Freezing weather disrupts Deep South water systems

A winter storm leaves the South without reliable water; the US will require negative Covid-19 tests for travelers from China.

Tonight's Sentences was written by Jariel Arvin.

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Winter freeze bursts pipes across the Deep South

Joshua Lott/The Washington Post via Getty Images

• People in Jackson, Mississippi, a town beleaguered by water issues, are once again without drinkable water after the recent frigid weather damaged infrastructure. [NBC News / David K. Li]
• Residents across the Deep South, including in cities like Atlanta, Memphis, and Charleston, experienced low water pressure and service interruptions from burst pipes. [Tennessean / Rachel Wegner]
• The problem is particularly bad in Jackson, though, where crews are struggling to find multiple leaks in city water lines that have left 170,000 people on a boil water notice since Christmas. [Mississippi Today / Alex Rozier]
• Jackson’s latest crisis comes after system failures in February 2021 and August 2022 prompted the federal government to step in to address the longstanding problem. [Washington Post / Ben Brasch and Nick Parker]
• Last week, Congress approved $600 million in the government spending bill to help Jackson renovate its crumbling water infrastructure. [Mississippi Free Press / Nick Judin]

📍 If you read just one story

Vox’s Benji Jones explains how Jackson’s water crisis was decades in the making. [Vox / Benji Jones]

Covid restrictions for travelers from China

• The Biden Administration will require all incoming travelers from China to have a negative Covid-19 test starting January 5, amid concerns about new variants and sharing virus data. [The Hill / Nathaniel Weixel]
• The decision follows China’s announcement that it would reopen its borders to international travel next month in a significant reversal of its zero-Covid policy. [Guardian / Melissa Davey]
• Beijing loosened restrictions after surprisingly strong protests over the last month. Now, rising infections and overburdened hospitals could lead to 1 million Covid deaths in China in 2023. [Washington Post]
• Fears of global viral spread prompted Italy, India, and Japan to announce mandatory Covid tests and other measures for passengers arriving from China. [BBC / Alys Davies]

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Democrat-led cities and the Biden administration have failed to provide resources for migrants bused from the southern border. [Vox / Nicole Narea]

• The Tampa Police Department has fired an officer who was videotaped dragging a handcuffed woman into jail in November. [AP]
• Scientists have developed a blood test that could lead to faster diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. [Guardian / Linda Geddes]
• The Supreme Court decided to keep Title 42 — a pandemic-era rule that allows the US to expel migrants without filing asylum claims — in place until it hears the case in February. [NPR / Joel Rose]

“Christmas was very much like the Grinch came and stole it. I could not cook for my children. It was more like we were in survival mode.”

[Jackson resident Tekemia Bennett on the water crisis / AP]

The US associates "Auld Lang Syne" with the New Year, but not everyone does. [YouTube]

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