The top MS stories covered on this Jan. 16 "Gulf Coast Mornings with Kelly Bennett and Uncle Henry":
The 26-day-long partial government shutdown is doing more harm to the nation's economy that earlier estimates indicated. The White House Council of Economic Advisers said yesterday the shutdown of one-quarter of the federal government is slashing more than a tenth of a percent off the economy for every week it continues. The loss reflects lost work from contractors and furloughed employees who are spending and investing less because they aren't getting paid. Eight-hundred-thousand federal employees are furloughed or working without pay. The shutdown also is putting thousands of government contractors out of work, at least temporarily.
C-Spire, AT&Tm and T-Mobile are trying to help those affected by the shutdown, offering to waive late fees and revised payment schedules so that customers won't lose their phone/internet service.
1-855-CSPIRE
T-Mobile 1-877-746-0909
AT&T including DirecTV customers, to find more details online: https://soc.att.com/2D1b6zs
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Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant says he'll sign a bill to raise public teachers' salaries as soon as the legislature passes one. Bryant made the promise last night in his final State of the State Address as Governor. He also credited his administration with greatly improving Mississippi's educational system and economy.
President Trump will deliver the State of the Union address at 9 p.m. Eastern on January 29th.
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Mississippi lawmakers are considering a handful of bills that could bring high-speed internet to rural areas. The House passed a bill yesterday that would allow non-profit electricity cooperatives to also offer broadband internet to their customers; a practice that's currently illegal thanks to a decades-old state law. Legislators say they hope the bill will ultimately improve internet speed and access in Mississippi, which currently ranks 49th in the nation in those categories according to research website BroadBandNow.
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An online petition is asking pop group Maroon 5 and rappers Travis Scott and Big Boi to take a knee during the Super Bowl Halftime Show. The petition on Change.org originally called on the three acts to back out of the show, but was altered when it was confirmed earlier this week that they would be performing. Former NFL player Colin Kaepernick started kneeling during the National Anthem during games in 2016 to protest racial injustice and police brutality. Other players have joined in since then. Super Bowl LIII [[ 53 ]] takes place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on February 3rd.
NFL quarterback Deshaun Watson will be the next headlining speaker for the Clarion Ledger's Mississippi Sports Awards. Watson, the starting quarterback for the Houston Texans, will host a VIP meet and greet and will then share his personal story on stage at the event in Jackson in May. This is the sixth year for the Sports Awards, which honor high school athletes from around the state.
Legendary sports broadcaster Bob Costas is leaving NBC after four decades with the network. Costas told the New York Post that he's still going to be working for the MLB Network, calling games. He's also considering a show on the MLB Network. Costas has covered pretty much every major sport over the course of his career, including many years worth of Olympic Games.
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