Mississippi
Latest federal water act addresses climate extremes, flooding along the Mississippi River • Louisiana Illuminator
Flood control along the Mississippi River is a central piece of a newly passed federal law — work that advocates believe is critical as the river basin sees more frequent and severe extreme weather events due to climate change.
The Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) is passed by Congress every two years. It gives authority to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to undertake projects and studies to improve the nation’s water resources.
Signed into law Jan. 4, this year’s package includes studies on increased flooding in the upper basin, flood mitigation measures throughout the river system, ecological restoration, and a $6 billion floodwall in Louisiana.
The Mississippi River is managed in large part by the Corps of Engineers, so it often features prominently in the bill, with a dual aim of making the river more suitable for shipping and restoring environmental degradation from flooding, nutrient pollution and climate change.
Kirsten Wallace, executive director of the Upper Mississippi River Basin Association, called this year’s WRDA “a pretty special one.” She said it contained wins for many of the diverse stakeholders along the river, including shippers, environmental advocates, riverfront communities and federal and state agencies — who don’t always agree.
Advocates lauded the law’s emphasis on nature-based solutions. In a press release, Stephanie Bailenson, policy team lead for The Nature Conservancy, said, “Since 2016, Congress has directed the Corps to consider natural and nature-based solutions alongside or instead of traditional infrastructure. This latest act continues that trend.”
But all of these projects are only promised, because funding doesn’t come until later, when Congress appropriates it. Many projects authorized in previous versions of the law are still unfunded, according to the Congressional Research Service.
Here’s what will affect the river in the Water Resources Development Act of 2024:
Flood risk study
The law authorizes a large-scale study of flooding on the Upper Mississippi River System, which includes the Mississippi River from its headwaters to where it meets the Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois, as well as the Illinois River and portions of some smaller tributaries.
The upper river has seen two major floods in the last few years; one in 2022, and one in 2019, which lasted for months and caused billions of dollars in damage.
The study’s chief goal: figuring out how to reduce flood risk across the entire river system, instead of relying on municipalities to try to solve flooding problems themselves, which can sometimes have impacts downstream. North of St. Louis, for example, levees constrain the river to protect communities and valuable farmland from flooding — and some levee districts have raised those levees higher, safeguarding themselves but effectively pushing floodwaters faster downstream.
“This plan allows more of a comprehensive way for levee districts to improve what they currently have … in a way that doesn’t put them in a position to be adversarial or just impose risk somewhere else,” Wallace said.
She said the study will be a challenge, but that levee districts are eager for solutions as flood risks and heavier rainfall increase.
Once the study receives funding, it will be led by the Army Corps’ St. Louis District, Wallace said. It’ll solicit input from cities, towns and ports along the river, recreators, the shipping industry and federal environmental agencies like the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey.
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.
Flood projects
Cities and towns along the river could get help for the localized effects of flooding too, thanks to several projects authorized by the law. Upstream, that includes La Crosse, Wisconsin, which will enter into an agreement with the Army Corps to study the role of the city’s levees, which were constructed around the river’s record flood in 1965.
“We have to have an eye on maintaining what we’ve got and looking toward the future and whatever conditions the river might undergo to be prepared as best we can,” said Matthew Gallager, the city’s director of engineering and public works. “Because obviously, nature is going to win.”
Downriver, Louisiana secured the largest project authorization within the law. To protect communities in St. Tammany Parish, north of Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana plans to build a $5.9 billion levee and floodwall system totaling 18.5 miles in length to protect over 26,000 structures, most of which are family homes.
The St. Tammany Flood Risk Management Project is slated to receive $3.7 billion in federal funding. The other 35% will come from non-federal sponsors, such as the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA).
“By authorizing the St. Tammany project for construction, Congress recognizes again the national importance of Louisiana and that CPRA can work with the Federal Government to execute a multi-billion coastal protection project successfully,” CPRA Chairman Gordy Dove said.
The law also authorizes a federal study of the Lake Pontchartrain Storm Surge Reduction Project, a component of Louisiana’s Coastal Master Plan meant to protect nine parishes bordering the lake. The Army Corps of Engineers will investigate whether the proposed project to reduce flood risk is in the federal interest.
Other approved flood control projects will be funded along the lower Mississippi River and its tributaries, including the Ouachita River in Louisiana. Several counties in Mississippi will also receive funding to improve environmental infrastructure, such as water and wastewater systems.
Near Memphis, the bill authorizes the Hatchie-Loosahatchie Ecosystem Restoration project, which covers a 39-mile stretch of the lower Mississippi River. The project aims to manage flood risks while also restoring and sustaining the health, productivity and biological diversity of the flyway.
