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To save a dying swamp, Louisiana aims to restore the Mississippi River's natural flow

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To save a dying swamp, Louisiana aims to restore the Mississippi River's natural flow


GARYVILLE, La. (AP) — Louisiana has long relied on a vast levee system to rein in the Mississippi River and protect surrounding communities from flooding. But cutting off the natural flow of the river with man made barriers has been slowly killing one of the nation’s largest forested wetlands.

The 176 square mile (456 square kilometers) Maurepas Swamp just to the west of New Orleans holds Louisiana’s second largest contiguous forest, a beloved state wildlife refuge filled with water tupelo and bald cypress trees, their branches adorned by wisps of Spanish moss. A beloved recreation site, the swamp also houses bald eagles, ospreys, black bears and alligators and serves as a waystation for hundreds of different migratory birds.

Deprived of nutrients from the stanched Mississippi River, the swamp’s iconic trees are dying in stagnant water. Yet they’re now set to receive a life-saving boost.

State and federal authorities on Tuesday celebrated breaking ground on an ambitious conservation project intended to replenish the ailing trees by diverting water from the Mississippi back into the swamp.

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“This is about reconnecting a natural system, actually fixing it to what it used to be,” said Brad Miller, who has shepherded the project for the state’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority since 2006.

Miller likened the $330 million river diversion to watering a garden: “The swamp needs river water to be a good swamp.”

The River Reintroduction into Maurepas Swamp will allow for a maximum of 2000 cubic feet per second (57 cubic meters per second) to flow out of a gated opening to be built in the levee system and routed along a 5.5 miles (9 kilometers) diversion channel. The project expects to revitalize around 45,000 acres (182 square kilometers) of swamp in an area where less than a third of the forest is considered healthy according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Besides injecting much-needed nutrients and oxygen into the swamp, river water will leave thin layers of sediment deposits that mitigate the effect of subsidence — a natural phenomenon on Louisiana’s fragile coast exacerbated by fossil fuel extraction — and climate change-induced sea level rise, said Nick Stevens, a researcher at Southeastern Louisiana University’s wetlands ecology and restoration lab. Healthier forests bolster the swamp with decomposing matter from branches and leaves, he added.

“All of that is completely hindered by not having the Mississippi River attached to it anymore,” Stevens said. “You’ve got all this land sinking as a result of just not getting nutrients.”

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The swamp’s diminishing health has had ripple effects on biodiversity, says Erik Johnson, director of conservation science at Audubon Delta, an organization focused on bird ecology in the Mississippi River delta. Some migratory birds like the yellow throated warbler, prothonotary warbler and the northern parula have had their populations plummet by nearly 50% in the past two decades, Johnson said.

These birds rely on caterpillars who are dependent on water tupelo and bald cypress foliage. When there’s less healthy leaves for the caterpillars to gorge on, there’s less food for the birds.

“That’s driving a really rapid decline in these bird populations that depend on this one forest,” Johnson said. “The whole system has shifted.”

Scientists say they expect to start seeing an increase in canopy cover and new tree growth within a few years of the project’s anticipated completion in 2028.

Unlike the state’s controversial $3 billion river diversion project intended to combat coastal land loss, the Maurepas project has received widespread support from elected officials and local communities.

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The Maurepas project is primarily funded by the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council, a multi-state and federal program managing settlement funds from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill that devastated the Gulf Coast.

The Maurepas project benefits from an innovative partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is building an adjacent 18.5 miles (30 kilometers) levee system to protect several southeast Louisiana parishes. The Corps will count 9,000 acres (36 square kilometers) of Maurepas Swamp restoration towards offsetting environmental damage caused by the new levee construction, meaning it can direct additional federal funds towards the diversion program.

“For every dollar the state can save here, they have more to invest” in other coastal restoration projects, said John Ettinger, director of policy and environmental compliance with Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council.

And conservationists say the Maurepas reintroduction project highlights the importance of coastal protection and wetlands restoration going hand in hand in a hurricane-prone region.

“You’re going to have a healthier ecosystem on the outside of that levee, which means you’re going to have a better buffer for storm surge and it’s going to allow the levees to be more effective,” said Amanda Moore, National Wildlife Federation’s Gulf Program senior director. “This is how we need to be thinking at large about what’s possible and how we can how we can do more effective conservation by working with nature.”

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Mississippi TikToker fatally shot by ex-husband in apparent murder-suicide: Police

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Mississippi TikToker fatally shot by ex-husband in apparent murder-suicide: Police


Jan 05, 2025 12:01 PM IST

Now a video has emerged of the woman praising him as “incredible” during their divorce proceedings.

A Mississippi, US-based TikToker was found dead with gunshot wounds in what appears to be a murder-suicide by her former husband, as per the police.

Police line tape. Crime scene investigation. Forensic science. (Getty Images)
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After the woman’s death, a TikTok video has emerged in which she is praising her ex-spouse, calling him “incredible.”

The two were in the middle of their divorce proceedings when she made the video.

“I am about to be a newly single mom. I am in the middle of a divorce. My husband has been incredible though, really and truly. We are working together, everything’s great,” she said in the video posted on December 12, 2024.

What happened to Jennifer Sheffield?

According to the police, the bodies of the estranged couple were found during a welfare check of their residence for what officials described as an “obvious sign of foul play” at the place.

They died at 7:19 am on December 28, police said.

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One of their two daughters was with them at the time of the incident, a local newspaper stated.

