Mississippi’s foster care agency is failing to prevent abuse and neglect of children in state custody despite its commitments to do so as part of a long-running federal lawsuit. A Mississippi toddler named Olivia Y. weighed only 22 pounds when she entered state custody in 2003. Though she was obviously malnourished, she was not given a medical exam. Over the next three months, she was shuffled across five different foster homes. The lawsuit that bears her name was filed in 2004, when she was 3-and-a-half years old, on behalf of the thousands of children in the state foster care system. The state first agreed to a settlement requiring it to make systemic reforms in 2008, but has never fully complied with the terms of that and later settlement agreements. An independent monitor evaluated the department’s progress toward meeting its commitments in reports released in 2020 and 2021 that were never publicized, which documented about two percent of all children in department custody were subjected to abuse or neglect by their caregivers. The department acknowledged in June 2021 that it was not capable of achieving its targets and instead agreed to a “rebuilding period," and has been working toward reaching a smaller number of less stringent standards in areas such as worker caseloads and child safety by early 2023. The number of children in state custody has fallen 33% since 2017, from 5,872 to 3,888 in June 2022. Among the problems documented in the most recent reports were high rates of abuse and neglect and higher-than-allowable caseloads. In 2019, 87 kids were abused or neglected. In 2020, the figure was 117, nearly six times the agreed-upon rate. The department is supposed to ensure 90% of all caseworkers have a caseload that meets standards allowing them to provide adequate care and oversight. In 2019 and 2020, this figure ranged from 48% to 68%. According to the reports, adoption is the long-term goal for 39% of kids in state custody, and only 22% who left department care in 2020 were adopted. For half of kids in state custody, the long-term goal is reunification with their families. Caseworkers are supposed to meet monthly with the families of kids in that category to discuss progress and the child’s well-being. But the monitors found this happened less than half of the time. Mississippi advocates for children have witnessed other problems with the system beyond those discussed in the reports. Polly Tribble, who leads Disability Rights Mississippi, says foster children with a psychiatric diagnosis of some kind often languish in an inpatient residential facility long past when they should be released. Joy Hogge, executive director of Families as Allies, says one of the biggest problems facing the foster care system in Mississippi is a deeply ingrained sense that people who lose custody of their kids don’t really deserve to be parents. “There’s a lot of prejudice against the families, and assumptions made about them,” she notes. "It’s important to support children in seeing their families and siblings, and in helping biological families get what they need. There’s a philosophy that these are bad parents, we need to take these children from them." But there is good news. The reports document the department’s progress in several areas: The department licensed 357 new non-relative foster homes in 2020, exceeding the target of 351. The department ran a system of post-adoption services statewide, providing adoptive families access to counseling, mental health treatment and crisis intervention, peer support and respite services. At least 95% of children in custody were placed in the least restrictive setting (i.e., the one most similar to a family environment) that met their needs. The department’s caseworkers met educational qualifications and received adequate training. EDITOR'S NOTE: Excerpted from a Mississippi Today report.

Mississippi students and their families can now benefit from a new program that will help bridge the digital divide. The Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS) in partnership with Broadband Expansion and Accessibility of Mississippi (BEAM) are working to spread awareness about the Affordable Connectivity Program, a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Program. This program is for eligible households struggling to afford internet service. The long-term benefits will help lower broadband service costs for households. Those eligible for the Affordable Connectivity Program can receive up to $30 off their broadband service per month and up to $75 off their service if they live on tribal lands. Benefits also include a $100 discount per household on a one-time purchase of a computer, laptop, or tablet if the household contributes between $10 - $50 to the purchase through a participating broadband provider. “BEAM encourages all who are eligible to take advantage of ACP. Connectivity is such a vital part of education, healthcare, and the workforce today," BEAM Director Sally Doty of Brookhaven says. "We want all Mississippians to be connected and a part of today’s digital world of opportunities." During the new school term, digital connectivity will play a key role in preparing students for the workplace of tomorrow. A household is eligible for the new program if one member of the household meets at least one of the criteria below: Has an income that is at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines; Participates in certain assistance programs, such as SNAP, Medicaid, Federal Public Housing Assistance, SSI, WIC, or Lifeline; Participates in one of several Tribal specific programs, such as Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance, Tribal Head Start (only households meeting the relevant income qualifying standard), Tribal TANF, or Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations; Is approved to receive benefits under the free and reduced-price school lunch program or the school breakfast program, including through the USDA Community Eligibility Provision; Received a Federal Pell Grant during the current award year; or Meets the eligibility criteria for a participating broadband provider’s existing low-income program. Eligible households can enroll through a participating broadband provider or by (1) going to AffordableConnectivity.gov to submit an online application or print a mail-in application and (2) contacting their preferred participating broadband provider and selecting a plan. For more information about the Affordable Connectivity Program, visit www.fcc.gov/ACP or call 877-384-2575 between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. ET any day of the week.

