WCBI NEWS AT SIX - MAY 1, 2020

WCBI NEWS AT SIX - MAY 1, 2020

Thank you for joining us.

Mississippi's elected lawmakers have taken control of the purse strings.

Just hours ago, the state house and senate convened to consider one bill.

That bill, first introduced in the mississippi house, stripped governor tate reeves of sole power to spend the federal funding coming to the state.

The bill immediately went to the state senate.

The measure was overwhelmingly approved by both houses, with two no votes and one present vote.

Now this bill goes to the governor, who is expected to veto.

Two thirds of the house and senate must vote to override for the bill to become law.

The feud over dispersing funds from the cares act was a topic of discussion during the governor's daily briefing.

Our scott martin tuned in to this afternoon's press conference and joins us studio with a recap// petty political differences is what governor tate reeves says is happening within the state legislature.

He claims some members care more about power than mississippians.

The house and senate were called back in session this afternoon.

More than two weeks earlier than expected....particu larly to discuss a bill that gave the legislature power to have a hand in deciding where money from the cares act goes.

The cares act was drafted in washington to help states in the coronavirus crisis.

Mississippi is getting 1-point-25 billion dollars.

Governor reeves has claimed that under the emergency management act, he is in charge of divvieing up the money.

But not everyone agrees.

Governor reeves said today that legislators want him to call a special session and hear them beg for him to fund things that need funding.

As for the governor, he says the buck stops with him.

" i don't want my people that elected me to this office, and even those who voted against me, i don't want them to not get what they need because we're going to wait a week.

We're going to wait two weeks or we're ing to talk about it in a month.

We don't have a week.

We don't have a month.

The emergency is right now.

It is every single day."

The bill passed by both the house and the senate basically states that the governor can't spend any money.

The governor was asked if had plans to veto the bill at the time he stated he'd have to read the bill in its entirety before that decision.

Wipe to vo the mississippi department of health is reporting 397 new cases of covid-19 today.

The new positives bring the state's total to over 72- hundred cases.

20 new deaths are also being reported.

The total coronavirus deaths statewide are now 281.

The health department estimates about 34- hundred people have recovered from the virus.

Over 71-thousand mississippians have been tested for covid-19.

Centred up wcbi has learned columbus mayor robert smith will be announcing a "restart columbus committee".

The committee will be composed of specialized subcommittees focusing on restaurants, retail, hair salons, and other areas.

The committees will make three- step recommendations to allow businesses to reopen to the public as allowed by the state and federal guidelines.

The committees will be composed of local business and other leaders from their areas of expertise.

Wcbi has reached out to city officials for comment and is awaiting return information.

There have a lot of changes regarding mississippi's reopening.

In addition to regulations for the state, there are also local rules for individual municipalities.

Our stephanie poole joins us live in the studio with more on what you should know.

Aundrea, from businesses opening, to city curfew, and personal protection.

These are some of the concerns columbus city leaders are tackling to keep everyone healthy and safe.

The pandemic isn't over just yet.

And columbus city leaders are reminding citizens of the rules in place.

" the city council passed a resolution the other day that requires employees with business that are open to the public to ensure that their employees are masked.

We did not pass the resolution requiring customers to wear masks."

City attorney jeff turnage says even with businesses required to cover up, citizens should still protect themselves when out in public.

The city's curfew is another concern.the council implemented a new a curfew from 10pm-6am.

Only essential travel and activities are permitted between those hours.

" the police department has been very kind to people thus far and but they have the authority to issue citations up to 1-thousand dollars for chronic violators of people who did not comply.we don't want to do that but we don't want people to get infected and die either.

It's not a hard citation for people who are knowingly placing people at risk after being told not to."

Gloria herriot owns hollyhocks in downtown columbus.

She's urging community members to abide by the rules, so she can keep her doors open and hopefully flatten the curve.

" we want to be able to leave our homes, we want to get our lives back.

For me, that means opening hollyhocks so this is our first day and we are thrilled but it is important to be smart and if wearing a mask is what it takes then i'm willing.

Most of the small businesses are really hurting and fortunately we've been around a long time and so we've had a little bit put away to get us through."

Butt sots " we should be strictly enforcing those guidelines among ourselves and not relying on the police department to do that."

Turnage tells me these rules will be effective until may 11th.

