Mississippi Edition

Health officials lay out plans to expedite vaccines to Mississippi’s oldest residents.

Then, the new state flag moves one step closer to becoming official as the Senate ratified the November vote. But a recent poll indicates nearly 40 of voters still believe Mississippi is heading in the wrong direction.

Plus, in today’s Book Club, Mississippi author, Michael Farris Smith, creates a backstory for “The Great Gatsby’s” narrator, Nick Carraway

Segment 1:

With a coronavirus vaccine now limitedly available, the Department of Health is expanding vaccine availability ahead of schedule to residents age 75 and older. State health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs says he wants the current allocation of vaccines to go to who needs them - especially those in the most vulnerable age groups. 

Segment 2:

The Magnolia State is a Governor's signature away from officially having a new state flag. The Senate ratified the results of the November initiate yesterday. Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann says he wants the vote to be a stepping stone to more comprehensive solutions. But despite the state's progress in adopting a new banner, many Mississippians - nearly 40 percent - believe the state is headed in the wrong direction. That's according to the latest State of the State Poll conducted by Chism Strategies and Millsaps College. Nathan Shrader is the Chair of the Department of Government and Politics at Millsaps. In part one of his conversation with our Michael Guidry, Shrader breaks down how voters view the direction of the state, and its leadership's handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

Segment 3:

It’s fair to say that F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby,” sits high on many lists of the greatest American novels. Mississippi writer, Michael Farris Smith, says he was fascinated by the book’s narrator, Nick Carraway. In his new novel, simply titled “Nick,” Farris Smith creates a back story for Carraway. He tells us he wasn’t a big fan of The Great Gatsby when he first read it.