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Entergy Mississippi to build its first new power plant in 50 years | Mississippi

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www.thecentersquare.com – By Steve Wilson | The Center Square – 2024-09-05 11:54:00

(The Center Square) – Entergy Mississippi is going to do something it hasn’t done in five decades: Build a new power plant.

The Mississippi investor-owned utility that serves 459,000 customers in 45 of the state’s 82 counties says it intends to build a combined-cycle power plant by 2028 that can be fueled by either natural gas or by hydrogen. 

The plant will replace the Gerald Andrus Steam Electric Station, which is nearly 50 years old and located in Greenville in the Mississippi Delta. 

The new power plant will be the first combined cycle power plant built from the ground up for Entergy Mississippi, which has bought three natural gas power plants in the past 20 years.

The three plants – Attala Plant in Sallis (2006), Hinds Energy Facility in Jackson (2012) and Choctaw Energy Facility in French Camp (2019) – along with Entergy’s Grand Gulf Nuclear Station and the Sunflower Solar Station located near Ruleville make up the utility’s generation portfolio. 

“As our customers’ needs and environmental factors evolve, so must our fleet. We’re investing in cleaner, more efficient power generation now, to help us keep bills lower for customers than they otherwise would be in the future,” said Haley Fisackerly, president and CEO of Entergy Mississippi, in a news release.

Entergy’s parent company was sued over its purchase of power plants formerly owned by independent operators in Mississippi and Arkansas. The U.S. Department of Justice said the utility didn’t buy power from the independent producers and bought the plants cheaply once their owners couldn’t find a market for their electricity. 

The company and the federal government reached a settlement in 2012 where Entergy’s power distribution network was divested and the utility joined a regional transmission provider, the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator.

Regional transmission providers connect the grids of multiple utilities and MISO covers Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin. 

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The post Entergy Mississippi to build its first new power plant in 50 years | Mississippi appeared first on www.thecentersquare.com

The Center Square

Trump administration to revoke Harvard’s tax exemption status | Massachusetts

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www.thecentersquare.com – Sarah Roderick-Fitch – (The Center Square – ) 2025-05-02 07:19:00

(The Center Square) – President Donald Trump kicked off Friday morning announcing his administration is revoking Harvard University’s tax exemption status.

In a Truth Social post, the president hit out hard at the prestigious Ivy League university.

“We are going to be taking away Harvard’s Tax Exempt Status. It’s what they deserve!” the president posted to his social media site.

The move comes after the Trump administration froze $2.2 billion in taxpayer-funded federal grants to the school after it refused to comply with the administration’s demands to reform student activities and programs they claim have “egregious records of antisemitism or other bias.”

In turn, the university announced that it filed a suit against the Trump administration, claiming that the administration was violating the school’s First Amendment rights.

This is a developing story.

The post Trump administration to revoke Harvard’s tax exemption status | Massachusetts appeared first on www.thecentersquare.com



Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Center-Right

The article reports on actions taken by the Trump administration against Harvard University, highlighting the administration’s criticism of the university and the subsequent legal response by Harvard. The language used, such as quoting Trump’s strong social media post and emphasizing the administration’s stance on alleged antisemitism and bias, aligns with a perspective supportive of Trump’s policies. However, the article maintains a primarily factual tone without overt editorializing or loaded language, indicating it leans toward a Center-Right bias rather than a strongly partisan stance. It provides information on both the administration’s actions and Harvard’s response without explicitly taking sides.

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The Center Square

Homan says more Wisconsin arrests could come for harboring illegal aliens | Wisconsin

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www.thecentersquare.com – Jon Styf – (The Center Square – ) 2025-05-01 16:41:00

(The Center Square) – The arrest of a Wisconsin judge could be just the start.

Former Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director and border czar Tom Homan said  “wait to see what’s coming” when he was asked Thursday what should happen to sanctuary cities and specifically what should occur in Wisconsin, where Gov. Tony Evers and the state Department of Administration sent out a memo asking state employees not to answer questions from federal agents, give access to systems or information, and to call the state Office of Legal Counsel if approached.

“You cannot support what we’re doing and you can support sanctuary cities if that’s what you want to do,” Homan said. “But if you cross that line of impediment or knowingly harboring and concealing an illegal alien, that is a felony. And we are treating it as such.”

A group of 41 Wisconsin Assembly Republicans sent a letter this week to Evers requesting that he rescind the memo.

“As the Trump administration continues its efforts to deport thousands of non-citizens who entered our country illegally during the Biden administration, our caucus believes it is imperative that our laws reflect the need for local law enforcement to comply with these efforts,” the letter said.

The letter also referenced the Friday arrest of Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan on accusations that she helped a defendant who was illegally in the country escape from immigration officials.

Dugan is accused of concealing Eduardo Flores Ruiz, who was previously deported and came back to the U.S., where he was facing charges in Milwaukee of domestic battery and abuse.

