Mississippi Edition

The federal Paycheck Protection Program is extending its second draw loan window. We hear from the Bankers’ Association on where the aid is going.

Then, in recognition of National Child Abuse Awareness Month, we examine the roots of issue and how Mississippians can help.

Plus, faith leaders respond to the new Georgia voting laws and comments made by a Mississippi Senator.

Segment 1:

Mississippi businesses still struggling because of the coronavirus pandemic are getting an extension to apply for loans through the Paycheck Protection Program. The program subsidizes businesses that have lost revenue because of the pandemic, and if applicants provide proof that revenue was lost, the loan will be forgiven.  This is the second draw of relief loans- after high demand for the initial allocation in the spring of 2020 cause the fund to run out. Gordon Fellows, with the Mississippi Bankers Association, says the second round of the program includes better fraud protection and opens the door to sole-proprietor businesses.

Segment 2:

Experts are concerned that many cases of child abuse in Mississippi are not being reported. Around 10 thousand children in the state are victims of abuse each year, but not as many cases are being reported during the coronavirus pandemic. Mississippi's Child Protective Services Commissioner Andrea Sanders says more children are staying home because of the pandemic. She tells our Kobee Vance, the drop in reported cases is actually a cause for alarm.

Segment 3:

Pastors in Mississippi are joining a national effort condemning comments by Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith against early voting on Sundays, and rebutting Georgia's new voting laws. During a U.S. Senate hearing on a Democratic-sponsored bill to expand voting rights, lawmakers began discussing a recent law in Georgia that prevents early voting on Sunday. After church, Black congregations go to the polls together to cast their votes. Reverend Jeffery Gladney of Red Oak Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Tupelo says preventing Sunday voting is voter suppression. He tells our Kobee Vance he signed a petition along with more than 11 thousand nationwide asking Hyde-Smith to reverse her statements..