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State Receives Funds for Energy Emergency Preparedness
Yesterday, Rep. Travis Childers announced that Mississippi will receive more than $450,000 in federal funding to improve the state's emergency preparedness plans and ensure fast recovery of energy disruptions. The state will use the money to hire and retrain staff and expand our capacity to respond to situations such as blackouts, hurricanes and ice storms, Childers' office said in a release.
Adopt a Stimulus Project
With the U.S. spending $27 billion in infrastructure projects as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, ProPublica wants to know how those projects are doing. The independent, non-profit Internet newsroom is looking for volunteers to adopt projects, investigate and report on them.
Mayoral Candidates at Jackson State
You still have time to get to Jackson State University for a mayoral discussion forum this morning. Here are the details, per JSU:
Obama Pushes Stimulus Transparency
In signing the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act today, President Barack Obama has embarked on what could be the defining action of his young presidency.
Hinds County Names Parent of the Year
The Hinds County School District has named Pamela Clevenger 2009 Parent of the Year.
Clevenger, a Hinds Community College Chemistry and Physics Instructor and Raymond Elementary School parent, is a former high school science teacher who has taught at Hinds Community College for thirteen years, according to a release.
Mississippi Swine Flu Cases Over 200
The Mississippi State Department of Health reports that H1N1 flu, known as swine flu, continues to spread rapidly in Mississippi. Since the first confirmed case May 15, the count has now reached 212. Additionally, residents have seen 73 cases of seasonal flu since the end of April.
MDOT Adopts Twitter
Twitter is taking Mississippi by storm. Literally.
Carrie Adams, spokeswoman for the state Department of Transportation says her agency will be tweeting evacuees during the upcoming hurricane season, beginning June 1, to alert them with route information.
Murrah High Makes Top High Schools List
[verbatim] Newsweek magazine has named Murrah High School to its 2009 America's Top Public High Schools list. The schools are ranked on the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and/or Cambridge tests taken by all students in a school in 2008 divided by the number of graduating seniors.
Katrina: Four Years and Billions Later, Work Remains
On Aug. 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina roared inland from the Gulf of Mexico, virtually flattening the Mississippi Gulf Coast. In New Orleans, the storm proved what experts already knew: The city's levees were inadequate in the face of Katrina's wrath, leaving 80 percent of the city flooded. In the end, the storm displaced more than 1 million people and killed 1,836. The estimated economic impact totaled more than $81 billion.
Dr. Aaron Shirley
Dr. Aaron Shirley is challenging those opposed to a government-run public health plan to put their convictions where their mouths are. Shirley says that if they believe what they're saying, they should burn their Medicare cards. "I want to have a demonstrationBoston Tea Party-likeand burn those cards," Shirley told The Washington Times.
Mississippian Nominated to Oversee Forest Service
President Barack Obama has nominated Mississippi State Conservationist Homer Lee Wilkes to oversee the Forest Service as undersecretary for natural resources and environment at the U.S. Agriculture Department, reports The New York Times.
Spacecraft Coming to Jackson
A full-sized mockup of America's next-generation spaceship is making a stop in Jackson on its way from Florida to Texas. NASA's Orion crew exploration vehicle will dock at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, tomorrow, Aug. 13, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Beth Kander
In response to the news that state Sen. Lydia Chassaniol was the "surprise speaker" at the recent Council of Conservative Citizens meeting in Jackson in June, Jackson playwright Beth Kander announced on Facebook that she will be hand delivering a letter and flowersto the senator.
Report Predicts Slow Recovery for Mississippi
The June 2009 issue of the "Mississippi Economic Review and Outlook," a twice-yearly report authored by Marianne Hill, senior economist for the Institutions of Higher Learning, says the state's recovery from the current recession will be slow. Hill predicts that it will be 2014 before employment rates are back down to where they were in 2000.
Governor Adamant About Port Expansion
Despite pleas to reconsider his earlier decision to divert money from funds designated for rebuilding housing on Mississippi's Gulf Coast, Gov. Haley Barbour told reporters yesterday that he's not changing his mind. The $570 million will go toward expanding the commercial Port of Gulfport instead.
Senate Sends Anti-Obesity Bill to Governor
In an effort to address Mississippi's obesity epidemic, the Legislature has passed HB 1530 and sent it to Gov. Haley Barbour for his signature.
Lawmakers Agree on 68 Cent Cigarette Tax
Mississippi legislators have come to a tentative agreement on a new cigarette tax: 68 cents a pack.
Anti-smoking advocates Communities for a Clean Bill of Health called the compromise "a win for Mississippi" in a statement.
Alternative Schools Fail on Education
[verbatim]ACLU Report Reveals Breakdown In Mississippi Alternative Schools
JACKSON, MS – Alternative schools in Mississippi are not adequately helping struggling students to succeed academically, leaving too many of the state's children to drift toward dropout and failure, according to a new American Civil Liberties Union report released today.
Anti-Violence Programs: 'Absolutely Ineffective'
Congress enacted the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 with laudable goals. It wanted to both prevent and treat intimate partner abuse, specifically against women in America. Since its enactment, the issue of domestic violence has been heightened in the public arena, and many abused women have received assistance not available prior to 1994. But has the law reduced the incidence of domestic, intimate abuse? And have the laws enacted at the state level given women what they need? A recent report by the non-partisan organization Respecting Accuracy in Domestic Abuse Reporting is saying "no" in response to these and many other questions about the unintended consequences of VAWA, and is lobbying for an overhaul of the laws.
Health-Care Events in Jackson
Two health-care reform events will take place in Jackson tonight and tomorrow representing the opposing viewpoints of the reform debate.