Two of the state's House delegation vote to approve a special commission to investigate the violent insurrection of January 6th. We hear why the support the effort as it heads to the Senate.

Then, a COVID-19 outbreak at an Adams County detention center is under scrutiny from the SPLC.

Plus, we examine a new seminary program being brought to Mississippi's prisons.

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With the initiative process dead, organizers of a recent citizen-fueled effort to expand Medicaid suspend their campaign. And, we look at how one study estimates how expansion could boost Mississippi's economy with nearly 22,000 new jobs.

Then, one week following the approval of the Pfizer vaccine for 12 to 15 year-olds, we check in with the state's leading pediatrician on how families are responding.

Plus, in today’s Book Club, we revisit a Pulitzer Prize winner’s stories from the deep south.

Segment 1:

Less than a month since Healthcare for Mississippi officially launched it's campaign to put Medicaid expansion on the ballot in Mississippi, the campaign is coming to a grinding halt. Yesterday, the group announced that it is "reluctantly" suspending its campaign "until there is once again a functional ballot measure process in Mississippi." The citizen initiative process - ratified in 1992 - was deemed unconstitutional by the Mississippi Supreme Court last week. We hear from MS NAACP Executive Director Corey Wiggins. And, a study from the Commonwealth Fund and George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health estimates expansion could bring nearly 22,000 new jobs to the state. Leighton Ku is the Director of the Center for Health Policy at the university. He explains the economic growth potential with MPB's Rob Lane.

Segment 2:

Teens in Mississippi are starting to get the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine. Children ages 12 to 15 became eligible to receive the shot last week, and since then, more than 1000 Mississippi teens and pre-teens have received their first dose. Dr. Anita Henderson, President of the Mississippi Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, tells our Kobee Vance she and other pediatricians are talking with teens and parents who are interested in getting vaccinated.

Segment 3:

Rick Bragg is a journalist, a novelist and a college professor but is probably best known for his reflective non-fiction about life itself. The Pulitzer Prize winner and best-selling author has gathered a collection of his columns from Southern Living and Garden and Gun to put together “Where I Come From: Stories From the Deep South.” His conversation with our Karen Brown starts with his musings on what’s unique about the south.

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Legislative leaders respond to a rising call to address the struck-down initiative process, and legalize medical marijuana.

Then, how child tax credits could help Mississippi families.

Plus, after a Southern Remedy Health Minute, the Legislative Peer Committee assesses the state park system.

Segment 1:

Legislators and state officials are answering a rising public call to address the fallout of last week's Mississippi Supreme Court Decision. In a 6-3 ruling, the court invalidated Initiative 65 - the constitutional amendment legalizing medical marijuana - and with it the entire citizen-initiative process. Governor Tate Reeves says he may call a special session of the legislature to address the issues. Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann thinks lawmakers should prioritize the medical marijuana program - noting it would take until 2022 before amending the initiative process.

Segment 2:

Working families with children in Mississippi could soon see additional money in their bank accounts as part of the recently passed American Rescue Plan. Prior to the sweeping federal relief package, families eligible for the child tax credit had to wait until they filed their income tax to claim child credits. But now, the law allows half of the money to be paid in advanced, monthly installments. Eligible families will receive a payment of up to $300 per month for each child up to age 5 and $250 for those 6 and older. Carol Burnett is with the Mississippi Low-Income Childcare Initiative. She shares how the change could help low-wage families with our Ashley Norwood.

Segment 3

Southern Remedy Health Minute

Segment 4:

State parks in Mississippi need upgrades and strategic marketing to make them more attractive to visitors. That's some of the points raised in a report released by the Mississippi Legislative Peer Committee. Executive Director James Barber says they visited some parks in different areas of the state and, as he tells our Desare Frazier, more must be done to make them competitive with parks in neighboring states.

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Advocates for medical marijuana continue to speak out after the Mississippi Supreme Court invalidated Initiative 65. We examine the health and economic fall out of the decision.

Then, the United States' highest court agrees to hear Mississippi's 15-week abortion ban - setting the stage for the potential overturning of Roe v Wade.

Plus, the Bail Project comes to Mississippi.

Segment 1:

Advocates for Mississippi's medical marijuana ballot initiative are expressing frustration following the Mississippi Supreme Court's opinion that effectively overturned the newly adopted constitutional amendment. Rankin County resident Angie Calhoun was a leading voice for Initiative 65 last fall. She said legalizing medical marijuana would have allowed her son to return home. Now, as she tells our Kobee Vance, she feels the life has been sucked out of her. Daniel Thompson says he's spent tens of thousands of dollars on land for farming and distribution - investments he believes the court has now undermined.

