State
Grand Gulf nuclear power plant troubles 'happening far too often,' Mississippi official says
AP
Another unplanned outage at Mississippi's Grand Gulf nuclear power plant outside Port Gibson is adding to regulators' concerns over reliability problems at the largest single-unit nuclear power plant in the United States. The move is also heightening scrutiny over whether problems at Entergy Corp.'s plant may be affecting power markets.
Barnett Reservoir trash container law effective Jan. 1
Clarion Ledger
Beginning on Jan. 1, all fishermen and boaters on Barnett Reservoir must have a designated trash receptacle while fishing on the 33,000-acre lake.
Cash motivates school, community to recycle
WLBT
CANTON, MS (WLBT) - Two years after Madison County began cutting-back its recycling efforts, students in Canton are doing the opposite. They’re taking their recyclables to school.
Alashija Johnson is the student body president at Canton High School. She’s also now a competitive recycler.
RESIDENTS URGED NOT TO POUR GREASE DOWN DRAIN
Bolivar Commercial
Holiday casseroles, rich gravies and big family breakfasts can clog more than arteries; the excess grease from such decadent holiday fare can cause big problems for sewer pipes.
Bay informs water customers of monitoring violation
Sea Coast Echo
The city of Bay St. Louis sent a notice to water customers recently that it had received a letter from the Mississippi State Department of Health that it had not quite met drinking water monitoring requirements for the month of October.
Endangered young cranes join wildlife refuge in Gautier
Sun Herald
Three cranes hatched in Florida were released into the crane refuge in Gautier last week, helping boost the population of the endangered species to over 130 birds.
Tourism on the Mississippi Coast is up, but 2019 looks even more promising. Here’s why.
Sun Herald
The coming year looks promising for tourism and, as a result, the Coast economy, Visit Mississippi Gulf Coast says.
State Government
Gov. Bryant makes appointments to Supreme, Appeals courts
Clarion Ledger
Gov. Phil Bryant is appointing Mississippi Court of Appeals Judge Kenny Griffis to the state Supreme Court to replace Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr. who has announced he's retiring Jan. 31.
Also on Wednesday, Bryant appointed state Rep. Cory T. Wilson of Madison to replace Griffis on the Court of Appeals.
Buck Clarke announces run for Treasurer
NewsMS
Today, Senator Buck Clarke announced his candidacy for state Treasurer, citing his years of experience as a certified public accountant and fighting for conservative reforms in the legislature.
Oil Spill
Is Gulf Islands National Seashore's asphalt removal project an exercise in futility?
PNJ
As crews repaired sections of State Road 399 between Pensacola Beach and Navarre damaged by Hurricane Michael earlier this year, contractors for the National Park Service worked nearby on another project — removing chunks of weathered asphalt left behind when the road was washed out in past storms.
Regional
Despite Efforts To Head Off Nutrient Runoff, Dead Zones A Growing Problem
News Investigation Finds Anti-Pollution Programs Around Mississippi River Aren't Addressing Growing Pollution Problem
Wisconsin Public Radio
The Midwest has a growing problem with water pollution — and the effects can be felt far beyond each state's borders.
Fertilizer choice can affect methanogen activity in soil
Choice of nitrogen fertilizer affects methane emissions from rice.
Delta Farm Press
University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture research in rice may lead to more sustainable crop production in Arkansas and around the world.
After long, secretive search, DHEC board names one of its own as new agency director
The State
COLUMBIA, S.C.
After more than a year searching, a S.C. board chose one of its own Wednesday to lead the state’s largest regulatory agency.
The board of the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control selected fellow board member Richard “Rick” Toomey to lead the agency. Toomey’s salary was set at $178,126 a year.
National
House climate change panel unlikely to have subpoena power
The Hill
The climate change committee that House Democrats are planning to establish in the next Congress is unlikely to have the subpoena power afforded to most other congressional panels.
Flake to co-introduce bipartisan climate bill
The Hill
Outgoing GOP Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) introduced a carbon pricing bill Wednesday that aims to help cut climate change causing emissions.
Trump admin lays out plan to confront lead poisoning ‘head-on’
The Hill
Trump administration officials on Wednesday published a plan that they said would confront the issue of lead exposure among children “head-on.”
Justice Department Sues Over Conservation Easements
Georgia-based promoters used overvalued land appraisals to claim and sell tax deductions, government contends
WSJ
WASHINGTON—The Justice Department sued Georgia-based promoters of a tax strategy on Wednesday, contending they used overvalued land appraisals to claim and sell charitable deductions in an abusive scheme.
Is that fish the fish you think it is? Investigation finds widespread mislabeling at the seafood counter
ABC
The New York Attorney General is out with a new investigation that found more than a quarter of fish bought in New York supermarkets is labeled as a different kind of fish. It's a trend that could indicate negligent marketing or even fraud.
Press releases
Trump Administration Unveils Federal Action Plan to Reduce Childhood Lead Exposure
12/19/2018
WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler, U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson, and U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Deputy Secretary Eric Hargan unveiled the Trump Administration’s Federal Lead Action Plan to Reduce Childhood Lead Exposures and Associated Health Impacts (Lead Action Plan).
