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What A waste of Precious Oil
Crews are cleaning more than 400,000 gallons of oil from a closed stretch of the Mississippi River from New Orleans to the Gulf of Mexico.
Coast Guard Petty Officer Jaclyn Young says crews are using vacuum skimmers to pick up the oil that is being contained with booms.
The 419,000 of heavy fuel oil spilled from a barge when it collided into a tanker Wednesday.
Young says it could take a few days to open the river and weeks to clean the spill.
Authorities also are investigating why the tugboat towing the barge had no licensed pilot.
Crews are cleaning more than 400,000 gallons of oil from a closed stretch of the Mississippi River from New Orleans to the Gulf of Mex... more -
400,000 gallon oil spill on the Mississippi river
400,000 gallons of industrial fuel oil dumped into the Miss. River. An 80 mile stretch has been contaminated, and is flowing into the gulf. Citizens are being told to conserve water as many get their water from the river. This could end up as another ecological disaster for the already suffering Gulf Coast region around New Orleans.
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/... 400,000 gallons of industrial fuel oil dumped into the Miss. River. An 80 mile stretch has been contaminated, and is flowing into the ... more -
School district bars teacher-student texting
A new school district policy in southern Mississippi prohibits teachers from texting or communicating with students through Internet social network sites such as MySpace.
The Lamar County school board approved the policy earlier this month after becoming concerned that casual contact between teachers and students would be unprofessional.
"The only intent is to limit the personal communication between teachers and students," Superintendent Ben Burnett told The Hattiesburg American newspaper. "We don't need to let it cross the line between professional and personal communication."
Burnett said the policy won't keep teachers or students from creating profiles on sites such as MySpace or Facebook, which allow users to share personal information and communicate over the Web.
"This just keeps them from communicating socially through those kinds of means," Burnett said.
No incident led to the policy, which was enacted at the suggestion of the school board attorney. The board has yet to set penalties for violating the policy. A new school district policy in southern Mississippi prohibits teachers from texting or communicating with students through Internet s... more -
Mississippi Remains Fattest State, CDC Reports
The South tips the scales again as the nation's fattest region, according to a new government survey.
More than 30 percent of adults in Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee are considered obese. In part, experts blame Southern eating habits, poverty and demographic groups that have higher obesity rates.
Colorado was the least obese, with about 19 percent fitting that category in a random telephone survey done last year by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The 2007 findings are similar to results from the same survey the three previous years. Mississippi has had the highest obesity rate every year since 2004. But Alabama, Tennessee, West Virginia and Louisiana have also clustered near the top of the list, often so close that the difference between their rates and Mississippi's may not be statistically significant. The South tips the scales again as the nation's fattest region, according to a new government survey. ... more -
Casino regulators received items meant for Katrina victims
The agency that regulates Mississippi's casinos got pillows, stoves, dinnerware and other items meant for Hurricane Katrina victims.
The Mississippi Gaming Commission was among 11 state agencies that received the household items from the state's surplus agency.
A breakdown of what each agency received shows the commission took a coffee maker, a case of pillows, wash kits, two dual-burner stoves, plates and utensils, two cases of hand sanitizers and 20 five-gallon containers.
The Mississippi Department of Corrections also got 20 coffee makers, 15 tents, four cases of pillows, five cases of men's underwear and other supplies.
Sixteen states, including storm-ravaged Mississippi, took the items.
The agency that regulates Mississippi's casinos got pillows, stoves, dinnerware and other items meant for Hurricane Katrina victims. ... more -
David Banner In Studio
David Banner takes over the Daily Fix and lets us in on the personal details of his new album, "The Greatest Story Ever Told," and how his life lives up to the title. David Banner takes over the Daily Fix and lets us in on the personal details of his new album, "The Greatest Story Ever Told," and how... more
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Herd of White Elephants Going Extinct
After high formaldehyde levels were found in travel trailers used to house the victims of Hurricane Katrina, the federal government said it would use them again only if it had no other choice.
