The World and Everything in It: September 15, 2022

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Good morning!

Jackson, Mississippi’s water is back on, but the still-broken system means another crisis may be around the corner.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Plus, visiting the home of some unusual colonists.

And commentator Cal Thomas on the economic migration happening in Ireland.

REICHARD: It’s Thursday, September 15th. This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Mary Reichard.

BROWN: And I’m Myrna Brown. Good morning!

REICHARD: Time for news now with Kent Covington.

KENT COVINGTON, NEWS ANCHOR: Ukraine update » Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shook hands Wednesday with many of the troops that liberated the city of Izium in the country’s east.

He made a surprise visit to the city and said what he saw there was shocking, but not surprising after witnessing the destruction Russian forces left behind in another town.

ZELENSKY: The view is very shocking, but it’s not [a] shock for me because we began to see the same pictures from Bucha.

Bucha is a small city on Kyiv's outskirts.

Izium was left largely devastated, with apartment buildings blackened by fire or caved in by artillery strikes. A gaping hole and piles of rubble stood where one building had collapsed.

As in Bucha before, Ukrainian officials say they’ve found signs of war crimes in Izium.

DOJ cyber attack charges » The Justice Department has charged three Iranian citizens with ransomware attacks that targeted governments, companies, and other groups in the U.S. and beyond.

U.S. Attorney Phillip Sellinger:

SELLINGER: Not only was this scheme massive, but it focused on particular types of victims.

They largely targeted power companies, infrastructure, medical facilities, and local governments around the world.

SELLINGER: All are Iranian nationals. They committed these crimes from inside Iran. As of now, each of them are fugitives.

They are not believed to have been working on behalf of the Iranian government.

Ransomware attacks encrypt and steal data from victims, demanding ransom payments to unlock the data.

Rail labor dispute » The White House on Wednesday again pressed railroad companies and labor unions to strike a deal and avoid a railway strike by tomorrow’s deadline.

Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre:

PIERRE: Our continued message stays the same, which is that they need to continue to negotiate at the table in good faith.

Members of one union rejected a tentative deal with the largest U.S. freight railroads Wednesday while two ratified agreements and three others remained at the bargaining table.

The unions aren't allowed to strike earlier than tomorrow under a federal law that governs railroad contract talks.

The halting of most freight train traffic could cause more supply chain chaos, dealing a major blow to the economy.

Seattle teachers end strike » Meantime, in Seattle, public school teachers and staff welcomed children back to class Wednesday after ending a weeklong strike. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin has more.

KRISTEN FLAVIN, REPORTER: Seattle Public Schools and the union reached agreement on a new contract, and the union voted this week to suspend the walkout.

The three-year deal will keep or improve ratios of students to staff. It will also increase mental health staffing in schools, and raise pay.

The strike began Sept. 7th, delaying the start of school by a week.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

Queen lies in state » The late Queen Elizabeth II lies in state this morning in London’s Westminster Hall. Her coffin rests on a red carpeted platform with a royal guard stationed at each corner.

AUDIO: [Procession, clapping]

On Wednesday, thousands of Londoners lined the streets as a royal procession carried her coffin from Buckingham Palace.

Thousands are expected to pay their respects at Westminster Hall before the queen’s funeral on Monday. 

California wildfire » AUDIO: [Helicopter]

Helicopters are dumping water on heavily forested hillsides in Northern California as firefighters work to douse the Mosquito Fire.

CalFire spokesman Jim Mackensen told KXTV this is an extremely difficult blaze to battle in part because of where it’s burning.

MACKENSEN: Very, very steep, rocky, treacherous treacherous terrain. We all know that we have cliff rescues up there all the time. So the crew’s been working. The bulldozers have been working.

The Mosquito Fire destroyed an unknown number of structures when flames erupted Tuesday afternoon. But fire officials say they have made “great strides” since then.

The blaze is one of three large fires in the state.

Toy hall of fame » Voting opened Wednesday on which toys should join the National Toy Hall of Fame this year. The class of 2022 finalists include …

COMMERCIAL: Lite-Brite, turn on the magical colored lights.

Also among the nominees: Nerf Toys, Breyer Horses, Masters of the Universe, the piñata, Pound Puppies, and the spinning top.

