PENSACOLA, Fla. - Chief of Naval Air Training Rear Adm. Robert Westendorff announced April 5, at a small ceremony here at the National Naval Aviation Museum, that Navy officials have selected Cmdr. Alex “Scribe” Armatas to be the commanding officer of the Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Team for the 2023-24 show seasons. The change of command will occur in November after the final 2022 show in Pensacola, and he will lead the team through winter training into March in California. (Source: Pensacola News Journal 04/05/22) Blue Angels new commanding officer and flight leader chosen (pnj.com)
Wednesday, April 6, 2022
Hurricane Hunters under probe
The "Hurricane Hunters" from the reserve 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron at Keesler AFB, Miss., which flies aircraft directly into storms, is under an investigation after one of its training flights landed at Martha's Vineyard to pick up a motorcycle belonging to one of the crew members, according to a statement from the 403rd Wing. The WC-130J Hercules transport aircraft was flying an "off-station training mission" on March 25 when it made an "unplanned stop" at Massachusetts airport, Lt. Col. Marnee Losurdo said in a statement. Depending on the findings of the probe, the crew could face some level of discipline because of the unplanned, unscheduled deviation from the training mission. (Source: CNN 04/06/22)
MS limiting outside election funds
JACKSON, Miss. - Mississippi is the ninth, and latest, state to ban election offices from accepting donations from private groups for voting operations. The conservative movement is being fueled by suspicion of donations by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in 2020. Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves signed HB 1365 last week. It will become law on July 1. The legislation says state/local officials who conduct elections can't solicit/accept donations from any private group for “voter education, voter outreach or voter registration programs." Reeves, ironically, posted a video to Facebook on April 4 that he was “deeply disturbed by big tech's California " influence to "silence conservative voices or suppress information they don't agree with." Elections can't be left up to "billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg, especially when groups like Facebook systematically silence conservative voices on their platforms," the governor announced. Jessica Anderson, executive director of Heritage Action For America, which has pushed for such bans, said the new law will prohibit the use of “Zuck Bucks." (Source: The AP 04/06/22) Mississippi Joins States Limiting Outside Election Funding | Jackson Free Press | Jackson, MS
3 NuQuest solar plants for La./Miss.
NuQuest Energy, a south Louisiana-based renewable energy and carbon sequestration company has leased sites in SW Louisiana and central Mississippi to build three solar energy power plants that will produce 390 megawatts per year. NuQuest Energy is based in Metairie. The average home uses about 10.7 mw hours each year, according to the Energy Information Administration. Louisiana homes lead the nation with an average use of 14.4 mw hours per year. (Source: NOLA.com 04/06/22) Metairie company plans to build solar projects in southwest Louisiana and Mississippi | Business News | nola.com
Tuesday, April 5, 2022
Lower income tax coming to MS
JACKSON, Miss. - Mississippians will pay lower income taxes over the next few years as the state enacts its largest-ever tax cut. Gov. Tate Reeves signed a bill on April 4 to reduce the state income tax over four years, beginning in 2023. One of the poorest states in the country, Mississippi has struggling rural hospitals and underfunded schools. Supporters say it could spur economic growth and attract new residents. The state was one of three to have lost population in during the decade before the 2020 census. Opponents say reducing the income tax would mean less money for schools, health care, roads and other services, especially hurting Mississippi's poor and working-class residents. The Mississippi income tax accounts for 34 percent of state revenue. (Source: The AP 04/05/22) Mississippi governor signs state's largest income tax cut | Region | meridianstar.com
ANG begins fielding of Lakota
WASHINGTON, D.C. - After taking delivery of the first Airbus Helicopters Inc.'s UH-72B Lakota helicopter last fall, the Army National Guard is finalizing its training and will begin fielding the Lakotas with numerous state Guard units, beginning with Arizona. Subsequent states to operate the new 5-bladed helo Colorado and New Mexico later in 2022, followed by additional NG units. The new variant "will help us provide the safest and most modern solution" to the NG's essential missions, said Mike Hadley, VP of the national guard. The UH-72B is the latest iteration of the Army’s Light Utility Helicopter (H145) since the first Lakota delivery in 2006. (Source: AHI 04/05/22) Gulf Coast Note: AHI builds the Lakota helicopters at its Columbus, Miss., facility.
