Jackson part of $199M Army pact

Lockheed Martin Corp., Grand Prairie, Texas, was awarded a $199,154,320 hybrid (cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price) contract for industrial engineering services for the Multiple Launch Rocket System Family of Munitions programs. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Grand Prairie, Texas; White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico; Redstone, Alabama; Camden, Arkansas; Lufkin, Texas; Archbald, Pennsylvania; Orlando, Florida; Ocala, Florida; Clearwater, Florida; Vergennes, Vermont; Budd Lake, New Jersey; Camden, Arizona; Palm Bay, Florida; Jackson, Mississippi; and Whippany, New Jersey, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 28, 2028. Fiscal 2010 Foreign Military Sales (Finland); and fiscal 2023 and 2024 other procurement, Army funds in the amount of $6,544,029, were obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. (DoD 11/27/23)

Cops warn about 'NameDrop'

DAYTON, Ohio - Some law enforcement agencies in Michigan and Ohio are encouraging iPhone users to be cautious following a new update. 

The Middletown Division of Police in Ohio posted a warning to parents on Facebook over the weekend regarding the “NameDrop” feature included in the iOS 17 update. 

The feature allows users to easily share their contact information with another iPhone or Apple Watch by holding the devices very close together. 

After the devices connect, you can choose to share your info or receive the other person’s. You can also cancel the transfer by locking your phone or moving the devices away from each other before the process completes, according to Apple. 

The company also stated on its website that NameDrop only works for sending new information, not updating a contact already in your phone.

“PARENTS: Don’t forget to change these settings on your child’s phone to help keep them safe,” the Middletown Division of Police wrote in its Facebook post. 

The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office in Michigan also shared a warning about the feature, which is turned on by default with the new update.

The sheriff’s office said that even though you can refuse to share your info, “many people do not check their settings and realize how their phone works.”

If you want to turn off the feature, go to “Settings”, tap “General,” and then click “AirDrop.” Toggle the “‘Bringing Devices Together” option to off. (WDTN 11/26/23)

La. high taxes; Sun Belt moves

BATON ROUGE – A new report on combined state and local taxes puts Louisiana in the lower end nationally, but residents still pay a higher tab than other states in the Southeast.

The survey says Louisiana is ranked 36th in its per capita combined state and local tax collections in FY 2021. Louisiana residents paid an average of $4,822 per person.

While that compares favorably from a national perspective, it trails neighboring Mississippi (46th, $4,435 per capita collections), Georgia (43rd, $4,590), Florida (47th, $4,405), Tennessee (48th, $4272) and Alabama (49th, $4,245). (Center Square 11/27/23) Louisiana State and Local Taxes Higher Than Most in the Southeast - Biz New Orleans 

Work from anywhere becoming thing of past?

The work-from-anywhere approach Americans have been benefiting from since 2020 is starting to become a thing of the past. For the last three years, many workers have moved to states far from the ones their companies were based in. 

When The New York Times analyzed approximately 30 million change-of-address requests from the U.S. Postal Service from 2020, they found that - with the exception of exoduses from NYC and San Francisco - Americans' moving patterns remained consistent with those of the pre-pandemic days. 

Stacker analyzed the Census Bureau's 2019 American Community Survey data to determine the three most popular destinations for people moving out of each state - Florida, Texas and California. 

Roughly 7.4M people moved between states. Florida was the largest recipient at 601,000, followed by Texas (559,000) and California (480,000). 

The Sun Belt region saw an influx of people seeking warmer weather, lower taxes, and cheaper living long before the COVID-19 pandemic. (Stacker 11/27/23) The 3 states people are moving to the most in the US, according to data (msn.com)

Population decline: Jackson #2

Mississippi's Capitol City of Jackson ranked second among the Top 20 cities with the greatest declines in population over five years between 2017-22, according to a SmartAsset study. 

