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Data Dive: Mississippi not the only state turning away most welfare applicants

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2 years ago

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Data Dive: Mississippi not the only state turning away most welfare applicants


Years earlier than Mississippi’s welfare scandal broke, one statistic supplied a foreshadowing: The state had authorized simply 1.5% of purposes for money welfare in 2016.

Within the month of April of 2017, when the determine hit the native information, the Mississippi Division of Human Companies authorized simply 5 out of 824 purposes, or 0.06%, for help underneath the federal Non permanent Help for Needy Households Program.

Inexplicably, the division’s TANF software approval fee instantly elevated to round 25% after that. However the caseload of individuals on this system continued to say no. In 2018, on the peak of the scandal, Mississippi spent $113 million in federal TANF funds – its annual allotment of $86.5 million plus unspent funds from previous years – and simply 5% went to money help for needy households. That left over $100 million in just about free cash for officers to spend.

However Mississippi isn’t the one state that turns away most candidates for TANF. Texas, for instance, is approving lower than 5% of individuals making use of for the help, in line with federal information analyzed by Mississippi Immediately.

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Nationally, solely about 21% of households residing in poverty acquired money welfare in 2020. In Mississippi, Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana, that determine is 4%.

The present help program, born out of welfare reform within the Nineties, changed the previous Help to Households with Dependent Youngsters entitlement program with a block grant that enables states broad flexibility to spend the cash as they need. The help program turned a piece program. The primary metric states can be required to trace throughout the program was the share of recipients assembly work necessities.

Since then, the variety of poor households that obtain what is often known as the “welfare examine” has fallen nationally from a month-to-month common of about 4.5 million households in 1996 to lower than 800,000 in 2022. In Mississippi, the quantity fell from practically 48,000 households to about 1,600.

As a substitute, states spend the majority of the federal cash, about 80% of the $16.6 billion nationally in 2020, on different companies resembling workforce coaching actions ($2.6 billion), little one care ($1.4 billion), little one welfare ($1.2 billion), out-of-wedlock being pregnant prevention ($129 million), and fatherhood applications ($114 million).

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However there is no such thing as a federal repository of knowledge exhibiting which organizations really obtain the cash to carry out these features, what particular applications they provide, how they spend the cash, who they assist and what outcomes they obtain. Within the case of Mississippi, the state didn’t compile this info both.

The open-ended program resulted in one of many largest public fraud scandals in Mississippi historical past underneath the administration of former Gov. Phil Bryant, whose workplace oversaw the welfare division’s technique and targets. State and nonprofit officers used tens of hundreds of thousands in federal funds that had been supposed to help very poor households — or at the very least supply alternatives to households to assist them keep away from falling into poverty — to buy property, lavish their family and friends, or to prop up applications that had little to do with assuaging poverty. In the meantime, the state divested from the legacy public help applications, which had been serving fewer and fewer folks.

Welfare expenditures impressed by NFL legend Brett Favre — together with a $1.1 million promoting contract, $5 million in funds in direction of the development of a volleyball stadium and $2 million for a pharmaceutical enterprise he was investing in — have made nationwide headlines.

Tens of millions in whole additionally went to different functions, together with professional soccer gamers and wrestlers, lobbyists, a digital actuality academy, costly PR campaigns and a conservative discuss radio station.

Mississippi characterised most of those purchases to the U.S. Division of Well being and Human Companies as “Work Helps” or “Fatherhood and Two Guardian Household Formation,” however the federal authorities didn’t require the state to report just about something greater than that.

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The state auditor, who’s answerable for yearly auditing state companies that spend federal funds, uncovered the purchases, however solely after a Mississippi Division of Human Companies worker took a small tip of suspected fraud associated to the previous welfare director and the wrestlers to Bryant, who turned that over to the auditor.

