YP Daily Roundup 7/19/21

Stay up-to-date on what’s in the news with the Y’all Politics Daily Roundup.

Former MS First Lady Winter dies

Governor Tate Reeves and First Lady Elee Reeves shared their condolences to the Winter family with the passing of former First Lady Elise Winter, wife to former Governor William Winter.

The Reeves said they were saddened to learn of the former First Lady’s passing, saying in a social media post, “Grace. Humility. Elegance. To know her….was to like her! Mississippi is a better place because Elise Winter always put service before self. Our thoughts & prayers are with her family.”

.@firstladyofms & I are saddened to learn of former MS first lady Elise Winter’s passing.

Grace. Humility. Elegance.
To know her….was to like her!

Mississippi is a better place because Elise Winter always put service before self. Our thoughts & prayers are with her family. pic.twitter.com/suVwwMqLvn

— Governor Tate Reeves (@tatereeves) July 18, 2021

YP – MSDH releases K-12 COVID Guidance for 2021-2022 School Year

Friday, MSDH is releasing updated Public Health Guidance for the Prevention and Control of COVID-19 in Mississippi K-12 settings for the 2021-2022 school year – consistent with CDC guidelines.

Mississippi State Department of Health Public Health Guidance:

• • All eligible students, teachers, and staff 12 years of age and older should receive COVID-19 vaccination.
  • Masks should be worn indoors in school settings by all individuals (age 2 and older) who are not fully vaccinated.
  • Schools should maintain at least three feet of physical distance between students within classrooms, combined with indoor mask wearing by people who are not fully vaccinated, to reduce transmission risk.

MSDH COVID-19 Reporting

Today MSDH is reporting 534 more cases of COVID-19 in Mississippi, 5 deaths, and 39 ongoing outbreaks in long-term care facilities. State #covid19 totals: 326,804 cases, 7,465 deaths, and 1,005,648 persons fully vaccinated. Full information: https://t.co/YCv9xPyJDk pic.twitter.com/HfouaDvT76

— Mississippi State Department of Health (@msdh) July 16, 2021

YP – Dr. Andrea Mayfield Resigns from Mississippi Community College Board

Dr. Andrea Mayfield has resigned as the Executive Director of the Mississippi Community College Board (MCCB). Her resignation is effective immediately. No reason was given for Mayfield’s immediate resignation.

Dr. Mayfield had served as Executive Director since December 1, 2015.

“Since 1996, Dr. Andrea Mayfield has dedicated her professional career to community colleges,” said Mr. John Pigott, chair of the Mississippi Community College Board.  “We appreciate her commitment to the system and wish her the best in the future.”

YP – Guest joins colleagues in concern for VA to offer gender transition surgery

Congressman Michael Guest (MS-03) joined 41 Republican colleagues in a letter to Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis R. McDonough to convey their concerns over a recent decision by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to cover gender transition surgeries instead of addressing current unmet medical needs of American veterans, including those suffering from toxic exposure.

The letter was led by House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs (HVAC) Subcommittee on Health Ranking Member Jack Bergman and HVAC Ranking Member Mike Bost.

The letter opens, “We write to express our grave concern about your intent to allow the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to offer gender transition surgery to our nation’s veterans. We urge you in the strongest possible terms to reverse your decision.”

YP – WICKER: Biden Stimulus Leads to Higher Cost of Living, Inflation

The Labor Department recently issued a bleak report confirming that the cost of living in America is skyrocketing. Americans were already facing higher prices at the gas pump, in the grocery store, and throughout daily life coming out of the pandemic. But instead of improving, the trend has gotten worse. Prices rose by 5.4 percent over the previous year – the largest 12-month increase since the financial crisis of 2008. Even worse, American producers sold their goods at prices 7.3 percent higher than a year ago, indicating we are running headlong into inflation.

Mississippi is being hit particularly hard. The Labor Department reports that in our region, the price of goods went up by 7.3 percent. Mississippians are now paying a lot more for a tank of gas, a gallon of milk, and basic necessities.