Recent editorials from Mississippi newspapers:
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Dec. 27
The Vicksburg Post on plans by cruise lines to build docking facilities in Vicksburg, Mississippi:
Two down, one to go.
In recent weeks, the city of Vicksburg has reached agreements with one of the two cruise lines that docks in Vicksburg and another that is scheduled to arrive in 2022. These agreements lay out plans to build docking facilities along the Vicksburg riverfront at no cost to city taxpayers.
In exchange for unused riverfront space, American Cruise Lines and Viking Cruise Lines, will build out their own docking facilities and, in addition to developing the riverfront property granted them, they will also pay the city a set fee per passenger that steps off of the boats. The third company, American Queen Steamboat Co., is in discussions for a similar lease, although the timeline for an agreement has not been announced.
What these deals have done has not only further strengthened the bonds between the city and a vital tourism pipeline provided by the riverboats, but it has also given the city of Vicksburg a way to develop portions of the riverfront at no cost or risk to taxpayers.
This newspaper, in editorials, has challenged the city’s leadership to make developing Vicksburg’s riverfront a priority, a priority that we know does not come cheap.
Yet, any investment in the riverfront, whether it is to the direct benefit of local residents or those visiting Vicksburg, is an investment in Vicksburg’s economy. This year, with nearly nine months of canceled riverboat dockings due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, downtown Vicksburg - and Vicksburg as a whole - has felt the impact of not having those visitors.
Downtown shops, museums and tourist destinations that have grown to rely on the foot traffic and revenue brought in by the riverboats have admittedly struggled this year. They - along with the rest of us - cannot wait for the boats to return.
But while we wait for those majestic boats to once again crowd themselves along the riverfront, we take comfort knowing that these companies have big plans for Vicksburg. It is also comforting knowing that Vicksburg’s leadership is taking the idea of riverfront redevelopment seriously and finding unique ways - inexpensive ways - to make big things happen.
Online: https://www.vicksburgpost.com/
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Dec. 24
The Greenwood Commonwealth on whether private schools in Mississippi should report COVID-19 data to the state:
The Midsouth Association of Independent Schools makes a decent logical argument but not a strong legal one in its objections to their member schools in Mississippi being required to report weekly COVID-19 infection numbers to the state.
The school association, whose members locally include Pillow, Carroll and Delta Streets academies, say that private schools are not agents of the state and are essentially no different than any other business. Thus, MAIS raises the question as to why their schools - and not other businesses outside of the health care arena - are being singled out to report information that they only know if it is volunteered to them.
The objection is reasonable, if one thinks about all the other private establishments where people may be getting infected with COVID-19: stores, churches and factories, for example. None of these are being required to ascertain the COVID-19 status of their workers and their patrons and report that to a government agency.
Where the MAIS argument falls down, though, is in the law.
Mississippi gives its state Board of Health and the top executive it hires wide latitude in trying to control communicable diseases. A statute says the Board of Health - and presumably its chief administrator - has the authority to set the rules for reporting, monitoring and preventing the spread of those diseases. The law makes no distinction between public and private entities.
The private school association might not like that Dr. Thomas Dobbs is expecting a high standard of accountability from its members, but he’s within his rights to do so. It also is sensible for Dobbs to ask for this data, since schools, public or private, can be prime sites for transmission of COVID- 19 because of the close contact of students and the proclivity of children at spreading germs.
Dobbs has not taken a heavy hand so far. There has been no known effort to go after the schools that have not complied with his order, including Delta Streets and Carroll academies. He is trying to use persuasion, rather than prosecution, to get the holdouts on board.
MAIS should be encouraging its member schools to be good corporate citizens and assist in the effort to get a handle on this disease. Rather it seems to want to provide them with cover for ignoring Dobbs’ directive and the law behind it.
Online: https://www.gwcommonwealth.com/
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Dec. 20
The Daily Journal on former Mississippi Gov. William Winter, who died on Dec. 18:
Former Gov. William Winter passed away Friday night at the age of 97, leaving behind a long legacy of accomplishments, especially in the areas of education policy and racial progress. The service rendered to Mississippi by Winter continues to benefit our state into the present day, and we should mark his lifetime with gratitude and with a firm resolve to follow in his example.
The Grenada native was governor only four years, serving at at time when the state constitution did not allow a governor two terms. But he made a more significant impact in four years than many of his successors have done in eight years, and with a record of service that continued far beyond his time in elected office. Indeed, Winter’s post-gubernatorial career as the state’s elder statesmen and voice of conscience may be as significant as his political achievements.
He’ll be remembered for his unwavering support of public education, for his willingness to break with the bigotries of his time, for his efforts to build a new and better state out of the pain of our past. Winter loved Mississippi, but was never willing to let that love cloud his vision of what his home needed to do to improve.
Even amid such a storied public life, the 1982 Education Reform Act stands as a high-water mark of achievement. Sometimes a man and the moment are made for each other. William Winter was that man, and the 1982 education reform was that moment.
When he took office, Mississippi had the second highest illiteracy rate in the country and saw only 45 percent of its children who began first grade finish the 12th grade. Mississippi also stood as the only state without a compulsory education law and as one of only two states without a statewide public kindergarten system.
The bill that would eventually become law rectified these glaring deficiencies and also increased teacher pay, brought teaching assistants into the classrooms and created a performance-based accreditation system.
Passing the bill was not easy. It was defeated twice, and only passed in a special session after an extensive campaign of speeches, town halls and press coverage.
The legislative education reforms show Winter at his best. There is his progressive spirit, his tenacity and his willingness to fight, not as a grandstander or a brawler, but with a firm and righteous resolve.
The Daily Journal has for decades staked out the editorial viewpoint that a strong and vibrant public education system is a great driver of prosperity and equality. Our visionary publisher and owner of decades, George McLean, joined with other civic leaders of the Tupelo area to resist the corrosive impact of segregation academies and built a coalition of support for public education that continues to this day in Northeast Mississippi. Winter was an ally in the cause, and a badly needed voice at the state level for our public schools.
As reported today by the Daily Journal’s Taylor Vance, local businessman and former mayor Jack Reed Jr. recalled the last conversation he had with Winter, after legislation passed this summer to retire our former state flag.
“He told me, ‘Jack, we’ve still got so much work left to do,’” Reed said.
We suggest, then, that the best way to honor Winter is not merely with words, but with deeds. Let’s continue the work he began.
Online: https://www.djournal.com/
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