The study examined 344 U.S. cities that had a population of 100,000 or higher in 2022 based on a U.S. Census Bureau’s 1-Year American Community Survey.

The report found that Jackson's population experienced a decline of 12.69% in its populace from 167,250 in 2017 to 146,019 in 2022. 

Women of Jackson made up the majority at 53.46%.

Among the Top 20 were #10 - Birmingham, Ala. (-7.7%); #14 Shreveport, La. (-6.34%); and #18 New Orleans (-5.99%)

(SmartAsset 11/26/23) Cities Where Population Has Decreased the Most – 2023 Study | SmartAsset

'State of Our Union: Mississippi'

Mississippi Today, in partnership with The Atlantic, has announced a State of Our Union: Mississippi day-long summit focusing on big issues, solution-makers and thought leaders. 

The Nov. 30 event will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Faulkner in downtown Jackson and will convene local leaders, policy makers, and journalists to highlight the regional issues influencing the national dialogue. 

The State of Our Union will feature some of the South’s best in journalism, literature, politics and advocacy. Registration for the in-person event is free, but space is limited. Virtual registration is available and will provide a livestream of the day’s events. To register or learn more about the program visit the State of Our Union website. (Mississippi Today 11/27/23)

Green hydrogen plants for La.?

A Canadian company, with facilities already in Louisiana, that turns plastic waste and used tires into green hydrogen is seeking to invest $100M to build processing plants in New Orleans and Iberia Parish that would create 250 jobs. 

FusionOne filed documents with the Louisiana Economic Development in early November outlining plans for the two facilities and requesting two state incentives: A property tax abatement under the state’s Industrial Tax Exemption Program and a Quality Jobs tax rebate. 

If the company moves forward, the processing plants could be up and running by early 2025, according to the filing. 

FusionOne hopes to make a final investment decision by the end of the first quarter of 2024, FusionOne Executive VP Mathew Emory said. 

The largest facility would be at the Port of New Orleans at more than $42M. It would create 130 new jobs with an annual payroll of nearly $16M plus 45 construction jobs. 

The smaller facility would be at the Port of Iberia in New Iberia and would cost $35M. It would create 119 new jobs with a $10M total payroll and 35 construction jobs. (NOLA.com 11/27/23) New Orleans, Iberia Parish seek port deals on green hydrogen | Business News | nola.com

Nov. 27 history: Jimi Hendrix

Nov. 27 in history

In 1095, Pope Urban II makes perhaps the most influential speech of the Middle Ages, giving rise to the Crusades by calling all Christians in Europe to war against Muslims in order to reclaim the Holy Land, with a cry of “Deus vult!” or “God wills it!”

In 1868, without bothering to identify the village or do any reconnaissance, Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer leads an early morning attack on a band of peaceful Cheyenne living with Chief Black Kettle. Colonel George Custer massacres Cheyenne on Washita River | November 27, 1868 | HISTORY

In 1901, the U.S. Army War College was established in Washington, D.C.

In 1924, Macy’s first Thanksgiving Day parade - billed as a “Christmas Parade” - took place in New York City.

In 1942, Jimi Hendrix, who Rolling Stone ranks as the greatest guitarist of all time, was born in Seattle. He left his hometown because of racism and grew up in poverty. Hemdrix began playing guitar at age 15, drenched in the blues before backing R&B artists Little Richard and The Isley Brothers on tour, becoming one of the most talented musicians on the Chitlin’ Circuit. 

In 1962, the first Boeing 727 was rolled out at the company’s Renton Plant near Seattle.

In 1970, Pope Paul VI, visiting the Philippines, was slightly wounded at the Manila airport by a dagger-wielding Bolivian painter disguised as a priest.

In 1973, the Senate voted 92-3 to confirm Gerald R. Ford as vice president, succeeding Spiro T. Agnew, who’d resigned.

In 1978, San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and City Supervisor Harvey Milk, a gay-rights activist, were shot to death inside City Hall by former supervisor Dan White. White served five years for manslaughter and took his own life in October 1985.

