Mississippi Edition

As Mississippi surpasses two pandemic milestones, we examine the state’s response to the coronavirus.

Then, the Lt. Governor reflects upon an unprecedented first session.

Plus, a Civil Rights icon is celebrated on what would have been her 103rd birthday.

Segment 1:

Mississippi has surpassed two grim milestones in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Over the weekend, total COVID-19 cases reached the 100,000 mark, while related deaths topped 3,000. After steadily dropping for much of August, the seven-day case average in the state has leveled off recently. And last week, Governor Tate Reeves allowed his Executive Order carrying the statewide mask mandate to expire. Dr. Claude Brunson is the Executive Director of the Mississippi State Medical Association. He examines the state of the pandemic in Mississippi with our Michael Guidry.

Segment 2:

For first-term Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann, the 2020 legislative session began like many before it. But it was soon interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, creating arguably the most unorthodox legislative year on record. Hosemann and other legislative leaders had to quickly pivot to the emergency needs of the state in its fight against COVID-19. The Lt. Governor reflects on the session beginning with how lawmakers allocated over a billion dollars in CARES Act relief.

Segment 3:

Today marks what would have been the 103rd birthday of Civil Rights icon Fannie Lou Hamer. Hamer is most notably known for her testimony at the 1964 National Democratic Party’s Convention on behalf of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. In commemoration of Hamer's life and legacy, an historic marker is being unveiled outside of the Sunflower County Courthouse. It is the product of months of planning by Mississippi Valley State University’s public history students, and their professor, Dr. C. Sade Turnipseed.