Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority's Assistant Administrator for Planning and Research Stuart Brown has spent a great deal of time studying the future of the state's coast. He's become the spokesman for the recently released 2023 draft coastal master plan update. The every-six-years update plan is designed to guide the state's coastal restoration efforts. In an edited interview - for length and clarity with NOLA.com - the Brown had at least one main focus - to illustrate the effects of changes and how citizens may experience those changes. (NOLA.com 01/15/23) Stuart Brown explains the future of Louisiana's coast | Environment | nola.com
Sunday, January 15, 2023
Mil.Ire: Mail-in ballot shortening.
Hundreds of thousands of mail-in ballots were rejected across the U.S. during the 2022 general election, according to a state-by-state analysis by National Public Radio. That's about 1% of ballots returned to election officials, a rate similar to previous years. Ohio’s new restrictive election law shortens that window from 10 to four days - despite the lack of data that extended timelines lead to problems. The changes, which also are being considered by New Jersey, California and Wisconsin, are angering active-duty military and their families because of its potential to disenfranchise them. NPR's analysis, which drew primarily from states that actually track ballot rejections, provides an incomplete picture because many states don't track the information at the state level. States that do track ballot rejections statewide told NPR, which reported on it Jan. 13, that data was not ready to be shared. From the 2022 election, Mississippi received 47, 818 mail-in ballots. Of those, 692 were rejected for an average of 1.44%. Many states don't track mail ballot rejections at the state level or did not have the information available to NPR as of Jan. 13, including Alabama and Louisiana. (NPR 01/13/23) How many mail ballots states rejected in the 2022 election : NPR Of the four states considering reduced days to receive mail-in ballots, President Biden won big in California and his home state of New Jersey. He lost in Ohio and won by less than 1% in Wisconsin.
Regional gas prices @ the pump
From Jan. 6, U.S. drivers paid an average of $3.29 per gallon for regular gasoline, according to the AAA, which is 4 cents more per gallon than on Dec. 13. The cheapest price tends alternate frequently around southern states, but currently, the cheapest average price is in Mississippi: $2.885 per gallon. It was $2.80 in December. States such as Louisiana ($2.95) and Texas ($2.93) are not far behind. The average prices in Alabama have risen 16.1 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $2.92, according to a GasBuddy's survey. (Marca.com 01/14/23) Gas Prices Today, January 14, 2023: Check the cheapest Gas Stations Today | Marca The first day of the week offers the lowest average gas prices in the majority of the U.S.
Additional data map: Today’s Highest Gas Prices By State – Forbes Advisor
Saturday, January 14, 2023
Mil.spouse fellowship pilot
Mil.spouse career fellowship program
More than 500 military spouses have registered for a new paid fellowship pilot program, Military Spouse Career Accelerator, to be placed with civilian companies seeking full-time employees. The spouse accelerator program is free to employers, and spouses will be paid by the Pentagon during the 12-week fellowships. It’s open to spouses of currently serving members of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Space Force, to include active, reserve and National Guard components. Spouses can find information about how to apply at the Military OneSource Spouse Education and Career Opportunities website.
