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Coffee Shop Stop – Lost & Found Coffee Company

Lost+Found Coffee Company @ 248 South Green Street, Tupelo,MS. inside Relics in Downtown Tupelo. Open Monday through Saturday from 10:00am till 6:00pm.

With most any restaurant or coffee house, it’s a balance between atmosphere, menu, and know how. For a coffee shop, Lost & Found has it going on!

You could spend the better part of a day just strolling through both floors of the antique building looking at all the treasures. When your ready for a coffee break, the knowledgeable baristas can help you choose the perfect pick me up!

They have everything from a classic cup of joe to the creamiest creation you could imagine! From pour overs to cold brews. From lattes, mochas, to cappuccino’s, Lost & Found Coffee Company has got ya covered!

So the next time you want to hunt for lost treasures, or find the perfect cup of coffee, Lost & Found Coffee Company has got ya covered! See y’all there!

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Food Truck Locations for Tuesday 9-8-20

Local Mobile is at TRI Realtors just east of Crosstown.

Gypsy Roadside Mobile is in Baldwyn at South Market.

Taqueria Ferris is on West Main between Computer Universe and Sully’s Pawn.

Magnolia Creamery is in the Old Navy parking lot.

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Stay tuned as we update this map if things change through out the day and be sure to share it.

Food Truck Locations for 9-1-20

Taqueria Ferris is on West Main between Computer Universe and Sully’s Pawn

Local Mobile is at a new location today, beside Sippi Sippin coffee shop at 1243 West Main St (see map below)

Gypsy Roadside Mobile is in Baldwyn at South Market

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Today’s Food Truck Locations

How to Slow Down and Enjoy the Scenic Route

Do you thrive on the unexpected? Are you waiting for the next fire to crop up?

Have you ever noticed that you can plan something so intricately and you are still going to catch the glitches when life throws you a curve ball? It is one of the beauties of life that we can never prepare for. The unexpected. The only difference is our response to the unexpected. Do we have a knee jerk reaction that finds us swerving to gain back control of our life? Or do we instead just go with the flow and decide to embrace the scenic route life decided to take us on? Our response to life can cause us more stress or we can just enjoy it for what it is in that moment of time. I used to thrive on the unexpected. It was part of my career for many years. The never knowing what “fire” was going to sprout up that day and how I was going to need to put it out. Even this week as we launched our newest book in my publishing company. I thought I had it all planned out only to run into major “hiccups” within 72 hours of the launch. I could either stress out or take it in stride. 

Slow and Steady

As my dad retired I watched him take a different approach to life than I had ever seen him take before. I mean, all you have to do is climb up in the cab of his king ranch Ford pick-up and see he is a changed man. He drives slower than anyone should even be allowed to drive out on the roads these days. He knows how to drive, so don’t go yelling at him next time you are stuck behind him. Trust me, my mom does enough yelling for all of us at him about that! He just takes life these days. His sentiments are that he lived in the fast lane his whole life. Rushing to be on time to work, rushing to come home to his family, the constant busy we get entangled with as adults…now, he doesn’t have to be busy and he is going to enjoy that. Truth is, I can’t even be mad at him for that. Now that I am an adult out here rushing from one thing to the next, I totally could use some driving twenty miles per hour in my life some days. Took me getting to nearly forty to even be able to say that though.

The lesson in his wisdom can be heard by all. Some things we lose it over won’t even amount to anything five years from now, yet we gave them so much energy in the moment. All the things we think are so important that we must do and do now. Most will not really matter years from now, yet we poured our soul into them. What would change if we took the time to just enjoy life? To just flow with things as they happened? When hit with something we didn’t expect, we embraced it instead of fighting it? What would happen? I dare say we might have more peace? I probably would be a lot calmer. I probably wouldn’t lose my temper near as much. I probably wouldn’t have anxiety or stress on the daily. I would probably take time to enjoy life more. I certainly wouldn’t yell at the slow driver in front of me.

What about you? Next time you get behind someone driving slowly…take back the name calling and curse words. Maybe take back all of the assumptions that they don’t know how to drive. Maybe use it as a reminder to take a moment, roll down your window, soak in the sunshine. I can promise you that wherever the heck you are going, you will still get there. Maybe that person figured out life and you can use their wisdom too. If they are driving a blue king ranch Ford truck, I can assure you that he is just enjoying his day and he would want you to enjoy yours too. Matter of fact, I wish I had listened to his wisdom a lot more in my earlier days instead of waiting until now. 

See you on down the road…take it easy my friend.

Looking for the Text from Tupelo’s New Mask Order? Here you go.

Here is a plain, searchable text version (most other versions we found were Images or PDF files) of City Of Tupelo Executive Order 20-018. Effective Monday June 29th at 6:00 PM

The following Local Executive Order further amends and supplements all previous Local Executive Orders and its Emergency Proclamation and Resolution adopted by the City of Tupelo, Mississippi, pertaining to COVID-19. All provisions of previous local orders and proclamations shall remain in full force and effect. 

LOCAL EXECUTIVE ORDER 20-018 

The White House and CDC guidelines state the criteria for reopening up America should be based on data driven conditions within each region or state before proceeding to the next phased opening. Data should be based on symptoms, cases, and hospitals. Based on cases alone, there must be a downward trajectory of documented cases within a 14-day period or a downward trajectory of positive tests as a percent of total tests within a 14-day period. There has been no such downward trajectory in the documented cases in Lee County since May 18, 2020. 

Hospital numbers are not always readily available to policymakers; however, from information that has been maintained and communicated to the City of Tupelo, the Northeast Mississippi Medical Center is near or at their capacity for treating COVID-19 inpatients over the past two weeks without reopening additional areas for treating COVID-19 patients. The City of Tupelo is experiencing an increase in the number of cases of COVID-19. The case count 45 days prior to the date of this executive order was 77 cases. That number increased within 15 days to 107, and today, the number is 429 cases. The City of Tupelo is experiencing increases of 11.7 cases a day. This is not in conformity with the guidelines provided of a downward trajectory of positive tests. By any metric available, the City of Tupelo may not continue to the next phase of reopening. 

