Port NOLA condition Zulu

Port of New Orleans Cargo Operations will be closed Monday, Aug. 24 for necessary precautions ahead of potential impacts from Hurricane Marco and Tropical Storm Laura. Container terminal operations at New Orleans Terminal and Ports America will also be closed. Breakbulk operations will close at Empire, Coastal Cargo and Ports America. Decisions about Tuesday operations will be made and communicated later in the day on Monday. Effective at 10 p.m. Sunday, the Coast Guard will set the Port Condition to Zulu and the Lower Mississippi River will be closed to all marine traffic with the exception of fleet boats working barge fleets and vessel movements specifically authorized by the USCG Captain of the Port. (Source: Port of NOLA 08/23/20

HII's Miss. & La. units suspend ops

For safety, due to the likelihood of heavy rain and higher than normal tides, and in advance of two likely hurricanes coming ashore along the Gulf Coast, Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) is suspending all operations in Mississippi for all shifts on Monday, Aug. 24. Only employees specifically instructed to report for work Monday should do so. HII-Pascagoula will provide an update Monday afternoon with regard to additional work schedule changes, if necessary. Additionally, Ingalls’ UNO facility in Louisiana will be closed through Aug. 26. For updates, continue to check the "Infoline" (1-877-871-2058) and the IngallsConnect App. (Source: HII 08/23/20)

Storms 'dirty side' takes aim at GC

Gulf Coast states and Air Force military operations are gearing up for next week's arrival of two potential storms heading toward the northern Gulf Coast. The first to issue an advisory was Tyndall AFB, Fla. Tyndall declared Hurricane Condition 5 on Aug. 21. Hurlburt Field, Fla., also in NW Florida declared HURCON 5 at 6 a.m. Aug. 22. Hurlburt Field is directly located adjacent to the Gulf of Mexico. HURCON 5 is a level of warning used by the AF to assist commanders in preparing units for storm response actions. Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves declared a state of emergency in a statewide briefing online and in anticipation of tropical storm systems in the GoM. Hattiesburg American post https://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/story/news/local/2020/08/22/tropical-storm-laura-marco-mississippi-governor-update-developing-storms/3407342001/ Naval Construction Battalion Center Gulfport, Miss., post https://www.facebook.com/NCBCGulfport/photos/a.10151053655706712/10157308438006712/?type=3&theater ... Jefferson Parish, La., emergency management website https://www.jeffparish.net/departments/emergency-management. Eglin AFB, Fla., was to have entered HURCON 5 also on Aug. 21. The key aircraft test hub and fighter jet base has not announced any aircraft evacuations. Keesler AFB, Miss., a major training hub, has entered HURCON 5. The HURCON scale ranges from 5 to 1E - when sustained winds of 58 mph or gusts of at least 69 mph are occurring - then 1R when the storm is over and safe zones are being cleared. (Source: AF Magazine 08/21/20) The earliest arrival time for tropical-storm force winds from Marco are estimated to be Sunday night at the eastern tip of Louisiana and South Mississippi. Marco could pack heavy rains, winds and storm surge as it moves ashore Tuesday in eastern Texas or western Louisiana. On the other hand, Laura “are more uncertain than usual, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm is poised to gain strength in the Gulf. It is expected to move ashore Wednesday in Louisiana, based on current models. The timing and tracks of the storms will be more certain once they enter into the GoM, but rain is expected to begin as early as Sunday, Harrison County Emergency Manager Rupert Lacy told the Sun Herald. UPDATE from NHC [advisory 14] https://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=lix&wwa=hurricane%20local%20statement The right side of a storm is often referred to as its “dirty side” or “the bad side” - either way, it’s not where you want to be, Miami Herald reports. In general, it’s the storm’s more dangerous side. The “right side” of storm is in relation to the direction it’s moving, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. If it’s going north, the right side is east. If it’s moving west, the right side is north. Hurricane Marco is moving north-northwest and Laura is moving west-northwest, the weather service says. Their projected paths show much of the Gulf Coast could fall on their “dirty side. UPDATE 2: NCBC Gulfport, Miss., and NAS/JRB New Orleans have ordered the setting of Tropical Cyclone Condition of Readiness Three today in preparation for Tropical Storm Laura.

