Mississippi
Housing plan along Mississippi River runs into environmental legal challenge
![Housing plan along Mississippi River runs into environmental legal challenge Housing plan along Mississippi River runs into environmental legal challenge](https://chorus.stimg.co/24007949/merlin_68537529.jpg?h=630&w=1200&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
A gaggle of environmentalists has sued over a deliberate housing growth alongside the Mississippi River in Cottage Grove, arguing the town ought to have completed a extra stringent environmental evaluate.
The event by nationwide homebuilder PulteGroup on the former Mississippi Dunes Golf Course is notable as a result of it might put tons of of properties on open area alongside the river. The course closed in 2017 and is subsequent to the Gray Cloud Dunes Scientific and Pure Space, a state-maintained property that is a haven for uncommon species.
Lisa Mueller is one in every of three folks difficult the town within the case earlier than the Minnesota Courtroom of Appeals. She mentioned that the event round Gray Cloud Dunes will put strain on vegetation and animals inside it. She mentioned extra fertilized lawns, roaming pets or human guests can all degrade pure areas.
“What that stage of encroachment will do is basically shrink the character protect or the protected space that is being surrounded,” mentioned Mueller, who lives in western Wisconsin and beforehand labored in land preservation in close by Dakota County.
One of many folks becoming a member of her within the lawsuit lives in Cottage Grove; the opposite lives in adjoining Gray Cloud Township.
However Cottage Grove Mayor Myron Bailey mentioned the event will put aside protected area, together with 12 acres to buffer the scientific and pure space, and that the town has completed its due diligence on environmental safety.
“We have completed the entire environmental work, and matter of truth, we have gone above and past,” he mentioned.
A mission consultant for Pulte declined to remark. The corporate’s full proposal contains as much as 239 single-family properties, 130 townhomes for folks age 55 or older and a 130-unit senior dwelling facility. It will additionally embrace trails and a park alongside the river.
At difficulty within the case is the town’s Environmental Evaluation Worksheet accomplished for the mission. The swimsuit argues that the town ought to have completed a extra detailed Environmental Influence Assertion as a substitute. It additionally seeks to pause the housing mission till one is accomplished.
Town responded in courtroom filings that it was proper to find out that the mission would not have vital environmental results and thus doesn’t have to do the deeper examine.
The world has lengthy been on the middle of hopes for a riverfront park that would appeal to guests from across the area. Because the mid-Nineties, Washington County has deliberate a regional park on close by Gray Cloud Island, which is in the course of the part of the Mississippi River that the proposed growth borders. That actuality continues to be distant, partially due to a decades-old gravel mine on the island that is seeking to broaden.
The location can be inside the 72-mile Mississippi River Hall Important Space, a protected stretch by means of the Twin Cities the place growth is regulated to guard river habitat and water high quality.
On the Mississippi Dunes property, “what some folks wished was for us to take that complete property, to go away it pure [or] make the complete property a park,” Bailey mentioned. “Financially and feasibly, that does not work.”
However others have proven curiosity up to now, together with the Minnesota Division of Pure Assets (DNR), which maintains the Gray Dunes space. Liz Harper, an assistant regional supervisor on the DNR, mentioned in an e mail that the company had studied shopping for the land a number of instances and had put aside the cash to do it.
DNR nonetheless has cash budgeted to purchase some smaller parcels on the sides of the event, which Bailey additionally famous was a chance.
The Gray Cloud Dunes Scientific and Pure Space and surrounding land are house to many uncommon species, such because the federally endangered rusty patched bumblebee. Prescribed fires are used to keep up this prairie panorama, and the DNR has advised the town about its concern that new householders is likely to be uncovered to smoke from these burns, Harper mentioned.
“Defending remaining prairie remnants in Minnesota is critically necessary,” Harper wrote.
The courtroom case over Cottage Grove’s environmental evaluate will probably be argued earlier than a panel of appellate judges on Oct. 5.
![](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/np-logo.png)
Mississippi
Mississippi High School Football Rankings: Top 25 Teams – September 2
![Mississippi High School Football Rankings: Top 25 Teams – September 2 Mississippi High School Football Rankings: Top 25 Teams – September 2](https://on3static.com/uploads/dev/assets/cms/2024/09/02194523/HS-AFI-MS.png)
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.
