State
Starkville to restart recycling program
WTVA
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WTVA) - The city of Starkville is ready to recycle once again.
Tuesday evening, city leaders unanimously approved efforts to restart the program, which they suspended for the past two months.
IMMS: Rare sea turtles receive life-saving care
WXXV
They’re a critically endangered species and loners by nature, so it’s not every day you see a cluster of Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtles, much less 20 of them all in one spot.
MDWFP Foundation receives nearly $4 million grant for playground, pavilion
WJTV
JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation has awarded a $3,855,000 grant to the Mississippi Wildlife, Fisheries, & Parks (MDWFP) Foundation for the LeFleur’s Bluff State Park Education and Tourism Partnership between the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks’ (MDWFP) Mississippi Museum of Natural Science and the Mississippi Children’s Museum.
State Government
PERS LOSES $393 MILLION DUE TO COVID-19 RELATED ECONOMIC DOWNTURN
Northside Sun
According to the latest report, Mississippi’s defined benefit pension fund took a big hit from the economic downturn due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Regional
Trump administration allows wider use of seismic blasting in Gulf of Mexico despite harm to animals
NOLA.com
The Gulf of Mexico could soon get a lot noisier. In its final weeks, President Donald Trump’s administration has eased rules that have for almost a decade limited the use of deep-penetration seismic blasts to search for oil and gas deposits at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico.
Alabama oyster harvest on track to double last year’s haul
Al.com
Alabama is winding down a wild oyster harvest that appears on track to double last years’ haul, which itself was the biggest since 2013-2014.
National
Biden To Name Gina McCarthy, Former EPA Chief, As Domestic Climate Coordinator
NPR
President-elect Joe Biden plans to name Gina McCarthy as his White House climate coordinator, a source familiar with the decision said on Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity to protect private conversations.
Biden Plans To Nominate Former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm As Energy Secretary
NPR
President-elect Joe Biden is expected to nominate former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm to be the next secretary of energy, two sources familiar with transition discussions told NPR.
Trump administration narrows protection of habitat for endangered species
The Hill
The Trump administration on Tuesday narrowed habitat protections for endangered species, finalizing its second major rollback to the Endangered Species Act.
Press Releases
Veteran marine scientist named co-director of two MSU research institutes
MSU
STARKVILLE, Miss.—A marine scientist with extensive research and leadership experience will become the new co-director of the Northern Gulf Institute, a NOAA Cooperative Institute, led by Mississippi State. He will also serve as an associate director of the university’s Geosystems Research Institute.
