Share

cover art for 1/11/21 - Winter Weather | Vaccine Roll-out | MDOC Reforms

Mississippi Edition

1/11/21 - Winter Weather | Vaccine Roll-out | MDOC Reforms

With snow hitting the Magnolia State, we talk to the National Weather Service about how long residents can expect wintry weather.

Then, the health department expands vaccination sites in the continuing fight to lower transmission of the coronavirus.

Plus, after assuming leadership of the Department of Corrections last summer, Commissioner Burl Cain discusses his first months on the job.

Segment 1:

A wintry mix of rain and snow is making its way across Mississippi, causing a number of school closures and winter weather advisories. Some parts of the state have seen more than an inch of snow. For more on the system and how long residents can expect these conditions, we turn to Meteorologist John Moore who joins us now from the National Weather Service in Jackson.

Segment 2:

Coronavirus transmission in Mississippi remains high with the state health department reporting over 5,000 new cases of COVID-19 over the weekend. Although vaccine distribution in the state is underway, roll-out has been slow. State Epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers says the risk remains high for the state's long-term care facilities.

State officials are deviating from the Center for Disease Control's vaccine distribution guidelines. State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs says the decision was made to expedite the vaccines to the state's older residents.

Segment 3:

The Mississippi Department of Corrections is changing some policies under the direction of Commissioner Burl Cain. Cain, who took office last summer, promised to deliver prison reform based on moral rehabilitation and skills training. Under his direction, MDOC has added seminary programs for inmates and Cain hopes community college courses will be available soon. Cain shares more about his first months on the job and his vision for the Department, beginning with the progress at Parchman State Penitentiary


More episodes

View all episodes

  • 03/28/2024: Senate Medicaid Plan | Abortion Pill at Supreme Court | Sustained Flight Solar Aircraft

    23:21
    Senate lawmakers are considering an amendment to a House's Medicaid bill and substitute it with their own language.Then, the US Supreme Court is considering if the FDA adequately regulates a major abortion pill.Plus, a coastal Mississippi facility is the new testing grounds for an aircraft that can fly, without landing, for months.
  • 03/27/2024: Black Voters Rally | Water Billing Tech | Women in Civil Rights

    23:33
    Lawmakers and several advocacy groups are calling on the legislature to pass bills that can help the lives of Black Mississippians.Then, Tech companies promised Mississippi cities a solution for all their water bill problems – promises the cities were desperate to believe.Instead, a new investigation reveals how those companies exploited cities and played a large part in Jackson’s ongoing water crisis.Plus, experts are examining the many ways women contributed to the civil rights movement.
  • 03/26/2024: Supreme Court Abortion Drug | Jackson Water Billing | Wages and Healthcare for Black Women

    24:18
    The issue of abortion is back before the US Supreme Court today over a widely used drug for chemical abortions, and whether the FDA had the authority to make it more accessible.Then, Jackson’s water provider says everyone should pay what they owe. But residents say their new bills are still wrong.Plus, wages and healthcare access remain top priorities for the Mississippi Black Women's Round Table.
  • 03/25/2024: Silver City and Rolling Fork 1 year later | Medicaid | Coding Bootcamp

    24:06
    It's been 1 year since an EF4 tornado destroyed several towns in Northwest Mississippi, including Rolling Fork, Amory, and Silver City.Then, doctors continue to call on lawmakers to address the state's financial crisis in healthcare. They say Medicaid is a major part of the solution.Plus, black women in Mississippi are being encouraged to participate in a 'coding bootcamp' to prepare them for a possible future in tech.
  • 03/22/2024: Final Goon Squad Sentencing | Education Funding | Ant-Trans Legislation

    21:14
    The final two former Rankin County officers who call themselves the Goon Square are sentenced after brutalizing two black men last year.Then, lawmakers continue to disagree over how the state should fund public education.Plus, several bills moving through the legislature could re-define what rights are available to transgender Mississippians.
  • 03/21/2024: Day 2 Goon Squad Sentencing Dollar Stores PERS Hearing

    20:11
    The largest sentencing so far has been handed down to a former member of the Rankin County "Goon Squad".Then, some dollar stores are closing their doors across the nation, but Dollar General is expanding their operations.Plus, the Public Employees' Retirement System for Mississippi is strained for long-term viability, and the state legislature wants to understand why.
  • 03/20/2024: Down Syndrome | Goon Squad | History is Lunch Author

    21:19
    A coalition of advocacy groups for people with Down Syndrome met with lawmakers during their first advocacy day at the Capitol.Then, the first of the officers involved with the Rankin County Goon Squad are being sentenced in federal court this week. Plus, a new book gives a unique insight into the life of a volunteer during Freedom Summer.
  • 03/19/2024: PERS Board | Mississippi Sound | COVID-19 Anniversary

    20:37
    The Board of Mississippi's retirement system for public employees is pushing back against an attempt from lawmakers to replace them with political appointees.Then, Five years after an ecological disaster, residents of the Mississippi Coast want more say in how much floodwater is sent into the Mississippi Sound.Plus, it's been 4 years since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The State Epidemiologist reflects on how far the state has come in that time.
  • 03/18/2024: Senate Ballot Initiative | Early Voting | The W Remains Independent

    21:49
    A vote this week could move the state one step closer to restoring the ballot initiative process. But votes in the Senate may be difficult to piece together.Then, some lawmakers want to create a process for early voting.Plus, many students and alumni of the Mississippi University for Women are saying thanks that a bill has died that would have merged the university with another.