Tracking a Black Bear

Imagine walking more than 100 miles in this heat. That's what a black bear has been doing in South Mississippi.

The bear was spotted at a home in Pass Christian Tuesday morning. Wildlife officials tell WLOX News they've tracked the bear all the way to the coast from Jones County.

Brad Young with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife said the animal was trapped and fitted with a tracking device early last month. He started his journey near Highway 98 in Jones County, passed by Camp Shelby, then moved on to Poplarville and Saucier. He was then spotted near Interstate 10 in the Pass.

Young said the bear is looking around a free meal.

"We don't want the bear hanging around residential areas. So we're encouraging people to take care, to not leave food out overnight, keep pet food indoors, things that like so the bear doesn't come snooping around looking for an easy meal," Young said.

Young said 90 percent of a bear's diet consists of plant materials like berries, acorns and grass. The other 10 percent is mostly insects.

www.wlox.com

Not a breeze

Florida is sure getting a soaking! They are still going to get a couple of days of rain before it moves out into the Atlantic where they say it will reform into a TS. The storm is keeping our weather very hot and VERY humid. The air is thick like soup. It is 7am and the temperature is 80^o already. It went to 99 yesterday. It is sunny and nothing is moving.

Latest track for Debby

What a difference a day makes. In fact, this track came out late afternoon yesterday. It might be 2-3 days before landfall so she still has time to move around.

We are supposed to get some rain from the out bands of Debby, the panhandle of Florida is getting heavy rains that they don't need.

tracking Debby

It is still uncertain where she is going but all the models are bringing it closer to South Mississippi. The lastest is it will land in Louisiana near New Orleans.

TS Debby

After a few days of wondering, the path of TS Debby will head west and hit Texas around mid week. It might get close enough to us to give us some badly needed rain.

THE GFS AND GFDL SHOWING AN EASTWARD MOTION ACROSS FLORIDA...AND THE REST OF THE MODELS BRINGING DEBBY WESTWARD ACROSS THE NORTHERN GULF TOWARDS TEXAS. EVEN THOUGH THE DETERMINISTIC GFS SHOWS AN EASTWARD TRACK...MORE THAN HALF OF THE GFS ENSEMBLE MEMBERS ARE IN AGREEMENT WITH THE WESTWARD-MOVING MODELS...MAKING THE WESTWARD SCENARIO SEEM MORE LIKELY. IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE TOO THAT THE ECMWF MODEL SHOWS A FASTER WESTWARD MOTION THAN INDICATED IN THE NHC FORECAST...SO IT IS POSSIBLE THAT DEBBY COULD REACH THE COAST EARLIER THAN INDICATED.

Long Beach Live!

The City of Long Beach presents Long Beach Live! featuring Plan B on Thursday, June 21st at Harper McCaughan Town Green located on Jeff Davis Ave. in Long Beach with festivities beginning at 6:30 p.m.

“Long Beach Live!” is a concert series featuring a number of local musical artists. Admission is free to the public and the festivities are from 6:30 p.m. -8:30 p.m.

June’s Long Beach Live! will feature Plan B. Plan B is newly formed group whose popularity is growing with each performance. Their set list includes classic blues and rock and roll. James Johnson is lead vocals and guitar, Charles Mcginn on the slide guitar, Jay Patricks on bass and vocals, and Chris Negron on drums.

Opening performance by Wink & Masino beginning at 6:30.

Be Prepared

We are a few weeks into Hurricane Season. We have been soo lucky the last few years with nothing coming our way. But after Hurricane Katrina everyone here understands that you must be prepared for anything. Do nothing at your own risk.

I bought this solar powered emergency radio last week. It was the last one on the shelf so people are taking action. It is also a flash light and a phone charger.

It is solar and there is a crank in the back. I tried it today and it works great.

I also bought a small bettery operated fan that takes 2D batteries. We also have a bigger one that takes 4D batteries. We bought a big candle for our hurricane lamp and we have an oil lamp. We also have battery operated candles.

We have two coleman stoves too. I have a charger and plenty of AA and AAA batteries, but I will get more. I want to get some solar lights for the backyard.

Pray for the best

Prepare for the worst

Mockingbird

Mockingbirds are a group of New World passerine birds from the Mimidae family. They are best known for the habit of some species mimicking the songs of other birds and the sounds of insects and amphibians, often loudly and in rapid succession.

In our lemon tree a Mockingbird laid three eggs a little while back. Now the babies look like they are getting ready to fly soon. We see momma going in and out quite a few times a day. She must be exhausted. She will flutter around if you get too close to the tree. Here she is coming back with food for the babies.

Soupy air

It is so hot and humid. The air is like soup. Nothing is moving. Although it's cloudy on and off during the day, the storms and rain come at night. It is not a cooling rain. But it's June. This weather is not unusual in South Mississippi. It doesn't stop people from complaining about it.

Mississippi Morning

Morning mist rising. The sound of a neighbors automatic sprinklers. An early morning jogger. A slight breeze rustles the hedge. A gecko runs towards the green house. A mockingbird flies out of the lemon tree where it has a nest. Spike stretches and head towards the water bowl. And the day gets hotter...

USS Mississippi

PASCAGOULA, Miss. -

The USS Mississippi, a sophisticated attack Navy submarine, is going into active service.

The 377-foot Virginia-class submarine arrived last month in Pascagoula, Miss., and was commissioned Saturday. A commissioning places a ship into active service.

The Clarion-Ledger reports that the USS Mississippi, which cost $2 billion to build, was delivered a year ahead of schedule and under budget.

This is the fifth Navy ship or boat to carry the Mississippi name. It is expected to remain in the fleet for about three decades.

The submarine was christened at General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton, Conn., on Dec. 3, and has been through sea trials. The submarine will be assigned to Submarine Group Two.

With a crew of about 130 officer and sailors, the submarine carries torpedoes and Tomahawk missiles, and can be configured to carry Navy SEALs.

Electric Boat and its major subcontractor, Huntington Ingalls Industries-Newport News, have received contracts to build the first 18 submarines of a planned 30-ship Virginia Class.

"That is a very emotional part of the event," said Lauren Pitre, a 1995 graduate of West Point High School who serves as the Virginia class program office acquisition manager. "You then see the crew run on board. It definitely gives you chills."

Rear Adm. Michael Jabaley, a 1980 graduate of Murrah High School in Jackson, Miss., is manager of the Virginia fleet and he said having the commissioning happen in Mississippi was special to him.

My SIL and Grandson went to the ceremony today. It was a sunny warm day.
Everyone there received a nice book commemorating the event. It makes a nice keepsake.