State
How to become a Master Naturalist
If you love our coastal environment and want a chance to learn first hand
about marsh grasses, coastal erosion, our barrier islands and what lives
beneath the Gulf. Then there is a program just for you gearing up this
fall. It's the Coastal Mississippi Master Naturalist Program. See Video
http://www.wlox.com/clip/11708917/how-to-become-a-master-naturalist
Hinds board issues burn ban through mid-August
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The Hinds County Board of Supervisors has issued a
burn ban through Aug. 19 because of a lack of rain and an increase in grass
fires throughout the county.
The Clarion-Ledger reports that the ban went into effect Friday.
Officials say the ban includes all recreational fires and controlled burns.
The only exception is for commercial contractors who use heavy construction
equipment and meet Department of Environmental Quality regulations.
http://wjtv.com/ap/hinds-board-issues-burn-ban-through-mid-august/
Water main break still not found; residents upset
MS NEWS BYRAM, MS (Mississippi News Now) -
Public works crews still haven't found a water main break that's affecting
thousands in and around South Jackson.
http://www.msnewsnow.com/story/29633398/water-main-break-still-not-found-residents-upset
Storm causes oil fire, power outages
Enterprise-Journal
LIBERTY — A sudden, violent storm Saturday night set fire to an oil tank,
snatched the roof off a barn, threw trees down and snuffed out power, among
other damage, according to area reports.
Amite County Civil Defense Director Grant McCurley said lightning
apparently struck a Bridger Logistics crude oil tank just east of Jaycee
Ballpark on Highway 24 East, Liberty, when the storm came through around
6:15. It was one of four tanks on the property used to store oil brought
from rigs before entering a pipeline.
Firemen used foam and had the blaze extinguished by 8:45. No injuries were
reported. Liberty, Mars Hill, Smithdale and East Central volunteer fire
departments responded to the blaze, as did AMR Ambulance Service, the Amite
County Sheriff's Department, Liberty police, Mississippi Department of
Environmental Quality and Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.
http://www.enterprise-journal.com/news/article_20a0fe1a-334d-11e5-8380-4bd939de680e.html
Oil Spill
County, schools announce BP funding
sea coast echo
Hancock County and the Bay-Waveland and Hancock County School District will
receive a total of $1.195 million from British Petroleum for economic
damage caused by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Settlements with political entities across the Gulf Coast were announced
last week.
http://www.seacoastecho.com/article_8986.shtml#.VbY0TrO6eUk
National
Sudden Drop in Crude-Oil Prices Roils U.S. Energy Firms' Rebound
WSJ
U.S. energy companies are planning more layoffs, asset sales and financial
maneuvers to deal with a recent, sudden drop in U.S. crude-oil prices to
under $50 a barrel, the lowest level in four months.
The companies had been banking on a rebound in oil prices in the second
half of 2015 after falling sharply late last year. Prices began to regain
ground in the spring, rising so quickly that some American producers
started hiring back drilling rigs to pump more crude. That speedy return to
the oil patch and the threat of new Iranian oil production have pushed down
prices more than 20% over the past six weeks to $48.14 as of Friday ,
bringing storm clouds back to the energy patch.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/sudden-drop-in-crude-oil-prices-roils-u-s-energy-firms-rebound-1437903002
USDA, Microsoft to launch 'Innovation Challenge' to address food resiliency
WDAM WASHINGTON, DC -
This is a news release from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is partnering with Microsoft to
launch the "Innovation Challenge," a contest designed to explore how
climate change will impact the United States' food system with the intent
of achieving better food resiliency. The challenge invites entrants to
develop and publish new applications and tools that can analyze multiple
sources of information about the nation's food supply, including key USDA
data sets that are now hosted on Microsoft Azure, Microsoft's
cloud-computing platform.
http://www.wdam.com/story/29635145/usda-microsoft-to-launch-innovation-challenge-to-address-food-resiliency
