Good Tuesday morning everyone!! Temperatures are in the mid to upper 70s across north Mississippi. We have a 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms this morning. Cloudy skies will then gradually become mostly sunny, with a high near 90. South southwest wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
TONIGHT: A chance of showers/thunderstorms, with a low around 73.
Eric J. Shelton/Mississippi Today
House speaker Philip Gunn, from left, and Gov. Tate Reeves listen as Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann speaks at the start of Gov. Tate Reeves’ COVID-19 press conference at the State of Mississippi Woolfolk Building in Jackson, Miss., Thursday, May 7, 2020.
Gov. Tate Reeves and his staff had to feel good last week when the Senate leadership was unable to get the two-thirds super majority needed to pass a House resolution that would allow the Mississippi Legislature to remain in session for the rest of the year.
The resolution could be viewed as a direct affront to Reeves since it would strip away one of the governor’s most coveted powers – the sole authority to call legislators back in a special session once they adjourn the regular session for the year.
But if the Legislature never adjourns the regular session, then the chambers’ two presiding officers – Speaker Philip Gunn in the House and Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann in the Senate – could call lawmakers back into session. Gunn and Hosemann already have blocked Reeves’ effort to have sole spending authority of $1.25 billion in federal funds designed to help the state pay for the costs of fighting COVID-19.
Bobby Harrison
It should be no surprise that Reeves, not wanting another legislative defeat, was in the Senate expressing his opposition to the resolution a day after it passed the House with no dissenting votes.
That visit, no doubt, played a part in Hosemann not having the votes to pass the resolution and could be seen as a big win for Reeves – at least for now.
But the fact that Hosemann cannot pass the resolution now does not mean he won’t be able to pass it before the session ends. The Legislature is scheduled to be in session until July 12.
Reeves, who served eight years as lieutenant governor, presiding over the Senate, knows that the legislative leadership has at least one tremendous advantage when it comes to passing or killing legislation. The leadership – Hosemann – has the ability to call up the legislation when he wants – when he thinks or knows he has the votes to pass it.
In addition, the House leaders are placing a tremendous amount of pressure on the Senate to pass the resolution.
Both House and Senate leaders say the ability to stay in session is needed to deal with coronavirus-related issues. Hosemann said he wants the Legislature to be able to return to spend funds, if for instance, the federal government provides money to help state and local governments offset revenue shortfalls caused by the COVID 19-induced economic shortfall.
“That (COVID-19 and budget issues) are the only reasons I would want to come back,” Hosemann said.
Some senators, though, said they want to finish their job and return to the private sector. They already are in the Capitol dealing with budget issues longer than planned. The session was scheduled to end in early May but legislators took a recess because of the coronavirus, putting them in session in the heat of the Mississippi summer.
““I think it is premature to extend the session for the remainder of the year,” Sen. Chris Johnson, R-Hattiesburg, said recently. “If we do our job now, it seems likely that we will not need to come back. The governor can always call a special session if the need arises.”
But perhaps there could be a disagreement between the legislative leadership and governor about when and if the Legislature should be in session. There already have been more disagreements between legislative leaders and the governor in the first year of the four year term than many anticipated considering all involved belong to the same Republican Party.
Even though the Constitution gives the Legislature the authority to remain in session with a two-thirds vote of both chambers, the power apparently has never been used to keep the Legislature in session for a year.
But legislative leaders on both the House and Senate side say while they would technically be in session they would not be in Jackson except under the rarest of circumstances to deal with COVID-19 issues.
Hosemann said the authority is needed because “we are in the most unprecedented time in this state since the Civil War.”
For whatever it is worth, it would cost the state less money, assuming legislators only come back to deal with those coronvavirus-related issues, to stay in regular session than to come back in special session. The Legislature receives a $10,000 base salary for the regular session. If the resolution passed, and legislators returned to Jackson in say September or October to deal with the budget, they would not receive any additional funds. If they are in a special session called by the governor, they receive an additional $75 per day. So it would cost the state an extra $13,050 per day for a special session.
Whether in special session or regular session, they receive expense payments for food and lodging, based on the federal rate, which is currently $151 per day.
The post Reeves holds off legislators’ push for year-round session – for now appeared first on Mississippi Today.
A high chance of showers and thunderstorms today as “Cristobal” moves into the area. Isolated severe storms will be possible. The primary threats with any severe storms will be damaging winds gusts and the possibility of tornadoes. We will see a high near 83 with southeast wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph! Chance of precipitation is 90%.
CREATE Foundation announces the election of four new Board of Directors, as well as the appointment of a new Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer.
