The town of Vidalia is issuing $2.83 million in utility rebates to nearly 2,500 local customers. Most eligible households will receive between $500 and $2,000, based on individual utility usage. The rebate will be applied as a direct credit to a customer’s account balance if the customer has an unpaid balance or late fees. The checks are expected to begin arriving in the mail starting today.
Two congressional races in Louisiana remain undecided, with runoffs scheduled for the fifth and sixth districts. Both races feature Republican vs. Democrat candidates. In the fifth district, which covers Monroe and Alexandria, Republican Gabe Furman faces Monroe Democrat Pat Moore. In the sixth congressional race, Republican State Senator Blake Miguez faces Democrat and former Baton Rouge Metro Councilwoman Shawna Banks.
In Mississippi, the U.S. Senate race remains too close to call. Democratic challenger Scott Colom holds a razor-thin lead over Cindy Hyde-Smith by less than one percentage point. With nearly all regular ballots counted, Colom has 462,857 votes and Hyde-Smith has 462,792 votes. Provisional ballots and absentee ballots arriving in the mail by next Tuesday will still be counted. At a news conference yesterday, Colom said he expects the remaining ballots will provide enough votes for him to be elected. Mississippi has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1982.
House Speaker Mike Johnson of Benton, Louisiana, is not planning to remain a House Republican leader as Democrats take control of the House. A ULM political science professor said the decision was tied to how large the House shifted toward Democrats.
NBC News projects an 81-seat Democratic majority in the new Congress.
In local river conditions, the Mississippi River in Natchez-Vidalia is at 14.48 feet and falling.
