Deep South News Digest
Good afternoon! Here’s a look at how AP’s news coverage is shaping up today in the Deep South. Questions about today's coverage plans are welcome and should be directed to:
The Atlanta AP Bureau at 404-522-8971 or [email protected]
The Columbia AP Bureau at 803-799-5510 or [email protected]
The Montgomery AP Bureau at 334-262-5947 or [email protected]
The New Orleans AP Bureau at 504-523-3931 or [email protected]
The Jackson AP Bureau at 601-948-5897 or [email protected]
For up-to-the minute information on AP's coverage, visit Coverage Plan at newsroom.ap.org.
Deep South Editor Jim Van Anglen can be reached at 1-800-821-3737 or [email protected]. Administrative Correspondent Rebecca Santana can be reached at 504-523-3931 or [email protected]. A reminder: this information is not for publication or broadcast, and these coverage plans are subject to change. Expected stories may not develop, or late-breaking and more newsworthy events may take precedence. Advisories and digests will keep you up to date.
Some TV and radio stations will receive broadcast versions of the stories below, along with all updates.
GEORGIA (All times Eastern)
TOP STORIES:
LEGISLATIVE ISSUES-GEORGIA
ATLANTA — Georgia lawmakers could debate an expansion of gambling, a state takeover of the Atlanta airport and limiting lawsuit verdicts. By Ben Nadler and Jeff Amy. SENT: 700 words. AP Photo.
DEER DISEASE-MISSISSIPPI
Mississippi says it's identified 40 deer infected or probably infected with a deadly brain disease and is asking for hunters to continue providing samples. SENT: 400 words. AP Photo.
AP MEMBER EXCHANGES:
EXCHANGE-FEEDING DUCKS
ROME, Ga. — As soon as they spot one of their red vehicles, Ozzie and Harriet and 22 of their fine feathered friends come waddling, flapping or gliding up from Silver Creek to greet them with open mouths. They’re fed dry cat food — instead of bread — every afternoon without fail between 4 and 4:30 p.m. near the old mill where Manzella worked for 30 years.
By K.T. McKee. The Rome News-Tribune.
IN BRIEF:
— ARSON-SAVANNAH RESTAURANT — Ex-employee gets 5 years in prison for arson at restaurant
SOUTH CAROLINA (All times Eastern)
TOP STORIES:
SCHOOL BUS CONTRACT
CHARLESTON, S.C. — A South Carolina school district's top choice to run school buses next year wants to pay drivers as much as $20.50 an hour. But The Post and Courier reports that the Charleston district's decision could come at a higher price. The district passed over longtime bus vendor Durham School Services when it announced plans to award a new, one-year bus contract to First Student Inc. The contract is for around $24.7 million — a bid about $1.5 million higher than Durham’s. UPCOMING: 291 words.
CHAMPIONSHIP-CLEMSON-PARTY
CLEMSON — The city surrounding Clemson University is again relaxing its open container of alcohol laws for a street party as the school's football team plays in the national championship game Monday night. SENT: 170 words.
DEER DISEASE-MISSISSIPPI
Mississippi says it's identified 40 deer infected or probably infected with a deadly brain disease and is asking for hunters to continue providing samples. UPCOMING: 400 words. AP Photo.
AP MEMBER EXCHANGES:
EXCHANGE-GIRLS WRESTLING
ROCK HILL, S.C. — On one side of the wall, a Rock Hill High School wrestling practice seems to look and sound like it always has. A whiteboard details the afternoon’s practice plan to the minute. A small but mighty amplifier plays John Mayer. Pairs of boys’ wrestlers, wearing baggy sweatshirts and sweatpants tucked into their socks, are spread out all around the room, hustling through drills as instructed by head coach Cain Beard.
By Alex Zietlow. The Herald. AP Photo.
IN BRIEF:
— MILITARY EXERCISE — Officials at a central South Carolina air base are warning neighbors that nighttime training scheduled for the next several days may create a lot of noise.
— MAYOR INAUGURATION — Officials in South Carolina's largest city are getting ready to inaugurate their mayor for his second term.
