Category: Local News

Plans have been canceled for building a jet-fuel refinery on land here that state and federal governments have spent nearly $6 million for building a just-completed levee to protect the site from Mississippi River floodwaters.

Velocys had made extensive plans to build the plant on the county-owned Belwood site, but various factors killed the project, said Chandler Russ, executive director of Natchez Inc., the business-recruitment agency for Natchez and Adams County.

“They’ve scaled down and are longer focused on developing the Natchez site,” Russ said of the United Kingdom-based company that’s been envisioning the Belwood property for building what originally was projected to be a billion-dollar facility employing more than 100 people.

However, Russ said other industrial prospects are looking at what he’s called “the best 110-acre site on the Mississippi River” with appealing accommodations such as utilities, rail lines and easy access to a key water transportation artery. Plans were made public in 2017 for Velocys to build at Belwood what it formally called its Bayou Fuels plant to convert wood debris from area timberlands into clean-emission jet fuel. However, various delays occurred that finally became its demise after President Trump was elected a year ago, Russ said.

“Velocys has recently shifted its focus toward advancing its European initiatives and integrating its technology into projects abroad,” he said. “Combined with the evolving capital markets for green energy developments since the election, these factors naturally make projects of this scale more complex.” Velocys was sold in January 2024 to a London-based group of investors to infuse the company with cash and save it from insolvency, according to news accounts.

The key to attracting Velocys was building the just-completed earthen levee to block the Mississippi River out of the flood-prone site. A total of $7 million in recent years was allocated for the construction by state and federal agencies along with funds provided by Velocys.

The company provided $1.2 million to help fund the levee’s construction and another $1 million for Adams County’s coffers, Russ said. While Velocys won’t occupy the Belwood property, the land is ready-made for another industry. “With the levee now complete, we believe we have one of the premier 110-acre industrial sites on the Mississippi River — low-risk, fully protected, and essentially ready for development,” Russ said. “It’s a true plug-and-play site on the river, and that’s something we’ve worked toward for a long time.”

The Mississippi Legislature provided $2 million; the Mississippi Development Authority granted $1.9 million; and the federal Delta Regional Authority gave another $1.9 million. “Thank you to all of our partners along the way. It is our hope that your investment in us pays off huge for Adams County and the state of Mississippi,” Russ said.

After several years of work, the Belwood levee is “basically complete” and built “under budget,” said the engineer overseeing its construction. Meeting Monday with the Adams County Board of Supervisors, engineer Doug Wimberly said final touches include planting grass and a walk-through inspection. The site is the former Belwood country club and golf course the Adams County board purchased in 1998 — the year the country club closed — to accommodate industries.

However, the flood-prone land has remained vacant the past three decades as local officials struggle to find an industrial tenant. KiOR — another biofuel production company — had an option to purchase some of Belwood several years ago. However, that fizzled. The Texas-based company went bankrupt in 2014.

The Belwood site is on River Terminal Road at the outskirts of Natchez near the Adams County river port. During their Monday meeting, county supervisors discussed how a large port customer continues to be disgruntled with services at the county-owned facility. “They’re ready to pull out, and I don’t want to see that happen,” county board President Kevin Wilson said of BASF, which operates a chemical plant across the river in Vidalia that uses the Adams County dock-and-load facility for its international shipments.

BASF wants to lease port-warehouse space and assume its own operations there because of dissatisfaction with county port services, said county Administrator Mitzi Conn.”

This is a hard message to write. At a time when we are all so excited in Natchez about our 40th Balloon Festival and the beauty of fall in our historic city, the oldest city on the highest bluff of the mightiest river, my heart hurts for those across our state who have been affected recently by violent crime. The headlines have been spread across the front page of every newspaper in Mississippi, and the shootings at recent sporting events have jarred so many Mississippians, including many right here in our own community.

Last weekend as we celebrated many great events in Natchez, from Junkin’ on the River to Natchez Homecoming, the opening of our Downtown Pumpkin Festival to the ribbon cutting at our new Dixon Books Bookstore, I thought life couldn’t be better. That all changed Saturday afternoon when news began arriving of a very different scenario taking place in other areas of our state. I was heartbroken and couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Within twenty-four hours countless communities across Mississippi had been forever altered. Young people in the prime of promising lives had either become victims of or witnesses to horrific events. For some of those seen running or sheltering from gunfire, life will never be the same.

This should not be. In fact, no person in Mississippi should be afraid to go outside their door for fear of becoming a victim of violent crime. But for many, this is becoming more and more the case. And for some, even in certain areas of our own city, families no longer feel safe in their own homes for fear of random gunshots that may at any time pierce the quiet darkness of night.

It is past time to address violent crime in Mississippi. The time is now. I do want to applaud MS Commissioner of Public Safety Sean Tindall and the MS Bureau of Investigation on their fast response to incidents on college campuses, high schools and communities in recent days. Their fast work has been impressive – and very much appreciated. But a long-term solution is clearly needed.

“Eighty-Percentitis”. Going forward, we must do more than treat the symptoms. We must treat the cause. And I believe the culprit is a major “illness” now infecting communities across Mississippi. I call it “Eighty-Percentitis”. Local law enforcement and others across our state have told me that 80% of the violent crime affecting our communities is being perpetrated by repeat offenders, and in many cases, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat offenders. I challenge anyone to investigate recent incidents and prove me wrong.