Immediately, Mississippi’s use of TANF funds is just not completely clear. Of the $86.5 million it receives from the federal authorities annually, simply $3.7 million went to direct money help in 2020, the newest federal monetary information accessible. Within the two years for the reason that scandal broke, TANF caseloads continued to say no to a low of 166 adults and a couple of,067 youngsters in January of 2022. They’ve grown barely since then, however nowhere close to the roughly 6,700 adults and 17,500 youngsters on this system 10 years in the past in 2012, and even farther from the roughly 33,000 adults and 96,000 youngsters on this system in 1996.

The Mississippi Division of Human Companies nonetheless pushes out a big portion of TANF funds to nonprofits and organizations to supply varied companies.

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After the auditor’s investigation started, the division started requiring organizations making use of for TANF subgrants to submit formal requests for proposals — a normal accountability process that hadn’t been in place since 2012, in line with data Mississippi Immediately requested. It additionally now pays subgrantees on a reimbursement foundation, as an alternative of creating upfront funds. Within the 2021 grant 12 months, the division awarded grants to 25 organizations for a complete of round $36 million in awards.

The grants cowl parenting initiatives ($8.1 million), after college applications ($13.7 million), and workforce growth ($14.9 million).

“In its persevering with coaching cycles, MDHS can also be striving to outline extra clearly what a mannequin subgrantee seems like,” the company mentioned in an announcement Monday. “That mannequin subgrantee is a accomplice who delivers real worth to the TANF inhabitants by specializing in key actions resembling, however not restricted to, workforce coaching and parenthood initiatives.”

The division has not but issued awards for the 2022 grant 12 months, which ended this month.

The state additionally makes use of round $30 million in TANF funds annually to complement the finances of the Mississippi Division of Little one Safety Companies, the state company tasked with investigating little one abuse and overseeing the state’s foster care system, which is usually shortchanged by the state Legislature.

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It’s unclear how Mississippi Division of Human Companies could also be utilizing the remainder of the grant funds. Within the state’s public accounting system, not all TANF bills are labeled “TANF,” making it inconceivable to conduct a full accounting with the publicly going through information.

Requested for an accounting, MDHS solely supplied the figures for subgrants ($34.5 million) money help ($4.1 million) and little one welfare ($30 million), which leaves out practically $20 million in funds accessible to the state yearly.

“MDHS can draw down the remaining funds sooner or later for functions allowed underneath the 4 tenets of TANF. MDHS is trying to create long-term options that tackle the previous TANF block grant issues in Mississippi,” the assertion reads.

Traditionally, the division has provided transportation vouchers of $250 to folks within the work program. Mississippi Immediately has retrieved data up to now reflecting these funds, however the division didn’t present a present determine reflecting this service.

The company says it’s working to revise its annual report — which has traditionally supplied meager info — to incorporate a fuller accounting of this system by the top of this 12 months.

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In 2020, following the scandal, the state racked up $47 million in unspent federal TANF funds. The present stability is just not mirrored in public data.

With the corruption reportedly quelled, Mississippi Division of Human Companies is now approving about 8% of individuals making use of for money welfare.

The next graphs, compiled utilizing federally accessible information, paint an image of the historical past of the TANF program in Mississippi.

MDHS defined the fluctuation in TANF software approval in an announcement Monday, saying: “Given abnormalities within the TANF Block Grant from 2017-2020, MDHS can not communicate to the validity of the info referenced. Lowering TANF participation charges usually are not remoted to Mississippi. Knowledge that tracks TANF approval charges since 1996 exhibits that TANF participation charges proceed to say no nationwide. That is possible a outcome from PRWORA (Private Duty and Work Alternative Act, the federal regulation enacting TANF) amending welfare (AFDC) to workfare (TANF). Because the state continues to emerge from the pandemic, MDHS is experiencing elevated approval for TANF money help, whereas additionally working to recruit new workforce companions to open extra alternatives for households to take part in this system.”

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MDHS addressed the state’s TANF caseload, saying, “MDHS experiences the identical points with eligibility in the present day, as when PRWORA was created in 1996. MDHS is dedicated to reaching as many Mississippians as attainable. Up to now 12 months, MDHS has taken steps to attach Mississippians to funds that present tangible assist  In 2021, MDHS instituted the primary TANF money help improve since 1999. In November 2021, MDHS instituted the Little one Assist cross by. From July 2021-June 2022, MDHS noticed a rise in variety of certified individuals.”