Nadia Alexis has joined Mississippi School of the Arts as Literary Arts Instructor for 2022-2023 school year. Alexis comes from Oxford, Mississippi, where she is completing her PhD in English with a Creative Writing concentration at the University of Mississippi. A poet, photographer, educator and organizer, she was born in the Harlem section of New York City to Haitian immigrants. She holds a BA in Political Science from Union College, where she also studied French and focused on Africana Studies. At the University of Mississippi, she also earned her MFA in Creative Writing and taught Black literature and first-year writing courses. During the summers, Alexis serves on the creative writing faculty of the McMullan Young Writers Workshop at Millsaps College, where she teaches poetry and also teaches poetry in the summer youth camps at the University of Mississippi’s Pre-College Program. She served as a 2018-2019 curator of the Trobar Ric Poetry Reading Series based in Oxford, Mississippi. Kweli Journal, Indiana Review, Mixtape, Mud Season Review, Shenandoah and Texas Review have published or will be publishing Alexis' poetry. On She Goes and BLACK STEW have published her prose and personal essay writing, and TORCH Literary Journal’s 2016 Spring/Summer issue, Fields Magazine, Forgotten Lands, Mixtape and Mfon have featured her photography. Primarily a self-taught photographer, Alexis started that aspect of her arts career in 2014. Her "What Endures" series has been viewed at exhibitions in Havana, Cuba, Detroit and Harlem as well as the University of Mississippi Recently, she had her first solo exhibition at the Gammill Gallery in Oxford, Mississippi, which featured all of her "What Endures" works and others from a new series-in-progress -- "My Mother Says I Can Build a New Home form Clouds and I Believe Her." were on view from January 2022 to February 2022. Alexis has received award nominations for the Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net Anthology, and the 2020 Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters Award in photography. She has received poetry fellowships from the Callaloo Creative Writing Workshop and The Watering Hole, and has been mentored by Carrie Mae Weems in an independent scholars fellowship program. In 2019, she received an honorable mention prize in poetry of the Hurston/Wright Foundation’s Award for College Writers and in 2020 was named a semifinalist for the 2020 92Y Discovery Poetry Contest. Alexis is currently working on her first full-length hybrid manuscript of poems and photographs, building bodies of photographic works and developing a young adult novel-in-verse.

WAC students are expected to conform to behavioral standards on campus and at athletic events: Insulting, abusive and obscene language will not be tolerated. Persons with artificial noisemakers or disrupting athletic events in other ways will be asked to leave the grounds. No loitering will be allowed on school grounds. Persons caught damaging, destroying, or stealing private property will be arrested and prosecuted. Possession of illegal drugs, alcoholic beverages, fireworks, weapons, or any other illegal objects is prohibited. Radios and/or tape players are not allowed in the gymnasium. Students inappropriately dressed at games will be asked to leave. In line with state law (H.B. 641), smoking is not permitted on campus at any time.

In June, Wesson Garden Club recognized landscaping efforts of Roy and Gerry Daughdrill at 1012 West Street, Claude and Marguerite Lowery at 1107 Lowery Street, and Wesson Elementary and Wesson High School in its Yard of the Month town residential, rural residential and organizational categories. The Club also recognized Co-Lin for its entrance off Highway 51 beside the overhead bridge with it Summer Special Award. The Yard of the Month awards that recognize maintenance principles and elements of landscape design seek to encourage ongoing beautification and cleanliness of the Wesson area and cultivate a citizenry that values and protects natural resources and assumes responsibility for enhancing the environment. The Garden Club's Yard of the Month awards honor landscapes during the spring, summer and fall.

