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The government mandated shutdowns that decimated the economy in the spring may return if the number of coronavirus cases does not decrease in Mississippi warned Gov. Tate Reeves. 

During his daily press conference, Reeves pleaded with Mississippians to wear face masks, saying this is our best option.

“We’ve looked at every available tool and I promise you this this is the best weapon that we have,” Reeves said. “It’s not fun, but it’s a hell of a lot better than widespread shutdowns and if we don’t do something, that’s where we're headed.”

At the end of March, Reeves issued a shelter in place order that closed non-essential businesses in the state. To many this was an unfair move that left most big box retailers open, while shutting the doors at most small businesses. Over the next two months, Reeves slowly allowed the economy to reopen, and by June 1 the entire state was reopened.

This was a similar path to many other states, who like Mississippi have since seen a similar spike in cases and have had to pause reopenings. 

Yesterday, a new order from Reeves went into effect, requiring face masks when you are in public. The order impacts the following counties: Hinds, Desoto, Madison, Harrison, Rankin, Jackson, Washington, Sunflower, Grenada, Claiborne, Jefferson, Wayne, Quitman. 

Violators of the order face fines of up to $500 and up to six months in jail. 

Also, in those counties no more than 10 people can gather indoors, and no more than 20 people can gather outdoors. 

A new executive order requires face masks in retail establishments and in all public settings.

The order goes into effect July 13, and lasts at least one week. The order impacts residents and businesses of Hinds, Desoto, Madison, Harrison, Rankin, Jackson, Washington, Sunflower, Grenada, Claiborne, Jefferson, Wayne, and Quitman counties.

Tell us what you think.

The new executive order mandating face masks and limiting public gatherings for Mississippi’s most populous counties can come with a fine of up to $500 and/ or six months in jail for violators. State, county, and local law enforcement, as well as government entities such as the Department of Health, may enforce the order. 

This is according to Mississippi Code 33-15-43.

The order that Gov. Tate Reeves signed today, which will go into effect Monday, impacts residents and businesses of Hinds, Desoto, Madison, Harrison, Rankin, Jackson, Washington, Sunflower, Grenada, Claiborne, Jefferson, Wayne, and Quitman counties. The order lasts one week, though it can certainly be extended before it expires. 

All retail businesses are required to mandate that all employees and customers wear a mask. For people in public, everyone must wear a mask when in a public setting. Additionally, groups are now limited to no more than 10 indoors and no more than 20 outdoors. 

Prior to the order, mask ordinances had been enacted at the local level in Jackson, Tupelo, Starkville, Oxford, Hattiesburg, Greenwood, Columbus, West Point, Natchez, Grenada, and Greenville.

Residents in Mississippi’s largest counties will soon be required to wear a mask in public and gatherings will again be limited.

At a news conference today, Gov. Tate Reeves said the new regulations will impact the following counties: Hinds, Desoto, Madison, Harrison, Rankin, Jackson, Washington, Sunflower, Grenada, Claiborne, Jefferson, Wayne, Quitman. These counties account for more than a third of state’s population. 

Under the new order, which will go into effect next week, no more than 10 people can gather indoors, and no more than 20 people can gather outdoors. All citizens must now wear masks when shopping or in public places. 

Prior to today, Reeves had issued expanded restrictions in Attala, Jasper, Lauderdale, Leake, Neshoba, Newton, and Scott counties. 

Meanwhile, mask ordinances have been enacted at the local level in Jackson, Tupelo, Starkville, Oxford, Hattiesburg, Greenwood, Columbus, West Point, Natchez, Grenada, and Greenville.

Numerous cities throughout Mississippi have face mask requirements. And you could be fined or sent to jail for violating such orders, while businesses could be shut down. 

The mask issue has become increasingly political with Democratic mayors in Mississippi attacking President Donald Trump and Gov. Tate Reeves for not taking a harder stance on the issue. While there isn’t a statewide order, the state is requiring masks in select counties that have seen a more widespread outbreak. This includes Attala, Jasper, Lauderdale, Leake, Neshoba, Newton, and Scott counties. 

Cities with mask ordinances include Jackson, Tupelo, Starkville, Oxford, Hattiesburg, Greenwood, Columbus, West Point, Natchez, Grenada, and Greenville, along with a smattering of smaller cities. 

The punishment for not wearing a mask varies. 

Jackson residents could be fined $300 and sent to jail for six months. Businesses could be shut down for a day. The fine in Canton is steeper. For individuals it’s $500, and $1,000 for businesses. In Columbus and Greenwood, you can be fined up to $1,000. 

