Money available for Gulf Coast projects

Mississippi gets $30 million every year from the BP settlement. The money goes into the Gulf Coast Restoration Fund for strategic investments in South Mississippi. The state didn’t have any of that money the last two years, but in 2026, $65 million will be available. Here to talk about the opportunities this presents is Gulf Coast Business Council Executive Director…

Governor Tate Reeves elected as South Regional Education Board Chair

JACKSON, Miss. (WXXV)- Governor Tate Reeves has been elected as the Southern Regional Education Board’s chair. That election was decided at the board meeting in Atlanta on June 22.  He succeeds Georgia Governor Brian Kemp. As the chair, Reeves leads the collaborative work of governors, legislators and state education leaders to improve public education at every level from childhood through…

Federal defense officials visit Keesler Air Force Base

Biloxi, Miss. (WXXV)- Federal defense officials made a visit to Keesler Air Force Base this week. Acting Assistant of Defense for Health Affairs’ Dr. Stephen Ferrara toured the 81st Medical Group’s facilities and met with regional leaders. Dr. Ferrara also met Biloxi Mayor FoFo Gilich, Governor Tate Reeves and leaders from the Department of Veteran Affairs. They all discussed contributions…

Defense Health Agency visits Armed Forces Retirement Home

GULFPORT, Miss. (WXXV)- The Armed Forces Retirement Home in Gulfport received a visit from the director of the Defense Health Agency. Dr. David Smith’s visit provided an opportunity to discuss collaboration with Keesler Air Force Base. Also discussed was progress of the Federal Electronic Health Record Modernization Initiative. That initiative aims to provide a seamless and paperless transition as veterans…

Law enforcement on 2025 Scrapin the Coast

BILOXI, Miss. (WXXV)- In Biloxi, Scrapin the Coast brought out big crowds and custom rides over the weekend and this year law enforcement agencies were strictly enforcing new state laws on keeping vehicles street legal. This year, it was not just custom trucks and cars turning heads. This year marks the first Scrapin the Coast since the passing of House…

Rising temperatures may equal rising utility bills

GULFPORT, Miss. (WXXV) – Summer is here and along with the rising heat are rising utility bills. Coast Electric recommends keeping your AC set to 78 during the summer months to combat a higher bill.  Nearly one in six households across the country are behind on their utility bills. In the summer of 2024, the National Energy Assistance Directors Association…

Singing River Mall demolition signals new era for Gautier

GAUTIER, Miss. (WXXV) — A once-bustling shopping destination in Gautier is being torn down—ushering in a new chapter for the city. The Singing River Mall, which sat vacant for years and became a symbol of economic stagnation, is now the focus of Gautier’s largest redevelopment effort in decades. City leaders say the demolition marks more than the end of a…

Drunk swimmer rescued in Pascagoula

PASCAGOULA, Miss. (WXXV)- A woman is charged with public intoxication after Pascagoula police and other first responders had to rescue her from the water. The incident happened near Beach Park Pier after police got reports of a missing swimmer. Police, along with Pascagoula Fire, DMR officials, and Jackson County Sheriff’s Deputies, located the woman after a short time and brought…

One dead after crash in George County

GEORGE COUNTY, Miss. (WXXV)- One person is dead and five others hospitalized after a two-vehicle crash in George County over the weekend. According to MHP, a 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz was traveling north on Highway 98 when it collided with a 2025 Toyota Grand Highlander just before 6 p.m. Sunday evening. The driver of the Hyundai, 52-year-old Jason Blue of…

Vancleave 3-Star Offensive Lineman Dalton Toothman announces commitment to Mississippi State!

What a day for celebration it was at Vancleave high school as one of their own announced his commitment to play football at the Division I level. The Bulldog community filled the basketball gym as three-star offensive lineman Dalton Toothman declared where he’ll be continuing his football career. Narrowed down to four schools, Toothman opened up a white gift bag…

6/23 – Sam’s “Hot and Muggy” Monday Evening Forecast

Once our afternoon storms die out this evening we’ll stay mostly clear until closer to morning when we could see another brief round of coastal showers. Temperatures will sit in the low to mid 70s across South Mississippi and another afternoon of hot and muggy conditions is expected too. High temperatures will top out in the low to mid 90s…

Shrimp season officially underway in Mississippi

SOUTH MISSISSIPPI (WXXV)-The 2025 shrimp season in Mississippi is now underway. While shrimpers hit the waters early Monday morning, shrimpers we spoke to say their catch numbers were low. Still, DMR said in a Facebook post this afternoon that their staff out on the water observed 33 boats catching brown shrimp, especially in the areas around Deer and Round Islands….

Volunteers needed for cleaning Biloxi’s Amtrak station

Biloxi, Miss. (WXXV)- Amtrak is expected to return to the Gulf Coast with the Mardi Gras Express route. That passenger line expected to start in a few weeks. One group on the Gulf Coast is asking the public to help clean the Biloxi station. Volunteers are asked to head out on June 28th, the cleaning is expected to run from…

Swearing in ceremony for officials in City of Gautier

GAUTIER, Miss. (WXXV)- The City of Gautier held a swearing-in ceremony for those office holders elected in the June 3 municipal elections. Each ward’s council member took the Oath of Office in front of family and friends at the Sound Amphitheater, followed by Council Member At Large Eric Minor, and Mayor Casey Vaughan as he enters his second term as…

Crews connecting new and existing water mains in Ocean Springs

OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. (WXXV)- A heads up for the City of Ocean Springs, crews will be connecting a new water main to the existing water main on Front Beach Drive from Washington Avenue to the Seaman Memorial. That work starting Monday, June 23 and running until this Thursday, June 26. Due to the work, the existing water main must be…

Wild Wonders

Summer Camp

Ryan gets all the details on Camp Aqua, the Mississippi Aquarium’s summer camp going on now through July. Categories: Wild Wonders Tags: Aquarium, Camp Aqua, Mississippi Aquarium, Ryan Mahan, summer camps, wild wonders

23rd annual Scrapin the Coast wraps up

BILOXI, Miss. (WXXV)- Scrapin the Coast rolled through the Mississippi Coast this weekend for the 23rd edition of this can’t miss event. Scrapin the Coast has been a Coast tradition since 2002 and is one of the premier car, truck, and bike shows in the south. Scrapin the Coast had so many cool rides to offer that the inside of…

JZ 94.5 holds third annual Juneteenth Celebration over the weekend

GULFPORT, Miss. (WXXV)- The City of Gulfport has spent the past week celebrating Juneteenth with various events. The third annual JZ 94.5 Juneteenth Celebration took place in Downtown Gulfport on Saturday. At this year’s festival, the focus was celebrating unity, heritage, and hometown pride. There were all kinds of events to enjoy with live music and entertainment all day long,…