By Bob Garver On more than one level, “DC League of Super-Pets” falls right between “The Secret Life of Pets” and “The Lego Movie.” Like “The Secret Life of Pets,” the movie is an animated comedy that follows domesticated animals whose voices can’t be understood by humans as they learn to make friends for themselves without their coddling owners. And both movies have Kevin Hart, can’t forget that. Like “The Lego Movie,” the cast of characters includes the entire Justice League (and some other fun DC cameos), though they spend the majority of the film’s running time incapacitated. Both films feature funny casting choices for popular characters, which is an invaluable tool for arguing that, say, Will Arnett and Keanu Reeves are both technically part of the Batman canon. The result of the amalgamation is a movie that should be pleasing to both animal lovers and comics nerds. Dwayne Johnson stars as Krypto, dog to Superman (John Krasinski). Krypto also has Kryptonian superpowers, as he stowed away with Superman on that Krypton-escaping rocket when they were both little. Now the two fight crime and save Metropolis side-by-side daily, but Superman’s attentions have been… branching out lately thanks to his relationship with Lois Lane (Olivia Wilde). Krypto is afraid of losing his best friend, especially when he learns that Supes plans to ask Lois to marry him. Superman senses that Krypto is about to feel left out of his new life, so he goes to an animal shelter to see about getting Krypto a friend. At the shelter is Ace (Hart), a dog with a tragic backstory that just wants to bust everyone out of the shelter so they can all move to a nice farm upstate. Other animals include pig PB (Vanessa Bayer), squirrel Chip (Diego Luna), turtle Merton (Natasha Lyonne), and hairless guinea pig Lulu (Kate McKinnon). Krypto and Ace don’t like each other, with Krypto looking down on Ace for not having superpowers or an owner, and Ace not liking Krypto for his condescension. Since the characters are voiced by frequent collaborators Johnson and Hart, you can probably guess that they’ll soon be paired up for the rest of the movie. The adventure kicks into gear when Lex Luthor (Marc Maron) tries to defeat Superman with orange Kryptonite. The plan fails because humans can’t use the substance, but animals can. A shard of the stuff falls into the shelter, where Ace and the other animals gain superpowers, while Krypto loses his. Lulu, a former testing animal at LexCorp, is thrilled at the prospect of rejoining her former owner and conquering the world together. It turns out that she’s a lot more competent at taking out the Justice League than Lex ever was. It’s up to Krypto, Ace, and the other shelter animals to save the day, even though Krypto is without his powers and Ace and the others don’t know how to behave heroically. I previously mentioned that “DC League of Super-Pets” fell between “The Secret Life of Pets” and “The Lego Movie” on more than one level. One of those levels is that story elements are mashed together, but another level is quality. I found that this movie had a sharper wit and more likeable characters than the former, but less imagination and more clumsy jokes than the latter. Grade-wise, I felt that those movies were a high C and a low A, respectively, and the average of the two seems just right for this perfectly agreeable movie that doesn’t quite reach the upper echelons of animated filmmaking. Grade: B “DC League of Super-Pets” is rated PG for action, mild violence, language and rude humor. Its running time is 106 minutes. Contact Bob Garver at rrg251@nyu.edu.

Southern Business Institute is gearing up for its inaugural event, CollabSouth, for the small business community of Jackson. Founders and employees of small businesses are invited to attend this one-day conference on August 26th to hear from experts within their community. Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson will be the keynote speaker. Several other speakers and panelists will discuss topics such as business growth and development, marketing, accounting, human resources, and more. “Small businesses are vital to the state of Mississippi, and we want to make sure we’re doing everything we can to set them up for success,” said Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson. “I am honored to be speaking at this event and believe it will be a day packed with opportunities for business owners to learn, grow, and network to ensure they continue to be successful.” During the height of the pandemic in 2020, Susan Woods, Allison Muirhead, and Mary Margaret Gay founded the Southern Business Institute as a collaborative membership group for small businesses in the South to help align business interests, empower business owners, and share resources. CollabSouth will be the first community-wide event and will include breakout groups and panel discussions to help entrepreneurs to grow their businesses. “During the pandemic, we saw that small businesses took a big hit. We founded the Institute to empower small businesses and provide them with the resources and community necessary to thrive,” said Susan Woods, Co-Founder of Southern Business Institute. “We’re very excited to connect business owners and cultivate this community in Jackson.” CollabSouth will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Friday, August 26th, at the Country Club of Jackson, followed by a cocktail hour for attendees to network with other entrepreneurs. Tickets can be purchased on Southern Business Institute’s website, southernbusinessinstitute.com/collabsouth. Follow Southern Business Institute on Instagram @southernbusinessinstitute to get updates on the event.

