SEPTEMBER 13, 2017 VOLUME 102 ISSUE 5
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News
SGA hosts Mental Health Awareness Week.
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News
Mississippi celebrates 200 years of statehood.
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Features
PRISM LGBTQ+ Recource Office opens on campus.
serving southern miss since 1927
Courtney Carver printz reporter
While the South is facing the peak of hurricane season, disastrous wildfires are burning more than 100,000 acres across the Northwest region of the United States. Thousands of people are evacuating their homes as more than 24 wildfires scorch Oregon and Washington. According to KGW, a Portland broadcast channel, firefighters from all agencies are risking their lives against the blazing flames in Oregon and Washington. “ Te m p e r a t u r e s remain sweltering after a historically hot and nearly rainless summer,” KGW journalist Sara Roth said. “A hint of rain in the forecast could dampen flames but brings added threats of lightning storms.” The largest fire is the Chetco B a r F i re wh i ch i s bu r n i n g near Brookings, Oregon. This fire has already destroyed at least half a dozen homes with approximately 9000 more in its path. “[There are] another 5,200 homes threatened by the Eagle Creek Fire in the gorge,” Roth said. “About 400 are under mandatory evacuations.” Not only do the Indian Creek and Eagle Creek fires threaten homes, but they also could threaten the water supply of Portland. However, the fires are not near the Bull Run watershed. “The city said the Columbia S o u t h S h o r e We l l F i e l d will act as a backup water supply if needed,” Roth said. The Eagle Creek Fire also caused 150 hikers to become stranded overnight and then had to detour 14 miles before being reunited with their loved ones. The Jolly Mountain Fire is one
Natalie Buckley printz reporter
The Hattiesburg Zoo will be receiving new animals and activities as a result of the Hattiesburg Convention Commission’s approved budget for the 2018 fiscal year. The Convention Commission also operates the Saenger Theater, the USO Club, the Eureka School Museum and the Oseola McCarty House Museum, all of which will also be receiving increased costs for repairs and maintenance. According to Executive Director of the Convention Commission Rick Taylor, John Kamper, the former owner of the zoo and park’s land, stated in his deed that any money earned on the land must go back to land. This means that if the zoo makes any excess money at the
Courtesy Photo reason that Seattle had ash fall it is threatening more than 4000 homes. This fire was said to have been sparked by a lightning strike. Freshman marketing major Kayla Price is from Tacoma, Washington, and her family is currently being affected by the Jolly Mountain Fire. “We are about an hour south from where the fire has started, and my mom was saying that the sun is a reddish orange. [The sky] is really hazy,” Price said. L i k e P r i c e ’s f a m i l y, U S M alumni Patty Mitchell has been affected. She lived the majority of her years in Hattiesburg, but she moved to Olympia, Washington in 2014 to be closer to her grandchildren. Her school district has moved all outside activities inside due to the air quality. “Anyone with asthma and b reath i n g c o n d itions cannot stand outside for no more than
an hour,” Mitchell said. “There are schools closed in Washington, but we are a little farther from the fires than some of those.” A c c o r d i n g t o P r i c e, t h e area around Jolly Mountain is under a mandatory evacuation. “My mom has been having issues breathing; she has mild asthma. There are a lot of people with severe asthma that are having issues breathing,” Price said. Junior industrial engineering technology major Thomas Harris has also had breathing problems. Harris is an online student and lives in Spokane, Washington and works at an aluminum manufacturing plant. “Personally for me, I’ve had asthma growing up, so I’ve had to go back to the doctor to get an inhaler,” Harris said. “If it worsens, I may have to call in to work.” Senior geology major Avery
Rosenbalm’s family in Sherwood, O re g o n h a s a l s o s e e n t h e results of the fires. According to Rosenbalm, there is mostly just ash everywhere, and the air quality is terrible; however, there have been road closures. “They had to shut down Interstate 84 for a bit, and they’re working hard to preserve natural features like Multnomah Falls,” Rosenbalm said. According to Roth, Interstate 84 was closed because surrounding re s i d e n t i a l a re a s h a d b e e n d e s t roye d by t h e f i re, a n d the road is covered in debris. According to Harris, Spokane has more smoke than Seattle, and a local newspaper reported that Spokane has the worst air quality that has ever been recorded in the city. “Everybody at my work is walking around with dust masks because there is a haze inside the
end of the year, the money must go back to the zoo. Because the zoo made more money than it costs this year, the commission will be able to spend $800,000 on a new “premier exhibit,” featuring an animal from Africa or Asia. One of the animals being considered is a giraffe, but the commission has not yet decided what the exhibit will include. “One of the things that’s important to us in operating the zoo is understanding what animals are compelling to people in order for them to come to the zoo,” said Taylor. “We have a lot of work to do to figure out what’s the right fit for Hattiesburg. Our space, the long-term costs, if this is a species we want to breed… if so, then what additional space do we have to build? If it’s a giraffe, we have to build a really tall building because you have to bring them in
at night and in bad weather. It would have to be a really big barn, and how much does that cost? Those are all the things we will be looking at in determining what the animal will be.” Although it may be possible a few years in the future, the zoo is unable to get and is therefore not considering rhinos, hippos or penguins. This is due to the extreme costs of the exhibits and consistent care, such as food and health regulation. Elephants are also not being considered because the zoo is too small to meet the regulations for keeping them. “I hope they save some money and get a penguin exhibit,” said junior Jordan Sanders. “Penguins are my favorite, and I think the money is a good starting point for a penguin savings fund.” The zoo will be expanding Africa, creating a new space for the lemurs
and servals and allowing for new animals such as hyenas. Despite the death of one of the tigers, Taylor says that the zoo probably will not get another tiger, partly because the tiger is male and would have problems with another male or would mate with a female and also because the Sumatran tiger lives in solitary in the wild. Along with the premier exhibit and expansions to its current continent divisions—Africa, South America and Asia—the zoo will also be creating a new continental section for Australia, which will include wallabies, emus and kunekune pigs. This October, the commission plans to open a new section called Camp Capybara, a space with firepits and room for tents for groups to stay overnight and visit the zoo, and add African porcupines and hornbills to the Africa section.
plant,” Harris said. “Also, you can drive in it, but your car can only filter out so much smoke, so you are still breathing it in.” Unlike Price, Rosenbalm and Mitchell, who all mentioned the reddish orange tint to the sun, Harris noticed that the smoke is so thick that the sun is not visible. “The smokes been so thick the last four days that you can’t see the sun at all,” Harris said. “Everything is white and bright, but you can’t see the outline of the sun.” With these fires, many natural landmarks have been destroyed. “I’m worried about the people there, obviously,” Rosenbalm said. “But it makes me sad because everywhere, especially the gorge, is such a beautiful place that inspires so many people to go out. It is going to be a long time before it is recovered.”
Around the end of October or November, Australia will open, including a wallaby walkthrough that allows visitors to interact with the wallabies. The zoo recently opened cabanas, so that people can rent near the splash pad and watch their children play. Long-term plans for the zoo are to move across the creek on Kamper’s land beyond the 12 acres that the zoo is on currently. “I’m happy that the zoo is doing well financially and responsibly using the money,” freshman Keegan Strickland said. “I’m beyond happy that it’s getting more capybara related things.” The Hattiesburg Zoo is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information about the zoo, visit its website www.zoohattiesburg.com or contact them at 601-545-4576.