Browsing: People

The quote “Bloom where you are planted,” has a new meaning and purpose through the Dream Foundation’s program, The Bloom…

Kenzie Claire Burchfield was always going to attend Mississippi State University.

The daughter of current and retired MSU employees, Burchfield did not need much convincing to become a Bulldog. However, when she heard her friends at Starkville High School discuss a three-week summer theater camp “that sounded amazing” on the university’s campus, she knew she had to be there.

There is no place like home, and those words come from a person who literally has seen the whole world but has chosen to return to his childhood home in Mississippi for his retirement.

The Heirloom Hotel in downtown Laurel, Mississippi, is a boutique hotel created by HGTV’s Home Town stars Erin and Ben Napier, along with their business partners. The massive restoration transformed the historic 1930s Kress department store into a 29-bedroom hotel. Unfortunately, a devastating accidental electrical fire in August 2025 heavily damaged the property, leaving the insurance claim and rebuilding process ongoing. The entire restoration and ultimate demise of the building were featured on the HGTV series Home Town: Inn This Together, starring the Napirs and the vested families, Joshua and Emily Nowell, and Jim and Mallorie Rasberry.

If you know where to look, there are secret Ole Miss spirit messages written over north Mississippi, all thanks to University of Mississippi alumnus and pilot Joshua Gregory.

Yeah, the class slogan for my Pascagoula High School Class of 1966 was “We’re as great as great can be, the Seniors of ’66 are we.” Pretty corny I’ll admit, but it did—and still does—kind of speak to the feeling my classmates and I had/have about each other. That sentiment continued to be evident as we gathered in Pascagoula last week for our 60th class reunion.

Breanna O’Leary, an Alcorn State University graduate, is a professional NASCAR pit crew member who made sports history by breaking gender barriers in a heavily male-dominated motorsport. O’Leary’s trajectory connects her collegiate background at Alcorn State University to a trailblazing career on NASCAR’s pit road.

As I pulled into First Fruits Farm, I couldn’t help but notice how beautiful it was. Wildflowers were blooming along the drive, and row after row of blueberry bushes stretched across the property. It felt like stepping into another world. Standing there, looking across the neatly kept rows, I found myself thinking of the vineyards you see in photos from places like Italy rather than a farm tucked away in rural Mississippi.

Jake Gibbs enrolled at the University of Mississippi in 1957. Sixty-nine years and one legendary career later, cheering for the Rebels has become a family tradition that he shares with his sons, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Native Son Farm is one of northeast Mississippi’s best treasures. Ironically, it’s also somewhat of a hidden treasure to many of the countless people who come to Tupelo, Mississippi, each week for shopping and entertainment purposes. 

Mississippi State softball punched its first-ever ticket to the Women’s College World Series by pulling off a massive upset against powerhouse Oklahoma in the Norman Super Regional. After a loss in the second matchup, the unseeded Bulldogs rallied and won game three, shutting out the Sooners to end a near-decade-long streak of appearances in Oklahoma City. 

Outreach and growth are a great way to describe both the personal and professional life of Jerica Hudson, vice president of growth and community for Singing River Federal Credit Union.

Former pro football player and Lumberton native Terry Grant will host Lumberton’s first youth football camp Saturday, July 25, at Lumberton High School’s football field. 

Soft footsteps echoed through the galleries of the University of Mississippi Museum as a small group of visitors paused in front of a brightly colored Theora Hamblett painting, leaning closer to study its details and trade memories sparked by the art before them.

Some businesses begin with spreadsheets and business plans. Others begin with a feeling.

For Lindsay Caminita, James Gray Hat Co. started with a simple idea that arrived almost out of nowhere — a creative spark that felt fun, fresh, and completely different from anything else around her.

Taylor Carley and Dan Lewis will reach personal milestones this spring as they complete the RISE To the Top! program at The University of Southern Mississippi.