Which raises the question — what should be done with the almost 100,000 trailers now sitting idly at sites around the country, at a cost to the government of $130 million a year?
It looks as though most could end up being sold for scrap.
FEMA has acknowledged that formaldehyde can be a health problem for people living in some trailers, but it has not said the same for people living near storage sites.
The agency says the ongoing litigation has stalled its efforts to dispose of the more than 94,000 travel trailers it now has sitting — empty and unused — around the country.
Taking care of the empty trailers costs money — $28 million a year, just in Mississippi.
FEMA had been selling the trailers but stopped last year because of the concerns about formaldehyde.
After high formaldehyde levels were found in travel trailers used to house the victims of Hurricane Katrina, the federal government sa... more -
Saving Port Gibson
The town of Port Gibson, Mississippi is in need of your help. Declared "too beautiful to burn" by Ulysses S. Grant during the notoriously destructive Vicksburg Campaign of 1863, Port Gibson has become one of the most historically significant towns in the South. Now, a highway expansion project and almost twenty years of indecision and infighting threaten to transform Church Street, a lovely, tree-lined avenue, into a major interstate. Meet a few locals determined to save this national treasure.
Help unite the community around an Eastern bypass!
Sign the petition to save Port Gibson at:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/save-port-gibson-missi...
For more information on other ways you can help the cause, please visit:
www.portgibsonheritagetrust.org
Credits -
A Pete's House Production
A film by Grady McGahan
Shot by: Robert Northrup
Archival Footage: Robert Clark
Music: "The Second Battle of Port Gibson" by Lonesome Mel, Mary Mac, and Larry
Special Thanks: Bob Thibodeaux, Terry Merritt, Jane Ellis, Al Hollingsworth, Shirley & Willie Daigle, Georgia's at the Depot, and Port Gibson Heritage Trust
If you like the music, be sure to check out www.myspace.com/lonesomemel The town of Port Gibson, Mississippi is in need of your help. Declared "too beautiful to burn" by Ulysses S. Grant during the notorio... more -
Mississippi River levee breaks
The swollen Mississippi River ran over the top of a levee near Meyer, Illinois, on Wednesday, adding to misery for flood-weary residents.
In an effort to protect businesses, water supplies and valuable farmland, volunteers and national guard troops are helping to reinforce or raise levees on both sides of the Mississippi River. The swollen Mississippi River ran over the top of a levee near Meyer, Illinois, on Wednesday, adding to misery for flood-weary residen... more -
Civil rights letter finally arrives
see also "45 years to deliver a letter" on current
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45 years to deliver a letter
In 1963, William L Moore wrote a letter to Mississippi Gov.Ross Barnett opposing segregation
and planned to walk his message from Chattanooga, Tn to Jackson, Ms, on April 23, 1963 he was shot in the head twice and killed. Several attempts to deliver this letter has resulted in nearly 700 people being arrested and beaten, some prisoned and fed crushed glass in their food and hit with electric cattle prods... the letter never made it to it's destination.
On April 23, 2008 Ellen Johnson and myself walked the original letter ( given to us by Bill's widow) from Attalla, Alabama to Jackson, Mississippi, 320 miles in order to bring recognition to William Moore and all the Freedom walkers of 1963.
I would like to thank the very nice people and Police in Alabama and Mississippi, your concern for our safety was greatly appreciated. We have come a long way since 1963. In 1963, William L Moore wrote a letter to Mississippi Gov.Ross Barnett opposing segregation ... more -
45 years to deliver a letter
In 1963, William L Moore wrote a letter to Mississippi Gov.Ross Barnett opposing segregation
and planned to walk his message from Chattanooga, Tn to Jackson, Ms, on April 23, 1963 he was shot in the head twice and killed. Several attempts to deliver this letter has resulted in nearly 700 people being arrested and beaten, some prisoned and fed crushed glass in their food and hit with electric cattle prods... the letter never made it to it's destination.
On April 23, 2008 Ellen Johnson and myself walked the original letter ( given to us by Bill's widow) from Attalla, Alabama to Jackson, Mississippi, 320 miles in order to bring recognition to William Moore and all the Freedom walkers of 1963.