Women's Entrepreneurship event: How to identify and protect your intellectual property (IP) for business success. Women's Entrepreneurship event: How to identify and protect your intellectual property (IP) for business success | USPTO
Job market: Eaton, Vertex & MSU
Eaton’s Aerospace Division is currently seeking a Modeling & Simulation Engineer to join its in Jackson, Miss. Modeling & Simulation Engineer at Eaton in Jackson, Mississippi 136331 (talentify.io)
* CBA Database Administrator - AIMD Program - Vertex Aerospace, Meridian, Mississippi. Administration job at Vertex Aerospace - CBA Database Administrator - AIMD Program - Meridian, MS (jsfirm.com)
* Research Engineer I or II at Mississippi State University's Science and Technology Center at the Stennis Space Center, Miss., to provide computer science support in the development of data management capabilities and visualization techniques for the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and its partners. Lead Engineer Jobs in Starkville, MS (Hiring Now!) - Zippia
CEOs expect short-term recession
Ninety-eight percent of U.S.-based CEOs anticipate America will face a recession in 2023, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing data from the non-profit business research firm Conference Board. The pessimistic outlook may only be short-term as 22% predict GDP growth by mid-2023. Eighty-two percent anticipated recovery before mid-2024, the Conference Board reported Jan. 12. Chinese, Japanese and Latin American CEOs were more pessimistic. Nearly everybody but China believes there will be an economic downturn, Dana Peterson, Conference Board chief economist, told the WSJ. American CEOs say they plan to focus on innovation, digital transformation, high-growth markets and cost-cuttings. European and Japanese CEOs are more likely to focus on price adjusting. Chinese CEOs are more likely to search for new geographic markets. CEOs also indicated a willingness to commit to environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) principles, with leaders rating customers/employees over business partners for prioritization, according to CB. Nearly 60% said they intend to go ahead with ESG investments even in the face of backlash. CEOs in the financial services sector are more likely to cut costs or layoffs. Goldman Sachs laid off 3,000 employees this week. Morgan Stanley laid off 1,600 in early December. (Daily Caller News Foundation 01/12/23) Just About Every CEO Is Predicting An Economic Downturn In 2023: POLL | The Daily Caller
Prelim report on GoM helo crash
BILOXI, Miss.-The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a preliminary report - with photographs - on Jan. 13 detailing a Dec. 29 fatal helicopter crash in the Gulf of Mexico, off the shores of Louisiana. The crash took the lives of four people - two from Mississippi. The Bell 407 helicopter left GAO airport in Galliano, La., headed for the West Delta 106 offshore platform. It landed on the platform with four passengers. Three people on the platform got onto the helicopter and were to head back to the mainland. There were no eyewitnesses or video of the helicopter taking off, but some platform workers reported hearing engine noises increase for takeoff, then the sound of items hitting the platform. Individuals reported going outside, where they saw the helicopter fuselage floating in the water. Photos show the area where a chain link perimeter on the helipad was damaged and a portion of a main rotor blade that broke off during the crash. Photos also show a light from the perimeter of the helipad was damaged and part of the helicopter- the upper hydraulic servo cover. Investigators found debris - consistent with materials "used to construct the main rotor blades.” On Jan. 2, the helicopter fuselage and tail boom were transported to a facility in Baton Rouge. The engine control unit was removed and shipped to the NTSB Vehicle Recorder Laboratory. A second perimeter light, as well as the cockpit’s image recorder, was missing and was not recovered. NTSB says this is a preliminary report, and information is subject to change. (WLOX 01/13/23) PHOTOS: New report details helicopter breaking apart before crashing into Gulf, killing 4 (wdam.com)
Some La. water systems graded 'F'
On Jan. 1, the Louisiana Department of Health released preliminary grades for 954 community water systems across the state as part of a new program in which the state issues yearly grade assessments. ... What grade did your water system get? Here's how to find out | News | nola.com
More than 450,000 La. residents served by water systems were graded of D or F. (NOLA.com 01/13/23) From A's to F's. How did La's water systems rate? | News | nola.com
La. LNG gets interim fed go-ahead
A liquefied natural gas export (LNG) terminal under construction in Plaquemines Parish, La., has gotten an interim (first) environmental assessment go-ahead from staff members of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for expansion. FERC regulates energy projects. The interim assessment weighs the good and bad of allowing the Louisiana LNG to increase its annual output from 24M metric tons to 27.2M. FERC had already OK'd terminal construction, which began in August 2021. Last year, terminal parent Venture Global LNG had asked the FERC for a decision to up its the terminal’s export capacity. Environmental justice groups - Louisiana Bucket Brigade, Sierra Club and Healthy Gulf - opposed the expansion, citing potential impact on air and water quality and climate change. The new assessment - which has to be OK'd by the entire commission - indicates that if the LNG plant operates under an amendment, approval "would not constitute a major federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment.” But the FERC had already said expansion would not have altered its 2019 EIS approval for construction. FERC will take public comments on the assessment until Feb. 6. Comments will be sent to the agency for review. Venture Global came up with a $13.2B financing package for the facility in May. The terminal is expected to come online by 2024. (NOLA.com 01/13/23)
Friday, January 13, 2023
Vaccine reversal limits mil.careers?
