YP Daily Roundup 6/10/21

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

YP – Who won, who lost across the state in Mississippi’s Municipal Elections

To quote Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson, Tuesday’s Municipal General Election turnout was “less than ideal.” Still, the voters who did go to the polls elected their local mayors and city officials for the next four years.

Click for a rundown of the races we were watching here at Y’all Politics. Some results may not be finalized as affidavit and absentee ballots could be outstanding.

YP – As MS Legislature debates medical marijuana, is recreational marijuana now on the table?

State Senator Brice Wiggins (R) joined Y’all Politics on Wednesday morning to recap the recent Mississippi Senate Public Health Committee hearing where lawmakers heard from the Mississippi Department of Health, supporters of Initiative 65 and others as they now consider the implementation of a medical marijuana program after the state Supreme Court ruled against the initiative process…

…The Coast state Senator pointed out that he and his colleagues are seriously debating whether to also consider recreational marijuana usage in conjunction with a medical marijuana program, along with amending laws dealing with the criminalization of marijuana usage.

YP – Southern Designs & Gifts creating 30 jobs, investing $2.4 million in Natchez expansion

Southern Designs and Gifts, manufacturer of home décor items, is locating operations in Natchez. The project is a $2.428 million corporate investment and will create 30 jobs.

“Natchez has a prime location on the Mississippi River with access to major highways and a skilled workforce. It provides an ideal environment for Southern Designs and Gifts to expand manufacturing and shipping operations,” Governor Tate Reeves said. “The collaboration between public and private partnerships in the region has been key to bringing new job opportunities and this economic development win to Natchez.”

Southern Designs and Gifts manufactures items for brands like Metal Unlimited, CutMaps and Carter + Main. For the past 13 years, the company has operated in Vidalia, Louisiana, where it produces laser-cut and powder-coated metal décor, laser-cut wood décor and custom-printed items.

MSDH daily COVID-19 reporting

Today MSDH is reporting 107 more cases of COVID-19 in Mississippi, 4 deaths, and 14 ongoing outbreaks in long-term care facilities. The state's #covid19 totals are now 318,685 cases, 7,347 deaths, and 920,750 persons fully vaccinated. Full information: https://t.co/YCv9xPyJDk pic.twitter.com/zhtw5Q3SnI

— Mississippi State Department of Health (@msdh) June 9, 2021

YP – Gluckstadt newest municipality in Mississippi

For years, residents in the Gluckstadt community of Madison County have sought to incorporate themselves into a municipality. That day has finally come.

Incorporating Mayor Walter Morrison joined Y’all Politics on Wednesday afternoon to talk about the process by which the newest municipality in the state was granted its approval to form a local government of its own by the Mississippi Supreme Court.

YP – Mississippi Public Service Commission Approves State’s First Wind Turbine Facility

The Mississippi Public Service Commission announced the approval on the state’s first wind turbine electricity generation facility at a ceremony in Tunica County today.

The facility will be built on 13,000 acres in Tunica County and will consist of up to 100 turbines. The facility will generate enough power to provide energy to approximately 70,000 homes. Construction on the project is expected to begin this summer according to parent company, Vestas.

“It’s an honor to be a part of celebrating Mississippi’s first wind-power farm in Tunica County that will bring a number of jobs and economic development opportunities to the Mississippi Delta,” Chairman Dane Maxwell said.

YP – EmpowerMS hosts Unleash Mississippi

Tuesday, Empower Mississippi hosted an event called Unleash Mississippi. It brought together Mississippi state leaders and policy experts for a solutions-centered discussion on how to tackle the Magnolia State’s biggest challenges and help all Mississippians succeed.

The event had ten guest speakers who spoke on a variety of issues that Mississippi constantly faces relating to education, work, and criminal justice.

YP – Wicker Holds Hearing to Protect Name, Image, and Likeness of College Athletes

U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today participated in a hearing addressing federal legislative proposals to allow athletes participating in collegiate sports to monetize their name, image, and likeness (NIL).

YP – Army Corps Official to Hyde-Smith: Yazoo Pump Project Aligned With ‘Environmental Justice’ Goals

A Biden administration official today confirmed U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith’s assertion that the unfinished Yazoo Backwater Area pumps constitute an environmental injustice to Mississippians.

Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) again introduced the environmental justice subject during a Senate Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee hearing to review the Biden administration’s FY2022 budget request for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

WTOK – Dale Danks, former Jackson mayor, dies of complications from stroke

Former Jackson Mayor Dale Danks has died.

Danks, an attorney, died Wednesday afternoon due to complications from a stroke.

He was surrounded by family at the time, according to a statement released by the family.

Danks, 81, served as mayor of Jackson from 1977 to 1989. He was mayor when the city transitioned from a mayor-commission form of government to a mayor-council form.

WLOX – Mississippi getting first Black female chief federal judge

A Black woman, for the first time, will become a chief federal judge in Mississippi.

The state has two federal court districts — northern and southern. Court officials say U.S. District Judge Debra M. Brown will become the chief judge of the northern district during a ceremony Friday in Greenville.

She will receive the gavel from U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock, who remains on the federal bench but is ending a seven-year term in the top spot in the district.