Strong Museum curator Michelle Parnett-Dwyer said the only award is a place of honor in the Toy Hall of Fame.

DWYER: There’s no prize money or trophy or anything like that. We do always feature the toys or games that won in display.

The public is invited to vote online through next Wednesday.

Last year's honorees were American Girl Dolls, the board game Risk, and sand.

Calming a crying baby research » Want to know how to get a crying baby back to sleep? New research out of Tokyo might help. WORLD’s Anna Johansen Brown reports.

ANNA JOHANSEN BROWN, REPORTER: A study from the Riken Center for Brain Science in Japan suggests the key is to walk around with your crying baby for about five minutes. Then sit and hold him for 5 to 8 minutes.

Researchers found that crying babies calmed down and their heart rates slowed within 30 seconds of being carried. And half of them fell back to sleep. But when mom tried to put them back to bed without first sitting down, a third of the babies started crying again.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Anna Johansen Brown.

I’m Kent Covington. Straight ahead: a water crisis in Mississippi’s capital city.

Plus, some unusual residents of Texas.

This is The World and Everything in It.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: It’s Thursday, the 15th of September, 2022.

You’re listening to The World and Everything in It and we’re glad you are! Good morning, I’m Myrna Brown.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard.

Recently, Jackson, Mississippi drew international attention for its failing water system. The water pressure is mostly back, but the water quality is not. Unless a permanent solution comes, the next crisis is likely right around the corner.

BROWN: WORLD correspondent Gary Perilloux visited Jackson to see how the capital city is faring.

AUDIO: [Dog panting, barking, water cart rolling]

GARY PERILLOUX, REPORTER: Ollie The Poodle is straining his yellow safety vest. He’s searching for his master—30-year-old Cody Shelton.

SHELTON: I heard that there was no water pressure here, so I came and just — hey — you want half of my stuff?

It’s Tuesday morning in Jackson, Mississippi—the day after Labor Day. Cody and Ollie drove 10 hours from Charlotte, North Carolina, with supplies for a community in crisis. He’ll deliver gifts of bottled water, food, and diapers. Ollie is a bonus.

SHELTON: He’s an emotional support dog, so if anybody is down in the dumps, I thought maybe he could give them a smile, or something like that, you know, while I hand out water.

Shelton emerges from Forest Hill High School. Quality Data Systems sent Shelton to Jackson. The private, Christian-owned firm gives half a million dollars annually to communities it serves. Community Bank is the next customer on Shelton’s list. Mississippi’s state capital needs all the support it can get these days.

In late August, the Pearl River flooded, overwhelming pumps and filters at water treatment facilities. Water pressure plummeted. Gov. Tate Reeves activated the Mississippi National Guard. President Joe Biden granted a request for emergency federal assistance. More than a week later, Jackson residents could bathe and shower again — but they still can’t drink the water.

AUDIO: [Scooping ice for frappé, blending drink]

Coffee Prose is a coffee shop at the back gates of Millsaps College. Barista Tekoa Perry laughs with a customer about the need for bottled water and imported ice to craft a coffee drink. When she moved earlier this year from Spartanburg, South Carolina, Perry knew nothing about Jackson’s water problems.

PERRY: I moved down here and then, like, the boil-water notice happened and I’m like what is this? It’s been very frustrating like to remember to use the water, and to take the extra steps to not use the water. But I think I’m adapting.

Customer Michael McDonald moved from Montana to serve with AmeriCorps at a North Jackson nonprofit. He’s about to begin a job at Mississippi’s state archives agency. He’s cautiously optimistic that a water solution will come.

MCDONALD: I hope so. As a Jacksonian, you have to stay optimistic about a lot of different things and this is just one of those things where you want to believe that things will improve and get better. But you also, being a Jacksonian, you have a certain level of skepticism about all kinds of things that happen here. I mean, I’m just hoping this is kind of the straw that breaks the camel’s back for changes that are like desperately needed here with the infrastructure. I’m hoping the mayor and state government can work together, and of course we have more national attention now.

Water experts from as far as Michigan and Maryland are here. They’re helping maintain pressure in Jackson. But purifying the water is a bigger challenge. At Jackson State University, the Mississippi Urban Research Center studies the city’s ongoing water problems. Dr. Sam Mozee Jr. is the center’s director.