The Ohio-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit decided 3-0 that President Biden lacked statutory authority under U.S. procurement law to require and face masks for employees working on federal contracts, according to Bloomberg Law. In December, the U.S. Appeals Court for the Fifth Circuit a lower court ruling against the administration’s for contractor companies to ensure personnel are vaccinated against the coronavirus in compliance with the president's . In a sidebar, SECDEF issued a to requirements for members of the armed forces in compliance with the FY 2023 National Defense Authorization Act. (Gov.Wire 01/13/23)
UPDATE 01/12/23):
Dropped vaccine mandate still may limit mil.careers
The Pentagon directive still allows commanders to continue to decide whether unvaccinated service members are assigned or deployed to any country, including those with a vaccine requirement. Such restrictions may limit career progression, according to some of those who refused the vaccinations. SECDEF still believes the mandate vaccinations was correct and will continue to encourage vaccinations. Commanders have the responsibility and authority to preserve DoD’s mission, he said.
Although the memo ended pending involuntary separations for unvaccinated service members, it didn’t help thousands who were pushed out of service for refusing the vaccine. They can petition to have an other-than-honorable discharge reviewed, allowing them to reenlist. But there is no potential for them to return at the level they were dismissed, a Pentagon spokesperson told Stars and Stripes on Jan. 12. (Stars and Stripes 01/12/22)
Elvis' daughter dead at 54
Lisa Marie Presley, 54, the only child of Tupelo-born Elvis Presley and a singer-songwriter dedicated to her father’s legacy, died Jan. 12 at a Los Angeles hospital after being hospitalized for a medical emergency. Her death was confirmed by her mother, Priscilla. She was born at Graceland in Memphis nine months after her parents’ wedding. She and her mother were at the Golden Globes award Jan. 10 to celebrate Austin Butler’s award for playing her father in the new film, "Elvis". On Jan. 8, she was in Memphis celebrate her father’s birthday. Elvis died in August 1977 at age 42, when Lisa Marie was 9 years old. (The AP 01/13/23) Lisa Marie Presley, singer and daughter of Elvis, dies at 54 | AP News
MLK Jr. events across South
Monday, Jan. 16. is the MLK Jr. federal holiday.
Memphis: MLK Day in Memphis 2023: Events to honor Martin Luther King Jr. (commercialappeal.com).
Starkville: Unity breakfast at Mississippi State University. MSU plans MLK Jr. Unity Breakfast, Day of Service | Mississippi State University (msstate.edu).
Tupelo: Life and legacy: Tupelo to celebrate MLK with four-day event (yahoo.com).
Mississippi Gulf Coast: LIST: MLK Day celebrations to take place across Coast (msn.com).
Montgomery, Alabama: Home of Dr. King's church. Long list of Montgomery events planned for Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend (wsfa.com)
Alabama: Birmingham begins events honoring MLK - al.com.
Louisiana: How to celebrate: Events happening around NELA to mark MLK, Jr. Day 2023 (knoe.com).
Powerful storms rip across South
Weather radar indicated a tornado in Monroe County, Miss., as thunderstorms moved through the region on Jan. 12, according to the National Weather Service. Mississippi Emergency Management Agency posted video from the county showing debris and damaged structures caused by the “possible tornado.” Officials said there were no known injuries from the site. In Selma, Ala., rescuers raced in (Jan. 13) to find survivors trapped in debris after tornadoes barreled across parts of the South in a system that killed at least nine people in Alabama and Georgia and inflicted heavy damage on Selma. At least 35 possible tornado touchdowns were reported across several states, according to the FEMA. Tens of thousands of homes and businesses were without power in both states. In Autauga, about 40 homes were damaged. In Griffin, Ga., south of Atlanta, officials reported people had been trapped inside an apartment complex and firefighters cut loose a man who had been pinned for hours under a tree that fell on his house. There are a great many downed power lines in Selma. (The AP 01/13/23) Tornado hits Selma, Alabama; 9 deaths reported across South | AP News.
UPDATE: The Monroe County EMA said a faulty repeater site kept weather- warning sirens from sounding. That morning, a tornado warning from the National Weather Service was issued about eight minutes after an EF1 tornado had already touched down in the Muldon area. VIDEO - Tornado sirens failed to sound as severe weather moved through Monroe County Thursday morning | Video | wtva.com
Thursday, January 12, 2023
Kiln aviation program mgr. post
Aviation Program Manager with the Tyonek Native Corporation at Kiln, Miss. Aviation Program Manager job at Tyonek Native Corporation in Kiln Mississippi (avjobs.com)
HII 4Q financials Feb.9
HII 4Q financial results Feb. 9
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - HII will release its fourth quarter 2022 financial results on Feb. 9 and host an earnings conference call at 8 a.m. Central time the same day. The call will be webcast live on HII’s website: https://www.hii.com/.
