A Southern Beach Getaway With Arty Appeal
The Wall Street Journal
Chelsea Brasted | August 19, 2022
But on my first day in town, both the beach and the bayou would have to wait. I woke up in my four-poster bed at the Inn of Ocean Springs to rumbles of thunder and rain hitting the windows. Eventually, I peeled myself out of bed and spent the morning exploring downtown. With an umbrella in one hand and a latte from Bright Eyed Brew Company in the other, I bounced from shop to shop. At the vintage shop Buddy Row, I imagined the party invites I’d need in order to wear the ’80s sequined dresses, and at Ocean Springs Mercantile, a home décor store with a luxe farmhouse vibe, I scored a gift for my mom.
Ocean Springs has record-breaking sales tax revenues, a cash balance of more than $2 million, and wants to raise taxes
Gulf Live
Warren Kulo | August 23, 2022
Five years ago, Ocean Springs aldermen voted to implement a three-mill increase in property taxes, marking only the second time in 20 years the City of Ocean Springs had raised ad valorem taxes. At the time, the City was facing a beginning cash balance for fiscal 2018 of just $215,000, were tasked with providing employees with long-overdue and promised raises, and noted to taxpayers that the City increase would be largely offset by a decrease in property taxes from the Ocean Springs School District that year.
Aldi grocery store officially opens in Ocean Springs
WXXV
Janae Jordon | August 25, 2022
After a four-year wait, the Aldi grocery store in Ocean Springs is finally open. The stormy weather didn’t keep people from heading to the grand opening of the Aldi grocery store. Customer Traceyann Vernon said, “I got here at like 5 this morning.” Early birds like Traceyann were up bright and early eager to see everything the store has to offer. “I am interested to see the prices of the stuff. I heard it’s really cheap. So, I came to see most of the food and stuff.”
Larger Fleet Needed To Prevent War In The Pacific
Senator Roger Wicker
August 22, 2022
We have already begun to make some progress in rebuilding our Navy in recent years. This past March, I participated in the christening of the USS Jack H. Lucas, a brand new destroyer built in Pascagoula. In addition, last week I attended the keel laying ceremony for the USS Jeremiah Denton, another destroyer being built in Mississippi. These state-of-the-art vessels will help us counter China, but we will need a lot more of them.
Ingalls workers could get reduced tuition to Spring Hill College
WKRG
Summer Poole | August 25, 2022
Ingalls Shipbuilding employees may soon get reduced tuition at Spring Hill College. The Mobile private liberal arts college and Pascagoula-based shipbuilder announced Thursday that they are working together on a program. Spring Hill will provide a 10% discount and deferred payments to Ingalls employees who are eligible through the company’s Education Assistance Program. Eligible employees will be able to participate in the online degree program.
Jackson County Chamber Anchor Awards honor small businesses and organizations
WXXV
Janae Jordan | August 24, 2022
This morning, the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce held their 14th annual Anchor Awards Ceremony at Pelican Landing in Moss Point. This awards ceremony celebrates outstanding small businesses and nonprofits in the community. There are four categories for recipients: Thrive 1 award, which is for businesses with less than 50 employees, Thrive 2 award, which is for businesses who have more than 50 employees, Pioneer Award for those that have been in business for a year, and the Grit Award, which is for nonprofit organizations.
Pascagoula Public Art Enterprise unveils second sculpture to the public
WXXV
Rick Gogreve | August 22, 2022
The team with the Pascagoula Public Art Enterprise has unveiled its second of three public sculptures downtown in the city. The sculpture is named ‘the hurricane and is an abstract work made with sourced scrap metal collected by the artists from Ingalls Shipyard. The hurricane pays homage to our resilience after hurricanes as well as Ingalls Shipbuilding, the state’s largest employer, making its home in Pascagoula since 1938.
First appearance of the laser Helios on US Navy’s destroyer USS Preble
Navy Recognition
August 25, 2022
Helios is a 60-kilowatt laser system, meaning it has twice the power of the AN/SEQ-3 Laser Weapon System, or LaWSinstalled on the USS Ponce in 2014. HELIOS is billed as a weapon that can burn small speed boats of the type Iran deploys in armed swarms and can torch unmanned aerial vehicles out of the sky. HELIOS has a long-range intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capability. USS Preble (DDG-88) is an ArleighBurke-class destroyer in the United States Navy. She was the 17th ship of this class to be built at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and construction began on 22 June 2000. She was launched on 1 June 2001 and was christened on 9 June 2001.
Nine top teachers earn cash for innovative teaching projects with 2022 Leo Seal grants
WLOX
August 26, 2022
Nine of Mississippi’s most outstanding teachers earned high marks and money Friday as the 2022 winners of Leo W. Seal Innovative Teacher Grants. Funded by Hancock Whitney and administered by the Gulf Coast Community Foundation (GCCF), the Seal grants recognize the exceptional commitment to teaching and fund creative learning projects that enhance students’ educational experiences and support state curriculum at K-12 schools in the eight Mississippi counties Hancock Whitney serves – Forrest, Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson Davis, Lamar, Madison, and Pearl River.
Long Beach, Ocean Springs earn top state test scores across MS. See how your school ranked.
Sun Herald
Mona Moore & Mary Perez | August 19, 2022
Long Beach and Ocean Springs ranked as two of Mississippi’s top 10 school districts, according to the results of statewide tests released Thursday. Long Beach and Ocean Springs ranked in the overall Top 10 for all four subjects tested. Students in grades three through eight take the tests every year. The results were from the 2021-22 academic school year and show schools are recovering from the impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on student progress.
State celebrates three Pascagoula-Gautier schools for reading
WLOX
Amber Spradley
The Mississippi Department of Education awarded seven elementary schools across the state for a job-well-done teaching reading. State officials traveled to Jackson County on Tuesday to celebrate three Pascagoula-Gautier schools that made the list.