Centred up a mississippi congressman helps pass legislation that connects furloughed or unemployed members of the national guard with ag producers statewide.

"farm corps" was established to provide a workforce of national guard and reserve members to jobs in agriculture .

Agriculture producers are in need of labor that is typically available through the h 2 a visa program, which has been impacted by travel restrictions.

Congressman trent kelly is spearheading the initiative and says the need is urgent.

"our armed services, national guard and also our farmers, who both support this nation and our food chain supply is so important, so we got both of those together and a lot of guardsmen are furloughed, this gives them an opportunity to go to work for farmers who need help, maintaining equipment, getting crops in the ground, it's that time of year so it really works and h 2 1 a labor source is not there because of coronavirus."

Detailed job postings can be found on the msu extension service farm corps wesbite, or on the facebook page.

First look stinger first look summary: the first weekend of may is going to look and feel more like the first weekend of summer!

Temperatures will warm into the 80s through the weekend and early next week.

Our next best chance for any showers or storms looks to be tuesday into tuesday night.

Friday night: clear, calm, and quiet.

Lows in the 50s.

Saturday: sunny and warm.

Highs in the low to mid 80s.

Winds sw 5-15 mph.

For high school seniors this school year will be one for the record books.

The class of 2020 had their school year cut short because of measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Schools across the region are honoring and recognizing the graduates.

Allie martin shows us what is being done in hatley for this year's class.

"you try and hang out and talk with your friends as much as you can, but with this going on you really can't do that."

Like the other 84 members of the class at hatley attendance center, emilee slade never expected her last day on campus would be the friday before spring break.

But a statewide shutdown of all schools to halt the spread of covid 19 cut short the school year for the class of 2020.

Emilee , who plays on the school's softball team, has been keeping in touch with friends primarily though snapchat.

"i think i can speak for all of us, we are trying to be as productive as we can."

Kristy keeton is in her first year as principal at hatley attendance center.

Keeton graduated from hatley in 1997 and wanted to do something special for the stueents, like emilee, who are about to reach a milestone in their young lives, so she reached out to parents, asking for photos and videos of the students for a graduation gift.

"we're hoping to give the video that's being complied to our seniors as a keepsake, we want this year to be remembered, not that i think they will ever forget it, but we want a momento so they understand that even though the senior year was cut short we still want to make it something special for them" amber hendrix has already submitted photos of her son tyler.

She has been planning graduation parties and other events for the past year, and is thankful for the senior video project and other ways parents are recognizing the graduates.

"we have a sign up list for may 9, 10 and 11 for friends, family and community to put balloons on the fence, and can attach a note of inspiration for their senior."

The theme for this school at hatley is "all in" emilee says it is especially appropriate for her class.

"i think it has made all of our seniors more strong as individuals, teaching us how to persevere, things may not always go your way, but you have to find a way to make it work" parents and school administrators are looking to the future for the class of 2020.

Principal keeton says a graduation ceremony will take place on the football field, sometime this summer.

In hatley, allie martin, wcbi news parents are also organizing a prom, to be held later in the summer.

Top take vo off top it was not the traditional commencement ceremony, but mississippi state university honored its graduates this afternoon.

The university moved graduation online this year because of covid- 19 restrictions.

The ceremony included remarks from the provost and executive vice, the incoming student association president, and the alumni association.

University president dr. mark keenum congratulated the 33-hundred graduates, saying he hopes to congratulate them in person in the near future.

I know this is not what you had in mind for your graduation and i want you to know i'm heartbroken.

I share your disappointment and frustration and not being able to be be part of a traditional commencement ceremony today.

However, my hope is that we will be able to find a time - possibly in late summer or early fall - to appropriately honor our spring 2020 graduates.

This is just the third time in msu's 142-year history that a traditional graduation ceremony has not been possible.

Stinger it's a local story that has been getting national attention..

We take a look at what it took to get a netflix hit to the screen when we come back..

Centred yesterday we brought you an exclusive interview with kennedy brewer, who's wrongful conviction is highlighted in a new netflix series called-- the innocence files.

Tonight we're hearing from the people who helped put the documentary together.... the series focuses on individuals who've been wrongfully convicted.

Two of them being from noxubee county..

Lauren fulton served as the field producer for the project... she spent eight months in mississippi gathering archive footage, court records, and interviewing those involved with the cases... fulton hopes the series will shine a light on others who are wrongfully convicted... and ultimately lead to their freedom.