CG adjusting port conditions

NEW ORLEANS - The Coast Guard is adjusting port conditions and pre-staging response assets in the Gulf Coast region due to a forecast of two tropical systems expected to form in the Gulf of Mexico over the weekend. Port conditions change based on weather forecasts, and current port conditions can be viewed on the following Coast Guard homeport webpages: Sector Mobile, Ala.; Sector New Orleans; Sector Houston-Galveston; and Sector Corpus Christi, Texas. The Coast Guard is warning the public of these important safety messages. (Source: Coast Guard 08/21/20) https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDHSCG/bulletins/29b3688

MDOC gears for mass hiring

In an industry struggling under a national spotlight, from over-crowding to gang-related violence to a global pandemic, the Mississippi Department of Corrections is gearing up for a mass hiring. MDOC is looking for probation and parole agents; and correctional officers. Corrections Commissioner Burl Cain believes the department is up for the challenge. (Source: Clarion Ledger 08/21/20) https://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/story/news/politics/2020/08/21/mdoc-hiring-guards-probation-and-parole-agents/3399313001/

AA to suspend Lake Charles flights

WASHINGTON, DC - American Airlines Group announced Aug. 20 that it plans to suspend flights to 15 American airports in October, including Lake Charles, La., as travel demand remains stagnant as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Congress has been weighing for weeks whether to grant U.S. airlines another $25B in payroll assistance to keep thousands of airline workers on the job for another six months and extend minimum service requirements. American said it will cancel more than 700 flights in October to and from the 15 airports, but warned it could make additional cuts or could reconsider if Congress provides additional assistance. The debate over airline assistance has been stalled in Congress. Several airlines have been privately warning lawmakers they would be forced to suspend service to some smaller airports without assistance. American will halt flights to Del Rio, Texas; Dubuque, Iowa; Florence, SC; Greenville, NC; Huntington, W. Va.; Joplin, Mo.; Kalamazoo-Battle Creek, Mich. Lake Charles; New Haven, Conn.; New Windsor, NY; Roswell, NM; Sioux City, Iowa; Springfield, Ill.; Stillwater, Okla.; and Williamsport, Pa., starting Oct. 7. (Source: Reuters 08/20/20)

HII-Pascagoula lights off LPD 28

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced Aug. 21 that its shipbuilding division here has met the requirements for the electronic systems light-off of amphibious transport dock Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28). Electronic systems light-off “signifies that the network and consoles of the ship’s hull, mechanical and electrical systems are up and running,” said Steve Sloan, LPD program manager for Ingalls Shipbuilding. HII-Pascagoula has delivered 11 San Antonio-class ships to the Navy. Three more are under construction, including LPD 28, Richard M. McCool Jr. (LPD 29), and Harrisburg (LPD 30). Ingalls was awarded a $1.5B contract for the construction of LPD 31 in April. (Source: HII 08/21/20) https://newsroom.huntingtoningalls.com/file/lpd-28-electric-systems-light-off.

NOLA firm contract: $15.2M

 Pontchartrain Partners LLC of New Orleans was awarded a $15,242,620 firm-fixed-price contract for furnishing all plant, labor and materials for a channel cleanout of the St. Francis River. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work will be performed in Piggot, Ark., with an estimated completion date of Feb. 10, 2022. FY 2020 and FY-21 civil construction funds in the amount of $15,242,620 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of Memphis, Tenn., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD 08/20/20) Piggot, Ark., is 235 miles NNW of Tupelo, Miss.

