GULFPORT — Republican Gov. Tate Reeves formally launched his reelection campaign Tuesday night just yards from the Gulf Coast shoreline, signifying the importance of the region to the state GOP and the political stranglehold the governor has on the area. 

Reeves told a crowd of supporters and state lawmakers gathered at the Lynn Meadows Discovery Center that he wanted to hold his first campaign event in Gulfport because of how strongly the region supported him during his first gubernatorial campaign.

“We’re here tonight because in 2019, y’all fought for us every single day of that campaign,” Reeves, flanked by campaign signs and cheering supporters, told the crowd of about 75. “In 2019, I promised that I would spend every day fighting for the Mississippi Gulf Coast as governor, and that’s exactly what I’ve done.”

The event setting chosen by Reeves, a metro Jackson native, underscores an important reality for the first-term governor: that the state’s “bottom six” counties of George, Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Pearl River and Stone are his political firewall.

In 2019, facing a formidable Democratic challenger in former Attorney General Jim Hood, Reeves won by just 45,000 total votes. In the bottom six counties alone, Reeves bested Hood by 35,000 votes, leaving a needed margin of victory of just 10,000 votes in the state’s other 76 counties.

Facing two Republican primary opponents and another tough Democratic challenger later this year, the Gulf Coast wins of four years ago will almost certainly remain at top of mind for the Reeves camp.

“Four years ago, we learned early on the momentum that Tate was gaining down here,” Todd Reeves, Tate’s brother who spoke before Reeves took the stage, said at the Tuesday event. “As the results rolled in from the Coast on election night, it not only touched Tate and (First Lady) Elee (Reeves), but it meant a lot to our entire family.”

One reason the Gulf Coast has flocked to Reeves is the symbiotic relationship he has strategically cultivated with the area his entire political career.

During his two terms as lieutenant governor between 2012-2020, Reeves went out of his way to visit the Coast. Long eyeing an eventual run for the Governor’s Mansion, he hosted several town halls and press conferences over those years, typically focused on funding opportunities for the region.

Since he started his term as governor in January 2020, however, the governor doubled down on that focus, sprinkling the region with hundreds of millions in federal grants administered by state agencies that report to him. Though most of those funds must be designated for and spent on Coast-based projects, Reeves has never missed an opportunity to take full credit. In his three-and-a-half years as governor, he has held more than a dozen press conferences in at least eight “bottom six” towns to formally announce the projects before local TV cameras.

“The Coast’s success is Mississippi’s success, and this is another great victory,” Reeves said in a press release just this week announcing that he signed a bill that designates federal grant spending in several Coast towns and counties.

Aiding Reeves’ political prospects on the Gulf Coast this year is the fact that he has a several years head start in the region on his Democratic opponent, Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley. Presley, a northeast Mississippi native, enjoys minimal name ID on the Coast and will need to spend considerable time and money to build up a base of support here.

Politics aside, most of the people who attended the event told Mississippi Today they wanted a governor who plans to grow the state’s economy and wants to improve public K-12 education. 

“If those things happen, it can encourage people outside of Mississippi to look at our state as an opportunity. And I think Tate Reeves has accomplished that,” said Gulfport businessman Dave Dennis, a 2011 candidate for governor.

Because of the area’s strong showing for Reeves, the governor has choked out any serious competition from the area and nearly locked down key supporters.

Secretary of State Michael Watson, a Republican from Jackson County, explored challenging Reeves in the GOP primary by using his hometown roots to chip away at the governor’s Coastal grip.

Instead, Watson bowed out and opted to run for reelection to secretary of state, virtually leaving the governor without any serious threat to the GOP nomination.

“We’re very proud of our governor,” said Mississippi GOP Chairman Frank Bordeaux, a longtime Gulf Coast resident. “We’re proud of the shape that our state’s in, and the Coast has sent a big message tonight that this is his place.”

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Memorial Hospital, the largest hospital in Harrison County, began laying off employees on Tuesday. 