The $1,000 fine applies to businesses in Oxford. So far, they have hit at least 12 businesses in the city. 

As we approach the new school year, numerous polls continue to show a newfound interest in homeschooling. Perhaps it’s because parents are nervous about their children getting sick, or maybe they don’t like new regulations at school.

Whatever the case, there is the potential for a major shift in the education landscape in Mississippi and across the nation. 

New polling from Heart + Mind Strategies reveals that 16 percent of government school parents and 10 percent of private school parents are considering homeschooling. This is down slightly from a May peak as parents are closer to making an actual decision, but we could see a lot more homeschoolers this fall.

If those numbers played out in Mississippi, more than 75,000 children would leave government schools and about 5,000 would leave private schools. All to homeschool. Keep in mind that somewhere between 15,000 and 20,000 students are homeschooled in Mississippi today. 

Are you one of those families considering homeschooling? My wife and I (mostly my wife) will be going into our third year of homeschooling this fall. We’re no experts but wanted to share our thoughts for those considering or ready to make the switch.

1. Deinstitutionalize

Some call this de-schooling, but the thought is you need to get away from the traditional schooling mindset. The longer you’ve been in a traditional setting, the longer of a break you need to take. 

But the idea is this: You’re probably used to a schedule, calendar, or even grades and will be tempted to bring this to your homeschooling. That’s fine, but you don’t need to. You have more than 40 or 60 minutes to tackle a subject one day. Or you could take less time. Or you could decide your child isn’t getting it and you need to take a break for a few months. Or buy different curriculum. You might like the idea of structure, but homeschooling is about having the freedom to doing what is best for your child to gain an appreciation for learning. 

We’ll often get questions asking how long our homeschool day is. We’re not being flippant when we say it depends. The more flexible you are, the more you will like it.

2. Play to your child’s strengths

This is one of my favorite homeschooling benefits and should become yours. Especially as your children get older. What are they passionate about? Where do they excel? Homeschooling gives you the ability to play that up. It could be as simple as a book series they love or maybe they want to learn about how computers work. 

This might sound silly at first glance, but YouTube has a world of informative videos that will teach you everything from A to Z on how to build computers, websites, or maybe just do graphic design or video editing. The opportunities expand the imagination of you and your child. 

3. Get out and explore

Though many of our favorite places to visit have been closed or limited, take advantage of what is beyond your four walls. Sure, it could be your backyard – a fun place to do school in the fall or spring – but check out museums and zoos. When we go to Gulf Shores or Orange Beach, we still check out the zoo, the state park, or the historical sites. Sure, it’s education on vacation, but it’s still fun. And well worth it. And just to let you know, your local library will likely become your best friend very soon so plan on buying or building more bookcases.

When I was involved as sports as a kid, we had to run for punishment. Therefore, running isn’t something I do for fun as an adult. A lot of kids could have the same approach to learning. In the closed structure of a school, fun isn’t really something we’re supposed to take part in. Or that’s what we’re told. But we know it shouldn’t be that way. Explore. Make learning fun again. 

4. Find homeschool friends  

Homeschooling is the kind of thing you can do as privately or as publicly as you’d like. But for your own sanity, search out homeschool friends. This doesn’t mean you need get involved in a co-op, or something similar, but you certainly can. 

But because of Facebook, you will likely find homeschooling groups. Even unofficial groups plan outings and field trips. If you’re the mom running the show, as is usually the case, find other moms. Keep up with them. Share your struggles. Get advice. Ask questions. Offer feedback. You don’t need to do this alone, unless you want to. 

5. Look for outside activities

If you look around, you will find plenty of activities for your child. Yep, homeschoolers socialize. If you live in more of an urban area, it will naturally be easier for find such activities, but be on the lookout regardless. We do piano lessons from a local instructor who mostly serves homeschool students during the day. We also do P.E. at a local martial arts studio that offers the program for students during school hours.  

These are some of the fun, social, and educational activities that are out there. What your child does is up to you and his or her interest. 

6. Don’t worry if everything isn’t perfect

I would suggest you don’t go to Pinterest to get ideas on the perfect homeschool room or setup. Because there isn’t a perfect room. If you want your room to look a certain way, have at it, but it’s not that important in the grand scheme. 

Instead, focus on the functional. We have a dedicated homeschool room, but it’s more of our office. Most of the instruction takes place on the dining room table with younger brothers gathering around. Maybe for you it’s the kitchen or living room or back porch. And even if you don’t have matching pillows or inspirational signs, everything will be okay. 

