Weekly Roundup: Jackson County Economic Development Foundation News Clips October 31st

Jackson County to get fair share of $10 million in Tidelands funds

Gulf Live 
Warren Kulo | October 21, 2022 

Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson recently turned over more than $10 million in Tidelands funds to the Department of Marine Resources, with much of that money going to fund projects in Jackson County. The Tidelands Trust Fund program, established in 1994, generates revenue through leases on lands owned by the State on behalf of the people of Mississippi and through assessments for onshore gaming operations. 

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Ingalls celebrates apprentice school graduates

Gulf Live
Warren Kulo | October 21, 2022

The 136 most recent graduates of the Ingalls Shipbuilding Apprentice Program were honored recently during ceremonies at the Pascagoula shipyard. The graduates represented those who completed the program in 2020, 2021, and 2022. The ceremony was the first in-person graduation ceremony in two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

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Mississippi Just Wouldn’t Be The Same Without These 7 Charming Small Towns

Only in Your State 
Daniella DiRienzo | October 17, 2022 

Known as the “city of discovery,” Ocean Springs is a quaint coastal town with a rich history that goes all the way back to 1699! Being one of the state’s oldest cities is just part of its appeal, though. Visitors to Ocean Springs can also enjoy a burgeoning art scene, lush landscape, a bevy of boutiques, and great eateries. 

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Moss Point School District making push for greater gains

WLOX 
Mike Lacy | October 19, 2022 

One month ago, the Moss Point School District made an unexpected move by putting superintendent Shannon Vincent on administrative leave. So far, the transition seems to be a smooth one. Wednesday morning, the district’s new interim superintendent told the Moss Point Area Council of the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce that his vision to success is clear and obtainable, but he needs community support. Interim Moss Point School District superintendent Oswago Harper has the baton and he’s picking up the pace. 

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Pascagoula City Council grants special use permit to cannabis facility

WXXV 
Rick Gogreve | October 18, 2022 

The City of Pascagoula held a city council meeting today where a new facility was granted a special use permit. After a unanimous vote, the Pascagoula City Council approved the request for a special use permit to allow the operation of a new cannabis cultivation facility. The new facility, located at 4700 and 4703 Pascagoula Street, required a new use permit due to the type of facility only being allowed in the community commercial district with one. 

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Coast business and vegetarian cafe work together to feed the homeless

WLOX 
Ja’Colbi Rivers | October 17, 2022 

What do you get when you pair a moving company and a cafe together? You get an act of selflessness. Steven Morgan is the owner of Magic Movers and recently started a campaign for feeding the homeless with one group going to the Pascagoula/Moss Point area and the other in the Biloxi/Gulfport area. “We just started in the past three months giving back to the community. We’ve been blessed as a small business in the tough times we had to make it through, and we believe it’s best to pay that forward,” Morgan said. The campaign started after being met by a selfless act. 

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Contract award: Ingalls Shipbuilding Division (Pascagoula, MS): $35,744,707

Huntington Ingalls Inc., Ingalls Shipbuilding Division, Pascagoula, Mississippi, is awarded a $35,744,707 cost-plus-award-fee modification to previously awarded contract N00024-20-C-4203 to exercise Option Period Three for the accomplishment of follow-on CG 47 class integrated planning yard services. Work will be performed in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and is expected to be completed by December 2023.

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HII wins design and construction contract for US Navy

Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division has received a detail, design and construction contract for the US Navy’s America-class amphibious assault ship LHA 9. The fixed-price-incentive contract has an estimated value of $2.4bn, along with additional options. If all options are exercised, the cumulative value of the award would increase to $3.2bn. 

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Gulf Research Program Awards $1M in Planning Grants to Support Nature-Based Solutions

The Gulf Research Program (GRP) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine today announced awards totaling $997,523 to support 10 projects that will engage communities in co-developing full proposals to advance nature-based solutions to mitigate climate-related hazards. Communities across the U.S. Gulf Coast and Alaska are facing numerous complex and interrelated challenges associated with climate change. Impacts from climate-related events such as sea level rise, flooding, severe storms, wildfires, and erosion have already affected many of these communities. Two Jackson County communities received funds (Moss Point and Ocean Springs).  

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Moss Point leaders meet with concerned citizens

In Moss Point, two city council members join together to hear concerns from their community members. At the Sue Ellen Recreation Center, Ward 3 Alderman Tim Dubose and Ward 4 Alderwoman Shirley Chambers hosted a community meeting to let the voices of residents be heard. The community filled the bleachers, speaking one at a time, expressing their concerns of flooding, drainage, erosion, matters of public safety, and more. 

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In Ocean Springs, idyllic doesn’t mean sleepy. There’s always something afoot in this trendy beach town.

Nola
Jessica Fender | October 23, 2022

OCEAN SPRINGS, MISSISSIPPI — The inscription above the door at the end of the gallery reads, “Beware by whom you are called sane.” Just over the threshold, every inch of a room roughly the size of a walk-in closet dance in rapturous homage to the natural splendors of the Mississippi coast. Sunrise pinks and yellows illuminate a fawn paused in a glade. Birds take wing of sea breezes. A rainbow bursts forth from radiant clouds.

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The Elusive Deal to Restore Amtrak Service on the Gulf Coast

Governing 
Jared Brey | October 28, 2022 

The train depot in Pascagoula was built in 1904 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in the 1970s, and in recent years has been used as an art gallery, Silverman says. But recently, state legislators approved $3 million in grants to redevelop the station, with plans to retrofit the building with a restaurant and oyster bar. Those are the types of projects that would benefit from a link with destination cities like New Orleans and other towns along the proposed passenger line. Running the trains again could change the outlook for the whole region. 

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