Restoration Planning

(JACKSON, Miss.) -- The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality today announced its initiation of the restoration planning phase of the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) process in the wake of the Deep Horizon oil spill.

Further signaling the state’s continued efforts in restoring the Mississippi Gulf Coast, MDEQ
also published a Notice of Intent to conduct restoration planning. The state’s action was mirrored by other state and federal entities who also filed a Notice of Intent in recent days.

That document is available for review on the MDEQ web site:
http://www.deq.state.ms.us/MDEQ.nsf/page/NRDA_NRDAPlanning2010?OpenDocument.

“This important assessment phase of the NRDA process marks our next step in ensuring
that the State of Mississippi is made whole from the damages caused by the oil spill.
Through this process, we will assure that all of the damages to our natural resources are
fully documented, and that we are ultimately fully compensated,” said Trudy Fisher,
MDEQ Executive Director and the state’s designated trustee of natural resources.

“Simply put, the Oil Pollution Act requires that the entity or entities who caused the
damage to our natural resources bear the cost of restoring them. Our goal since the spill
has been to make Mississippi whole and today’s announcement marks a meaningful step
on that path,” she said.

NRDA is a restoration oriented legal process by which the public is made whole for harm
caused to natural resources and use of those resources by incidents such as the Deep
Horizon Oil Spill. A formal Notice of Intent indicates that the federal government and
the five affected Gulf states (Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Florida, and Texas) are
well underway in the identification and documentation of impacts to their natural
resources and the development of a comprehensive restoration strategy.

“While the full extent of potential injuries to our Gulf Coast resources may take some
time to define and understand, trustees have both the authority and the duty to move as
quickly as possible to develop potential restoration projects,” said Fisher, Mississippi’s trustee. “The public will be an important partner in identifying restoration projects, and we look forward to interacting with them as this important discussion moves forward.”

Backpage.com Asked to Close Adult Services

Jackson, MS (Sept. 21)-- Attorney General Jim Hood today, along with 20
other state attorneys general, called on backpage.com to close its adult
services section to fight prostitution, human trafficking and sexual
exploitation of children.

The request of the attorneys general comes after craigslist earlier
this month complied with the attorneys general request that it shut down
its adult services section. Craigslist and backpage are two of the
nation’s largest online classified ad websites.

The  attorneys general said in a letter to backpage, “Although we
appreciate these efforts and the cooperation the site has demonstrated
since we began our investigation in 2009, more needs to be done. We are
writing to request that you immediately take down the adult services
portion of backpage."

“We believe that ads for prostitution -- including ads trafficking
children--are rampant on the site and that the volume of these ads will
grow in light of craigslist’s recent decision to eliminate the adult
services section of its site. In our view, it is time for the company to
follow craigslist’s lead and take immediate action to end the misery of
the women and children who may be exploited and victimized by these ads.
Because backpage cannot, or will not, adequately screen these ads, it
must stop accepting them altogether.”

The AGs are urging the company to take steps to prevent migration of
prostitution ads into its personals section, including charging for and
manually reviewing all personals ads.

"We can not, and will not,  stand by and allow this online wave of
illegal prostitution to continue," said Hood.

Contact Jan Schaefer, public information officer, 601-359-2002, or
jscha@ago.state.ms.us

Huckabee, Hoseman Give HOGS Fundraiser Helping Hand

MOSS POINT -- Mike Huckabee and Delbert Hoseman were headliners this week during the first HOG Ride sponsored by the Home of Grace in Vancleave.

Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas and a 2008 presidential candidate, arrived to a warm welcome for the new fundraiser for expansion of the Home of Grace, an alcohol and drug addiction recovery program. He is the two-year honorary chairman of the program's capital campaign, according to local media.

The HOG Ride was held at Trent Lott International Airport on Saracenia Road. The Christian recovery program is attempting to raise about $2 million, news reporters said.

Hoseman, Mississippi's Secretary of State, led a procession of motorcycles that traveled to Westside Pier Park in Gulfport after the ceremonies featuring the Fox News commentator.

Tom's Extreme Pizzeria Named Rookie Of Year

MOSS POINT -- Tom's Extreme Pizzeria was named Rookie of the Year during second ANCHOR Awards breakfast this morning at Pelican Landing.

Owner Tom Bennett opened the pizza parlor in November 2008.

Gulf Sales and Supply was tabbed as Small Business of the Year with up to 50 employees; Singing River Electrice Power Association earned Small Business of the Year for employees up to 200.

United Way of Jackson and George Counties took home this year's new award for nonprofits.

The awards are sponsored by the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce to support and promote small businesses, the bulk of the chamber's membership, according to Chamber CEO Carla Todd.

Small Businesses Honored by Jackson County Chamber
www.gulflive.com/themississippipress

Accepting awards for their respective businesses were Carolyn Moore of United Way, Ace Necaise for Singing River, Marshall Smith with Gulf Sales, and Bennett for Tom's Extreme.

Businessman Jerry St. Pe served as emcee for the annual award ceremony. Nearly 300 business professionals and owners attended the breakfast event.

Anchor Awards Promote, Honor Small Businesses

PASCAGOULA -- The second annual Anchor Awards for small businesses will be presented at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 15, at Pelican Landing conference center.

The awards were created to award, honor and celebrate the achievements of outstanding small businesses in Jackson County, according to chamber personnel.

The Jackson County Chamber of Commerce and its Small Business Issue Manager Group want our business community to know that its personnel are here to assist in promoting a positive business atmosphere. They said local small business community works hard everyday to ensure large businesses have what they need to support their work efforts and also to support other small businesses, not only in Jackson County but nationwide.

The chamber has received over 30 nominations this year for the Anchor Awards. Chambers members had hoped the community would be a part of this well-deserved recognition, and they were not disappointed. Space was limited, and seats sold out long before today.

Jerry St. Pe' will serve as emcee; Supervisor Mike Mangum will be the guest speaker.

Other information can be obtained from chamber personnel at 762-3391 or chamber@jcchamber.com

Here We Go Again: Another Oil Spill in the Gulf

PASCAGOULA -- Media reports say that another oil rig has exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, and 13 workers, one injured, have been rescued by the Coast Guard. 

As of 1 p.m., no word whether or not any oil is leaking. I hope not. We just don't want to go through another oil spill, no matter if it lasts as long as the one with BP or not.

According to the reports at abcnews.go.com, www.aolnews.com and The Times Picayune, the rig is owned by Mariner Energy. The platform was located near Vermillion, La. 

The platform is known as Vermillion Oil Rig 380, located east of the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill that lasted from April 20 to mid-August.