Segment 2:

Mississippi's 15 Week Abortion ban is drawing national attention, following the United States Supreme Court's decision to hear the case this fall. Pro-life champions are celebrating the move as they view it as an opportunity to challenge Roe v Wade. But advocates for reproductive rights find the situation more grim. Diane Derzis is the owner and CEO of Jackson Women's Health Organization - the only clinic in state that performs abortions. She tells our Desare Frazier, with current make-up of the court, Mississippi's 15-week ban is tailor-made to challenge the Roe opinion.

Segment 3:

Bail - the temporary release of an accused person awaiting trial on the condition of payment - is receiving elevated scrutiny as criminal justice reforms nationwide look to dismantle the discriminatory practice. And while some states have begun getting rid of their cash bail system, the gulf states have not. That's where The Bail Project hopes to help. It’s a national organization -- already running in Louisiana -- that helps bail people out of jail. Robin Sterling is the CEO and Founder of the Bail Project. She tells the Gulf States Newsroom’s Becca Schimmel the group is trying to reduce the number of people who are behind bars waiting for their day in court.

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Mississippi’s first 12 to 15 year olds get the Pfizer shot after authorization from the CDC and FDA.

Then, 60 years after the Freedom Rides, participants reflect on the meaning of their fight for civil rights.

Plus, members of Jackson State’s 1970 graduating class get a ceremony - 51 years after the deadly shootings of Phillip Gibbs and James Green.

Segment 1:

Young teens in Mississippi are getting their first dose of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine that was recently approved for use in the ages of 12-15. The new authorizations means more than 160 thousand adolescents in Mississippi can get vaccinated. At the University of Mississippi Medical Center, 14 year old Clinton resident Rosemary Williamson is getting her first dose of the coronavirus vaccine. With her mother Amy by her side, she tells our Kobee Vance why she decided to get her first dose on the first day.

Segment 2:

This month marks the 60th anniversary of the Freedom Rides, when young civil rights activists rode buses into the south, challenging segregation in busing and public facilities. As they made the journey from the nation’s capital to the Deep South, they were taunted and beaten by white mobs – and jailed. A few of the buses were even bombed. Janae Pierre, from our partner station WBHM, talked to participants of the movement about what their fight means decades later.

Segment 3:

James "Lap" Baker was supposed to ceremoniously receive his degree from Jackson State College in 1970. But on May 15th of that year, a police involved shooting brought the spring semester to an abrupt end and postponed graduation.  Two African-American men were killed and at least a dozen other people were injured.  

Baker and over 70 of his classmates will march in their caps and gowns for the first time in a special ceremony at the Green-Gibbs Plaza on the campus of JSU. The site is named after the two young men killed by gunfire from the Mississippi Highway Patrol: Phillip Gibbs, a 21 year-old junior pre-law major and married father of an 18-month-old son and a second unborn child; and James Earl Green, 17, a senior at Jim Hill High School, who was killed while observing the chaos. Baker, an eyewitness, remembers crawling through the grass to get to safety that night. He tells our Ashley Norwood the incident forever changed him.

The ceremony for the 1970 class also includes the awarding of honorary doctorates to the late Phillip Gibbs and James Green. Nerene Wray, Phillip Gibbs' sister, will be at the site named after her brother to receive the posthumous honor. She says she appreciates that university and the community still remember Phillip.

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A leading pediatrician responds to the approval of the Pfizer vaccine for 12 to 15 year olds.

Then, with vaccination rates declining statewide, we examine hesitancy in a rural, majority white community.

Plus, we hear from the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Health on the special enrollment period for health coverage though the ACA marketplace.

Segment 1:

Parents in Mississippi can begin scheduling a coronavirus vaccination for children age 12 to 15. The Pfizer coronavirus vaccine has received emergency use authorization from the FDA, and has now gained approval by the CDC for use in the adolescent age group. The decision comes at a time of declining vaccination rates in Mississippi. Health officials say around a quarter of the state's nearly three million residents are under the age of 16. Dr. Anita Henderson is President of the Mississippi Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She tells our Kobee Vance the authorization means clinics and hospitals already offering the Pfizer shot can begin vaccinating eligible children now. 

Segment 2:

Mississippi, along with Louisiana and Alabama, have the lowest coronavirus vaccination rates in the country. That’s according to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Gulf States Newsroom health reporter Shalina Chatlani has been following this story and traveled to North Mississippi to ask people why they were against the shot. She’s joining me today to talk about some of those conversations. 

Segment 3:

The White House is celebrating a public health milestone this week. New enrollment for health coverage during a special period made possible through President Biden's American Rescue Plan has topped one million Americans. The legislation also lowered premiums for nine million Americans who buy their coverage through the Affordable Care Act, and also reduced deductibles by nearly 90 percent. Dr. Rachel Levine is the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Health. She tells our Michael Guidry the special enrollment period is one step in the administration's goal of making health care a right - not a privilege.  

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.