By Mika Hartman Many will already recognize “lagniappe” as a commonly used word; for me, the word has a whole new meaning since Hudson was born. Lagniappe (lan-yap): “Something given as a bonus or EXTRA gift” and the cajun meaning is “a little EXTRA”. Hudson is lagniappe. Our family received lagniappe the day he was born. Down syndrome is lagniappe. This entire journey and those on it with me are lagniappe. I could go on and on. Its the NOLA-call for receiving anything extra, or better yet, receiving something for free. So Hudson’s love is a perfect example of this…. It’s free, it’s extra and it makes the world better. In June, I had the privilege of attending the National Down Syndrome Congress Convention in New Orleans… IN PERSON! It was four fun-filled, educational, energizing days of truly connecting with my Down syndrome family. From doctors, research teams, families, new technologies and future research, I learned so much and I am so encouraged. All Down syndrome research has been lacking in funds and support. In a typical year, 80 million would be the most raised to conduct the research done. So this resulted in few studies and certainly none being conducted routinely. To put in perspective, Autism research typically has 200-250 million per year. So the difference is huge, until now. Down syndrome research is expected to hit 150 million this year and we have 8 studies going on now to improve the quality of life and the why the extra chromosome causes more medical needs. I will tell you that I had been asked to participate in a study while living in Colorado. I was pregnant and the research team came daily to my hospital room during my heart failure. I, then and now, would only participate in needed and good research. I would not ever help in early detection of Down syndrome to provide information that would lead to an abortion. But research that is good, inclusive and improves life, I am all in as long as the integrity of the study is only for benefits of the person born or being born with Down syndrome. I am saying this because the research that is being done is good. Research to help prevent or prolong the affects of Alzheimers, studies to learn about sleep apnea and treatments, studies to help medicine and therapies, and so much more. Why research is important: People with Down syndrome have a different “disease spectrum”. The 6 million human beings alive today with Trisomy 21 need bold solutions to many major medical conditions. Autoimmunity, COVID-19, Alzheimer’s, Leukemia, Autism, Seizures, Congenital Heart Defects and more. Research is not a quick process. Most trials in a translational science start in a petri dish to an actual clinical trial in 4 years. Then once effective and safe in clinical trial, it then moves to regulatory approval and medical care. So the more funding, the more that can be in the works for our friends. It takes money, time and willingness to participate. What we have learned: 60% of adults with Down syndrome have been diagnosed with at least one autoimmune condition 50% of people with Down syndrome display hypothyroidism, attributed to autoimmune thyroid disease 25% of people with Down syndrome have been diagnosed with one or more autoimmune skin conditions 10% of adults with Down syndrome have been diagnosed with celiac disease Type 1 diabetes, “Down syndrome arthopathy”, and other, more rare autoimmune conditions are also more common So with this information, the question becomes “Is there a way to stop this autoimmune attack?” I am in no way medical, but this research is easy to understand. When you have an extra copy of a chromosome, especially the 21st chromosome, you can determine that 4 of 6 interferon receptors are encoded on chromosome 21. So basically it creates receptor “overdose”. This leads to “over-reaction” throughout the immune system. Even in the general population, interferon hyperactivity is known risk factor for autoimmunity. Chronic interferon hyperactivity could lead to premature aging and exhaustion of the immune system later in life. Too much of a good thing sometimes is bad… this is an example of that. JAK inhibitors could attenuate the ill effects of interferon receptor overdose. JAK inhibitors are small molecules designed to inhibit the JAK enzymes acting “downstream” of the interferon receptors. They are pills that can be taken daily and are fully reversible because they rapidly clear the body. In the study, 10 participants saw benefits with zero adverse events. 6/6 participants with alopecia aerata experienced hair growth. 2/2 participants with atopic dermatitis saw complete remission. 1/1 participant with psoriasis saw complete remission. 2/5 participants showed improvements in hidradenitis suppurativa. ALL participants showed normalized immune markers. 7/7 participants with clinically significant anti-thyroid autoimmunity displayed decreased levels of autonantibodies. Lastly, significant improvements in one measure of visuomotor function, and anxiety/depression scores. Participants were asked to “track” a path with a pencil. It was shown that the JAK inhibitors taken created less errors in this testing, too. Conclusion: This trial was a success and it has been deemed safe. Skin pathology is clearly improved with alopecia, psoriasis, and atopic dermatitis showing the best responses. Other autoimmune conditions, such as thyroid disease, may also benefit from this intervention. Tantalizing preliminary results justify the investigation of potential improvements in neurological function. 7/12 participants are now taking this medication with a prescription. The value and integrity question was raised on the neurological improvement. I believe that anything you can do to provide a better quality of life is good. I value a person because we all play a part in this world. Improving anyones life is good, hence the word improve. If it doesn’t help an individual, this wouldn’t create us to then devalue them. All studies meet an ethics board and they do not take lightly the reasons for the studies and always put the person with great intentions as the top priority. As you can see in this one study alone, it matters. Improving quality of life is the mission and these results did just that. This provides hope for families. Answers are everything on this journey. My job as Hudson mom and advocate is to provide him his best life and the tools to achieve this. Here is an example of a study with new technology: Alzheimers is a very real threat to our community. They have linked Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) to early onset Alzheimers. Side note: Children with Down syndrome really should have a sleep study conducted by age 4. Larger tongues and smaller airways can occlude needed oxygen, especially during sleep. And now, with this knowledge of overlap with Alzheimers it's more important than ever. Once diagnosed, many doctors will want to intervene with CPAP machines, teach sleep positions, use oral devices to place tongue in a better position and so forth. This new technology/treatment is called Inspire Upper Airways Stimulation (UAS) therapy. It’s basically a pacemaker for the lungs and tongue. This is the first implantable device for treating OSA. Inspire USA works from inside the body and with the patient’s natural breathing process. A deep breath will send a sensor attached to the tongue to move the tongue to allow the airway to open. I am not medical, so please talk to your doctors about all the details. As a mom, this is named so appropriately: Inspire! I am inspired. Here is an example of new therapy coming: JASPER (Joint Attention, Symbolic Play, Engagement, and Regulation) is a treatment approach based on a combination of developmental and behavioral principles developed by Dr. Connie Kasari at UCLA. JASPER is a play-based intervention that teaches social communication skills to young children with autism. This therapy made its way in to many of my conversations and classes because of the overlap and direct connection to Down syndrome and autism. Hudson is dual diagnosed and this therapy sounds, well, needed. I am a fun and energetic mom, but getting Hudson to be engaged in play can be difficult and with short spans of attention to a task. It seems this therapy is designed to connect these dots and make playing fun for all. As you can see, new tools in my moms toolbox for Hudson are exciting, inspiring and encouraging. These are only a few examples of all I learned. I am so encouraged that we are getting more funding that will benefit my son and the life I pray for daily. A world that accepts him, cheers for him, values his life and plays a role in his successes… all while helping give him the quality of life he deserves. Quality of a persons life is so important and the research being conducted makes this a priority. Research and development should be ongoing, readily available and participation is a must. The more we learn, the more we can provide, ensuring the life of a person with Down syndrome is respected, loved and cared for. The proverbial ball is rolling and new research is coming. Investing either monetarily or by participation is key to keeping this good forward motion rolling as fast as possible. My Hudson loves life and makes the world better. Going to conventions, connecting with families, seeing a small part of the work that is being done was great for my heart. One of my favorite takeaways was seeing the siblings of a brother or sister with Down syndrome being doctors or therapist on the stage who are developing mind-blowing tools because of the love they have. These siblings have firsthand knowledge of this life I have, they have so much love and respect, they want to make the world better, too. Moms, dads, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, and medical teams who love people with Down syndrome, together are lagniappe, too. EXTRA love is free!

