YP Daily Roundup 10/28/20

Hurricane Zeta to make landfall today, will impact Mississippi

Hurricane Zeta will approach the northern Gulf Coast this morning and make landfall in southeastern Louisiana this afternoon. Zeta will move close to the Mississippi Coast this evening, and move across the southeastern and eastern United States on Thursday.

Current maximum sustained winds are 85 mph, with some additional forecast for this morning. A Hurricane Warning remains in effect from Morgan City, Louisiana to the Mississippi/Alabama border.

MSDH COVID-19 reporting

Today MSDH is reporting 854 more cases of COVID-19 in Mississippi, 20 deaths, and 134 ongoing outbreaks in long-term care facilities. The total of #covid19 cases for the year is now 116,617, with 3,283 deaths. Case details and prevention guidance at https://t.co/QP8mlJ41AN pic.twitter.com/wi4m1oLoxp

— Mississippi State Department of Health (@msdh) October 27, 2020

YP – Madison files emergency petition claiming Initiative 65 was improperly certified

The City of Madison and Madison Mayor Mary Hawkins Butler have filed an emergency petition before the Mississippi Supreme Court seeking a declaration that Initiative 65 was unconstitutionally brought to the voters.

At issue is the number of signatures collected in the five designated congressional districts required by law. The filers question whether the Secretary of State’s office improperly certified the Initiative…

…The Mississippi Supreme Court has ordered Secretary of State Michael Watson to respond to the emergency petition filed by the City of Madison over Initiative 65 by 5pm Wednesday, October 28, 2020.

Governor Reeves visits school computer distribution

YP – Poll: Hyde-Smith up 8 points over Espy a week from Election Day

A new Civiqs / Daily Kos poll shows incumbent Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith with an 8 point lead over her Democrat challenger Mike Espy one week out from Election Day. This is on the heels of a poll run in May by Impact Management Group for Y’all Politics that had Hyde-Smith at 53% in the ballot test.

Hyde-Smith now sits at 52% to Espy’s 44% – a similar margin to that of the 2018 special election when the Republican bested the Democrat 54% to 46%.  This is despite millions of out-of-state dollars funneling into the Espy campaign during the last quarter and the endorsements of high profile Democrats, such as Barack Obama, Joe Biden and others.

YP – Sen. Hyde-Smith recaps SCOTUS vote, talks final week of campaign with Y’all Politics

U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith joined Y’all Politics this morning to recap the confirmation vote on Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court on Monday, and to talk about her plans to campaign across Mississippi with Election Day one week away.

Espy kicks off bus tour

This is big time. pic.twitter.com/hTl1NaQbQW

— Mike Espy (@MikeEspyMS) October 28, 2020

YP – Wicker, colleagues introduce legislation to expand minority small business support in rural areas

.@SenatorWicker, Kaine, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Expand Minority Business Support to Rural Areas #mssen READ MORE>> https://t.co/KkV4onGPzo

— Magnolia Tribune (@magnoliatribune) October 27, 2020

YP – Secretary of State Michael Watson provides an update on 2020 General Election

Secretary of State Michael Watson held a press conference on Tuesday to provide updates on the current 2020 General Election that is scheduled for November 3.

Congressman Thompson tweets against Barrett confirmation

Senate Republicans rushed the confirmation of an unqualified judge who has never tried a case. This confirmation will likely deliver a detrimental reality to anyone who is non-white, non-male, non-straight and non-Christian. This is more important than a COVID relief bill?

— Bennie G. Thompson (@BennieGThompson) October 27, 2020

WTOK – Kenny Griffis stumps in his hometown of Meridian

Meridian native Kenny Griffis was in his hometown campaigning Tuesday to remain on Mississippi’s highest court.

Griffis, who was appointed to the Mississippi Supreme Court in 2019 to replace then Chief Justice Bill Waller Junior, spoke to the Meridian Optimist Club. He touts his three-decades plus experience in law and his 16 years on the Court of Appeals as key reasons to vote for him.

“When the Chief Justice needs something done in Mississippi, they call on me,” said Griffis. “When they need case filing in the electronic courts, they’ve called on me. For judicial education, they’ve called on me. I’ve worked hard for these 33 years to participate in and advance the cause of justice in our state and essentially that’s what it’s about–making sure there’s justice in our court.”

Coleman releases ad in Supreme Court race

WJTV – U.S. Attorneys in Mississippi discuss protecting voting rights in state

On Tuesday, United States Attorneys Mike Hurst of the Southern District of Mississippi and William C. Lamar of the Northern District of Mississippi announced that they have appointed District Election Officers (“DEO”) in their respective districts to lead the efforts of their offices in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the General Election on November 3, 2020.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ted Cooperstein in the Southern District of Mississippi and Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Coleman in the Northern District of Mississippi will be responsible for overseeing their respective District’s handling of complaints of election fraud and voting rights concerns in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.