Main Street community winners

TUPELO - Businesses and Main Street associations in seven Northeast Mississippi communities were honored Aug. 19 as recipients of the 2020 Mississippi Main Street Association’s annual awards. The awards program honors Main Street directors, board members and volunteers, and recognizes the most outstanding downtown development projects from the 45 Main Street communities in Mississippi. The Downtown Tupelo Main Street Association picked up three awards, including one for Mayor Jason Shelton as a Main Street Hero. Starkville Main Street received two awards while associations in Holly Springs, Corinth, West Point, New Albany and Ripley also were honored. (Source: Daily Journal 08/20/20) https://www.djournal.com/new-albany/seven-area-cities-receive-main-street-state-awards/article_331e78ea-485f-577b-813e-32bd31a980fb.html

AHI delivers first of 16 helos to AMO

COLUMBUS, Miss. - For almost two decades, Airbus has been building helicopters here that are being used by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Army. On Aug. 19, Airbus Helicopters Inc. (AHI) delivered the first of 16 new H125 helicopters uniquely configured for CBP's Air and Marines Operations. AMO is CBP’s federal law enforcement component. “We use this fleet every day, every year to intercept thousands of pounds of narcotics, take down human smuggling, take down drug trafficking organization, and we use it for national events,” said Steve Boyer, deputy executive assistant of AMO. “(T)his is our workhorse.” The first helicopter for the new configuration was tested and delivered from AHI’s Texas facility. The remaining H125s are being built in Columbus. AHI-Columbus also produces the UH-72A Lakota for the Army, and has delivered more than 450 single-engine H125s into the North American market. (Source: The Dispatch 08/20/20) https://www.djournal.com/news/local/airbus-helicopters-essential-to-the-security-of-the-united-states/article_058007c8-8801-5ca7-90b8-55ced551cd88.html

CITE to locate van ops to Batesville

JACKSON, Miss. - Armored vehicle manufacturer CITE Armored is increasing its presence in Mississippi by locating van production operations in Batesville. The project is a $2.3M investment and adding 30 jobs. CITE Armored, a woman-owned company currently located in Holly Springs, manufactures and services armored cars, SWAT vehicles and supply vehicles for organizations throughout the world, including the U.S. Embassy in Haiti, Iraq Ministry of Trade, and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. The company is expanding to accommodate additional military contracts and is moving its armored van production to the former Serta building in Batesville while maintaining the production of its other armored vehicles in Holly Springs. CITE Armored qualifies for the Advantage Jobs Rebate Program, which provides a rebate to eligible businesses that create new jobs that exceed the average annual wage of the state/county in which the company locates or expands. CITE Armored was founded in 2002 by Teresa Hubbard and Ken Russell. Hubbard was named the 2018 Business Woman of the Year by the Mississippi Business Journal. The company plans to fill the 30 jobs by the end of 2021. (Source: Mississippi.org 08/18/20) https://www.mississippi.org/news-room/cite-armored-locating-manufacturing-operations-in-batesville/

Samuel Roll expanding in Iuka

Steel components manufacturer and supplier Samuel Roll Form Group, a division of Samuel, Son & Co. Inc., will invest $6.9M to expand its operations in Iuka, Miss., with expectations of creating 30 additional jobs by next spring. The company is constructing a 67,000-square-foot additional bay to its current 125,000-square-foot facility. Mississippi Development Authority is providing assistance for workforce training and equipment relocation. Tishomingo County and the Tennessee Valley Authority are also assisting with the project. Samuel Roll Form Group is comprised of a network of metal manufacturing, processing and distribution divisions and provides heavy roll-formed steel products to major industries, including the heavy construction and rail sectors. (Source: Area Development 08/18/20) https://www.areadevelopment.com/newsItems/8-18-2020/samuel-roll-form-group-iuka-mississippi.shtml