In 1998, answering 81 questions put to him three weeks earlier, President Bill Clinton wrote the House Judiciary Committee that his testimony in the Monica Lewinsky affair was “not false and misleading.”

In 2000, a day after George W. Bush was certified the winner of Florida’s presidential vote, Al Gore laid out his case for letting the courts settle the nation’s long-count election.

In 2003, President George W. Bush flew to Iraq under extraordinary secrecy and security to spend Thanksgiving with U.S. troops and thank them for “defending the American people from danger.”

In 2008, Iraq’s parliament approved a pact requiring all U.S. troops to be out of the country by Jan. 1, 2012.

In 2008, as he tried to bolster his support in the wake of a sexual harassment allegation, Minnesota Democratic Sen. Al Franken apologized to “everyone who has counted on me to be a champion for women.” (Franken would later resign.)

In 2020, President Donald Trump’s legal team suffered another defeat as a federal appeals court in Philadelphia roundly rejected the campaign’s latest effort to challenge Pennsylvania’s election results.

In 2021, the new potentially more contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus popped up in more European countries, just days after being identified in South Africa.

In 2022, protesters pushed to the brink by China’s strict COVID measures in Shanghai called for the removal of the country’s all-powerful leader and clashed with police as crowds took to the streets in several cities. (History.com 11/27/23)

'Authentic' word of the year

NEW YORK - In an age of deepfakes and post-truth, as artificial intelligence rose and Elon Musk turned Twitter into X, the Merriam-Webster word of the year for 2023 is “authentic.” 

Authentic cuisine. Authentic voice. 

Lookups for the word are routinely heavy on the dictionary company’s website but boosted to new heights throughout 2023, editor at large Peter Sokolowski told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview. 

“We see in 2023 a kind of crisis of authenticity,” he said ahead of Monday’s announcement of this year’s word. “What we realize is that when we question authenticity, we value it even more.” (The AP 11/27/23) What's Merriam-Webster's word of the year for 2023? Hint: Be true to yourself | AP News

Unapproved diplomas for sale

Unlike public schools, formal homeschooling programs or traditional private schools, nearly 9,000 private schools in Louisiana don’t need state approval to grant degrees. Nearly every one of those unapproved schools was created to serve a single homeschooling family but some have buildings, classrooms, teachers and dozens of students. (The AP 11/27/23) Homeschool diplomas for sale: Inside Louisiana’s nonpublic schools (apnews.com)

Nov. 26 history: Lewis Carroll

Nov. 26 history

In 1864, Oxford (England) mathematician Charles Lutwidge Dodgson sends a handwritten manuscript called Alice’s Adventures Under Ground to 12-year-old Alice Liddell. The 30-year-old Dodgson, better known by his nom de plume Lewis Carroll, made up the story one day on a picnic with young Alice and her two sisters, the children of one of Dodgson’s colleagues.

In 1883, abolitionist and women’s rights advocate Sojourner Truth (whose original name was Isabella Baumfree) died in Battle Creek, Michigan. On this day in 1883, Sojourner Truth died in Michigan - Mississippi Today

In 1922, In Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, British archaeologists Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon become the first souls to enter King Tutankhamen’s tomb in more than 3,000 years. Tutankhamen’s sealed burial chambers were miraculously intact, and inside was a collection of several thousand priceless objects, including a gold coffin containing the mummy of the teenage king.

In 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs a bill officially establishing the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day.

In 1941, Adm. Chuichi Nagumo leads the Japanese First Air Fleet, an aircraft carrier strike force, toward Pearl Harbor, with the understanding that should “negotiations with the United States reach a successful conclusion, the task force will immediately put about and return to the homeland.” [They didn't.]

In 1942, the movie "Casablanca" premieres in NYC.

