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This man could save the lives of countless Mississippi mothers

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This man could save the lives of countless Mississippi mothers

by Adam Ganucheau, Mississippi Today
February 27, 2023

Note: This editorial anchored Mississippi Today’s weekly legislative newsletter.Subscribe to our free newsletterfor exclusive access to legislative analysis and up-to-date information about what’s happening under the Capitol dome.

Every so often in Mississippi politics, there are moments for unexpected heroics — cracked windows of opportunity when someone stands up to lead and does something so brave that it’s remembered for years down the road.

For the next 36 hours or so, one little-known elected official will be sitting alone, squarely in front of that window. He has to decide whether to reach out and open it or let it fall closed.

State Rep. Joey Hood, a 46-year-old Republican from Ackerman, could buck his party leaders and pass a policy that more than two-thirds of Mississippi voters want, that every major medical association in the state wants, that the majority of the GOP-led Senate wants, and that the majority of his GOP-led House wants.

Passing postpartum Medicaid extension would increase health coverage for new, poor mothers from two months to 12 months. It’s a common-sense deal passed by dozens of other states that would tremendously help moms and kids in Mississippi, which boasts one of the highest maternal mortality rates and the highest infant mortality rate in the nation. And it would cost the state just $7 million per year — a drop in the bucket given our current $3.9 billion surplus.

READ MORE: Majority of lawmakers support postpartum Medicaid extension, Mississippi Today survey shows

Despite its broad popularity and clear need, Speaker of the House Philip Gunn continues to block it, saying he doesn’t support Medicaid expansion in any form and doesn’t see the health benefits of providing health care to the mothers. And Gov. Tate Reeves, who legislative leaders say could sign the policy into effect himself without their approval, reversed his long opposition on Sunday and said he wants lawmakers to pass it.

But Hood, a husband and father of two young boys, could take matters into his own hands this week. The Senate bill that would extend postpartum Medicaid, which passed overwhelmingly earlier this session, was assigned to the House Medicaid Committee, which Gunn appointed Hood to lead. The bill must pass out of his committee by midnight on Tuesday, Feb. 28, to stay alive.

In the past three terms, Gunn has corralled nearly complete power over bills that enter the House of Representatives. He demands loyalty from his committee chairs and has strategically created an “inner circle” of Republicans most faithful to him. That way if Gunn wants a certain bill to die, he knows his hand-picked chairs will dutifully follow his lead, keeping the bill from being debated in their committee until it dies a quiet and unseemly death at deadline.

Hood, first elected in 2011, is indeed one of Gunn’s “inner circle” Republican chairs and a most loyal soldier. That was evident earlier this session when Hood refused to call a Medicaid Committee meeting, ensuring his House colleagues would not have the chance to even debate the House version of postpartum Medicaid extension.

But whether the speaker likes it or not, Hood possesses the power to place the Senate bill on his committee’s calendar for debate and consideration this week. The speaker, who reiterated last week he does not support postpartum Medicaid extension, cannot legally stop Hood from bringing the bill up in his committee. And if Hood brings it up before his committee, it would almost certainly pass, based on the Mississippi Today survey of House members.

So why would Hood go so directly against Gunn’s wishes? Why is this deadline different? Why is there a cracked window of opportunity?

Because for the first time in 12 years, Gunn’s power is waning in a very real way. The speaker announced last fall he would not seek reelection to his House seat, meaning this current legislative session is his last not just as speaker but in the Legislature. He’s as lame a duck as there is in politics.

Entering this session, there was broad speculation about how Gunn’s final year on High Street might play out. There’s been some behind-the-scenes power positioning happening, with several longtime House Republicans maneuvering to become the next Speaker of the House. But the heir apparent to the speakership is state Rep. Jason White, who has been Gunn’s right-hand man for several years.

Last week, the lame duck reality became clear when House Republicans handed Gunn what must be the single most bitter defeat of his career. At least 25 House Republicans blocked what he calls the single biggest goal of his political life: eliminating the Mississippi income tax. To make matters worse for Gunn, the stand came in a closed-door Republican caucus meeting — a setting famously used by the speaker for years as a power tool to whip votes for his desired policies.

READ MORE: How House Republicans are avoiding tough votes on health care solutions

Fresh off the first big dramatic change of this new House order, it’s unclear what Hood will do. Last week, when a Mississippi Today reporter asked him a handful of questions about whether he’ll let the Senate bill come up for a vote in his House committee by deadline, he repeatedly answered: “We’re just going to continue to work it through the process.”

But if he’s thinking clearly about the process and whether to reach out and open the cracked window, he should consider a few things.

First, Gunn’s waning power will very soon fade into complete darkness. When the April 2 end to the 2023 legislative session arrives, it’s White’s gavel to lose. For what it’s worth, White told Mississippi Today he was “undecided” on whether to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage for new moms. That’s an obvious tell that he is at least open to considering the policy if not outright in support of it.

