Better MS Report

The Mississippi Press: The 38 stylized lights recently installed in the median of U.S. 90 from Beasley to Johnston Road must be removed because the lighting does not meet highway department standards, officials said. The lights were approved by the Mississippi Department of Transportation, but miscalculations in the installation caused them to fall below requirements, [...]

The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal: The Mississippi Transportation Commission this week has given itself the opportunity to change the organization and management of the huge agency it oversees in ways that should be beneficial in the long run. It’s unfortunate that the dismissal of Mississippi Department of Transportation Executive Director Larry “Butch” Brown came as [...]

The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal: Newly sworn in Northern District Transportation Commissioner Mike Tagert said he did not take pleasure in being the deciding vote in ousting Larry “Butch” Brown as executive director of the state Transportation Department. But Tagert said he believes it was the right vote for the agency and for the state. [...]

The Clarion-Ledger: The newly constituted Mississippi Transportation Commission voted 2-1 Tuesday to demand that Mississippi Department of Transportation Executive Director Larry L. “Butch” Brown resign today or be terminated. Newly elected Northern District Commissioner Mike Tagert, who was sworn in before the meeting, voted with Central District Commissioner Dick Hall to replace Brown. Southern District [...]

The Clarion-Ledger: Mississippi Department of Transportation Executive Director Butch Brown said Tuesday afternoon that he will step down after the agency’s three-member governing body called for his resignation by 5 p.m. today or promised to fire him. The 2-1 vote for Brown’s ouster came Tuesday shortly after Northern District Transportation Commissioner Mike Tagert was sworn [...]

The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal: North Mississippians’ election on Tuesday of Mike Tagert to the Mississippi Transportation Commission places in that important elective office a seasoned economic development executive with a broad view of the commission’s responsibilities and possibilities. The 40-year-old Republican from Starkville has headed the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Development Council, a multi-state organization focused [...]

The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal: Absentee voting looks slow in parts of North Mississippi as the special election’s finalists push toward Tuesday’s runoff. “We’ve had 58 absentee votes so far,” Dawn Coon, deputy Lee County circuit clerk, said Friday. “That’s still way low from the usual.” More than 51,000 voters came out Jan. 11 to [...]

The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal: Major thoroughfare construction to funnel traffic through and around New Albany and Booneville are among the highway projects that the Mississippi Department of Transportation has slated for this year. The $18 million project to widen state Highway 15 from King’s Creek south of New Albany to the Northaven community near [...]

The Mississippi Press: Several candidates announced on Monday their intentions to run for election or re-election to state office, and more announcements were expected before the week is out. Sen. Tom King, R-Petal, officially announced his bid for Transportation Commissioner in Mississippi’s Southern District, which runs from the coast to Highway 84. Wayne Brown announced [...]

The Clarion-Ledger: Mississippians should greet Monday’s announcement that Mississippi Department of Transportation Executive Director Larry L. “Butch” Brown is stepping down June 30 due in part to serious health problems with the respect it deserves. Brown, 67, has led the huge state agency since 2002. A former Natchez mayor, Brown said he’s battling prostate cancer [...]