Governor Tate Reeves in his Executive Order No. 1492(1)(i)(1) authorizes the City of Tupelo to implement more restrictive measures than currently in place for other Mississippians to facilitate preventative measures against COVID-19 thereby creating the downward trajectory necessary for reopening. 

That the Tupelo Economic Recovery Task Force and North Mississippi Medical Center have formally requested that the City of Tupelo adopt a face covering policy. 

In an effort to support the Northeast Mississippi Health System in their response to COVID-19 and to strive to keep the City of Tupelo’s economy remaining open for business, effective at 6:00 a.m. on Monday, June 29, 2020, all persons who are present within the jurisdiction of the City of Tupelo shall wear a clean face covering any time they are, or will be, in contact with other people in indoor public or business spaces where it is not possible to maintain social distance. While wearing the face covering, it is essential to still maintain social distance being the best defense against the spread of COVID-19. The intent of this executive order is to encourage voluntary compliance with the requirements established herein by the businesses and persons within the jurisdiction of the City of Tupelo. 

It is recommended that all indoor public or business spaces require persons to wear a face covering for entry. Upon entry, social distancing and activities shall follow guidelines of the City of Tupelo and the Governor’s executive orders pertaining to particular businesses and business activity. 

Persons shall properly wear face coverings ensuring the face covering covers the mouth and nose, 

1. Signage should be posted by entrances to businesses stating the face covering requirement for entry.  (Available for download at www.tupeloms.gov).

2. A patron located inside an indoor public or business space without a face covering will be asked to  leave by the business owners if the patron is unwilling to come into compliance with wearing a face covering 

3. Face coverings are not required for: 

a. People whose religious beliefs prevent them from wearing a face covering.
b. Those who cannot wear a face covering due to a medical or behavioral condition.
c. Restaurant patrons while dining.
d. Private, individual offices or offices with fewer than ten (10) employees.
e. Other settings where it is not practical or feasible to wear a face covering, including when obtaining or rendering goods or services, such as receipt of dental services or swimming.
f. Banks, gyms, or spaces with physical barrier partitions which prohibit contact between the customer(s) and employee.
g. Small offices where the public does not interact with the employer. h. Children under twelve (12).
i. That upon the formulation of an articulable safety plan which meets the goals of this 

Executive Order businesses may seek an exemption by email at covid@tupeloms.gov 

FACE COVERINGS DO NOT HAVE TO BE MEDICAL MASKS OR N95 MASKS. A BANDANA, SCARF, TSHIRT, HOMEMADE MASKS, ETC. MAY BE USED. THEY MUST PROPERLY COVER BOTH A PERSONS MOUTH AND NOSE

Those businesses that are subject to regulatory oversight of a separate state or federal agency shall follow the guidelines of said agency or regulating body if there is a conflict with this Executive Order. 

Additional information can be found at www.tupeloms.gov COVID-19 information landing page. 

Pursuant to Miss. Code Anno. 833-15-17(d)(1972 as amended), this Local Executive Order shall remain in full effect under these terms until reviewed, approved or disapproved at the first regular meeting following such Local Executive Order or at a special meeting legally called for such a review. 

The City of Tupelo reserves its authority to respond to local conditions as necessary to protect the health, safety, and welfare of its citizens. 

So ordered, this the 26th day of June, 2020. 

Jason L. Shelton, Mayor 

ATTEST: 

Kim Hanna, CFO/City Clerk 

Restaurants in Tupelo – Covid 19 Updates

Thanks to the folks at Tupelo.net (#MYTUPELO) for the list. We will be adding to it and updating it as well.

Restaurants
Business NameBusiness#Operating Status
Acapulco Mexican Restaurant662.260.5278To-go orders
Amsterdam Deli662.260.4423Curbside
Bar-B-Q by Jim662.840.8800Curbside
Brew-Ha’s Restaurant662.841.9989Curbside
Big Bad Wolf Food Truck662.401.9338Curbside
Bishops BBQ McCullough662.690.4077Curbside and Delivery
Blue Canoe662.269.2642Curbside and Carry Out Only
Brick & Spoon662.346.4922To-go orders
Buffalo Wild Wings662.840.0468Curbside and Tupelo2Go Delivery
Bulldog Burger662.844.8800Curbside, Online Ordering, Tupelo2Go
Butterbean662.510.7550Curbside and Pick-up Window
Café 212662.844.6323Temporarily Closed
Caramel Corn Shop662.844.1660Pick-up
Chick-fil-A Thompson Square662.844.1270Drive-thru or Curbside Only
Clay’s House of Pig662.840.7980Pick-up Window and Tupelo2Go Delivery
Connie’s Fried Chicken662.842.7260Drive-thru Only
Crave662.260.5024Curbside and Delivery
Creative Cakes662.844.3080Curbside
D’Cracked Egg662.346.2611Curbside and Tupelo2Go
Dairy Kream662.842.7838Pick Up Window
Danver’s662.842.3774Drive-thru and Call-in Orders
Downunder662.871.6881Curbside
Endville Bakery662.680.3332Curbside
Fairpark Grill662.680.3201Curbside, Online Ordering, Tupelo2Go
Forklift662.510.7001Curbside and Pick-up Window
Fox’s Pizza Den662.891.3697Curbside and Tupelo2Go
Gypsy Food Truck662.820.9940Curbside
Harvey’s662.842.6763Curbside, Online Ordering, Tupelo2Go
Hey Mama What’s For Supper662.346.4858Temporarily Closed
Holland’s Country Buffet662.690.1188
HOLLYPOPS662.844.3280Curbside
Homer’s Steaks and More662.260.5072Temporarily Closed
Honeybaked Ham of Tupelo662.844.4888Pick-up
Jimmy’s Seaside Burgers & Wings662.690.6600Regular Hours, Drive-thru, and Carry-out
Jimmy John’s662.269.3234Delivery & Drive Thru
Johnnie’s Drive-in662.842.6748Temporarily Closed
Kermits Outlaw Kitchen662.620.6622Take-out
King Chicken Fillin’ Station662.260.4417Curbside
Little Popper662.610.6744Temporarily Closed
Lone Star Schooner Bar & Grill662.269.2815
Local Mobile Food TruckCurbside
Lost Pizza Company662.841.7887Curbside and Delivery Only
McAlister’s Deli662.680.3354Curbside