Joining the Board of Directors are Robyn Tannehill, Mayor of Oxford; Jason Brooks, CPA with Watkins, Ward & Stafford in Houston; Phil Faulkner, former owner of NauticStar Boats in Amory; and Kirk Lewis, President of Blue Springs Metals in Tupelo.
“CREATE is extremely proud of those who have accepted leadership positions as an officer and as members of our board. Our board gives our donors and partners across the region the confidence and trust necessary for CREATE to be successful in fulfilling its mission. Their leadership will build upon the leadership of those who came before them to enable CREATE to continue to be the oldest and largest community foundation in Mississippi.” Mike Clayborne, President of CREATE.
CREATE also welcomes the election of new officers. Bryan Wilson, retired manager and partner of Tacoma AG, LLC, has been appointed to Chairman, and Lisa Hawkins, owner of Room to Room Furniture in Tupelo, has been named Vice-Chairman.
Mary Childs, president of The People’s Bank in Ripley, has been appointed to Treasurer, and David Rumbarger, President and CEO with Community Foundation Development has been appointed to Secretary.
We bid farewell to our retiring members Robin McCormick, Partner with Watkins, Ward & Stafford, PPLC in West Point, and Sandy Williams, president of Coca Cola Bottling Works Corporation in Corinth. Williams has been named emeritus director.
The slate of Board of Directors for 2020-2022 are presented below.
Bryan Wilson, Chairman
Lisa Hawkins, Vice Chairman
Mary Childs, Treasurer
David Rumbarger, Secretary
Guy Mitchell, III, Counsel
Tupelo – The 2020 Summer Coronalympics is right around the corner, and it includes 2 Tupelonians participating in various competitive sports.
Angie Thompson is a laundry warrior and has overcome loads of roadblocks to get to where she is today. She will be participating in the folding competition, along with 30 other athletes.
“I’ve dedicated several decades of my life to this sport and since I’ve recently become unemployed, laundry has been my life, my art, and my soul,” she said. “It’s just such an honor to represent my country and Tupelo.”
The Reaching Race is one of the more competitive sports. Ryan Andrews of Tupelo is the athlete to watch in this category.
“One day my phone dropped on the floor and I didn’t want to get up, so I contorted my body to try to reach it. When I finally did, when I overcame that physical barrier, that’s when I knew. This is my life’s calling. I’m just thankful there’s an outlet and appreciation for my expertise,” he said.
A new addition this year is the sport of Beat Beep, a game that requires skills in timing and focus. Athletes will warm up a hot pocket and must open the microwave door after the timer strikes 1, but before it beeps. The winner will win the hot pocket.
Other sports include indoor parkour, toilet paper collecting, and zoom staring competition, and hand sanitizer balloon fights.
The virtual opening ceremony will take place over zoom, where everyone will light their own candles at the same time, which must remain lit throughout the entirety of the Coronalympics. The athletes will all wear masks with their country’s flag on it.
Eric J. Shelton/Mississippi Today
Protesters listen to speakers while in front of the Governor’s Mansion during the Black Lives Matter protest in downtown Jackson, Miss., Saturday, June 6, 2020.
Thousands of Mississippians gathered Saturday afternoon in downtown Jackson for a peaceful protest against police brutality, inequities in the criminal justice system and state-sponsored Confederate symbolism.
A multi-racial crowd of at least 3,000 people — which some believe is Jackson’s largest demonstration since the civil rights movement — packed the streets for the protest in the hot June sun. Chants of “I can’t breathe!” and “Black lives matter!” and “No justice, no peace!” echoed down Capitol Street outside the Governor’s Mansion as organizers rallied the crowd.
A group of 15 activists — college students and young professionals — organized the Black Lives Matter Mississippi protest in the wake of the killings of George Floyd in Minnesota, Breonna Taylor in Kentucky and Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia. In planning the event, organizers took inspiration from key figures of the civil rights movement.
“Bob Moses reminded us that when you want to look at America, you gotta look where? At Mississippi,” said Maisie Brown, an 18-year-old activist who was a co-organizer of the protest. “If Mississippi is ready for change, then everybody is ready for change.”
Brown continued: “America thought that our humanity was a question. And for the past 12 days of unrest across the United States, we’ve answered that question. Our humanity is not up for discussion, it’s not up for debate, and we will no longer beg anybody to make sure we can live a fruitful and equal life.”
