Vaccinations Underway As State Grapples With Logistics
For many of the most vulnerable Mississippians, the COVID-19 vaccine has arrived. There are a number of ways you can schedule your vaccine, but the process may take time.
Mississippi Begins Vaccination of 75+ Population, Peaks With 3,255 New Cases of COVID-19
Mississippi has rapidly accelerated its vaccination availability schedule, with members of the general public aged 75 and up already receiving their first shots at Mississippi State Department of Health drive-thru sites.
Parole Reform, Pay Raises and COVID-19: 2021 Legislative Preview
In spite of the monumental work ahead of the Legislature, there is good reason to question the wisdom of holding the session now at all. With a two-thirds vote, the House could begin the process of delaying the session until March.
Last Week’s Record COVID-19 Admissions Challenging Mississippi Hospitals
The new year dawns on a Mississippi in deep crisis, last week breaking many key COVID-19 records as the situation continues to deteriorate in the state’s hospitals.
Lt. Gov. Hosemann Addresses Budget Cuts, Teacher Pay, and Patriotic Education
With COVID-19 rampaging through the Magnolia State, Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann would like to see a late start to the 2021 session. "You know, we qualify as a super-spreader event," he told the Jackson Free Press in a Dec. 14 interview, recalling the legislative outbreak earlier in 2020.
‘People Who Didn’t Have to Die’: 79 COVID-19 Deaths In One Day
State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs began today’s COVID-19 press briefing with a quiet reading of nameless Mississippians. “84 year old, white male. 76 year old, white female, 67 year old, black female. 52 year old, black male,” he began.
‘Not Field of Dreams’: Lt. Gov. Hosemann Skeptical of Governor’s Income Tax Plans
The centerpiece of Gov. Tate Reeves’ budget proposal is a phase-out of income tax in Mississippi by 2030. But Lt. Gov. Hosemann, who leads the Senate, is far from convinced.
First Mississippians Vaccinated, But State Still in Critical Danger
The first Mississippians to receive the COVID-19 vaccine are its own state health leadership, marking a hopeful beginning to what will be a long process of finally exterminating the virus in the Magnolia State.
Rules For Thee: Governor Hosts Party Hours After Signing New COVID Restrictions
Hours after signing new COVID-19 restrictions and holding a press conference to plead with Mississippians to pitch in to protect the health-care system, the governor held a Christmas party at his mansion in downtown Jackson featuring close clusters of unmasked guests.
'We Have Forgotten Who We Are': Denial and Death in Mississippi Hospitals
Health-care professionals, including hospitalists and clinicians, have spoken to the Jackson Free Press about the persistent denialism coming from the public as well as political leadership.
Mississippi’s COVID-19 Deaths Above 4,000 As Thanksgiving Surge Continues
More than 4,000 Mississippians are confirmed to have died from complications of COVID-19 in the pandemic so far, a grim milestone that public-health leadership has warned is unlikely to be the last before the end of the crisis.
‘People Are Dying’: Rampant Growth in COVID-19 Follows Thanksgiving Week
The days following Gov. Tate Reeves’ assertion that Mississippi was not exceeding its previous summer peak have been disastrous for the state’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, with each day bringing new reports of record cases and hospitalizations.
Mississippi Shatters All Time COVID-19 Record, But Reeves Says New Peak ‘False’
Mississippi has shattered its all-time record for new COVID-19 cases in a single day, one day after Gov. Tate Reeves attempted to fact-check this reporter for asserting that the state was in the most significant spike of the pandemic so far.
Not Fear, But Love: Cancelling Holidays in the Year of COVID-19
"How are you going to tell the grandkids?" This was the question that convinced George Long to cancel his Thanksgiving plans. This was the question that convinced him to wear a mask, to minimize his social life for the duration of the pandemic.
UMMC Health Leaders: COVID-19, Nursing Shortages Threaten Crisis Standard of Care
Dr. LouAnn Woodward, vice chancellor for health affairs and dean of the School of Medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, called on Gov. Tate Reeves to reinstate the statewide mask mandate, warning that rising hospitalizations could force crisis standards of care.
Mississippi Hospitals in Crisis Due to COVID-19: ‘We Need The World To See’
COVID-19 has led to the hospitalization of an average of 110 Mississippians per day in the last week, State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs warned yesterday.
As COVID Fills Hospitals, ‘We Are Killing Ourselves,’ State Officials Warn
Mississippi’s third COVID-19 surge has reached its hospital system, where a flood of hundreds of new hospitalizations in a matter of days is definitive proof that the state is returning to the crisis-care standards of late summer.
