Good Thursday morning everyone! Temperatures are in the low 70s, under mostly clear skies this morning. We will have a mix of sun and clouds today, with a high near 84. A slight chance of an isolated shower or two cant be ruled out. Breezy North Northeast wind 10 to 15 mph.
TONIGHT: A slight chance of showers. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 64.
FRIDAY: Partly sunny, with a high near 79. North northeast wind 10 to 15 mph.
FRIDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59. North northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
SATURDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy, with a low around 56. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
SATURDAY: Mostly sunny, with a high near 77. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
SUNDAY: Sunny, with a high near 79. East northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.SUNDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy, with a low around 57.
Eric J. Shelton, Mississippi Today/ Report for America
Downtown Clarksdale.
CLARKSDALE — A battle is brewing between a local nonprofit owner hoping to help the town’s homeless community and residents who don’t have an issue with that, as long as it happens in another neighborhood.
Clarksdale resident and business owner Brenda Fields purchased a building in the downtown area about three months ago to open a homeless shelter. Recently, the City of Clarksdale voted to give $10,000 to assist in the effort, making the dream she’s had for two years closer to a reality, she said. No money has been disbursed yet.
Aallyah Wright, Mississippi Today
Brenda Fields of The Change Place and supporters address the board of mayor and commissioners at a September 14 board meeting
After she bought the building, Fields received backlash from community members who created a petition that garnered 145 signatures in opposition of the shelter for fear of panhandling and safety, a community representative said at a mayor and commissioners board meeting on Monday.
Fields, owner of The Change Place, said she didn’t get a chance to speak directly with community members before the petition circulated. The Change Place is a nonprofit focused on rehabilitation and helping homeless people, she said.
“The petition came and we just stopped everything until we get everything resolved,” she said.
The petition won’t stop the city from gifting The Change Place with funds for the facility, but it could cause commissioners to sway their vote on the location of the shelter.
City of Clarksdale
Ward 2 Commissioner Ken Murphy
Commissioner Ken Murphy, who oversees the ward where the potential shelter would be, said he would be in support of what his constituents want.
“Personally I think another location is what I’m supporting with my constituents but (I) also understand the need for a homeless shelter in this city,” Murphy said. “These are things we don’t like to have to vote on … we don’t want to vote on this in a negative way.”
Once the building was purchased, Brandon Thomas, the community representative for Ward 2, told Mississippi Today the downtown residents immediately created a petition to move the shelter elsewhere.
Fields purchased the building before going to the city commissioners with her plans to open a shelter.
City of Clarksdale
Ward 1 Commissioner Bo Plunk
“The idea is great,” said Bo Plunk, Ward 1 commissioner. “Before you spent $1, you should’ve done your homework or went to the mayor or anyone in city council to say here’s my idea … you already put yourself behind the eight ball buying the building.”
In January 2019, the most recent data available, 1,184 people in Mississippi were experiencing homelessness on any given day and nearly 10,000 students were homeless at some point in the school year, according to data from the Continuums of Care to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
The average renter in Coahoma County is estimated to earn $10.25-an-hour, but a person living there would have to earn $12.63-an-hour to afford the average two-bedroom apartment without spending more than 30% of their income on housing, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s 2020 Out of Reach report. Coahoma County is covered by Mississippi United to End Homelessness, which received several million in CARES funding to operate a rental assistance program for people impacted by the virus.
Over a decade ago, Clarksdale tried to establish a homeless shelter in a different neighborhood, and residents fought against the decision then, too, said Ward 4 Commissioner Ed Seals. On Monday, the commissioners agreed there is a need for a homeless shelter in the area, but insisted Fields and the residents resolve the issue amongst themselves.
Clarksdale city attorney Melvin Miller said if the process moves forward with the same location, the nonprofit must publicly post a sign outside of the location notifying residents the planning commission will consider a conditional use or rezoning per city law. The planning commission will make a recommendation and then the board of mayor and commissioners will vote for or against the proposed recommendation. There must be a hearing on the matter.
UPDATE: North Panloa’s team has also been put under quarantine. A second replacement opponent has been found and now the Wave will face West Lauderdale.
Grenada Highschool’s football team has been placed under quarantine due to exposure to Covid-19, thus changing venues and opponent for Tupelo’s Golden Wave football’s Friday September 18th’s game.
A replacement has been found, and the Wave will be facing North Panola High School’s Cougars. The game will be hosted at Tupelo.
