Weekly Roundup: Jackson County Economic Development Foundation News Clips December 9th

Pascagoula named American World War II Heritage City

Y’all Politics 
Frank Corder | December 5, 2022 

The City of Pascagoula has been designated as an American World War II Heritage City by the National Park Service . The announcement was made today as 18 new communities across the United States received the designation. The National Park Service says World War II permeated every aspect of American life and resulted in a large migration of people within the United States. 

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Miss. Senator Touts Victories That Would Boost Troop Pay, End Vaccine Mandate, And Help Beat China

Roger Wicker Press Release 
December 8, 2022 

The legislation also incorporates provisions Wicker supported that would have a direct impact on Mississippi, including: Amendments that would protect and expand the Navy’s Amphibious ship programming by establishing a requirement for 31 traditional amphibious ships, and provide $250 million for LPD advance procurement; Language that would authorize the Secretary of the Navy to enter into one or more multi-year contracts for Huntington Ingalls and Bath Ironworks to construct up to 15 Arleigh Burke-class Guided Missile Destroyers (DDG-51s), while also requiring the Navy to cooperate with Ingalls and Bath on the next-generation of destroyers (DDG(X)); Language that would provide major boosts to Mississippi military institutions, including $20 million for the Engineer Research and Development Center in Vicksburg, $10 million for a new facility at Keesler Air Force Base, and increased Navy support for the Naval Small Craft Instruction and Technical Training School (NAVSCIATTS) in Hancock County. 

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U.S. Navy Accepts Delivery of Future USS Lenah Sutcliffe Destroyer

American Security Today 
Tammy Waitt | December 5, 2022 

The Navy accepted delivery of the future guided-missile destroyer USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG 123) from Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls shipbuilding division on November 30, 2022. Before the official transfer of the ship, USS Lenah Sutcliffe conducted a series of at-sea and pier-side trials to demonstrate its material and operational readiness. 

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Ocean Springs mayor explains annexation plan

WLOX 
Amber Spradley  | December 5, 2022 

Ocean Springs could be getting bigger with talks of an annexation. City officials are looking to expand the city limits into two unincorporated areas of Jackson County. It is something city leaders have been studying for about a year now. It’s a move previous administrations have attempted a few times before but backed off for various reasons. When asked, Mayor Kenny Holloway said he does not know what those reasons are but that he thinks it is important to have the high school located inside the city limits. 

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Ocean Springs aldermen vote to move forward with annexation plans

WXXV 
Ansley Brent | December 8, 2022

City officials in Ocean Springs are moving forward with plans to annex two parcels of land. The City of Ocean Springs is bringing back a reoccurring topic which is plans of possibly annexing the city. The properties in question include the west side of Highway 57 to match Gautier’s boundary to the east and south of Highway 90. The annexation would also bring Ocean Springs High School into the city limits and would add about 1,500 people to the city. 

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US Navy Receives 34th Arleigh Burke Destroyer From Ingalls

The Defense Post 
Rojeof Manuel | December 6, 2022 

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) has handed over the US Navy’s latest Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG 123). The delivery follows the ship’s at-sea and pier-side trials last October to assess its onboard capabilities and operability. “The program is proud to lead the construction and delivery of Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee,” US Navy DDG 51 Class Program Manager Capt. Seth Miller said. 

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Pascagoula cracking down on properties deemed to be “public menaces”

WLOX 
Mike Lacy | December 8, 2022 

When the city designates a blighted property as a “public menace,” it doesn’t mess around when it comes to picking up the mess. “The public menace route is the option of last resort to finally get these properties cleaned up,” said Pascagoula City Manager Michael Silverman. The declaration of the properties is a monthly routine. The numbers are increasing as the administration continues to put a heavy emphasis on cleaning up. Just this week, five more properties were identified. “For us, blighted properties can be a major impact on the economy and on public safety for a community,” Silverman said. “So that’s why we’ve made this a top priority to keep our community clean.” 

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