“MDHS continues to make efforts to advertise the TANF program to shoppers and tackle any obstacles to participation,” the assertion continued. “We imagine that over time extra households will select to take part in this system. To some extent, the present emphasis on abuses of the previous could likewise be having a chilling impact on present purposes.

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“Because the company strikes ahead, MDHS is dedicated to making a viable TANF plan that may work for generations, not simply ‘ok for now,’” the company assertion reads. “This requires long-term strategic planning, during which the company is presently engaged MDHS is at the moment creating a brand new strategic plan and information definitions to trace TANF utilization precisely and carefully going ahead.”







Republish our articles totally free, on-line or in print, underneath a Artistic Commons license.

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Mississippi deer season 2024-25: Here’s what hunters need to know

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3 hours ago

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September 3, 2024

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Mississippi deer season 2024-25: Here’s what hunters need to know


Up-to-date information on deer season 2024-25 in Mississippi including CWD, season dates, bag limits, antler restrictions and more.

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Deer season is almost here and will kick off this month with the early, buck-only archery season followed by the traditional archery season in October then the early primitive weapon season and gun season in November. For thousands in Mississippi, it’s the most exciting time of the year.

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But, as has been the case in many years, there have been some changes. Here’s what hunters need to know about chronic wasting disease, bag limits, harvest reporting and season dates for the 2024-25 deer season.

Deer hunting season dates

North Central, Delta and Hills deer management units

  • Archery: Sept. 13-15, One legal buck. Special permit, mandatory reporting and CWD sampling required. Private land and authorized state and federal lands.
  • Archery: Oct. 1-Nov. 22, Either sex on private land, open public land, and Holly Springs National Forest.
  • Youth: Nov. 9-22, Either sex on private lands and authorized state and federal lands.
  • Youth: Nov. 23-Jan. 31, Either sex on private lands. On open public lands, youth must follow below legal deer criteria.
  • Antlerless primitive weapon: Nov. 11-22, Antlerless deer only on private lands.
  • Gun with dogs: Nov. 23-Dec. 1, Either sex on private land and Holly Springs National Forest. Legal bucks only on open public land.
  • Primitive weapon: Dec. 2-15, Either sex on private land, open public land, and Holly Springs National Forest. Weapons of choice may be used on private land with the appropriate license.
  • Gun without dogs: Dec. 16-23, Either sex on private land and Holly Springs National Forest. Legal bucks only on open public land.
  • Gun with dogs: Dec. 24-Jan.22, Either sex on private land and Holly Spring National Forest. Legal bucks only on open public land.
  • Archery, primitive weapon: Jan. 23-31, Either sex on private land and Holly Springs National Forest. Legal bucks only on open public land. Weapons of choice may be used on private land with appropriate license.

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Southeast Deer Management Unit

  • Archery: Sept. 13-15, One legal buck. Special permit, mandatory reporting and CWD sampling required. Private land and authorized state and federal lands.
  • Archery: Oct. 15-Nov. 22, Either sex on private or open public land.
  • Youth: 15 years and under, Nov. 9-22, Either sex on private land and authorized state and federal land.
  • Youth: 15 years and under, Nov. 23-Feb. 15, Either sex on private land. On open public land, youth must follow legal deer criteria.
  • Gun with dogs: Nov. 23-Dec. 1, Either sex on private land. Legal bucks only on open public land.
  • Primitive weapon: Dec. 2-15, Either sex on private or open public land. Weapons of choice may be used on private land with appropriate license.
  • Gun without dogs: Dec. 16-23, Either sex on private land. Legal bucks only on open public land.
  • Gun with dogs: Dec. 24-Jan. 22, Either sex on private land. Legal bucks only on open public land.
  • Archery, primitive weapon: Jan. 23-31, Either sex on private land. Legal bucks only on open public land. Weapon of choice may be used on private land with the appropriate license.
  • Archery, primitive weapon: Feb. 1-15, Legal bucks only on private and open public land. Weapon of choice may be used on private land with the appropriate license.

