At The University of Southern Mississippi, thousands of students return to campus each semester with stories shaped by hard work, resilience and ambition. This semester, one of those stories took center stage.

Pine Belt boxers brought amateur and professional fights to The Center at Forrest County this month during Cinco de Mayo Box Night, a community-focused event that highlighted local fighters, youth mentorship and efforts to strengthen Mississippi’s boxing culture.

The city of Poplarville will celebrate 42 years of the Blueberry Jubilee with a pageant and festival featuring outdoor activities, local history and community events. 

If you had asked Rowe Gillis in middle school what his high school experience would be like, he would never have imagined a long and winding medical journey.

I had lived in McComb for over a year before someone casually mentioned there was an exotic pet shop in town.

I remember being genuinely surprised. Somehow, I had completely missed it.

Not long after that conversation, my kids and I decided to go check it out for ourselves, and now it has become one of our favorite places to visit.

There’s a moment that happens almost every day somewhere in Mississippi. A stranger holds the door open a little longer than expected. Someone waves from a two-lane backroad. A neighbor checks in after a storm, not because they have to, but because that’s simply what people around here do.

A new initiative from the Mississippi Department of Mental Health is promoting community resources for Mississippians with autism, while its director says adult support remains one of the biggest gaps in care. 

Lumberton Public Library is celebrating its 50th anniversary on May 14, bringing the community together to focus on the local history and future of the public library.  

The Ocean Springs Chamber–Main Street is excited to announce that Ocean Springs, Mississippi, has been named one of the top destinations in the 2026 USA TODAY 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards for Best Small Town Cultural Scene.

Mississippi State University chemist Colleen Scott has been selected for the Bayh-Dole Coalition’s 2026 American Innovator Award, one of the nation’s most prestigious honors given annually researchers whose federally funded work leads to real-world impact.

I come from a huge family of teachers. But I admit that I was a little shocked when our youngest son, Chris Lucius, decided to become a coach and a teacher.

An educational paradigm is that all male teachers are coaches, but in many cases, some male teachers remain in the classroom as an “academic” coach for the students sitting in the desks. In a predominantly women’s career, the impacts of male teachers during the formative years can have a profound impact on students–an impact that can shape their entire future.

There is a good chance that somewhere in Mississippi right now, a child is learning multiplication at a kitchen table while a parent reheats coffee for the third time that morning.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted by the USA, Canada, and Mexico, has sparked immense interest, with more American sports fans becoming interested in soccer. And while Mississippi doesn’t have a professional soccer team, the Magnolia State does have several teams advancing to higher levels of play and making a name for our state.

Shani Dunn is a second-grade teacher at Eastlawn Elementary in Pascagoula. 

Any teacher that says summers off wasn’t a HUGE draw for becoming a teacher may not be telling the truth. It was for me.