Today, the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) - through a joint investigation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - is announcing the discovery of an uncommon bacteria (that causes melioidosis) identified in the environment in the United States (US) for the first time. Melioidosis is a rare disease caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei. These bacteria were identified in soil samples from the Gulf Coast of Mississippi (MS). The investigation was conducted because two individuals (cases) of melioidosis - both on the Gulf Coast - became sick two years apart. Soil samples collected around the patients' homes tested positive for the bacteria at the CDC. This indicates that bacteria from the environment was the likely source of infection for both individuals and that the bacteria have been present since 2020. State Epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers says most cases that occur in the US are because of travel to other countries where the bacteria have been known to normally occur. "Typically, we see these bacteria in countries where the bacteria are endemic or where it normally occurs. Burkholderia pseudomallei normally occurs in tropical and sub-tropical areas like Southeast Asia or Central or South America. Because of the identification of this bacteria on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, persons at high risk for severe infection living on the Gulf Coast should take recommended precautions." Melioidosis is an infectious disease and is caused by direct contact with Burkholderia pseudomallei in contaminated soil or water. Symptoms include fever, joint pain, and headache. Infection can lead to pneumonia and blood infections (sepsis). Most healthy people who come into contact with Burkholderia pseudomallei never develop melioidosis. Individuals living on the Gulf Coast who have chronic illnesses such as diabetes, chronic kidney disease, chronic lung disease, or excessive alcohol use may be at risk of severe illness from infection and need to take precautions to protect themselves. Those at risk should: Avoid contact with soil or muddy water - especially after heavy rains. Protect open wounds with waterproof dressing. Wear waterproof boots when gardening, doing yard work or agricultural work - it is critical to prevent infection through the feet and lower legs (after flooding or storms). Wear gloves to protect your hands when working directly with soil. Follow MSDH by e-mail and social media at HealthyMS.com/connect.

