State
Picayune company hired as debris monitor
Laurel Leader-Call
A Picayune company was picked to serve as monitor for the cleanup of the aftermath of a massive tornado that ripped through Jones County on Easter.
'Another punch in the gut': Gulf Coast shrimpers navigate the coronavirus crisis
Hattiesburg American
David Chauvin has worked in the shrimp business since 1986, the year he graduated from high school. His father, grandfather and great grandfather also fished the waters off Louisiana's Cajun coast.
A Flood of Catastrophe:
How a warming climate and the Bonnet Carré Spillway threaten the survival of Coast fishermen
MS Today
PASS CHRISTIAN — On a warm, sunny September morning, bait salesman Roscoe Liebig scanned the harbor’s vacant piers and shook his head in disgust. Liebig recalled his usual surroundings: a full parking lot, a line of fishermen hooking their bait, and oysters peeking out in a low tide. That day, all of it was gone.
'If you catch one, kill it': Northern snakehead numbers growing in Mississippi
Clarion Ledger
The nonnative northern snakehead was discovered in Mississippi in 2017 by bowfishermen Brad Baugh and Bubba Steadman, but three years later what was considered an anomaly has become commonplace.
Getting to the bottom of the alluvial aquifer with technology
Delta Farm Press
Until two or three years ago, scientists could only imagine what the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer might look like if they could peer down below the soil surface.
Flexsteel Industries to close Starkville facility
Starkville Daily News
Multiple sources have confirmed that Iowa-based furniture manufacturer Flexsteel Industries will permanently close its facility in Starkville on Industrial Park Road.
State Government
Senators, Gov. praise federal, local response to COVID-19
WLBT
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Senators Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith joined Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves on Wednesday as they discussed the state’s response to the pandemic.
Sen. Hyde-Smith: ‘I don’t think we’re going to go back to business as normal’
WLBT
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Mississippi’s Senate delegation joined Governor Tate Reeves Wednesday to discuss the state’s response to coronavirus.
State officials urge Mississippians to wear masks. Will it become a requirement?
Sun Herald
While some are following the advice of state and federal health officials to wear face masks in public during the COVID-19 pandemic, there are still many Mississippians who refuse.
Whether it’s based on a personal decision or availability, the lack of people wearing face masks in public has increasingly become a point of concern at Gov. Tate Reeves’ daily press briefings.
Mississippi will now report data on patients who recovered from coronavirus
Sun Herald
Reeves backs lawsuit protection for businesses during virus
AP
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said Wednesday that he will ask state lawmakers to provide legal protection for businesses that might be sued if they reopen and customers or employees become ill with COVID-19.
Regional
EPA cleans up lead-contaminated soil in Atlanta
WGCL
ATLANTA, Ga. (CBS46) -- A bright yellow excavator gnawed the side yard of a modest house in Vine City. Dirt peeled into the front loader. The Federal Environmental Protection Agency staff pronounced it contaminated with lead.
National
EPA, CDC release new disinfecting guidelines
WLUK
WASHINGTON (WLUK) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released updated guidelines Wednesday to help businesses and families properly clean and disinfect spaces.
Green groups sue over Trump rollback of Obama-era waterway protections
The Hill
Two separate coalitions of environmental groups sued the Trump administration on Wednesday, challenging a rollback of protections for the nation’s waterways.
Emissions Declines Will Set Records This Year. But It’s Not Good News.
NYT
WASHINGTON — Global greenhouse gas emissions are on track to plunge nearly 8 percent this year, the largest drop ever recorded, as worldwide lockdowns to fight the coronavirus have triggered an “unprecedented” decline in the use of fossil fuels, the International Energy Agency said in a new report on Thursday.
What’s killing bald eagles in Pennsylvania? Deadly drug is found in some, state says
Sun Herald
Bald eagles are mysteriously dropping dead in Pennsylvania and investigators say a deadly drug used to euthanize livestock has become the biggest clue in their case.
Press releases
Commercial Red Drum harvest to open May 1, 2020
April 29, 2020
BILOXI, Miss. – Officials with the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources announced that the commercial harvest for Red Drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) will open at 12:01 a.m. Friday, May 1, 2020, in Mississippi territorial waters.
Recreational harvest opening for Greater Amberjack, closing for Gray Triggerfish
April 29, 2020
BILOXI, Miss. – Officials with the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources announced today that recreational harvest for Greater Amberjack (Seriola dumerili) will open in Mississippi territorial waters on Friday, May. 1, 2020, at 12:01 a.m.
EPA, CDC Release Guidance for Cleaning and Disinfecting Spaces Where Americans Live, Work, and Play
Guidance helps facilities and families implement Opening Up American Again guidelines
04/29/2020
WASHINGTON (April 29, 2020) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released updated guidance to help facility operators and families properly clean and disinfect spaces.
EPA Announces Cooperative Agreement to Support the National Tribal Toxics Council (NTTC)
04/29/2020
WASHINGTON (April 29, 2020) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking applications from states, federally-recognized tribes, Native American organizations, and non-government organizations to provide technical support for the National Tribal Toxics Council (NTTC).
EPA Announces Winners of its Annual Campus RainWorks Challenge
04/29/2020
WASHINGTON (April 29, 2020) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the winners of its eighth annual Campus RainWorks Challenge, a national competition that engages college students in the design of on-campus green infrastructure solutions to help address stormwater pollution.
NRCS Announces Emergency EQIP Sign-Up
Jackson, Miss. –The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has funds available for landowners in flooded and disaster impacted areas in Mississippi. This funding is provided through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), a financial assistance program included in the Farm Bill.