I would like to thank the very nice people and Police in Alabama and Mississippi, your concern for our safety was greatly appreciated. We have come a long way since 1963.
In 1963, William L Moore wrote a letter to Mississippi Gov.Ross Barnett opposing segregation ... more -
From San Francisco to Mississipi: Uncertainty about our country's future.
On a recent trip to Ole Miss, I decided to ask the students I ran into how they felt about the state of our country and compared it to what I had encountered where I live in San Francisco. While two worlds apart, the sentiment shared is the same. America is in need of change, but most everyone I encountered is far from convinced that any of the electable candidates are necessarily the change that we need. On a recent trip to Ole Miss, I decided to ask the students I ran into how they felt about the state of our country and compared it to... more
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Motherload of Trophies
In a disposable culture of programmed obsolescence, the owners of the Shack Up Inn set out to salvage some junk and end up preserving Delta history.
Old trophies, boy scout badges and photographs are among the relics scattered throughout the rooms and grounds, off Highway 49 in Hopson, Mississippi.
People journey to the inn from all over the world to troll through things most would discard. Some are there to reconnect with their culture, while others come from afar in search of something authentic. In a disposable culture of programmed obsolescence, the owners of the Shack Up Inn set out to salvage some junk and end up preserving ... more -
McCain the Stumper
Presidential candidate John McCain delivers a speech in Meridian, Mississippi.
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Newsblast! 03.12.08
Spitzer resigns, Obama wins Mississippi, and Komodo Dragons hatch.
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Barack Obama Sails to Easy Mississippi Primary Victory
Senator Barack Obama coasted to an easy victory in Mississippi's Democratic primary on Tuesday, the most recent in a series of presidential contests across the Deep South. This article includes photographs, a video of Obama discussing his Mississippi win, a music video and a great photo-gallery. Senator Barack Obama coasted to an easy victory in Mississippi's Democratic primary on Tuesday, the most recent in a series of preside... more
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Obama takes Mississippi
Barack Obama coasted to victory in Mississippi's Democratic primary Tuesday, latest in a string of racially polarized presidential contests across the Deep South and a final tune-up before next month's high-stakes race with Hillary Rodham Clinton in Pennsylvania.
Obama was winning roughly 90 percent of the black vote but only about one-third of the white vote, extending a pattern that carried him to victory in earlier primaries in South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia and Louisiana.
In the general presidential elections of the past 32 years, Mississippi has voted for the Republican candidate every time. Barack Obama coasted to victory in Mississippi's Democratic primary Tuesday, latest in a string of racially polarized presidential co... more -
How Qatar Helped Katrina Victims
"In the wake of the hurricane, which hit the north-central Gulf coast in August of 2005, the State of Qatar was among the first countries to commit financial support to the victims of the storm. Almost immediately after the damage was assessed, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the Amir of the State of Qatar, pledged $100 million toward the rebuilding of New Orleans, Mississippi, and other areas destroyed by the hurricane. One month later, in September of 2005, the Qatar Katrina Fund was formed.
The Fund provides direct assistance to the victims of the storm in the form of student scholarships, health care, and the construction of homes and community centers, among other things. "We Are All Witnesses" includes a detailed report of gifts given, along with a complete list and description of the organizations and programs that received contributions. Several universities, medical centers, and non-profit organizations were included on the list, as well as housing projects like Habitat for Humanity." (New American Media-Feb 19 2008) "In the wake of the hurricane, which hit the north-central Gulf coast in August of 2005, the State of Qatar was among the first countr... more -
Mississippi to ban fat people from eating in public?
The Mississippi State House is proposing a law that would prohibit restaurants from serving patrons with a BMI over 30.
Okay, I know we have an obesity epidemic in this country and we really should do something about it, but preventing people from being served? So not the answer. The Mississippi State House is proposing a law that would prohibit restaurants from serving patrons with a BMI over 30. ... more
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