RACIAL INJUSTICE-CONFEDERATE MONUMENT-OLE MISS

Ole Miss moves Confederate statue from prominent campus spot

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A Confederate monument that’s been a divisive symbol at the University of Mississippi has been removed from a prominent spot on the Oxford campus. Workers took down the soldier statue Tuesday. They moved it to a Civil War cemetery in a secluded part of campus. Ole Miss Chancellor Glenn Boyce says he will not follow through with a proposal to put headstones over unmarked gravesites of Confederate soldiers. Boyce says a survey shows that bodies are buried close to the surface and he won’t risk excavation. Students and faculty who pushed to move the statue have criticized a plan to beautify the cemetery.

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-MISSISSIPPI

Mississippi physicians call for statewide mask mandate

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi’s doctors are calling for a statewide mask mandate. The physician organization known as the Mississippi State Medical Association says an increase in coronavirus cases in the state is greatly hampering the ability of hospitals to provide emergency care for patients. Association members wrote in a statement Tuesday that the state’s health care system “cannot sustain the trajectory of this outbreak” without a statewide mask mandate. Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves recently mandated that Mississippians in 13 of the state’s 82 counties must wear masks while in public spaces. The governor says he might implement mandates for more counties as well. But Reeves says he is hesitant to require masks statewide.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

Mississippi Capitol outbreak: At least 41 with coronavirus

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — At least 30 Mississippi legislators and 11 other people who work in the state Capitol are known to have tested positive for the new coronavirus. The state health officer, Dr. Thomas Dobbs, released the new numbers Tuesday. Officials said last week that 26 legislators and 10 other from the Capitol had the virus, but the numbers could increase. Dobbs said Tuesday that two people from the Capitol were hospitalized, but he did not name them. Legislators left the Capitol on July 1, after being there through most of June. Some wore masks and kept distance from others as precautions, but many did not.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-MISSISSIPPI SPORTS

Mississippi delays start of high school sports amid virus

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Fall seasons for Mississippi public high school sports will be delayed by two weeks because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Mississippi High School Activities Association announced its decision Tuesday but also said it continues to evaluate safety concerns. Cross country, swimming and volleyball teams can start practicing Aug. 10 and competing Aug. 24. Football practice can begin Aug. 17, scrimmages between schools can begin Sept. 4 and games can begin Sept. 11. The association says football playoff and championship dates in November and December are unchanged. Football games scheduled for the first two weeks of the season will not be made up.

BROADBAND-ACCESS-MISSISSIPPI

Mississippi to receive $16M to expand broadband access

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi is receiving more than $16 million in federal coronavirus relief money to provide broadband access to rural parts of the state. The program will provide high-speed broadband internet access to more than 2,000 people, 331 farms, 32 businesses, a post office and six fire stations. United States Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced that the work will be done in Yalobusha, Tallahatchie, Panola, Grenada and Quitman counties. Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said broadband access has long been an issue in Mississippi. Mississippi ranked 49th in broadband coverage in 2018, according to data from BroadbandNow.

CASINO LAYOFFS-BOYD GAMING

Casino company Boyd Gaming laying off workers in 10 states

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A U.S. casino company with 29 properties in 10 states is laying off thousands of employees, citing a slow restart to business following closures due to the coronavirus pandemic. Las Vegas-based Boyd Gaming Corp. said in a statement Monday that an unspecified number of furloughed employees will not return to work. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported 2,500 company workers in Nevada could be affected. The publicly traded company had about 10,000 employees in Nevada and another 14,300 nationally, according to its last annual report. It also has properties in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio and Pennsylvania.