YP Daily Roundup 4/7/21

YP – Gov. Tate Reeves holds COVID-19 press briefing

Governor Tate Reeves held a press conference on Tuesday regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and the current state of the virus in Mississippi after over 1.31 million vaccines have been administered.

MSDH daily COVID-19 reporting

Today MSDH is reporting 183 more cases of COVID-19 in Mississippi, 18 deaths, and 17 ongoing outbreaks in long-term care facilities. The state's total of #covid19 cases is now 306,341, with 7,073 deaths. More on case details, vaccinations and prevention: https://t.co/YCv9xPyJDk pic.twitter.com/McY6NBVoND

— Mississippi State Department of Health (@msdh) April 6, 2021

YP – Mississippi’s 4th Congressional District: Who’s In, Who’s Out for 2022 Midterms

Mississippi’s 4th Congressional District could be a free-for-all in 2022’s midterm elections.

Incumbent Republican Congressman Steven Palazzo is facing an ethics inquiry over campaign spending.  The matter is pending before the U.S. House Ethics Committee and could be heard later this year.

That investigation has led some to view Palazzo as vulnerable in the 2022 Republican Primary.

All indications as of now are that Palazzo will vie to retain his seat in the 4th Congressional District.

See who’s in, who’s rumored to be running, and who’s out.

YP – American Conservative Union supporting criminal justice reform in Mississippi

David Safavian with the American Conservative Union joined Y’all Politics on Tuesday to talk about SB 2795, the Mississippi Earned Parole Eligibility Act. He says it is a conservative approach to criminal justice reform and that is why the ACU is backing this bill in Mississippi while advocating for Governor Tate Reeves to sign it into law.

YP – PSC Approves Walnut Grove Solar Project

During a hearing immediately following the April 6 Open Docket Meeting, the Mississippi Public Service Commission voted unanimously to approve a solar + battery storage facility in Walnut Grove, within Leake County.

The small utility-scale solar facility, which will be owned and operated by Mississippi Power Company, will produce 1.285 megawatts of clean, carbon free solar energy for Mississippi Power Company’s customers. It will also have battery storage capacity of 5.14 megawatt-hours of electricity for those same customers and could support a future micro grid for the Walnut Grove area which would isolate the town from outages on the larger grid. The project represents a total investment of $7.8 million in Leake County and is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2021.

YP – AG Fitch launches Mississippi’s first Cyber Fraud Task Force

Attorney General Lynn Fitch and the U.S. Secret Service have joined forces to launch Mississippi’s first Cyber Fraud Task Force. Fitch said the mission of the newly formed program is to prevent, detect and mitigate cyber-enabled financial crimes and arrest and convict Mississippi’s most harmful perpetrators.

“Mississippi is home to some of the Nation’s leading investigators and this Task Force allows for greater coordination, sharing of expertise and resources, and powerful partnerships intended to stop the proliferation of cyber-enabled financial crimes in the state,” said Fitch. “Together we will hold those accountable who seek to exploit the vulnerable for their own illicit gain.”

YP – CDC Awards $29,694,340 to Expand Mississippi’s COVID-19 Vaccine Programs

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded Mississippi $29,694,340 to support local efforts to increase vaccine uptake by expanding COVID-19 vaccine programs and ensuring greater equity and access to vaccine by those disproportionately affected by SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

The award is part of $3 billion in funding that CDC has granted to 64 jurisdictions to bolster broad-based vaccine distribution, access, and administration efforts. The funding was made available by the American Rescue Plan and the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act and will provide critical support through CDC’s existing immunization cooperative agreements in communities around the country.

MML holds conference

We were honored to have Lt. Governor @DelbertHosemann and Speaker @PhilipGunnMS address attendees at last week's 2021 Mid-Winter Legislative Conference. Check out highlights of their remarks, as well as messages from our Exec. Director and MML officers!https://t.co/gA5DkOSVLw

— Mississippi Municipal League (@MMLonline) April 6, 2021

YP – Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus stands with MLB and others against Georgia voting restrictions

The Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus stands in solidarity with Georgia citizens, Major League Baseball and other entities opposing the passage of Georgia’s restrictive voting legislation.

“Laws making it more difficult to vote are especially alarming to members of the MLBC, who have seen the introduction of bills this legislative session aimed at purging the voter rolls.” Although those bills died, we view the comprehensive voting bill passed in Georgia as a signal of what is to come. Republican election reform is sweeping the country. “If we are not vigilant, Mississippi’s election process will become even more suppressive than it is currently,” said Angela Turner Ford, Chair of the Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus.

WJTV – Mississippi Lottery Corporation begins search for next president

On Tuesday, the Mississippi Lottery Corporation (MLC) Board of Directors announced it will begin a nationwide search to replace Lottery President Tom Shaheen. He announced he would retire on June 30, 2021.

The position will be advertised in lottery industry trade publications and on the MLC website. Interested candidates can review the job description and how to apply at https://www.mslotteryhome.com/career/president/.