Thursday, May 30, 2019

News Clippings May 30, 2019

State

OIL FIELD WORKER SAVED TRUCK DRIVER'S LIFE BY PULLING HIM FROM BURNING CAB
Yazoo Herald

A rig worker saved a man’s life last week after pulling him from a flame-engulfed truck after it was struck by an Amtrak train in rural Yazoo County.
...The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality also responded to the scene to address 1,300 gallons of diesel released after the crash.

CITIZENS SPEAK OUT IN SUPPORT OF HALE
South Reporter

The majority of the public comments at the May 14 meeting of the Marshall County School Board were directed toward board members, asking them to retain Dr. Lela Hale as superintendent of education and direct funds designated for a superintendent search to other areas of need in the school system.
…The 2019 Mississippi Diesel School Bus Replacement Program from the MS Department of Environmental Quality awarded a total of $30,000 for two older buses to be taken off the line and be replaced with new ones.
The Pickering Firm Inc. had completed its annual asbestos assessment for the district. Additionally, the firm had completed a survey and assessment on the main building at H.W. Byers Elementary School and the kitchen at Byhalia Elementary-Middle School.

Restoration makes Ship Island whole and the coastline safer
WLOX

SHIP ISLAND, Miss. (WLOX) - It’s been a long time since Ship Island has been whole, and it has not been easy.

Waveland ‘first in line’ for damage from opening of the Bonnet Carre Spillway
Sea Coast Echo

Mayors from all along the Mississippi Gulf Coast met in an emergency session in Biloxi on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing damage the Coast's sea life and economy are suffering from the Bonnet Carre Spillway opening.

MEETING TO DISCUSS BONNET CARRE SPILLWAY EFFECTS WILL BE HELD THURSDAY NIGHT
WXXV

The opening of the Bonnet Carre Spillway and its effects here on our Gulf Coast will be the focus of a meeting set for Thursday night.

Shrimp season comes with fears of uncertainty
WLOX

PASS CHRISTIAN, Miss. (WLOX) - The Mississippi shrimp season traditionally opens in the first week of June, but you wouldn’t know that by looking at the docks.

City awards debris removal contracts
Enterprise-Journal

McComb officials awarded two contracts Friday to start debris cleanup from the tornado and straight-line wind damage on May 9.

Supervisors open bids for storm debris removal and monitoring
Monroe Journal

ABERDEEN – The board of supervisors took seven collective bids under advisement May 24 in regards to debris removal and monitoring related to the April 13 severe weather event.

Semi-auto garbage trucks to arrive mid-summer
Itawamba County Times

It’ll be a little later in the summer than anticipated before Itawamba County’s new semi-automated garbage trucks are picking up local trash bins.

National Park visitor spending contributes $230M to state
Daily Journal

More than 6.8 million people visited one of the eight National Parks in Mississippi last year, contributing a total of more than $230 million to the state’s economy

Williamson resigns as LEMA director
WTOK

LAUDERDALE COUNTY, Miss. (WTOK) - Lauderdale County's emergency management director has resigned.


National

Galveston judge rules Obama water rule invalid
San Antonio Express-News

A federal judge in Galveston has ruled the Obama administration failed to adequately notify the public of key wording changes in its controversial 2015 rule redefining “Waters of the United States.”

New Hampshire sues 3M, DuPont, other chemical companies
AP

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — New Hampshire has sued eight companies including 3M and the DuPont Co. for damage it says has been caused by a class of potentially toxic chemicals found in pizza boxes, fast-food wrappers and drinking water.

New Science Explains Why Tornadoes Are So Hard to Forecast
Tornadoes most likely build from the ground up and not from a storm cloud down
WSJ

With broad swaths of the country in the throes of a highly active tornado season, federal forecasters are wrestling with the gaps in their knowledge of how tornadoes form.


Press Releases


Mississippi State University Receives EPA Grant to Increase Environmental Stewardship
05/29/2019

Columbus, Miss. (May 29, 2019) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Mississippi State University as a grant recipient of $199,908 to develop an Amateur Naturalist Program that mirrors the established Mississippi Master Naturalist Program.

University of Southern Mississippi Receives EPA Grant to Raise Awareness of Natural and Living Shorelines on the Gulf
05/29/2019

Hattiesburg, Miss. (May 29, 2019) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced the University of Southern Mississippi as a grant recipient of $200,000 to develop and implement an educational tool to demonstrate the benefits of natural and living shorelines.

Mississippi USDA Natural Conservation Service Accepting Conservation Stewardship (CSP) Applications from Rice Producers for Mid-South Graduated Water Stewardship Regional Conservation Partnership Project
 
Jackson, MS. – May 28, 2019 – Mississippi’s USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) is now accepting Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) applications from rice producers for the Mid-South Graduated Water Stewardship Regional Conservation Partnership Project.

Extension participates in Great Red Snapper Count
MSU Extension Service

BILOXI, Miss. -- Red snapper suffered a population decline in Gulf Coast waters in the 1900s because of overfishing, but anglers today report they simply cannot avoid them, even when fishing for other species.

EPA Proposes Adding Two Sites to the National Priorities List to Clean Up Contamination and Protect Communities
05/29/2019

WASHINGTON (May 29, 2019) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it is proposing to add two sites to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) where releases of contamination pose human health and environmental risks.

EPA and Illinois Announce that St. Louis Area Now Meets Federal Air Quality Standard for Fine Particulate Matter
05/29/2019

CHICAGO – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its approval of Illinois’ request to formally redesignate the state’s portion of the St. Louis area to attainment of the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for fine particulate matter. Recent air monitoring data show the entire St. Louis area now meets the national standard set to protect public health. 

Alligator hunting application process begins May 31
MDWFP

The 2019 Public Waters Alligator Hunting Season in Mississippi will open at noon August 30 and conclude at noon on September 9. A total of 960 permits will be available within seven hunting zones across the state for the 10-day season.