By Rod Duren, Central Mississippi/Golden Triangle blogger
Ryan ‘Don’t Call Me Roger’ Miller is fast becoming ‘King of the Road’ as he criss-crosses the state in his new job.
In April, he packed his bags from the University of Mississippi in Oxford and headed for the state capitol, where he became the director of ‘Accelerate Mississippi’. He literally has set up a “temp” office in the same building as Gov. Tate Reeves. Home | Mississippi Office of Workforce Development (acceleratems.org)
Mission: Address Mississippi’s most pressing economic problems and devise the state’s first legislative-directed workforce development plan, and to be a one-stop shop for businesses and partner entities.
The task is to help lead Mississippians to skill training and well-paying jobs.
It’s been a major issue for decades. The state has spent $350M annually on workforce development and job training, according to Mississippi Today, but no single entity was charged with finding effectiveness data that showed the money was well spent.
Now, with the new state office, ‘Accelerate Mississippi’ will give a workforce report to the governor, lieutenant governor and others ahead of the next legislative session. The report will cover how the millions of dollars are allocated, and if funded programs add value or increase jobs for resident workers, according to the legislation.
It’s definitely a move in the right direction for the Magnolia State.
Tidbits & Magnolias
*A Hallmark Channel Christmas movie – with a working title of “The Search for Christmas” - will begin filming in Natchez at the end of August, according to Daniel Lewis of Evergreen Film Productions and a Covington, La., native. Casting is tentatively scheduled to begin in a couple of weeks. Locals will have opportunities to be cast as extras. Air dates are tentatively set for between November and mid-December. Some of Lewis’ previous films were for Lifetime. This one will be the first Evergreen production brought to fruition for Lewis and his partner Rick Carter of Gulfport.
*Jackson, Miss., Helsinki, Finland, Moscow, and Varna, Bulgaria, are the only cities in the world officially sanctioned to host the International Ballet Competition. In 1978, the non-profit corporation, Mississippi Ballet International (MBI), was created to produce the first International Ballet Competition in the U.S.
The South is Rising Again
Seven of the top 10 states for COVID positivity rates are in southern states: Alabama (No. 1), Florida (2), Mississippi (4), Oklahoma (5), Louisiana (6), Texas (7) and Tennessee (10).
We’ve heard the “hype” and gnashing of teeth from the White House, CDC, and media. There is an estimated 93M eligible Americans who haven’t gotten any of the vaccines designed to protect you against COVID-19 and the Delta variant.
Sidebar: The FDA is still dragging its feet on granting full approval of the vaccines, which doesn’t help those still on the fence.
What are the reasons not to get vaccinated? It’s an interesting question and more interesting demographic.
Basically, there are differing sets of stragglers: Left and right politically; urban, suburban and rural; Black, Latino and White; adamantly opposed, and those who say they are waivering on a decision, according to several surveys.
A major concern is that those who are adamant against being vaccinated far outnumber the “waivers”.
If you’re considering the vaccine, give it a shot (no pun intended). If you haven’t, there’s going to come a day when, one of two things will happen. A business or school (see Louisiana’s mandated indoor mask-wearing) is going to ask for vaccination proof before entry.
By the way, for those having had heads in the sand, the new Delta virus has nothing to do with catfish ponds, birthplace of the blues, Greenville, Clarksdale, Carrollton, or Greenwood. They remain rural, historical jewels of the Magnolia State.
(Editor’s Note: This post is the second blog of 2021 for the Central Mississippi/Golden Triangle site. In deference to the Ole Miss, ‘Miz Sippi’ will be a periodic post throughout the month(s) ahead. Invitations are open to businesses and individuals on how to improve and grow this product. Business ads are also available upon request via gcmilbiz@gmail.com.)
NYC requiring proof of vaccinations at restaurants
New York City will require proof of vaccination to enter all restaurants, fitness centers and indoor entertainment venues, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday. (Source: CNN 08/02/21)
Anti-vaxxers change their minds in Fla.
Two former "anti-vaxxers" in Pensacola, Fla., are now vaccinated against COVID-,19 and are actively spreading the news to the public. Bill Snow and his son-in-law Vince Anderson have long refused the COVID vaccine. The community activist and YouTuber received the Moderna vaccine on Aug. 4. “I was definitely against the vaccine," he said, “but having done my research … I realize it's best and it was time." What changed his mind? A couple of his friends got sick and “they're younger than me..” (Source: WEAR 08/05/21) 'Anti-vaxxers' in Pensacola change stance, receive COVID vaccine | WEAR (weartv.com)
Louisiana requires wearing of masks indoors
The Louisiana indoor mask mandate applies to anyone age five or older in all public places in the state, including K-12 schools, regardless of whether people have the COVID-19 vaccine or not. (Source: WNOE 08/02/21)
99% Alabama COVID deaths unvaccinated
Of the 2,379 COVID-19 deaths reported in Alabama between Jan. 19 to June 30, only 25 were reported as being fully vaccinated. The remaining 2,354 (99%) were people who had not been vaccinated. (Source: AL.com 08/03/21)
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