Some of the top stories we covered (and didn't get to) on this morning's "Gulf Coast Mornings with Kelly Bennett and Uncle Henry":
A driver that led police on a high speed chase that started in Harrison County and ended in Stone County is dead, and a couple of passengers that were shooting at police during the pursuit were injured.The suspect ended up crashing, and police say the shooting continued even after that.Apparently, they were trying to pull the driver over because they believe he was involved in a carjacking.
A new poll conducted by Mason-Dixon shows a near tie between Mississippi's two best known candidates for governor. The survey conducted last week has Democrat Jim Hood leading Republican Tate Reeves by a two-percent margin with 14 percent of those questioned undecided. Hood, the state's attorney general, had a lead of five percent over Reeves, the lieutenant governor of Mississippi, in a poll conducted last April. The primaries will be held in August and the general election in November.
The Mississippi Senate is the next stop for a bill that has the goal of making public schools in the state safer. House Bill 1283 won near unanimous support in the lower chamber yesterday. If enacted, safety inspections would have to be conducted, active-shooter drills would be required twice a year and a threat-reporting system would have to be created.
Many teachers aren't happy with the pay raise bill that's headed for more debate at the State Capitol. The Senate Education Committee has voted to give teachers, teacher assistants, librarians and counselors 500-dollar raises in each of the next two years. Teachers groups are calling the legislation "insulting" and "a slap in the face."
The new leader of the Waveland Police Department is officially on the job now. Michael Prendergast took the oath of office yesterday. He previously told WLOX-TV that his top priority would be to build stronger relationships between his officers and the city's residents. Prendergast, who previously served as assistant chief, succeeds chief David Allen who is now a chief investigator and cyber crime analyst with the department, a change made by the mayor.
After 24 years with the Long Beach Fire Dept, the Chief announced his retirement plans. Mike Brown joined the department in 1977 as a volunteers. Griff Skellie will take over the post July first.
A New Orleans Saints fan is taking a shot at the NFL for one of the most controversial no-calls ever. New Orleans native Henry Jaume [[ zhaw-may ]] Sr. passed away on Sunday at the age of 65. In his obituary, his family said he died at 1 p.m "determined not to watch Super Bowl 53." His obituary is being praised by Saints fans. Officials missed what appeared to be a no-doubt pass interference penalty against the Rams in the closing minutes of the NFC Championship game with the Saints, effectively keeping them out of the Super Bowl.
A new survey from leadership training company VitalSmarts finds too many workers are being overburdened because they don't say no. The reasons people say yes to more work are varied. Three-quarters of employees report they don't say no because they just want to be helpful and accommodating. Others have bosses with unreasonable demands and some just don't feel like saying no is an option. Taking on more work than you can handle can lead to stress, which in turn takes a toll on physical and mental health.
The NYPD is threatening legal action against Google over its police feature on its Waze App. In a cease and desist letter, the NYPD demands Google immediately remove the feature that shares the location of DWI checkpoints. NYPD officials say revealing DWI checkpoint locations encourages reckless driving while permitting impaired drivers to break the law. Google has said it stands by its app features saying informing drivers helps them make safer decisions on the road.
The heat just keeps on coming. Scientists announced yesterday that 2018 was the fourth-hottest year on record. The hottest was 2015, followed by 2016, and 2017. NASA says worldwide temperatures last year were one-point-five degrees Fahrenheit about the average from 1951 to 1980. Scientists say unusual heat in the Western U.S. last year contributed to a disastrous wildfire season that killed dozens. Wildfires did 24-billion dollars in damage, making 2018 the most expensive wildfire season ever.
Men are more likely than women to spend money on their partners for Valentine's Day. According to a new study by Bankrate.com, the average man plans on spending 339-dollars on their spouse or partner while women say they will only spend 64-dollars. This is tough news for guys because in addition to being pretty generous, they also have higher expectations when it comes to how giving they hope their partner will be. Overall 69-percent of Americans plan to mark the occasion with some sort of spending.
Delta Air Lines is apologizing for napkins that some fliers thought were creepy. On one side, the Diet Coke drink napkins featured the words "because you're on a plane full of interesting people and hey ... you never know." On the other side it instructed passengers to "be a little old school, write down your number and give it to your plane crush" and included spaces for the person's name and number. Delta is removing the napkins and apologized if they offended anyone.