In 1950, in some of the fiercest fighting of the Korean War, thousands of communist Chinese troops launch massive counterattacks against U.S. and Republic of Korea (ROK) troops, driving back the Allied forces before them and putting an end to any thoughts for a quick or conclusive U.S. victory. When the counterattacks had been stemmed, U.S. and ROK forces had been driven from North Korea and the war settled into a grinding and frustrating stalemate for the next two-and-a-half years. (History.com 11/26/23)

'Check Your Charity' report

BILOXI, Miss. - Ahead of National Giving Day on Nov. 28, the Mississippi Secretary of State has released the 2023 Report on Charitable Organizations as part of the Check Your Charity campaign. 

The annual report details items such as the total revenue, fundraising expenses, and charitable purpose expenses of Mississippi charities.

“Mississippians are known for their generosity, ... but it’s important to remember the wisest giver is an informed giver," said Secretary Michael Watson. 

Through its annual Report on Charitable Organizations, Watson is encouraging citizens to check the validity of a charity or organization before making a donation.

Mississippians are encouraged to keep the following tips in mind when making decisions regarding charitable donations.

Use the “Charity Search” portal to verify the charity is registered with the state. Ask questions before giving and be sure to ask for answers in writing. Legitimate charities will always welcome your inquiries. (WDAM 11/25/23) Mississippi Secretary of State releases 2023 Report on Charitable Organizations (wdam.com)

NOLA green projects gathering dust

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell has traveled the globe boasting of the city's embrace of green infrastructure, a catch-all term that includes lagoons, parks and other natural areas designed to hold and absorb water from increasingly strong storms. 

The core of the mayor’s plan for “living with water” is a series of federally funded projects known as the Gentilly Resilience District. But seven years after winning the $141M grant to get the projects built, the administration has little to boast about.

None of the marquee projects, which include rebuilding the Elysian Fields neutral grounds and turning a fallow 25-acre plot on Mirabeau Avenue, have gone out to bid. 

Completed designs are gathering dust. Construction timelines have been pushed back and community engagement meetings are fading from memory. (NOLA.com 11/26/23) New Orleans projects to corral storm water face long delays | Local Politics | nola.com

Nov. 25 history: Brits leave NYC

Nov. 25 in history

In 1783, nearly three months after the Treaty of Paris was signed ending the American Revolution, the last British soldiers withdraw from New York City, the last British military position in the United States. After the last Redcoat departed New York, U.S. General George Washington entered the city in triumph to the cheers of New Yorkers. The city had remained in British hands since its capture in September 1776. 

In 1914, baseball Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio was born in Martinez, California.

In 1961, the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the USS Enterprise, was commissioned.

In 1963, JFK buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

In 1986, three weeks after a Lebanese magazine reported that the United States had been secretly selling arms to Iran, Attorney General Edwin Meese reveals that proceeds from the arms sales were illegally diverted to the anti-communist Contras in Nicaragua. In addition to violating the U.S. arms embargo against Iran, the arms sales contradicted President Reagan’s vow never to negotiate with terrorists.

In 1999, the United Nations General Assembly passes a resolution designating November 25 the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The resolution, which was introduced by the Dominican Republic, marked the anniversary of the death of three sisters, Patria, Minerva and María Teresa Mirabal, who were murdered there in 1960. While women in Latin America and the Caribbean had honored the day since 1981, all UN countries did not formally recognize it until 1999. 

In 2002, President George W. Bush signed legislation creating the Department of Homeland Security, and appointed Tom Ridge to be its head. 

In 2012, YouTube announced that “Gangnam Style” by South Korean rapper PSY had become the site’s most watched video to that time, with more than 805 million viewings. 

