Latest news with #TrentKelly
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tupelo Memorial Day ceremony set for Monday morning
TUPELO — Tupelo officials will honor those who died serving in the United States Armed Forces as part of the federal Memorial Day holiday Monday. The city of Tupelo will hold its annual Memorial Day ceremony at Veterans Memorial Park on Monday at 9 a.m. This year's program includes remarks from Mayor Todd Jordan, with U.S. Rep Trent Kelly, who served 39 years in the Mississippi Army National Guard as a combat engineer, as the key speaker. While Veterans Day, which takes place in the fall, is reserved for all service members, Memorial Day honors those who died while in service of the country. Kelly was mobilized for Desert Storm in 1990 and also served with the 155th Brigade as operations officer of the 150th Engineer Battalion in Iraq. He earned the rank of major general before his retirement in 2025 and earned multiple awards, including two Bronze Stars, the Combat Action Badge, the Bronze, Silver, and Gold de Fleury medals, among others. In the event of rain, the ceremony will move from its traditional place at the park square to inside the Tupelo Aquatic Center, also on the park grounds. The ceremony is open to the public and free to attend. The national anthem will be performed by Hope Nanney and Camren Wages, 'Amazing Grace' will be performed by Owen McCulloch, and taps will be conducted by Sgt. Derrick Usher.
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Hands Off!': Hundreds gather in Tupelo to protest Trump, Musk cuts
TUPELO — Hundreds gathered Saturday afternoon to protest against the actions of the Trump Administration, brandishing signs admonishing cuts to social benefits and demanding action on the part of state leaders. Indivisible Northeast Mississippi held a protest at U.S. Rep. Trent Kelly's office in downtown Tupelo Saturday as part of the national The Hands Off! mass mobilization event. The organization reported that more than 250 people attended the event. 'Now is the time that ordinary citizens must stand up and say, 'hands off,'" Teresa Roberts, leader of Indivisible NEMS Hands Off! mass mobilization, said in a press release. 'It is critical to show 'social proof' to others that we are fighting the hostile takeover of our government by billionaires." The goal of Saturday's protest, Roberts said, is to be seen. 'This helps motivate onlookers to pay attention and to join in," she said. "Given the speed of the gutting and plundering of our government by those utterly blind to the needs and wants of everyday Americans, this kind of urgent public saying is that 90% of life is showing up. We will show up, speak out and will raise our voices.' The protest comes in response to President Donald Trump's and billionaire advisor Elon Musk's, through the actions of his Department of Government Efficiency, and the restructuring of the federal government in the name curbing what the Trump Administration has deemed as wasteful spending. Over the past few weeks, hundreds of governmental employees have been furloughed or fired and funding cut to multiple programs, including the United States Agency for International Development, Medicaid, the Department of Health and Human Services, Veterans Affairs and the Social Security Administration. Residents of the region and visitors from far away as Texas joined the local organization's push to pressure area legislators to resist changes brought by DOGE. 'They are dismantling our democracy at a frightening pace,' Derek Cook of Manatee, Mississippi, said. Watching the cuts unfold, he said he didn't know what to do. He said the goal of the protest was to push legislators to put governmental 'guard rails' back on the administration. Tupelo resident Leah Headings has been a part of Indivisible since the first Trump Administration when the local chapter was formed. She said there were many reasons she and others were standing outside of Kelly's office. However, she noted how many aspects of her life were changed or subject to change with plans from DOGE, including that she is on Social Security, her father is a veteran who relies on his benefits to survive, and that many of the children she works with as a therapist would not be able to receive treatment without Medicaid coverage. Landon Huey of Denton, Texas, said he was in Tupelo for business and to visit family when he saw the protest and wanted to join. He noted that a lack of heavy media presence was concerning. He called the federal cuts a 'miscarriage' of democracy. Kelly was not in his office as of Saturday with Congress currently in session in Washington D.C.
