Tag Archives: Mississippi

The Mississippi Free Press reports: With COVID-19 cases ramping up, Mississippi’s capital city has run out of ICU beds. “Zero ICU beds in Jackson. Very few elsewhere. Please protect yourself and your family,” Mississippi State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said in a grim tweet this morning. There is still no statewide mask mandate; Gov. Tate Reeves allowed it to …

The Hill reports: Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) said his state will not comply with a mandatory six-week national quarantine should President-elect Joe Biden try to enforce one when he enters office. “We’re not going to participate in a nationwide lockdown,” Reeves said during a Facebook Live COVID-19 update on Thursday, citing a Biden adviser’s suggestion that a collective effort …

The Mississippi Free Press reports: Canadian, Russian, South African and Ukrainian models appear in U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith’s first 2020 campaign ad for her Mississippi campaigns—but no Mississippians. Instead, the ad uses stock footage from foreign production companies as the senator talks about the work she has done to bring jobs and economic growth to Mississippians. “Two years ago when …

ABC News reports: Kanye West will appear as a presidential candidate on Mississippi’s ballot in November, after being approved as a qualified candidate by the State Board of Election Commissioners on Tuesday. The rapper has already qualified to appear on the ballot as an independent candidate in several states, including Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Utah. To qualify in …

Franklin Graham posts to his Facebook page: Mississippi gets it. Their new state flag design contains the motto “In God We Trust.” While some try to take God out of as much as possible, it’s refreshing to see Mississippi taking this stand that will be seen for generations to come. It is only by God’s grace that we have been …

USA Today reports: A state commission selected the Magnolia Flag to be the next flag of Mississippi. Voters will decide in November whether to approve it or restart the process. The commission voted Wednesday to recommend the flag over one other final design that featured a shield with wavy lines representing water. The final designs were selected out of about …

The Mississippi Free Press reports: Even as public schools across Mississippi reported hundreds of new COVID-19 cases among students and teachers, dozens more schools opened up today. In Hinds County, Gov. Tate Reeves arrived for his press conference today and immediately launched into a discussion of the latest news. After the governor was done with his initial remarks, around 10 …

The Jackson Clarion-Ledger reports: A viral design being proposed as the new state flag for Mississippi originated as a joke and was only included in a list of finalists due to a typo, according to officials. The Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) is currently narrowing down options to replace its current flag after lawmakers voted to remove the …

The Kentucky Herald-Ledger reports: Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said Tuesday that he’s setting a statewide order for people to wear masks in public amid a recent surge in cases of the new coronavirus. The Republican also delayed the start of the school year for upper grades in eight counties that are hard-hit by COVID-19. Reeves also said he will sign …

The Associated Press reports: Packed elevators and crowded committee rooms. Legislators sitting shoulder-to-shoulder on the House and Senate floor. People standing close to each other and talking, sometimes leaning in to whisper, without a mask in sight. Those were common scenes at the Mississippi Capitol in June — a month that saw a historic vote to remove the Confederate emblem …

The Biloxi Sun-Herald reports: Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves is mandating masks and limiting social gatherings by early next week in Harrison, Jackson and 11 other counties with high spread of COVID-19, he said at his regular news conference Thursday afternoon. He said masks must be worn in these counties in “all shopping environments” and at social gatherings. Social gatherings in …

Mississippi Today reports: The Mississippi Legislature, finishing a historic stretch last week where it voted to replace the state flag to remove the Confederate battle emblem from its design, now faces a new challenge as members are testing positive for the coronavirus. On Sunday, House Speaker Philip Gunn, R-Clinton confirmed that he has contracted COVID-19, as did at least one …

CBS News reports: The Mississippi state legislature voted on Sunday to replace its state flag, the last in the nation to display the Confederate battle emblem. The removal of the flag marks the latest Confederate symbol to topple in the weeks following George Floyd’s death. The bill passed by a vote of 91-23 in the House and 37-14 in the …

The Associated Press reports: Mississippi lawmakers could vote in the next few days to remove the Confederate battle emblem from the state flag, a symbol that has come under intensifying criticism in recent weeks amid nationwide protests against racial injustice. Republican Gov. Tate Reeves said Saturday, for the first time, that he would sign a bill to change the flag …

The Commercial Appeal reports: “We know the design of the Mississippi state flag is being discussed by various stakeholders,” Walmart spokesperson Anne Hatfield said in an emailed statement. “While the issue continues to be discussed, we’ve made the decision to remove the Mississippi state flag from display in its current form from our stores.” Hatfield said stores displaying state flags …

NBC News reports: The NCAA’s Southeastern Conference on Thursday told the state of Mississippi it could miss out on SEC championship games if it doesn’t change its state flag, which includes a Confederate symbol. SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement, “It is past time for change to be made to the flag of the State of Mississippi.” “Our …

The Associated Press reports: Mississippi has used the Confederate emblem in its flag since 1894, when white supremacists in state government adopted it after Reconstruction. Georgia put a large Confederate battle symbol on its state flag in 1956, during a backlash to the civil rights movement. That state purged the symbol from its banner in 2001 — the same year …

The New York Post reports: It’s a prank that would make Bart Simpson proud. Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves was duped into congratulating a curiously named student — Harry Azcrac — during a virtual graduation ceremony. In the video, streamed on Facebook Live, Reeves sends his well wishes to the school’s valedictorian before running down the list of newly minted graduates. …

Fox News reports: The Justice Department intervened in a Mississippi church’s lawsuit by saying in a court filing that it “strongly suggests that the city’s actions target religious conduct” after the church sued police for ticketing congregants during a drive-in service amid coronavirus, Fox News has learned. The DOJ is siding with Temple Baptist Church in Greenville, Miss., after Greenville …

The Jackson Free Press reports: As coronavirus spiked across the state, the Mississippi Sons of Confederate Veterans posted a copy of an April 3 state proclamation naming this month as “Confederate Heritage Month.” Gov. Tate Reeves apparently signed the proclamation two days after he did an about-face and issued a statewide shelter-at-home order due to rising COVID-19 infections in Mississippi. …