Mi Michocana662.260.5244
Mike’s BBQ House662.269.3303Pick-up window only
Mugshots662.269.2907Closed until further notice
Nautical Whimsey662.842.7171Curbside
Neon Pig662.269.2533Curbside and Tupelo2Go
Noodle House662.205.4822Curbside or delivery
Old Venice Pizza Co.662.840.6872Temporarily Closed
Old West Fish & Steakhouse662.844.1994To-go
Outback Steakhouse662.842.1734Curbside
Papa V’s662.205.4060Pick-up Only
Park Heights662.842.5665Temporarily Closed
Pizza vs Tacos662.432.4918Curbside and Delivery Only
Pyro’s Pizza662.269.2073Delivery via GrubHub, Tupelo2go, DoorDash
PoPsy662.321.9394Temporarily Closed
Rita’s Grill & Bar662.841.2202Takeout
Romie’s Grocery662.842.8986Curbside, Delivery, and Grab and Go
Sao Thai662.840.1771Temporarily Closed
Sim’s Soul Cookin662.690.9189Curbside and Delivery
Southern Craft Stove + Tap662.584.2950Temporarily Closed
Stables662.840.1100Temporarily Closed
Steele’s Dive662.205.4345Curbside
Strange Brew Coffeehouse662.350.0215Drive-thru, To-go orders
Sugar Daddy Bake Shop662.269.3357Pick-up, and Tupelo2Go Delivery

Sweet Pepper’s Deli

662.840.4475
Pick-up Window, Online Ordering, and Tupelo2Go Delivery
Sweet Tea & Biscuits Farmhouse662.322.4053Curbside, Supper Boxes for Order
Sweet Tea & Biscuits McCullough662.322.7322Curbside, Supper Boxes for Order
Sweet Treats Bakery662.620.7918Curbside, Pick-up and Delivery
Taqueria Food TruckCurbside
Taziki’s Mediterranean Café662.553.4200Curbside
Thirsty DevilTemporarily closed due to new ownership
Tupelo River Co. at Indigo Cowork662.346.8800Temporarily Closed
Vanelli’s Bistro662.844.4410Temporarily Closed
Weezie’s Deli & Gift Shop662.841.5155
Woody’s662.840.0460Modified Hours and Curbside
SaltilloPhone NumberWhat’s Available
Skybox Sports Grill & Pizzeria (662) 269-2460Take Out
Restaurant & CityPhone NumberType of Service
Pyros Pizza 662.842.7171curbside and has delivery
Kent’s Catfish in Saltillo662.869.0703 curbside
Sydnei’s Grill & Catering in Pontotoc MS662-488-9442curbside
 Old Town Steakhouse & Eatery662.260.5111curbside
BBQ ON WHEELS  Crossover RD Tupelo662-369-5237curbside
Crossroad Ribshack662.840.1700drive thru Delivery 
 O’Charley’s662-840-4730Curbside and delivery
Chicken salad chick662-265-8130open for drive
Finney’s Sandwiches842-1746curbside pickup
Rock n Roll Sushi662-346-4266carry out and curbside
Don Tequilas Mexican Grill in Corinth(662)872-3105 drive thru pick up
Homer’s Steaks 662.260.5072curbside or delivery with tupelo to go
Adams Family Restaurant Smithville,Ms662.651.4477
Don Julio’s on S. Gloster 662.269.2640curbside and delivery
Tupelo River 662.346.8800walk up window
 El Veracruz662.844.3690 curbside
Pizza Dr.662.844.2600
Connie’s662.842.7260drive Thu only
Driskills fish and steak Plantersville662.840.0040curb side pick up

Honeyboy & Boots – Artist Spotlight

Band Name : Honeyboy and Boots

Genre: Americana

Honeyboy and Boots are a husband and wife, guitar and cello, duo with a unique style that is all their own. Their sound embodies Americana, traditional folk, alt country, and blues with harmonies and a hint of classical notes.

Drew Blackwell, a true Southerner raised in the heart of the black prairie in Mississippi. First picked up the guitar at fourteen, he was greatly influenced by his Uncle Doug who taught him old country standards and folk classics. Later on in high school, he was mentored and inspired to write (and feel) the blues by Alabama blues artist Willie King. (Willie King is credited for bringing together the band The Old Memphis Kings.)

Drew has placed 3rd in the 2019 Mississippi Songwriter of the Year contest with his song “Waiting on A Friend” and made it to the semi finalist round on the 2019 International Songwriting Competition with his song “Accidental Hipster.”

Honeyboy (Drew) can also be found belting out those blues notes as the lead vocalist for the Old Memphis Kings and begins everyday with a hot cup of black coffee!

Courtney Blackwell (Kinzer) grew up in Washington State and comes from a talented musical family. She began playing cello at the age of three taking lessons from the cello bass professor Bill Wharton at the University of Idaho. Her mother was most influential in her progression of technique, tone quality, and ear training. Since traveling around much of the South, she has enjoyed focusing on the variety of ways the cello is used in ensembles. When she plays, you will feel those groovy bass lines making way to soaring leads create an emotional and magical connection between you and her music.

