Stay up-to-date on what’s in the news with the Y’all Politics Daily Roundup.
YP – Mississippi lawmaker puts effort behind early voting ballot initiative
State Representative Hester McCray (D-HD 40) said she first began hearing constituents complain about lack of early voting when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. She received calls from locals asking why their close neighbors to the North in Memphis were able to vote early during the pandemic but they were not.
While there were several pieces of legislation offered during the 2021 session that would have expanded early voting, none of them were successful in getting passed.
“I feel like a lot of Mississippians are tired of only being able to vote on that Tuesday,” said McCray.
YP – CORDER: Legislature’s failure to update initiative process costing Mississippi
The only reason the Mississippi Supreme Court is being forced to consider whether or not the recently passed Medical Marijuana Initiative 65 was properly put before voters on the ballot is because the Mississippi Legislature failed to do its job.
This legal case is not about Medical Marijuana, despite what some would have you believe. That ship has sailed. It does not matter that voters passed the referendum by over 70% or that the Mississippi Department of Health is rushing headlong into implementing the program or that the Legislature did not pass their own Medical Marijuana program this past session. This case is solely about the initiative process…
…If the Supreme Court finds against the process, it would behoove Governor Tate Reeves to call a special session of the Legislature without haste with two items on the call: 1) Passing the voter approved language from Initiative 65, allowing MSDH to meet the publicly expected deadlines the voters set forth to be made law upon his signature, and 2). Correcting the initiative process to reflect the state’s four Congressional Districts.
MSDH daily COVID-19 reporting
Today MSDH is reporting 362 more cases of COVID-19 in Mississippi, 8 deaths, and 20 ongoing outbreaks in long-term care facilities. The state's total of #covid19 cases is now 309,585, with 7,161 deaths. More on case details, vaccinations and prevention: https://t.co/YCv9xPyJDk pic.twitter.com/oZOOI5nLPF
— Mississippi State Department of Health (@msdh) April 20, 2021
YP – Milwaukee Tool increasing presence in Mississippi creating 1,200 jobs
Milwaukee Tool, a leading manufacturer of heavy-duty power tools, hand tools, storage and accessories for the professional construction trades worldwide, announced plans to expand its presence in Mississippi. The company will invest $60 million in advanced technology and manufacturing equipment to support the operation of a new accessories manufacturing facility in Grenada County. As part of the 1,200 overall jobs Milwaukee will bring to the region, 800 of these jobs will be in the new Grenada facility and the remaining 400 will be across its existing Mississippi locations.
YP – Congressman Kelly talks Biden’s gun control, border crisis with Y’all Politics
Mississippi Congressman Trent Kelly (R-MS1) joined Y’all Politics on Tuesday to talk about a few of the hot topics making news across the nation, including President Joe Biden’s gun control proposals, the ongoing Southern border crisis, and the Democrats’ attempts to undermine election integrity with H.R. 1, the “For the People Act.”
YP – Wicker, Hyde-Smith Praise $107 Million Award to Ingalls for Next Amphibious Warship
U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., today praised the award of a $107,194,022 Navy contract to Huntington Ingalls to purchase long-lead-time materials in advance of construction of LHA 9, an America-class amphibious assault ship.
The contract is the fifth increment of long-lead-time material for the ship, which will be built in Pascagoula.
Congressman Thompson comments on Chauvin verdict
May this verdict be a step forward in the fight for equity and justice for all.
May the family of George Floyd be at peace with the jury’s decision.#JusticeForGeorgeFloyd #ChauvinTrial
— Bennie G. Thompson (@BennieGThompson) April 20, 2021
YP – Hyde-Smith Confident of EPA Commitment to Yazoo Pumps as ‘Environmental Justice’ Project
U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) today identified the uncompleted Yazoo Backwater Area pumps as “one of the most egregious environmental injustices” as she sought continued Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cooperation on the project under the Biden administration.
Hyde-Smith broached the issue at a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing titled, “The American Jobs Plan: Infrastructure, Climate Change, and Investing in Our Nation’s Future.” The committee conducted the hearing to gain perspectives on President Biden’s $2.3 trillion infrastructure proposal.
WTOK – Mayor Percy Bland endorsed by former Miss. attorney general candidate
Meridian mayoral candidates have received endorsements over the past couple of weeks.
Mayor Percy Bland announced Tuesday that former Mississippi democratic attorney general candidate Jennifer Riley Collins is supporting him.
“When I am home in Meridian, I am encouraged by the progress the city has made under Mayor Bland’s administration,” Collins wrote in a statement. “Meridian is encouraged to stay the course and continue to move forward with this trusted public servant.”
WJTV – Mississippi taps adviser to oversee funds in Holmes County school district
The state of Mississippi is stepping in to oversee finances in a school district in one of the nation’s poorest counties, which has been adjusting in recent years to consolidation.
The Holmes County Consolidated School District’s spending will be managed by Mississippi Department of Education Chief Operations Officer Felicia Gavin until another state-appointed adviser takes over, Mississippi Department of Education spokeswoman Patrice Guilfoyle said.
The decision was made after an audit for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2019, found the district was unable to provide receipts for some expenditures and did not have a clear system for documenting spending and payments.
Magnolia Tribune
