By Gary R. Bachman

MSU Horticulturist
Coastal Research & Extension Center

Just as the changing colors in nature signal the arrival of autumn, so do the appearance of beautiful, flowering mums at our local garden centers.

Adding fall mums, which is the short name for Chrysanthemums, is a stress-free way to provide color to the fall landscape. It’s easy to see why, as these plants will produce more flowers than you could possibly count. The selection of colors seems limitless, from rustic earth tones to bright and cheery pastels.

The worst effects of Tropical Storm Lee included approximately a dozen downed trees in Adams County and temporary power outages at more than 1,000 residences, but no major damage was reported by Sunday night, Adams County Emergency Management Director Stan Owens said.

Read the full story at the Natchez Democrat

Hurricane Irene is headed toward the East Coast and the American Red Cross is mobilizing disaster workers and equipment along much of the eastern seaboard to help those in the path of this powerful storm.

A total of five Red Cross workers from Mississippi have been deployed, including one from Natchez.

A Natchez woman is in Richmond, Virginia, working as Chief of Disaster Health Services. Her primary responsibility is for general health of the community along with health officials there, according to a news release from the Red Cross.