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Fixing the US Navy's shipbuilding problems starts with the workers, agency analysts say
US shipbuilding problems are decades old and raising concerns about US Navy readiness. Officials, naval affairs experts, and politicians believe the primary issue revolves around workers. Wages, working conditions, and retention are top priorities. The American shipbuilding industry is grappling with severe problems, none perhaps more crucial than the state of the workforce, naval affairs experts said this week. Addressing the shipbuilding industry's workforce challenges, they explained, starts with competitive wages, quality-of-life improvements, and retention of skilled employees. At a House Armed Service Committee Seapower and Projection Forces subcommittee hearing, members and witnesses talked about some of the woes facing US shipbuilders, such as the smaller industrial base and erratic demand signals from the Navy, and how these long-standing challenges are affecting top Navy programs. "To say this plainly, we must act now," said Sen. Trent Kelly, the subcommittee chairman. "Whether through changes to our procurement processes, stronger industrial base investments, or cultural shifts within shipbuilding program offices," the Mississippi Republican said, "we need to make these decisions sooner rather than later." A range of topics were discussed during the hearing, but the problems relating to shipbuilding workers were center stage. The consensus among witnesses like Eric Labs, senior analyst for naval forces and weapons with the Congressional Budget Office, and Shelby Oakley, the director of contracting and national security acquisitions with the Government Accountability Office, was that the starting point for fixing US shipbuilding issues is investing in the workforce. "In my view, nothing is more important than addressing the critical labor shortages that afflict all the shipbuilding and public maintenance yards," Labs said. Recruitment has been low, and retention difficult, especially in trades such as welding, ship fitters, and pipe fitters. The primary solution brought up was higher wages. Worker pay isn't competitive enough, experts argued, especially for what can be a demanding job, meaning potential workers are opting for employment at retail outlets and other places. There's a decline in interest in manufacturing jobs and not enough investment in fixing that. Other related problems are improving the quality of life and working conditions in the yards, cheaper housing, and more benefits. Upping automation in shipyards, as well as better worker training, too, were included. There have been proposals put forward for better pay, as that's been a focus for industry and the Navy, but the challenges aren't easily solved. Higher wages invite entry-level workers, experts said, but then those yards must retain those skilled workers and invest in their careers. Oakley's statement to lawmakers this week, which featured information from the GAO's study on Navy shipbuilding, said that shipyards are largely struggling to replace the loss of experienced, skilled workers with new ones. This issue applies, too, to white-collar shipbuilders like designers, naval architects, and engineers who "can take other jobs," Ronald O'Rourke, a naval affairs analyst with the Congressional Research Service, said. There is also overlap with maintenance and repair yards. Oakley noted that the Navy's strategy has to focus on that alongside building, as they're inseparable and face similar issues, especially with regard to labor. Some major US shipbuilders, especially those working on top US Navy submarines and surface ships, have pointed out the differences between their workforces today and 30 years ago: they're having trouble hiring people and keeping experienced workers. They've also spoken to the overlap between these labor issues and other problems in shipbuilding. The Navy has often had inconsistent demand signals for its programs, which leaves industry in an uncertain place for hiring and maintaining workers. US commercial and military shipbuilding problems are a priority in Washington right now. President Donald Trump has announced plans to create a White House office dedicated to the issue, and both his pick for Navy secretary and his defense secretary have highlighted the focus on shipbuilding. The urgency is especially felt amid China's continued shipbuilding dominance. China boasts the largest shipbuilding industry in the world, vastly overshadowing the US, with blurred lines between its commercial and military yards. As the US continues to prioritize meeting China's rise and the state of great power competition, shipbuilding has come to the forefront as a potential problem for the American military should the US and China clash at sea. As it stands, the Navy's plans to continue building and maintaining its fleet will come at a hefty price tag. The US Congressional Budget Office said earlier this year it expected the Navy, based on the service's 2025 shipbuilding plan, to need about $40 billion each year through 2054. But due to infrastructure and workforce limitations, the GAO said, "none of the seven shipbuilders that construct Navy battle force ships are currently positioned to meet the Navy's ship delivery goals." Read the original article on Business Insider