Adm. Fagan nominated to lead CG
WASHINGTON, D.C. - President Joe Biden nominated Adm. Linda L. Fagan to serve as the 27th Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard. Upon confirmation, Adm. Fagan will be the first woman to serve as its Commandant. Adm. Fagan currently serves as the 32nd Vice Commandant, having assumed the duties on June 18, 2021. Previously, Adm. Fagan served as Commander of the Coast Guard Pacific Area overseeing operations from the Rocky Mountains to the waters off the east Africa. Pending confirmation, Adm. Fagan is expected to relieve current Commandant Adm. Karl L. Schultz, during a change of command ceremony planned for June 1. Adm. Schultz will retire following the change of command. The president also nominated Vice Adm. Steven D. Poulin to be the CG's 33rd Vice Commandant. Vice Adm. Poulin currently serves as the Commander of the Coast Guard Atlantic Area. Pending confirmation, Vice Adm. Poulin is expected to relieve Adm. Fagan as Vice Commandant during a change of watch ceremony planned for May 24. (Source: Coast Guard 04/05/22) Click here to access Adm. Fagan’s bio.
DoD firms should hire refugees
CNO Adm. Mike Gilday has a suggestion for American defense firms that struggle to find skilled workers to build ships and weapons: Ennlist Ukrainian and Afghan refugees coming to the U.S. into apprenticeship programs. The Navy is looking to bulk up the fleet. "Find a path to attract them into those apprenticeship programs,” Gilday said April 3 at the Navy League’s Sea Air Space convention in National Harbor, Md., a conference largely attended by defense industry executives. More than 74,000 Afghans were admitted to the U.S. in 2021. The White House has said it would admit up to 100,000 Ukrainians. A portion of the defense industry is struggling to find skilled workers, especially shipyards. Jon Mason, VP of human resources at General Dynamics’ Bath (Maine) Iron Works told Defense One that the decline in manufacturing jobs across New England had left the shipyard with limited options to find skilled workers. (Source: Defense One 04/04/22) Defense Firms Should Hire Ukrainian, Afghan Refugees, Navy’s Top Admiral Urges - Defense One
Monday, April 4, 2022
First civilian to graduate from ALS
COLUMBUS AFB, Miss. - Navy civilian David Ross, an optometry tech with the 14th Medical Group, was among 14 members from the 14th Flying Training Wing to graduate March 31 from Airman Leadership School (ALS) at a ceremony on Columbus Air Force Base, Miss. Ross was the first civilian from CAFB to graduate from ALS, which is the first level of Professional Military Education enlisted (and civilian) airmen experience. It's designed to be an entry level leadership course to prepare airmen for positions of greater responsibility by strengthening their ability to lead, follow, and manage while also gaining a broader understanding of the military profession and their role within the Air and Space Forces. Ross also achieved the Commandant Award. (Source: CAFB 04/01/22) First civilian from Columbus AFB graduates ALS > Columbus Air Force Base > Article Display
Conrad's $16.9M tugboats pact
Conrad Shipyard LLC, Morgan City, Louisiana, was awarded a $16,983,710 firm-fixed-price contract to build two tugboats for use in the Great Lakes. Bids were solicited via the internet with five received. Work will be performed in Morgan City, Louisiana, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 26, 2024. Fiscal 2022 Plant Replacement and Improvement Program funds in the amount of $16,983,710 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD 04/04/22)
WDR continues for Artemis 1
Lightning struck the launch pad four times at NASA's Artemis 1 moon rocket on April 2, but the rocket remained in good shape as technicians worked through a critical test. NASA's first Space Launch System (SLS) rocket was undergoing a three-day fueling test known as a "wet dress rehearsal" (WDR) for its Artemis 1 mission to the moon later in 2022. The rocket is protected from lightning by three towers and a catenary wire structure to divert strikes to the ground away from the booster. On April 3, launch controllers met to review data from the strikes and the progress of the wet dress rehearsal, ultimately giving a "go" to begin fueling the rocket. Less than five hours later, NASA called off the fueling test due to a problem with ground equipment on the rocket's mobile launch platform. The testing continued on April 4, NASA is streaming live video of the rocket and spacecraft at the launch pad on the Kennedy Newsroom YouTube channel. (Source: NASA 04/04/22) Lightning strikes Artemis I mission's 'Mega Moon rocket' launch pad during tests | Live Science Gulf Coast Note: The rocket's RS-25 core stage engines' testing was conducted at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.