EPFs: Austal’s burning question

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Moored alongside Austal USA’s shipbuilding facility, in plain view across the river from downtown Mobile, the future USNS Newport (EPF 12) represents the shipbuilder’s successes, yet opens the door for questions about its future. Austal recently announced the 12th Expeditionary Fast Transport (Newport) built in Mobile had completed sea trials and was ready for delivery to the Navy. It was anticipated to happen at the end of the month. In the meantime, teams attended to final punch list details. The sea trials were a milestone for Austal and EPF 12. The burning question now: How many more milestones remain for this class of ships, and the workforce that’s been building them since 2010? The writing is on the wall for Austal’s other major build, the Littoral Combat Ship. It’ll take Austal until around 2024 to finish the last one on the books, USS Pierre (LCS 38). There are no plans to order additional LCS. Meanwhile, construction is underway on the future USNS Apalachicola (EPF 13). Work will begin later this year on the future USS Cody (EPF 14) - the last EPF on order. Austal is Mobile area’s largest industrial employer, with a workforce of about 4,000. There’s a lot riding on the question of what will keep them busy after Cody and Pierre hit the water. There may be additional orders for more EPFs, making it a potential lifeline to Austal’s future. What comes after EPF, and the workers who build it, remains an unknown. It’s a swirl of politics, budgetary compromises, Navy priorities … and opportunities. (Source: Alabama Media Group 08/18/20) https://www.stripes.com/news/us/shipbuilder-austal-usa-s-fast-transport-enticing-possibilities-unclear-politics-1.641747

Prez: $2B cuts to mil.health a no-go

President Donald Trump weighed in on Twitter over an internal Defense Department discussion to cut $2.2B from the military health system’s budget. The president’s tweet was also in response to a story that appeared Aug. 16 in Politico – quoting anonymous senior defense officials - saying that DoD has proposed cutting health care as part of Defense Secretary Mark Esper's defense-wide review. Trump’s tweet said he “firmly and totally rejected" any such plan. According to Politico, the Pentagon officials "at the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness” would be tasked to find savings in their budgets to the tune of $2.2B from military health. Other unnamed sources said that the effort has been "rushed and driven by an arbitrary cost-savings goal." Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman tweeted that the story was "inaccurate and incomplete." SECDEF has “neither directed nor reviewed, let alone approved, any cuts to military health care in the upcoming budget” or for future years, Hoffman wrote. DoD Chief Management Officer Lisa Hershman is developing a plan to cut $5B from Pentagon administration to "reinvest in military modernization," wrote Hoffman, and will be "bringing recommendations on a wide range of DoD budget issues” (including healthcare) to SECDEF’s team in the coming weeks. Politico tweeted that the publication "never said Esper had directed the cut." An hour after the president tweeted about the issue, Esper responded: "I have not directed nor (sic) approved any cuts to our military health care system … (and) will not allow any reductions that would harm access to quality medical care for our service members, their families and our larger DoD community." (Source: Military.com 08/18/20) https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/08/18/trump-says-reported-22-billion-cuts-military-health-system-are-no-go.html

GCVHCS' new associate director

BILOXI, Miss. - The Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System (GCVHCS) announced Aug. 17 that Michael D. Payne Jr., is its new Associate Medical Center Director. Payne assumed oversight of the Biloxi VA Medical Center’s Supply Chain Management, Engineering, Police, Medical Media, Vet Center, Biloxi Canteen, Fiscal, Human Resource Management and Environmental Management services. Payne will also have oversight of Information Security, Privacy, and the Office of Information Technology operations. He was previously with the South Texas Veterans Healthcare System in San Antonio; but most recently came to Biloxi from serving as interim Associate Director of the Tennessee Valley Healthcare System from September 2019 until March 2020. The Biloxi VA medical center, along with Mobile, Ala.; Pensacola, Eglin and Panama City, Fla., clinics are all part of the GCVHCS. (Source: WXXV 08/17/20) https://www.wxxv25.com/2020/08/17/gulf-coast-veterans-health-care-system-announces-new-biloxi-va-associate-medical-center-director/