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Deer bag limits

  • Delta DMU: The bag limit for antlered deer is one per day, three per annual season. The antlerless bag limit is five.
  • Hills DMU: The bag limit for antlered deer is one per day, three per annual season. The antlerless bag limit is five.
  • North Central DMU: The bag limit for antlered deer is one per day, four per annual season. The limit for antlerless deer is 10 on private lands.
  • Southeast DMU: The bag limit for antlered deer is one per day, three per annual season. The bag limit for antlerless deer is one per day, three per annual season.
  • U.S. Forest Service National Forests: The bag limit for antlered deer is one per day, three per annual season. The bag limit for antlerless deer is one per day, five per annual season except in the Southeast DMU where the antlerless limit is one per day, three per annual season.

Antler requirements

  • Delta DMU: 12-inch inside spread or 15-inch main beam
  • Hills DMU: 10-inch inside spread or 13-inch main beam
  • North Central DMU: No antler restrictions apply to this zone. Hunters may harvest bucks with any hardened antler.
  • Southeast DMU: 10-inch inside spread or 13-inch main beam
  • Youth hunters: For youth hunters 15 years of age and younger, hunting on private land and authorized state and federal lands, all of the buck bag limit may be any antlered deer.
  • Buck of choice: In the Delta, Hills and Southeast DMUs, hunters may harvest one buck that does not meet antler requirements on private land and Holly Springs National Forest.
  • Public lands: Antler requirements vary among public lands. Hunters should check regulations for the specific public land they plan to hunt before hunting.

Blaze orange

Hunters have traditionally been required to wear 500 square inches of unbroken blaze orange while deer hunting as a safety measure, but this year they have an alternative. A bill passed in the 2024 Legislative session allows hunters to choose between blaze orange or pink.

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CWD testing

Testing deer for CWD, a disease that is considered always fatal for deer, is not mandatory other than during the early archery season, but the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks urges hunters to provide tissue samples of harvested deer for testing.

According to the department, knowing where the disease exists and how prevalent it is helps in managing and slowing the spread of the disease.

Although there has been no known case of it spreading to humans, the CDC warns against consuming infected deer. So hunters should know if their deer is infected as well.

Since the disease was first detected in Mississippi in 2018, there have been 318 cases found in the state as of September 2024.

For convenience, MDWFP has provided freezers at locations across the state where hunters can leave deer heads with six inches of neck attached for testing. The agency has also partnered with a number of taxidermy businesses that will have deer tested at the customer’s request.

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CWD management zones

Counties in CWD management zones have changed with some added and a zone added this year. Within these zones, special regulations are in place to slow the spread of the disease such as a supplemental feeding ban and carcass transportation restrictions.

North CWD Management Zone

The North CWD Management Zone includes all portions of the following counties:

  • Alcorn County
  • Benton County
  • Desoto County
  • Lafayette County
  • Marshall County
  • Panola County
  • Prentiss County
  • Tate County
  • Tippah County
  • Tishomingo County
  • Union County

Portions of Coahoma, Quitman, and Tunica counties are also included and are defined as:

  • Areas south of MS 4
  • Areas east of Old Highway 61 to the intersection of US 49
  • Areas east of US 49 to the intersection of US 278
  • Areas north of US 278
  • Areas west of MS 3

Issaquena CWD Management Zone

  • Claiborne County
  • Sharkey County, east of the Mississippi River and south of MS 14
  • Warren County

Harrison CWD Management Zone

Portions of Hancock and Harrison counties are included and defined as:

  • All portions of Harrison County west of US 49
  • All portions of Hancock County east of MS 53, MS 603 and MS 43
  • All portions of Hancock County east of Nicholson Avenue

What is banned in a CWD management zone?

  • Salt licks
  • Mineral licks
  • Supplemental feeding
  • Transportation of deer carcasses outside the zone

What parts of a deer can be taken out of a CWD zone?