The cuts are due to increased costs brought on by the pandemic, according to a statement released by the hospital.

Fewer than 90 people, or 2% of the hospital’s workforce, were laid off, and none of the positions involved direct patient care, according to the statement. No additional layoffs are expected, and no service lines will be shuttered. 

“These difficult steps will help ensure the long-term sustainability of our health system so we can continue to offer the same services to our community,” CEO Kent Nicaud said. “We are committed to providing high-quality care close to home.”

Affected employees can apply for Memorial’s dozens of open positions, the hospital said, and Memorial will offer career placement services. 

Memorial has sustained big financial losses in recent years. Just a year ago, the hospital laid off and demoted several top administrators, citing financial strain prompted by the pandemic. 

It’s the latest hospital to make cuts amid the state’s health care crisis.

Recently, Alliance Healthcare System in Holly Springs ended inpatient care, Singing River in Gulfport suspended obstetric services, and Greenwood Leflore closed its labor and delivery department.

One report puts a third of Mississippi’s rural hospitals at risk of closure, with a half of those at risk of closure within three years. 

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A Starkville resident’s design was selected as the winner following a call for public submissions.

A new standard license plate has now been approved in Mississippi following a design contest that received over 400 submissions in November 2022.

The winning submission, shown above, was designed by Leah Frances Eaton of Starkville, Mississippi, and was selected by the License Tag Commission consisting of the Governor, Commissioner of Revenue, State Treasurer, and Attorney General.

The new Mississippi license plate will begin being issued starting with January 2024 renewals.

“We had so many fantastic designs submitted that it was really tough to pick only one winner,” said Governor Tate Reeves. “The clear talent and creativity of Mississippians was well on display. We are excited to announce the new design and hope that drivers can enjoy showcasing it on road trips both near and far.”

In November 2022, the design contest kicked off for Mississippians to help redesign the standard license plate. The redesign is typically handled by the License Tag Commission but this time it was opened for public input in a similar manner as was done when the state flag was redesigned.

License plate designs in Mississippi are determined every five years. The current design with the brownish tint background has been widely unpopular since its inception.

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First Republic Bank became the second-biggest bank failure in U.S. history after the lender was seized by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and sold to JPMorgan Chase on May 1, 2023. First Republic is the latest victim of the panic that has roiled small and midsize banks since the failure of Silicon Valley Bank in March 2023.

The collapse of SVB and now First Republic underscores how the impact of risky decisions at one bank can quickly spread into the broader financial system. It should also provide the impetus for policymakers and regulators to address a systemic problem that has plagued the banking industry from the savings and loan crisis of the 1980s to the financial crisis of 2008 to the recent turmoil following SVB’s demise: incentive structures that encourage excessive risk-taking.

The Federal Reserve’s top regulator seems to agree. On April 28, the central bank’s vice chair for supervision delivered a stinging report on the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, blaming its failures on its weak risk management, as well as supervisory missteps.

We are professors of economics who study and teach the history of financial crises. In each of the financial upheavals since the 1980s, the common denominator was risk. Banks provided incentives that encouraged executives to take big risks to boost profits, with few consequences if their bets turned bad. In other words, all carrot and no stick.

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One question we are grappling with now is what can be done to keep history from repeating itself and threatening the banking system, economy and jobs of everyday people.

S&L Crisis Sets the Stage

The precursor to the banking crises of the 21st century was the savings and loan crisis of the 1980s.

The so-called S&L crisis, like the collapse of SVB, began in a rapidly changing interest rate environment. Savings and loan banks, also known as thrifts, provided home loans at attractive interest rates. When the Federal Reserve under Chairman Paul Volcker aggressively raised rates in the late 1970s to fight raging inflation, S&Ls were suddenly earning less on fixed-rate mortgages while having to pay higher interest to

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About 250 survivors of the deadly tornadoes that swept through Mississippi on March 24 are now eligible for direct housing assistance through FEMA, State officials announced Monday.

