Top 10 Stories of 2014

Public corruption convictions, ice and snow shutting down major highways, minor league baseball bringing a major groundbreaking to downtown Biloxi: these are just a few of the stories that topped our news in south Mississippi this year, and in some cases, made national headlines.

10: South Mississippi becomes a popular spot for filmmaking, playing host to A-list stars like Burt Reynolds.

9: Mississippi football had a history making year on the gridiron as Mississippi State earned a berth in the Orange Bowl and Ole Miss won the Egg Bowl and a ticket to the Peach Bowl.

8: The pension plans of hundreds of Singing River Health System employees hang in the balance as a court battle rages over what benefits, if any, are owed to retirees of the county owned hospital system.

7: Two well-known city leaders, Michael Janus and Kim Savant, are indicted and sentenced on corruption charges.

6: A quick moving fire leaves dozens of D’Iberville apartment residents homeless and lands a local woman behind bars.

5: In Biloxi, it’s time to play ball, minor league baseball that is, as the city scores a minor league baseball team and construction begins on the multimillion dollar stadium.

4: A community mourns as the heart wrenching details emerge in the violent death of Janaya Thompson, a 5 year old little girl from Gulfport known for her contagious smile and kind nature.

3: Freezing temperatures, ice, and snow put the Coast under siege as major roadways and businesses shut down and many accidents occur, causing a state of emergency.

2: More public corruption scandals as former Mississippi Department of Marine Resources Director, Bill Walker, and his son, Ocean Springs businessman, Scott Walker are indicted and sentenced to federal prison.

1: Long time Jackson County Sheriff, Mike Byrd, appears in court on corruption charges and is sentenced to six months house arrest and received scathing words from the judge who sentenced him.
These are the top ten stories of 2014.