were approved by the governing board of the eight universities, the Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees, at its regular meeting Thursday.
The average cost of tuition in Mississippi is now $8,833 a year, a roughly 3% increase from last year. Students can expect to pay tuition ranging from $7,942 a year at Mississippi Valley State University to $10,052 a year at Mississippi State University.
In recent years, universities have cited inflation and rising insurance costs as reasons for the tuition increases. At Thursday's meeting, the board heard a presentation on how property insurance is becoming more expensive for the eight universities as Mississippi sees more tornadoes and storms with severe wind and hail.
READ MORE: Tuition increases yet again at most public universities
But it's an ongoing trend. Mississippi's public universities have steadily increased tuition since 2000, putting the cost of college increasingly out of reach for the average Mississippi family. More than half of Mississippi college students graduated with an average of $29,714 in student debt in 2020, according to the Institution for College Access and Success.
At Delta State University, the president, Daniel Ennis, announced that he will attempt to avoid tuition increases as the regional college in the Mississippi Delta undergoes drastic budget cuts in an effort to become more financially sustainable.
“We will resist tuition increases so that our most economically vulnerable students can continue to have access to the opportunities that a college degree can provide,” he wrote in a memo to faculty and staff on Monday. “We will move beyond basic survival and into a place where we have the capacity to take better advantage of our undeniable strengths.”
Delta State didn't increase tuition last year, either. Officials have been concerned the university is becoming too pricey for the students it serves.
Tuition for the 2024-25 academic year, by school:
- Alcorn State University: $8,105
- Delta State University: $8,435
- Jackson State University: $8,690
- Mississippi State University: $10,052
- Mississippi University for Women: $8,392
- Mississippi Valley State University: $7,492
- University of Mississippi: $9,612
- University of Southern Mississippi: $9,888
This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
-
SuperTalk FM5 days ago
Martin Lawrence making 3 stops in Mississippi on comedy tour
-
Our Mississippi Home4 days ago
Beat the Heat with Mississippi’s Best Waterparks
-
Our Mississippi Home4 days ago
Charlie’s U-Pik: Opening Soon for the Summer Season
-
Mississippi News Video7 days ago
Local dentists offer free dental care in Amory
-
Kaiser Health News4 days ago
Medicaid ‘Unwinding’ Decried as Biased Against Disabled People
-
Mississippi News Video3 days ago
Jackson has a gang problem
-
SuperTalk FM14 hours ago
State auditor cracking down on Mississippians receiving unemployment benefits
-
Mississippi Today7 days ago
On this day in 1968