Mississippi Edition

Water outages continue in Jackson as treatment and distribution facilities struggle to reach pressure levels high enough to service parts of the city.

Then, the Mississippi Tax Freedom Act receives scrutiny from policy analysts and state leaders.

Plus, the Mississippi's Public Service Commission announces a comprehensive review of the the state's utility infrastructure.

Segment 1:

Water outages continue in the capital city following last month's severe winter event. Prolonged temperatures at or below freezing during the storm caused officials to shut down the city's water treatment and distribution facilities. Since returning online, the systems have not yet reached the pressure necessary to service parts of the city located far from the plants. During a briefing yesterday, Public Works Director Charles Williams said the department is doing a number of things to restore water. Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba says the city's facilities were not meant to be shut down for days - as they were during last month's storm. He says full restoration of water service comes down to one key factor.

Segment 2:

Last week, House Republicans introduced the Mississippi Tax Freedom Act - a comprehensive tax reform bill advocates say claim will attract new business and create new economic opportunities in the state. But some analysts say the plan could be ineffective in accomplishing that. Meg Wiehe is Deputy Executive Director at the Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy. In part two of her conversation with our Michael Guidry, Wiehe breaks down that philosophy and offers a comparative analysis to other states that have undergone similar restructuring.

Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann says the bill raises questions - especially regarding where revenues would balance cuts. He shared more on the bill during a press conference yesterday.

Segment 3:

Mississippi's three Public Service Commissioners are unanimously announcing comprehensive review of the Magnolia State’s public utility infrastructure. The review comes on the heels of a recent weather storm that has resulted in lingering after-effects both at home and in other areas of the region - like Texas, where residents went days in frigid temperatures without electricity. Dane Maxwell is Chair of the Commission. He shares more with our Kobee Vance.