April MS port board meetings
Mississippi port authority board meetings for April:
Hancock County Port & Harbor Commission: 3 p.m. on Monday, April 25, at the Robert Kane Administrative Center's Harry Farve Board Room at 14054 Fred and Al Key Road, in Kiln.
Mississippi State Port Authority Commission: 1 p.m. Thursday, April 28, at the Port’s Administrative Office on the 14th floor of the Hancock Bank Plaza, located at 2510 14th Street in Gulfport.
SSC: Future of space exploration
Stennis Space Center, near Mississippi's Gulf Coast, is the nation’s premier rocket testing facility with a 125,000-acre buffer zone. Adjacent to the buffer is Stennis International Airport (KSA) with an 8,500-foot runway rated for the world’s largest aircraft. “Few communities offer the assets and expertise that is available in Hancock County,” said Janel Carothers, Chief Economic Development Officer for Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission (HCPHC). “For 60 years, the path to space has started in Hancock County.” Some of the more innovative aerospace companies have footprints in the county: Aerojet Rocketdyne, Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Relativity Space, Rolls-Royce, Boeing and Tyonek Services Group. SpaceX, Virgin Orbit, Blue Origin, Ursa Major, Launcher and Firehawk also take advantage of the rocket testing infrastructure. In 2021, SSC rocket engine testing featured 11 test campaigns, including seven NASA-led projects, on eight test stands. The year’s activity totaled 434 tests and 7,341 seconds of cumulative firing time, according to NASA. Because of its acoustical buffer zone, Stennis has the ability to conduct rocket engine and stage testing year around without disturbing neighbors. As a result, Stennis is on the front end of future of space exploration. (Source: Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission 04/01/22) Hancock County is the cornerstone of Mississippi’s aerospace industry | Hancock County News and Events (portairspace.com)
GC ports and international intrigue
The Wall Street Journal reported a story with international intrigue that included port operations across the Gulf Coast. On March 3, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov. On the same day, a cargo ship arrived at the Port of Mobile, Ala., carrying 53,000 tons of pig iron destined for a Mississippi steel plant. It came from a subsidiary of Usnavov’s company that accounts for much of his wealth, according to shipping records. Another Usnavov subsidiary owns the shipping firm that delivered it. The punch line to the story: “It was all legal.” The thrust of the WSJ story is that the Biden administration’s Treasury Department, has struggled with various sanctions and penalties intended to make oligarchs suffer for ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. But, shutting off business with massive companies can have destructive consequences - job losses and market turmoil on a global scale. At the Alabama State Port Authority’s recent board meeting, Deputy Director/COO Rick Clark told the board that direct impacts of the war on port operations were only beginning to emerge. Some of the issues with the war touches the energy and steel and metals markets, but it was too early to say about the effects on the port. He suspects that imports will increase in the near-term but uncertain for the future, but there will be impacts on Gulf Coast ports, including New Orleans and Gulfport. Inbound vessels, crew and cargo clearances are the jurisdiction of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Coast Guard. The WSJ article points to federal officials are having to make decisions about sanctions and exemptions to avoid unintended consequences. Blocking business with an oligarch’s company can be messy, affecting jobs or causing hardship for other companies that depend on the sanctioned company’s products. In Usmanov’s case, Treasury exempted companies in which he has less than a 50 percent stake. He holds a 49 percent stake in a holding company whose subsidiary shipped the pig iron through Mobile. The exemptions “help remove doubt about the legality” of the shipment, the WSJ reported. According to Judith Adams, VP of internal and external affairs for the Alabama port authority says: “t’s a learning process. (Source: WSJ 03/31/22)
HII launches NSC Calhoun
PASCAGOULA, Miss. - Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) launched the Legend-class national security cutter Calhoun (WMSL 759) here on April 2. Launching Calhoun is the first of a series of significant milestone events in bringing the ship to life. With the assistance of tugs, Calhoun came off the floating dry dock Saturday, after first being translated via Ingalls’ rail car system. The dock was moved away from the pier and then ballasted to float off the ship. HII-Pascagoula is the sole designer and provider of the Coast Guard Legend-class national security cutter. Ingalls has delivered nine Legend-class NSCs, and two more are under construction. Calhoun is scheduled to be christened at Ingalls in June and expected to be delivered in early 2023. (Source: HII 04/03/22) https://newsroom.
