Author

Anna Wolfe

Anna Wolfe

Anna Wolfe, a native of Tacoma, Washington, is an investigative reporter writing about poverty and economic justice. Before joining the staff at Mississippi Today in September of 2018, Anna worked for three years at Clarion Ledger, Mississippi’s statewide daily newspaper. She also worked as an investigative reporter for the Center for Public Integrity and Jackson Free Press, the capital city’s alternative newsweekly. Anna has received national recognition for her work, including the 2021 Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting, the 2021 Collier Prize for State Government Accountability, the 2021 John Jay/Harry Frank Guggenheim Excellence in Criminal Justice Reporting Award, the 2020 Al Neuharth Innovation in Investigative Journalism Award and the February 2020 Sidney Award for reporting on Mississippi’s debtors prisons. She received the National Press Foundation’s 2020 Poverty and Inequality Award. She also received first place in the regional Green Eyeshade Awards in 2021 for Public Service in Online Journalism and 2020 for Business Reporting, and the local Bill Minor Prize for Investigative Journalism in 2019 and 2018 for reporting on unfair medical billing practices and hunger in the Mississippi Delta.

A cart of children's books in a library

Little known religious group behind First Lady’s ‘Fred the Turtle’ book

By: - March 5, 2023

JACKSON, Mississippi – Last year, Mississippi First Lady Elee Reeves announced the launch of her new initiative aimed at improving child development – an issue leaders have increasingly recognized as a critical economic driver in the most impoverished state in the nation. Joined by the press in the Governor’s Mansion, Reeves revealed her new strategy: […]

The Mississippi State Capitol pictured at night in Jackson.

State leaders still won’t fix scandalous welfare program that serves few poor families

By: - February 18, 2023

Now that Mississippi’s welfare department isn’t hemorrhaging federal grant funds as a result of widespread mismanagement and political corruption, it has over $100 million to spare. But the agency, Mississippi Department of Human Services, won’t say what it’s going to do with the money, whether it’s going to try to reach more needy families or […]

SuperTalk radio was a powerful mouthpiece for welfare fraudsters – while raking in welfare funds

By: - December 18, 2022

The state of Mississippi was entering a new day in the fight against poverty. At least that’s what conservative talk radio station SuperTalk would have you believe. It was the summer of 2018, and radio host Paul Gallo was visiting with John Davis, then-director of the Mississippi Department of Human Services, and nonprofit founder Nancy […]

Former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant and former WWE wrestler Ted “Teddy” DiBiase

Former pro wrestler: Gov. Phil Bryant cut nonprofit funding for supporting his opponent

By: - September 27, 2022

JACKSON, Mississippi – A former professional wrestler and defendant in the Mississippi welfare scandal is alleging that he personally witnessed Republican Gov. Phil Bryant instruct an appointee to cut welfare funding to a nonprofit because its director supported Democrat Jim Hood in the 2019 governor’s race. The allegation that Bryant leveraged his control of welfare spending […]

quarterback Brett Favre

Bryant moves to keep texts private, denies he helped channel welfare for Brett Favre’s project

By: - September 26, 2022

JACKSON, Mississippi – Former Gov. Phil Bryant has publicly produced dozens of text messages in an attempt to prove he was unaware that former NFL quarterback Brett Favre was using welfare money for his volleyball project. The court documents filed Friday come within a court battle between Bryant and the attorney for nonprofit founder Nancy […]

Former Miss. governor directed $1.1M welfare payment to Brett Favre, defendant says

By: - July 13, 2022

JACKSON, Mississippi – Former Gov. Phil Bryant instructed his wife’s friend — whose nonprofit was receiving millions in subgrants from the welfare department he oversaw — to pay NFL legend Brett Favre $1.1 million, according to a new court filing. Nancy New alleges Bryant directed this and other spending, resulting in a massive scandal and […]