CLICK HERE to watch high school games on NFHS Network now!
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.
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.
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
Mississippi
MPCA testing the entirety of the Mississippi River within Minnesota
![MPCA testing the entirety of the Mississippi River within Minnesota MPCA testing the entirety of the Mississippi River within Minnesota](https://assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2024/09/02/0564de83-90fa-4d81-9619-84022c30819e/thumbnail/1200x630/e98078edb78f4dec2ccc9e494c22c33c/4p-pkg-river-testing-wcco61yp.jpg?v=25685eaa472b1a5dbb5bd46ae506d232)
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.
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.
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.
A full report will be released in 2026.
Mississippi
Who should be SBLive’s Mississippi high school player of the week? (Aug. 25-31)
![Who should be SBLive’s Mississippi high school player of the week? (Aug. 25-31) Who should be SBLive’s Mississippi high school player of the week? (Aug. 25-31)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_1280,h_720,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/voltaxMediaLibrary/mmsport/high_school/01j5m63arexrvt6r9tmr.jpg)
Here are the candidates for SBLive’s Mississippi high school Athlete of the Week for August25-31. Read through the nominees and cast your vote. The poll will close Sunday at 11:59 p.m. If you would like to make a nomination in a future week, email Tyler@scorebooklive.com. For questions/issues with he poll, email athleteoftheweek@scorebooklive.com.
Editor’s note: Our Athlete of the Week feature and corresponding poll is intended to be fun, and we do not set limits on how many times a fan can vote during the competition. However, we do not allow votes that are generated by script, macro or other automated means. Athletes that receive votes generated by script, macro or other automated means will be disqualified.
Kohl Bradley, DB, George County: Racked up 17 tackles and returned an interception 80 yards for a touchdown in a 33-7 win over East Central.
DaJuan Colbert, DB, Natchez: Recorded 15 tackles, forced one fumble and returned another one 75 yards for a touchdown in a 58-50 win over Hancock.
Garrison Davis, QB, Holmes County Central: Completed 14 of his 21 pass attempts for 375 yards and three touchdowns in a 20-6 win over Vicksburg.
Xzavion Gainwell, DB, Yazoo County: Recorded nine tackles, an interception and an 80-yard interception return for a touchdown in the Panthers’ 20-16 win over South Delta.
Elijah Jones, RB, West Jones: Had 24 carries 226 yards and four touchdowns in a 34-6 win over Laurel.
Kingi McNair, WR, Pearl: Caught four passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns in a 26-20 win over Neshoba Central.
Ashton Nichols, DB, Clinton: Recorded six tackles to go with two big pass breakups, a blocked punt and a return for a touchdown in a 26-20 win over Warren Central.
Ethan Prater, RB, Pisgah: Rushed for 132 yards on 27 carries with three scores and caught a 60-yard touchdown pass in a 33-32 win over North Forrest.
Glen Singleton, RB, Madison Central: Rushed for 174 yards on 18 carries with all four touchdowns in a 27-20 win over Ocean Springs.
Damarius Yates, RB, Kemper County: Rushed for 193 yards on 17 carries and returned a kickoff 75 yards for a touchdown in a 38-15 win over Kosciusko.
-
Politics1 week ago
Why won't Pennsylvania voters have results on Election Night?
-
Politics1 week ago
With 13 days until voting starts, 'election season' kicks off sooner than you think
-
World1 week ago
French police officer injured in synagogue arson attack
-
World1 week ago
Portugal coast hit by 5.3 magnitude earthquake
-
Politics1 week ago
Trump sets intense pace with campaign events as questions swirl about Harris' policy positions
-
News1 week ago
Former national security adviser McMaster says he won’t work for Trump again
-
World1 week ago
Who is Telegram CEO Pavel Durov? What to know about his arrest in France
-
News1 week ago
CNN anchor calls RFK Jr. endorsing Trump 'huge' based on swing state polls: 'It is everything'