A few of the top stories we discussed on "Gulf Coast Mornings with Kelly Bennett and Uncle Henry":
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Making a bomb threat in Mississippi could soon lead to a lengthy prison sentence...More on that in the video from this morning's show at about 6:40.
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Developers want to resurrect the old Margaritaville Casino property. Chris Taylor told WLOX they'd have to expand the existing gaming space, plan to build a 300 room hotel, a 20-thousand foot back deck and a unique amenity they have yet to announce. Of course, they still need site approval and a go ahead from Biloxi. If it all goes well, they could start construction as soon as this summer.
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A young hunter from Kiln who posted on his social media about killing of a rare white turkey on his own property, is getting an apology from ESPN broadcaster Keith Olbermann. It was Tuesday when Olbermann, an admitted opponent of trophy hunting, tweeted that the rest of 22-year-old Hunter Waltman's life should be "a living hell." His remarks were quickly criticized on social media, some calling for his firing. Olbermann tweeted last night his unreserved apology to Whitman, saying in part, "nobody should feel threatened" and that was not his "intent."
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The Federal Trade Commission is shutting down four groups it says were responsible for billions of robocalls. The FTC says the groups pitched a variety of services from auto warranties and debt-relief to home security systems and fake charities. The agency said in a release Wednesday that it brought dozens of cases targeting illegal robocalls.
Verizon is ready to roll out new tools to block robocalls and alert people to spam. The nation's biggest wireless provider is expected this week to announce free features for wireless customers who have smartphones that can support the features, including Android and iPhones. Verizon announced the plan two months ago and said it's identified nearly 300-million numbers linked to spam and robocalling. According to Forbes, Verizon is expected to provide more information about how to get and use the app by the end of this week.
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Teachers and support personnel in Mississippi are still wondering if the legislature will hike their pay prior to this year's session ending. Members of the American Federation of Teachers and the Mississippi Association of Teachers met with reporters at the State Capitol yesterday to press state lawmakers for agreement on a four-thousand-dollar salary increase, and nothing less. While Democrats appear to be on board with that, Republicans had been holding to a plan that would limit the pay hike to one-thousand-dollars. However, a conference committee agreed last night to a 15-hundred-dollar pay raise that still must be voted on by the full legislature.
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The former executive chef and general manager of the Singing River Yacht Club won't be imprisoned but she will have to pay back the more than ten-thousand-dollars that she embezzled from the Pascagoula business. That was the ruling this week of Jackson County Judge Dale Harkey in the case against Stacie Vande Wetering who billed herself as "Cheffy." She allegedly took the funds during a nine-month period in 2017, but hasn't disclosed how she spent the money. Wetering was ordered to enter into a three-year pre-trial diversion program that, if successfully completed, would erase the felony from her record.
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Trump plans to declassify and release the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrants the FBI used to investigate his campaign. Trump told Fox News' Sean Hannity Wednesday that he wants to get to the bottom of how the entire Russia collusion story got started. The President said he had been advised not to release the documents before the end of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation because it could be considered obstruction. Now that the investigation is over, Trump says the time is right.
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Former First Lady Michelle Obama's ex-chief of staff is denying that her actions influenced the outcome of the Jussie Smollett case. Tina Tchen [[ chen ]] said she contacted Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx shortly after Smollett reported he was attacked in Chicago in January. She said her sole purpose was to put the chief prosecutor in the case in touch with the actor's family, who had concerns about how the investigation into the alleged attack was being characterized in public. Tchen has faced backlash since prosecutors decided Tuesday to drop all charges accusing Smollett of staging the attack.
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And we got an update on how things are going on "The Voice" from Rod Stokes...the local guy to root for this season!