Mississippi
Recovery efforts underway in flood-stricken areas of Georgia, Mississippi | Baptist Press
![Recovery efforts underway in flood-stricken areas of Georgia, Mississippi | Baptist Press Recovery efforts underway in flood-stricken areas of Georgia, Mississippi | Baptist Press](https://www.baptistpress.com/wp-content/webpc-passthru.php?src=https://www.baptistpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Summerville-flooding.jpeg&nocache=1)
SUMMERVILLE, Ga. (BP) — Floods affecting the water system of this northwest Georgia city and Baptists’ response mirrors an identical effort happening in Jackson, Miss.
Heavy rainfall this weekend prompted church buildings to regulate Sunday morning schedules in Summerville, Ga. whereas main others to donate bottled water and different objects.
“We didn’t get as a lot rain yesterday (Sept. 4) or final night time, in order that was good,” Barry Peppers, director of missions for Chattooga Baptist Affiliation, instructed Baptist Press Sept. 5. “Mainly, we’re coping with a water scarcity proper now and a few misplaced households.
“Dwain Carter and Georgia Baptist Catastrophe Reduction are right here and assessing the state of affairs and [Georgia Baptist Executive Director] Thomas Hammond has reached out to us alongside so many others,” he stated. “We need to thank them for his or her assist.”
The Nationwide Climate Service introduced Sept. 5 that over ten inches of rain fell in Summerville, which made the Chattooga River rise nearly 17 toes. That spurred the Metropolis of Summerville to situation a boil water advisory Sunday at 10:18 a.m. till additional discover as a result of flooding on the Racoon Creek Filter plant. Chattooga County faculties will probably be closed at present and tomorrow.
Georgia Baptists’ state newspaper, The Christian Index, reported Sept. 4 that a number of church buildings had already dispatched vehicles crammed with bottled water to the world.
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“We haven’t heard an official timeline,” stated Peppers on the size of the boil water advisory. “That’s the principle factor we’re coping with proper now, however we’re getting water by the truckloads.”
Whereas floodwaters closed a bit of Summerville’s downtown, harm to Southern Baptist church buildings has been minimal.
First Baptist, the place Peppers is serving as interim pastor – acquired some flooding to its fitness center and fellowship corridor. Steve Peppers, pastor of Halfway Baptist and the DOM’s son, stated that the church constructing suffered some flood harm to its basement.
North Summerville Baptist Church distributed bottled water and garments Sunday night and Monday. Central Avenue Baptist Church in close by Trion gave away water Monday, with every household receiving two circumstances and a scorching meal. Cleanup kits had been additionally accessible.
Barry Peppers added that the Salvation Military is working alongside native efforts as is Second Genesis, a feeding ministry based mostly in Cartersville, Ga., that’s briefly based mostly at Central Avenue Baptist.
A flood watch remained in impact via 8 p.m. Sept. 5 for northern and western Georgia. Extreme runoff might end in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams and different low-lying and flood-prone areas, the Nationwide Climate Service stated. Heavy rainfall remained potential, with scattered thunderstorms potential for the rest of the week.
The Georgia storms got here days after one other flooding occasion affected the water provide in Jackson, Miss.
After a time of evaluation, space church buildings joined Mississippi Baptist Catastrophe Reduction (MBDR), Metro Baptist Affiliation and Rankin Baptist Affiliation in water distribution efforts.
MBDR started distributing water to space residents Sept. 2 upon receiving a tractor-trailer load from Tennessee Baptist Catastrophe Reduction. College students from the Hinds Neighborhood Faculty Baptist Scholar Union assisted in delivering the water to aged residents.
“Her feeble voice instructed me she was previous. (a lot older than I),” MBDR director Hubert Yates shared on Fb of 1 resident expressed her thanks.
“’I simply wished to thanks for the water. I didn’t know the way I used to be going to get any and I used to be nearly out. I used to be so frightened. I so recognize it as a result of I don’t drive and rarely go away my residence,’” she instructed him.
First Baptist Church in Jackson, Miss., moved companies to The Mississippi Commerce Mart Middle “as a result of uncertainties with the FBJ campus water strain,” it introduced on Fb. The church has emphasised water assortment via its “Convey Pleasure to Jackson” emphasis and is enlisting volunteers for supply. The restoration efforts in Mississippi and Georgia happen simply as many Catastrophe Reduction personnel return from working areas affected by overwhelming Kentucky floods. In that occasion, no less than 37 died with widespread destruction via a number of Appalachian cities.
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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.
Mississippi
‘If they cannot play Thalia Hall, they cannot play in Mississippi at all’: Broadway in Jackson speaks out about possible show cancellations
![‘If they cannot play Thalia Hall, they cannot play in Mississippi at all’: Broadway in Jackson speaks out about possible show cancellations ‘If they cannot play Thalia Hall, they cannot play in Mississippi at all’: Broadway in Jackson speaks out about possible show cancellations](https://gray-wlbt-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/3KMJQZPKGBHNRCT7NENQ3O72YY.png?auth=8e7e3183f489f41a63616389bdae4dd45efc187856d208138265c67183c736b4&width=1200&height=600&smart=true)
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – It’s been one month since Thalia Mara Hall closed its doors due to a mold outbreak.
Innovation Arts and Entertainment is the company responsible for bringing Broadway productions to Jackson.
Representatives from the company visited Jackson after hearing the building had been closed.
CEO Adam Epstein says the City of Jackson did not inform them of the news.
“We did not find out from anybody within the city. We found out by reading news clippings forwarded to us by other people in Jackson,” Epstein said.
Certified Industrial Hygienic Testing reported visible dirt, debris, and suspected mold growth on many surfaces.
Epstein fears this could change the possibility of bigger shows coming to the capital city.
“They’re going to skip over us because of this mess. We need to show as a community that Jackson cares about this valuable asset and that we demand our elected leaders to support and treat this really, incredibly valuable asset with the TLC it deserves,” he said.
Thalia Mara Hall is the only venue in the state that can host a Broadway production due to the technical needs and accommodations required.
“Touring theatrical shows. If they cannot play Thalia Hall, they cannot play in Mississippi at all,” he said.
Broadway in Jackson is not only a great source of entertainment in the city, but it’s also beneficial economically.
“Those other businesses don’t benefit. The city doesn’t earn tax revenue from events that we present. They don’t earn rental income from the events we present. They don’t earn facility fees from the events we present. This is a real tragedy. It’s unacceptable.”
The well-being of the potential audience is the company’s main priority.
“I will not risk our ticket buyers’ health and safety and comfort. Our shows can and will cancel before we’d ever put somebody in jeopardy. We’ve issued a 100% guarantee of a full refund if the venue is not given a clean bill of health,” Epstein said.
All shows will be canceled on a case-to-case basis.
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