Mississippi
Gov. Tim Walz, DNR, Minnesota legislature need to act — now — on Mississippi River carp deterrent
In a career spanning nearly four decades, University of Minnesota professor Peter Sorensen has researched invasive fish from Australia to the Great Lakes. For the past five years, he’s focused on Lock and Dam 5 in the Mississippi and believes the lock there is an ideal location to install a deterrent to keep silver and other invasive carp out of Lake Pepin and the St. Croix River, among other Minnesota waters. In the interview below, Sorensen says the need for the deterrent is urgent, and that not installing one is “environmentally irresponsible.”
Q: The DNR’s recently released carp plan says installation of a deterrent at Lock and Dam 5 — if the agency ultimately agrees one is needed — could safely wait until 2028. Do you agree?
A: Absolutely not. If you look at the time frame in which silver carp have moved upstream in the Mississippi, you can reasonably estimate they will be past Lock and Dam 5 in five years and perhaps less. My view is we should start installation as soon as possible.
Q: How long would installation take?
A: Including Army Corps of Engineers permitting, as much as five years, but hopefully only two or three years. Construction can only occur in winter, when the lock is shut. So even if we start later this year, we’re cutting it extremely close. The appropriation given the DNR last year, $1.7 million, was intended to get an engineering study done, or at least started, which is the predecessor action to working with the Army Corps of Engineers for a permit. But the DNR hasn’t yet contracted with an engineering company. In the end, if you know a train is coming toward you and you can accurately estimate its speed, your two choices are stopping the train — in this case by building a deterrent — or jumping off the track. That’s where we’re at.
Q: The DNR talks about the importance of installing a deterrent at Lock and Dam 19 in Iowa. Assuming that could get done at some point, and none is planned at this time, would it be a viable substitute for a Lock and Dam 5 deterrent?
A: The U.S. Geological Survey has an experimental deterrent at 19, and if a permanent deterrent like it could be installed there that would be great, particularly for snakeheads and other invasives which, we think, are not yet north of there. But invasive carp are already breeding north of 19. So while placing a deterrent at 19 makes sense, and perhaps Iowa, Wisconsin and the federal government would help pay for it, regarding Minnesota and the possibility of invasive carp in Lake Pepin and the St. Croix, that horse has left the barn. Invasive carp are already breeding north of 19.
Q: The Lock and Dam 5 deterrent cost estimate last year was $15 million to $17 million. This year the ask has dropped significantly. What’s your current estimate of a Lock and Dam 5 deterrent cost?
A: The installation company has given us new estimates, which are $6 million to $8 million and possibly less. Last year’s estimates were based on the assumption the DNR would have no role in running it; the deterrent instead would be automated and operated remotely by the company that installed it. If we assume a minimal role for the DNR, the costs could be cut considerably. All of this is premised on getting the engineering plan done, which should have been done by now.
Q: The DNR has said it wanted to complete its almost yearlong “structured decision-making process,” for which it paid more than $70,000, before it contracted for a deterrent engineering report. Could both have been done concurrently?
A: Absolutely. My lab has a research project at Lock and Dam 5, and we got the whole shooting match done in nine months. You just hire an engineering company to do the work. Locally, Barr Engineering had a big role in installing a similar deterrent in Kentucky, and I think it would take them only a few months to do the required 60 percent design and engineering study. It’s frustrating, frankly, that the DNR to this point hasn’t got it done.
Q: Some have argued a deterrent would only be 50% effective.
A: That’s incorrect. I describe it this way. I live in an old house, and every winter, mice try to come in. So we combine a bunch of strategies to keep them out. Fill holes, traps, etc. It’s the same here. The deterrent would be the keystone, but other deterrents, such as the trapping and netting of carp the DNR is now doing, would work in combination. All deterrents together would be in the high 90% effectiveness range.