In New Orleans, a study was authorized to investigate ecosystem restoration and water supply issues, such as the mitigation of future saltwater wedges that threaten drinking water and wetlands at the very end of the Mississippi River.
Upper Mississippi River restoration
The law also increases the amount of money Congress can give to the Upper Mississippi River Restoration program, which funds habitat restoration activities and scientific research on the upper river.
Congress increased the money it can direct to the research part of the program by $10 million, bringing the total the program can get to $100 million annually.
The boost “really is a recognition of the value of the science … the understanding that has improved about how the system is functioning over the last three decades,” said Marshall Plumley, the Army Corps’ regional manager for the program.
If given extra funding, Plumley said program staff want to use it to better understand the effects of the increased amount of water that has flowed through the river in recent years. That increase, partly attributed to wetter conditions due to climate change, is changing the river’s floodplain habitats, including forests and backwater areas.
Water infrastructure funding
The Mississippi River functions as a water superhighway, transporting around $500 million tons of goods each year. Infrastructure to keep shipping running smoothly is costly, and one adjustment in WRDA 2024 is aimed at shifting the burden of those costs.
Taxpayers have been funding inland waterway infrastructure for nearly two centuries, but Congress established the Inland Waterways Trust Fund in 1978, which requires the private shipping industry to pitch in.
Today, the trust fund’s coffers are filled by a 29-cent per gallon diesel tax on commercial operators that use the Mississippi River and other inland waterways, adding up to about $125 million per year in recent years. New construction — like wider, more modern locks and dams on the upper river — is paid for through a public-private partnership: the private dollars in the fund, and federal dollars allocated by Congress.
Until recently, the private dollars covered 35% of new construction costs and federal dollars covered 65%. The new WRDA adjusts that to 25% and 75%, respectively.
Advocates for the shipping industry have long believed taxpayers should have a bigger hand in funding construction because it’s not just shippers who benefit from an efficient river.
The balance in the trust fund “always limits” construction that can happen in a given year, said Jen Armstrong, director of government relations for the Waterways Council.
“We can’t afford to have projects take three decades or two decades to complete,” Armstrong said, “because we have other locks that are deteriorating.”
Armstrong said she believes shifting more of the cost to the federal government will accelerate those projects.
Not everyone supports the cost share change, however, including American Rivers, which has opposed the creation of new locks on the upper Mississippi in favor of helping the river revert to more natural processes.
Kelsey Cruickshank, the group’s director of policy and government relations, called it “a disappointing development that continues to give short shrift to the incredible ecosystem of the world’s third-largest freshwater river system.”
YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.
This story is a product of the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk, an independent reporting network based at the University of Missouri in partnership with Report for America, with major funding from the Walton Family Foundation. The Nature Conservancy and American Rivers also receive Walton funding.
Mississippi
Alcorn State receives $1.5M grant as part of Mississippi's AI learning initiative – Mississippi's Best Community Newspaper
Alcorn State receives $1.5M grant as part of Mississippi’s AI learning initiative
Published 4:43 pm Thursday, June 12, 2025
LORMAN – Alcorn State University and the Natchez-based School of Nursing are among the beneficiaries of more than $9 million in grants to spur the development of artificial intelligence, machine learning and related technical capabilities at Mississippi colleges and universities.
The grants were announced on Thursday by Gov. Tate Reeves as part of the launch of the Mississippi AI Talent Accelerator Program (MAI-TAP). The program is designed to support the expansion of Amazon Web Services in Mississippi, and the governor described the grants as a strategic investment in Mississippi’s future workforce and economic competitiveness.
“This is another bold step forward for Mississippi,” said Governor Tate Reeves. “We’re not just preparing for the future – we’re building it. This investment will help to ensure that Mississippians are equipped with the skills needed to thrive in a rapidly evolving digital economy.”
MAI-TAP will stimulate the development of workforce programs that address the skill development demands of the artificial intelligence sector. Each institution will seek private funding and resources to leverage along with state support.
Alcorn State University will receive $1.15 million to train individuals in southwest Mississippi on digital literacy and artificial intelligence fundamentals. This funding will also allow for the deployment of telehealth resources through ASU’s School of Nursing to improve healthcare access to underserved, rural communities.
Mississippi’s strategy for AI and ML workforce development is organized around five core pillars:
- AI/machine learning infrastructure by investing in human capital infrastructure: Building a skilled workforce for foundational infrastructure roles.
- AI/machine learning literacy for Mississippians: Promoting basic understanding and competencies across the state’s population.
- Education and industry-specific use cases: Aligning AI education with industry-driven applications.
