Mississippi Today analyzed and provided context for several of the lieutenant governor’s statements about the strength of the state economy, using federal labor data and interviews with state economist Darrin Webb
Mississippi Culture
Clarksdale’s new 20-room artist-run hotel hopes to spark a downtown economic boom
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Travelers Hotel brings in artists to run the operations while giving a chance to become part owner. Newest attraction geared toward the arts and community development.
Money
Cleveland hoteliers moving forward without Trump, keeping $6 million in tax breaks
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The project developers say the company is on solid financial footing and the hotel will open this fall
Government
‘If the government shuts down, we’ll do it again’: Vicksburg military park kept open, and 19,000 visitors showed up
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Vicksburg National Military Park, maintained through the National Park Service, would have closed its gates during the federal impasse without the support of a nonprofit and the city.
Equity
Clarksdale ‘brought home the bacon,’ and landed a new grocer seen as vital to the Delta town’s economy
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As national chain grocers move out of rural communities, the addition could be a boon for an area with one of the highest food insecurity rates in the state
How Mississippi’s financial aid programs reached a ‘tipping point’
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‘Unfortunately there’s been no overall strategy for the creation of state aid programs,’ director says
Mississippi Culture
‘This is our moment’: Tech firm’s Delta move lifts hopes of economic revival in region
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Silicon Valley firm promises up to 200 jobs at facility that will also honor memory of Emmett Till
Gloster’s first grocery store in decades highlights statewide food insecurity
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Mississippi has the fourth highest rate of food insecurity in the country; some look to the Legislature while others see public-private partnerships as the answer
Cigarette tax hike again eyed for 2019 session
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A key Senate committee chairman supports legislation to up the per-pack tax
Money
Federal indictment: Contractor gave bribes to former Jackson mayor, other city officials
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Federal prosecutors allege that Atlanta political power player Mitzi Bickers made purchases totaling at least $5,000, to influence and reward an agent of the City of Jackson
Chawla Hotels, Coahoma Community College alliance envisions a workforce training center based in the Delta
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Of the Chawla hotels operating, only five are managed by African-Americans, but Suresh Chawla, president of the hotel chain, says this isn’t a good reflection on the industry and they want to increase that number.
As payday loans thrive in Mississippi, neighboring states move to cap high interest rates
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Stores a lifeline for some but with yearly interest rates as high as 300 percent, some say they’re “sucking the life out of people.”
Economy, development puts Hattiesburg in league with other thriving mid-size cities of the South
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Downtown, Midtown lure residents back from the suburbs
Fifteen black moms to receive $1,000 monthly in basic income experiment
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The pilot program mirrors other basic income experiments but is the first to focus on low-income black mothers
Mississippi farmers brace for tariffs’ impact: ‘We are the ones being hit the hardest’
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Mississippi is extremely dependent on exports – and China is by far the biggest importer of soybeans in the world.
Money
Mississippi’s gamble pays off; Supreme Court strikes down sports betting ban
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Mississippi was one of five states that officially joined New Jersey’s effort to challenge a federal ban on sports betting nationwide, and the state has spent months checking off boxes to ensure sports betting could begin in within the coming days.