Q: In the last legislative session, DNR assistant commissioner Bob Meier, acting on behalf of Commissioner Sarah Strommen, told legislators not to approve a Lock and Dam 5 deterrent. Gov. Tim Walz also has been AWOL on the issue, and Friends of the Mississippi River and other conservation groups say a top aide of his canceled a meeting Monday with them where they intended to ask for the governor’s support. Why do you think the agency and Walz haven’t supported building a deterrent, at least so far?
A: I have no idea. But it’s got nothing to do with science, I can tell you that. You can estimate when the fish will be farther north, which we’ve done. Add in the economic, recreational and biologic valuations of the Lake Pepin, Mississippi and St. Croix river ecosystems and the damage that would be done to them, which would be incalculable and irreversible, and you make a reasoned decision. Doing nothing, in my view, is environmentally irresponsible.
Jackson State football coach TC Taylor addresses fans at signing day event
Jackson State football coach T.C. Taylor addresses fans at JSU’s recruit reveal event on Feb. 4.
Mississippi leaders and educators are remembering Dr. Elayne Hayes-Anthony as a trailblazing journalist, educator and public servant following news of her death Thursday, March 5.
Hayes-Anthony, a longtime professor and chair of the Department of Journalism and Media Studies at Jackson State University and former acting president of the university, spent decades mentoring students and shaping communications education throughout Mississippi.
Jackson State University officials announced her passing in a statement Thursday morning. She was 72. A cause of death was not provided.
Hayes-Anthony served as interim president for eight months in 2023, between former President Thomas Hudson and Marcus Thompson. She became the first Black woman to work as an anchor, producer and reporter at WJTV in Jackson and later spent 17 years as chair of the communications department at Belhaven University. Hayes-Anthony also served as assistant superintendent of communications for Jackson Public Schools and served as the first Black woman and journalism educator to become president of the Mississippi Association of Broadcasters.
Jackson Mayor John Horhn praised Hayes-Anthony in a statement as a “proud daughter of Jackson and a distinguished graduate of Jackson State University who returned home to pour her knowledge back into this community.” Horhn also extended condolences to Hayes-Anthony’s husband, family, colleagues and former students.
“Our city mourns the loss of a trailblazer whose life’s work helped shape generations of communicators, educators, and leaders,” Horhn said in a statement. “As a pioneering journalist and the first African American woman to serve as anchor, producer, and reporter at WJTV-12, she broke barriers in Mississippi media and opened doors for countless Black journalists. Her leadership at Jackson State, from the classroom to the president’s office, reflected her commitment to excellence. Jackson is better because she chose to live, work, and lead here. We honor her legacy, celebrate her remarkable life, and pray for comfort and strength for all who are grieving this tremendous loss.”
Ward 4 Councilman and Jackson City Council President Brian Grizzell, a long time educator and alumnus of JSU, said he remembered Hayes-Anthony from several points in her life and career.
“I remember Dr. Elayne Hayes-Anthony from several stages of her remarkable journey,” Grizzell said. “I first knew her as a student in Jackson Public Schools, later as a student at Jackson State University, and we reconnected years later during her time serving as acting president of Jackson State University.”
Grizzell called Hayes-Anthony a pioneer in education whose work helped shape the lives of many students across the community.
Longtime Mississippi Congressman Bennie Thompson, also a JSU alum, honored Hayes-Anthony as a “a trailblazer in every sense of the word.”
See his post on Facebook below:
Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves also offered condolences Thursday via X, formerly known as Twitter.
U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker also shared the following statement on Hayes-Anthony passing:
“Mississippi has lost a leader and pioneer, my friend Dr. Elayne Anthony. Jackson State benefited from her steady hand during a time of transition. She was revered by its students. The Mississippi Association of Broadcasters recognized her leadership by electing her chair. Elayne’s legacy of kindness, servant-leadership, and community service will impact generations to come.”
Investigative journalist Jerry Mitchell reflected on Hayes-Anthony’s impact on journalism in Mississippi.
“What a loss. Dr. Anthony was truly a champion for journalism. Her work produced so many talented journalists we have today in Mississippi and beyond,” Mitchell said.
