Mississippi Today

PSC candidate claims incumbent violated campaign finance laws

Published

2 years ago

August 1, 2023

A challenger for the Southern District Public Service Commission seat has filed ethics complaints against incumbent Dane Maxwell, claiming he violated campaign finance laws.

Maxwell says the complaints are “dirty campaigning” from a desperate candidate, and that his campaign has returned any improper donations and amended its reporting where necessary.

Republican candidate Wayne Carr claims Maxwell has accepted $18,000 in illegal contributions from PSC-regulated utilities or affiliates and failed to report thousands in campaign spending. He said Maxwell is beholden to large companies buying up small water systems in Mississippi, then asking the PSC to allow large rate increases.

“This is not right for the ratepayers,” Carr said. “This is not transparency.”

Maxwell said much of Carr’s claims are bogus – that three companies he claims fall under a prohibition on donations are not regulated utilities. Maxwell said his campaign unknowingly accepted other improper donations and is returning the money – including $4,000 of a $5,000 donation from a corporation. Mississippi campaign laws limit corporate donations to $1,000 a year. Maxwell said the company failed to note it was a corporation when it made the contribution.

Maxwell said he has a CPA firm that manages his campaign finances and, “I can’t even write a check out of that account.” He said that when Carr “started slinging mud” about his finances, he had the CPA firm go back through the reports, and consulted with the secretary of state’s office. He said his campaign is returning any improper donations and correcting its reporting.

Maxwell said stringent campaign finance laws for PSC commissioner candidates – emplaced by state lawmakers years ago after past scandal and corruption with the utility regulating authority – provide challenges.

“That’s why I hire a company to do it,” Maxwell said. “We have the strictest laws of any elected officials. We try to vet everything that comes in, but when people send this money to the CPA firm and they can’t determine if it’s associated or not – they generally just return it. Some of these people don’t understand the regulations. They send us money, and then we return it. Our laws are very strict.

“… This is a last-minute desperate attempt to get some attention to his campaign,” Maxwell said. “I’m a Christian conservative. I’m not going to get into negative campaigning and not going to do that to a fellow Republican. It’s disgraceful.”

Carr claims Maxwell failed for months to report thousands in spending for campaign ads on Coast Transit Authority buses. He said the buses have been rolling across the Coast with Maxwell ads on them since mid-May, but the spending did not show up in Maxwell’s June or July finance reports filed with the secretary of state. He noted that Maxwell posted about the bus ads in June social media posts.

Maxwell said the spending will be listed on his campaign finance report due Tuesday – the final report before the Aug. 8 Republican primary.

“Sometimes when you pay for something you don’t get the invoice right away,” Maxwell said. “Everything will be in the filings.”

There have been other questions about PSC candidate campaign finances this election cycle. The Magnolia Tribune in June questioned a donation to PSC Commissioner Brandon Presley – now a gubernatorial candidate – from a regulated utility. Presley returned the $500 donation. The publication also questioned donations to Presley and Central District PSC Commissioner Brent Bailey from a law firm that represents the PSC, with its fees paid by Entergy, a regulated power company.

Both Bailey and Presley have denied the contributions fall under the PSC campaign finance prohibition.

Carr filed complaints with the state Ethics Commission. But the commission has recently said it lacks clear authority to investigate or enforce campaign finance laws.

Mississippi’s campaign finance laws and reporting requirements are weak, and violations are almost never investigated or prosecuted.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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Mississippi Today

UMMC holds free cancer screenings

Published

1 day ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @EricJShelton – 2025-04-30 12:00:00

by Eric J. Shelton, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Resident physician Claire Babin, right, performs an oral cancer screening on Ella Holmes during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Physicians prepare for oral, head and neck cancer screenings during a free screening event at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin, center, screens Diane Carter for oral cancer as medical students Mason Nodurft, left, and Eva Kiparizoska observe during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Educational giveaways advocating against smoking are available during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Sharon Terry, senior tobacco treatment specialist, waits for patients during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Skylar Robinson, medical office assistant, left, and Kiandria Bruce, registered nurse, review materials at the patient sign-in table during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Head and neck cancer literature is available during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Dr. Alex Brooks and registered nurse Angela Noble talk during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Nina Brown, clinical manager, helps Ned Bostic with paperwork during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin performs an oral cancer screening on Ned Bostic at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Ned Bostic receives a neck cancer screening during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin, center, and medical student Hanna Watson examine Ned Bostic during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.

The University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery hosted a free oral, head, and neck cancer screening Wednesday at the Jackson Medical Mall as part of Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week.

The event featured quick, noninvasive screenings aimed at catching cancer early — when treatment is most effective. Onyx Care provided free HPV vaccinations, while the ACT Center for Tobacco Treatment, Education, and Research offered resources on smoking cessation and free services.

“These screenings take about 10 minutes and can save lives,” said Dr. Gina Jefferson, head and neck surgical oncologist at UMMC. “The earlier a cancer is diagnosed, the better chance we have of curing it.”

Tobacco and alcohol use remain major risk factors for these cancers. However, physicians say an increasing number of cases are linked to HPV, especially among younger adults with no history of smoking or drinking. Dentists are often the first to spot early signs, which can include persistent sores, lumps in the neck, or difficulty swallowing.

Oral, head and neck cancers are among the most common globally. When found early, survival rates can exceed 80 percent.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post UMMC holds free cancer screenings appeared first on mississippitoday.org

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

This article presents factual information about a free cancer screening event without showing a clear ideological stance. It primarily focuses on the health benefits of early cancer detection and the availability of free resources, such as HPV vaccinations and smoking cessation support. The language used is neutral and the content is centered around public health education rather than promoting a political viewpoint. The inclusion of factual statistics, such as survival rates and risk factors, adds to its informative and objective tone. There are no signs of bias or advocacy for a particular political agenda, making this a centrist piece.

Crooked Letter Sports Podcast

Podcast: What next for Mississippi State baseball?

Published

1 day ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @rick_cleveland – 2025-04-30 10:46:00

by Rick Cleveland and Tyler Cleveland, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Mississippi State didn’t even wait until the end of the season to fire Chris Lemonis, who brought the national championship to Starkville not quite four years ago. Where do the Bulldogs go from here. Robbie Faulk who covers the Bulldogs more closely than anyone else joins the podcast to discuss the situation.

Stream all episodes here.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Podcast: What next for Mississippi State baseball? appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Mississippi Today

Mobile sports betting users: We want to hear from you

Published

1 day ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @MSTODAYnews – 2025-04-30 10:21:00

by Mississippi Today, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Mississippi Today is looking to speak with current and former mobile sports betting users. We’d like to speak with people who spend considerable amounts of time and money betting on sports through online gambling sites.

We’re interested in hearing the experience of people who have suffered from gambling addiction or problems, or friends and family members of people who have. We also would like to talk with people who believe legalizing mobile sports betting would benefit Mississippi and its residents.

We want to hear from you. Please take the survey below or contact Political Reporter Michael Goldberg by email at mgoldberg@mississippitoday.org

TAKE THE SURVEY:

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This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Mobile sports betting users: We want to hear from you appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This article from Mississippi Today appears to present a neutral stance, focusing on gathering input from various groups of mobile sports betting users, including those who may have experienced addiction issues. The content does not advocate for or against the legalization of mobile sports betting but instead seeks to gather diverse perspectives, including those of individuals who may support or oppose it. The language used is objective and does not suggest a particular ideological perspective, allowing for a balanced exploration of the issue at hand.