Meanwhile, the man’s friends have questioned police’s “murder-suicide” theory, saying he was “never a violent person,” and pointing to the TikTok video, in which the woman praised him for being “supportive” and noted that their divorce process was “civil.”

Her family has launched a GoFundMe page with a target to raise $15,000 (around 13 lakh) to help support her daughters.

Read breaking news, latest…

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Inside the run that epitomizes Mississippi State basketball’s NCAA tournament potential

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Inside the run that epitomizes Mississippi State basketball’s NCAA tournament potential


STARKVILLE — South Carolina basketball had just started to show signs of life late in the first half. 

Mississippi State had led by 22 points only a few minutes earlier, but the gap shrunk to 15. Any more cuts to the lead, and the Gamecocks would be the ones with momentum entering halftime. That’s when MSU locked it down. 

The Bulldogs finished the half on a 10-0 run in two minutes of game time. All five baskets were layups — three of them off turnovers and on the fast break. Defense was turned to offense. It was a crucial moment in Mississippi State’s 85-50 dismantling of South Carolina (10-4, 0-1 SEC) that got the Humphrey Coliseum crowd on its feet in the SEC opener. 

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It also epitomized how No. 16 Mississippi State (13-1, 1-0) can be at its best.  

“When we’re at our best, we’re very active on the ball, we’re handsy and got frenetic activity off the ball,” MSU coach Chris Jans said after the win. “They’re all wired and bought in. And when we are lethargic and not in stances, which obviously we’ve done a ton this particular season, we’re just getting exposed. And so hopefully this will make them feel good about what we’ve been trying to preach to them and get them to buy in even more in this particular group, so we can play that style of basketball.”

Mississippi State self-identified a weakness

There aren’t many stats that indicate the Bulldogs have a weakness except for one: 3-point defense. They entered Saturday’s game allowing 35.5% on 3-pointers, No. 294 in the country. No. 13 UConn was the only other ranked team in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll with a worse mark. 

Jans said Saturday that Mississippi State is at the bottom of the SEC in contesting 3-pointers, and it has been a point of emphasis in the past few weeks. 

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MSU’s two other baskets during the 10-0 run came off missed South Carolina 3-pointers. Both of them were contested. 

“I think that just comes down to us wanting to just sacrifice and do what it takes to win,” said Josh Hubbard, who led Mississippi State with 21 points. “It all starts with Jans’ game plan, and we all believe in it. When we have that connectedness and that toughness, it shows on the court.” 

South Carolina made only two 3-pointers on 19 attempts, the fewest Mississippi State has allowed since coach Ben Howland’s last game on March 16, 2022. 

“You hear me say this all the time like a broken record, but it usually goes back to, in that particular possession, to the point of attack, and what we did or didn’t do,” Jans said. “It’s usually a mistake that happens there that maybe doesn’t show up for a pass or two, and then they get a wide-open look. 

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“The last three or four games, we’ve been better. Tonight, obviously was really good numbers-wise, but even the other games, we’ve been getting slowly better at it.”

Mississippi State’s win vs South Carolina broke records

Mississippi State’s blowout win set two records:

  • Largest margin of victory for an SEC game in the Jans era.
  • Fewest points allowed in an SEC game in the Jans era.

It was also the second-largest margin of victory in all games in the Jans era, two points behind the 2022 win against South Dakota.

Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.



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Blizzard warnings issued from Kansas to Ohio; Tornado risks loom in Mississippi valley | Today News

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Blizzard warnings issued from Kansas to Ohio; Tornado risks loom in Mississippi valley | Today News


The National Weather Service (NWS) Weather Prediction Center has issued alerts for a major winter storm expected to impact large portions of the US this weekend, bringing heavy snow, freezing rain, and severe weather from Saturday (January 4) through Monday (January 6).

Heavy snow and blizzard conditions

According to the NWS, “Heavy snowfall is expected across areas from central Kansas to Ohio, especially along and north of Interstate 70, with a 60-90% chance of at least 8 inches of snow on Sunday.” The storm could deliver the heaviest snowfall in over a decade for some regions, with blizzard conditions developing over the Central Plains by Sunday morning. Winds exceeding 35 mph combined with heavy snow are likely to create whiteout conditions, making roads impassable and travel hazardous, the NWS forecast noted.

Freezing rain and ice accumulation

The storm will bring significant freezing rain from eastern Kansas and the Ozarks to the Ohio Valley. The NWS warns of “tree damage and power outages likely in areas with over a quarter-inch of ice accumulation.” Additional icing is anticipated overnight Sunday into Monday in the Central Appalachians.

Severe thunderstorms in the South

The Lower Mississippi Valley faces an Enhanced Risk (level 3/5) of severe thunderstorms on Sunday, with the NWS stating that “frequent lightning, severe thunderstorm wind gusts, hail, and a few tornadoes” are possible as the storm’s cold front advances.

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Great lakes and Northeast impacts

The system will also generate heavy lake-effect snow downwind of Lake Ontario through Sunday morning, while moderate snow is expected near the Upper Great Lakes and Lake Erie. By Sunday night into Monday, snow will extend into the northern Mid-Atlantic and parts of the Northeast.

Western US weather

Meanwhile, the Pacific Northwest and Northern California will experience coastal rain and higher-elevation snow through Monday due to weak onshore flow and a series of weakening fronts.

The NWS advises residents in affected areas to prepare for severe weather conditions, monitor updates, and avoid travel if possible during peak storm activity.



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