Mississippi Edition

Tattoo parlors and casinos get the green light to reopen.

And, we talk to the Lt. Governor about the Small Business grant programs.

Then, the Mississippi Center for Justice files suit against two state prisons.

Plus, we look at how the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority is keeping travelers safe

Segment 1:

More Mississippi businesses are expected to reopen this week. After a number of phases allowing retail stores, salons and barber shops to resume business, tattoo parlors and casinos are now getting the green light to open their doors. During his daily press briefing Friday, Governor Tate Reeves announced the new Executive Order. The order allows tattoo parlors to open once health restrictions are put in place. Casinos are set to reopen May 21st. Reeves says he is allowing businesses to reopen because he believes personal responsibility is better than government order. He also calls efforts to delay until a vaccine or more reliable treatments are available, counterproductive.

The announcement allowing tattoo parlors and casinos to open capped a busy week of relief for Mississippi's small businesses. Last week the legislature passed a $300 million package for those businesses with federal funds provided through the CARES Act. This followed a heated battle between Governor Reeves and leaders in the legislature over who would control the appropriation of the $1.25 billion of relief money. Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann joins our Karen Brown to share his thoughts on clash, and what the legislature has planned for the rest of the CARES Act funds.

Segment 2:

Concerns over transmission of COVID-19 in long-term care and high density facilities are growing. This includes prisons, where Governor Tate Reeves and other officials say the spread of the coronavirus is relatively contained. But Mississippi Center for Justice and partners think the state can do more, and have filed a class action lawsuit against the department of corrections. Paloma Wu, an attorney with the Center for Justice says they want the state's two largest prisons, which are in Rankin and Green Counties, to follow CDC guidelines for correctional facilities to prevent Covid 19 infections.

Segment 3:

The Jackson Municipal Airport Authority is working with its air service providers to share new safety policies at the state's busiest airport. The new policies are issued by Delta, American, and United Airlines – all of which provide legacy air service at the Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport. LSherie Dean is the Public Information Officer with JMAA. She shares what the airlines and the authority are doing to keep travelers safe.