MOZEE: Of course, with the 2021 water crisis that was a result of the ice storm and winter storm that occurred, it only seemed natural that with so much disruption caused, that from a research perspective, we wanted to say: Let’s investigate what are some of the dimensions of the cause of the problem, as well as potential solutions to the problem. So that’s how we got interested in that particular topic.

In 2019, one research associate at the center discovered alarming data. Sheryl Bacon compared lead levels in Jackson water with that of 10 other state capitals in the South — and with Flint, Michigan.

BACON: I found that the water quality in Jackson for certain years, especially the period of 2015 to 2016, it actually had higher lead content — in terms of parts per billion — than Flint, Michigan, and the other cities in the Southeastern Region.

It’s important to note that lead levels were acceptable in 4 of 5 Jackson homes and 5 of 6 Flint homes sampled. But one Jackson sample hit 476 parts per billion, higher than any in Flint.

BACON: And as I kind of delved down that rabbit hole and MURC did more research into that, we realized that it was an infrastructure problem as a whole. It was back then that the alarm bell kind of started to go off like, hey, there’s a problem with water quality. And there’s going to be further problems because the infrastructure is aging badly and, you know, corroding. That’s kind of where everything got started, as far as us looking at water and water quality in Jackson.

Jackson State researchers recommended doing a risk assessment of Jackson housing. They called for more frequent water sampling and blood tests, especially at childcare facilities and schools.

A 2021 Congressional spending bill is bringing less than $75 million this year for water infrastructure in all of Mississippi. Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba estimates it will take $1 billion to $2 billion dollars to fully upgrade the city’s water and sewer treatment systems. Replacing obsolete pipes in a 1,500-mile network could cost billions more.

DUNCAN: I’ve Lived In Jackson for 33 Years now and from the time I got here we had infrastructure challenges.

Ligon Duncan is chancellor and CEO of Reformed Theological Seminary. RTS has produced thousands of pastors and counselors worldwide from nine campuses, but Jackson is its original home. The 2021 ice storm taught the seminary to be prepared with water trucks and supplies in West Jackson, where the infrastructure is worse.

DUNCAN: This is tough in all capital cities but Jackson has had, I think, a unique and even more extraordinary tax base problem.

Duncan points to Jackson’s location at the north and east edge of Hinds County. That’s prevented it from annexing areas across county lines, where population and wealth moved from the 1970s until today. Now, nearly three-quarters of Jackson’s metro population of 600,000 lives outside the city limits.

DUNCAN: I’m told this Jackson Water System situation is a Billion-Plus dollar fix, and the Jackson tax base cannot support that. That is completely out of the realm of possibility for our current tax base. Certainly, some sort of infusion is going to have to happen, whether that is a cooperative venture between business and government, whether that’s a cooperative venture between state government and federal government, but it’s going to take a major infusion to fix the infrastructure problem, because it’s a 50-year problem.

Duncan points out that Christians were among the exodus of the largely white population to the suburbs. But he’s encouraged by young Christians, from all backgrounds, who are choosing to live in the heart of Jackson today. In 2023, his seminary will move deeper into Jackson, too, with a new campus on Interstate 55 at Meadowbrook Road.

Four miles southwest of that site, the Rev. Willie Tobias pastors New Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church. Many in his 400-member flock had to leave Jackson just to take showers. 

TOBIAS: When you have people who are without water, which is a necessity of life, it doesn’t matter if you’re black, brown, green, yellow, Republican or Democrat: Do what needs to be done so individuals will not be without water.

Tobias succeeded Dr. Leon Bell, who led the church in the 1960s until his death in 2016. Photos of many African American greats line the church’s wall of fame — from Dred Scott to Aretha Franklin to Michael Jordan — but a portrait of Leon Bell in the fellowship hall is Tobias’s favorite. He remembers Bell saying, “Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity.” That, Tobias said, applies to fixing Jackson’s water woes.

TOBIAS: If funds can be made available to fund a war, if funds can be made available to replenish pots or whatever for paying off student loans, funds can be made available to cover infrastructure issues or pipes for water. In my opinion, it’s about individuals deciding where the funds should go. It's an extreme situation we find ourselves in, but it’s the perfect opportunity for God to do something great, so there’s always hope. I’m very hopeful, because this is the capital city and this is where our church is, so I’m extremely hopeful that things will work out. Matter of fact, I know it will. It’s just a matter of time.

