Bay St. Louis News Archives

BAY ST. LOUIS - The Mississippi Department of Transportation is working with federal and local agencies to fight cogongrass, an invasive weed that's spreading across the Southeast. via Hattiesburg American

“Closing these temporary sites and helping families relocate remains a top priority”

FEMA announced Wednesday the closing of six more of its post-storm trailer parks by the end of June.

The plans include the removal of a total of 223 travel trailers from three Jackson County parks, two in Hancock County and one in Harrison County.

Here's the breakdown:

In Jackson County, three Pascagoula parks are closing, one on Long Avenue, another at Veterans and Shortcut roads, and a third at Temple and Shortcut roads. The Veterans and Long Avenue sites will close no later than April 30, with a May 29 shut-down date for the Temple/Shortcut site. Read more

“Our goal has always been to aid families in their transition from temporary to permanent housing.”

Six temporary housing sites constructed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency are scheduled to close by June. via Federal Emergency Management Agency

“Don't you tell me for a minute, this is just like any other business”

The debate over giving tax incentives to casino companies eventually became an argument over whether Mississippi should reward an industry that profits from what many consider a vice. via WLOX-TV Biloxi

A Bay St. Louis woman died Monday night when, investigators say, she lost control of her car in a curve. via WLOX-TV Biloxi

“We really need this management”

American Medical Response, which provides ambulance service along the Coast, will now also be running day-to-day functions of the county's 911 emergency call service.

The E-911 Commission will pay AMR $189,500 under a three-year agreement. Hancock County supervisors signed off on the arrangement Wednesday. The 911 system has been struggling financially and is still waiting on interlocal agreements to be approved that will solidify funding agreements between Bay St. Louis, the county and Waveland. Read more

BAY ST. LOUIS - Thirteen college students from nine schools across the nation gave up their spring break to help a Hancock County family in their recovery from Hurricane Katrina. via Hattiesburg American

“This is a day in Hancock County and on the Gulf Coast worthy to be remembered”

State and federal officials announced Thursday that $200 million in federal funds will be made available for hurricane recovery projects here that will include widening a major road to four lanes and building a ... via Sunherald.com

Mississippi officials say $200 million in federal money is being set aside for Hurricane Katrina recovery projects in Hancock County. via WREG-TV Memphis

A bill that would extend tourism incentives to casinos to build upscale attractions is still alive, but the last of the Katrina-related insurance-reform bills died in the Legislature on Tuesday.

Tuesday was the deadline to get bills originating in the other house of out committee, or they would be considered dead. Here's a rundown of where some of South Mississippi's bills stand:

The Senate Tourism and Finance Committees passed House Bill 1196, offered by Rep. Diane Peranich, D-Pass Christian, which would give tax breaks to casinos to build nongambling-related tourism amenities. Read more

BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. -- The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources has been leading the search for a Picayune fisherman missing since his boat overturned Saturday in the Bay of St. via WAPT.com

“At some point, we have to remember people are people, and we can't change their decisions by passing crazy laws that are impossible to enforce.”

Bills intended to offer more protection for insurance policyholders, make it tougher for some marriages to end and prohibit some adoptions likely will die in the Mississippi Legislature this week. via The Clarion-Ledger

The Coast Guard is still actively searching for a 43-year-old man who went missing in Bay St. via Natchez Democrat

“We've had numerous public hearings. But it's just been general public hearings, now we're having specific ward hearings.”

Work is well underway for a comprehensive plan that will provide the footprint for development and rebuilding in the city of Bay St. via WLOX-TV Biloxi

“They had a school for the whites, they had a school for the blacks, but they had no schools for the Indians”

"The Germans were hauling prayer books and shawls, and everything that was meaningful to the Jewish religion. via WLOX-TV Biloxi

BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. -- The government will locate a passport printing facility at the Stennis Space Center in Hancock County. via The South Mississippi Sun Herald

“The completion of this bridge is another milestone in the rebuilding of our beautiful Mississippi Gulf Coast”

The design-build reconstruction of the Bay of St. Louis Bridge is officially completed. via Construction Equipment Guide

“Are there particular needs we can address on the coast?”

At the midpoint of the 2008 legislative session, many of the bills introduced to expedite the Mississippi Gulf Coast's hurricane recovery are dead. via Hattiesburg American

Beau Rivage Biloxi Anthony Cools Friday, Chicago, March 14-15, Chris Rock on March 28, and the Blue Man Group April 10-11, Liza Minnelli May 9. Details: 566-7469, 386-7111 or www.beau rivage.com. Boomtown ... via Hattiesburg American

“There were one or two little stragglers”

Workers inspect storm damage near the entrance of Tulane University at Edgewater Mall in Biloxi on Friday. via The South Mississippi Sun Herald

CDC will hold eight formaldehyde meetings The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will host eight public sessions in South Mississippi to explain the preliminary findings from testing for formaldehyde in ... via Sunherald.com

The storm-battered section of Beach Boulevard from U.S. 90 to Washington Street will soon receive an extreme makeover.

A construction contract could be awarded before school gets out and the state Department of Transportation is expected to begin the overhaul sometime this summer. The work will take about 18 months to complete.

Bay St. Louis officials said Tuesday the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will begin construction in August on a $30 million concrete seawall that will run about 6,500 feet, from U.S. 90 to Washington Street, and stand as high as Beach Boulevard. Read more

“The old Indy's is at least boarded up, but Tire Town is still a mess.”

The Choctaw Plaza shopping center on U.S. 90 is back and thriving.

There are new retail shops and restaurants with fresh facades. But to see them, you have to look past a beat-up Tire Town and an old burger shack near the entrance to the parking lot.

The paint has faded on the razor sharp sheets of tin that dangle in the wind. Some blew off long ago. Grass is growing in the concrete parking lot. The remains of Tire Town in Waveland have hardly been touched since Hurricane Katrina.

The yellow and red building next door was an Indy's fast-food restaurant years ago, but it shut down before the storm. For a few months it was a curbside-loan store. Now it's boarded up and abandoned. Read more