Courtney enjoys working in the studio, collaborating with artists and continuing to challenge the way cello is expressed.

They have opened for such acts as Verlon Thompson, The Josh Abbott Band, Cary Hudson (of Blue Mountain), and Rising Appalachia. 

Honeyboy And Boots have performed at a variety of venues and festivals throughout the southeast, including the 2015 Pilgrimage Fest in Franklin, TN; Musicians Corner in Nashville; the Mississippi Songwriters Festival (2015-2018); and the Black Warrior Songwriting Fest in Tuscaloosa, AL (2018-2019). They also came in 2nd place at the 2015 Gulf Coast Songwriters Shootout in Orange Beach, FL.

They have two albums, Mississippi Duo and Waiting On a Song, which are available on their website, iTunes, Amazon, and CD Baby.

The duo also just released their fourth recording: a seven-song EP called Picture On The Wall, which was recorded with Anthony Crawford (Williesugar Capps, Sugarcane Jane, Neil Young). It is now available on Spotify, Itunes, Google Music, and CD Baby.

Who or what would you say has been the greatest influence on your music?

My Uncle Doug, because he began to teach me guitar and introduced me to a lot of great older country music.

Favorite song you’ve composed or performed and why?

“We Played On” because it’s about our family reunions, where we would sit around and play guitar and share songs.

If you could meet any artist, living or dead, which would you choose and why?

Probably Willie Nelson. He’s my all time favorite.

Most embarrassing thing ever to happen at a gig?

A guy fell on top of me while I was performing. I was sitting down. He busted a big hole in my guitar.

What was the most significant thing to happen to you in the course of your music?

Getting to perform at Musicians Corner in downtown Nashville. Probably the biggest crowd we’ve ever been in front of.

If music were not part of your life, what else would you prefer to be doing?

I don’t know, maybe fishing or golf.

Is there another band or artist(s) you’d like to recommend to our readers who you feel deserves attention?

Our friends, Sugarcane Jane. They are a husband/wife duo from the Gulf Shores area. Great people and great artist.


Interested in seeing your own artist profile highlighted here on Our Tupelo?

Simply click HERE and fill out our form!

Growing Up Knowing and The Orchid Bed and Breakfast Pair Up for a Spring Raffle

Spring is here and so is our raffle!

Do you want to Win a Staycation in Jackson, Mississippi, “The City With Soul” while also supporting the good work of a local non-profit?

Keep the awesome prizes for yourself or give them to a loved one for a birthday, special celebration, or even a much-needed “Mommy Get Away.”

Enter the raffle offered by Growing Up Knowing, a 501C3 that empowers youth across Mississippi by providing relevant sex education and wellness through its signature programs, “My Body, My Boundaries” and “Tween Talk: A Comprehensive Sex Education” and start planning a fun weekend!

So, what do you win? The fabulous grand prize includes a one-night stay at Jackson’s newest, swanky hotel, The Orchid Bed and Breakfast, a $100 gift card to Bravo, and a $50 gift card to Highball Lanes for an evening of bowling and libations. By purchasing more tickets, you increase your chances of winning!

Buy 10 Entries for $25
or 25 Entries for $50
or 75 Entries for $75
or 100 Entries for $100

The raffle will last until March 30th! Do not miss your chance to win and by supporting GUK, you are supporting a healthier Mississippi all around. Visit our raffle website to purchase entries!

Growing Up Knowing (GUK) is a local education and health nonprofit that provides free age-appropriate programs to Mississippi youth and their parents/caregivers. Our mission is to promote healthy life decisions through family education and community partnerships. Growing Up Knowing engages young people and their families in real conversations about sexual health and preventing abuse. To learn more, visit us at www.growingupknowing.org.

The post Growing Up Knowing and The Orchid Bed and Breakfast Pair Up for a Spring Raffle appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Law enforcement misconduct bill moves forward in Legislature

The Mississippi House has passed legislation to give the state’s officer training board the power to investigate law enforcement misconduct.

“We’re glad that it’s moving forward,” said Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell.

House Bill 691 now moves to the Senate, where the fate of its own version, SB 2286, is uncertain. 

Tindell said he’s happy to see “continuing conversations on how to improve the board and its oversight.”

If the bill becomes law, he anticipates the Mississippi Board on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Training would hire two or three investigators who would investigate matters and make recommendations. 

“Ultimately,” he said, “it’s going to be up to the board.”

The bill comes in the wake of an investigation by the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting at Mississippi Today and The New York Times into sheriffs and deputies across the state over allegations of sexual abuse, torture and corruption.

For the first time, deputies, sheriffs and state law enforcement would join police officers in the requirement to have up to 24 hours of continuing education training. Those who fail to train could lose their certifications.

Other changes would take place as well. Each year, the licensing board would have to report on its activities to the Legislature and the governor. 

The board’s makeup would be changed to include the public safety commissioner and the director of the Mississippi Law Enforcement Officers’ Training Academy.

The bill calls for a nine-member board with the governor having four appoints – two police chiefs, a sheriff and a district attorney. Other members would be the presidents of the Constable Association, the Mississippi Campus Law Enforcement Association and the sheriff’s association (or designee).

The post Law enforcement misconduct bill moves forward in Legislature appeared first on Mississippi Today.

House leaders kill school voucher bill without vote

A school voucher bill died Thursday – a deadline day – when House leaders opted not to bring it up for consideration.

House Bill 1449, which was first introduced as a far reaching, universal voucher bill allowing public funds to be spent on private schools, had been amended to create a committee to study the issue. But on Thursday the bill died when it was not brought up for consideration, killing not only universal vouchers, but the prospect of studying the use of vouchers.

“Even though it was just a study committee, the code section was still alive,” meaning spending tax dollars on private schools could have been reincorporated in the bill later in the process, said Rep. Daryl Porter, D-Summit.

“We wanted it to die – at least I did,” he said.