In 2013, prosecutors closed their year-long investigation into the shooting rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, that claimed the lives of 26 victims, 20 of them children; their report said the motive of gunman Adam Lanza, who also killed his mother and himself, might never be known. (History.com 11/25/23)

Civilian AF positions in MS

Civilian Air Force positions in Mississippi. $17-$26/hr Air Force Crew Chief Civilian Jobs in Mississippi (ziprecruiter.com) 

NOLA park master plan meeting

NEW ORLEANS – City Park Conservancy and landscape architecture firm Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates Inc. (MVVA) will host a public meeting to share results of the Conservancy’s first park master plan survey and to solicit public feedback on potential improvements. The meeting is slated from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Dec. 6 at Warren Easton Charter High School.

These improvements could include adjustments to roadways, bike lanes and pedestrian paths, as well as to the connectivity of the north and south sides of City Park. 

Representatives of engineering services company Stantec and other project team members will participate. Get more information. 

MVVA will lead CPC’s 18-month master-planning process, which will steward New Orleans City Park throughout the next century. 

The firm will rely on its own design experts, as well as local subcontractors, and the public to craft a roadmap for the Park’s continued preservation and evolution. (Biz New Orleans 11/22/23)

Fed's greenhous gas reduction tool

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced Nov. 22 a finalized performance measure to provide state DOTs and Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) a national framework to track transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions, along with the flexibility to set their own targets for reduction.

In support of the government's approach to cutting carbon pollution 50% by 2030, FHWA is taking two steps toward addressing the impacts of climate change: (1) Adding a new greenhouse gas performance management tool to existing FHWA measures to establish a national framework to help states track performance and make more informed investment decisions; (2) Creating a flexible system under which state DOTs and MPOs will set their own targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from roadway travel. 

"This new performance measure will provide states with a clear and consistent framework to track carbon pollution and the flexibility to set their own climate targets - which we will also help them meet with more than $27B in federal funding through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Buttigieg.

Transportation is the leading source of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.

“We don’t expect state DOTs and MPOs to solve a problem this large on their own," said Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt, "which is why this performance measure does not impose penalties for those who miss their targets.”

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) includes more than $27B in funding across various programs that federal agencies are using to support carbon pollution reduction projects. (US Department of Transportation 11/22/23) Biden-Harris Administration Finalizes Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Tool, Moves Climate Change Performance Measure Forward | US Department of Transportation

History Nov. 24: Hollywood 10

Nov. 24 in history

In 1859, British naturalist Charles Darwin published “On the Origin of Species,” which explained his theory of evolution by means of natural selection.

In 1865, Mississippi became the first Southern state to enact laws which came to be known as “Black Codes” aimed at limiting the rights of newly freed Blacks; other states of the former Confederacy soon followed.

In 1947, a group of writers, producers and directors, who would become known as the “Hollywood Ten,” were cited for contempt of Congress for refusing to answer questions about alleged Communist influence in the movie industry.

In 1960, Philadelphia Warrior Wilt Chamberlain snags 55 rebounds in a game against the Boston Celtics and sets an NBA record for the most rebounds in a single game. He broke more than 70 NBA records across his 14-year career and in March 1962, he scored 100 of his team’s 169 points in a game against the New York Knicks - more than any NBA player had ever scored in one game. 

In 1963, Jack Ruby shot and mortally wounded Lee Harvey Oswald, the accused assassin of President John F. Kennedy, in a scene captured on live television from the underground garage of the Dallas Police Department. 

In 1971, a hijacker calling himself “Dan Cooper” (popularly known as “D.B. Cooper”) parachuted from a Northwest Orient Airlines 727 over the Pacific Northwest after receiving $200,000 in ransom. His fate remains unknown.

In 1974, the bone fragments of a 3.2-million-year-old hominid were discovered by scientists in Ethiopia; the skeletal remains were nicknamed “Lucy.”

In 1987, the United States and the Soviet Union agreed on terms to scrap shorter- and medium-range missiles.

In 1991, Queen singer Freddie Mercury died in London at age 45 of AIDS-related pneumonia.

In 2000, the U.S. Supreme Court stepped into the bitter overtime struggle for the White House, agreeing to consider George W. Bush’s appeal against the hand recounting of ballots in Florida.

