Jackson Free Press

First, August Alsina skipped out on a concert in Jackson—and possibly lost hundreds, if not thousands, of local fans in the process. Now it looks like Lil Boosie won't make it to Gulfport.

Recently freed from prison, Boosie had planned a concert for a Gulf Coast neighborhood baseball park, but was denied a noise variance permit.

Promoters said they would ask the local band of hip-hop aficionados otherwise known as the Gulfport City Council to reconsider.

The Sun Herald (http://bit.ly/TpIIxv ) reported that the promoters pointed to Boosie shows across the South in his native Louisiana as well as Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and Arkansas.

"Mississippi is the only place he hasn't been able to play," said Walter Malone of Gautier, owner of Magnolia Vivid Productions, the company trying to produce the show, of the Baton Rogue-born Boosie.

It's been rough going for Louisiana rappers and the Magnolia State as of late.

Over the weekend, New Orleans' August Alsina pulled out of a show at the Mississippi Coliseum. Promoters of that concert claim that they held up their end of the deal, but that Alsina pulled out at the last minute.

In a "public-service announcement" posted on Instagram late Friday Alsina said only that "there was a mixup with the date and venue" as the reason he wouldn't be doing the show, but that he looks forward to coming to Jackson during his summer tour.

Apparently, the date-and-venue mixup was that Alsina actually wanted to go to Yo Gotti's birthday party in Atlanta and ride around in a Lamborghini the same night as the Jackson show.

Update: The Sun Herald is reporting that the Gulfport City Council has denied promoters of the Lil Boosie concert the zoning variance they sought to move ahead with the show.

Mississippi has earned a D- grade on the Center for Public Integrity's 2015 investigation of state government transparency and accountability issues. The state's overall rank nationally is 33rd out of 50 states.

After this year's election, it should come as no surprise that Mississippi was ranked last in the campaign-finance category.

As early as the primary elections, disputes over personal campaign-finance spending raged. For example, Stacey Pickering, the state's auditor, used campaign-finance money to buy an RV and a garage door. He said at the time that the FBI was not investigating, despite reports to the contrary.

Advocacy organizations played important roles in the campaign-finance game too--especially in DeSoto County where four Republican legislators were ousted for their anti-charter school views when Empower Mississippi, a pro-charter organization, funded their opponents' successful campaigns.

The only regulations in place in Mississippi state law limit corporate donations to candidates or political parties. Individuals, lobbyists, political initiatives or political action committees are not limited in their spending on candidates or campaigns, an important factor in the Initiative 42 public-school funding campaign and the "Vote No" anti-42 campaign this last election. Dark money--donations made through or by organizations with no transparency about motivation or primary sourcing--influenced both sides of the Initiative 42 debate.

Mississippi also received failing grades in the following categories: public information access, electoral oversight, executive accountability and judicial accountability.

The report stated that Mississippi could rise from its last-place rank if legislators would examine and update campaign-finance laws in the state.

The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has denied Gov. Phil Bryant and MDHS Executive Director John Davis' motions to stay the injunction that blocked House Bill 1523 from becoming law. Bryant and Davis asked the court to expedite their appeal, and that application was also denied.

The 5th Circuit did allow the two HB 1523 cases to be consolidated, but the court will not issue a stay on U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves' injunction or expedite the a hearing for the governor's appeal of the bill.

The conservative legal organization, Alliance Defending Freedom, is providing co-counsel for the governor's appeal in the 5th Circuit. HB 1523 was based, at least in part, on language from a model policy that ADF sent to the governor's office before same-sex marriage was legalized nationally in 2015.

Rob McDuff, one of the lawyers for plaintiffs, called the order a great victory.

"Two and a half months after we filed this challenge to HB 1523, the federal courts once again have held that the bill should not take effect. This is a great victory for the thousands of Mississippians who have opposed this bill in the name of tolerance and fairness and dignity for all," he said in a statement to the Jackson Free Press. "Although the Governor apparently will continue with his appeal, this is an important milestone in the battle against this completely misguided piece of legislation."

“We are pleased with the Fifth Circuit’s summary denial of the governor’s motion and look forward to final resolution of this matter in our favor,” said Beth Orlansky, advocacy director of the Mississippi Center for Justice said in a statement.

Read the motion here. Read more about HB 1523 here.

This post has been updated with statement from the MS Center for Justice and Rob McDuff.

Gov. Phil Bryant announced at MEC Capital Day on Thursday that Mississippi won the Business Facilities’ 2016 Economic Development Deal of the Year for sealing the deal with Continental Tire, which is set to open a tire plant outside of Clinton in Hinds County.

“To be chosen as the top recipient of Business Facilities’ 2016 Economic Development Deal of the Year national competition is a great honor for the state, the Mississippi Development Authority, Hinds County and the numerous individuals who worked tirelessly to bring Continental to Hinds County,” said Bryant said in an MDA press release. “This award confirms the state’s position as one of the top destinations for business and is something in which all Mississippians should take pride. I appreciate the team at Business Facilities for recognizing our efforts with this top honor.”

Bryant called a special legislative session last year to ram through the incentives package that brought Continental Tire to Mississippi in the first place. Continental invested $1.45 billion in the state, and eventually, the plant is supposed to create 2,500 jobs over the next decade. The state spent over $600 million in bonds and tax breaks to bring the German-based tire manufacturer to Hinds County, an AP analysis shows.

Bryant is a fan of tax cuts to bring in economic development projects. At the Jackson Marriott on Thursday, he reiterated his dedication to tax incentives to bring development and jobs to the state.

"Without tax incentives we've offered companies, they would not be here," Bryant told business leaders on Thursday.

The Hinds County tire plant will open with 100 jobs in 2018, but currently, the company is issuing contracts for development of the almost 1,000-acre plot. Mississippi companies are strongly encouraged to apply, but any company can bid on the contracts.