Mississippi Edition

Thousands of Mississippians are still navigating the aftermath of Hurricane Zeta. We hear one story of from the owner of Bay St. Louis institution steeped in Black history, and how the arts will help pave the road to recovery.  

Then, on the eve of the election, we take at a final look at the leading candidates in Mississippi's Senate Race.

Plus, in 2016, Donald Trump was able to win the Presidency despite a three million point deficit in the popular vote. We examine the quirky but definitively constitutional Electoral College.

Segment 1:

In 1894, 12 civic-minded African American residents of Bay Saint Louis drew up the bylaws for an organization called the Hundred Members Debating Benevolent Association. The group’s primary purpose was to "assist its members when sick, bury its dead in a respectable manner and knit friendship." The group later built a pavilion and then a hall that would last as a cornerstone for the town's black community for over a century.

Last week, the 100 Man Hall was one of many structures damaged by Hurricane Zeta - much of its roof ripped off by the storm's strong winds. Now, owner Rachel Dangermond plans to use one of the hall's historic staples - the arts - to fuel recovery efforts. She shares more with our Evelina Burnett.

Segment 2:

Mississippians will be deciding on a rematch of the 2018 U.S. Senate race when they head to the polls tomorrow. Democrat Mike Espy is trying, again, to unseat Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith. MPB’s Ashley Norwood takes a closer look.

Segment 3:

In the final day before the election, President Donald Trump is looking to duplicate his success from 2016. With stops scheduled today in North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Michigan, Trump is keying in on the states that helped him in his first campaign for the White House.  

Democratic hopeful Joe Biden is also focusing much of his final efforts on those pivotal swing states. Despite a significant lead in national polls, analysts predict Biden needs to win back states Trump carried in 2016 if he wants to prevail. This method of localized politicking and messaging to specific blocks of the electorate is a product of the system in which America chooses its President. Matt Steffey, professor of Constitutional Law at the Mississippi College School of Law shares more about the Electoral College.