Good morning, Tupelo and beyond! It’s Wednesday, April 8th, 2020 and it’s the 99th day of the year.
On this day in history in the year 217, Roman Emperor Caracalla was assassinated and succeeded by his Praetorian Guard prefect, Marcus Opellius Macrinus. In 1195, Alexius III Angelus drove out brother Isaak II as the Byzantine emperor. Alfonso de Borgia was elected as Pope Callistus in 1455. In 1500, King Louis XII defeated Duke Ludovico Sforza in the Battle of Novara. The Congregation Shearith Israel opened the first North American synagogue in New York City on Mill Street in Lower Manhattan in 1730. The first fire escape, a wicker basket on a pulley & chain, was patented in 1766. One year later in 1767, the Ayutthaya kingdom fell to Burmese invaderṡ̇. 1781 saw the premiere of Mozart’s violin sonata K379. In 1801, soldiers rioted in Bucharest, killing 128 Jews. In 1904, Great Britain and France established their Entente Cordiale, a technical treaty settling long-standing disagreements over Morocco, Egypt, Africa, and the Pacific. Also in 1904, British mystic Aleister Crowley transcribed the first chapter of the Book of the Law. The 17th Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified by Congress, providing for the election of senators by popular vote in 1913. Hammerin Hank Aaron hit his 715th HR, breaking Babe Ruth’s record in Atlanta. “Twin Peaks” created by David Lynch and starring Kyle MacLachlan premiered on ABC in 1990. The Humanitarian Ceasefire Agreement is signed by the Sudanese government and two rebel groups during the Darfur conflict in 2004.
Here’s your quote of the day.
Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.
Albert Einstein
Instead of sharing events, we’re now sharing resources to help you get through #socialdistancing. These resources will range from where to find free meals for your children through the week to virtual museum tours, learning resources, and other activities to do at home with the family. If you have any resources not listed that you would like to share with #OurTupelo drop your links in the comment section of this post.
Find the latest local Covid-19 updates directly from the Mississippi State Department of Health right here on their website.
Click the following links to read Mayor Shelton’s Executive Orders on the Emergency Proclamation declared by the Mayor and the City of Tupelo on Saturday, March 21, 2020.
Shelter in Place Moratorium on Utility Disconnections/Evictions
Details on Essential/Nonessential Businesses
Signing of Executive Order
Covid-19 Testing Locations
Need to be tested for coronavirus? These clinics offer testing. All clinics are using curbside services or bringing symptomatic patients into an isolated area of the clinic to protect them and other patients. *If you are a clinic owner offering testing and do not see your clinic listed below, send us a private Facebook message to give us your info.
- East Main Family Medical Clinic–curbside testing and isolation rooms for patients who need to come inside for treatment.
- Friendship Medical Clinics–Tupelo, Ecru, and New Albany locations have curbside testing available. Stay in car at all times, call your clinic when you’re in line for registration.
- Medplus Tupelo and Fulton locations offer curbside coronavirus testing. Check-in online at medpluscares.com and check cough and fever as your symptoms to get registered for testing. Wait for the clinic to call you to provide testing time.
Senior Hours at Local Grocery Stores
- Todd’s Big Star’s Seniors Only Shopping Hours are on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 am – 12 pm. Regular shopping hours will resume from 12 pm – 8 pm. Todd’s will follow these new hours every Tuesday and Thursday while following normal business hours of 7 am – 8 pm on Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat, and Sun. Deli is open for takeout.
- Food Giant of North Mississippi’s Senior Hour will be daily during the first hour they are open at 7 am.
- Dollar General also offers its first hour of business to seniors and those at a higher risk of serious complications from coronavirus. Most locations open at 8 am, some open at 7 am. Check with your location to confirm their hours.
- Cockrell Banana offers curbside pickup for all of their produce items. Check out their Facebook page for a complete list.
If you are in need of food in the Tupelo area, contact the Hunger Coalition or Eight Days of Hope.
Need to sign up for unemployment benefits? Click here. Are you a small business owner looking for information on the loans and resources available to you? Find the info here.
Interested in volunteering your time or resources to help provide food and meet other needs of fellow citizens in Tupelo and our surrounding communities? Click here to get the info you need.
Beginning Monday, March 23rd, most if not all area school districts are offering free meal programs including but not limited to Tupelo Public School District, Lee County School District, Alcorn County School District, New Albany School District, Union County School District, Nettleton School District, and Monroe County School District. You can read the MDE’s complete list and meal pickup locations here. **Please note: Some districts have had to temporarily discontinue their programs due to COVID-19. Lee County and TPSD are continuing their services as of right now. Please contact your school district to find out if they are still offering services.**
Parents, welcome to homeschooling! Check out your school district’s online resources below. We will add to this list as more resources are made available. *Tupelo Schools will broadcast distant learning videos on WTVA-ABC every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 9:30 am.*
Tupelo Public School District
Lee County Schools
Free Online Learning and Reading Resources
Abcya.com
Pbskids.org
Storylineonline.net
Khanacademy.org
Weather.gov/learning
Virtual Tours and Other At-Home Activities
Easter Sunday is coming up April 12 and it’s a great time to get involved in live-streaming services offered by area churches. We’ve started a shortlist that we’re regularly updating here.
Museum Tours
National Park Tours
Street Art Tours
Check out this list of 25 things to do at home during social distancing.
Check out ways to keep your kids entertained plus find more online learning sources here.
Selfish, LLC, a fitness center here in Tupelo is live streaming workouts on Facebook.
North Lee Crossfit is also posting home workouts and goes live on Zoom twice daily.
Planet Fitness is livestreaming workouts on their Facebook page each morning and evening.