SPORTS FBC--CFP CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW
NEW ORLEANS — Dabo Swinney and Clemson had to take down a dynasty to become national champions and now are on the verge of claiming a spot for themselves among the greatest runs in college football history. If the Tigers beat No. 1 LSU they will become the 12th team in the AP poll era, starting in 1936, to claim consecutive national titles and just the fourth team to win three in four seasons. By College Football Writer Ralph D. Russo. UPCOMING: 800 words, photos by 3 p.m.
FBC—CFP CHAMPIONSHIP-COACHES
NEW ORLEANS — Dabo Swinney seems to savor the spotlight. The Clemson coach is personable, loquatious, capable of turning almost any question into a 10-minute sermon. Ed Orgeron is cut from much the same cloth. His emotions are on display for all to see, spicing up the LSU sideline with a hefty dash of Cajun flavor. Buttoned down, these guys aren't. By Paul Newberry. UPCOMING: 750 words, photos by 5 p.m. EST.
FBC—CFP CHAMPIONSHIP-LSU-DIVINITY
NEW ORLEANS — Senior linebacker Michael Divinity has missed most of one of the most extraordinary seasons in LSU history because of personal matters. He even briefly quit the team, and then came back in mid-November, knowing that his remaining punishment would prevent him from ever playing for the Tigers again unless they advanced all the way to Monday night’s national championship game. No. 1 LSU made it, and Divinity, who had three sack in five games, is hoping he can give his team a boost in the last and biggest game of his four-year career. By Brett Martel. UPCOMING: 550 words, photos.
FBC—CFP CHAMPIONSHIP-CLEMSON-SMITH
NEW ORLEANS — Clemson linebacker Chad Smith has waited his time to become an integral part of the Tigers’ defense. Giving in or leaving early for the Fiesta Bowl defensive MVP was never part of Smith’s plan — that's not who he is and he was having too much fun. Raised in a military family that respects commitment, camaraderie and doing whatever possible to help your teammates Smith stuck it out The fifth-year graduate student gets a final chance to make an impact in Monday night’s College Football Playoff championship game against LSU. By Pete Iacobelli. Sent: 600 words, photos.
BKW--T25-SOUTH CAROLINA-VANDERBILT
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Dawn Staley brings her fourth-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks to Memorial Gym on Sunday to play Vanderbilt, which is off to its best start yet under coach Stephanie White. By Teresa M. Walker. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos. Game starts at 5 p.m. ET.
ALABAMA (All times Central)
TOP STORIES:
NEWBORN TAKEN
MANY, La. Authorities say the parents of a seriously ill newborn have been arrested in Alabama after taking the child away from a Louisiana hospital. Louisiana State Police say the baby girl was born early Sunday with a life-threatening condition. DEVELOPING.
SEVERE STORMS
Thousands remain without electrical power from storms that ravaged parts of the South and Midwest, causing 11 deaths. SENT: 400. UPDATES EXPECTED.
MLK-ALABAMA JAIL
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — An Alabama county is taking steps to preserve what's left of the lockup where Martin Luther King Jr. served his final time behind bars. By Jay Reeves. SENT: 275 words. AP Photo.
TUSCALOOSA CONFERENCE CENTER
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — A consulting firm will help Tuscaloosa officials decide whether the city can support a new conference center or athletics venue.Pending an expected vote by the City Council, C.H. Johnson Consulting of Chicago will lead the research. The Tuscaloosa News reports that the firm will gather data and do a marketing analysis. It will look at Tuscaloosa’s market size and judge whether the city can support a convention or athletic center. It would also recommend the size, scope and location of such a facility if it is deemed feasible. SENT: 190 words.
DEER DISEASE-MISSISSIPPI
Mississippi says it's identified 40 deer infected or probably infected with a deadly brain disease and is asking for hunters to continue providing samples. SENT: 400 words. AP Photo.