Good Tuesday morning everyone! It is a pleasant start to the day with temperatures in the low 70s, under clear skies. We will see increasing clouds and a chance of showers and thunderstorms this afternoon. A high near 88. East wind 5 to 10 mph with higher gusts. Tonight, we will be mostly cloudy with a chance of showers and a low around 70.
Fifteen years ago, Katrina roared ashore and forever altered the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Record storm surge obliterated homes, businesses, casinos, hotels and lives. Since then, the Coast has come back stronger. Now it is being tested by Hurricane Sally — which is no Katrina but is a unique threat of its own. Will the new construction hold? I sure hope so.
Eric J. Shelton/Mississippi Today, Report For America
Gov. Tate Reeves speaks to media about his shelter-in-place order for Lauderdale County during a press conference at the State of Mississippi Woolfolk Building in Jackson, Miss., Tuesday, March 31, 2020.
After more than three months, Gov. Tate Reeves’ office is seeking applications for a portion of a $34.6 million pot of federal COVID-19 relief funds for education — well after most other states have awarded their funds.
The federal government awarded Mississippi its emergency money June 1, but Reeves’ office only issued its funding priorities and request for proposals for $23 million of those funds last week.
Most states — and all of those in the deep South excluding Mississippi and Tennessee — have already submitted their initial 45-day reports detailing how the funds are being spent. Florida, for example, used part of the funds to award “summer recovery grants” to school districts in July.
But despite being approved for funding by the federal government on June 1, a request for proposals went out Sept. 10. The deadline for schools and other eligible groups to apply for the funds is Sept. 24.
Renae Eze, communications director for Reeves, said the next portion of the request for proposals will be released as soon as the current funds are awarded. The deadline for funds to be awarded from the governor’s office is by June 1, 2021.
Requests for comment from Reeves’ office about specifics of the $23 million were not returned by press time.
The money, called the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund, is part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed in March. The CARES Act contains one category of funding called the Education Stabilization Fund, which then breaks down into further categories that include the GEER Fund. Other pots of this education money are managed by the Mississippi Department of Education and colleges and universities directly, while the governor’s funds are to be disbursed at Reeves’ discretion.
The U.S. Department of Education announced the nearly $3 billion in GEER funds in April to “quickly be made available to governors to ensure education continues for students of all ages impacted by the coronavirus national emergency,” a press release from the U.S. Department of Education stated.
The purpose is to provide relief to schools the state education agency identifies as having been most significantly impacted by COVID-19. It may also go to colleges and universities in need.
The funds are also designed to support any other school or “education-related entity,” defined as a governmental, non-profit or for-profit entity within the state that provides services that support preschool and K-12 education, that the governor deems as needing support.
Reeves outlined two priorities for the first category of funding. The first focuses on educational services for children under 5 years old, and the second on school-aged children.
Day cares and other child care organizations can apply for funds to help provide full or part-time care and education for children in that age group who are in foster care, or whose parents have lost access to their regular child care arrangements, cannot afford child care or are experiencing negative job impacts from a lack of access to childcare.
Parents and existing care providers may also apply if they will use the money toward improving young children’s quality of care and education. This may mean providing programs, training or technical assistance; providing health and safety equipment or supplies paired with training; building the long-term capacity of care providers to offer quality services; or supporting the coordination of care, education, and health-related services for children under 5-years-old.
Parents and other caregivers may also apply to improve the quality of care and education for young children by providing access to programs, training or technical assistance; providing health and safety equipment for supplies and training; building the long-term capacity of care providers to offer quality services; and supporting the coordination of care, education and health-related services for young children.
The second priority is for education services for school-age children, including those with diagnosed developmental delays or other disabilities. These services must include providing school-day or work-day care to children who are in foster care or whose parents are essential workers, have lost access to child care or are at risk of losing their job or other negative impacts related to a lack of child care.
State Superintendent of Education Carey Wright and Mississippi State Board of Education Chairman Jason Dean have been “in regular communication” with Reeves’ office about the state education department’s priorities to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on public education, according to a statement from the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE).
“The MDE is in agreement with plans for the Governor’s Emergency Education Response (GEER) Fund, which prioritizes childcare from birth to age 5, services for school-age children with disabilities and innovation strategies for distance learning,” said Jean Cook, a spokeswoman for the MDE.
Once schools, day cares and other educational organizations receive their share, they have until September of 2022 to obligate the money. However, guidance from the U.S. Department of Education urges recipients of the grant “to deploy GEER funds quickly.”
As we continue to provide the latest on Hurricane Sally in Mississippi, stay up-to-date with photos of the Mississippi Gulf Coast and its residents preparing for the storm to make landfall.