South La. port to buy Avondale site
AVONDALE, La. - The former Avondale shipyard may soon get a new owner. The Port of South Louisiana announced Jan. 12 they have entered into a Purchase and Sale Agreement with Virginia-based T. Parker Host for the 254-acre Avondale Global Gateway (AGG). The public-private partnership agreement means the port will buy the site for $445M. The port is focused on expanding operations and bringing prosperity back to the SE Louisiana region, according to Paul Matthews, Port of South Louisiana CEO. T. Parker Host will continue as terminal operator. The acquisition will set the stage for new developments at the waterfront industrial park and serve as a catalyst for economic activity across the region, according to Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng. Host purchased the shipyard from Huntington Ingalls in 2018 for $60M and then invested $150M into the shipyard, which sat idle since 2014. (WWL 01/12/23) Port of South Louisiana agrees to buy former Avondale shipyard for $445M | wwltv.com
MSU senior first Churchill Scholar
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Emma Wade, a highly decorated senior computer science major and biological sciences minor from Decatur, Ala., is Mississippi State University’s first Churchill Scholar. Wade is one of 16 American students to receiving the Winston Churchill Foundation of the United States’ 2023-24 award, which provides one year of master’s study at Churchill College at Cambridge University in England. This was the first year MSU had submitted nominations for the award after becoming a partner institution in 2019. University of Cambridge is currently ranked No. 8 among Best Global Universities. The Churchill Scholarship was established at the request of former British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill as part of the founding of Churchill College. (MSU 01/11/23)
Nastasi named VP of new HII dept.
PASCAGOULA, Miss. - HII announced Jan. 11 that its Ingalls Shipbuilding division here has promoted Kimberly Nastasi to VP of a newly formed integrated communications and stakeholder engagement department. The department will enhance communication and engagement with key stakeholders inside and outside of the shipbuilding community. She will report to Ingalls Shipbuilding President Kari Wilkinson. Previously, Nastasi served as director of communications and community engagement at Ingalls. Prior to joining Ingalls Shipbuilding, Nastasi served as CEO of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce and executive director for its foundation. She currently serves on the board of directors for the Southeast Mississippi Chapter of the American Red Cross. She is a graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the field of communication. Nastasi is a graduate of the Gulf Coast Business Council’s Master’s Program, Leadership Gulf Coast and Leadership Mississippi. She is also the co- founder of Coast Young Professionals. (HII 01/11/23) https://hii.com/news/ingalls-
Ex-CAFB pilot takes reins @ WADS
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. - Col. Travis T. Boltjes, who completed undergraduate pilot training at Columbus AFB, Miss., became commander of the Western Air Defense Sector (WADS) during a virtual change of command ceremony here on Jan. 4. Lt. Gen Kirk S. Pierce, Commander of the Continental U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Region (CONR)-1st Air Force (Air Forces Northern and Air Forces Space), presided over the ceremony virtually from Tyndall AFB, Fla. Boltjes has deployed four times in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Prior to being assigned to WADS, he was the Chief of Staff at CONR-1AF. WADS is staffed by active-duty Washington Air National Guardsmen, Royal Canadian Air Force, Navy liaison officers and federal civilians. The unit supports the NORAD integrated warning and attack assessment missions and the USNORTHCOM homeland defense mission. It is responsible for air sovereignty and counter-air operations over the western United States and directs assets to defend 2.2M square miles of land and sea west of the Mississippi River. (WADS 01/09/23)
Wednesday, January 11, 2023
Klein named head of BOEM
Elizabeth Klein, who helped create the first U.S. offshore wind leasing program over 10 years ago, was named Jan.10 to lead the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), succeeding Amanda Lefton, who has led the agency during its ramp-up of leasing and permitting. Lefton will step down Jan. 19. Klein is an attorney long experience in clean energy, climate change, and environmental law. Before joining the Biden administration in 2021. Klein was deputy director of the State Energy & Environmental Impact Center at NYU School of Law. In earlier years at the Interior department Klein worked for the Clinton and Obama administrations as a deputy to Interior secretaries Ken Salazar and Sally Jewell. (Work Boat 01/10/11)
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