Reporting For WORLD, I’m Gary Perilloux in Jackson, Mississippi.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: So we’ve all seen a hot air balloon, but I hope you’ve not witnessed someone lose control of a hot air balloon—or go missing in one.

Well, it recently happened to a man in China harvesting pine nuts. Instead of climbing the trees, he used a hydrogen balloon. But the tether broke with him still in the balloon basket! His partner jumped off, leaving the man alone drifting for two whole days and for 200 miles!

A search party tracked the air balloon and called him on his cellphone with instructions on how to land.

Other than some back pain for standing up for two days, he’s doing alright. Praise the Lord!

It’s The World and Everything in It.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Today is Thursday, September 15th. This is WORLD Radio and we thank you for listening.

Good morning. I’m Mary Reichard.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: And I’m Myrna Brown. Coming next on The World and Everything in It: An unusual group of colonists.

These colonists migrated to Central Texas generations ago. Maybe even thousands of years ago, long before settlers from Mexico or Europe moved in.

REICHARD: Those early colonists lived in relative obscurity. Today, they number in the millions but remain in the shadows. WORLD Reporter Bonnie Pritchett visited their home and has their story.

BONNIE PRITCHETT, REPORTER: The two-mile dirt road winds its way through hackberry trees, cedars, and live oaks. It’s a humid evening in late August. Fran Hutchins is in his white pickup, driving through the Bracken Cave Preserve.

HUTCHINS: We’re always looking to add acreage to the preserve…

From the dirt parking area, it’s a short walk to the heart of the preserve.

FRAN HUTCHINS: We’re going to go here to the left…Yep. This is what all the hubbubs about…

The ground suddenly falls away into a dark gaping maw. Prickly pear cactus, yaupon hollies, and scrub grass cling to the sharply sloping ground as if to keep from sliding into the abyss.

HUTCHINS: The mouth of the cave is at the bottom of the sinkhole, which is about 80 feet deep.

Because of its limestone terrain, Central Texas is pocked with caves. Some are open for public tours. Not this one. It’s occupied.

Still, the preserve hosts private visits to Bracken Cave on summer evenings. Guests sit on simple wooden benches and stare into the cave’s blackness. And they wait.

Hutchins spots the evening’s first flutters at the cave’s mouth.

HUTCHINS: You can see the bats on the right-hand side. So, they're starting to move out. So, they’ll be out any minute…

Bracken Cave is home to the largest colony of bats in the world.

HUTCHINS: So, we’re looking at 20 million Mexican Freetail Bats calling this cave home…The bats are roosting all over the walls and the ceiling. You're looking at around 500 bats per square foot…

The Mexican Freetail Bat is small - only weighing as much as two 25-cent pieces. Hutchins placed his thumbs together and fanned out his hands to illustrate the bat’s shape.

HUTCHINS: But their body size is about as big as my two thumbs together with a 10-inch wingspan…They look a lot bigger when they're flying. And they're gonna go out at least 60 miles from here one way…

The bats are heading to farms and orchards where they’ll consume 150 tons of bugs in one night. That’s about the same weight as 20 school buses.

HUTCHINS: But these guys are targeting our agricultural pest, which is why they're such beneficial to us…

Getting people to appreciate the role bats play in the environment is part of Hutchins’ work. Bracken Cave Preserve is part of Bat Conservation International, an organization dedicated to protecting endangered bats.

HUTCHINS: One of the biggest effects worldwide, not just in Texas, but worldwide on bats is loss of habitat…and if we can protect the habitats for these bats all the other wildlife in that area is going to benefit as well…

Watching 20 million bats emerge from their roost is quite a show.

From a distance, they look like smoke. On a weather radar the bats billow into a 20-mile-radius cloud. Planes flying into the San Antonio airport give it a wide berth.

The bats begin emerging at dusk.

HUTCHINS: This is the beginning of the batnado…

Yes. He said, “Batnado.” Here’s why.