There might be bills alive where some form of voucher legislation could be enacted, but the most far reaching – the Mississippi Student Freedom Act — will no longer be alive during the process.

The bill was unique in the legislative process because it would not have placed any limitations on who could receive vouchers – referred to as a scholarships in the legislation. House Education Chair Rob Roberson, R-Starkville, said when he filed the legislation he just wanted to start a conversation on the contentious issue and indicated then the bill would not survive.

Even after the bill was changed to a study committee, Mississippi Today reported that House leaders were saying it would be killed in the House and not advanced to the Senate.

Thursday was the deadline for original floor action on bills in the chamber where they originated.

The post House leaders kill school voucher bill without vote appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Inside Mississippi’s coverage gap, workers say health care is a ‘pipe dream’ or ‘whimsical idea’

When Brandon Allred woke up in the hospital after suffering heat stroke and a series of seizures at work, all he could think about was how much it was going to cost.

It was a legitimate concern: Seven years later, he’s still paying off the medical debt.

“It’s not just anxiety,” the 35-year-old father said, “but also the conscious, embarrassing fact that I’m living in one of the richest countries in the world and I am a natural born citizen and I have to sit here day by day and think ‘I dream of healthcare.’ I dream of a day where I can get all my teeth fixed and not have to worry about that. Or maybe I can figure out what was going on with me with those seizures.”

Allred, a prep cook and the primary provider for his six young daughters, works full-time but falls into Mississippi’s coverage gap, where he says health care is but a “pipe dream” and a “whimsical idea.” 

Brandon Allred, 35-year-old father of six, works full-time but falls into Mississippi’s coverage gap. He is still paying off medical debt from a hospital visit seven years ago. Photo: Courtesy of Brandon Allred

The coverage gap is made up of low-income workers who make more than 28% of the federal poverty level — the maximum income allowed to currently qualify for Medicaid in the state — but less than the 100% of the federal poverty level needed to get subsidies that would make private insurance plans affordable. And it’s surprisingly big, comprising roughly 74,000 Mississippians, according to a recent KFF study

If Medicaid were expanded in Mississippi – one of only 10 states that has not done so – Allred and tens of thousands of other working Mississippians like him would be covered. Income-eligible adults without children would also be covered. 

It’s estimated that 123,000 uninsured Mississippians would gain coverage under expansion – that includes the 74,000 people under the poverty level and an additional 49,000 uninsured adults whose income is between 100% and 138% of the FPL. That means that under expansion, a family of four could make up to $43,056 and qualify for Medicaid.

Critics of expansion argue that anyone, even if they’re not offered health insurance through their employer, can purchase it through the marketplace. Those plans exist, but are so expensive that for those in the coverage gap, they practically do not exist.

Other critics of expansion argue that because there is a chance that some privately-insured Mississippians would switch to Medicaid under expansion, that’s reason to keep the 123,000 uninsured Mississippians uninsured — and turn down at least $1 billion a year in federal money to cover most of the cost.

Private insurance plans, especially ones with low premiums, have high deductibles that can easily run $5,000 a year. A plan with a deductible on the higher end of that spectrum would equate to about $400 a month – on top of premiums and copays – that an individual would need to pay in order for insurance companies to start picking up the slack.

A majority of uninsured adults make slightly too much to qualify for Medicaid under the present eligibility criteria, and so have no path toward health care.

As it stands, Medicaid eligibility for adults in Mississippi is very limited. 

Firstly, Medicaid in Mississippi doesn’t currently cover childless adults – period. And even adults who have children would need to be making less than 28% of the FPL to be eligible for Medicaid. For a family of two, such as a single mother and her child, 28% of the federal poverty level would be about $5,700 a year, or $475 a month. 

That means that a working mother making incrementally more, such as 29% of the FPL, would not qualify for Medicaid but would have to use nearly her entire salary if she were to pay out of pocket for a private insurance plan through the marketplace. This is an obvious impossibility for someone paying for rent and food and other basic necessities.

Nobody knows that better than Lakeisha Preston, a single working mother who couldn’t afford the deductibles on her insurance plan, and therefore was stuck paying out of pocket for a bout of pneumonia that put her in the hospital in 2019.

Over four years later she’s still paying off that medical bill – which forced her to move back in with her parents and take out personal loans.

“I had health insurance, it’s just that the deductibles were so high,” Preston explained. “I don’t go to the doctor all the time, and of course you have to meet the deductible first before the insurance covers you. So I was in that predicament.”

Ironically, Preston works at a federal Medicaid call center. She helps thousands of people, with incomes similar to hers, enroll in Medicaid in states with Medicaid expansion. As a Mississippian, she cannot get that coverage. 

Preston said: “As a call center worker, I expect more from the state of Mississippi.”

Mississippi lawmakers have debated the need for expansion — mostly over partisan political reasons — for over a decade, despite the state’s abysmal public health metrics and pleas from doctors, hospital leaders and other health providers. 

On Thursday, the deadline day for bills to pass their original chambers, Care4Mississippi, a coalition of 36 organizations whose goal is health care for all Mississippians, held a press conference at the Capitol. Doctors and health officials shared experiences from the frontline and urged lawmakers to pass expansion bills.

“As a pediatrician, I have seen firsthand the impact of parents’ health on their children,” Dr. Anita Henderson said during the press conference. “Children need their parents, and their parents need to act healthy, mentally, physically, and able to engage with their children. I have seen patients whose parents worked, sometimes two jobs, and lacked health insurance … The men and women in Mississippi are living almost a decade less than the people of Hawaii.”

Dr. Anita Henderson speaks to the media about Medicaid expansion during a press conference at the Capitol in Jackson, Miss., Thursday, March 14, 2024. Credit: Eric J. Shelton/Mississippi Today

This is the first year since Medicaid expansion was offered to states under the Affordable Care Act in 2014 that Mississippi Republican legislative leadership is considering it seriously. A House Republican bill overwhelmingly passed the full House and now sits in the Senate – which just killed its own expansion bill, according to Medicaid Chair Kevin Blackwell, R-Southaven.