Dugan was suspended this week by the Wisconsin Supreme Court after being charged with obstruction of a federal proceeding and concealing an individual to prevent discovery or arrest. The obstruction charge could result in up to a $100,000 fine and a year in prison, while the second concealment charge can result in up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The post Homan says more Wisconsin arrests could come for harboring illegal aliens | Wisconsin appeared first on www.thecentersquare.com



Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Center-Right

This article reports on actions related to immigration enforcement and sanctuary city policies, including legal actions and political responses from both sides. However, the content’s framing leans toward presenting the actions of the Republicans, specifically the letter sent by Wisconsin Assembly Republicans, in a more supportive light. The quote from Tom Homan further emphasizes a law-and-order stance, aligning with conservative views on immigration enforcement. The inclusion of accusations against a judge suspected of aiding an illegal immigrant provides a narrative that could resonate more with conservative readers focused on the consequences of sanctuary city policies. While the article presents factual events, the tone and focus may appeal more to those with a right-leaning viewpoint on immigration. The content avoids overt ideological commentary but subtly aligns with a Center-Right perspective.

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News from the South - Louisiana News Feed

Jazz Fest bucks national trend by serving real gulf shrimp, new testing shows | Louisiana

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www.thecentersquare.com – By Nolan McKendry | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-05-01 15:49:00

(The Center Square) − Amid growing concerns nationwide over seafood fraud, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival has emerged as a rare bright spot in the murky world of shrimp sourcing.

A new round of genetic testing found that nearly every shrimp dish sold at this year’s Jazz Fest was made with genuine U.S. wild-caught shrimp from the Gulf — a striking contrast to most restaurants across the South.

The study, conducted by SeaD Consulting using its RIGHTTest genetic analysis tool, examined 19 shrimp-based dishes from vendors at the 2025 festival.

Of those, 18 were verified to contain authentic Gulf shrimp. Only one dish, from a vendor whose other offerings passed the test, was found to use imported shrimp. The test was funded by the Southern Shrimp Alliance, a national advocacy group for domestic shrimpers.

“This is a huge moment of pride for New Orleans,” said Dave Williams, founder of SeaD Consulting. “We found vendors doing the right thing — not because they had to, but because it matters to them, to the community, and to the culture of this city.”

Unlike restaurants, temporary food vendors in Louisiana are not legally required to disclose whether their shrimp is imported or farm-raised. That makes the Jazz Fest findings even more remarkable: Vendors chose to support the local industry on their own.

The result is a resounding show of solidarity with Louisiana shrimpers, who face steep competition from cheaper imported shrimp, often farmed under questionable labor and environmental conditions.

The vendors found serving wild-caught Gulf shrimp span every corner of the festival grounds — from shrimp bread and gumbo in Food Area One, to Vietnamese shrimp skewers in Heritage Square and shrimp ceviche tostadas in the Cultural Exchange Village.

The timing couldn’t be better for Louisiana’s seafood industry. The inshore shrimping season is about to begin, and the industry is fighting an uphill battle. In other parts of the country, seafood fraud is rampant.

Just weeks before the Jazz Fest, SeaD Consulting conducted similar tests at 44 randomly selected restaurants in Wilmington, North Carolina—a coastal city celebrated for its seafood scene.

There, 34 restaurants (77%) were found to be serving imported, farm-raised shrimp, even as menus and servers suggested it was fresh and local. Only 10 establishments passed the authenticity test.

“In Wilmington, the seafood fraud rate is staggeringly high,” said John Williams, executive director of the Southern Shrimp Alliance. “Restaurants are misleading customers, hurting the local economy, and undermining the hard work of American shrimpers.”

The SSA has been funding shrimp testing across seven Gulf and Southeastern states as part of a broader campaign for transparency. Preliminary findings show that seafood mislabeling occurs in 78% of cases in states without seafood origin labeling laws. Even in states with such laws, fraud rates remain troubling at 36%.

The contrast between New Orleans and Wilmington underscores how cultural institutions like Jazz Fest can drive change. By voluntarily choosing Gulf shrimp, Jazz Fest vendors have shown that integrity and local pride can guide sourcing decisions—even in the absence of regulation.

“There’s no shame in selling imported shrimp,” said Dave Williams. “But there’s a big problem when you pretend it’s local. Let consumers decide—with the truth.”

The Southern Shrimp Alliance says it hopes other events and restaurants will follow Jazz Fest’s example. Until then, diners are encouraged to ask questions, request sourcing details, and support establishments that prioritize transparency and local suppliers.

The post Jazz Fest bucks national trend by serving real gulf shrimp, new testing shows | Louisiana appeared first on www.thecentersquare.com



Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.



Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

The article does not present a clear ideological stance but instead reports on factual findings related to seafood sourcing and shrimp authenticity. The tone is neutral, focusing on the results of genetic testing conducted at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and comparing it with practices in Wilmington, North Carolina. The article highlights the positive example set by Jazz Fest in supporting local shrimpers, without vilifying imported shrimp outright. The content primarily provides information on seafood fraud and the efforts of advocacy groups like the Southern Shrimp Alliance, without taking a partisan position. The focus is on transparency and consumer choice, which reflects a centrist approach.

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