New Weekend Highs Drive COVID-19 Spike, School Closings Across Mississippi
A wave of COVID-19 infection is driving school districts across Mississippi to transition to virtual learning, disrupting the first semester back to school since the virus arrived in Mississippi in the spring.
Gov. Reeves Would Defy Nationwide COVID-19 Lockdown: ‘We Will Certainly Fight’
Gov. Tate Reeves signaled today that he would refuse to participate in a nationwide lockdown if the incoming Joe Biden administration called for such a measure, promising instead defiance and a repeat of late 2020’s approach to containment of the virus. Photo courtesy Tate Reeves
Mississippi’s Third Coronavirus Spike Is Here
Mississippi’s brief reprieve from the rest of the nation’s dire wave of COVID-19 is now firmly over, with last week’s early warning signs replaced with blaring sirens out of schools, hospitals and public-health leadership.
Don’t Lose Hope: State Epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers on COVID-19
Dr. Paul Byers sat down with the Jackson Free Press on Nov. 4 to discuss the Mississippi State Department of Health's approach to the COVID-19 crisis, now in the early stages of a third spike.
Disturbing COVID-19 Sign Over Weekend, Pfizer Vaccination Draws Closer
The Mississippi State Department of Health announced 1,320 cases of COVID-19 over the weekend, historically a time of artificially low numbers.
Mississippi Sees 1,612 New Cases of COVID-19, Highest Report Since All-Time Peak
Mississippi’s brief respite from the national coronavirus spike may well be over today, as the State Department of Health announces 1,612 new cases of COVID-19.
Marijuana, New Flag, Popular Vote: Mississippi’s Three Ballot Measures Surge to Victory
A day of overwhelming electoral turnout in Mississippi drove the state’s three ballot measures to convincing wins, a result political figures of both parties heralded as evidence of progress in the Magnolia State.
Before Today's Election Confusion, Voting Rights Activists Warned of State’s Polling Place Changes
Representatives from several grassroots organizations, including the Mississippi Poor People’s Campaign, held an event on the steps of the state capitol Monday, castigating state officials for sudden polling-place changes. From left: Rukia Lumumba; Miranda, a Hinds County resident; Sharon Brown; Danyelle Holmes; and Nsombi Lambright.
Dobbs: Take ‘Middle Path’ Between Saving Lives and Economy; Mississippi 7th in Deaths
State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs warned on Twitter today that the Mississippi death toll from COVID-19 is remarkably severe, even for the United States, which is the ninth worst in the world in deaths per capita, and first in deaths overall.
2020 Election Issue Espy v. Hyde-Smith, Westbrooks v. Griffis
On the Nov. 3 ballot, the presidential election headlines a contest that includes the long-awaited Senate rematch between former U.S. Rep. and Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy and incumbent U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith.
Amid COVID’s Third Spike, Gov. Reeves Expands Mask Order to Seven New Counties
As COVID-19 continues to grow in Mississippi and across the nation, Gov. Tate Reeves has expanded the number of counties under a mask and social-distancing order.
Gov. Reeves Issues Mask Mandates For 9 Counties, No Election Changes
Gov. Tate Reeves reinstated a mask mandate and other restrictions in nine Mississippi counties yesterday, in the wake of a sharp uptick in transmission of COVID-19 across the state and nation.
“A Critical Piece Is Missing” In COVID Strategy, State Health Officer Warns
As Mississippi’s fragile control over the coronavirus pandemic crumbles for the third time, State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs and State Epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers held a press event on Oct. 16 to discuss what is driving the increased spread.
MSDH Reports 1,322 New Cases of COVID-19, Which Could Mean State’s Third Spike
Two weeks to the day after Gov. Tate Reeves lifted the statewide mask mandate, a massive swell in COVID-19 cases is shaping into a third spike, imperiling the people of Mississippi and threatening mass community transmission during next month’s elections.
Expanded Voting Access Still Off Table For Mississippians
As October unfolds, Mississippi State Sen. David Blount, D-Jackson, is watching the rising case numbers in what threatens to be the third spike in Mississippi's COVID-19 pandemic, and he fears for the worst.
PSC Requests Full Audit of AT&T’s Connect America Fund II Efforts, AT&T Responds
Telecommunications giant AT&T is challenging Northern District Public Services Commissioner Brandon Presley’s claims that it has a “pattern of submitting false data.”
862 New Cases of COVID-19, Viral Spread Increasing
The Mississippi State Department of Health announced 862 new cases of COVID-19 today—on Oct. 6, MSDH reported 975 new cases, marking the highest single-day total of reports since Aug. 19. Today’s rolling seven-day average is 589 daily positive tests, comparable to the averages seen at the beginning of September, when the trends were coming down from staggering peaks in July and August that stressed the state’s hospital system.