But Allred said that after a decade, lawmakers aren’t moving fast enough or treating the situation for the health care crisis that it is. 

“If there was a state that needed to have a red flag pinned on it to say ‘you have a medical emergency to take care of,’ it would be Mississippi,” he said. “And we need a rethinking of what health care is for our citizens in the state.”

Allred saw his father lose all his money as he battled cancer in the last six months of his life – despite the fact he’d worked hard at one company for 30 years. Growing up, his mother warned him not to let a medical debt go to collections, and said it always felt like “the medical industry was there to be feared.”

The father of six said he hopes that by the time his daughters are grown, they won’t have to choose between paying rent or paying a medical bill. Right now, his children are covered by Medicaid. But he worries if legislation isn’t passed, they’ll be in the same predicament he’s in once they turn 18. 

“I don’t want them to follow in the same footsteps as me when they shouldn’t have to,” Allred reflected. “When they’re being told their whole life they’re being raised in the greatest country in the world but they’re also being told the greatest country in the world can not take care of you.”

The post Inside Mississippi’s coverage gap, workers say health care is a ‘pipe dream’ or ‘whimsical idea’ appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Senate killing its Medicaid expansion bill without a vote, continues work on a plan

The Republican-controlled Senate will delay voting on a bill to expand Medicaid coverage to the working poor this week while it works to build support among members for its own version of an expansion plan. 

Senate Medicaid Committee Chairman Kevin Blackwell, R-Southaven, on Tuesday said that he will let a Senate bill to expand Medicaid die on Thursday’s deadline to pass all Senate bills in the full chamber. 

Instead, Blackwell said he plans to use the House’s Medicaid expansion bill that overwhelmingly passed that chamber last month and amend it by inserting a Senate plan. That Senate plan has yet to be made public, and Senate leaders including Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann have provided scant details. The Senate’s bill to-date was a “dummy bill” that contained only code sections required to expand Medicaid with no details or new policy.

READ MORE: Where’s the plan? Senate still has only ‘dummy bill’ for Medicaid expansion

“We’re going to do a strike-all amendment on the House plan,” Blackwell said. 

Blackwell did not disclose any details of an expansion plan, but he’s previously said his proposal would contain a work requirement for those who enroll in the expanded coverage — something experts have told lawmakers would not receive needed federal approval.

The deadline for Blackwell to advance the House bill out of his committee is April 2. 

The decision to delay a full vote on an expansion plan allows the 52-member Senate chamber to delay a potentially bitter debate over the proposal when numerous Capitol observers have speculated the GOP-controlled chamber may not have enough support to pass an expansion measure with a veto-proof majority. 

Republican Gov. Tate Reeves remains steadfastly opposed to expansion and has privately told senators he will veto any expansion legislation that reaches his desk. 

READ MORE: Gov. Tate Reeves privately tells senators he will veto any Medicaid expansion bill

Numerous studies show expanding Medicaid would provide health care coverage to at least 200,000 people in one of the poorest, unhealthiest states and that it would help the states foundering hospitals, create jobs and help the overall state economy. The federal government would pay most of the cost of expanded coverage, and under the House proposal, hospitals would cover the state’s share beyond.

Physicians from around the state convened at the Capitol on Thursday afternoon to urge lawmakers to pass a measure to expand Medicaid coverage.

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House votes to replace elected PERS board with political appointees

The Mississippi House has voted to remove the board that currently oversees the state government pension – composed primarily of governmental employees and retirees elected by their peers – and replace it with a board dominated by political appointees.

The legislation also would block the enactment of a 2% increase in the amount governmental bodies contribute toward the retirement system.

The governing board of the Public Employees Retirement System said the extra 2% levied on the paycheck of each employee — to be paid by the governmental entities – is needed to ensure the financial stability of the massive system. PERS provides retirement benefits for most state employees, local governmental employees, and public education employees and university and community college staff.

The legislation, House Bill 1590, is the latest salvo between legislators – particularly the House leadership – and PERS officials.

Various government leaders – including House Speaker Jason White — have complained of the planned increased cost to governments.

The board has announced plans to phase in a 5% increase in the employer contribution rate over a three-year period. There has also been talk of phasing in a 10% increase in the employer contribution rate.

The first 2% increase scheduled to be enacted July 1 would cost the state $60 million, not including the cost for local and county governments. Under current law, the board has the authority to act on its own to increase the employer contribution rate, though the Legislature could change the law as the House is attempting to do with the bill it passed Wednesday.

The bill approved by the House would block the scheduled 2% increase and leave it to the new board to decide the next step in ensuring the system’s financial sustainability, said Rep. Hank Zuber, R-Ocean Springs, chairman of the State Affairs Committee.

City and county officials have told legislators they cannot afford the increase.

PERS impacts well over 10% of the state’s population. It has a membership of more than 350,000 current and former government employees who are receiving or will receive benefits.

The contribution rate for governments on each employee paycheck is currently 17.4%.

Wednesday’s House bill that would halt the 2% increase passed 85-34 with most Democrats voting against it. Supporters pushed to fast-track the measure, getting “immediate release” of it to the Senate, which could vote to send it to the governor this week.

Ray Higgins, director of PERS, earlier told legislators that the retirement system currently has $30 billion in assets to pay retirees, but also has $20 billion in debt.

“When it comes down to the long-term sustainability of PERS, we should either fund it, change it, or eventually we may risk it,” Higgins said. “Revenue must increase, expenses and liabilities should decrease, or both.”

On Wednesday, Rep. Omeria Scott, D-Laurel, asked why the bill was trying to repeal a governing board consisting of people who were in the system.

Zuber said, “It is not any one reason. It is just so we can get a new set of eyes to review the whole picture.”