Second, the earliest Hood could face any political consequences for any decision is August of 2027. He is among the 40% of state lawmakers who has no single challenger in the 2023 election, meaning his reelection is guaranteed. And if he were to bravely buck Gunn’s wishes this week, it would be tough for any 2027 challenger to argue that it was the wrong thing to do, especially given the immense public popularity of the policy.

Lastly, it’s the right thing to do. And he doesn’t have to take it from this journalist. He can take it from the countless physicians, nurses, mothers, children and everyday Mississippians that have all but gotten down on their knees to beg. He can take it from 27-year-old Chelsea Brooks of Florence, 32-year-old Courtney Darby of Heidelberg, 30-year-old Kristen Elliott of Brandon, 31-year-old Laura McCardle of Copiah County, or 32-year-old Emma To of Madison County — real Mississippi mothers who have important postpartum stories to share.

What will they remember about Rep. Joey Hood years from now?

READ MORE: ‘Mississippi moms can’t wait’: Doctors urge legislators to extend postpartum coverage

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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Mississippi Today

1964: Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party was formed

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April 26, 2025

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mississippitoday.org – @MSTODAYnews – 2025-04-26 07:00:00

by Jerry Mitchell, Mississippi Today
April 26, 2025

April 26, 1964

Aaron Henry testifies before the Credentials Committee at the 1964 Democratic National Convention.

Civil rights activists started the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party to challenge the state’s all-white regular delegation to the Democratic National Convention. 

The regulars had already adopted this resolution: “We oppose, condemn and deplore the Civil Rights Act of 1964 … We believe in separation of the races in all phases of our society. It is our belief that the separation of the races is necessary for the peace and tranquility of all the people of Mississippi, and the continuing good relationship which has existed over the years.” 

In reality, Black Mississippians had been victims of intimidation, harassment and violence for daring to try and vote as well as laws passed to disenfranchise them. As a result, by 1964, only 6% of Black Mississippians were permitted to vote. A year earlier, activists had run a mock election in which thousands of Black Mississippians showed they would vote if given an opportunity. 

In August 1964, the Freedom Party decided to challenge the all-white delegation, saying they had been illegally elected in a segregated process and had no intention of supporting President Lyndon B. Johnson in the November election. 

The prediction proved true, with white Mississippi Democrats overwhelmingly supporting Republican candidate Barry Goldwater, who opposed the Civil Rights Act. While the activists fell short of replacing the regulars, their courageous stand led to changes in both parties.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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Mississippi Today

Mississippi River flooding Vicksburg, expected to crest on Monday

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April 25, 2025

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mississippitoday.org – @alxrzr – 2025-04-25 16:04:00

by Alex Rozier, Mississippi Today
April 25, 2025

Warren County Emergency Management Director John Elfer said Friday floodwaters from the Mississippi River, which have reached homes in and around Vicksburg, will likely persist until early May. Elfer estimated there areabout 15 to 20 roads underwater in the area.

A truck sits in high water after the owner parked, then boated to his residence on Chickasaw Road in Vicksburg as a rising Mississippi River causes backwater flooding, Friday, April 25, 2025.

“We’re about half a foot (on the river gauge) from a major flood,” he said. “But we don’t think it’s going to be like in 2011, so we can kind of manage this.”

The National Weather projects the river to crest at 49.5 feet on Monday, making it the highest peak at the Vicksburg gauge since 2020. Elfer said some residents in north Vicksburg — including at the Ford Subdivision as well as near Chickasaw Road and Hutson Street — are having to take boats to get home, adding that those who live on the unprotected side of the levee are generally prepared for flooding.

A rising Mississippi River causing backwater flooding near Chickasaw Road in Vicksburg, Friday, April 25, 2025.
Old tires aligned a backyard as a deterrent to rising water north of Vicksburg along U.S. 61, Friday, April 25, 2025.
As the Mississippi River rises, backwater flooding creeps towards a home located on Falk Steel Road in Vicksburg, Friday, April 25, 2025.

“There are a few (inundated homes), but we’ve mitigated a lot of them,” he said. “Some of the structures have been torn down or raised. There are a few people that still live on the wet side of the levee, but they kind of know what to expect. So we’re not too concerned with that.”

The river first reached flood stage in the city — 43 feet — on April 14. State officials closed Highway 465, which connects the Eagle Lake community just north of Vicksburg to Highway 61, last Friday.

Flood waters along Kings Point Road in Vicksburg, Friday, April 25, 2025.

Elfer said the areas impacted are mostly residential and he didn’t believe any businesses have been affected, emphasizing that downtown Vicksburg is still safe for visitors. He said Warren County has worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency to secure pumps and barriers.

“Everybody thus far has been very cooperative,” he said. “We continue to tell people stay out of the flood areas, don’t drive around barricades and don’t drive around road close signs. Not only is it illegal, it’s dangerous.”