Dr. Dobbs Warns Of COVID Surge, as State Fair Opens Without Mask Mandate
Only a week after Gov. Tate Reeves lifted the state’s mask mandate, Mississippi’s coronavirus numbers have reversed course, showing the first consistent signs of a new surge in what would be the third spike in the pandemic in the Magnolia State. The Mississippi State Department of Health announced 975 new cases of COVID-19 late last night, the highest single-day total since Aug. 19.
Mask Use Dropping Rapidly After Mississippi Mandate Ends, Dr. Dobbs Warns
State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs is sounding the alarm, warning that mask usage is declining in Mississippi immediately after the governor lifted the statewide mask requirement. “Listen to the secret of Sweden’s COVID response,” Dobbs tweeted on Sunday, Oct. 4. “Near universal, voluntary compliance with public health guidance. Please mask up. Discouraging to see mask use dropping off so rapidly after mandate lifted.”
Statewide Mask Mandate Ends in Mississippi; School, Local Restrictions Continue
Gov. Tate Reeves allowed Mississippi’s statewide mask mandate to expire yesterday, replacing it with a “Safe Recovery” order that maintains some restrictions on large gatherings and still requires masks in schools.
Forgiveness is Freedom: After Veto, Parole Reformers Fight On
Mississippi Sen. Juan Barnett, D-Heidelberg, found that forgiveness heals victims and perpetrators alike. That's what inspired him to push for parole reform in his new position as chairman of the Senate Corrections Committee.
Hoax Warning: Mask Mandate Still in Place as COVID-19 Cases Stable in Mississippi
Mississippi is still under a statewide mask mandate, per Gov. Tate Reeves’ executive orders, in spite of a hoax circulating on social media claiming a new order supersedes them, officials from the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency are warning.
Fall Update COVID-19: What We Know Now
After months of COVID-19 growth, Mississippi is in the middle of a stable decline in viral spread, lessening the stress placed on the health-care system and reducing the deaths that follow every new cluster of cases.
AT&T Faces Subpoena Over $283 Million In Federal Funds for Internet Connectivity
Telecommunications giant AT&T is facing a subpoena for information about more than $283 million in federal funds it received over the last decade to expand internet services in Mississippi.
Oxford, Starkville Outliers as COVID-19 Trends Positive Despite 3,300 Likely Deaths
Gov. Tate Reeves struck a particularly confident tone at Tuesday’s COVID-19 presser, celebrating the state’s consistent decline in new coronavirus cases, even as schools open across the state.
Mike Espy Holds Drive-In Rally In Jackson, Emphasizes Health Care, Racism
Mike Espy, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, centered health care and racial justice at his drive-in rally the evening of Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020, in Jackson.
Magnolia Flag Final Choice of Commission; Majority Must Approve in November
The state is one step closer to a new flag today, as the Mississippi Flag Commission settled on the New Magnolia design.
Experts Fear The Worst As School Districts Return to Classrooms
Though many RCSD teachers reached out to share their stories, many more from other districts and counties expressed a powerful sense of dread before the return to in-person classes.
State Health Leadership Responds to CDC Guidelines on COVID-19
Mississippi still awaits the full extent of the spread of COVID-19 in its schools and colleges, as middling reports of viral spread continued over the weekend, in line with the roughly 700 rolling average that has become the norm in recent weeks.
COVID-19 Recovery Uncertain: Hospitalizations Low, Deaths High, Signs of Uptick
Mississippi’s COVID-19 recovery is on shaky ground as August ends, with uncertain trends in new cases—neither the clear improvement from previous weeks nor the spiralling growth seen in last month’s peaks.
Dobbs: ‘Triumvirate of Disaster’ as COVID-19 Spreads Through Mississippi Schools
Mississippi's coronavirus recovery appears to be short-lived, with a “crush” of cases ahead due to school and college openings following a mid-August slump, State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs warned on Aug. 21.
Gov. Declares State Of Emergency Ahead of Dual Storms, Legislature Back For DMR Budget
Gov. Tate Reeves declared a state of emergency in Mississippi on Saturday ahead of tropical storms Marco and Laura, expected to make landfall along the Gulf Coast just to the west of Mississippi.
Gov. Reeves Issues College Sports Limits; COVID-19 Rates Remain High
Fewer college football fans will be able to attend games in Mississippi's stadiums and have fewer opportunities to celebrate game day this fall after Gov. Tate Reeves signed a new executive order imposing restrictions on athletic events.
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