HUTCHINS: The vortex literally starts in the back of the cave. So, because this is 1000s of smaller colonies, and we know how hard it is to get like our family from the front door of the house into the minivan…But imagine if there's like 100,000 in your family unit. So, when they drop off the ceiling and start flying around that vortex that, that pattern, allows everybody to get together in the vortex. And then when they then the vortex moves from the back of the cave, out into the front room, to the mouth of the cave and then out into the bowl of the sink hole…

The multitude of wings in flight sounds like rain. When they’re about 15 feet directly overhead, you can hear the beat of individual wings.

Once the vortex clears the treetops about 100 feet up, the bats peel off and become black rivers flowing through the deepening blue twilight sky.

The maelstrom will continue for 3 and a half hours.

For Hutchins, it never gets old.

HUTCHINS: To sit here and watch and see 10s of 1000s of one species of animal doing its thing that we benefit from. They're going to come out, and they're going to eat over 150 tons of bugs tonight, whether we're here or not…For a lot of people makes that connection with, “Hey, you know, this probably needs to be protected. We don't want to lose this.”

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Bonnie Pritchett in Central Texas.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Today is Thursday, September 15th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Myrna Brown.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard. Inflation isn’t only hurting American pocketbooks. Commentator Cal Thomas recently visited Ireland and sees trouble there, too, with a historical twist.

CLIP: “Song for Ireland”

CAL THOMAS, COMMENTATOR: Americans are not the only ones suffering from high fuel and food prices, along with rapidly increasing costs for housing and rising mortgage rates.

The Irish, too, are experiencing a similar economic squeeze. Unlike Americans who can reduce economic pressures and move to states with low state taxes and cheaper housing, fuel and food, the only option for Irish people is to leave the country.

A survey by the National Youth Council of Ireland–or the NYCI–has found “seven-in-ten young people, ages 18-24 are considering moving abroad for a better life… Inflation is at its highest since 1984... and mortgage rates are set to rise for the first time in 11 years.” The Irish Daily Mail reports 10,568 people have nowhere to live.

Some are calling on the government to impose price controls and slap a windfall profits tax on corporations and a wealth tax on individuals. Sound familiar?

Price controls don’t work. Recall Richard Nixon imposing wage and price controls fifty years ago to no avail. And giving government more money does not always help meet individual needs.

The frustration is that the Irish economy seems to be doing well, but the cost of living for many is outpacing growing prosperity. Just one example. Taxis are increasingly difficult to hire. Many drivers left their jobs during the pandemic. Today, it can take up to half an hour after one is called for a driver to arrive, as I experienced, unless you are fortunate enough to flag down an empty one. Many small shops, which on my last visit four years ago were open and apparently thriving, are now closed with graffiti decorating their doors.

The NYCI survey found another disturbing trend. Of the 1,253 respondents, “half reported worse mental health amid rising bills.”

If young people do leave, they will be following a sad tradition. As noted by the University College Cork, “No country in Europe has been as affected by emigration over the last two centuries as Ireland. Approximately ten million people have emigrated from Ireland since 1800.”

On a visit to his ancestral home in June, 1963, President Kennedy referenced the historic outflow of Irish people: “Most countries send out oil or iron, steel or gold, or some other crop, but Ireland has had only one export and that is its people.”

The theme of emigration is at the heart of much Irish music. One of the saddest and yet most beautiful of them is “Song for Ireland.” Part of the lyric is as follows:

“Talking all the day with true friends
Who try to make you stay
Telling jokes and news
Singing songs to pass the night away…

I’ll let the Irish band—The Dubliners—take it from here.

CLIP: Watched the Galway salmon run
Like silver dancing darting in the sun
Living on your western shore
Saw summer sunsets, asked for more
I stood by your Atlantic sea
And sang a song for Ireland.”

I’m Cal Thomas.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Tomorrow: Culture Friday with John Stonestreet.

And, George Grant is back with Word Play.

Plus, Emily Whitten recommends two entertaining and worldview-building stories for families.

That and more tomorrow.

I’m Mary Reichard.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: And I’m Myrna Brown.

The World and Everything in It comes to you from WORLD Radio.

WORLD’s mission is biblically objective journalism that informs, educates, and inspires.

The Bible says: Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men. (Col 3:23 ESV)

Go now in grace and peace.

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