The event began at the Governor’s Mansion at 3 p.m. with speeches from organizers and guest speakers. The crowd later marched through the downtown streets toward the Mississippi State Capitol and then returned to the mansion. Toward the end of the protest around 4:45 p.m., organizers outlined their call to action, asking people to donate to the Black Lives Matter bail fund, hold their community leaders accountable, vote, and educate themselves.
Separately, the group had a list of demands that include removing Confederate symbols and memorabilia, reopening the Ricky Ball case, decreasing the state’s prison population, and centering public health in decisions involving schools returning in the fall because of the coronavirus. The full list can be viewed here.
After protesters wound their way through downtown Jackson and returned to the Governor’s Mansion, the protesters remained silent for eight minutes and 46 seconds, the amount of time Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin held his knee on George Floyd’s neck last month.
Eric J. Shelton/Mississippi Today
Protesters hold signs as they march during the Black Lives Matter protest in downtown Jackson, Miss., Saturday, June 6, 2020.
Thousands of handmade signs were on display Saturday, which bore phrases like “your silence is violence,” “defund police,” “my melanin is not a threat,” and “I can’t breathe.” With temperatures on Saturday surpassing 90 degrees, organizers passed out free water and snacks to attendees.
There was virtually no visible police presence during the entirety of the protest. Uniformed Mississippi Highway Patrol officers watched from inside the gated confines of the Governor’s Mansion — some handed out water outside the entrance — and Capitol Police watched carefully from the doors of the Capitol as protesters marched by.
Jennifer Riley Collins, the Hinds County administrator who unsuccessfully ran for attorney general in 2019, spoke to the crowd and took direct aim at Mississippi public officials who have drawn ire for their actions in recent weeks: Attorney General Lynn Fitch for her decision to dismiss the Ricky Ball case, Petal Mayor Hal Marx for his social media comments about George Floyd’s death, and Madison County Prosecutor Pamela Hancock for her comments suggesting she hopes a “deadly strain” of the coronavirus spreads among rioters that she later suggested was “kind of a joke.”
“We hear your words when you try to say, ‘It’s just a joke,’” Riley Collins said. “My life, our life, black lives are not a joke.”
One key focus of protesters was Mississippi’s state flag, which is the last in the nation containing the Confederate battle emblem. Several times during the rally and the march on Saturday, under the shadow of the state flag at both the Governor’s Mansion and the Capitol, protesters chanted: “Change the flag!”
Near the end of the event, organizers thanked the protesters and encouraged them to stay civically engaged. They specifically mentioned the Nov. 3, 2020, general election, and several people were distributing voter registration forms.
After the last speaker finished, protesters danced in the streets as others left downtown.
The post ‘If Mississippi is ready for change, then everybody is’: Historic crowd of thousands packs streets of Jackson to protest racial inequities appeared first on Mississippi Today.
Eric J. Shelton/Mississippi Today
Hundreds of people turned out for a protest in Jackson Saturday that by some estimates will likely be one of the largest in state history.
Hundreds of people showed up for a Black Lives Matter protest in downtown Jackson on Saturday, and Mississippi Today will provide regular updates throughout the day.
The Black Lives Matter Mississippi protest began at the Governor’s Mansion on Saturday at 3 p.m. The crowd, which would grow into one of the largest protests in the state’s history, began at the mansion before moving a few blocks north to the Mississippi State Capitol. The protesters were scheduled to return back to the mansion.
The protest — like others across the country — comes in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota. Millions of Americans are protesting police brutality and inequities in the criminal justice system.
The organizers of the Jackson event released a list of demands this week that include removing Confederate symbols and memorabilia, reopening the Ricky Ball case, decreasing the state’s prison population, and centering public health in decisions involving schools returning in the fall because of the coronavirus. The full list can be viewed here.
Mississippi Today will update this post throughout the day. Follow Editor-in-Chief Adam Ganucheau, Deputy Managing Editor Kayleigh Skinner, and photojournalist Eric Shelton, who will be on the ground during the protest.