- Upskilling for product innovation: Enhancing skills for those creating new tools and technologies.
- Research infrastructure: Supporting the capacity for AI/machine learning innovation and technology advancement.
The newly established AI Workforce Readiness Council – through the State Workforce Investment Board and AccelerateMS – will facilitate this collaboration. The Council will be chaired by Dr. Kollin Napier of the Mississippi Artificial Intelligence Network, and each awardee will appoint a designated representative to actively participate on the council.
Other grant recipients include:
- Belhaven University: $390K to hire a dedicated AI program chair and integrate AI content into its online MBA curriculum to ensure working professionals have practical, industry-aligned AI skills.
- Jackson State University: $1.3 million to launch an Executive On Roster (XOR) program to engage AI experts and provide real-time industry insights, ensuring that workforce participants have relevant and appropriate skills. JSU student consulting teams will partner with Millsaps College to deliver AI-powered small business support to cultivate tech-driven startups and enhance Mississippi’s small business ecosystem.
- Millsaps College: $1 million to build upon an existing private investment. Millsaps will establish an endowed chair in AI and Emerging Technology. Through the ELSEWORKS student consulting program and in partnership with JSU, Millsaps will assist small businesses with AI integration.
- Mississippi College: $723K to leverage existing, private funding. Mississippi College’s funding will create a 12-hour certificate and a 6-hour microcredential in their School of Law to ensure Mississippi’s future and current lawyers have knowledge needed to thrive in the AI/machine learning enabled world.
- Mississippi State University: $2.2 million to establish an endowment and seek private match for AI/machine learning workforce and research initiatives. This includes two new faculty lines and the development of a graduate certificate in Data Center Construction Management – one of the first of its kind nationally.
- University of Southern Mississippi: $1.24 million to establish a Maritime AI Innovation Lab to accelerate AI adoption in Mississippi’s Blue Economy. The Lab will focus on port efficiency, vessel safety, and supply chain optimization. Additionally, USM will launch a master’s degree in Robotics and Intelligent Systems. Funding includes support for faculty, graduate researchers, and critical GPU infrastructure. USM will establish an endowment and seek private match to support AI/machine learning research and application of innovations.
- Tougaloo College: $1.08 million to hire new AI/machine learning faculty and establish an endowment to ensure students in all programs have access to appropriate AI/machine learning related concepts.
Reeves also highlighted several institutions of higher learning that did not receive funding but are still playing a major role in MAI-TAP, through existing funding and collaborative efforts. This includes Co-Lin Community College, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Hinds Community College, and the University of Mississippi.
“This is about more than just jobs—it’s about opportunity,” Reeves said. “With this initiative, we’re ensuring that Mississippi leads the way in AI and machine learning innovation, as well as workforce readiness. It’s another big day for Mississippi.”
DeSoto County black bear: See video of the bear near Nesbit
A black bear was spotted multiple times in North Mississippi as it made its way across DeSoto County and into Marshall County.
- A young black bear was spotted traveling through DeSoto County, Mississippi, sparking discussion about wild bears in the area.
- The bear, likely a male, is exhibiting normal behavior by traveling long distances to establish a new home range.
- Mississippi’s black bear population is growing, with the bear possibly originating from Arkansas.
- Residents are advised to secure attractants like garbage and pet food to avoid attracting bears.
A juvenile black bear’s adventure through DeSoto County has produced photo and video across the area and sparked discussion about wild bears in Mississippi.
Now, more than a week after the bear was first spotted in DeSoto County, he appears to have moved on eastward to Byhalia and Marshall County.
But could this bear or other bears return?
Anthony Ballard is the Black Bear Program coordinator for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. He said it’s possible this bear or others could visit the area, but noted it’s hard to predict what bears will do.
“That bear could turn north and go to Tennessee,” Ballard said. “He might turn around and go right back to Lake McCormorant, or he may walk to Alabama. You just never know. He may set up camp right where he is and stay there for the rest of his life.”
The DeSoto County bear was noticeably young and likely male. Ballard said it’s normal for males of his age to travel long distances rapidly in this way. While females usually remain close to their mother, males around 16-18 months begin to roam.
“So this time of year, what you see is young males, usually, that disperse a long distance from their original home range,” he said. “So it could be tens or even hundreds of miles from that original home range, just to just spread those genetics out, you know, into a different area. That’s kind of a biological way of, you know, preventing inbreeding and genetic problems. They’re going to just try to figure out how to be a bear on their own.”
Ballard said the travel is instinctive — bears aren’t necessarily looking for females at this point or even going anywhere in particular, just somewhere to establish a home range without any competing males nearby. North Mississippi hasn’t seen a bear in years, so that certainly fits the bill.