State Rep. Zakiya Summers and Sen. David Blount, both of whom represent parts of Jackson in the Mississippi Legislature, also paid tribute to Hayes-Anthony.
Officials with the Mississippi State Department of Health and the Mississippi State Board of Health also shared condolences, noting Hayes-Anthony served on the Board of Health for nearly two decades.
“I personally grieve the loss of a very important Mississippian who cared deeply about education at all levels, public health, and very importantly the need for the health of our population to improve,” said Dan Edney, state health officer and executive director of the Mississippi State Department of Health. “She was a strong supporter of MSDH and for my work as State Health Officer and was one of our greatest cheerleaders. Her passing is a loss to public health and higher education leadership, but her service has helped to make our state a better place.”
Lucius Lampton, chairman of the Board of Health, said Hayes-Anthony’s service on the board began in 2007.
“Dr. Elayne Anthony’s long service on the Board of Health, which began in 2007, was exceptional and benefited the public’s health in countless ways. She led always with intellect, creativity and integrity. The Board of Health and our agency will so miss her gracious presence. I also will miss her dear friendship.”
Charlie Drape is the Jackson beat reporter. You can contact him at cdrape@gannett.com.
BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) — Gas prices along the Mississippi Gulf Coast have jumped to nearly $3 a gallon, up from $2.41 just two days ago, according to AAA.
AAA said the increase is driven by two factors: the U.S.-Iran conflict, which has shut down a key Middle East oil route and prompted attacks on refineries, and a seasonal fuel blend switch that adds up to 15 cents a gallon on its own.
Uber Eats driver James Adams said he noticed the increase immediately.
“It actually jumped like 50 to 60 cents in one day,” Adams said.
Adams said the higher cost to fill his tank cuts directly into his delivery earnings.
“We’re working basically for pennies on the dollar already — and once you factor that in with traffic and the mileage you have to go — the gas is outrageous,” Adams said.
DoorDash driver Daniel Yelle said the spike will strain his weekly budget.
“I fill up about twice a week going to and from work and DoorDash — and that’s going to hurt my budget,” Yelle said.
FedEx driver Cecil Banks said there is little that workers can do about the rise in prices.
“As long as there is wars — the price of gas is going to go up for everybody — so it’s just an unfortunate situation,” Banks said.
Banks noted that even though Mississippi’s prices remain below the national average, not driving is not an option for working families.
“What can you do? A lot of people have families — they have to go get their kids — they have to go back and forth to work,” Banks said.
Yelle echoed that sentiment.
“They don’t pay us enough for the higher gas prices,” Yelle said.
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Mississippi
It’s 2,350 miles long, spans 31 US states and is home to a 100kg animal with a tongue that looks like a worm | Discover Wildlife
The Mississippi River flows for around 2,350 miles through the heart of the US. It drains an area of 1.2 million square miles – that’s roughly 40% of the country – and at certain points is 11 miles wide. It is North America’s second longest river, behind the Missouri River.
Rising from Lake Itasca in Minnesota, the Mississippi winds southwards through a range of environments, draining water from 31 US states before reaching its delta at the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana.
The sheer size of the river and the diversity of habitats it passes through make it a refuge for a huge range of animal species, including more than 260 fish, 326 birds, 50 mammals and at least 145 amphibians and reptiles, according to the National Park Service.
There are many weird and wonderful animals living within the Mississippi’s vast waters, but surely one of the strangest is the alligator snapping turtle.
This prehistoric-looking reptile is massive. It can weigh up to 100kg and males can grow well over half a metre long, making it the largest freshwater turtle in North America.
And as if its size wasn’t enough, the alligator snapper has a host of other characteristics that make it one of the Mississippi’s most striking creatures, including a dark, spiky shell (known as carapace), a brick-like head and a sharp, hooked beak. With such a formidable appearance, it’s easy to see how the turtle got its ‘alligator’ name.
But perhaps the turtle’s most curious feature is a worm-like appendage found on its tongue, which it uses as a lure to catch prey, such as fish, amphibians and invertebrates. Alligator snappers are also quite happy scavenging for food.
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