In 2013, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu harshly condemned the international community’s nuclear deal with Iran, calling it a “historic mistake” and saying he was not bound by the agreement.

In 2014, it was announced that a grand jury in St. Louis County, Missouri, had decided against indicting Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the death of Michael Brown. The decision enraged protesters who set fire to buildings and cars and looted businesses in the area where Brown had been fatally shot.

In 2020, Pennsylvania officials certified Joe Biden as the winner of the presidential vote in the state. The Trump campaign had gone to court trying to prevent the certification.

In 2021, three men were convicted of murder in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, the Black man who was running through a Georgia subdivision in February 2020 when the white strangers chased him, trapped him on a quiet street and blasted him with a shotgun. (History.com 11/24/23)

Pascagoula Visions of Sugarplums

PASCAGOULA, Miss. -Twenty-seven children, chosen from the Pascagoula School District, got to go on a shopping spree Nov. 22 to learn about the importance of giving back to others through a program called Visions of Sugarplums. Programs like this help provide these children with a good Christmas and teach young people about the joy of giving. Turf Masters Lawn Care spearheads this program annually for the last 19 years for families who may struggle with purchasing Christmas gifts. (WLOX 11/22/23) Visions of Sugarplums teaches children the joy of giving during holidays (wlox.com)

Nov. 23 history: 'Billy the Kid'

In 1859, the infamous Western outlaw known as “Billy the Kid” is mostly likely born in a poor Irish neighborhood on New York City’s East Side. (Much about his early life is unknown or unverified.) Before he was shot dead at age 21, Billy reputedly killed at least nine people in the American West. 

In 1867, the Louisiana Constitutional Convention, composed of 49 White delegates and 49 Black delegates, met in New Orleans. The new constitution became the first in the state’s history to include a bill of rights. Voters ratified the constitution months later. On this day in 1867, Louisiana adopted new constitution - Mississippi Today  

In 1876, William Magear “Boss” Tweed, leader of New York City’s corrupt Tammany Hall political organization during the 1860s and early 1870s, is delivered to authorities in New York City after his capture in Spain. Tweed became a powerful figure in Tammany Hall [NYC's Democrat political machine] in the late 1850s. By the mid 1860s, he had risen to the top position in the organization and formed the “Tweed Ring,” which openly bought votes, encouraged judicial corruption, extracted millions from city contracts, and dominated New York City politics. 

In 1916, Robert Stroud, the famous “Birdman of Alcatraz,” is released from solitary confinement for the first time since 1909. Stroud gained widespread fame and attention when author Thomas Gaddis wrote a biography that trumpeted Stroud’s ornithological expertise. Stroud was first sent to prison in 1909. 

In 1940, Romania signs the Tripartite Pact, officially allying itself with Germany, Italy and Japan. As early as 1937, Romania had come under control of a fascist government that bore great resemblance to that of Germany’s, including similar anti-Jewish laws. 

In 1979, Thomas McMahon, a member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), is sentenced to life imprisonment for preparing and planting the bomb that killed Lord Louis Mountbatten and three others three months before. On Aug. 27, Lord Mountbatten was killed when IRA terrorists detonated a bomb on his fishing vessel Shadow V. Mountbatten, a World War II hero, elder statesman and second cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, was spending the day with his family in Donegal Bay off Ireland’s northwest coast when the bomb exploded.

Batesville going Big Brother?

Batesville, Miss., aldermen have given approval for the installation of automatic license plate readers for selected intersections in the city. The information gathered from passing vehicles will be used to determine insurance and for ticketing owners via mail. 

SECURIX made the proposal last month and it was approved by a unanimous vote.

The system will not be equipped to record speeding or failure to stop at red lights, features that are not allowed by Mississippi law in general. (Magnola State Live 11/22/23) Mississippi city approves cameras to read license plates, verify insurance status, issue tickets through the mail - Magnolia State Live | Magnolia State Live