"we need to recognize that there are intrinsic issues in our justice system that needs to be addressed.

They can be fixed, a lot of these wrongful convictions can be corrected, but the hope is that people won't end up in situations like levon and kennedy anymore."

The innocence project released this documentary in april.

Fulton says they hope to make a second series to this project... but at this time.... that hasn't been finalized.

Stinger wx open summary: the first weekend of may is going to look and feel more like the first weekend of summer!

Temperatures will warm into the 80s through the weekend and early next week.

Our next best chance for any showers or storms looks to be tuesday into tuesday night.

Friday night: clear, calm, and quiet.

Lows in the 50s.

Saturday: sunny and warm.

Highs in the low to mid 80s.

Winds sw 5-15 mph.

Saturday night: mostly clear.

Lows in the mid to upper 50s.

Sunday: mostly sunny to partly cloudy.

Highs in the mid 80s.

Sunday night: partly cloudy.

Lows in the 60s.

Monday: partly cloudy.

Highs in the mid to upper 80s.

Monday night: partly cloudy.

Lows in the 60s.

Tuesday: a 30% chance of showers and storms. highs in the 80s.

Wednesday- thursday: mostly sunny to partly cloudy.

Highs in the 70s.

Lows fall back into the 50s and 40s.

Follow @wcbiweather on facebook, twitter, instagram, and the wcbi news app summary: the first weekend of may is going to look and feel more like the first weekend of summer!

Temperatures will warm into the 80s through the weekend and early next week.

Our next best chance for any showers or storms looks to be tuesday into tuesday night.

Friday night: clear, calm, and quiet.

Lows in the 50s.

Saturday: sunny and warm.

Highs in the low to mid 80s.

Winds sw 5-15 mph.

Saturday night: mostly clear.

Lows in the mid to upper 50s.

Sunday: mostly sunny to partly take vo off top there is always someone who needs help.

That's why some oktibbeha county 4-h students are gathering supplies for mississippians in jefferson davis county.

People there were affected by the easter sunday tornado.

Around 100 homes were damaged and 4 people died during the severe weather.

The longview disciples 4-h club is collecting relief items to help ease the burden of their neighbors to the south.

And, what we are doing is we are taking some disaster relief buckets and the buckets are filled with baby items, wipes and we also have food for the babies.

We also have toiletry items for women and men.

It makes me feel special just to give back to the people who were in that bad tornado a while back, and i just feel special helping them feel good.

Relief donations are being collected at the new prairie mb church fellowship hall.

That's on bluefield road, just off of highway 12 outside of starkville in oktibbeha county.

Stinger after a quarter century in the dugout, an area baseball coach is hanging up his cleats..

Courtney takes a look back at his career when we come back..

Spx take pkg it was 26 years ago that lewis earnest took the head baseball coaching position at hamilton.

However, now he's ready to begin a new chapter: retirement.

"you never really know when is right.

I don't know if now is right necessarily."

Six state titles.

That's how hamilton will remember coach earnest.

He was the first to bring the hardware home after winning the 1997 1a baseball state championship.

Later, earnest added two more trophies to the display case in 1999 and 2001, as well as three slow-pitch softball titles in 2004, 2009, and 2012.

"they're all special in a certain way.

Of course, the first one is special because it's the first.

There was something different about every one of them; big plays and different kids."

Nearly 23 years later, earnest remembers his first title like it was yesterday.

"we played natchez- cathedral.

They were 24-0 when we went down there and when we got back here, after playing them, they were 24-2.

We won those two and won it all.

I remember the fans coming over the outfield wall.

Back then, you played championships on your home field."

However, it's not the championships that earnest says he's going to miss the most.

His toughest goodbye will be to the baseball field.

"there wasn't much of anything here when i started.

Everything here has my fingerprint on it and one way or another i built it.

This one and the softball field.

It's special to me.

I've told people it's kind of like my baby."

Although earnest may no longer be the man in charge, he says he doesn't plan on staying away from the baseball field he calls home.

"thank you for a great opportunity, and for a great career.

I'm going to miss everything about it.

I'm still going to be down here a lot, but i'm going to miss it."

Hamilton baseball now begins a new era as six-year assistant coach dallas flippo takes over the program.

Reporting in hamilton, courtney robb wcbi sports.

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