The affected residents are located in Carroll, Humphreys, Monroe, Montgomery, Panola and Sharkey counties. FEMA will provide eligible applicants with transportable temporary housing units “and other forms of housing for residents displaced due to the March 24th tornadoes,” Gov. Tate Reeves’ press office said in an announcement yesterday.

“This is a temporary housing solution while residents navigate the rebuild(ing) of their home,” Mississippi Emergency Management Agency Executive Director Stephen McCraney said in a statement with the governor Monday. “A long-term housing solution for survivors will take time and effort. Survivors are asked to be patient and consider all avenues when determining what will be best for each family moving forward.”

The announcement said tornado survivors who have already applied for FEMA assistance do not need to reapply to receive direct housing assistance. “FEMA will contact the survivor if they are eligible for direct housing assistance,” the press release continued. “FEMA will NOT ask for any money. Residents who qualify for direct housing can live in the temporary housing units for up to 18 months.”

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The March 24 tornadoes killed 26 people and left at least 170 injured while damaging or destroying thousands of homes and other structures.

Samaritan’s Purse, a North Carolina-based evangelical Christian humanitarian aid organization, is also offering to help residents who had a “mobile home or single-family home” that “was destroyed by the tornadoes and was uninsured or under-insured” with its mobile home replacement program, the announcement said.

“We are extremely grateful to Samaritan’s Purse for assisting citizens with their housing needs. We cannot thank them enough,” MEMA State Coordinating Officer Todd DeMuth said in the statement. “However, not every survivor will qualify for direct housing or meet Samaritan’s Purse criteria. We’ve identified a new task force to assist those residents and bridge the gap in recovery. These solutions won’t make the survivor whole, but it will get them in the right step in returning to normalcy.”

A resident looks

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A handful of major hospitals say they’re ending their membership with the Mississippi Hospital Association, long an influential player in the policy and political spaces in the state. 

Mere days after the University of Mississippi Medical Center announced that it’s leaving the MHA, Memorial Hospital in Gulfport, Singing River Health System on the coast and George Regional Health System in Lucedale have all terminated their relationship as well, citing concerns with the hospital association’s leadership. None cited specific reasons for their concerns.

MHA President Tim Moore could not be reached by press time. He’s led the organization for almost 10 years. 

As first reported by Magnolia Tribune, UMMC sent a letter to the MHA on April 28, ending its relationship and citing concerns with current MHA leadership. The letter was signed by Vice Chancellor LouAnn Woodward and Associate Vice Chancellor for Clinical Affairs Alan Jones. UMMC is the state’s largest public hospital. 

A spokesperson for UMMC replied it had “no comment” to questions emailed by Mississippi Today about the decision.

Memorial Hospital sent a similar letter, signed by its CEO Kent Nicaud, to the MHA on May 1.

“After much thought and deliberation, and as I mentioned at our Executive Meeting on April 21, 2023, I have significant concerns regarding the strategy, vision, and behavior of MHA leadership,” Nicaud writes. “While I sincerely believe in an effective, united, and strong association, I do not feel that is the case at this time. 

“Based upon recent actions, I have lost confidence in the association and fear that in the near future, MHA’s current leadership and vision will detract from the strength and vision to which we have all contributed over the past several years.”

Singing River terminated its relationship with the MHA on May 1 through a letter signed by CEO Tiffany Murdock and Board President Erich Nicols. The letter lists concerns about “strategy, communication and leadership.”

“While the MHA can play an important role in supporting hospitals across the state, we have lost confidence in its ability to do so under the current leadership,” it reads. 

A letter dated May 1 and obtained by Magnolia Tribune shows George Regional Health System leadership, too, shared doubts about the MHA’s “leadership strategy.” A hospital spokesperson could not be reached for comment by Mississippi Today by the time of publication.