While most of the estimated 150 bears in Mississippi can be found near the Gulf Coast and Mississippi Delta, Ballard hazards a guess that the bear is actually from Arkansas, meaning he swam across the Mississippi River.
“A lot of the bears that we have here in Mississippi came from population sources from either Louisiana or Arkansas,” he said.
It’s a good sign — as the population density of bears increases, the males adapt by going farther and farther distances to find their permanent home, even crossing large bodies of water like the Mississippi.
Black bear populations are making a comeback in Mississippi. They’re a historically important species to the state, with fossil records dating back 12,000 years. By the 1930s their numbers were devastated to about a dozen bears. Bear hunting was banned in 1932, and thanks to years of conservation efforts, by 2002 there were nearly 50 bears. Now the number is more than 150, though it is difficult to determine an exact number.
Bears are a protected species in Mississippi — harming one could lead to jailtime. If the bear has been spotted in your area, be sure to move inside your home anything that could attract the bear, like barbecue grills, smokers, garbage, animal and pet feed and even bird feeders. Do not scare or agitate the bear with loud sounds, simply wait for the bear to leave.
“I tell people anything that a dog can get into, a bear can smell even better, and they’re even better at getting into it,” Ballard said.
To learn everything you need to know about coexisting with bears in the areas that they roam, visit bearwise.org.
Jacob Wilt is a reporter for The Commercial Appeal covering DeSoto County, as well as Dining in the Memphis area. You can reach him at jacob.wilt@commercialappeal.com.
Mississippi
Former college basketball player Cameron Woodall, 26, dies in Mississippi after ATV crash
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Cameron Woodall, a former college basketball player and two-time Mississippi state champion in high school, has died after reportedly being involved in an ATV crash over the weekend. He was 26.
Woodall was driving a 4-wheeler in Raymond, Mississippi, at around 11:30 p.m. local time when he lost control of the vehicle and overturned, interim Hinds County Coroner Jeremiah Howard told WLBT.
Cameron Woodall (John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
Another person driving a separate ATV was also involved in the incident. That person was reportedly taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
An investigation into the accident is ongoing, the Mississippi Clarion Ledger reported.
A Mississippi native, Woodall was a standout on the basketball team at Raymond High School, where he won a state championship in 2017 and 2018. He went on to play college basketball at Copiah-Lincoln Community College, Grambling State and most recently at Tougaloo College.
“It is with profound sadness that we share the untimely passing of Cameron D. ‘Big Cam’ Woodall, a beloved former Tougaloo College men’s basketball standout. Known for his larger-than-life presence, fierce competitiveness on the court, and kind-hearted spirit off it, Cam left an indelible mark on the Tougaloo family,” the school’s athletics page posted on Instagram.
Cameron Woodall (0) (Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports)
EX-LOUISVILLE BASKETBALL STAR RUSS SMITH ARRESTED ON SUSPICION OF DRUNKEN DRIVING
“His impact extended far beyond basketball; he was a friend, a brother, and a true Bulldog through and through. We send our deepest condolences to his family, friends, teammates, and all who had the privilege of knowing him.”
Copiah-Lincoln also shared a post honoring Woodall on X.
“The Co-Lin family extends our heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and former teammates of former Co-Lin basketball player Cameron Woodall.”
Cameron Woodall, right (Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Woodall earned second-team All-Gulf Coast Athletic Conference honors in his two seasons at Tougaloo College.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Arizona animal protection bill is one step closer to becoming law
Arkansas State Police name man fatally shot by troopers on I-40 near Carlisle | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Judge grants California’s request for a temporary restraining order against Trump troop deployment
Colorado’s wolves have produced new pups, state agency confirms
Advocates highlight services available after an overdose spike in Hartford
-
West6 days agoBattle over Space Command HQ location heats up as lawmakers press new Air Force secretary
-
Alaska1 week agoInterior Plans to Rescind Drilling Ban in Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve
-
Technology1 week agoMicrosoft will finally stop bugging Windows users about Edge — but only in Europe
-
World1 week agoTwo suspected Ugandan rebels killed in Kampala explosion
-
Politics1 week agoRed state tops annual Heritage Foundation scorecard for strongest election integrity: 'Hard to cheat'
-
Culture1 week agoDo You Know the Jobs These Authors Had Before They Found Literary Success?
-
Technology6 days agoiFixit says the Switch 2 is even harder to repair than the original
-
Movie Reviews1 week agoParvulos: Children of the Apocalypse: Mexican horror movie may be the best of the year