When asked about how the revenue that would be lost from not enacting the 2% increase would be replaced, Zuber said, “That is going to be left up to the new board, obviously.”

Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, who presides over the Senate, has said repeatedly that a priority for the current legislative session is preserving the financial integrity of the retirement system and ensuring the promises made to former and current state employees about benefits are fulfilled.

“I look forward to reading the House bill,” Hosemann said.

Before the session started, White told Higgins: “I think there has been a commitment at least around the coffee pot … that we (legislators) want to fix this long term … For myself, I would say we are not going to just increase it (the amount of government money put into the plan) 5%, 10% and hope it gets better.”

The PERS board has asked the Legislature for an infusion of cash for the system. There is a possibility that money could be pumped into the system later this session. While the board has not given the Legislature a specific amount, sources have said an additional $360 million is needed.

The new board would consist of 11 members: four appointed by the governor, three appointed by the lieutenant governor, as well as the state treasurer, the commissioner of revenue, a member elected by retirees and a member elected by current public employees.

The current PERS Board consists of a gubernatorial appointee, the treasurer, two retirees and two current state employees and a member each representing the county and municipalities, universities, public schools and community colleges.  All of the current members with the exception of the treasurer and gubernatorial appointee are elected.

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Bill to merge Mississippi University for Women narrowly dies

A shock bill to merge the Mississippi University for Women with another public institution was narrowly defeated in the Senate Wednesday by 27 lawmakers, including the Republican from Columbus.

The sponsor of Senate Bill 2715, Sen. Dennis DeBar, R-Leakesville, asked lawmakers to essentially defang his bill by stripping it of the merger idea and turning it into a request for the legislative watchdog to study the feasibility of MUW and the Mississippi School for Math and Science, a residential high school for academically inclined juniors and seniors.

“I’m just curious, not that it’s required, but has the administration of MUW and MSMS been informed of today’s proposal?” Sen. Angela Turner-Ford, D-West Point, asked.

“Of this proposal? Not this proposal, no,” DeBar replied.

When the bill went to a vote, lawmakers technically voted against the feasibility study, but any effort associated with the bill was killed. Since the vote was so close, the Senate could reconsider the bill before Thursday’s deadline.

DeBar said the amendment was a necessary change to his legislation because another bill that the Senate advanced yesterday, which would create a task force to study the “efficiency” of Mississippi’s eight public univerisites, was not guaranteed to pass.

In a statement, MUW’s president, Nora Miller, said she was looking forward to working to help MSMS secure funding to renovate its dormitories.

Senate Appropriations Committee member Dennis DeBar Jr., R-Leakesville, outlines proposed legislation to fully fund the Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP) and inject an additional $181.1 million into school budgets, during a meeting of the committee Monday, March 6, 2023, at the Mississippi Capitol in Jackson. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) Credit: AP

“We are relieved that we can return our focus to carrying out our mission, growing our enrollment and working with MSMS to get the funding to address their facility needs as part of our campus master plan,” Miller said.

DeBar’s original bill sought to relocate the MSMS to the campus of Mississippi State University. Since MSMS opened in 1988, it has been located on MUW’s campus.

But shortly before the committee deadline last week, DeBar dropped a surprise substitute to his bill, one that would have resulted in MUW becoming the first public university in Mississippi to merge with another institution. Mississippi State, and its powerful president, Mark Keenum, would take control.

MUW alumni wrote op-eds and campaigned against DeBar’s proposal. Miller, who used to be MUW’s chief financial officer and an auditor for the Institutions of Higher Learning, said the school is in solid financial health.

“We vehemently deny any rumor or speculation” the university is at risk of closure, Miller told Mississippi Today on Wednesday.

DeBar’s bill came on the heels of a failed effort by MUW to change its named to “Wynbridge State University of Mississippi.” Legislation to do that was proposed by Rep. Donnie Scoggin, R-Ellisville, the chair of the House Colleges and Universities Committee, but never made it to the floor.

That campaign, DeBar told Mississippi Today before Wednesday’s vote, seemed to decrease public confidence in MUW’s leadership, but it was not an impetus of his bill. He also said he had heard concerning stories about the state of the facilities at MSMS. The high school has requested $51 million to renovate the dorms.

On the floor, Sen. Chuck Younger, R-Columbus, commended DeBar for his dedication to improving education in Missisippi, calling DeBar’s efforts “beyond greatness.” DeBar is the chair of the Senate Education Committee.

“I appreciate your hard work, but bigger isn’t always better sometimes,” Younger said before voting against the bill. “I love Mississippi State, but I love the W, so it’s a hard situation for me to be in, but anyway my hat’s off to you.”

DeBar responded by acknowledging the tough situation Younger was in and added that he just wanted to help the bright students at MSMS. He noted he had no complaints with MUW’s administration but that it was still important to gather data on the situation.

“If the report comes back and says we need to upgrade the W, upgrade MSMS where they’re located, so be it, I’ll be the champion, obviously,” he said.

Yesterday, the Senate advanced a bill from Sen. Nicole Boyd, R-Oxford, to create a task force to study “efficiency” in the state’s public university system. Boyd has said the goal of the task force is to help the universities weather the impending decline in the number of high school graduates going to college in Mississippi, and she has held a hearing on the topic.

Several lawmakers voiced concern the bill was a trap-door attempt to close universities, particularly the three smallest institutions by enrollment: MUW, Alcorn State University and Mississippi Valley State University.

Boyd denied this.

“We as a legislative body can stick our heads in the ground and continue to let these universities fail, or we can actually step up and do something about it,” she said. “If you want things to remain the same, if you want to see some of these universities with continuing declining populations, then you vote no on this bill. But if you want to see this system grow, if you want to see our universities prosper, then you vote yes on this bill.”

UPDATE 3/13/24: This story has been updated to clarify the Senate vote.

