The University of Southern Mississippi generated an estimated $1.3 billion in total economic impact in fiscal year 2025, according to a newly released study, reinforcing its role as a key contributor to Mississippi’s economy.

It is teacher appreciation week and there are certainly many great teachers working in today’s classrooms to inspire today’s youth. They work far more than 40 hours a week and have passion and energy to burn. I have worked with teachers across the K-12 range over the years and I appreciate them all. Kindergarten teachers have the challenge of guiding 5-year-olds through the basics of good behavior and paying attention that will get them ready to learn. Learning to be a “line leader” is no cake walk. Middle school and high school teachers deal with the drama of teens as they come of age. God Bless them all!

If you have a garden or a few containers of vegetables each summer, chances are you plant tomatoes. They hold the distinction of being the most popular garden vegetable.

As a former teacher and now a mother, I see educators from both sides of the classroom. I know the long days, the emotional weight, the endless responsibilities, and now, as a parent, I also see the incredible impact teachers have on my own children every single day.

Caring and nurturing are two traits that best describe Anna Raiola of Pascagoula whether it is working with foster families or rehabbing wildlife.

I first visited Ocean Springs with my mother in 2010. She accompanied me on a trip to New Orleans to check out some graduate schools, and we wandered down the coast and into the Walter Anderson Museum of Art. This was a very busy time of life for me, full of change and possibility. I don’t remember very much about that trip other than the Community Center murals, but I was caught up in the beginning of an unexpected turn. 

Retiring from education, for many, isn’t exactly leaving the field of education. It is simply a step into a new level of education.

Vicki Bosarge has been a music teacher for over three decades. 

She currently teaches piano, guitar and choir at Resurrection Catholic Middle/High School (RCS) in Pascagoula where she’s been for the past five years. Prior to RCS, she taught at East Central High School for five years, George County Middle School for seven years, and with the Pascagoula School District for 17 years.

In a picture from her time as a volunteer education docent at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, Dr. Maria Wallace is in a dive suit, touching hands with little boys through aquarium glass as they gaze up in wonder. From glass-to-glass aquarium meetings to one-on-one discussions, her career centered on finding novel ways to spark interest in science.  

On any given Sunday in Ocean Springs, there’s a steady rhythm at Center Pointe Church—cars pulling in, doors opening, kids hopping out ahead of their parents, and a welcome that feels more like a front porch than a formal entrance.

The Southern Miss Symphony Orchestra will close its 106thconcert season with “Ground of White,” a celebration of American music, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 7, at Main Street Baptist Church.

America 250 Mississippi and the Mississippi Humanities Council have announced the final round of grant recipients for the America 250 Mississippi Grant Program, supporting projects across the state ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary. 

As the weather warms up and the days get longer here in Mississippi, the calendar starts to fill up with backyard barbecues, porch dinners, and casual get-togethers. A go-to side dish makes the perfect addition to these gatherings. When I’m building a side-dish to bring to an event, I look for crowd pleasing flavors that highlight in-season produce. Both jalapeños and sweet corn are showing up on farmer’s market shelves in May and June. 

In Jackson County, business isn’t just conducted—it’s built, shared, and strengthened face to face. And for one day this May, that spirit will be on full display.

High school baseball season is quickly drawing to a close here in Mississippi. In fact, regular season games are finished for all high school teams, and the playoff bracket is moving along to its culmination of the 2026 state championships games in each of the seven divisions of Mississippi’s high school teams. 

PERRY COUNTY — The third annual “Back the Blue” 5D Barrel Run will be May 2 at the Perry County Multipurpose Center in Richton to help raise funds for the Perry County Sheriff’s Office.