Some of this mornings top local and national stories as discussed on this April 24 Edition of "Gulf Coast Mornings with Kelly Bennett and Uncle Henry":
Mississippi health officials want you to know that a Tennessee man with measles made a third stop while in Hattiesburg earlier this month. In addition to visiting a Subway on April 9th and a Raising Cane's the following night, the state's Health Officer, Dr. Thomas Dobbs, said yesterday that the infected man also visited the Turtle Creek Mall food court between noon and 2 p.m. on April 10th. He's known to have exposed numerous individuals to the disease, as well as an unknown number of others who should contact their doctor if they develop measles' symptoms.
There's more job security for the folks who work at VT Halter Marine in Pascagoula. The Coast Guard and Navy on Tuesday awarded a 746-million-dollar contract to the firm for the design and construction of a polar security cutter, with work to begin in 2021. The vessel will be used in the arctic regions for missions that include search and rescue, maritime law enforcement and national defense missions. The contract includes options for the building of two additional cutters that would increase its value to just shy of two-billion-dollars.
If you see something red in the water or lapping at the shore along the Back Bay of Biloxi Wednesday morning, don’t be alarmed.The Department of Marine Resource (DMR) is putting dye in the water at the Keegan Bayou Wastewater plant Tuesday night to track the flow of treated water discharged from the plant into the bay.The dye is not harmful to marine life, and the brightness of the red dye will be dependent on the wind. DMR will use the information gathered from the dye test to evaluate the impact of wastewater discharges on shellfish growing areas and will help scientists determine where shellfish may be safely harvested.
Industrial hemp cultivation in Mississippi remains against the law, but that could change by next year. Andy Gipson, the state's Ag commissioner, announced yesterday that he'll chair the first meeting of Mississippi's 13-member Hemp Cultivation Task Force this July, six months ahead of a December deadline for reporting the group's findings to the legislature. Hemp cultivation has been legalized under federal law, but regulations weren't finalized in time for this year's growing season. The task force Gipson is leading will explore all possible issues involving hemp cultivation in the state, including its market and job creation potential.
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan is seriously thinking about running for president. Hogan is considering challenging President Trump in the Republican primaries, which begin in New Hampshire next February. Hogan shared concerns about how Trump is leading the Republican party at a breakfast for New Hampshire political and business leaders Tuesday.
The leader of Sri Lanka's parliament claims senior officials in the government deliberately withheld intelligence about possible terror attacks. At least 359 people were killed in a series of suicide bombings Sunday at churches and hotels around the country. The parliament leader said today that information on possible attacks in the planning was received from Indian intelligence early this month, but the information was not shared.
Eight people are injured in the San Francisco Bay Area after a driver reportedly deliberately drove into them. Sunnyvale Police say the driver plowed into people while they were waiting to cross the street last night. Police arrested the driver after he crashed the car into a tree.