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Conflicting views of Mississippi University for Women’s future underline merger bill

The senator behind a bill to merge Mississippi University for Women with another public institution said he fears the regional college would be at risk of shutting down if lawmakers don’t act this session — something the university has denied is the case.

Sen. Dennis DeBar, R-Leakesville, told Mississippi Today he feels confident he will bring Senate Bill 2715 to the floor before Thursday’s deadline, but he’s still tinkering with the legislation. 

“Instead of potentially losing a whole campus, a whole university, let’s find a way to make sure something can stay there,” he said.

The headwinds facing higher education in Mississippi — from a failed bill this session to close three of the eight universities to the impending decline in the number of high school graduates — necessitate action, DeBar said. So does a bill that passed the Senate Tuesday to study “efficiency” in the public university system, though its author says it is not an effort to close schools.

“My thought was, ‘okay, if we don’t do anything now, there’s a possibility that the W could be shut down completely,” DeBar said. “I’m not saying it will happen, but I’m sure it’ll be talked about with the feasibility study, the task force.” 

Nora Roberts Miller, president of Mississippi University for Women, speaks to the media about the school’s opposition to a legislative bill suggesting the university be merged with Mississippi State University, on the steps of the Mississippi State Capitol in Jackson, Miss., on Tuesday, March 12, 2024. Credit: Eric J. Shelton/Mississippi Today

Nora Miller, the MUW president, has said the university is in solid financial health because it has no debt. The university is working to increase enrollment — an effort, Miller has said, that could be helped by a more gender-neutral name.

“We vehemently deny any rumor or speculation” the university is at risk of closure, Miller said.

To counteract misconceptions, MUW is circulating a one-pager with facts about its success, such as the campus enrolling the highest percent of Mississippians of any public university.

“The W has met IHL’s financial sustainability measures, has no debt, and is recognized as a best value,” she added in a statement. “We produce more degrees per 100 undergraduate FTEs than any other institution in the IHL system. Sounds like a good investment to me.”

If SB 2715 passes, MUW would become the first public university in Mississippi to merge, according to its governing board, the Institutions of Higher Learning. The college would be taken over in 2025 by Mississippi State University, a behemoth institution less than 25 miles away that, unlike MUW, has not struggled with enrollment

A spokesperson for Gov. Tate Reeves’ office did not respond to questions. But the bill faces an uphill battle in the Mississippi House because the entire local delegation is against it, multiple lawmakers told Mississippi Today.

 “In my four years, I have not seen anything like that before where a bill has been dropped concerning an area and the local delegation is completely caught off guard,” said Rep. Dana McLean, R-Columbus.  

That was the case with another Senate bill that passed earlier this week and would remove the city of Jackson’s long-term control over its water and sewer systems. 

“The people that these bills impact the most were not a part of the remedy that is being presented,” said Sen. Angela Turner-Ford, D-West Point. “I think people should expect that — even if you’re told no. There should be some sort of dialogue.” 

DeBar said his bill was not intended to be a potshot at MUW. Originally, it was meant to address concerns about the Mississippi School for Math and Science, a residential high school for academically inclined students that has been housed on MUW’s campus since it opened in 1988 and enrolls around 240 juniors and seniors. 

MSMS is dealing with deteriorating infrastructure and has requested about $90 million to renovate the dorms and other facilities. A grant agreement between MUW and the Mississippi Department of Education stipulates that MSMS is to “provide the major repair and renovation funds” for its facilities, not MUW. But the university also plays a role in “routine” maintenance of MSMS.

Still, the large request, DeBar said, made it seem like no one had planned for MSMS’s future. 

“The feedback I got on the original bill was not, you know, ‘hey the students have better academic opportunities at the W,’” he said “It was, ‘hey we’re concerned that if you move MSMS the W will shut down,’ basically, and for me that wasn’t a good reason to keep these 11th and 12th graders where they’re at and hold them back potentially.” 

And, Miller appeared to lose confidence after the failed name change earlier this year, though that wasn’t the impetus of the bill, he said. So DeBar thought moving MSMS to Mississippi State — a idea from its former director — would put the high school in better hands, those of the university’s powerful president, Mark Keenum. 

“I just wonder if we’re gonna put $51 million into new dorms or rehabbing dorms, why not put it into a facility or a place where the kids can achieve success,” DeBar said. 

DeBar said he hadn’t spoken to Mississippi State or MUW before dropping the bill. The lieutenant governor gave Keenum a call before the committee. 

“I never talked to Dr. Keenum or Nora before the bill came up in committee,” DeBar said, though he’s spoken with Miller since then, as well as the mayor of Columbus. 

In response to questions about if Keenum opposed the bill, Sid Salter, Mississippi State’s vice president for strategic communications, said the president had “no additional comment” beyond a statement issued last week. 

“We appreciate the institutional confidence in MSU that this proposal implies, but I emphatically reiterate that MSU did not seek and has not requested this action from legislative Leaders,” Keenum said last week. “We have the utmost respect for MUW’s unique legacy, as well as the important role it continues to play in higher education in our state.” 

No lawmaker who spoke to Mississippi Today has seen reports to indicate the proposed merger would result in savings to the state of Mississippi. DeBar said a fiscal note has not been requested on the bill because he doesn’t think it will cost money.

“The campus would remain open,” Turner-Ford said. “The needs that it has would continue, staff would be required. There’s still building maintenance issues that would remain, so I don’t see how it would be cost-savings unless … some of the more top-tier administrators would no longer be in place.” 

At a photo op on the Capitol steps yesterday to commemorate the 140th anniversary of MUW’s charter, Miller said the bill would not save money because MUW and MSU already explored consolidating software systems in 2009 and decided not to because of the cost. 

“We really do change lives not only of our students but of their families going forward,” Miller said. “It’s a special place. Big box schools aren’t for everyone.”

UPDATE 3/13/24: This story has been updated to clarify an MUW statement regarding enrollment numbers.

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