Lighting the town green in the City of Biloxi

As more people get vaccinated, more public events and Coast traditions are slowly and safely coming back to life. They won’t be painting the town green like they have in the past, but on Thursday, they’ll be lighting it green, literally, at the Biloxi Lighthouse. There’s an open invitation as they flip the switch Thursday at 5:30 p.m., bringing a…

Betsy Ann Riverboat sets sail in Biloxi after hiatus

The Betsy Ann Riverboat set sail today for the first time in over six months. The riverboat had around $100,000 worth of damage due to Hurricane Zeta. The major storm bent the bow and stern and also blew out about six windows surrounding the captain’s chair. The carpet also had to be replaced due to the moisture setting in. Between…

Robotic bronchoscopy helping detect lung cancer at Memorial Hospital

Memorial Hospital is the first in Mississippi to acquire a new piece of technology that will help detect lung cancer at its earliest stages. Two years ago, Memorial Hospital acquired the Monarch Platform which is a robotic technology that allows physicians to go deeper into a patient and perform a bronchoscopy. With this advancement in technology, it is allowing physicians…

Gulfport School District teachers receive COVID-19 vaccines

Teachers and staff from Gulfport High School and Bayou View Middle School were scheduled to have COVID vaccines on campus at their convenience. Every member from the Gulfport School District is eligible to receive their COVID vaccine. Today everyone from school teachers, administrators, cafeteria staff, janitorial staff, school nurses, and more lined up to get their first dose of the…

Johnson and Johnson Vaccine arrives at Singing River Health System

This morning, Singing River Health Systems received their first shipments of the Johnson and Johnson COVID vaccine. The Johnson and Johnson Vaccine is the newest on the market. The single dose vaccine was released this week after emergency approval. On Singing River Health System’s Facebook page are more details for appointment times and locations. Vaccines using the Johnson and Johnson…

$42.3M FEMA Zeta assistance allocated so far in Mississippi

Clean up, repairs, and recovery still continue to this day, a little more than four months after Hurricane Zeta wreaked havoc here in South Mississippi. As of March, FEMA has approved more than $42.3 million in federal grants, loans, and flood insurance payments for homeowners, renters, and businesses in Mississippi’s five counties affected and damaged by Zeta. This includes $13.9…

Conservation bill heads to Mississippi legislature

Legislation creating an outdoor conservation trust fund has cleared committee work in the Mississippi Senate and now heads to the body for consideration. House Bill 1231 creates a 12-member Board of Trustees appointed by the governor and lt. governor to manage the trust to be used for acquisition of land for public use for grants to counties, municipalities, and state…

Shooting leaves two dead on 19th Street in Gulfport

On March 3, 2021, at approximately 3:00 p.m., the Gulfport Police Department responded to the 3700 block of 19th Street, in reference to a shooting. Officers attempted to make contact with the occupants which yielded negative results. Officers then forced entry into the residence and located two suspects that were deceased from apparent gunshot wounds. Both subjects have been identified,…

Mississippi Aquarium celebrates Dolphin Awareness Month

March is Dolphin Awareness Month and who better to talk about it than the Mississippi Aquarium? The Mississippi Aquarium will be sharing videos and contact all month long about their four bottlenose friends: Fin, Archer, Axel, and Nigel. Some interesting facts about dolphins include that they can make their own signature whistle that’s basically like their name. Despite their appearance,…

Local educators react to potential pay raise

Good news for educators in the state of Mississippi as the Senate Education Committee kept the pay raise issue alive by amending House Bill 852. It would give most teachers a $1,000 pay raise during the year that begins July 1st. Newer teachers would get $1,100. Teacher shortages and low salaries are just some of the issues for Mississippi educators….

Mississippi Aquarium holding book drive

Mississippi Aquarium is looking for local support for their growing educational library. Starting today, in honor of ‘Read Across America’ Week, the Aquarium is offering $2 off entry for those who donate March 2nd to the 4th. The books will be used for educational programming as well as resources for the aquarium’s team. They are accepting books about local plants,…

Gulf Coast residents react to mask mandates being lifted

Along with Governor Reeves’ latest executive order comes opposition as well as approval from Gulf Coast residents. Locals are voicing their opinions on social media about the mask mandates being lifted. While many are happy to see the change nearly a year after the COVID shutdown, some believe this change is coming too early. Wendy Wagner, who had COVID-19 and…

Mrs. Mississippi American 2020 reads to first graders virtually for ‘Read Across America’ Day

‘Read Across America’ Day is also being celebrated in classrooms across Mississippi virtually this year. Mrs. Mississippi American 2020 Jamiee Dorris may not have been able to read to a room full of first graders due to the pandemic, however, she still found a way to share one of her favorite Dr. Seuss stories with students across the state. In…

Singing River Pediatric celebrates ‘Read Across America’ Day

Do you like green eggs and ham? The Pediatric Office of Dr. Harper celebrated ‘Read Across America Day’ with her patients while honoring the late Dr. Seuss. Dr. Tamara Harper, a pediatrician at Singing River Gulfport, read the childhood novel ‘Green Eggs and Ham’ to her patients in honor of ‘Read Across America Day.’ She dressed up as Dr. Seuss…

Proposed Restaurants Act provides $25B in relief if U.S. Congress approves

A devastating number of small, locally-owned restaurants have not been able to withstand the financial storm unleashed by COVID. Mississippi’s United States Senator Roger Wicker has set the table for some possible much needed relief for restaurants and other similar establishments through the Restaurants Act U.S. Congress is now considering. COVID’s effects have been far-reaching, something South Mississippi business owners…

Black Beach Weekend rescheduled to August 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the rescheduling of another annual event. Black Beach Weekend has been a major event on the Gulf Coast since 2014. Events usually kick off the second week of April, but due to COVID-19, organizers say all events are now scheduled for August 27th, 28th, and the 29th. The new dates come with a new name…

Gulfport School District vaccinating teachers

With Mississippi teachers becoming eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, the Gulfport School District distributed vaccines to teachers with the help of their community partners. Gulfport Central Middle School Teacher Haley Whittermore said, “I got the vaccine today on my arm. It was great to get it because we have been waiting on it. All of the teachers…

Body of missing Pascagoula boater found

After almost 48 hours, authorities have found the body of the missing boater in Pascagoula. Fifty-four year-old Grady ‘Buck’ Williams was last seen Sunday when he reportedly lost control of his boat near Pascagoula Point Park and went missing after attempting to swim back to it. The Department of Marine Resources located his body in Yazoo Bayou which runs into…

OSSD employees to receive COVID-19 vaccinations

Employees with the Ocean Springs School District are excited to partner up with Singing River Health System Thursday to receive their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. More than 200 Pfizer first dose COVID vaccines will be administered to those who signed up. Now, convenience is key when it comes to the vaccinations. That’s why the time slot is from…