The Mississippi state trooper K-9 unit searches downtown Jackson in preparation of the Black Lives Matter protest Saturday, June 6, 2020. @MSTODAYnews pic.twitter.com/Ii50b1Wizh
— Eric J. Shelton (@EricJShelton) June 6, 2020
The Black Lives Matter protest in downtown Jackson starts at 3 pm in front of the governor’s mansion. Organizers have said they expect at least 300-500 people, there’s a decent crowd here already. pic.twitter.com/sLdVUTjuAP
— Kayleigh Skinner (@KayAnneSkinner) June 6, 2020
Protesters prepare for the #BlackLivesMattters protest in downtown Jackson, Miss. @MSTODAYnews pic.twitter.com/dgXJX3MeXZ
— Eric J. Shelton (@EricJShelton) June 6, 2020
Early scenes of the #BlackLivesMatter protest in downtown Jackson. Saturday, June 6, 2020. @MSTODAYnews pic.twitter.com/lBl8pz19S2
— Eric J. Shelton (@EricJShelton) June 6, 2020
Starting to get crowded pic.twitter.com/rAcWMncF1w
— Kayleigh Skinner (@KayAnneSkinner) June 6, 2020
About to start, the streets are packed. Not a great estimator but I would say there are definitely 300-500 people here. pic.twitter.com/u0osSBX7fq
— Kayleigh Skinner (@KayAnneSkinner) June 6, 2020
Starting by chanting “no justice, no peace.”@jarriusadams shares protocols with the crowd, and now everyone is singing “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” pic.twitter.com/zKs5USAJBO
— Kayleigh Skinner (@KayAnneSkinner) June 6, 2020
Here’s a crowd shot from both sides of the block. I’m not going to try to guess a number, but wayyy more than the 500 that organizers predicted. pic.twitter.com/PwKIGCMCal
— Adam Ganucheau (@GanucheauAdam) June 6, 2020
“When Mississippi moves, America moves,” a speaker just said from the stage. The crowd went wild.
“Black lives matter!” chant then broke out. pic.twitter.com/ovbU0HSxN4
— Adam Ganucheau (@GanucheauAdam) June 6, 2020
Maisie Brown speaks during the #BlackLivesMatter protest in Jackson @MSTODAYnews pic.twitter.com/XD2ntFELqo
— Eric J. Shelton (@EricJShelton) June 6, 2020
Protesters have begun marching toward the Mississippi State Capitol. There are at least 2,000 people here. I’ve never seen a protest this large in Mississippi. pic.twitter.com/PNEMrFqdWT
— Adam Ganucheau (@GanucheauAdam) June 6, 2020
Marched by the Capitol and now headed back toward Governor’s Mansion. pic.twitter.com/3k0CTznL7u
— Adam Ganucheau (@GanucheauAdam) June 6, 2020
The crowd is in a moment of silence for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, the amount of time George Floyd was on the ground with a police officer’s knee on his neck. pic.twitter.com/w1LHp4aR0W
— Kayleigh Skinner (@KayAnneSkinner) June 6, 2020
Now the organizers are outlining their list of demands and calls to action: pic.twitter.com/DMPcRP6Tkp
— Kayleigh Skinner (@KayAnneSkinner) June 6, 2020
Protesters dance to the music after the peaceful #BlackLivesMattters protest in Jackson pic.twitter.com/yQCx39pklQ
— Eric J. Shelton (@EricJShelton) June 6, 2020
The post Live updates: Black Lives Matter protest in Jackson appeared first on Mississippi Today.
I pray for a safe protest today and that the protestors be heard. And I support their First Amendment right to address their grievance against the government. May we live up our words — equal justice under law.
The post Marshall Ramsey: Passing the Baton appeared first on Mississippi Today.
After a trip to the banks of the Mississippi River in Bolivar County last week, I reflected on how much the river and its tributaries have meant to me as a working photographer. My gratitude for having the river in my backyard has grown in the recent months, when wild and safe spaces have become even more significant. Numerous assignments have taken me to the river — documenting canoe expeditions, camping trips, commercial fisherman, aerial perspectives and beyond. With each opportunity, my appreciation and respect for the Mississippi deepens. On a number of occasions, I’ve been fortunate to share these experiences with writer Boyce Upholt and John Ruskey, founder of the Quapaw Canoe Company. I reached out to Ruskey and asked him to write about his relationship with the river during these unprecedented times. Read his words below the photo gallery.
“Pandemic Paradise” by John Ruskey
The post Photo Gallery: ‘May the river be with you’ by Rory Doyle appeared first on Mississippi Today.
*Warning: Explicit language and content*
In episode 26, We talk about cases of mass hysteria throughout history in our first episode of “itty bitty mysteries”. Get ready for some crazy stories.
All Cats is part of the Truthseekers Podcast Network.
Host: April Simmons
Co-Host: Sahara Holcomb
Theme + Editing by April Simmons
http://anchor.fm/april-simmons to donate to our pickles & coffee fund
Contact us at allcatspod@gmail.com
Call us at 662-200-1909
https://linktr.ee/allcats for all our social media links
Shoutout podcasts this week: The Crimes We’re Into
Credits:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanganyika_laughter_epidemic
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mass_hysteria_cases
—
This episode is sponsored by
· Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app