Mississippi Edition

The Governor announces upcoming restrictions on a number of targeted counties, and defends his legislative vetoes.

Then, leaders at UMMC urge residents to take personal responsibility for keeping themselves and others safe from COVID-19.

Plus, how the National Endowment for the Humanities is helping Mississippi institutions during the pandemic.

Segment 1:

Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves is tightening restrictions in 13 counties with significant spikes in coronavirus cases. Reeves made the announcement yesterday during a press briefing after hinting tighter restrictions could come as cases and hospitalizations continue to rise. The restrictions are a response, in part, to a health care system under stress due to widespread community transmission.

Reeves also defended his decision to veto certain legislation, including two prison reform bills and the education budget. Reeves took exception to a part of the education budget that redirects money from the School Recognition Program into the MAEP. Reeves stood by his characterization of the program cut as a pay cut for teachers. Kelly Riley is Executive Director of Mississippi Professional Educators. She says the education budget bill cuts funding of the MAEP.

Segment 2:

Medical professionals in Mississippi are warning that the state is in 'the eye of a hurricane' for COVID-19 hospitalizations. This comes as the state experiences a two-week period of record case numbers. Dr. LouAnn Woodward is Vice Chancellor of the University of Mississippi Medical Center. She says the state went from shelter-in-place to wide-open, and now is the time for residents to find a healthy middle ground.

Segment 3:

The National Endowment for the Humanities is receiving $40.3 million in new CARES Act economic stabilization grants to support essential operations at more than 300 cultural institutions across the country. In Mississippi that includes the B.B. King Museum and the Mississippi Museum of Art. NEH Chairman Jon Parrish Peede is a native of Brandon, Mississippi, with a master's in Southern Studies from the University of Mississippi. He shares what the CARES Act funds means for the humanities in Mississippi.