New CNR's long family history

Vice Adm. John B. Mustin was confirmed as Chief of the Naval Reserve in July 2020. On active duty, he served as combat information center officer and navigator aboard the USS Vincennes (CG 49), which was built at Ingalls shipbuilding in Pascagoula. He also served on that same tour as Air Warfare Commander of the Independence (CV 62) Battle Group.  Affiliating with the Navy Reserve in 2001, Mustin served at Navy Reserve (NR) Carrier Strike Group 2 /USS George Washington (CVN 73) Strike Group during Operation Enduring Freedom. Another staff assignment was as the inaugural Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Navy Reserve Enterprise Director, responsible for the reserve manning, training and equipping of the 1,000-billet LCS surface reserve force.  Vice Adm. John B. Mustin is the grandson of the “Father of Naval Aviation,” Capt. Henry C. Mustin, who as a Lieutenant Commander established Naval  Aeronautic Station Pensacola, Fla. - the Navy’s first permanent air station - together with a flight school. He became its first commanding officer in 1914. (Source: US Navy 08/2020) https://www.public.navy.mil/nrh/Pages/default.aspx

Live ABMS Q&A Aug. 25

ARLINGTON, Va. - Dr. Will Roper, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics and Preston Dunlap, Department of the Air Force chief architect, will host an “Ask Me Anything – Advanced Battle Management Systems (ABMS)” live event Aug. 25 at 1:30 p.m. (CT). The live Q&A will be virtual and open to the public. Additionally, this will provide an opportunity for industry partners, the public and media to engage directly Roper and Dunlap on all things ABMS - the Department of the Air Force’s top modernization priority. This event is scheduled to end at 3 p.m. (Source: Air Force 08/18/20)

Newton VA cemetery $3.6M grant

The Mississippi Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Newton is receiving a $3.6M+ grant from the Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration (NCA) for its use in expanding and improving the cemetery. The grant will be used to develop about five acres, including constructing 1,500 pre-placed crypts, landscaping, irrigation and supporting infrastructure, according to a VA news release. "Our state partners are critical in helping NCA achieve our strategic goal of making sure veterans and their family members have burial options when needed," Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Randy Reeves said in a statement. The VA Veterans Cemetery Grants Program is designed to complement VA's national cemeteries/ (Source: Meridian Star 08/17/20)

Down to 5 MS flag designs

 JACKSON - And then there were five ... designs remaining under consideration by a committee that will propose a new Mississippi state flag for consideration by voters in November. The 9-member commission met Aug. 18 to whittle down the previous list of nine. Of the remaining designs, magnolia motifs feature prominently. Three designs feature magnolia blossoms, while a fourth features a stylized magnolia tree with three blossoms atop it. One flag using a blossom motif also partially incorporates an outline of the state’s western border, including part of the Mississippi River. (Source: Daily Journal 08/18/20) https://www.djournal.com/news/state-news/new-flag-choices-narrow-to-five/article_0772411d-9185-572c-864c-8196651ae203.html

MSU’s historical ‘Infinite Impact’

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State University’s “Infinite Impact” campaign concluded its decade-long run in June with an unprecedented $1.07B in gifts and pledges, including $285.2M raised in deferred gifts. The monumental support of 72,747 contributors enabled MSU to reach historic peak of philanthropy and exceed a $1B milestone never achieved by an educational institution in the state. The campaign’s timeframe ran consecutively with the tenure of MSU President Mark E. Keenum, bringing stability in MSU leadership. Keenum became MSU’s 19th president in January 2009. The MSU Foundation launched the campaign in July 2010. “We are forever grateful for the generosity of alumni, friends, foundations and corporations who value the university’s contributions to Mississippi and the nation and share its vision,” Keenum said. (Source: MSU 08/17/20) https://www.msstate.edu/newsroom/article/2020/08/msu-makes-mississippi-history-ends-campaign-107-billion-gifts