AP MEMBER EXCHANGES:
EXCHANGE-BIRTHDAY CHARITY
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Mary Boone's family began to lay roots in the Washington Park neighborhood of west Montgomery in the 1940s. Her grandmother purchased her home along Beecher Street and as her children grew, the family's hold on surrounding property increased. Boone's uncle, John McCree, purchased the home behind his mom's, along Council Street, while Uncle Joe purchased the one next to her's. Boone's grandmother would go on to buy the strip of land across from her and in years to come, a developer would construct four shotgun-style homes on that land, one of which Boone's mom would come to live in.
By Krista Johnson. Montgomery Advertiser.
EXCHANGE-SICKLE CELL ANEMIA-DRUG TREATMENT
BIRMINGHAM, — Ala.Danielle Jamison of Islandton, S.C. suffers from sickle cell anemia, a condition that causes pain so severe it used to send her to the hospital two or three times a year. The episodes happened when misshaped blood cells clumped together inside vessels, blocking blood flow to organs and triggering crippling pain. In addition to the misery, those events cause permanent damage that often shortens the lives of the estimated 100,000 people afflicted with the disease, most of them African-Americans. But two years ago, she began taking an experimental medication in a study led in part by a doctor and researcher at UAB. It’s one of two new drugs for sickle cell approved in November by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration – the first new treatments to hit the market in three decades.
By Amy Yurkanin. al.com.
LOUISIANA (All times Central)
TOP STORIES:
NEWBORN TAKEN
MANY, La. Authorities say the parents of a seriously ill newborn have been arrested in Alabama after taking the child away from a Louisiana hospital. Louisiana State Police say the baby girl was born early Sunday with a life-threatening condition. DEVELOPING.
SEVERE STORMS
Thousands remain without electrical power from storms that ravaged parts of the South and Midwest, causing 11 deaths. SENT: 400. UPDATES EXPECTED.
LOUISIANA SPOTLIGHT-ANALYSIS (Moves HFR on Friday; Resent spot on Sunday)
BATON ROUGE — Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards is starting his second term in office Monday with no widespread upheaval among his cabinet and staff, maintaining a largely steady administrative footprint across the agencies that oversee many state programs and services. Still, he needs to fill two critical health positions in his administration, and he could lose his chief budget adviser depending on how the Louisiana State University presidential search goes. By Melinda Deslatte. An AP News Analysis. UPCOMING: 700 words.
RURAL BUILDING CODES
SHREVEPORT, La. — Angry property owners from a rural area of north Louisiana are urging public officials to consider making changes in a local building and property code. Residents showed up at a recent meeting of the Caddo Parish Commission to complain that the parish Unified Development code infringes on their rights. Concerns include regulations on fencing, RV parking, maximum driveway sizes and other issues. They said the regulations are more fitting for city dwellers. The executive director of the Shreveport/Bossier Metropolitan Planning Commission later told The Times of Shreveport there will be a study made to address rural residents' concerns. UPCOMING: 162 words.
DEER DISEASE-MISSISSIPPI
Mississippi says it's identified 40 deer infected or probably infected with a deadly brain disease and is asking for hunters to continue providing samples. UPCOMING: 400 words. AP Photo.
AP MEMBER EXCHANGES:
EXCHANGE-CHILDREN ART CONTEST-CLIMATE CHANGE
BATON ROUGE, La. — Deep red Louisiana is not necessarily where you’d expect someone to try to launch an art contest focused on the perils of climate change.
But Frank Eakin, a green energy advocate who grew up in Louisiana and is now based in the Houston area, saw art as an “ideal channel,” particularly for young people, to grapple with such a big, scary and controversial topic.
By Charles Lussier. The Advocate.
EXCHANGE-VINTAGE ESTATE SALES STORE
MONROE, La. Estate Sales by Tara is revamping a downtown space at 219 DeSiard Street and refreshing it daily.Tara Knight Daniel has moved into a new home base for her estate liquidation business and will be creating a vintage boutique. Her plan is to rotate merchandise regularly with inventory tweaks and new displays daily. The huge front windows at the store will display finds from estate sales, seasonal elements and new products Daniel plans to market.
