Mississippi Roundup

Washington Post: Trump’s sons’ hotel expansion is at a standstill

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Washington Post reporters Jonathan O’Connell and Justin Vicory write about the status of hotels the Trump Organization plans to open — including four in Mississippi:
Shortly after Donald Trump entered the White House, his eldest sons announced ambitious plans to open a line of hotels called Scion that would target young, hip customers mostly in places where their father had proved popular with voters. The first Scion would open in the Mississippi Delta in early 2018. A second line of hotels, called American Idea, would soon follow, with three in Mississippi and more than a dozen elsewhere. In all, the Trump Organization said it had preliminary agreements to open 39 properties. A year and a half later, progress has been slow.

Mississippi Roundup

Coahoma County mayor arrested, charged with embezzlement

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A Coahoma County mayor is accused of embezzling city water payments and a police firearm. Jonestown mayor Kenneth Lester was indicted by a Coahoma County grand jury on five counts of felony embezzlement. He faces up to 20 years in prison and up to $5,000 in fines on each count, according to a news release from the attorney general’s office. The indictment alleges that between July 2017 and August 2018, Lester took money paid for water bills and water repairs and converted it for his own use, according to the statement. He is also alleged to have taken a city-owned handgun and pawned it for cash.

Mississippi Roundup

The Dispatch: EMCC names new president

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The Dispatch: East Mississippi Community College has announced its new president. Scott Alsobrooks, vice president of economic and community development at Pearl River Community College in Poplarville, will assume the position early next year, according to an EMCC news release issued Wednesday afternoon. Read the complete Dispatch article here.

Mississippi Roundup

President to honor Elvis Presley in Medal of Freedom ceremony

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President Donald Trump will honor Elvis Presley and six other noteworthy individuals tonight with the Medal of Freedom. Read the USA Today story on the recipients here, along with vintage photos of the King of Rock and Roll. “Tupelo is the soul of Elvis. It really is,” actress Allyson Adams, daughter of late Academy Award-nominated actor Nick Adams, is quoted saying in a Mississippi Today article last year. https://mississippitoday.org/2017/06/10/elvis-may-have-left-tupelo-but-his-soul-stayed-there/

Political scientist Fletcher McClellan said to NPR: “This is a fascinating way to find out what is important to a president.”