The MHA represents the interests of Mississippi’s hospitals. The association advocates for policy change on both the state and federal level, and its website says the MHA comprises “over 100 hospitals, health care systems, networks, care-providers and a pool of over 50,000 employees.” It has lobbied for Medicaid expansion

It’s not clear how many hospitals could follow suit in the coming days. 

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Mississippians who are insured by Medicaid no longer have to make copayments for health care services, the state’s Division of Medicaid announced.

The policy change, which went into effect May 1, includes copays for prescription medications as well as hospital and doctor’s office visits.

The Medicaid division will keep paying providers for their services, including copays — the only change is that beneficiaries will no longer be responsible, according to communications officer Matt Westerfield.

Copays are a form of cost sharing in health insurance plans. Insurance companies pay a portion of the bill, while the patient is responsible for a certain out-of-pocket amount. 

Harold Miller, CEO of the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform, said copayments in Medicaid create problems for both policyholders and providers. 

Copays can discourage people from getting the care they need because they cannot afford it, which can snowball into a worse, even more expensive health care issue, “which means the Medicaid program would end up paying more overall,” Miller said. 

“For example, if an asthmatic child doesn’t get an inhaler because their parents can’t afford the copayment, they could end up in the hospital,” he said. “Sometimes people stretch out medications to reduce the number of refills, and that can cause problems.”

And then providers have to try and collect the copays.

“If the person can’t afford the copayment and the provider sees the patient anyway, the provider just gets paid less, and that can discourage physicians from taking on Medicaid patients,” Miller said. “In theory, the copayment discourages people from getting services they don’t need, but on balance, the problems they create by discouraging necessary care likely outweigh the advantages.”

In a month, Medicaid plans to submit a state plan amendment in pursuit of the change to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, which is required when a state plans to revise its policies. If approved, it will be retroactively effective to May 1. The amendment will be posted on the Medicaid agency’s website upon its submission. 

“We are always looking for opportunities to increase access to services while reducing administrative burdens on members and providers,” Westerfield said.

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Things to do near you in the month of May in Mississippi.

There’s nothing like spring in Mississippi! The weather is ideal for outdoor activities, and there are many exciting activities planned around the state in the month of May.  

Cinco de Mayo: May 5

Cinco de Mayo, or the fifth of May, is a celebration of the day in 1862 when Mexico’s army defeated France at the Battle of Puebla during the Frano-American War. But for many Americans, it’s the day we celebrate drinking margaritas and eating Mexican food. Many Mexican restaurants go all out for Cinco de Mayo, so head to your neighborhood taqueria and celebrate this Friday! If you are in Central Mississippi, Taqueria la Guadalupe in Madison serves up some authentic tacos. On the more outlandish end, Lucy’s Retired Surfers Bar & Restaurant in Biloxi will be hosting “Cinco de Mayhem” with Lucha Libre Wrestling. Aye caramba!

Art, Wine & Wheels: May 5-7

A jam-packed weekend filled with three of Ridgeland’s signature cultural and outdoor events – all in the same epic weekend. The Fine Arts Festival in the parking lot of The Renaissance at Colony Park draws artists from around the country. The Sante’ South Food & Wine Festival is a delicious event that pairs exceptional wines with food from local restaurants at St. Andrews School. Best of all, it benefits The Mind Center. And the Natchez Trace Century Ride, Mississippi’s premier cycling event, takes cyclists along the beautiful and historic Natchez Trace.

Jimmie Rodgers Festival: May 6-14

Known as “the Father of Country Music,” Jimmie Rodgers was born in Meridian in 1897. He is best remembered for his distinctive style of rhythmic yodeling and has been the inspiration of many recording artists. Meridian is proud of this native son, and they should be. He was inducted into numerous halls of fame during his career.

For 70 years, the Jimmie Rodgers Foundation has presented an annual music festival. Just as Rodgers influenced all genres of American music, this year’s lineup will include artists performing blues, rock & roll, country, and gospel music. The festival will take place over an eight day period, with events taking place in Meridian’s diverse and historic performance venues.

