In Pearl River, Jackson, Forrest, George and Stone counties, local officials said the money will support projects including emergency facilities and infrastructure upgrades.
The state requires Lucedale to either restore fluoride to optimal levels or formally discontinue fluoridation so the public record reflects the system's current status.
This is the first school year under the revised system, which raised the district cutoff for an A by 15 points. State reporting says the 2025-26 grades will be released in fall 2026 and will set a new baseline for future comparisons.
The building is designed as a multipurpose facility that can host more than 100 people. Plans include a conference room for smaller meetings and storage space.
Leaders across southeast Mississippi outline their priorities for the 2026 legislative session, highlighting shared challenges facing local governments.
As traditional agriculture faces labor shortages, aging farmers and economic pressure, a growing number of Mississippi farms are turning to agritourism to stay afloat.
A contract dispute over who pays for Lucedale inmates housed at the George County Regional Correctional Facility has led the police department to transport detainees to neighboring counties.
“We diagnose about 1 in every 8 dogs with heartworm disease,” said Tamara Huff, shelter director of Hub City Humane Society. “Heartworms are transmitted by mosquitoes … it just takes one bite from one mosquito for your pet’s life to change.”
RJ Tanner lives on a quiet farm in George County — far from major hospitals or technology hubs — but he’s one of the first people in the world to receive a Neuralink brain-computer interface.