CG uses triangulation to aid boaters
NEW ORLEANS - The Coast Guard rescued three boaters from a disabled recreational vessel April 2 near Delacroix, Louisiana. CG Sector New Orleans received a distress call at 11:40 a.m. from a disabled 19-foot recreational fishing vessel with three people aboard who were unable to verify their position. The CG derived the vessel's location by cellphone triangulation and coordinated the launch of a CG Air Station New Orleans MH-65 Dolphin aircrew to assist. The crew hoisted the boaters and transferred them to Sweetwater Marina in Delacroix. They were last reported to be in stable condition. "It was our watchstanders' training and experience that lead us to use cell phone triangulation to locate this vessel," said Lt. Seth Gross, a CG New Orleans search and rescue mission coordinator. "We urge the public to always carry an EPIRB, GPS, or other locating devices on board their vessels in case of emergencies like this." (Source: CG 04/03/22) Video DVIDS - Video - Coast Guard rescues 3 boaters from ran aground vessel near Port Sulphur, La. (dvidshub.net)
Saturday, April 2, 2022
MIA soldier returns home from WWII
GULFPORT, Miss. - The remains of Army Pvt. Andrew J. Ladner came home March 31 after 80 years of being listed as Missing In Action (MIA) during WWII. Ladner was killed in 1942 in the Pacific Theater. He was buried, but never identified. Recently, the 30-year-old Lizana, Miss., native’s remains were discovered and identified, allowing his family to receive him home. His remains arrived in New Orleans later than expected But, some 200 community members gathered on Crossroads Boulevard to pay tribute to around midnight in Gulfport. A funeral mass will be held at St. Thomas Catholic Church in Long Beach on April 9. Ladner was born on Nov. 29, 1912 and served in the Anti-Tank Company, 126th Infantry Regiment, 32nd Infantry Division. He was killed in action on Nov. 30, 1942 on the Island of New Guinea. Ladner died in battle that’s now referred to as the “Nightmare of New Guinea.” (Source: WLOX 03/31/22) WATCH: U.S. Army Private Andrew J. Ladner returns home after 80 years (wlox.com)
Econ development council meets
The Mississippi Economic Development Council will deliver Economic Leaders Forums to five locations, including Oxford on May 18-19 at the University of Mississippi, for its inaugural year. The other four locations will be held March 30-31 at Mississippi State University in Starkville; April 13-14 at Delta State University in Cleveland; April 27-28 at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg; and May 4-5 at Jackson State University in Jackson. (Source: Oxford Eagle 04/01/22) Economic Leaders Forum to touchdown in Oxford late May - The Oxford Eagle | The Oxford Eagle
New O&G pipeline rules
The U.S. Transportation Department has adopted a rule aimed at reducing deaths and environmental damage from oil and gas pipeline ruptures. But safety advocates said the move would not have averted accidents that prompted the new rule. That's because it applies only to newly constructed or replaced pipelines - not hundreds of thousands of miles of lines that already crisscross America. Also missing from the new rule are standards for equipment that can detect when and where leaks hit, a recurring problem in pipeline accidents, Caram said. Instead, the rule says pipeline companies must quickly take steps to confirm a spill if they get an alarm or other notification, but the confirm a spill if they get an alarm or other notification, but the confirmation process itself remains up to the company. Faulty leak detection systems played a role in recent accidents including a 350,000 gallon diesel oil spill in December into a wetlands outside New Orleans. (Source: The AP 03/31/22) New safety measure added to oil and gas pipelines in U.S., but it won't apply to all pipelines | Environment | nola.com
NOLA bounce back: Final 4
NEW ORLEANS - A table at the 182-year-old French Quarter restaurant that invented Oysters Rockefeller and mastered Baked Alaska is virtually impossible to get this week as the first NCAA men's Final Four without pandemic restrictions in three years comes to this historic port city near the mouth of the Mississippi River. (Source: WWL 04/02/22) For New Orleans, a 6th Final Four is bounce-back moment | wwltv.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)