Andy has always said that his dad, whom I never had the privilege of meeting, was a fairly mild-mannered easy-going guy. Respected and well-liked in his rural community, a boys’ baseball coach, and a church-goer – seems he had a friendly word for everyone. Even when riled, he wasn’t a man to easily lose control of his temper. Like everyone, he did have one, he just usually kept it pretty well under. Except. From listening to the family telling stories of yesteryear, there were two things in life that made that man lose his grip; one was cows and pigs that refused to cooperate when they were being loaded into the chute. And the other that lit his fuse? Hitting his thumb with a badly-aimed hammer blow. From what I understand, a stubborn Bossy The Cow or Pearl The Pig could suddenly become the recipient of very imaginative names not normally given to four-legged animals. And on fence-building days? The air on their farm would take on a whole new shade of blue when his dad splattered his thumb at that task. Then his kids would spend the next half-hour searching for his hammer. Eventually finding it in the neighbor’s pasture. Sound kinda familiar? You may not be a hammer-wielding farmer with bad aim and five kids snickering when you miss. And you may not be the proud owner of panicked pigs and cows that suddenly have their own ideas when it comes to being loaded up and taken to the slaughter house. But. Probably you are the owner of a temper. Whether it reminds people of instantly combustible Fire From Hell Itself, or slow simmering Volcanic Lava, you most likely own one. Seems to be part of being a human being. I have never met anyone yet who absolutely never has a flareup of that ‘thing’ inside of us, that attitude that lets those around us know we are not a happy camper. But maybe, you actually are known worldwide as Calm Calvin or Sweetheart Sara. You are one of those rare species who never shows any anger or disgust, and never disagrees with anyone. Then I would venture to guess you may privately deal with things like tension headaches, upset stomach, sudden diarrhea, or stomach ulcers. Not a good trade-off. Better plan? Learn to express your displeasure, (without a missing hammer) listen to the opposing opinion if there is any, create a workable solution, ask and give forgiveness when needed, and then move on. Life is way-y-y-y-y-y too hard to spend your time holding your emotions in so tightly that you become ill. You will eventually find yourself spending a portion of your time dealing with that illness, instead of just simply living openly and honestly. Learn to feel it, express it, and deal with it. But just remember, everyone else is dealing with difficult emotions and situations too. Let’s cut each other some slack.

Mississippi School of the Arts (MSA) students, staff and family with support from the wider community, have raised $1,000 to help the children of the Ukraine through Save The Children (STC), which has been active in the country since 2014. The MSA Beta Club sold lapel pins to show support for the Ukraine. The MSA Diversity Fair also brought in fund. The STC donation was made in honor of MSA Visual Arts student Tatyana Baker from Gloster, Mississippi, who moved to the U.S. from Ukraine in 2019. Pictured is Baker with her self portrait, which received a Scholastic Arts Silver Key and was on display at The Mississippi Museum of Art.

Summer time is mosquito time, but simple steps around the home and yard can protect you from their itchy bites and diseases, such as West Nile and Zika viruses, which they spread. The Mississippi Department of Health advises: Avoid shady or overgrown outdoor areas, and places where the ground stays moist or wet. Wear shoes, socks, long pants, and a long-sleeved shirt. Use mosquito netting when sleeping outdoors or indoors where mosquitoes are present. Use an insect repellent that contains DEET or another EPA-registered ingredient such as picaridin, permethrin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus. Repair failed septic systems, leaky water pipes and outside facets Keep grass cut short and shrubbery trimmed. Dispose of old tires, cans, plastic containers, ceramic pots or other unused containers that can hold water. Change water at least once a week in bird baths, wading pools and other water containers. Cover trash containers to keep out rainwater. Clean clogged roof gutters. Aerate ornamental pools or stock them with predatory fish. Clean and chlorinate swimming pools. Keep drains, ditches, and culverts free of grass clippings, weeds, and trash to drain water properly.