SUMMARY: The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency provided an initial report on severe weather damage from Thursday. One person was injured in Rankin County, and there was property damage in Hinds, Lowndes, and Rankin counties. Over 35,000 customers lost power; the worst-affected counties included Rankin and Hinds. Power restoration efforts decreased outages from 64,000. Governor Reeves thanked emergency personnel and crews for their work. A power outage at the O.B. Curtis Water Treatment Plant in Ridgeland led to a boil water advisory in Jackson, now recovering quicker than in the past. Mayor Lumumba declared a State of Emergency, with reviews every seven days.

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SUMMARY: Mississippi has replaced the Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP) with a new K-12 public education funding formula following Governor Tate Reeves' signature on House Bill 4130. The decision ended a legislative struggle between the State House, which proposed the new formula called the Mississippi Student Funding Formula (initially the INSPIRE Act), and the Senate, which favored amendments to MAEP. The new non-complex formula sets a minimal base student cost and adds weights for students requiring additional resources, aiming for accountability in regular full funding. Beginning July 1, the formula will be reassessed every four years.

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SUMMARY: A Copiah County woman, Ashley Johnson, is facing charges for fraudulently obtaining $31,259 in SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits by misreporting household income and composition to the Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS). Investigations led by Agent Christopher Park and the MDHS Inspector General Sandra Griffith culminated in an indictment secured in March by the Copiah County District Attorney's office. The case exemplifies the improved measures in place to detect and prevent fraud in government assistance programs. Related news includes another incident involving fraudulent SNAP benefits in Pike County.

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