7. Take advantage of free online resources

As we mentioned, YouTube is a great platform for educational videos on specific subjects of interest. But if you’re looking for more, free online learning resources, here is a comprehensive list from Kerry McDonald:

Do you want to share your story?

At MCPP, we believe your ability to raise your child as you see fit is a fundamental right that cannot be restricted by government. We have been sharing stories of new homeschoolers who have made the decision to leave public or private school this year. 

Is that you? We’d love to share your story. Just fill out this form and we’ll follow up with you! 

The limited sale of goat milk will remain legal in Mississippi after an early session attempt to ban the sale came up short.

House Bill 609, sponsored by Rep. Bill Pigott, who is the House Agriculture Committee Chairman, would have removed the current exemption that allows the sale of goat milk. Those who violated the law and continued to sell goat milk could have been sentenced to 60 days in jail with fines of up to $500.

HB 609 quickly and quietly cleared out of the Agriculture Committee but never made it passed the Public Health Committee, its next destination after constituent uproar. Still, the current law had a repealer on it, meaning it would have expired at the end of June without action. The exemption for goat milk was included in Senate Bill 2311, a bill that relates to Department of Health fees. 

Because of that, the small freedom that government gives to goat farmers in Mississippi and those that enjoy goat milk remains on the books. 

Under the current law, milk must be sold directly to the consumer on the premises of the production, you cannot have more than nine goats, and you can’t advertise your milk for sale. 

Still, attempts to expand the freedom to buy and sale raw milk that are introduced regularly never see the light of day, dying – usually in one of the Agriculture Committee’s – without a discussion. Rather, the legislature should begin to trust consumers to start and grow businesses and trust consumers to make decisions for themselves and their families.

Mississippi was the first state in the nation to enact prohibitionist policies in 1908 and was also the last state to formally end them. 

In 1966, after a raid on a Mardi Gras party led to the arrest of multiple prominent citizens, the state legislature acted to allow counties to decide for themselves whether they wanted to allow the possession and sale of alcohol. However, Mississippi remained a “dry” state, even as the slight policy change ultimately undermined attempts to enforce continued prohibition.

Today, all but 29 counties have voted to become “wet” and thus allow the possession and sale of alcohol, yet a variety of policies on the state and local level live on as enduring relics of the past, continuing to discourage alcohol sale and consumption and undermining local businesses and entrepreneurs around the state.

Two new pieces of legislation take major steps to further Mississippi’s advancement of more alcohol-friendly policy. 

Senate Bill 2545, authored by Sen. Chad McMahan and House Bill 1087, authored by Rep. Trey Lamar both offer substantive reforms that will soon be enacted into official legislative change.

House Bill 1087 is a massive win for Mississippi. The bill officially makes Mississippi a “wet” state for possession, meaning that all citizens can have beer, light spirits, and light wine, no matter the county they live in. After well over 100 years, the long legacy of prohibition in our state is coming to a close. Now, HB 1087 while making the entire state wet for possession, will still necessitate a vote to make new counties wet to the sale of alcohol. This bill also takes the important step of easing restrictions related to the transportation of alcoholic beverages. The bill will take effect January 1, 2021.

Senate Bill 2545 allows for the expanded ability for on-premises consumption of wine, as well as offering access to wine manufacturers to offer samples at “festivals” and similarly designated public events. The bill also expands the overall ability for retailers to offer samples of wine.

As we outlined in High Road to Freedom, the legislature needs to continue the work of expanding alcohol freedom in Mississippi. With each bill that slowly advances the cause of alcohol freedom in Mississippi, the legislature further chips away at the edifice of prohibition, and in so doing further expands the consumer liberties of Mississippi citizens. While many other good bills related to the sale, purchase, and distribution of alcohol died this year, these pieces of legislation are good policy and offer hope for further change in coming years.

Legislation to expand the sales cap for cottage food operators and remove the prohibition on advertising online has been signed by Gov. Tate Reeves.

House Bill 326 will raise the sales cap from $20,000, which was among the lowest in the country, to $35,000. Specific language has also been added to the law that will allow cottage food operators to advertise on social media sites like Facebook and Instagram. Previously, the Department of Health had sent cease and desist letters to individuals who posted pictures of their food online.

The bill, authored by Rep. Casey Eure, passed both the House and Senate unanimously.

Cottage food operators are still prohibited from selling products online, by mail, or at retail.

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