By Ashley Mott, Monroe News-Star
IN BRIEF:
— CHAMPIONSHIP-CLEMSON-PARTY — The city surrounding Clemson University is again relaxing its open container of alcohol laws for a street party as the school's football team plays in the national championship game Monday night. SENT: 170 words.
SPORTS FBC--CFP CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW
NEW ORLEANS — Dabo Swinney and Clemson had to take down a dynasty to become national champions and now are on the verge of claiming a spot for themselves among the greatest runs in college football history. If the Tigers beat No. 1 LSU they will become the 12th team in the AP poll era, starting in 1936, to claim consecutive national titles and just the fourth team to win three in four seasons. By College Football Writer Ralph D. Russo. UPCOMING: 800 words, photos by 3 p.m.
FBC—CFP CHAMPIONSHIP-COACHES
NEW ORLEANS — Dabo Swinney seems to savor the spotlight. The Clemson coach is personable, loquatious, capable of turning almost any question into a 10-minute sermon. Ed Orgeron is cut from much the same cloth. His emotions are on display for all to see, spicing up the LSU sideline with a hefty dash of Cajun flavor. Buttoned down, these guys aren't. By Paul Newberry. UPCOMING: 750 words, photos by 5 p.m. EST.
FBC—CFP CHAMPIONSHIP-LSU-DIVINITY
NEW ORLEANS — Senior linebacker Michael Divinity has missed most of one of the most extraordinary seasons in LSU history because of personal matters. He even briefly quit the team, and then came back in mid-November, knowing that his remaining punishment would prevent him from ever playing for the Tigers again unless they advanced all the way to Monday night’s national championship game. No. 1 LSU made it, and Divinity, who had three sack in five games, is hoping he can give his team a boost in the last and biggest game of his four-year career. By Brett Martel. UPCOMING: 550 words, photos.
FBC—CFP CHAMPIONSHIP-CLEMSON-SMITH
NEW ORLEANS — Clemson linebacker Chad Smith has waited his time to become an integral part of the Tigers’ defense. Giving in or leaving early for the Fiesta Bowl defensive MVP was never part of Smith’s plan — that's not who he is and he was having too much fun. Raised in a military family that respects commitment, camaraderie and doing whatever possible to help your teammates Smith stuck it out The fifth-year graduate student gets a final chance to make an impact in Monday night’s College Football Playoff championship game against LSU. By Pete Iacobelli. Sent: 600 words, photos
MISSISSIPPI (All times Central)
TOP STORIES:
SEVERE STORMS
Thousands remain without electrical power from storms that ravaged parts of the South and Midwest, causing 11 deaths. SENT: 400. UPDATES EXPECTED.
UNDER THE CAPITOL DOME-ANALYSIS
JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi's new Republican lieutenant governor, Delbert Hosemann, has a reputation for working hard and expecting others around him to do the same. By Emily Wagster Pettus. UPCOMING: 600 words.
DEER DISEASE-MISSISSIPPI
Mississippi says it's identified 40 deer infected or probably infected with a deadly brain disease and is asking for hunters to continue providing samples. UPCOMING: 400 words. AP Photo.
AP MEMBER EXCHANGES:
EXCHANGE-VOICE ACTOR
STARKVILLE, Miss. — In a closet lined with felt blankets and pillows, Jake Phillips sits in front of a microphone reading aloud lines in a distinctly foreign accent.
Just before he finishes the prose, a crash rings throughout his home, followed by giggling and children's footsteps. His own personal noisemakers, toddlers Charlie and John William Phillips, are making mischief in another room.
By Brad Robertson. Daily News.
EXCHANGE-MICKEY MOUSE HOUSE
VIDALIA, Miss. — Just looking at Charlette Waston’s Peach Street home from the outside, one would never know that a child’s dream house is just inside. When The Dart landed in Watson’s neighborhood, she was just finishing a bit of yard work, blowing the leaves away from around a bright green jungle gym and a Mickey Mouse mailbox that added color to her front lawn.
By Sabrina Simms Robertson. The Democrat.
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If you have stories of regional or statewide interest, please email them them to:
The Atlanta AP Bureau: [email protected]
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The Jackson AP Bureau: [email protected]