Just this week, a retiree of the MS Highway Patrol and a former Sheriff told me something I’ll never forget. “Rarely does anyone start with shooting people. They work up to it, building confidence every time they get away with other crimes. The violent offenders are always repeat offenders.” Chilling words – and we are living with this reality today. In time, if not treated,

Eighty-Percentitis is going to kill our state. No one wants to live where they don’t feel safe. It’s just that simple.

Over the past few months, I have been urging state leaders to help us. Many of these leaders have responded with great positivity. Some even travelled many miles just a few weeks ago to meet with members of the Southwest Mississippi Mayors’ Association as we met here in Natchez, and for this I am very grateful. I am also grateful for the support of numerous colleagues across the state, mayors and other local officials who have stepped forward to help, including leadership in the Mississippi Municipal League. This is not the time for pointing fingers. We all share responsibility in the problem, and we all need to be a part of the solution.

The problem is complex. To start with, bond guidelines set by the Supreme Court need revision. Bond amounts are too low, and too much concern is given to the accused and not enough to the victim. Mississippi’s “Victim’s Bill of Rights” needs to be followed and inserted into every bond decision. And judges who release accused killers and would-be killers need to be required to provide written justification of their decisions on release and bond amounts in violent cases, just as federal judges are required to provide written justification for all of their decisions.

In addition, penalties for violent crime need to be increased and better enforced – especially those for assault on law enforcement. It is getting harder and harder to recruit police officers. They need all the support they can get. More funding is needed for Mississippi’s Crime Labs. And more funding is needed for law enforcement in general.

Let us pray that we as a state can come together with solutions. Now is the time. Because Natchez – Mississippi – Deserves More.

The Mississippi Department of Archives and History and Mississippi State University have signed an agreement that establishes a framework to create a regional hub for education, research, and workforce development at Historic Jefferson College near Natchez.

 

MSU President Mark E. Keenum, MDAH Director Katie Blount, and MDAH Board of Trustees President Spence Flatgard signed the memorandum of understanding on Friday, Oct. 17, forming a partnership that leverages HJC’s unique historical resources and MSU’s academic expertise to benefit students, faculty, and local communities.

 

Through the MOU, the 19th century college will be the site of year-round programming that includes field schools, workshops, and other experiential learning opportunities.

 

“Today, we are embarking on an innovative educational and economic development model that will benefit both students and communities,” Blount said. “MDAH is building on the legacy of Jefferson College to open new educational pathways for students across the state.

 

“As a key partner, MSU brings the expertise we need to develop a first-rate curriculum that prepares students for careers in historic preservation trades. We look forward to working with MSU and other partners to bring students back to Mississippi’s first institution of higher learning.”

 

“As the state’s leading research university and land-grant institution, Mississippi State is called to serve the entire state, and we are honored to work together with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History for this innovative partnership at Historic Jefferson College,” Keenum said. “Students will develop real-world skills working with faculty, employers, and professionals in a unique hands-on environment, and we will be able to help our state address a critical shortage of skilled labor in construction and historic preservation.”

 

The official agreement comes after years of collaboration. In June 2024, MDAH held a pilot preservation field school for students from MSU’s Master of Fine Arts in Historic Preservation program. The pilot demonstrated the feasibility and the potential success of continued field schools at the site.

 

Entergy Mississippi was an early supporter of the work at HJC, providing a $250,000 grant in 2023. MDAH also has secured state and federal funding for the project.

 

The MOU agreement formalizes a workforce development initiative in the trades, with emphasis on preservation trades and construction technology. MSU will serve as a lead academic partner, working in collaboration with other institutions as appropriate to expand statewide impact.

 

Students will receive hands-on training in historic preservation and archaeology. The training will support engagement from other disciplines, including architecture, building arts, and history. The work at HJC will also establish a collaborative model for preservation trades workforce development to help address Mississippi’s labor shortages, which is aligned with national workforce demand projections.

 

This unique opportunity will expose students to the cultural and geographic diversity of Mississippi through immersive, field-based experiences in the southwestern region of the state, using a local-global learning approach to examine how local preservation, labor, and heritage issues are influenced by, and contribute to, broader global contexts.

 

The project will move forward as MDAH continues rehabilitation of the buildings on the campus where Mississippi’s first constitution was signed Aug. 15, 1817.

 

“In partnering with MSU, we are helping extend unique opportunities and provide hands-on learning for students while advancing our agency’s mission to preserve and enrich Mississippi’s cultural resources,” MDAH Historic Preservation Division Director Barry White said. “Historic Jefferson College holds a special place in the history of education in Mississippi, dating back to 1802.”

This article will be updated throughout the Natchez Balloon Festival with updates regarding Balloon flights, to get additional updates about the Festival (Music times, gates opening, etc.) text the word “Fly” to 601-445-9500 – These updates are powered by Dairy Queen.

Friday 10/17/25

7:36 A.M. Update – A majority of pilots will be launching their Hot Air Balloons from the Northside of the Natchez Bluff, some will launch from the Vidalia Airport.

9:47 A.M. Update – Balloons may fly at their own discretion. Locations will vary.

 

Saturday 10/18/25

7:17 A.M. Update – Balloon’s are in a weather hold, due to fog. will update when we know more.

7:56 A.M. Update – No flights this morning due to low visibility. Balloon’s are tethering behind the Natchez Mall.

3:58 P.M. Update – Afternoon Balloon flights canceled due to weather.

8:49 P.M. Update – Sunday morning flights canceled due to expected high winds.