  • Cut/wrapped meat
  • Deboned meat
  • Hides with no head attached
  • Bone-in leg quarters
  • Finished taxidermy
  • Antlers with no tissue attached
  • Cleaned skulls or skull plates with no brain tissue
  • Hunters may transport deer heads to permitted taxidermists participating in the CWD collection program. A CWD sample number must be obtained from a participating taxidermist prior to transporting a deer head outside of the CWD management zone.

Do you have a story idea? Contact Brian Broom at 601-961-7225 or bbroom@gannett.com.



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Mississippi High School Football Rankings: Top 25 Teams – September 2

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10 hours ago

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September 3, 2024

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Mississippi High School Football Rankings: Top 25 Teams – September 2


The Mississippi high school football rankings saw some drastic changes after an opening week which saw multiple ranked matchups in the Magnolia State.

Brandon, Madison Central and Louisville each won top-10 games while Oak Grove, West Jones, Clinton and Germantown also picked up ranked wins.

Below is the updated Mississippi On3 Massey Ratings top 25, as of Sept. 2.

The On3 Massey Ratings — which were officially used during the BCS era and have generated college high school sports team rankings since 1995 — rank sports teams by analyzing game outcomes, strength of schedule and margin of victory.

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Previous Ranking: No. 4 (+3)
Madison Central opened the season in style with a 27-20 top-10 win over Ocean Springs. Ocean Springs shut out Madison Central for nearly the entire first half — until Madison Central running back Glen Singleton rattled off four consecutive rushing touchdowns. The Jaguars are on the road again Friday in the Mississippi game of the week as they travel to face No. 2 Brandon.

Previous Ranking: No. 3 (+1)
Brandon featured in another Mississippi top-10 game in week one, thrashing then-No. 7 Picayune Memorial 60-34. Star junior defensive back Preston Ashley recorded a 45-yard scoop-and-score touchdown, Logan Drummond returned a punt 61 yards to the house and Trey McQueen returned an interception 38 yards for a score in a night filled with unconventional scoring for the Bulldogs. Brandon will host No. 1 Madison Central on Friday.

Previous Ranking: No. 2 (-1)
Starkville took down Noxubee County 43-22 in week one. Tyson Knox picked off Mississippi State commit KaMario Taylor on Starkville’s own 1-yard line to keep the Yellowjackets’ 14-point lead in the second half. Two plays later, quarterback Jaylen Ruffin hit Jaheim Deanes for a 97-yard touchdown. Starkville now gets to look forward to hosting No. 20 West Point this week.

Previous Ranking: No. 1 (-3)
Oak Grove fell in the rankings this week simply by virtue of other teams’ impressive performances — as the Warriors won their game over No. 15 Grenada 38-24. Oak Grove quarterback Kellon Hall was 19-of-27 passing for 306 yards with a touchdown. Next up is No. 11 Ocean Springs at home.

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Previous Ranking: No. 5
Tupelo escaped upset-minded Whitehaven last week with a 26-19 opening win. Quarterback Noah Gillon and running back J.J. Hill each accounted for two touchdowns as the Golden Wave came away with an ugly win in ugly conditions following a 90-minute weather delay. Tupelo will play Southaven on the road next.

Previous Ranking: No. 9 (+3)
Yet another top-10 matchup on opening night in Mississippi. Louisville took down then-No. 10 West Point 15-14 in a nailbiter. Louisville scored the only points of the second half — a 21-yard field goal to put the Wildcats on top. Louisville will hit the road again this week at Neshoba Central.

Previous Ranking: No. 8 (+1)
West Jones knocked Laurel out of the Mississippi top 25 with a dominant 34-6 win on Friday. Senior running back Elijah Jones was unstoppable on the ground with 226 yards and four touchdowns on 24 carries. West Jones will play Northeast Jones on the road this Friday.

