Mississippi

Mississippi Senate Study Group on Women, Children and Families holds first set of hearings

Published

2 years ago

September 29, 2022

Mississippi Senate Study Group on Women, Children and Families holds first set of hearings

Broad matters for this week’s hearings included a statistical overview of maternal/little one healthcare, adoption, foster care, and little one help.

This week, the Mississippi Senate Examine Group on Ladies, Youngsters and Households held their first set of conferences to listen to from quite a lot of audio system on how the state can greatest help households. The lawmakers, appointed by Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann, are tasked with making legislative suggestions associated to households and younger kids from delivery to three years outdated.

Broad matters initially set for this week’s hearings included a statistical overview of maternal/little one healthcare, adoption, foster care, and little one help.

State Senator Brice Wiggins, who serves as a member of the Senate Examine Group, spoke with Y’all Politics in regards to the latest hearings the group carried out. Hear what he has to say in regards to the conferences under.

On Tuesday, lawmakers heard from representatives from Mississippi State College (MSU) Social Science Analysis Heart, the College of Mississippi Medical Heart (UMMC), the Mississippi State Division of Well being (MSDH), the Division of Medicaid, the Delta Well being Alliance, the Nationwide Convention of State Legislatures, Heart for Being pregnant Selections, Group Well being Affiliation of Mississippi and others.

State Senator Nicole Boyd, Chair of the Examine Group, stated the legislators began the committee conferences off by trying on the information.

“They’ve performed a tremendous job of compiling numerous statistics and information so we sort of get a full image of what we’re and metrics that we want to see modified within the state,” Boyd stated.

A few of these information factors have been shared by the MSU Social Science Analysis Heart, the place presenters famous that final 12 months, 4,470 folks (0.4% of the workforce) labored in childcare in Mississippi whereas the imply wage of Mississippi childcare workforce was $9.37 /hour or $19,490/12 months.

Dr. LouAnn Woodward, Vice Chancellor for UMMC and Dean of the College of Drugs, stated that Mississippi is ranked #1 within the U.S. in the case of the best fetal mortality fee, the best toddler mortality fee, and the best pre-term delivery fee.

In response to the Delta Well being Alliance, 559,756 residents reside within the Delta’s 19 counties, which represents 19% of the state’s inhabitants.

“The Mississippi Delta has among the many highest charges of teenage being pregnant and unintended being pregnant within the nation,” Delta Well being Alliance stated of their presentation. “When ladies have kids earlier than they’re prepared, they’re much less more likely to end college and attain high-paying employment and usually tend to require help from social service packages.”

DHA said that research show Head Begin and different packages enhance the employment and wage prospects of single moms. Their presenters stated that high-quality preschool is pivotal for the longer term success of essentially the most at-risk kids.

“The financial and social impacts of broadly accessible, high-quality preschool are substantial,” the DHA presentation said.

The Nationwide Committee of State Legislatures (NCSL) mentioned state legislative traits and examples pertaining to maternal and toddler deaths.

“All states renew maternal deaths and at the least 28 states overview fetal-infant deaths,” NCSL’s presentation said.

Group Well being Heart Affiliation of Mississippi (CHCAMS) shared extra information, noting that between 2019-2021, there have been 13,254 well being middle prenatal sufferers in neighborhood well being facilities.

In response to CHCAMS, 35% of ladies sufferers at well being facilities are uninsured.

On Wednesday, the Examine Group heard from representatives of the Mississippi Little one Safety Companies (CPS), Mississippi Supreme Courtroom Adoption Process Pressure, Workplace of the Legal professional Normal, Mississippi Division of Human Companies (MDHS), and extra.

The Mississippi Division of Little one Safety Companies (MDCPS) prompt legislative concerns for 2023, together with:

Full separation of MDCPS from MDHS
Technical Invoice
Secure Haven Legislation
Neglect Definition

On behalf of the Legal professional Normal’s Workplace, Deputy Legal professional Normal Whitney Lipscomb testified and beneficial a number of coverage proposals relating to how the Legislature might positively impression moms. Proposals from the AG’s workplace included tax credit for childcare, paid parental depart, and enhancing little one help.

Courtroom Appointed Particular Advocates (CASA) shared about their packages in Mississippi. CASA packages are at present serving 693 kids in foster care throughout the state and served 560 kids in 2021. CASA reported that 93% of their suggestions have been accepted or court docket ordered by a choose. The group recruits, trains and supervises volunteers to function Volunteer Advocates for kids on youth court docket dates. CASA says it at present has 297 Volunteer Advocates throughout the state.

CASA additionally mentioned some suggestions, together with:

Wage enhance MDCPS workers to forestall turnover and assist with retention of workers
Timing of paying useful resource mother and father (when little one is initially positioned within the house) and help offered to them
Youngsters in custody receiving well timed month-to-month allowance

The Division of Human Companies offered a number of legislative requests on the Senate Examine Group listening to. MDHS would love the state to incorporate the Little one Assist Pointers Advisory Group’s Report and its Guideline Suggestions into laws to be handed within the 2023 Session to make sure courts can order the help every little one wants. MDHS would additionally prefer to see lawmakers:

Move the modification to the rules to permit incarcerated and involuntary dedication to represent a cloth change in circumstances
Encourage additional collaboration with eh Division of Insurance coverage and the Gaming Fee for alternatives to gather arrearages by way of Insurance coverage Claims Matching and on line casino profitable intercepts
Proceed the beforehand accredited funding for SUCCESS undertaking to modernize the legacy pc methods at MDHS to advertise a extra environment friendly and efficient administration of not solely IV-D Program, but additionally TANF/SNAP eligibility and childcare packages

The Senate Examine Group will meet once more on October 25 and 26, 2022.

Broad matters set for these dates embody childcare availability and early intervention. Further listening to dates or matters could also be added as vital.

The general public is invited to submit written testimony to [email protected], which can be shared with the complete research group.

**Contributions from Sarah Ulmer, Capitol Correspondent**

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Mississippi

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

Published

6 hours ago

September 3, 2024

Press Room

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.

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

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Mississippi

MPCA testing the entirety of the Mississippi River within Minnesota

Published

14 hours ago

September 2, 2024

Press Room

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.

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.

Erin Hassanzadeh

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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Mississippi

Who should be SBLive’s Mississippi high school player of the week? (Aug. 25-31)

Published

21 hours ago

September 2, 2024

Press Room

Who should be SBLive’s Mississippi high school player of the week? (Aug. 25-31)

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.

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