YP – Mississippi unemployment rate down 59% from pandemic peak
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Mississippi’s unemployment rate sits at 6.4% as of March 15th, down from the pandemic peak of 15.7%. That is a 59% decrease since April 2020.
This is positive news for the state, though it has gone under-reported in newspapers and television broadcasts, as has the fact that Mississippi leads the nation with the highest percent increase in new business applications between January 2020 and January 2021, a whopping 164%, with over 6,000 new applications in January 2021 alone.
MSDH Daily COVID-19 Reporting
Today MSDH is reporting 322 more cases of COVID-19 in Mississippi, 2 deaths, and 42 ongoing outbreaks in long-term care facilities. The total of #covid19 cases for the year is now 301,924, with 6,938 deaths. Case details and prevention guidance at https://t.co/YCv9xPyJDk pic.twitter.com/jMRd0kwHZ8
— Mississippi State Department of Health (@msdh) March 18, 2021
YP – Nancy New and Zach New indicted in Federal Court
Nancy New and Zach New have been charged in federal court for money laundering, ID theft and wire fraud. The indictments say the crimes were committed while Nancy served as the President of New Learning Resources and Zach was the Vice-President.
New Learning Resources is a for-profit entity doing business as the New Learning Resources School District. They have one school, New Summit School, which is located in Jackson, Mississippi…
…The charges included a range of violations involving fraud and embezzlement. It was considered to be the largest public embezzlement case in the state’s history. The monies were suspected to come from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program that is administered by the Department of Human Services. The investigation by the auditors office concluded that the defendants used a variety of business entities and schemes to defraud the taxpayers.
Teacher pay raise heads to Governor
The House also concurred on this years teacher pay raise bill, HB 852. The bill would give teacher and assistant teachers a $1,000 raise. #msleg
— Magnolia Tribune (@magnoliatribune) March 18, 2021
YP – Sheriff Mike Ezell says George Floyd Justice in Policing Act would devastate law enforcement
Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell joined Y’all Politics on Thursday to discuss the harm the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act passed by the U.S. House of Representatives could do to local law enforcement in Mississippi and nationwide.
YP – Governor Tate Reeves Signs “Hudson’s Law” to Protect Babies from Lethal Discrimination Abortions
The national pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List) today celebrated as Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves signed theDown Syndrome Information Act, legislation that would require doctors to provide accurate and up-to-date educational information to parents of children newly diagnosed with Down syndrome. The legislation passed with wide bipartisan support in both legislative chambers.
The bill is commonly known as “Hudson’s Law,” named after Hudson Hartman, a two-year-old Mississippian who has Down syndrome. Last year, Hudson and his mom Mika were key lobbyists for the Life Equality Act, legislation to ban discrimination abortions based on race, sex, disability, or genetic makeup. Governor Reeves signed the Life Equality Act into law last summer.
NASA holds 2nd Green Run Test at Stennis
LIVE NOW: We are lighting up the @NASA_SLS core stage for our 2nd Green Run hot fire test at @NASAStennis.
This hot fire is the last test before the #Artemis I core stage is shipped to @NASAKennedy for integration w/ @NASA_Orion: https://t.co/VfjcEsNqdv https://t.co/VfjcEsNqdv
— NASA (@NASA) March 18, 2021
YP – Wicker, Hyde-Smith Cosponsor Legislation to Honor Emmett Till’s Legacy
U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., on Wednesday joined Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth to introduce legislation that would establish Chicago’s Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ, the site of Emmett Till’s funeral in 1955, as a national historic site.
“I am pleased to support this legislation directing the National Park Service to establish the Roberts Temple Church of God as a national historic site,” Wicker said. “Emmett Till’s murder and the courage of Mamie Till-Mobley roused people of goodwill to action, leading to one of the most significant movements in American history. This commemoration would help preserve the Till family’s legacy for future generations.”
“Bestowing historic landmark status on Chicago’s Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ represents a great honor for the Till-Mobley family. This designation will help build on work to ensure the atrocities done to Emmitt Till, his family’s heartbreaking story, and their importance to the Civil Rights Movement is not ever forgotten,” Hyde-Smith said.
YP – Congressman Guest Grills DHS Secretary on Border Crisis
Congressman Michael Guest (MS-03) participated in a Committee on Homeland Security hearing with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandra Mayorkas testifying. In his remarks, Congressman Guest pointed to statistics and statements from his colleagues to show how policies from the Biden Administration have created the humanitarian crisis on the border.
YP – Wicker Pushes for Accountability in Internet Infrastructure Deployment
U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, attended a hearing to consider recent progress in distributing billions of dollars in federal support to expand broadband connectivity. Wicker has been a champion for legislative efforts to increase the accuracy of internet service coverage maps to ensure federal dollars are not wasted and go toward assisting unserved residents.
In his remarks to the committee, Wicker highlighted the billions of dollars of additional federal aid provided by last year’s bipartisan COVID relief packages to support internet connectivity, as well as the strong performance of U.S. broadband networks, which, according to some estimates, saw a 51 percent increase in traffic last year.
YP – Hyde-Smith cosponsors pair of gun bills
U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) is cosponsoring a pair of Second Amendment-related bills to promote firearm safety through tax credits and to remove Prohibition-era regulations on short-barreled rifles.
Hyde-Smith on Wednesday joined Senator Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) to introduce the Firearms Safety Act and the Home Defense and Competitive Shooting Act.
“Firearms laws can be reformed, just not in any way that threatens our Second Amendment rights,” Hyde-Smith said. “This pair of bills would create incentives for more people to learn firearm safety and also eliminate outdated federal red tape and taxes on some guns. Both are good policy and have my full support.”
WTOK – Google to invest $10 million in Mississippi
Google plans to invest over $10 million in Mississippi this year and create new jobs. The first Google Operations Center in the country will be completed this summer in Southaven, Miss. The center was first announced in late 2019.
“Google’s significant investment in DeSoto County is one that will stimulate the local economy and the entire region well into the future,” said Gov. Tate Reeves.
There have been 100 employees hired within the last year, with another 100 on track to get employed this year.
Magnolia Tribune