For more information and to order tickets, go to 70th Annual Festival | Jimmie Rodgers Music Festival | Meridian, MS

Canton Flea Market: May 11

The Canton Flea Market Arts and Crafts show began in 1965 when local artists hung paintings on the iron fence surrounding the Madison County Courthouse for an art show. Over the years, it has grown to be one of the one of the Top Twenty Events in the southeast. The Canton Flea Market attracts over 1,100 artisans from across the country who showcase handcrafted items such as pottery, jewelry, and unique arts and crafts. This bi-annual event takes place on the beautiful grounds of the historic Madison County Courthouse and throughout the surrounding area. Canton Flea Market Arts & Crafts Show — Canton Tourism

Pepsi Pops: May 12

Pack up your picnic basket and head to the Rez on May 12 for the 42nd annual Pepsi Pops concert by the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra will be held on May 12. Expect to hear popular music from Broadway shows, movies, and more. The event will take place at the scenic Old Trace Park in Ridgeland, which offers a beautiful setting for this outdoor concert. A variety of food truck vendors will be on hand. The evening will conclude with a fireworks display over the water.

Advance tickets are $15. Gate tickets will be available for $20. Tickets for children and students ages 4 to 21 are $5. The gates will open at 5:30 p.m. Visit msorchestra.com to purchase tickets and learn more.

Gumtree Art & Wine Fest: May 11-14

Founded in 1971, The Gumtree Art and Wine Festival is presented by the Gumtree Museum of Art in Tupelo. It has become a cultural landmark, bringing thousands of visitors to Tupelo to celebrate the visual and performing arts, as well as to offer rare opportunities to interact with the artists while viewing and purchasing fine works of art. The festival also features educational art activities, youth art award ceremonies, live music and entertainment, local food vendors, and of course, wine and food tastings and pairings.

Mother’s Day: May 14

Don’t forget to honor your mother on her special day. She’s the one who loved you first! Make your Mother’s Day brunch reservations now!

Natchez Festival of Music: April 20-May 20

Founded in 1991, The Natchez Music Festival presents a wide range of world-class music and live theater from internationally and nationally recognized performers. This year’s festival will feature music from Broadway musicals, to jazz, Blues, and other special concerts.

Snappy Sync Firefly Tours: May 19-21

Seeing a sparkling carpet of fireflies in your backyard can be a magical experience. But imagine seeing them all flashing at once—in a symphony of light. Synchronous species of fireflies are very special—and they love the backyard of the Waller Craft Center. The wooded area between the back deck of the Craft Center and the Trace is the ideal breeding ground for the “snappy syncs.”

The Snappy Sync Soiree will be held on the evening of Thursday, May 18. Guests at the exclusive preview party will enjoy live music, light refreshments, wine, and a guided firefly tour. Tickets for the event are $40. Guided tours will be held nightly from Friday, May 19 to Sunday, May 21. Each tour is given by Mississippi Master Naturalists and lasts about 20 minutes. Tickets for the firefly tours are $8.

A special nighttime photography workshop will be held on Thursday, May 18 by master photographer Kim Rushing. The workshop will begin with classroom instruction at the Craft Center from 7:00 to 7:30, followed by a photo session along the Natchez Trace Parkway when darkness falls. Tickets for the photography workshop are $65 and include admission to the Snappy Sync Soiree. The Waller Craft Center is located at 950 Rice Road. Tickets are available online at 2023 Snappy Sync Soiree and Firefly Tours Tickets, Thu, May 18, 2023 at 6:00 PM | Eventbrite

Blessing of the Fleet: May 27-28

A tradition in Biloxi since 1929, the event marks the beginning of the fishing season for shrimp fishermen. The event kicks off on May 27 with the Shrimp Queen Pageant held at 6pm at the Biloxi Civic Center. The Blessing of the Fleet takes place in Biloxi Harbor, where the priest from St. Michael Catholic Church gives each colorfully decorated boat a blessing for safe sailing during the fishing season.

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