NWS projects the river to stay at flood stage in Vicksburg until May 6. The river reached its record crest of 57.1 feet in 2011.

The boat launch area is closed and shored up on Levee Street in Vicksburg as the Mississippi River rises, Friday, April 25, 2025.
The boat launch area (right) is closed and under water on Levee Street in Vicksburg as the Mississippi River rises, Friday, April 25, 2025.
City of Vicksburg workers shore up the bank along Levee Street as the Mississippi River rises, Friday, April 25, 2025.
The old pedestrian bridge spanning the Mississippi River in Vicksburg, Friday, April 25, 2025.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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Mississippi Today

With domestic violence law, victims ‘will be a number with a purpose,’ mother says

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1 day ago

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April 25, 2025

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mississippitoday.org – @MSTODAYnews – 2025-04-25 15:07:00

by Mina Corpuz, Mississippi Today
April 25, 2025

Joslin Napier. Carlos Collins. Bailey Mae Reed. 

They are among Mississippi domestic violence homicide victims whose family members carried their photos as the governor signed a bill that will establish a board to study such deaths and how to prevent them. 

Tara Gandy, who lost her daughter Napier in Waynesboro in 2022, said it’s a moment she plans to tell her 5-year-old grandson about when he is old enough. Napier’s presence, in spirit, at the bill signing can be another way for her grandson to feel proud of his mother. 

“(The board) will allow for my daughter and those who have already lost their lives to domestic violence … to no longer be just a number,” Gandy said. “They will be a number with a purpose.” 

Family members at the April 15 private bill signing included Ashla Hudson, whose son Collins, died last year in Jackson. Grandparents Mary and Charles Reed and brother Colby Kernell attended the event in honor of Bailey Mae Reed, who died in Oxford in 2023. 

Joining them were staff and board members from the Mississippi Coalition Against Domestic Violence, the statewide group that supports shelters and advocated for the passage of Senate Bill 2886 to form a Domestic Violence Facility Review Board. 

The law will go into effect July 1, and the coalition hopes to partner with elected officials who will make recommendations for members to serve on the board. The coalition wants to see appointees who have frontline experience with domestic violence survivors, said Luis Montgomery, public policy specialist for the coalition. 

A spokesperson from Gov. Tate Reeves’ office did not respond to a request for comment Friday.

Establishment of the board would make Mississippi the 45th state to review domestic violence fatalities. 

Montgomery has worked on passing a review board bill since December 2023. After an unsuccessful effort in 2024, the coalition worked to build support and educate people about the need for such a board. 

In the recent legislative session, there were House and Senate versions of the bill that unanimously passed their respective chambers. Authors of the bills are from both political parties. 

The review board is tasked with reviewing a variety of documents to learn about the lead up and circumstances in which people died in domestic violence-related fatalities, near fatalities and suicides – records that can include police records, court documents, medical records and more. 

From each review, trends will emerge and that information can be used for the board to make recommendations to lawmakers about how to prevent domestic violence deaths. 

“This is coming at a really great time because we can really get proactive,” Montgomery said. 

Without a board and data collection, advocates say it is difficult to know how many people have died or been injured in domestic-violence related incidents.

A Mississippi Today analysis found at least 300 people, including victims, abusers and collateral victims, died from domestic violence between 2020 and 2024. That analysis came from reviewing local news stories, the Gun Violence Archive, the National Gun Violence Memorial, law enforcement reports and court documents. 

Some recent cases the board could review are the deaths of Collins, Napier and Reed. 

In court records, prosecutors wrote that Napier, 24, faced increased violence after ending a relationship with Chance Fabian Jones. She took action, including purchasing a firearm and filing for a protective order against Jones.

Jones’s trial is set for May 12 in Wayne County. His indictment for capital murder came on the first anniversary of her death, according to court records. 

Collins, 25, worked as a nurse and was from Yazoo City. His ex-boyfriend Marcus Johnson has been indicted for capital murder and shooting into Collins’ apartment. Family members say Collins had filed several restraining orders against Johnson. 

Johnson was denied bond and remains in jail. His trial is scheduled for July 28 in Hinds County.  

He was a Jackson police officer for eight months in 2013. Johnson was separated from the department pending disciplinary action leading up to immediate termination, but he resigned before he was fired, Jackson police confirmed to local media. 

Reed, 21, was born and raised in Michigan and moved to Water Valley to live with her grandparents and help care for her cousin, according to her obituary. 

Kylan Jacques Phillips was charged with first degree murder for beating Reed, according to court records. In February, the court ordered him to undergo a mental evaluation to determine if he is competent to stand trial, according to court documents. 

At the bill signing, Gandy said it was bittersweet and an honor to meet the families of other domestic violence homicide victims.

“We were there knowing we are not alone, we can travel this road together and hopefully find ways to prevent and bring more awareness about domestic violence,” she said.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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