Previous Ranking: No. 21 (+13)
Clinton pulled off the upset in week one with a 26-20 win over then-No. 11 Warren Central in the ‘Red Carpet Bowl’. Jakobe Williams rushed for two touchdowns while the Clinton special teams and defense scored on a blocked punt and recovered three fumbles. A road game against Northwest Rankin is on deck.

Previous Ranking: No. 16 (+7)
Oxford owned one of the few week one blowouts on this list, beating Lafayette 45-0 in the ‘Crosstown Classic.’ All six of the Chargers’ touchdowns came on the ground. Oxford will play No. 22 South Panola at home this Friday.

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Previous Ranking: No. 12 (+2)
Madison-Ridgeland moved to 3-0 on the season after a 50-6 win over Oak Forest Academy that was never in question. Pulaski Academy — The No. 9 team in Arkansas — is on deck for the Patriots.

11. Ocean Springs (-5)
12. Gulfport (+2)
13. Pearl (+4)
14. Germantown (+10)
15. Hartfield Academy (+3)

16. Grenada (-1)
17. Picayune Memorial (-10)
18. Hattiesburg (NR)
19. Jackson Prep (+3)
20. West Point (-10)

21. D’Iberville (NR)
22. South Panola (-9)
23. Poplarville (NR)
24. Warren Central (-13)
25. Gautier (NR)

Dropped from rankings: Northwest Rankin, Meridian, Columbia, Laurel

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MPCA testing the entirety of the Mississippi River within Minnesota

Published

17 hours ago

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September 2, 2024

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MPCA testing the entirety of the Mississippi River within Minnesota


MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. —It winds 650 miles, rushing past the cities, industries and landscapes that make up Minnesota.

However, the Mississippi River has never gotten this type of attention from water quality professionals.

For the first time ever, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is testing the entirety of the river, from Itasca to Iowa, in a single year.

The governor’s office wants the river to be swimmable and fishable, but right now, parts of the river are polluted.

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The MPCA says the upper Mississippi is largely healthy up north, but quality drops south of St. Cloud where metro development and tributaries from agriculture muddy the waters. The National Park Service says stretches of the river exceed water quality standards for things like mercury, bacteria and sediment.

Think of the testing like a checkup for one of our state’s most valuable and powerful resources. Researchers will check temperature, transparency and levels of pollutants like phosphorus, nitrogen and ammonia.

Crews also check fish for those contaminants and collect insects to test in a lab to identify any concerning trends.

“If we find the fish community is suffering — maybe the water is too warm and maybe there’s a thermal pollution source upstream or maybe it’s too much runoff — that sort of stuff. Temperature is an important indicator especially for sensitive species,” Isaac Martin with the MPCA said.

Also for the first time, the agency is looking for PFAS contamination with money from an Environmental Protection Agency grant to identify and stop the forever chemicals from streaming into the Mississippi.

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PFAS are a group of manufactured chemicals for industry and consumer products that don’t break down in the environment. While research is ongoing, the EPA says exposure to the chemicals can cause human health issues. It’s why the federal agency just lowered the amount allowed in drinking water.

“They go to parts per trillion, which is incredibly sensitive. You get that low, you’re talking drops in an Olympic swimming pool,” Martin said. “Part of the reason why it was chosen is because it’s a primary drinking source or potentially could be a primary drinking source. We’re just finding them in places we never expected to find them. We’re finding them almost everywhere and being that it is new, there’s just a lot of ‘I don’t know’ that goes with it.”

It’s too early to know what this complete snapshot will reveal, but we know this powerful river is part of our community, economy and health.

“Maybe you don’t use the resource yourself, but maybe you know someone who does or future generations of your own will,” Martin said. “In Minnesota, we’re just trying to be the best stewards we can be.”

The data from this testing will be available early next year. Researchers will use that data and compare it to 10-year pollution averages to determine which parts of the river are improved or impaired.

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A full report will be released in 2026.

Erin Hassanzadeh

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Erin is back home in the Twin Cities after stops in South Korea and Omaha. The Jefferson High School grad (Go Jags!) is excited to get back to storytelling in the community that raised her.

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