YP Daily Roundup 10/4/21

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

YP – Nominations for the 5th Mississippi Top 50 Awards open October 15, 2021

Mississippi is graced with tremendous talent in government, the political sphere, business, media and culture. The Mississippi Top 50 Awards were created to recognize those that help move the conversation in Mississippi forward by virtue of their position and/or their talent.

Those honored are judged to be the most influential leaders in the state at this time.

MS Top 50 is a bipartisan group that comes from the ranks of local, state and federal elected and appointed officials; political leaders; government affairs professionals; public policy advocates; economic development professionals; business leaders; media professionals and other leaders across Mississippi.

Governor Reeves: Pelosi continues to lie to the American people

Nancy Pelosi continues to lie to the American people…even lying to her own caucus!

Guaranteed a Monday vote—no vote!
Guaranteed a Thursday vote—no vote!

Lies on process and substance.

The far left is calling the shots for Pelosi and Biden. Massive spending masked in chaos.

— Governor Tate Reeves (@tatereeves) October 1, 2021

YP – AUDITOR WHITE: How are we working to put tax dollars back in the classroom?

What if I told you there were potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in government waste waiting to be put into teachers’ salaries and our public school classrooms? I’ve spent the last three years in office as your State Auditor looking at how we can better spend education money, and three recent reports from my office shed new light on that question.

The performance audit division in the Office of the State Auditor recently partnered with GlimpseK12, an advanced data analytics firm, to see how three Mississippi school districts can stretch their dollars further, and their report yielded some promising results.

The first report found that the Hinds County School District (HCSD) could save $3.7 million annually on outside-the-classroom spending. By eliminating unused software, lowering maintenance costs, and optimizing transportation services, HCSD can put that money back into the classroom.

MSDH COVID-19 Reporting

Today MSDH is reporting 822 more cases of COVID-19 in Mississippi, 46 deaths, and 68 ongoing outbreaks in long-term care facilities. State #covid19 totals: 489,216 cases, 9,646 deaths, and 1,315,201 persons fully vaccinated. Full information: https://t.co/YCv9xPyJDk pic.twitter.com/e9CoFVgu5z

— Mississippi State Department of Health (@msdh) October 1, 2021

YP – WICKER: Instagram has Adverse Effects on Children

The path to adulthood has never been easy, but children living in today’s media-saturated world face challenges that are unique in history. Never before have boys and girls had to grow up in a digitized world with platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube constantly competing for their attention. According to studies, teenagers now spend an average of 7.4 hours a day looking at screens, and one in four check their social media hourly. In the face of growing concern, Facebook, the largest social media giant, has publicly downplayed the negative effects of social media on children. Yet recent reporting has revealed that Facebook is fully aware of these harms, even as it continues to target younger and younger audiences.

Last month, the Wall Street Journal exposed company research showing that Instagram, Facebook’s highly popular photo-sharing app, has negative effects on children and particularly teenage girls. Facebook researchers found that Instagram makes body image problems worse for one in three teenage girls and makes one in five teenagers feel worse about themselves. Facebook also found that teens blame Instagram for higher rates of anxiety and depression. In addition, more than 40 percent of Instagram users who report feeling “unattractive” say those feelings began while using the app. And six percent of American users who report having suicidal thoughts also trace those thoughts to Instagram.

WLOX – Magistrate Judge John Gargiulo dies after battling pancreatic cancer

U.S. Magistrate Judge John Gargiulo died after battling pancreatic cancer on Sunday.

Gargiulo was appointed U.S. Magistrate Judge of the Southern District of Mississippi on Aug. 1, 2014. Before his appointment as U.S. Magistrate Judge, Gargiulo served for five years on the Circuit Court.

“Since his appointment in August of 2014, Judge Gargiulo has served our court with efficiency and distinction,” said Chief U. S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan III, “And he will be sorely missed.”

WLBT – Mississippi, Tennessee bring water fight to the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court is back in session and a dispute over Mississippi groundwater is headlining the first day. With justices hearing arguments in-person for the first time since the pandemic began, they will hear Mississippi v. Tennessee first.

The case boils down to a battle over groundwater between the neighboring states. In 2014 Mississippi filed a complaint saying a City of Memphis pumping operation took 252 billion gallons of Mississippi groundwater. The case shot up through the legal system, trickling all the way to the nation’s high court.

“Mississippi is complaining that Tennessee’s use of the groundwater is somehow affecting Mississippi and taking something away from Mississippi,” said Noah Hall, a water law expert from Wayne State University who is involved in the case.